Newsbytes - Internationa…1983 May to 1995 December/Newsbytes News Network 1996 Edition (May 1983-December 1995) (Wayzata Technology) (1996).iso/pc/text/nb952nd.txt

Text File | 1996-02-06 | 17MB | 393,930 lines

(ADVISORY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00001)

 ****Newsbytes Takes A Holiday 12/22/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 22 (NB) -- The global
staff of Newsbytes News Network will pause to enjoy the holiday
week from December 23-January 2. There will be no new issues
until January 3, 1996.

We wish all our readers a peaceful and pleasant holiday and a
happy new year.

(Newsbytes/19951222)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
1995 12/22/95
GENERAL
 ****Top Stories Of

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00002)
 ****Top Stories Of 1995 12/22/95
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 22 (NB) -- Not
surprisingly, the name "Microsoft" appeared in many of the top
stories of 1995. But so did words and names like Internet, Novell,
Walt Disney and IBM.

Windows 95

Microsoft grabbed headlines this year with its August rollout of
Windows 95, which users couldn't wait to get their hands on. Like
race drivers at the starting line they lined up at retail stores
around the world awaiting the magic hour of midnight when they could
be the first user on the block to have the new operating system.

For reporters covering the rollout it was like being dropped into a
fantasy land of pennant-topped white tents, jugglers, candy and
wine left in your hotel room and of course the now-inevitable son
et lumiere show with Bill Gates at the control panel.

Microsoft Network

In August Microsoft kicked off its own online service, the Microsoft
Network, as competitors like America Online and Prodigy quaked in
their boots as they waited to see what the industry's 600-pound
gorilla would do. Turned out the boogie man wasn't so fierce after
all. In four months Microsoft managed to lure slightly over 500,000
subscribers, many of them undoubtedly curious as to what all the fuss
was about, while the other services didn't report any significant
subscriber loss.

Taligent

Remember Taligent? Once upon a time Taligent, a joint project of
Apple, Hewlett-Packard and IBM, was intended to be the challenger to
Windows. But Big Blue and Big Red saw the handwriting on the screen
and decided Windows was just too big to challenge successfully. Now
Taligent has become an IBM subsidiary. IBM said it will continue to
develop Taligent for AIX and OS/2 and perhaps some other IBM
platforms.

IBM Acquires Lotus

IBM acquired Lotus Development Corp. in June at a cost of $3.5
billion. In October Lotus president and chief executive officer, Jim
Manzi, who had been named an IBM vice president as part of the Lotus
acquisition, resigned both jobs. Manzi said he was great at running
a company but didn't fit in as well in a big organization like IBM.

Novell Selling Wordperfect

The best candidate for the "Is my face red" award for 1995
probably belongs to Novell, Inc. In 1994 the network operating
system company, which has a lock on that business, decided
to challenge Microsoft and created an applications group.
One of the products it acquired was Wordperfect, the top-selling
word processing program and a product Microsoft Word could never
quite topple.

Novell acquired Wordperfect in June 1994 in a deal
that had an estimated value of about $855 million. Less than 18
months later the company decided to stick to its core
expertise, network software, and slapped a For Sale sign on the
front door at Wordperfect. The company says it has buyers bidding in
the wings and will turn over the keys to Wordperfect to the highest
bidder in early 1996. However they may be lucky to get $0.25 on
their investment dollar, according to some analysts.

Microsoft and NBC

The National Broadcasting Company teamed up with Microsoft this
year to put together an all-news cable channel to challenge Turner
Broadcasting's Cable News Network (CNN). CNN is a powerhouse of
news delivery that plays around the clock in most large newspaper
news rooms. NBC and Microsoft each kicked in about $200 million to
establish the new network, to be called MSNBC. The news spigot is
expected to open by mid-1996. The pipeline for delivery of the
offering will be the existing America's Talking cable network
already installed in 20 million homes. Microsoft dropped another
$200 million and change to buy an interest in America's Talking.

ABC/Disney Merger

ABC/Capital Cities and Walt Disney merged in a powerhouse deal
valued at $19 billion. CapCities/ABC shareholders got one share of
Walt Disney stock and $65 for each share of their CapCities/ABC
paper.

The Internet

As surfing the Internet gained popularity, merchants
realized the World Wide Web is a potential electronic shipping
mart. But security issues like how to provide the merchant your
credit card number so he can ship that box of expensive
chocolates or fancy electronic doodad and feel confident some Web
snooper isn't reading the electronic carbon paper of the charge slip
reared their ugly heads. Numerous companies, including Microsoft, are
working on that problem.

All of the major online services unlocked their Internet access
gateways this year and also lowered their access charges. Digiphone
introduced software that lets you make telephone calls anywhere in
the world if both parties have Internet access, without any long
distance charges. The voice quality isn't as good as what Ma Bell
provides, but it's cheaper.

Just about everybody, including Newsbytes, launched a home page
on the World Wide Web. You can find Newsbytes at www.newsbytes.com

(Jim Mallory/1951221)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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90 12/22/95
APPLE
Diamar Intros Golf Tips - Breaking

(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00003)
Diamar Intros Golf Tips - Breaking 90 12/22/95
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 22 (NB) -- You may not
be able to get on the golf course in the winter, but Diamar has
introduced computer-based advanced instruction you can use while
the snow flies that could bring your score below 90 when you are
able to return to the links.

The program is called "Golf Tips: Breaking 90" and is the second
in the Diamar Interactive Corp. Golf Tips series of instructional
CD-ROMs. The program was produced in conjunction with Golf Tips
Magazine and features instructors from the David Ledbetter Golf
Academy. It uses interactive multimedia technology, including
virtual reality to straighten out your drive and improve your
putting.

Dave Roberts, president of Diamar Interactive, said
Breaking 90 is aimed at the advanced golfer. More than 20 hours
of instruction on more than 70 topics are designed to be used at your
own pace. The three instructional modules include structured
lessons, customized workshops on topics chosen by the user, and
workshops on common trouble areas.

Like its predecessor "Golf Tips: Breaking 100," Breaking 90
includes a module called Play the Hole that lets
you play a par-5 hole using Apple Computer's QuickTime Virtual
Reality technology.

Golf Tips: Breaking 90 is available for Macintosh and Windows
platforms and has a suggested retail price of $59.95. You also get
three free golf balls packed with the software.

The company also publishes instructional programs designed to
improve your photographic skills. That series, called Better
Photography, includes "Learning To See Creatively" and
"Understanding Exposure"

(Jim Mallory/19951221/Press contact: Nikki Inman, Diamar
Interactive, 206-340-5975; Public contact: Diamar Interactive,
800-234-2627)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/22/95
WINDOWS
British Telecom Videophone For Windows 95/NT

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(LON)(00004)
British Telecom Videophone For Windows 95/NT 12/22/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 22 (NB) -- British Telecom Visual Solutions,
the advanced development division of British Telecom, has
launched a PC Videophone, the company's first videoconferencing
system. According to the telecom giant, the system leapfrogs ahead of
the competition since it runs under both the Windows 95 and the
NT operating system environments.

According to BT officials, the system will ship from the end of
January, 1996, and is billed to run under Windows 3.1 and IBM's OS/2,
as well as the two high-end Windows variants.

The new PC Videophone is billed as a flexible videoconferencing system
that has been created to serve users of Windows 95 and NT in the
business marketplace.

According to BT, as Windows 95 and NT usage continues, the videophone
market will experience a boom period.

People use videoconferencing for various activities ranging from
distant learning and tele-sales to company management. Industry
analyst Personal Technology Research projects growth in the PC-based
videoconferencing market rising from 31,750 units -- worth $54.1
million in 1995 -- to 3.8 million units -- worth $1.15 billion in the
year 1999.

Adrian Butcher, general manager of BT Visual Solutions, says:
"Through our long-term commitment to the development of the PC
Videophone, BT will be the first PC-based videoconferencing vendor to
introduce native systems for Windows 95 and NT in January 1996.
We are pioneering PC-based video and data conferencing support for
Windows MT which will open a host of new market opportunities
particularly for a range of applications in the finance sector such as
customer kiosks and financial trading."

Because the technology is relatively new to the marketplace, BT is
offering new users a discount of UKP 700 per unit, taking the price
down to UKP 1,995, provided customers order the system by the end of
the year.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951221/Press Contact: Kim Britten, British Telecom
Visual Solutions [phone]; Reader Contact: BT Visual Solutions
Customer Services 0800-515-550)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/22/95
TELECOM
European Commission Issues Stern Mobile Phone Directive

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00005)
European Commission Issues Stern Mobile Phone Directive 12/22/95
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1995 DEC 22 (NB) -- The European Commission has
agreed in principle to the issue of a directive to mandate all EC
territory countries to open their mobile communications marketplaces
to full competition within the first quarter of 1996.

The directive will come as something of a shock to mobile phone
companies across Europe, as well as their respective government
departments, since many countries are still preparing for telecoms
market liberalization by January 1, 1998, in line with previous EC
directives. The shift forward by almost two years will upset several
countries whose state telcos still dominate the mobile phone arenas in
those countries.

According to the EC's press office, plans now call for the Commission
to adopt the directive as official at the first Commission meeting of
1996, which is expected to take place during late January. The
directive will become law 20 days after that meeting.

Industry observers note that the EC is passing through the directive
on the double, following much prevarication by state telcos regarding
the original 1998 directive. Newsbytes notes that the directive is
being passed through as a subset of the 1998 directive, which neatly
bypasses the need for discussion by the EC Council of Ministers, many
of whom would undoubtedly have "discussed" the document for several
months or years, to forestall the directive going through before 1998.

As well as satisfying many critics of state controlled telecoms, the
directives will allow mobile phone networks to build their own
networks in entirety in their respective country, so bypassing any
need to deal with the state telecom company, except for interconnect
issues.

Although the directive is bound to raise squeals of protest from the
mobile phone networks across Europe, notably those in the state
sector, the telcos cannot say they were not forewarned. Newsbytes notes
that the EC announced as far back as June of this year that it planned
to pass legislation by the early part of 1996.

In October of this year, meanwhile, the EC awarded a contract to Ovum,
the UK-based research and report company, to help develop a code of
conduct for pan-European mobile service providers. The aim of the Code
is cover both independent service providers and service providers who
form part of a mobile network operation.

Despite the voluntary nature of the code, it was strongly supported at
a European level by the cellular industry in an EC public
consultation, following the issue of a green paper (consultative
document) on mobile and personal comms last year, Newsbytes notes.

More cynical observers said at the time that the reason that the
industry sided with the EC's green paper was because of worries over
mandatory EC legislation.

Ovum has now issued a consultative document to the industry. According
to Martin Garner, an Ovum manager who is coordinating the creation of
the code of conduct, the document is very much a foundation and
inquiry paper, which has been sent to all mobile service providers in
Europe.

Garner said that, by the end of next month (January), Ovum expects to
have completed most of the ground work on the Code. "At that stage, we
move on to a public consultation, which will probably start in March,
before submitting the code to the EC for its approval," he told
Newsbytes.

Anyone interested in receiving a copy of the consultative document is
asked to fax Martin Garner on [phone] or e-mail him on
[e-mail].

(Sylvia Dennis/19951221/Press & Reader Contact: European Commission
[phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/22/95
TRENDS
Britain's Globe Theater Plugs Into The Internet

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00006)
Britain's Globe Theater Plugs Into The Internet 12/22/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 22 (NB) -- The Globe Theater has plugged
into the Internet on Web page http://www.globe.jhc.net/ , and,
Newsbytes can report, the theater claims that it is both making and
recreating history, since the Web pages include a page that
allows people anywhere in the world to make card donations to the
theater.

The page is claimed to be highly secure, using the NetGain system,
which uses a 128-bit security key compared to the 40-bit key used by
NetScape. Each donation on the page will fund a specific part of the
rebuilding of the theater project. The theater cites the example of
UKP 20 being used to fund a hod of bricks, while UKP 500 funds a seat,
complete with an inscription of the donor's name.

The launch of the Globe Theater's Web pages also marks the launch of
the NetGain system, which was jointly developed by JHC Internet
Services and the Bell Media Group. Plans now call for JHC and Bell
media to design, set up, house and maintain Web sites, as well as
provide services offered by the NetGain system.

NetGain is billed as using a proprietary Secure Internet Trading
Environment (SITE) and Full Internet Tracking Services (FITS), two
systems that were designed for customers who need very high levels of
security for Web transactions and very detailed market intelligence
information about the number of site "hits."

The Globe's Web site has information on the history of the theater,
including detailed diagrams on its reconstruction, together with
information on the late actor-director Sam Wanamaker whose vision is
credited with rebuilding the theater. Plans now call for the theater
to reopen to the public in June of 1996.

Liz Herbert, a spokesperson for the theater, explained that
Wanamaker's commitment to the theater project touched a lot of
people and that there are a number of people around the world
who would like to help.

"By setting up the Web page, we are providing people with an
opportunity to retrieve up-to-date information on the theater, as well
as an effortless and a very secure way to make a donation," she said.

"Many people think about donating funds to the arts, but acting on
this thought doesn't always follow. But, because JHC and Bell Media's
NetGain has made it possible to make safe credit card donations over
the Internet, we have hopefully made it more convenient and easier for
people to take action. We hope that the Globe Theater will gain more
patrons from around the globe," she added.

According to Herbert, the Web site, thanks to its use of the NetGain
system, will allow the theater to gather valuable market intelligence.

"With a special monitoring facility offered by NetGain (FITS), we can
see how many times the site is accessed, who is accessing it and for
how long, enabling us to target specific areas of interest for those
local and overseas patrons who are planning to visit the Globe," she
explained.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951221/Press Information: Colette Flanagan, Firefly
[phone]; Email: [e-mail]; Reader Contact: Lucy
Beevor, The Globe Theater [phone]; Email:
[e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/22/95
TELECOM
Nokia Secures GSM Expansion In Philippines

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00007)
Nokia Secures GSM Expansion In Philippines 12/22/95
HELSINKI, FINLAND, 1995 DEC 22 (NB) -- Nokia has announced it has
secured a 250 million Markka contract to expand the Globe digital
mobile (GSM - Global System for Mobile telecommunications) network in
the Philippines.

Terms call for Nokia to expand the current GSM
network operating in the Manila area, which it began installing in
1994.

This contract is phase three of Globe's expansion
and will extend coverage of the Philippine's GSM network to most of
the islands, reaching around 90 percent of the population.

Phase three calls for the introduction of a dedicated fiber optic and
microwave network for the Globe GSM network, making the network
independent of the landline phone network in the Philippines, except
for interconnect calls. Phase three will also dramatically expand the
number of available channels to subscribers, Nokia officials said.

Nokia is making considerable strides in the Far Eastern and
Australasian regions. Earlier this year, the company
signed an agreement with Electronics and Telematique (ETM) of
Malaysia for the supply of a Digital Communications System (DCS)
1800 megahertz (MHz) mobile phone system.

Financial terms of that contract were not announced, although Nokia
officials said at the time that, unlike the French Bouygues Telecom
DCS 1800 scheme announced by Nokia in January of this year, the
Malaysian system will be a national network on the scale of Hutchison
Orange in the UK or E-Plus in Germany.

According to Nokia, the Malaysian contract could be worth as much as
US$100 million over the next decade. The network itself is now up and
running in the Kuala Lumpur area, with national coverage expected
early next year.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951221/Press & Reader Contact: Nokia Telecom +358-
0511-51, fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/22/95
EDUCATION
Sybase In Philippines Training Pact

(NEWS)(EDUCATION)(HKG)(00008)
Sybase In Philippines Training Pact 12/22/95
MANILA, PHILIPPINES, 1995 DEC 22 (NB) -- Sybase, a worldwide
leader in the client/server technology, recently entered into a
partnership with the Education Service Group (ESG) of Online
Advanced Systems Corporation.

ESG, which will begin offering training programs to the Philippine
public next year, will add Sybase and Powerbuilder to its course list
which also includes Internet, generic Unix, and networking. ESG is
also working on its accreditation as a training center for Informix.

A few months ago, the 20-year old Online changed from being an
exclusive Hewlett-Packard local distributor to a total IT systems
provider. Online's now defunct Professional Service Organization,
which provided training and technical support to customers, was
reformed into three focused groups last year: Technical
Consulting Group, Systems Integration, and the ESG.

ESG's vision is to develop customers' skills, regardless of the platforms
they use (Sun, Digital, or HP), to keep them abreast with the new
technology, and to maximize their technical investments. At present,
ESG has five full-time professional instructors who underwent
extensive hands-on training specific to client/server computing, high-
quality courses, and small size classes in Manila and in Singapore.

Visualized as a full-blown education center about three to five years
from now, ESG will present tailor-fitted programs to students' learning
requirements and will include specialized areas: generic Unix,
DOS/Windows applications, networking, and relational database
management systems courses designed in partnership with Sybase and
Informix.

Aida Goce, manager of ESG, says that they do not simply suggest a
training course and hope that it works for their clients. "We carefully
assess our client's needs and business objective, and then we design or
recommend a course that provides unique and specific solutions for
them."

(Kay Yeban & Metropolitan Computer Times /19951208/Press
Contact: Aida L. Goce, Online Advanced Systems Corporation, tel
632-815-3810, fax [phone]; 2F Electra House, 115 Esteban
Street, Legaspi Village, Makati, Philippines)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/22/95
TRENDS
First Internet Cafe in the Philippines Opens

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(HKG)(00009)
First Internet Cafe in the Philippines Opens 12/22/95
DAVAO CITY, PHILIPPINES, 1995 DEC 22 (NB) -- A new
establishment in town is redefining the cafe experience in the
Philippines. Web Link Internet Cafe recently opened, offering its
clientele "an odd mix between a cafe and a sleek computer service
center."

In the cafe, computer monitors are encased in the tables, covered by
non-glare glass table tops. "Four more computers with the regular set-
up (with the monitor on the table top) are installed in different areas of
the cafe," says Tony Acosta, vice president of Web Link Philippines,
Inc., and special coordinator for the Web Link Internet Cafe. "These
computers are directly connected to the Web Link hub, and so speed of
access to Internet is very fast," he adds.

Web Link Philippines, Inc., is an Internet service provider in the
Mindanao region, located in southern part of the Philippines.

Among the other cafe features is a special section designed
for children. In the play-and-learn area, children learn computer
basics, with programs for math, reading, and spelling, and play games
aimed at developing sequential thinking, spot decision-making,
flexibility, and coordination. "Our kids will grow up in a highly
computerized world, so it's good to familiarize them with computers
while they're young," says Bingo Tinapay, general manager of Web
Link.

The Internet Cafe also offers three-hour courses on surfing the Net to
walk-in clients with little computer know-how. For the more
experienced customers, there's the Internet Cafe's Surfers Club
which allows members discounts on Net surfing and meal charges at
the cafe, free e-mail addresses, and complimentary T-shirts.

Future plans for the cafe include a special section with multimedia
computers and printers, and courses on advertising on the Internet and
other business opportunities available.

For the first hour of computer use, the cafe charges $5.80; each
succeeding hour costs $4.60. A complimentary drink (coffee, tea, or
juice) comes with the price.

(May Jurilla/19951215/Press Contact: Bingo Tinapay, tel [phone]-
1836, 6382-224-1368, 224-0179, 6382-224-1340, e-mail
[e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/22/95
BROADCAST
China - Hughes' Satellite Will Replace ChinaSat-

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(PEK)(00010)
China - Hughes' Satellite Will Replace ChinaSat-5 12/22/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 DEC 22 (NB) -- ChinaSat will purchase an HS376-
type satellite from Hughes of the US to replace the ChinaSat-
5 satellite which is currently the country's only operational
telecommunications and broadcasting satellite.

ChinaSat is a telecommunications and broadcasting satellite company
under Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (MPT), and its new
satellite by Hughes, ChinaSat-7, will replace the ChinaSat-5 satellite
which has been operational since 1984. The designed service term of 10
years for ChinaSat-5 has been surpassed.

With 23 transponders, ChinaSat-5 transmits TV programs of China Central
Television Station (CCTV) and five provincial local TV stations of
Shangdong, Zhejing, Xinjiang, Sichuan, and Tibet. It also operates more
than 5,000 long distance telephone lines and other services.

ChinaSat recently obtained a US$130 million loan from the Industrial and
Commercial Bank of China for purchase of the satellite. The US-made
satellite will guarantee normal operation of the country's space
telecommunication networks and ease the shortage of satellite
telecommunication facilities. Satellite telecommunication networks
will be developed to meet domestic demand, said Wu Jichuan, Minister
of MPT.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951214)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/22/95
IBM
IBM Stronger In China Thanks To Chinese-Made PCs

(NEWS)(IBM)(PEK)(00011)
IBM Stronger In China Thanks To Chinese-Made PCs 12/22/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 DEC 22 (NB) -- With the same quality produced in
other places, IBM PCs made in China are in short supply. IBM expects to
take 12 percent of China's PC market this year, two percentage
points more than in 1994.

Chinese people used to prefer foreign goods, including computers, but IBM
PCs made in Shenzhen are welcomed in China and now in short supply. With
an annual production of about 100,000 units, the joint venture of IBM
and Great Wall Group turns out PCs as good as any made elsewhere,
said Henry Tse, manager of IBM China operations.

The computer giant has set up five joint ventures in China so far and
plans more cooperative projects with its Chinese partners to
construct a manufacturing and sales base in the country. IBM
joint ventures will involve production of hard disks and software,
as well as PCs.

IBM is expected to corner 12 percent of China's PC market this year.
In 10 years, IBM expects China sales will catch up with that of the United
States and Japan, Tse said.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951216/Reader Contact: IBM China Company, tel
[phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/22/95
TELECOM
China's Domestic Telecom Industry Turns To Rural Areas

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(PEK)(00012)
China's Domestic Telecom Industry Turns To Rural Areas 12/22/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 DEC 22 (NB) -- While international telecom giants
target China's big cities, the domestic telecom industry is looking for
opportunities in vast rural areas. With a total of 1.5 million lines
controlled by Zhongxing Telecom, the company dominates more than half
the rural market.

Zhongxing Telecom, a state enterprise established in 1992, is the
first domestic telecommunications company to design, develop, and
manufacture digital switching systems suitable for the rural market.
Zhongxing is also China's first domestic producer of program-controlled
switching systems with ISO9001 quality certification.

Hou Weigui, general manager of the company, said that Zhongxing products
dominate more than half the rural market. In 1993 and 1994, Zhongxing's
switching systems contributed about 15 percent to the increased
communications capacity in rural China, he said.

A total of 1.5 million lines are currently controlled by Zhongxing
switching systems across the country, which is about 3 percent of the
country's total.

The current asset value in Zhongxing is 16 times greater than just three
years ago, reaching RMB170 million (US$20 million). Last year, with
RMB290 million (US$35 million) in sales and RMB38 million (US$4.58
million) in pre-tax profits, the company ranked 33rd most efficient
among the 30,000 enterprises in Shenzhen. This year, sales volume
is expected to rise 20 percent over 1994 to hit RMB350 million (US$42
million).

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951216/Reader Contact: Zhongxing Telecom, tel
[phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/22/95
GOVT
China - Tax System Further Computerized

(NEWS)(GOVT)(PEK)(00013)
China - Tax System Further Computerized 12/22/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 DEC 22 (NB) -- China has decide to further
computerize its tax-collecting system nationwide, according to a
senior official with the State Administration of Taxation.
More than RMB10 billion (US$1.2 billion) will be spent on the
project and 85,000 computers will be installed in about 30,000
taxation agencies across the country by 2000, said the deputy
director of the planning division with the administration's
information center.

China's annual tax revenue is about RMB500 billion (US$60.2 billion),
but experts believe that this figure is not keeping pace with the
nation's economic growth. Recent statistics also indicate the taxes
being held by enterprises amounted to RMB23 billion (US$2.77 billion).

About 30,000 tax-collecting agencies can barely supervise the country's
more than 30 million taxpayers, resulting in serious tax evasion.
The government hopes the computerized taxation system will improve the
situation.

During the past five years, RMB1.5 billion (US$180 million) has been
invested in taxation computerization and there are already more than
40,000 computers in the nation's tax departments. At present, about
3,000 tax-collecting agencies use computers and a primary network has
been put into operation, linking taxation departments at the province
and city levels.

The State Administration of Taxation plans to raise funds
to pay for the project. At least RMB3.5 billion (US$426 million) of
domestic investment will be needed. Foreign investment will be
drawn from the World Bank, international
organization, and foreign governments under preferential terms.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951216/Reader Contact: the State
Administration of Taxation, tel [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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6 12/22/95
EDITORIAL TRENDS
 ****Products Rumored For '

(EDITORIAL)(TRENDS)(SYD)(00014)
 ****Products Rumored For '96 12/22/95
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1995 DEC 22 (NB) -- None of the products listed here
are in the stores yet. All I can say is, after going to seventeen vendor
Christmas parties in five days, I think I didn't imagine them, but I won't
swear to it. Well here they are, Newsbytes top hot predictions for '96.

Sacrificial Software

Coming soon from JellyFish Software is a package so sensible, you'll
kick yourself for not having thought of it first. FLUFF comes on a
single diskette for just $19.95, yet when installed, it expands
to fill up to 90 percent of spare hard disk space. It doesn't do anything
until that fateful day when you try to install the latest version of Nerd
Invaders, but just get the "Insufficient Disk Space" message for your
trouble. Yet, within milliseconds, FLUFF pops up a screen, volunteering to
sacrifice itself, clear enough space to load your new package, plus a couple
of megabytes to spare.

Audible Smileys

You know those little character-based faces that are meant
to show things like "I'm joking, ok?" in your e-mail. Well, a consortium of
companies including Microsoft, Netscape, Sunsoft and Frito-Lay is rumored to
have gone one better with WCML (WiseCrack Markup Language). All new versions
of Web browsers such as Netscape will have a core of around 500 WCML sound
bites built-in. Anyone designing a compatible Web page can simply embed the
appropriate WCML codes to have the recipient's computer play the
appropriate sounds while displaying the page. Because the sounds
already exist on the computer, they don't have to be sent over the Net,
saving time.

Sucked In

Forget your internal PC modem or even the TV-On-A-Card. New from
Sears in 1996 will be WinVac, a $99 vacuum cleaner on a card for PCs. It
will come on ISA and VESA-LB versions, with full Windows '95 Plug-N-Play
installation compatibility. Standard is a 20-foot vacuum hose that plugs
into a DB25 connector on the back of the PC. The dust bag is external to the
PC, hanging from a second DB25 connector. The operating software includes
power level controls, dust bag gauge and an air temperature indicator.

Aversion Keyboard Therapy

Many people have struggled with the problem of inappropriate use of
computers by students. For instance, using bad language in electronic
mail or searching for pornography or stinkbomb recipes on the
Internet. BytesBack is a new product for '96 that claims to cure this
problem. It consists of a replacement keyboard (with metal-topped keys) and
software which constantly monitors what is being typed. Every time a
"forbidden" word or phrase is typed, the keyboard delivers an electric
shock to the user, also refusing to process the text. Wearing gloves
to avoid the shock won't work either, as the keys only work when they
can detect normal skin resistance levels.

Snakes and Ladders

Have you ever admired a page of text with a nice, sweeping snake of
white space running through the text, down the page over many lines.
WordPerfect users will be pleased to know that version 9.0 of
their favorite WP product has a hot-key to produce just such a pattern in
your text. Simply hit the easily remembered key sequence of Ctrl-Alt-F12,
CTRL-ALT-LSHFT-@, RSHFT-LSHFT-ALT-$ and a windows pops up asking how many
lines of snake you want. The program then creates the snake by using a
combination of formatting and auto-replacing words using the thesaurus. In
difficult cases, the macro may also substitute up to 10 percent foreign
words in order to get the correct spacing.

IR Commander

Are you suffering from remote control overload in your living
room? Do you have a spare PC? Does Radio Shack have a treat planned for
you! For $149.98, you will be able to buy Remote-Buddy which consists of an
InfraRed input/output device that plugs into a Windows-based PC. The
accompanying software allows you to emulate more than 15,000 known remote
controllers, plus learn functions from any other controller. Simply place
the PC next to your easy chair, then settle back for an evening of TV with
the PC keyboard on your lap. Smart modes eliminate the need to channel surf,
and automatically start skipping around every three minutes of so.

Screw Too

With this software package to be released by K-Tel in 1996 you'll
never have a dull moment again. Fastener Pro IV is a fastener cataloging
system which allows you to keep a detailed record of all fasteners in your
workshop. Screw, nails bolts, nuts and washers can all be entered into the
database, with information about gauge, length, material, drive-head type
and so on. It also comes with 250 assorted weekend handyman projects. These
are grouped according to difficulty but are only displayed when you own the
correct fasteners.

(Paul Zucker/19951222)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/22/95
GENERAL
Japan Newsbriefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00015)
Japan Newsbriefs 12/22/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 DEC 22 (NB) -- In this roundup of news from Japan:
NTT Data launches multimedia network Monday, Tokyu Cable applies to
offer Internet, Internet operators hope to expand business, NTT DoCoMo
offers products online, new Nintendo system success depends on
software, Toshiba to launch e-cash project, NTT develops online
payment coding system.

NTT Data Launches Multimedia Network Monday

NTT Data is to begin trials of a new multimedia computer network on
Monday, December 25th. The network links NTT Data's offices in Tokyo,
Osaka and other major cities. Around 45 other companies will also be
involved including Fuji Bank, which will make balance and account
inquiries available via the system. The service is initially available
on a closed basis to NTT Data staff only, but will be expanded
commercially if successful, says the company.

Tokyu Cable Applies To Offer Internet

Tokyu Cable has applied to the Ministry of Posts and
Telecommunications to offer its subscribers access to the Internet.
The operator counts 117,000 subscribers in Kawasaki City, just west of
Tokyo, and is the largest cable operator in Japan. Tokyu wants to
begin offering access to the network from April 1997 at a price of
1,800 yen per subscriber per month regardless of amount of use.

Internet Operators Hope To Expand Business

Over half of all Japan's Internet service providers hope to expand
beyond the simple connection provision business in 1996 according to a
survey carried out by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper. Of the
country's 50 providers, 28 said they were hoping to expand their
business areas.

NTT DoCoMo Offers Products Online

Japanese consumers can now use the Internet to purchase mobile
telephones and pagers from NTT DoCoMo, the mobile communications arm
of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone. The company has set up a home page
with details of the products online at http://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/ .
Initially payment slips will be sent with the goods to customers
although an online payment system will be introduced eventually.

New Nintendo System Success Depends On Software

Hiroshi Yamauchi, the president of Nintendo, has told the Kyodo News
Service the success of his company's new Ultra-64 games systems
depends mainly on the software available. "Software titles (for game
machines) are now in excessive supply. I can find only one or two out
of 100 titles that are fun to play," he told the Japanese news agency.
To counter this problem, Nintendo would limit the number of games
available initially to just ten, he continued. The games player will be
introduced in Japan on April 21 and in the United States shortly
after. Sales of 3 million are being forecast for the first year.

Toshiba To Launch E-Cash Project

Toshiba Corporation and Visa International are to launch a chip card
based electronic cash experiment under the Smart Commerce Japan name
as part of a scheme supported by the Ministry of International Trade
and Industry. The new chip card will be the first in the world to
support the EMV (Europay, MasterCard, Visa) specifications for
electronic commerce. The two companies will cooperate on hardware
development and trials will take place with other members of the group
including leading retailers Daiei and the Hankyu-Toho group that spans
the retail, entertainment and transportation sectors.

NTT Develops Online Payment Coding System

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone has developed an electronic payment
system designed for use online and across the Internet. The system
effectively codes sensitive financial information for transmission
across computer networks and is expected to become part of a new
system that will see microchips embedded into traditional payment
cards.

(Martyn Williams/19951222)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/22/95
ONLINE
 ****Internet Update

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00016)
 ****Internet Update 12/22/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 DEC 22 (NB) -- In this roundup of new products and
resources on the global Internet: First Night New York '96, The State
of the World's Children 1996, World Wide Wales, Lynx of the week list,
The Washington Times National Weekly, Vietnam casualty search online,
unofficial directory of NASDAQ small cap stocks on the web, horror in
hypertext moves, free concert approaching, new lawyer's resource
available.

First Night New York '96

Whether you want to waltz in Grand Central Terminal, enjoy an evening
of jazz in The New York Public Library, dance the night away to the
music of the 60s through 90's in Bryant Park or meet and mingle at New
York's largest singles mixer, you'll find a way to celebrate at First
Night '96, new year's celebration with something for everyone.
World Wide Web: http://www.inch.com/~esoteric/

The State Of The World's Children 1996

A special 25th anniversary edition of UNICEF's annual report. It
highlights the terrible toll war is taking on the children of the
world. Included are a foreword by Boutros Boutros-Ghali,
secretary-general of the United Nations and Carol Bellamy, executive
director of UNICEF. Chapters include Children in war, Anti-war agenda,
Fifty years for children and are supplemented with tables, statistics
and a glossary.
World Wide Web: http://www.unicef.org/sowc96/index.html

World Wide Wales

Information from the country of Wales. Visitors will find a guide to
the best music and bands of Wales, an index of the Web in Wales, links
to local companies, information from a local TV program about
computers, a weekly news update for expates and much, much more.
World Wide Web: http://www.cymru.net/~nwi/www.htm

Lynx Of The Week List

This is a moderated distribution-only list listing and rating pages on
the World Wide Web. Each listing has a brief description along with a
rating by the list author. The list is distributed each Friday and
features at least twenty Web pages each week. To subscribe send an
e-mail message, specified below, to the address below.
E-mail: [e-mail]
Message Body: SUBSCRIBE

The Washington Times National Weekly

An online, weekly edition of the Washington Times. Included is the
front page cover story, top stories of the week, top news of each day,
the latest news on the Whitewater issue and general political
coverage.
World Wide Web: http://www.washtimes-weekly.com/

Vietnam Casualty Search Online

A useful resource for anyone interested in researching the Vietnam
War. This site contains a searchable database of 58,169 soldiers that
died in the Vietnam War. You can perform searches online or download
the entire 3.2MB file of casualties.
World Wide Web: http://sersoft.clever.net/vietnam/

Unofficial Directory of NASDAQ SmallCap Stocks on the Web

This site offers comprehensive data about all stocks with small market
capitalization traded on the NASDAQ market on the World Wide Web.
Users can find stock quotes, search the EDGAR database, find out what
a small cap stock is, find out about small cap mutual finds and link
to associated small-cap pages on the web.
World Wide Web: http://financial.spiders.com/

Horror in Hypertext Moves

The hypertexted version of Frankenstein has moved home on the
Internet. The book can be enjoyed with or without graphics and makes a
fun evening's reading.
World Wide Web: http://www.boutell.com/frankenstein/

Free Concert Approaching

SenseNet is offering a free pop concert on the Internet this January
4th. The concert, described as the "first full scale Internet/World
Wide Web concert" features seasoned professionals as Deborah Harry,
Joan Jett, Psychotica, Lunachicks and many more to be announced. It
will be broadcast across the network using the Xing Streamworks system
and more information can be found now on the "Live @nd In Concert" Web
site.
World Wide Web: http://www.inconcert.com/

New Lawyer's Resource Available

Legal Communications has opened a new resource for legal professionals
who use the Internet. The Legal Communications Web Page provides the
latest headlines from The Legal Intelligencer, the oldest law journal
in the United States, and the Pennsylvania Law Weekly, the state's
only statewide legal newspaper. In addition, a synopsis of the most
important recent court cases in Pennsylvania is available, as well as
the full text of all "Court Notices" published daily in The Legal
Intelligencer.
World Wide Web: http://www.legalcom.com/

(Martyn Williams/19951222)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/22/95
TELECOM
Japan 1995 - Year Of The Mobile Telephone

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00017)
Japan 1995 - Year Of The Mobile Telephone 12/22/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 DEC 22 (NB) -- As Japanese electronics companies
wind down towards the three-day new year holiday approaching, they can
look back on 1995 with a certain amount of satisfaction. While the
economy has remained mostly stagnant and many companies have reported
no rises, or even falls in profits, most of the major manufacturers
have been able to enjoy a still growing market for their goods.

It could have been so different if not for the yen's rise to around 80
yen to the dollar in the months of April and May. Had it stayed at the
100-yen level profits would have been much greater, Sony alone is
estimated to have suffered a 92 billion yen ($920 million) loss in
revenues because of the higher price of its goods abroad.

Despite hitting the new highs, on April 19 the currency registered a
post war high of 79.75 yen to a dollar, the companies have gone on to
report sales and profits better than most Japanese companies thanks
mainly to strong sales in several sectors, one of the best performing
being telecommunications.

When Japan began its new fiscal year on April 1st the number of
subscriptions to mobile telephone services stood at 4.17 million, a
2.14 million increase on the previous year and a continuing steady
growth.

As the year continued, signs began to emerge that new, lower, tariffs
on offer, better and cheaper telephone handsets, and a more aggressive
advertising campaign launched by each of the operators, NTT DoCoMo,
Digital Phone, Tu-Ka Cellular and IDO, were resulting in a boom in
sales.

The increased competition was partly due to each operator vying for a
larger slice of the market although mainly due to Japan's launch of
PHS, the Personal Handyphone System. The PHS system offers lower call
tariffs and cheaper handsets than cellular telephones but cannot
support use from fast moving vehicles as automatic switching between
cells is not available.

In July, the month of the PHS launch, the number of new subscribers
hit a monthly high of 474,700 which represented 200% more than the same
period last year. Around 87,000 of the new subscribers were for PHS
telephones, initially available in Tokyo and Sendai only. At the end
of July the total number of subscribers stood at 5.82 million.

The industry passed the 6 million mark at the end of the next month
after counting 410,000 new subscribers to bring the total to 6.23
million users.

The monthly growth rate of over 400,000 subscribers has continued with
the total figure at year end estimated to be around 9 million
subscribers, almost double the figure just 9 months ago. Official
figures are yet to be released.

Growth in cellular telephones has been particularly good when compared
to that of PHS. Many believed the cheaper, smaller PHS system would
win away many users although the opposite seems to be true. As the
months have passed, PHS system growth has been less impressive than
originally forecast.

Dealers report people enticed by the low fees of PHS have been drawn
into showrooms only to discover the system lacks the widespread
coverage and abilities of cellular telephones. Many, already having
made the decision to purchase a telephone, have then gone ahead and
bought a cellular handset.

In 1996 the record growth is set to continue as prices inevitably fall
further and coverage of the private operators grows and opens NTT
DoCoMo to competition in many regions of the nation where it currently
enjoys a monopoly.

In April next year the PHS operators are set to finalize a standard
protocol for data transmission across the system, which is fully
digital, making communication at ISDN speeds possible from the
handsets.

PHS operators demonstrated several new concepts, including portable
video conferencing and multimedia information services via handsets
with small screens, at the Telecom 95 show in Geneva earlier this
year.

(Martyn Williams/19951222)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/22/95
GENERAL
 ****1996 Products To Watch

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00018)
 ****1996 Products To Watch 12/22/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 DEC 22 (NB) -- For the success story of
1996 there are several products worth watching. Some are brand new
and others have been around for some time but are set to jump strongly
in use. This report focusses on Japan, but the products here will be
important overseas, as well.

Widescreen Television

If you buy a TV with screen size larger than 24 inches in Japan, the
chances are it will be a wide screen model. It is becoming
increasingly difficult for manufacturers to sell, and consumers to
buy, conventional aspect ratio (4:3) sets in preference to widescreen
models (16:9).

The technology packed into each widescreen set depends on how much you
spend with regular sets capable of simply display regular and
widescreen programming in 16:9 mode, more expensive sets support
Enhanced Definition TV (EDTV-2). The new technology is compatible with
standard NTSC and results in widescreen programming being displayed on
a widescreen set with the same 525-line resolution rather than the
approximately 400 lines lefts after the top and bottom of a standard
525 line picture is chopped off.

Even more expensive sets have decoders for High Definition TV (HDTV)
built-in. Although Hi-Vision has been around for three years it was
given a boost this year with its own satellite channel showing 12
hours a day of HDTV programming.

In the year to September, 82,000 Hi-Vision sets were sold compared
with 23,000 the year before and just 10,000 in the previous two years.

With the growing sales of Hi-Vision, and the new EDTV2 system now on
the market, broadcasters are set to devote more hours to widescreen
programming in 1996 which will in turn boost the market for the sets.

Mini Disc

Another product that has been on the market for some years since
November 1992, has begun showing signs of significant growth. Mini
Disc, a digital audio system, has suffered slow sales as the result of
confusion at launch caused by Digital Compact Cassette, DCC, launched
by Matsushita and Philips.

The system passed the important million player mark earlier this year
and total sales of players are expected to reach around 1.5 million by
the end of this year according to Sony and Sharp, the two largest
hardware manufacturers.

A significant breakthrough in the fortunes of the format came in
early September when Matsushita, witnessing 10 Mini Disc player sales
for every one DCC sale, announced it would source 1,000 players a
month from Victor Co. of Japan, Ltd. (JVC).

Towards the end of the year a number of other manufacturers, including
Pioneer, are entering the market and next year's sales are expected to
hit 3 million, twice as many as the total for the last three years.

Personal Computers

If you walk into many Japanese businesses you would probably be
surprised by the lack of computer systems. Even when computers can be
seen on desks they are unlikely to be networked and could even be
word-puro computers, small systems that look like electric typewriters
with large LCD screens and capable of word processing tasks but not
much more.

This has partly been due to the late launch of Windows 3.1's Japanese
version. Computer sales began to rise when that product transformed
computing, making it much easier to use the systems and support the
complex Japanese character sets.

Now with Windows 95 launched, and the popularity of the Internet and
personal computer networks, sales are already rising strongly. In the
first half of the current fiscal year, to September 30th, domestic
computer shipments jumped 68% to reach 2.43 million units.

The Japan Electronic Industry Development Association predicts sales
of 5.2 million units for the full fiscal year and has revised
predictions for fiscal 1996 from 4.75 million units to 7.5 million
units.

MO Disks

Magneto optical disks will grow in use next year, approaching the
position as a possible replacement for the floppy disk in Japan. The
MO format consists of both 5.25 and 3.5-inch disks with the smaller
disks capable of holding 230 megabytes, 160 times that of a high
density floppy disk.

Two announcements made during 1995 by Fujitsu, and its continuing
development, will help the format expand into new markets in 1996.
The company announced a new disk drive, the DynaMO 230, that can sit
inside the same space as a floppy disk drive, making the MO format
available to laptop computer makers for the first time. Apple Computer
has already announced it will integrate the product in some of its new
PowerBook 190 and 5300 computers.

In September Fujitsu also announced a breakthrough in the disk
technology. By changing the way information is stored, the company has
developed disks capable of storing up to 4 gigabytes of information
but without the need for a new drive.

Such disks, named Super MO, will become available commercially in 1997
but the announcement now means users can invest in the technology
knowing it will not become out of date soon. Prices for the disks are
falling and a 230MB disk can currently be picked up for around $20.

(Martyn Williams/19951222)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/22/95
FEATURE IBM
 ****Can IBM Be A Network Star?

(FEATURE)(IBM)(TOR)(00019)
 ****Can IBM Be A Network Star? 12/22/95
ARMONK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 22 (NB) -- When the tide
turned in the 1980s and mainframe computers lost their dominance to
desktop machines, IBM (NYSE:IBM) missed the boat. Now, as the tide
turns again toward a focus on networks, can IBM catch the next boat?

IBM Chairman Louis Gerstner outlined his company's hopes in a keynote
speech at the Comdex/Fall trade show in November. He said powerful
networking technologies "will be to the next phase of computing what the
microprocessor was to the current phase." This means a major shift, and,
Gerstner said, "we at IBM know all too well that those who dominate one
phase of computing are not necessarily the ones to lead the way to the next
phase."

IBM indeed knows this. Although its original IBM Personal Computer set an
industry standard when it arrived in 1981, IBM lost control of that standard.
International Data Corp., the Framingham, Massachusetts, research firm,
recently projected that IBM will be number four in personal computer sales
for 1995. For many companies that would be very good performance. For a
company that once enjoyed unquestioned dominance of the computer
industry, it's a big comedown.

According to Gerstner, part of IBM's problem when the focus shifted from
mainframes to PCS was that Big Blue had too much of a vested interest in
the status quo. It also lacked the skills to lead the PC revolution.

He thinks network-centric computing, as he calls the new wave, will be
different. "The skills and technologies of the PC-centric, piece-part
phase are not the important assets needed in network-centric computing,"
Gerstner said at Comdex. "What is important? Complex network management,
systems management, heavy transaction processing, massive databases,
powerful scalable servers, systems integration, etc. Now let me think --
what company knows how to do all that?"

Gerstner's answer to that rhetorical question, obviously, is IBM. Is he
right?

There are really two parts to that question. The second part is whether
IBM really does have the strengths Gerstner thinks will be important.
The answer to that one is probably yes, because those are for the most
part the skills IBM honed during its years on top of the mainframe heap.
"It's another way they can go back to their core business," says Bruce
Stephen, vice-president of worldwide personal systems research at
International Data Corp. Stephen says that strategy makes more sense for
IBM than continuing to fight the battle of desktop operating systems, which
he says is "clearly over, and won by Microsoft."

But the first part of the question -- the part one might easily miss -- is
whether the IBM boss is right about what will be the keys to success in
tomorrow's network-centric world.

That is the weak spot that Bob Djurdjevic, president of Phoenix, Arizona-
based Annex Research, sees in Gerstner's plan. Network-centric computing,
Djurdjevic argues, is largely about the Internet and its hottest feature, the
World Wide Web. Success in that area, he contends, is not going to be a
matter of hardware, software, or even integration expertise. The real
opportunities lie not in technology but in content. Picking up the popular
metaphor of the information highway, Djurdjevic suggests that "everybody's
been arguing about the rules of the construction and traffic lights and things
like that. Nobody's been worrying about where the cars are going to come
from."

Djurdjevic notes that IBM's arch-rival, Microsoft Corp., and its chairman,
Bill Gates, seem to be putting more emphasis on content than many firms in
the computer industry. But it will not even necessarily be computer
companies that dominate this area. It could as easily be movie studios,
television networks, publishers, or startups nobody has even heard of yet. As
for IBM, Djurdjevic believes that, far from having just the right skills to
catch this next wave, it may have a corporate culture that is highly unsuited
to success in the content arena. He says he told some IBM officials a couple
of years ago that the company might have too many engineers and not
enough musicians. They laughed, but Djurdjevic says the remark was not
entirely in jest. His reasons are more apparent now than they were then.

Despite that reservation, Djurdjevic and other observers believe IBM is
going in the right general direction. An increased focus on networking and
the Internet is arguably a basic requirement for survival in the computer
industry today. As Djurdjevic points out, at the recent Comdex show, "it
wasn't just Gerstner (talking about a new network focus) but also Gates and
everybody else that spoke."

Given that IBM has the right idea, then, how well is it following through?

Three IBM moves in the past year provide a picture of how IBM's network-
centric plan is unfolding. The first was the acquisition of Lotus Development
Corp. in June. It seems apparent that IBM bought Lotus for its Notes work-
group development software. When IBM laid out its plans for the newly
acquired Lotus in July, John Thompson, IBM's senior vice-president and
software group executive, said IBM hoped to "dramatically change the
playing field" by drawing attention away from the operating system to
multi-platform tools that interconnect whole enterprises. In this area, he
claimed, Microsoft Corp. and other competitors are not as well equipped to
compete.

In early December, following a major strategy review and an analysis of
Internet opportunities, IBM set up a new Internet division, tapping Irving
Wladawsky-Berger, former head of its parallel processing business, to take
charge. At the same time, Gerstner named another veteran executive,
Fernand Sarrat, to the newly created post of general manager of network-
centric computing marketing and services initiatives. Sarrat's assignment is
to integrate IBM's strategies on network-centric computing across its
worldwide marketing and services organization.

Djurdjevic says the strategy review was a necessary move for IBM, which
faces the challenge of deciding which of its products fit with the new
direction and which don't. The company must now prune away products that
don't contribute to its chosen direction and bolster those that do. Doing that,
and making sure the new and strategic products get to market in time, will
be a tougher job than the cost-cutting IBM has been through in the past few
years, Djurdjevic contends.

A third step was IBM's recent deal with Ameritech, the regional Bell
operating company in the midwestern United States, that will see the two
companies co-operate to offer integrated computing and communications
services to customers. Steve Mucchetti, general manager of communications
and media at IBM, said during a press teleconference announcing that move
that the company sees it as "the underpinning of the network-centric
rollout." The Ameritech alliance will help IBM provide the infrastructure
needed for network-centric computing, Mucchetti says. The other critical
piece of the puzzle will be applications.

It seems doubtful whether anything Gerstner and his colleagues can do will
ever restore IBM to the hegemony it enjoyed in the 1960s and 1970s.
However, in putting the emphasis on network-centric computing, there is
little doubt IBM is sailing with the prevailing winds.

(Grant Buckler/19951221)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/22/95
TRENDS
Vendors "Help Others" In Holiday Charity Efforts

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(BOS)(00020)
Vendors "Help Others" In Holiday Charity Efforts 12/22/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 22 (NB) -- In what seem
to be rising numbers, computer vendors are turning their energies
during the holiday season to helping others less fortunate than
themselves. In a series of interviews with Newsbytes, officials
of Bay Networks, New England Systems, Agile Networks, Powersoft,
and Lois Paul & Partners (LP&P) discussed the special activities
their companies have initiated, sometimes together with business
partners, to "share their prosperity" this year.

At Bay Networks, holiday charitable activities revolve around
"Holiday Giving Trees," located on the company's two campuses in
Billerica, Massachusetts and Santa Clara, California, said Lynne
Johnson, a community relations representative at Bay Net's
Billerica site.

Under the program, Bay Net employees purchase and wrap holiday
presents, and then place the gifts under the trees for
distribution to selected charities, she told Newsbytes.

The "trees" tradition started at SynOptics, and was then extended
throughout Bay Networks when SynOptics merged with Wellfleet to
form the larger networking company, Johnson added, in an
interview conducted right after the community relations rep had
returned from dropping off the assembled gifts to some of the
recipient organizations.

Today, she explained, East and West Coast branches of Bay Net
each choose the local charities that will benefit from the
"Holiday Giving Trees." This year's East Coast selections, for
example, include "The Friends of Boston's Homeless;" two homeless
shelters, Merrimac House and Pawtucket House; the Assabet Family
and Adolescent Service; the Town of Billerica's "Clause with a
Cause" program; and the Town of Lowell's Department of Social
Services. A canned food drive has been conducted, as well.

This year, she added, even a Bay Networks food services
contractor got into the act. The contractor, Sodexho, has
contributed funds to the "Good Night" program at the Pine Street
Inn, a shelter for the homeless in Boston.

New England Systems (NES) has been participating in charitable
activities ever since the company's inception in the late 1980's.
But this year, the Waltham, Massachusetts-based network systems
integrator has added the Massachusetts Department of Social
Services' "Toys for Tots" program to its holiday giving list,
said Kelly Freitas of NES.

NES employees have been toting toys to work with them for "Toys
for Tots," together with sporting equipment to be given to the
Boys and Girls Club of America.

The NES staffers have also chipped in funds for the New England
Shelter for Homeless Veterans, along with anywhere from $10 to
$100 apiece for the National Foundation for Teaching
Entrepreneurship (NFTE), Freitas told Newsbytes.

This fall, NES joined with Microsoft, 3Com and Staples to design
and deploy a computer network for NFTE free of charge, according
to Freitas. The network is aimed at teaching the "at-risk" young
people enrolled in NFTE about computing. The youths, aged 14 to
24, are using the network to develop computing basic computing
skills, create resumes and business plans, and learn about jobs
in the computer networking industry.

Meanwhile, the children of the NES employees got together for a
special holiday benefit party for kids. Parents were asked to pay
$10 for each child who attended. Proceeds from the party went to
help the New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans buy food,
clothing, and holiday gifts for veterans and their families.

Agile Networks started to take part in holiday charitable
activities for the first time this year, noted Sandy Visser,
Agile's director of human resources. The Boxborough,
Massachusetts-based company was founded in 1991, but was not
"populated" with employees until 1992, she elaborated.

By now, however, Agile employs about 55 people. The company has
instituted an employee donation program for efforts that include
a Christmas dinner for clients of the Acton-Boxborough Housing
Authority, food baskets to the elderly, and "Toys for Tots."

In addition, some Agile employees will be visiting shut-ins
during the week between Christmas and New Year's. "I hope that,
as our company continues to grow, we'll have even more holiday
activities to report next year," Visser told Newsbytes.

Also this year, Powersoft decided to defer its traditional
holiday party in favor of donating funds to employee-chosen
charities, according to Powersoft's Kathy Quirk. Powersoft is
also making donations to a local food bank, and, like other
computer industry vendors, to "Toys for Tots."

Finally, as previously reported in Newsbytes, LP&P teamed up this
year with partners that included Lotus, Shiva, Computerworld,
Sentry Market Research (SMR), and Hurwitz Consulting to hold the
second annual "GoodStart for the Holidays" benefit party for the
Massachusetts Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Children
(MSPCC).

"This is an opportunity to `give back' to the community," said
LP&P's Lois Paul, in an earlier interview with Newsbytes. The
idea of raising funds and toys for the MSPCC's "GoodStart" early
intervention program for parents and kids was a "natural" for
LP&P, she added.

When the high tech PR first was first established, LP&P's
employees had only "a couple of kids" among them, but that
number has since increased to about 40, according to Paul.

This year's event, attended by Newsbytes on December 14 at the
Westin Hotel in Boston, featured appearances by the "Look & Feel"
multivendor rock band; an appearance by local TV anchorman Jack
Williams; and "fun" fundraising activities such as a "silent
auction" and "balloon raffle" for contributed items that ranged
from vacation trips to computers. The benefit attendees also made
monetary donations, and brought toys along with them for the
MSPCC kids.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951222/Reader Contacts: Bay Networks, 508-
670-8888; New England Systems, 617-672-8400; Agile Networks, 508-
436-3636; Powersoft, 508-287-1500; Lois Paul & Partners, 617-862-
4514; Press Contacts: Barbara Heffner, Bay Networks, 508-436-
8867; Lloyd Benson or Christine Gannon, Schwartz Communications
for NES, 617-431-0770; Sheryl Schultz, Agile, 508-436-3636; Kathy
Quirk, Powersoft, 508-287-1882; Brenda Nashawaty or Bill
McLaughlin, LP&P, 617-862-4514)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/22/95
ONLINE
UK - Microsoft Network Teams With Unipalm Pipex On Network

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LON)(00021)
UK - Microsoft Network Teams With Unipalm Pipex On Network 12/22/95
CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 22 (NB) -- Following its taking of a
stake in UUNet earlier this year, Microsoft has announced formal plans
to work with Unipalm Pipex, the European partner of UUNet, to
extend the number of access points for Microsoft Network (MSN),
Microsoft's online network.

According to Microsoft, the network enhancement will provide British
MSN members with high performance Internet access, as well as
increased access points for MSN generally.

The move marks the first stage of expansion for MSN, which has been
roundly criticized for failing to offer full Internet services,
including Web facilities, to subscribers outside of North America.

While confirming the plan to extend full Internet services to British
MSN subscribers, officials have refused to comment on other MSN
country expansion plans. Newsbytes' sources, however, suggest that
similar extension plans are under way across Europe and in Japan and
Australia. Announcements on these regions are expected in the New
Year, Newsbytes sources suggest.

The main emphasis behind the linkup with Pipex is that MSN subscribers
will have local call access to the online service. No surcharges for
rural access are planned, a trend that Europe Online started earlier
this month, and one that may cause a headache for CompuServe, which
surcharges non-city access in the UK.

Plans also call for MSN to work with Pipex to make 28,800 bits per
second (bps) the standard modem rate for MSN subscribers, even out in
the country. According to Pipex, the 28,800 bps national net for MSN
will be operational by the second quarter of 1996, at which time ISDN
(Integrated Services Digital Network) access will also be available.

Interestingly, MSN will not route all subscriber calls to the US
service for "jobbing" purposes (a time sharing system used by
CompuServe and America Online). Instead, calls to MSN's Internet
services will be handled directly by the Unipalm Pipex network,
improving Internet performance to UK subscribers. MSN online service
calls, meanwhile, will be routed back to the US parent net as before.

Judy Gibbons, director of MSN operations in the UK, claims that these
new facilities will allow subscribers to cheaply and quickly access
and search all the information they require as well as communicate and
do other tasks.

"We believe that Internet access is vital in the on-line world but
users need help in finding what interests them among the ever growing
number of sites," she explained.

According to Gibbons, to achieve this goal, MSN has created seamless,
one button access to the Internet as an integral part of the service.

Gibbons went on to say that MSN is also developing a series of online
directories and guidebooks to help people make sense of the Internet.

The move by MSN to develop, in effect, an indexing service for Web
sites is an interesting one, and mirrors plans that Prodigy outlined
to Newsbytes at the Comdex/Fall show in Las Vegas last month. The
danger, however, is that, in becoming an index service, seasoned users
of MSN and Prodigy may decide to bypass the online service and "jump"
straight to TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol)
access through a local Internet service provider.

Prodigy's strategy is to reduce its subscription rates to avoid such a
conflict, something that MSN may have to follow if the service is to
maintain its momentum. The problem with this strategy, Newsbytes
notes, is that it reduces payments that can be made to information
providers on the main online service, as well as reduces income
overall.

The strategy is a dangerous one, Newsbytes notes, as the ultimate and
logical conclusion is to turn the online service in question into
little more than than an indexing service.

(Steve Gold/19951222/Press Contact: Mandy Hassall, GBC [phone]-
7022; Email: [e-mail]; Reader Contact: MSN [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
5 12/22/95
WINDOWS
 ****Syncronys Recalls SoftRAM

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(SFO)(00022)
 ****Syncronys Recalls SoftRAM95 12/22/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 22 (NB) --
Syncronys SoftCorp, the developers and marketers of SoftRAM95,
announced it will refund customers the price paid for the product with
proper proof of purchase. Originally introduced at the same time as
Windows 95, SoftRAM95 was advertised as software capable of
enhancing random access memory, but later independent tests found
such claims questionable.

Earlier this week, Synchronous admitted the company was being
investigated by the Federal Trade Commission and promised full
cooperation to resolve consumer concerns.

Initially, the company said SoftRAM95 would help the performance of
applications running in Windows 95 and Windows 3.1. As
independent evidence gathered and an avalanche of media attention
focused on the product, Syncronys conceded the product did nothing for
Windows 95 nor applications running under the new operating system.

New stickers on SoftRAM95 packaging began to state the program
worked with Windows 3.1, dropping the Windows 95 claim. Still, some
experts and the trade media claimed the product would not perform
even in Windows 3.1.

Things turned worse for Syncronys when Microsoft said the company
did not pass the necessary certification to use the "Designed Windows
95" logo and PC Magazine said part of the code used in the product
was lifted from shareware. Windows 95 antagonist and computer
author, Andrew Schulman, said the control panel gave the same
performance readings whether or not the program is actually loaded.

If you have SoftRAM95 and proof of purchase you can apply for a full
refund from Syncronys at Syncronys SoftCorp, c/o Starpack, Inc., P.O.
Box 12130, Greeley, Colorado, 80631 or fax information to 970-33-
7655.

(Patrick McKenna/19951222)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/22/95
FEATURE GENERAL
 ****The Twelve Days Of Christmas, Loosely Interpreted

(FEATURE)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00023)
 ****The Twelve Days Of Christmas, Loosely Interpreted 12/22/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 DEC 22 (NB) -- On the first day of
Christmas, my true love gave to me a keyboard on a PC.

On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Doom and
Myst, and a keyboard on a PC.

On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me three
office suites, Doom and Myst, and a keyboard on a PC.

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me a quad
speed CD-ROM drive, three office suites, Doom and Myst, and a
keyboard on a PC.

Of the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me a
Pentium, a quad speed CD-ROM drive, three office suites, Doom
and Myst, and a keyboard on a PC.

On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me a
six-line voice mail system, a Pentium, a quad speed CD-ROM
drive, three office suites, Doom and Myst and a keyboard on a PC.

On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me seven
video graphics cards, a six-line voice mail system, a Pentium, a
quad speed CD-ROM drive, three office suites, Doom and Myst and
a keyboard on a PC.

On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me eight
more megs of RAM, seven video graphics cards, a six-line voice
mail system, a Pentium, a quad speed CD-ROM drive, three office
suites, Doom and Myst and a keyboard on a PC.

On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me nine new
URLs, eight more megs of RAM, seven video graphics cards, a
six-line voice mail system, a Pentium, a quad speed CD-ROM
drive, three office suites, Doom and Myst and a keyboard on a PC.

On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me ten cups
of Java, nine new URLs, eight more megs of RAM, seven video
graphics cards, a six-line voice mail system, a Pentium, a quad
speed CD-ROM drive, three office suites, Doom and Myst and a
keyboard on a PC.

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me eleven
propeller beanies, ten cups of Java, nine new URLs, eight more
megs of RAM, seven video graphics cards, a six-line voice mail
system, a Pentium, a quad speed CD-ROM drive, three office
suites, Doom and Myst and a keyboard on a PC.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me twelve
techs a'teching, eleven propeller beanies, ten cups of Java,
nine new URLs, eight more megs of RAM, seven video graphics
cards, a six-line voice mail system, a Pentium, a quad speed
CD-ROM drive, three office suites, Doom and Myst and a keyboard
on a PC.

(Kennedy Maize/19951222)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/22/95
TELECOM
Telecom Compromise Faltering

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(WAS)(00024)
Telecom Compromise Faltering 12/22/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 DEC 22 (NB) -- One day after
House and Senate telecommunications conference leaders announced
a deal with the White House to clear the way for passage of the
first rewrite of the nation's basic communications law in 61
years, the compromise got snagged in internal House GOP politics.

It turns out that the House leader in the conference committee,
Rep. Thomas Bliley (R-Va.,), chairman of the House Commerce
Committee, chief House bargainer with the Senate and the White
House, didn't have followers.

Even Rep. Jack Fields (R-Texas), chairman of the
telecommunications subcommittee, wasn't on board with the deal
with the White House. Fields issued a blunt statement yesterday
that there is "no deal" and then flew off to Texas to be with
his pregnant wife.

Another key Republican, Rep. Michael Oxley (R-Ohio), said the
telecom bill is "dead as Elvis."

Even the GOP leadership was undercutting Bliley. GOP Majority
Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas) said, "I think they are putting
together a conference report that will not have good standing
with House Republicans. We have too many people who don't like
too many provisions."

The GOP back benchers were also angry with Vice President Al
Gore, who bragged after the compromise was reached that the
administration and the Democrats got "every single one" of their
objections met.

One of the major sticking points with Fields and other
Republicans was the agreement not to relax media ownership
rules, which was part of the bill that came out of Fields'
subcommittee. Under threat of filibuster by Sen. Ernest Hollings
(D-S.C.), ranking Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee,
Bliley backed off on provisions on ownership that would benefit
media mogul Rupert Murdoch.

The compromise bill is a carefully balanced legislative edifice,
note lobbyists following the issue. If any part of it is pulled
out, the whole bill could come tumbling down. "Conservative
Republicans are going to realize that this is the most
pro-competition, anti-regulation bill they have had in years,"
said Mike Collins, a spokesman for Bliley.

Even in the Senate, there are some signs of trouble. While Sen.
Larry Pressler (R-S.D.) is praising the deal as "a magnificent
balance between competing interests," Sen. John McCain
(R-Ariz.), one of the conferees, was critical of the compromise
negotiated by Pressler, Hollings, Bliley and Rep. John Dingell
(D-Mich.), ranking Democrat on the House Commerce Committee.

"There were four people who got together, and they came out with
agreement that surprised a lot of us," McCain said yesterday.
"From the way it looks to me now, there will not be movement in
the next couple of days."

(Kennedy Maize/19951222)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/22/95
EDITORIAL GENERAL
 ****Editorial - News To Last A Week

(EDITORIAL)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00025)
 ****Editorial - News To Last A Week 12/22/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 22 (NB) -- By Patrick
McKenna. We begin that one week in the year when there is no Newsbytes
news. For a real news junkie this can be like having to order decaf
coffee or non-fat ice cream.

Basically, it just does not work. I know it is a holiday and we
here at Newsbytes look forward to a week away from the keyboard,
but still, life is not the same.

What's so important about computer news? Sure, it is important to
learn about the latest business news, the latest technological
advancement, the hottest new game in town and the newest thing you
can do on the Internet.

But what this news is really all about is to have the ability
to show everyone else just how much you are in-the-know
when it comes to computers. There is nothing better than to be able to
throw out a major news item and have everyone else listen to your
words of wisdom. Or to be in the middle of an online conference and
explain to everyone that what they are talking about is old news
because you have this piece of hot stuff from Newsbytes.

With that in mind, allow me to offer a handful of news which has been
announced or will come to a desktop somewhere near you in the next
18 months.

Item 1. While 8x CD-ROM drives become the next desktop standard
for playing multimedia titles, the major players in the market are in the
backroom tinkering with 10x and 12x drives. Once they get the 12x on
the market, we will be offered DVD (Digital Video Disk) drives which
will allow us to have even more storage capacity for things like full-
length movies. At the same time, CD-Recordable drives will improve
and be offered at a lower price but they will not keep up with 10x and
12x drives.

Item 2. This week 133 megahertz (MHz) Pentium-based desktop
systems with 16 megabytes (MB), a gigabyte of storage, 2 MB of
VRAM, Super-everything audio, 28.8 kilobit per second (Kbps)
modem, tons of software, 6x CD-ROM drive and a 17-inch monitor just
hit the mail order business for under $3,000. Hint: most of these mail
order places do not charge sales tax. Sure you will have a shipping
charge, but it is usually about half of a state sales tax.

Item 3. It appears we are all going to spend a ton of money and
eighteen months on ISDN modems and related technology, while cable
modems and fiber-optics fight it out for the next leading role as we
close out the century. But, let's face it, the Web is not going to be
fun,  fast and super neat at 28.8 Kbps.

Item 4. AT&T and the little bells are going to offer Internet access to
every house in the US. Behind closed doors, I keep hearing talk about
unlimited access for $5 or maybe $3 a month. This could change the
world for online service companies and Internet service providers
(ISPs).

Item 5. In the meantime, count on CompuServe, Prodigy and America
Online to cut prices, increase services, integrate new technology and
make your online experience more fun. With approximately 10 million
subscribers combined, these services are going to fight to stay a step
ahead of one another and the Internet. This is going to be fun to watch.

Item 6. Network-centric computing? Hello? This is another hot topic,
the $500 computer which has virtually no storage. Users are supposed
to get onto a network where they can access applications and all the
other goodies kept on a hard disk or accessed from a CD-ROM drive.
With this network system, users will operate a little toaster-size
computer with a monitor and keyboard. The computer you are looking
at right now is like no other computer in the world. It is yours and it
has what you want on it. For right or wrong, people get attached to
their computers and they want the latest, fastest, neatest
hardware/software thing on their desktop. This network computer is
like mass transit. Great idea. Could save a lot of money. But people
want their computers like they want their cars.

Item 7. Back in the sixties, there was a controversy about whether god
was dead or not. Here we are at the turn of the century and people are
still going to synagogues, temples, churches and revival tents. Despite
rumors, Bill Gates will continue to haul-in the dollars.

Item 8. Coolest secret on the Internet? It is not really a secret but it is
just beginning to take off. The Internet telephone is now full-duplex
which means you can have a standard telephone-like conversation
across the Internet. Earlier versions were half-duplex which meant your
conversations were similar to being on a walkie-talkie; "Over!" Make
sure you have enough memory and processing power before you invest
in the Internet telephone. Products such as Quarterdeck's WebTalk
allow Internet users from around the world to talk to one another while
going through local access phone charges and avoiding long distance
charges. This is way kewl and it really works!

Item 9. Conversation stopper of the year. Super brains at Cornell gave
the world a technology demonstration of nanotechnology; otherwise
known as: "Did you see that? I didn't see nothin!" Anyhow, these guys
have made little robots which can read electrical charges at the atomic
level. "How little?" did you say? In ten years this technology will allow
us to have volume of 10,000 hard disks contained on the head of a pin.
See, I told you that was a conversation stopper.

Item 10. Last news headline of the year: "Millions of computer users
turned off their little desktop powerhouses, got out of their chairs and
spent time with family and friends. They hugged, laughed, ate great
meals, watched the sun set and wondered.. . . . . 'hmmmm, how long
before I can do this on my computer.'"

(Patrick McKenna/19951222)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
95 12/22/95
WINDOWS
Symantec's Delrina Ships CommSuite

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(TOR)(00026)
Symantec's Delrina Ships CommSuite 95 12/22/95
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 DEC 22 (NB) -- The Delrina
Group of Symantec Corp. (NASDAQ:SYMC) has begun shipping
CommSuite 95, its collection of communications software for Microsoft's
Windows 95 operating system.

CommSuite 95 includes the latest releases of Delrina's WinFax Pro facsimile
software, WinComm Pro data communications software, and CyberJack
browser for the World Wide Web, and TalkWorks, a voice-telephony option
for WinFax Pro.

According to Mark Skapinker, president of Delrina, customers will also be
able to install all of Delrina's new software in a single operation. In a
press conference earlier this fall, Skapinker said CommSuite will also
offer a common tool bar for all of its applications that will let
users check all their messages, whether fax, voice, or electronic mail,
in a single operation.

Any personal computer that can run Windows 95 will run the CommSuite
applications, Skapinker added, though the TalkWorks software will require a
voice-capable modem, of which only a handful are on the market today.

One improvement in the new Windows 95 communications software will be
easier modem configuration, thanks to Windows 95's support for Microsoft's
Plug and Play specifications. "You simply install (a modem), Windows 95
detect it and CommSuite 95 automatically configures it for you," said Marc
Camm, general manager of desktop communications at Delrina.

Delrina officials said they expect the complete CommSuite 95 suite to
sell for US$129 or C$179.

Delrina is designating the new WinFax and WinComm releases with the
version number 7.0, despite the fact that the previous versions were
called 4.0. The reason is that the company is reserving version numbers
5 and 6 for possible future releases of the software on Windows 3.1,
Skapinker said.

(Grant Buckler/19951222/Press Contact: Shelly Sofer, Delrina Group of
Symantec, 416-441-4702, Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Josef
Zankowicz, Delrina Group of Symantec, 416-441-4658, Internet e-mail
[e-mail]; Public Contact: Delrina Group of Symantec,
800-441-7234 or 541-334-6054)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/22/95
ONLINE
SoftArc's FirstClass Gets Gateways To cc:Mail And MS Mail

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TOR)(00027)
SoftArc's FirstClass Gets Gateways To cc:Mail And MS Mail 12/22/95
MARKHAM, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 DEC 22 (NB) -- SoftArc Inc., is
tying its FirstClass communications software to the big-name
electronic mail packages, Lotus Development Corp.'s cc:Mail and
Microsoft Corp.'s Microsoft Mail. SoftArc announced gateways for both
products.

According to SoftArc, both gateways allow FirstClass to exchange messages
with the other vendors' electronic mail packages. Both gateways can also
handle attached files, the company said.

The FirstClass Gateway for cc:Mail can also replicate the contents of cc:Mail
"bulletin boards" to FirstClass workgroup conferences and vice versa,
SoftArc officials said. The FirstClass Gateway for Microsoft Mail provides
full directory synchronization between FirstClass and Microsoft Mail
networks.

Both gateways are designed to connect to one Microsoft Mail or cc:Mail
post office, but the vendor said the gateways can route mail properly in a
multi-post-office system as well.

SoftArc said all Microsoft Mail options can be embedded in FirstClass,
which means that messages can be sent from one Microsoft Mail servers via
FirstClass with no loss of fidelity.

The cc:Mail and Microsoft Mail gateways are the first gateways SoftArc has
offered for FirstClass, company spokeswoman Betty Cupid told Newsbytes,
although other vendors sell gateway products linking FirstClass to assorted
other mail software.

Each of the new gateways has a list price of US$495. One gateway is needed
to connect two mail systems, each of which can be serving many users,
Cupid said.

FirstClass includes mail capabilities as well as replicable discussion
databases, forms processing, enterprise database access, and online
information services. The software also supports remote access, company
officials said.

(Grant Buckler/19951222/Press Contact: Dallas Kachan, SoftArc,
905-415-7000, Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Public Contact: SoftArc,
905-415-7000, fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/22/95
ONLINE
CompuServe Passes Half-Million Mark In Europe

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SFO)(00028)
CompuServe Passes Half-Million Mark In Europe 12/22/95
COLUMBUS, OHIO, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 22 (NB) -- CompuServe
announced its European subscribers now number more than 500,000
and in the United Kingdom there are another 200,000. With localized
language versions of its service, the online giant has been a leader in
worldwide distribution of online access.

A CompuServe spokesperson, told Newsbytes, "We are the only online
service and Interent provider which has offered extensive worldwide
service. Having offered this service over the years, we have learned
what users from different countries specifically want. Other online
services are just now beginning to look into service outside the United
States and Canada, but we have been doing it for a long time. Our
emphasis on European countries and the UK is paying off well and we
expect to more than double these numbers during 1996."

CompuServe says its success in these markets is due to integration of
well-known national-specific services and publications, localized
graphical interfaces for navigating the network and machine or
automatic translations of electronic mail.

In France, CompuServe added L'Express and France Cinema
Multimedia to its local service, while German users Spiegel and
Bertelsmann became available. In the UK, CompuServe offers the Press
Association, Reuters, automobile Associations, Selfridges and Dixons.

Similar to the way in which it built its US network, CompuServe says it
continues to add points of presence (POPs) in Europe, the UK and other
countries. These POPs allow users to access the service through a local
access phone number.

During 1996, CompuServe expects to see more competition. Through
an agreement with Bertelsmann, America Online is beginning to
deliver a country-specific version of its service in Europe and Europe
Online, another online service company, continues to build its
presence.

(Patrick McKenna/19951222/Press Contact: Jeff Shafer, CompuServe,
tel [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/22/95
GENERAL
Personnel Roundup

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00029)
Personnel Roundup 12/22/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 22 (NB) -- In today's
roundup of personnel changes, not covered elsewhere by Newsbytes:
Tandy Corp., Softbank, Xerox Corp., BellSouth Business Systems,
PageNet, J3 Learning Corporation, Scientific-Atlanta, Novell Inc.,
AT&T Global Information Solutions, and Oracle Corp.

Tandy Corp. (NYSE: TAN), announced Leonard H. Roberts, president
of RadioShack, will add the title of president of Tandy Corp.
effective January 1, 1996. In his new position, Roberts will continue
to perform the duties of president of RadioShack and will additionally
be responsible for Tandy Retail Services. Tandy Retail Services
provides distribution, repair, headquarters customer service, and
manufacturing support for Tandy's retail operations. Leonard Roberts,
46, joined Tandy in July 1993 as president of RadioShack. Prior to
Tandy, Roberts was with Shoney's, Arby's and Ralston Purina.

Softbank Exposition and Conference Company (415-578-6963) has
announced that Michael Wiener Goodman has joined the company as vice
president of marketing for NetWorld+Interop, the Summit for network
computing professionals. Goodman has been in technical publishing
since 1979 and comes from Ziff-Davis Publishing Company where he was
most recently director of marketing for PC Computing.

John A. Lopiano and Brian E. Stern have been named senior vice
presidents of Xerox Corporation (NYSE: XRX - 203-968-3572) as
part of a corporate realignment announced today. Lopiano and Stern
will head two of the three new business groups that have been formed
to oversee worldwide production and marketing of Xerox products.
Lopiano, 57, who joined Xerox in 1990, will be president of the new
Production Systems Group, which will have responsibility for printing,
publishing, engineering systems and professional services. He will
also have the title of senior vice president of Xerox. Stern, 48, who
has been with Xerox since 1969, will be president of the Office
Document Products Group, which will have responsibility for convenience
copiers, workgroup copiers, department copiers and color products and
office network copiers. He will also have the title of senior vice
president of the corporation.

Phil Jacobs, president of BellSouth Business Systems (BBS), has been
named chief operating officer of Optus Communications (404-330-0187)
based in Sydney, Australia, effective January 1, 1996. As COO, he will
direct all network planning and operations, customer service, sales and
marketing activities for the multi-billion dollar enterprise.  To
replace Jacobs, BellSouth has appointed Richard A. Anderson as president
of BBS. Anderson currently is vice president of the Interconnection,
Public and Operator Services (IPOS) customer operations unit for
BellSouth Telecommunications (BST). Scott Schaefer, executive
director of BST's Advanced Intelligent Network business unit, has been
named acting vice president of the IPOS unit.

PageNet (Nasdaq: PAGE - 214-985-6749) announced that it has named
Barry A. Fromberg to the newly created position of chairman and chief
executive officer of Paging Network International Inc., the company's
wholly owned subsidiary. Fromberg, currently senior vice president and
chief financial officer, assumes his new role immediately.

J3 Learning Corporation (612-930-4543) has announced the appointment
of John Carney to the position of executive vice president of product
development and chief development officer. Carney will join the company
on January 1, 1996.  As executive vice president of product development
he will play a key role in directing the development of the company's
future technology-based IT education products and broadening the range
of titles offered. Prior to joining J3 Learning, Carney was the director
of document imaging and Cold products for Wang Laboratories Inc.

Jack L. King has joined Scientific-Atlanta (NYSE: SFA - 770-903-6306)
as president of the Control Systems Division in Broadband Communications.
King previously served as senior vice president, operations, of
Entergy Corporation, a major US utility system, and president and
COO of Entergy Enterprises Inc.

Novell Inc. (Nasdaq: NOVL - 408-577-6842) has named Hans-Werner Hector
to the company's board of directors, filling the seat vacated by the
retirement of Kanwal S. Rekhi in August. Hector is a co-founder and
member of the board of directors of SAP AG, a leading international
software firm. From 1992 through June 1995 he was CEO, president,
and vice chairman of  SAP's US Subsidiary, SAP America, Inc.

In other Novell news, Dr. Glenn Ricart, a scientist who has played a
significant role in the development of the Internet, has joined the
company as senior vice president, research and development. As head of
research and development for Novell's networking software products,
Ricart will lead the evolution of a Smart Global Network connecting
the Internet and today's private business networks into a single
information resource for business and consumers, says the company.

AT&T Global Information Solutions (770-623-7215) announced the
appointment of Joseph E. Guy, 40, as vice president, Retail Store
Solutions and Architecture. Guy joins GIS from IBM, where he most
recently was head of Software for IBM Store Systems. At AT&T GIS,
Guy will be responsible for retail store solutions development and
architecture, including software engineering, retail architecture
engineering, store solutions, and architecture product management.
He will report to Tony Fano, senior vice president, Retail Systems
Group.

Oracle Corp. (Nasdaq: ORCL - 415-506-993) has announced that Nimish
Mehta has been promoted to senior vice president of vertical client/
server applications.  In this newly created role, Mehta is responsible
for developing and marketing products for distinct vertical industry
segments. Mehta joined Oracle eight years ago, most recently as vice
president of the workgroup solutions division, where he was responsible
for developing the Workgroup/2000 desktop product suite.

(Ian Stokell/19951222)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/22/95
ONLINE
Germany's Ground Breaking Multimedia Legislation

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LON)(00030)
Germany's Ground Breaking Multimedia Legislation 12/22/95
BONN, GERMANY, 1995 DEC 22 (NB) -- The German Government has taken the
wraps off a series of proposed legislational changes that it claims
will make the creation of the Infobahn, the German equivalent of the
"information superhighway," a lot easier to create.

Announcing the proposed round of legislation, Juergen Ruettgers, the
German Minister for Education, Research and Technology, said that the
primary aim was to simplify the legal framework required to allow
interaction between information providers and the proposed online
services and Infobahn service providers.

Currently, he admitted, the state regulations, which were set to
prevent any wrangles by the then-two Governments of Germany in the
late 1950s/early 1960s, mean that national online services and
service providers have to deal with several state administrations,
rather than a single national one, as is the case elsewhere in Europe.

Ruettgers explained that   the new legislation, which could be
in place as early as next April, will go a long way towards avoiding
the large amounts of "red tape" that IT (information technology)
companies must endure at present.

In announcing the proposals, Ruettgers admitted that the proposals
could well create a feud with the state legislatures, many of whom
are already simplifying their laws to make life easier for IT companies
to operate across Germany.

However, he noted that the current legislative framework -- as
outlined by the German constitution -- gave the role of administering
legislation to the state rather than the national Government.

The German Government's sudden change of heart in making life easier
for IT companies in Germany is not entirely unexpected, Newsbytes
notes. In April of this year, the Government announced plans to open
up the IT and telecoms marketplace in Germany, in line with European
Commission (EC) directives laid down two years ago.

As reported by Newsbytes at the time, officials with the German
government claimed that announcement was a major step for the German
telecoms industry.

According to Wolfing Boetsch, the Germany Post and Telecoms Minister,
the post January 1, 1998, telecoms market will be opened up completely
to competition, and an unlimited number of private companies will be
invited to apply for telecoms licenses.

As part of the changes, the German government will privatize Deutsche
Telekom, with a share sell-off expected some time next year. Boetsch
refused to be drawn on what proportion of Deutsche Telekom will be
sold off, but the sale will mark the first stage in a major shake-up
of the German telecoms market.

Plans now call for the first private sector telecoms licenses will be
issued on January 1, 1997, thereby allowing the private companies a
chance to plan ahead for their service launch a year later.

It now seems that 1996 will be a period of great change for the IT and
telecoms industry generally in Germany, as the country continues to
make the transition from two countries into one democratic and free
market state.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951222)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/22/95
TELECOM
European Commission Approves Major Greek Telecoms Changes

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00031)
European Commission Approves Major Greek Telecoms Changes 12/22/95
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1995 DEC 22 (NB) -- While most legislatures have
already wound down for Christmas, the European Commission paper
machine churns on until the last minute, as witnessed by this week's
announcement of approval for the proposed major changes in the Greek
telecoms marketplace.

Following a proposal from Monika Wulf-Mathies, the EC Commissioner
responsible for regional policies, the EC has decided to grant
assistance of ECU 250 million from the European Regional Development
Fund and the European Social Fund for operational programs in post and
telecoms services in Greece.

The money will be used primarily in the Greek telecoms marketplace to
fund the expansion and enhancement of the telecoms infrastructure to
allow new and private telecoms companies to enter the market and offer
alternative telecoms carrier (ATC) services across Greece.

According to EC officials, the objectives of the three-year investment
program, which starts on January 1, 1996, are to develop develop a
national telecoms infrastructure, harmonize national legislation with
EC legislation, digitalize the telecoms network, provide vocational
training in advanced services and develop new telecoms services.

So why does the EC need to intervene in what would normally be a free
market operation? The reason appears to be that, of all the EC member
states, Greece is one of the most backward in creating a free market
telecoms infrastructure, as required by the EC's Treaty of Rome.

As previously reported by Newsbytes, the EC has mandated that, by
January 1, 1998 at the latest, all telecoms markets in Europe must be
totally liberalized. The EC program outlined this week aims to carve
the path towards this objective.

This isn't the first time that the topic of Greek telecoms has hit the
headlines. In the summer of 1994, Newsbytes reported that the then
recently-elected Socialist Government in Greece had announced plans to
renege on its predecessor's promise to restrict Greek mobile telephony
to just two private sector players until the year 2000.

The two existing mobile telecoms operators, Panafon and
Stet Hellas, who were awarded contracts in early 1993, objected
violently to the change in legislation. So loudly, in fact, that the
EC threatened to become involved, forcing the Government to back down.

The dispute could have shaken the Greek constitution to its very
foundations, as such a precedent could mean that, when the politics of
a Government change, the Government could be free to renege on long
term agreements made by the earlier administration.

(Steve Gold/19951221/Press & Reader Contact: European Commission +32-
2-299-1111)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/22/95
BUSINESS
 ****Samsung Takes Control Of AST

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00032)
 ****Samsung Takes Control Of AST 12/22/95
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 22 (NB) -- AST Research
Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTA) announced it has reached final agreement
with Samsung Electronics that will provide significant support to
AST, including credit and vendor benefits.  The terms, while reported
to be more favorable to AST than those originally announced six
weeks ago, still effectively gives Samsung control over the company.

Samsung will be in effect given, at no cost, another 5 percent of the
company as consideration for the deal, bringing Samsung's stake in
AST to 45 percent. In addition, another Samsung-designated director
will be appointed, giving Samsung-designated directors a majority on
the AST board of directors.

Included under terms of the new agreement is a bank credit
guarantee of up to $200 million for two years, as well as a $100
million vendor credit line for component purchases from Samsung.
The total amount of credit available is $300 million. According to AST
the previous agreement under the letter of intent was only for $100
million over one year.

A portion of the bank credit to be guaranteed by Samsung will be
used to pay off the $50 million short-term loan recently made to AST
by Samsung.

Janine Whittington, a spokesperson for AST, told Newsbytes, "Samsung
had just bought slightly over 40 percent of AST in the last few
months, paying over $253 million for slightly over 12,000,000 shares
at average price of $21 per share."

Today AST shares trade around $8 per share.  Almost a third less than
paid by Samsung.  On share price alone, Samsung has lost $156 million
in less than six months.

"By significantly increasing the support levels originally outlined in
the letter of intent, this agreement takes our strategic
partnership with Samsung to the next level," said Ian Diery, AST
president.  "It not only enhances our competitive position and
business prospects by providing financial flexibility as we move
forward on our turnaround plan, it also strengthens the bond between
our companies in terms of component supply and technology sharing,
which are essential elements we can leverage to provide long-term
benefits and product differentiation for our customers."

In consideration for this support and subject to Samsung
fulfilling its obligations under the support arrangements, AST will
grant Samsung a five-year option to purchase up to 4.4 million shares
of AST common stock at one-cent per share, effective beginning on
July 1, 1996.  If the option is excercised in full, Samsung's
ownership position would increase to approximately 45 percent, from
its present position of approximately 40 percent.

In addition, certain amendments were made to the existing
stockholder agreement with Samsung, consistent with the foregoing
board representation, as well as modifications to the restrictions on
Samsung's share ownership and disposition.  According to Whittington
these modifications allow Samsung to buy additional shares.  While
details of the modifications have not been released, AST has said that
they lift restrictions on Samsung to purchase shares.  The original
restrictions limited Samsung to a total of 60 percent of AST stock.

(Richard Bowers/19951222/Press Contact: Emory Epperson, AST, 714-
727-7958)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/22/95
GENERAL
Newsbytes Week In Review

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00033)
Newsbytes Week In Review 12/22/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 22 (NB) -- This is a
look at the top stories this week, listing with their category
code: FCC OKs French & German Stakes In Sprint; Bay Networks
Buys Xylogics For $330Mil, Adding 500 Jobs; Compuserve User Web
Pages Now Open To Businesses; First PCS 1900 System Launched In
US; Security Attacks On Internet Computers Increase; FBI Nabs
Suspected AutoCAD Pirate; Apple Ships $289 Videoconferencing Kit;
Software Distributor Sues Novell For $834 Million; Taligent To Become
IBM Subsidiary; Newsbytes Free Gifts At First Virtual; Clinton Vetoes
Securities Bill; IRS Worker Guilty Of Snooping Taxpayer Info; Netscape
Creates Java Conference; Telecoms Bill Ready To Roll; House Overrides
Securities Veto, Senate Showdown Looms; Informix To Acquire Illustra;
Problems With Apple's PowerPC PowerBook; Syncronys Recalls SoftRAM95;
Samsung Takes Control Of AST.

FCC OKs French & German Stakes In Sprint (TELECOM)

WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 DEC 18 (NB) -- The Federal
Communications Commission has approved a 20 percent share in Sprint
Corp. for the state-owned telephone companies of France and Germany.
Together, France Telecom and Deutsche Telekom are putting $4.2
billion into Sprint.

Bay Networks Buys Xylogics For $330Mil, Adding 500 Jobs (BUSINESS)

BILLERICA, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 18 (NB) -- With its
just-finalized $330 million purchase of Xylogics, Bay Networks
will add 500 new jobs, while leaping in front of Cisco as number
one player in the remote access component of the internetworking
market, asserted Jim Hourihan, VP of marketing, in an interview
with Newsbytes.

Compuserve User Web Pages Now Open To Businesses (ONLINE)

COLUMBUS, OHIO, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- Space for Internet
World Wide Web sites on Compuserve's computers used to be only for
individuals. But now, the online service is offering businesses
free access to both its servers and its Web page creation and
publishing tools.

First PCS 1900 System Launched In US (TELECOM)

WASHINGTON STATE, WA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- It's been a long
time coming, but the first PCS (personal communications system) 1900
(megahertz) digital cellular system in the US has now gone live,
Newsbytes can report.

Security Attacks On Internet Computers Increase (TRENDS)

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, USA, 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- Under an advisory
bulletin headlined "Widespread Attacks on Internet Sites," the
Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) has warned of a large
increase in attempts to hack into computers connected to the Internet.

FBI Nabs Suspected AutoCAD Pirate (LEGAL)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- In a second
major case in less than two months, criminal charges were filed today
against a man believed to have pirated up to $1 million worth of AutoCAD
computer-aided design (CAD) software. The defendant, Los Angeles resident
Howard Dennis Barnes, 53,  who is charged with illegally copying and
selling the Autodesk software, pleaded not guilty to two felony charges

Apple Ships $289 Videoconferencing Kit (BROADCAST)

CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- Previously announced
and demonstrated earlier this year, Apple Computer's (NASDAQ:AAPL)
QuickTime Conferencing Kit is now available through Apple resellers.
Designed to connect through the Internet or a local area network, the
kit contains a color camera, software and necessary cables for "complete
desktop videoconferencing."

Software Distributor Sues Novell For $834 Million (LEGAL)

SANDY, UTAH, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- A Utah software distributor
that sees itself as a modern-day "David" has filed a lawsuit against
a corporate "Goliath" in the form of Novell Inc. (NASDAQ: NOVL). The
Network Trade Center (NTC) suit charges the network operating system
software publisher with illegal business tactics and violation of
federal anti-trust laws, Federal Racketeering and Corrupt Organization
Act (RICO), and various state laws.

Taligent To Become IBM Subsidiary (IBM)

ARMONK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- In a newly unveiled
agreement to turn over Taligent to IBM, Apple and HP will retain
full rights to Taligent technology developed at IBM, said John
Slitz, IBM's VP of object development, in a conference call today
with Newsbytes. Also under the deal, Taligent will become an
"object technology development center" that is wholly owned IBM
subsidiary.

Newsbytes Free Gifts At First Virtual (ONLINE)

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 20 (NB) -- Newsbytes News
Network, a comprehensive source of daily telecom, computer, and
interactive services news since 1983, and First Virtual Holdings Inc.,
are offering free one-month trial subscriptions to Newsbytes' E-Mail
Subscription Service to new First Virtual account holders.

Clinton Vetoes Securities Bill (LEGAL)

WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 DEC 20 (NB) -- After days of
agonizing, President Clinton Tuesday night vetoed legislation
designed to protect corporations from lawsuits filed by investors.
The decision came only hours before midnight, when the bill would
have become law without the president's signature.

IRS Worker Guilty Of Snooping Taxpayer Info (LEGAL)

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 20 (NB) -- A former
employee of the Internal Revenue Service has been convicted by a
federal jury of unlawfully using IRS computers to repeatedly obtain
confidential taxpayer information.

Netscape Creates Java Conference (ONLINE)

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 20 (NB) -- Netscape
Communications (NASDAQ:NSCP) says it has never seen interest in a
programming language grow so fast as it has with the phenomena of Java,
Sun Microsystems' open Internet programming language. In response,
Netscape and Integrated Media have announced the Netscape Internet
Developers Conference, the first Java and JavaScript developers
gathering.

Telecoms Bill Ready To Roll (LEGAL)

WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 DEC 21 (NB) -- House and Senate
negotiators and the White House agreed on a series of
compromises last night that clears the way for a major rewrite
of the nation's basis telecommunications law.  With a series of
Republican compromises, the bill is ready for action as soon as
this week and will be signed by President Clinton.

House Overrides Securities Veto, Senate Showdown Looms (LEGAL)

WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 DEC 21 (NB) -- The House
yesterday easily overrode President Clinton's veto of
legislation to scale back class-action securities lawsuits, but
a veto override could be tougher in the Senate.

Informix To Acquire Illustra (BUSINESS)

MENLO PARK,CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 21 (NB) -- Informix
Corporation (NASDAQ:IFMX), a developer of parallel processing
database technology, has announced an agreement to acquire Illustra
Information Technologies. Illustra is a supplier of object oriented
relational database software and tools for managing data in the
areas of the Internet, multimedia/entertainment, financial services,
and earth sciences.

Problems With Apple's PowerPC PowerBook (APPLE)

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 21 (NB) -- Newsbytes has
learned that some users are having problems with Apple Computer's
(NASDAQ:AAPL) high-end PowerPC 5300 PowerBook computer. The problem
is described as an "incompatibility" between the notebook's new hard
disk and older networking software.

Syncronys Recalls SoftRAM95 (WINDOWS)

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 22 (NB) --
Syncronys SoftCorp, the developers and marketers of SoftRAM95,
announced it will refund customers the price paid for the product with
proper proof of purchase. Originally introduced at the same time as
Windows 95, SoftRAM95 was advertised as software capable of
enhancing random access memory, but later independent tests found
such claims questionable.

Samsung Takes Control Of AST (BUSINESS)

IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 22 (NB) -- AST Research
Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTA) announced it has reached final agreement
with Samsung Electronics that will provide significant support to
AST, including credit and vendor benefits.  The terms, while reported
to be more favorable to AST than those originally announced six
weeks ago, still effectively gives Samsung control over the company.

(Ian Stokell/19951222)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
1996 12/22/95
TRENDS
Executives See The Internet For

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(BOS)(00034)
Executives See The Internet For 1996 12/22/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 22 (NB) -- When it
comes to the Internet, virtually everybody today
has something to say. Predictions voiced to Newsbytes about
trends to expect in 1996 brought dramatic proof of the often
talked about tendency to industry convergence around "the Net,"
with computer industry executives approaching the subject from
standpoints ranging from Internet development tools and 3-D
virtual reality content to security and privacy issues.

Officials of software development firms tend to foresee a boom in
new development tools for the Internet in the first half of 1996,
followed by the development of "real" applications in the latter
part of the year. Right now, most sites on the Web are still "2-
D, single-user" environments, but this will change dramatically
by the close of 1996, said Rob Schmults, director of marketing
for Worlds Inc. "You won't be looking at flat text and pictures,"
he predicted.

Worlds Inc., he noted, already offers two "3-D, multi-user"
sites, both oriented to virtual reality. Worlds Chat, a site
opened in April, and Alpha World, now in beta test, each offer 3-
D interfaces, along with avatars. So far, Alpha World has been
used for Web-based activities that include the presentation of PC
Magazine's technical achievement awards, along with use by a
Harvard Business School marketing class for "building online
businesses." You can access both sites from the World Inc. home
page at http://www.worlds.net .

VRML (Virtual Reality Markup Language) is following a similar
path to Worlds Inc., and the upcoming VRML+ development language
will add 3-D as well as avatar development capabilities,
according to the Worlds Inc. exec. "If people don't develop new
environments) themselves, they can license ours," Schmults added.
Worlds Inc. will begin to license its Web development environment
next year, he elaborated.

Graeme Greenhill, president of Open Software Associates,
concurred on the point that HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), the
development language now used most frequently for the Web, is
inadequate for developing "real" applications. But from
Greenhill's perspective, the major problem is lack of support for
"corporate transaction processing applications."

Like Schmults, though, Greenhill does not expect the
developmental difficulties to persist past 1996. In fact, he
asserted, the first part of next year will be greeted by an
"explosion" in new development tools. "You'll be seeing
applications that go beyond today's simple, `Select an item and
pay for it,'" Newsbytes was told.

Open Software Associates is one vendor that will be creating such
new development products, Greenhill illustrated. The company's
products will use HTML as an underlying layer for "launching" new
transaction processing applications, according to the company
chief. "I think IBM is another company that appears to understand
this, and is gearing its business in this direction," he added.

Meanwhile, companies in the industry that are now establishing or
enhancing their own Web sites seem eager to put the improved
tools to work, as they formulate and implement business plans for
the Web. Spectrum Associates, one company is this category, is
now in the process of deciding where to take a Web site just put
up over the past month.

"We now have a home page with basic information on it. But behind
the scenes, we're working on what we're looking for in the
future. How vast do we want (the home page) to be? How robust?
How much `entertainment value,' and how much of a technical
orientation?" said David Berkel, VP of world marketing.

Spectrum is also taking into account the concept that the Web
site of a computer software company such as Spectrum can perform
"double-edged" functions that would be unlikely to appear outside
the industry, he added. "We're viewing the Web in terms of how it
can be tied into our product in a technical sense, as a potential
vehicle for delivering prototypes and our application."

Spectrum's product, PointMan, is used throughout the
manufacturing "supply chain," Berkel told Newsbytes. Users of
PointMan are able, for example, to count how many units they have
produced, and to bill and receive electronic payment from
customers, all within the same day, he maintained.

By the end of 1996, he predicted, Spectrum will be using Web-
based forms for purposes such as taking customer orders. "We'll
also be looking at `real' Web-based applications by then."

Several other observers pointed to the need to use emerging
Internet technologies in ways that meet users' real world needs.
New technologies like Java and VRML may sound "exciting and
sexy," reported Tom Lix, president and CEO of NewMarket Ventures.
But they are not very useful unless they actually "add value" to
"tired old sessions," he added. "The (content creator) should be
able to say, `Ahah! Now, my programming is better!'"

But at this point, content providers do not always take full
advantage of the technologies that are already available, he
continued. One example of this is sound. In response, NewMarket
Ventures has added an online Speakers' Directory to its NewMarket
Forum. Through the Speakers Directory, you can access audio
clips, as well as photos and written descriptions, of
professional speakers who are available for hire. You can access
NewMarket Forum at http://www.newmarket-ventures.com .

Norman Data Defense Systems' David Stang recommended the
development of content that is easy to use. In the past, he
noted, computer use was "very selective." But now, "people who
expect to set things up, and instantly `do multimedia'" have
joined "the adventurers and propellor heads who blazed the
trail."

As a result, "successful computer companies will need to have
applications with fewer doodads," he suggested. Software
companies will be able to create applications for the Web that
offer many features, but the underlying technology will need to
remain hidden from users.

Also in the future, he predicted, the threat of viruses will
worsen rather than diminish, with the continued emergence of Web
sites that intentionally contain nothing but viruses. These sites
are used by virus researchers and software companies seeking to
protect their products against viruses, as well as by virus
"hobbyists" and "disgruntled employees," said Stang.

When Lori Fena, executive director of the Electronic Frontier
Foundation (EFF), was asked for her Internet predictions, three
categories occurred to her: government and legislative,
technology, and business.

"In 1996, there will be voter backlash against legislators who
are `Web bashing' and essentially pandering to people's
ignorance about the technology, and about the true threats the
Internet may pose," Fena told Newsbytes.

1996 will also be "the year of encryption," she added. "People
will start to see encryption as the electronic equivalent of
envelopes." The businesses that prosper on the Web in 1996
will be those that "respect privacy in the online world, and
create an open contract with users with respect to electronic
commerce, and how the data (received on users) is going to be
used," according to the EFF executive director.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951222)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00035)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 12/22/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 22 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|           Friday, December 22, 1995            |----------

NEWSBYTES WILL BE BACK ON JANUARY 3 -- HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO OUR READERS!

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network's on the Web! Check out http://www.nbnn.com for
free daily top stories from Newsbytes and its affiliate publications,
and from PC Week, MacWeek, and other Ziff news magazines. A subscription
gives you all the news, full-text, plus the most comprehensive database
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from today back through 1983. Subscriptions are $24.95 for three months.
Questions? Send to '[e-mail]'  For Japanese Newsbytes
and additional services, see the Newsbytes Pacifica Website at
http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

APPLE     Diamar Intros Golf Tips - Breaking 90...................... 03

BROADCAST China - Hughes' Satellite Will Replace ChinaSat-5.......... 10

BUSINESS   ****Samsung Takes Control Of AST.......................... 32

EDUCATION Sybase In Philippines Training Pact........................ 08

GENERAL    ****Newsbytes Takes A Holiday............................. 01

GENERAL    ****Top Stories Of 1995................................... 02

GENERAL   Japan Newsbriefs........................................... 15

GENERAL    ****1996 Products To Watch................................ 18

GENERAL    ****The Twelve Days Of Christmas, Loosely Interpreted..... 23

GENERAL    ****Editorial - News To Last A Week....................... 25

GENERAL   Personnel Roundup.......................................... 29

GENERAL   Newsbytes Week In Review................................... 33

GOVT      China - Tax System Further Computerized.................... 13

IBM       IBM Stronger In China Thanks To Chinese-Made PCs........... 11

IBM        ****Can IBM Be A Network Star............................. 19

ONLINE     ****Internet Update....................................... 16

ONLINE    UK - Microsoft Network Teams With Unipalm Pipex On Network. 21

ONLINE    SoftArc's FirstClass Gets Gateways To cc:Mail And MS Mail.. 27

ONLINE    CompuServe Passes Half-Million Mark In Europe.............. 28

ONLINE    Germany's Ground Breaking Multimedia Legislation........... 30

TELECOM   European Commission Issues Stern Mobile Phone Directive.... 05

TELECOM   Nokia Secures GSM Expansion In Philippines................. 07

TELECOM   China's Domestic Telecom Industry Turns To Rural Areas..... 12

TELECOM   Japan 1995 - Year Of The Mobile Telephone.................. 17

TELECOM   Telecom Compromise Faltering............................... 24

TELECOM   European Commission Approves Major Greek Telecoms Changes.. 31

TRENDS    Britain's Globe Theater Plugs Into The Internet............ 06

TRENDS    First Internet Cafe in the Philippines Opens............... 09

TRENDS     ****Products Rumored For '96.............................. 14

TRENDS    Vendors "Help Others" In Holiday Charity Efforts........... 20

TRENDS    Executives See The Internet For 1996........................34

WINDOWS   British Telecom Videophone For Windows 95/NT............... 04

WINDOWS    ****Syncronys Recalls SoftRAM95........................... 22

WINDOWS   Symantec's Delrina Ships CommSuite 95...................... 26

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 ->  ****Newsbytes Takes A Holiday -- The global staff of Newsbytes
News Network will pause to enjoy the holiday week from December
23-January 2. There will be no new issues until January 3, 1996.

2 ->  ****Top Stories Of 1995 -- Not surprisingly, the name "Microsoft"
appeared in many of the top stories of 1995. But so did words and names
like Internet, Novell, Walt Disney and IBM.

3 -> Diamar Intros Golf Tips - Breaking 90 -- You may not be able to get
on the golf course in the winter, but Diamar has introduced
computer-based advanced instruction you can use while the snow flies
that could bring your score below 90 when you are able to return to the
links.

4 -> British Telecom Videophone For Windows 95/NT -- British Telecom
Visual Solutions, the advanced development division of British Telecom,
has launched a PC Videophone, the company's first videoconferencing
system. According to the telecom giant, the system leapfrogs ahead of
the competition since it runs under both the Windows 95 and the NT
operating system environments.

5 -> European Commission Issues Stern Mobile Phone Directive -- The
European Commission has agreed in principle to the issue of a directive
to mandate all EC territory countries to open their mobile
communications marketplaces to full competition within the first quarter
of 1996.

6 -> Britain's Globe Theater Plugs Into The Internet -- The Globe
Theater has plugged into the Internet on Web page
http://www.globe.jhc.net/ , and, Newsbytes can report, the theater
claims that it is both making and recreating history, since the Web
pages include a page that allows people anywhere in the world to make
card donations to the theater.

7 -> Nokia Secures GSM Expansion In Philippines -- Nokia has announced
it has secured a 250 million Markka contract to expand the Globe digital
mobile (GSM - Global System for Mobile telecommunications) network in
the Philippines.

8 -> Sybase In Philippines Training Pact -- Sybase, a worldwide leader
in the client/server technology, recently entered into a partnership
with the Education Service Group (ESG) of Online Advanced Systems
Corporation.

9 -> First Internet Cafe in the Philippines Opens -- A new establishment
in town is redefining the cafe experience in the Philippines. Web Link
Internet Cafe recently opened, offering its clientele "an odd mix
between a cafe and a sleek computer service center."

10 -> China - Hughes' Satellite Will Replace ChinaSat-5 -- ChinaSat will
purchase an HS376- type satellite from Hughes of the US to replace the
ChinaSat- 5 satellite which is currently the country's only operational
telecommunications and broadcasting satellite.

11 -> IBM Stronger In China Thanks To Chinese-Made PCs -- With the same
quality produced in other places, IBM PCs made in China are in short
supply. IBM expects to take 12 percent of China's PC market this year,
two percentage points more than in 1994.

12 -> China's Domestic Telecom Industry Turns To Rural Areas -- While
international telecom giants target China's big cities, the domestic
telecom industry is looking for opportunities in vast rural areas. With
a total of 1.5 million lines controlled by Zhongxing Telecom, the
company dominates more than half the rural market.

13 -> China - Tax System Further Computerized -- China has decide to
further computerize its tax-collecting system nationwide, according to a
senior official with the State Administration of Taxation. More than
RMB10 billion (US$1.2 billion) will be spent on the project and 85,000
computers will be installed in about 30,000 taxation agencies across the
country by 2000, said the deputy director of the planning division with
the administration's information center.

14 ->  ****Products Rumored For '96 -- None of the products listed here
are in the stores yet. All I can say is, after going to seventeen vendor
Christmas parties in five days, I think I didn't imagine them, but I
won't swear to it. Well here they are, Newsbytes top hot predictions for
'96.

15 -> Japan Newsbriefs -- In this roundup of news from Japan: NTT Data
launches multimedia network Monday, Tokyu Cable applies to offer
Internet, Internet operators hope to expand business, NTT DoCoMo offers
products online, new Nintendo system success depends on software,
Toshiba to launch e-cash project, NTT develops online payment coding
system.

16 ->  ****Internet Update -- In this roundup of new products and
resources on the global Internet: First Night New York '96, The State of
the World's Children 1996, World Wide Wales, Lynx of the week list, The
Washington Times National Weekly, Vietnam casualty search online,
unofficial directory of NASDAQ small cap stocks on the web, horror in
hypertext moves, free concert approaching, new lawyer's resource
available.

17 -> Japan 1995 - Year Of The Mobile Telephone -- As Japanese
electronics companies wind down towards the three-day new year holiday
approaching, they can look back on 1995 with a certain amount of
satisfaction. While the economy has remained mostly stagnant and many
companies have reported no rises, or even falls in profits, most of the
major manufacturers have been able to enjoy a still growing market for
their goods.

18 ->  ****1996 Products To Watch -- For the success story of 1996 there
are several products worth watching. Some are brand new and others have
been around for some time but are set to jump strongly in use. This
report focusses on Japan, but the products here will be important
overseas, as well.

19 ->  ****Can IBM Be A Network Star -- When the tide turned in the
1980s and mainframe computers lost their dominance to desktop machines,
IBM (NYSE:IBM) missed the boat. Now, as the tide turns again toward a
focus on networks, can IBM catch the next boat?

20 -> Vendors "Help Others" In Holiday Charity Efforts -- In what seem
to be rising numbers, computer vendors are turning their energies during
the holiday season to helping others less fortunate than themselves. In
a series of interviews with Newsbytes, officials of Bay Networks, New
England Systems, Agile Networks, Powersoft, and Lois Paul & Partners
(LP&P) discussed the special activities their companies have initiated,
sometimes together with business partners, to "share their prosperity"
this year.

21 -> UK - Microsoft Network Teams With Unipalm Pipex On Network --
Following its taking of a stake in UUNet earlier this year, Microsoft
has announced formal plans to work with Unipalm Pipex, the European
partner of UUNet, to extend the number of access points for Microsoft
Network (MSN), Microsoft's online network.

22 ->  ****Syncronys Recalls SoftRAM95 --Syncronys SoftCorp, the
developers and marketers of SoftRAM95, announced it will refund
customers the price paid for the product with proper proof of purchase.
Originally introduced at the same time as Windows 95, SoftRAM95 was
advertised as software capable of enhancing random access memory, but
later independent tests found such claims questionable.

23 ->  ****The Twelve Days Of Christmas, Loosely Interpreted -- On the
first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me a keyboard on a PC.

24 -> Telecom Compromise Faltering -- One day after House and Senate
telecommunications conference leaders announced a deal with the White
House to clear the way for passage of the first rewrite of the nation's
basic communications law in 61 years, the compromise got snagged in
internal House GOP politics.

25 ->  ****Editorial - News To Last A Week -- By Patrick McKenna. We
begin that one week in the year when there is no Newsbytes news. For a
real news junkie this can be like having to order decaf coffee or
non-fat ice cream.

26 -> Symantec's Delrina Ships CommSuite 95 -- The Delrina Group of
Symantec Corp. (NASDAQ:SYMC) has begun shipping CommSuite 95, its
collection of communications software for Microsoft's Windows 95
operating system.

27 -> SoftArc's FirstClass Gets Gateways To cc:Mail And MS Mail --
SoftArc Inc., is tying its FirstClass communications software to the
big-name electronic mail packages, Lotus Development Corp.'s cc:Mail and
Microsoft Corp.'s Microsoft Mail. SoftArc announced gateways for both
products.

28 -> CompuServe Passes Half-Million Mark In Europe -- CompuServe
announced its European subscribers now number more than 500,000 and in
the United Kingdom there are another 200,000. With localized language
versions of its service, the online giant has been a leader in worldwide
distribution of online access.

29 -> Personnel Roundup -- In today's roundup of personnel changes, not
covered elsewhere by Newsbytes: Tandy Corp., Softbank, Xerox Corp.,
BellSouth Business Systems, PageNet, J3 Learning Corporation,
Scientific-Atlanta, Novell Inc., AT&T Global Information Solutions, and
Oracle Corp.

30 -> Germany's Ground Breaking Multimedia Legislation -- The German
Government has taken the wraps off a series of proposed legislational
changes that it claims will make the creation of the Infobahn, the
German equivalent of the "information superhighway," a lot easier to
create.

31 -> European Commission Approves Major Greek Telecoms Changes -- While
most legislatures have already wound down for Christmas, the European
Commission paper machine churns on until the last minute, as witnessed
by this week's announcement of approval for the proposed major changes
in the Greek telecoms marketplace.

32 ->  ****Samsung Takes Control Of AST -- AST Research Inc.
(NASDAQ:ASTA) announced it has reached final agreement with Samsung
Electronics that will provide significant support to AST, including
credit and vendor benefits.  The terms, while reported to be more
favorable to AST than those originally announced six weeks ago, still
effectively gives Samsung control over the company.

33 -> Newsbytes Week In Review -- This is a look at the top stories this
week, listing with their category code: FCC OKs French & German Stakes
In Sprint; Bay Networks  Buys Xylogics For $330Mil, Adding 500 Jobs;
Compuserve User Web  Pages Now Open To Businesses; First PCS 1900 System
Launched In  US; Security Attacks On Internet Computers Increase; FBI
Nabs  Suspected AutoCAD Pirate; Apple Ships $289 Videoconferencing Kit;
Software Distributor Sues Novell For $834 Million; Taligent To Become
IBM Subsidiary; Newsbytes Free Gifts At First Virtual; Clinton Vetoes
Securities Bill; IRS Worker Guilty Of Snooping Taxpayer Info; Netscape
Creates Java Conference; Telecoms Bill Ready To Roll; House Overrides
Securities Veto, Senate Showdown Looms; Informix To Acquire Illustra;
Problems With Apple's PowerPC PowerBook; Syncronys Recalls SoftRAM95;
Samsung Takes Control Of AST.

34 -> Executives See The Internet For 1996 -- When it
comes to the Internet, virtually everybody today
has something to say. Predictions voiced to Newsbytes about
trends to expect in 1996 brought dramatic proof of the often
talked about tendency to industry convergence around "the Net,"
with computer industry executives approaching the subject from
standpoints ranging from Internet development tools and 3-D
virtual reality content to security and privacy issues.

(Wendy Woods/19951222)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
12/21/95
PC
Iomega's 1GB "Jaz" Removable Drive Ships

(NEWS)(PC)(DEN)(00001)
Iomega's 1GB "Jaz" Removable Drive Ships 12/21/95
ROY, UTAH, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 21 (NB) -- Iomega Corp. (NASDAQ: IOMG)
says it has begun shipping limited quantities of the internal version
of its one gigabyte (GB)-capacity "Jaz" removable drive to key partners
in the professional audio and video industries. The company said it
expects to begin shipment of internal and external Jaz drives to retail
and VAR (value-added reseller) partners as well as other OEMs (original
equipment manufacturers) in the first quarter of 1996. .

Iomega spokesperson Cory Maloy told Newsbytes that, when the Jaz drives
reach retail shelves, the street price is expected to be under $500
for the internal version, and about $599 for the external model. The
3.5-inch Jaz disks are expected to have a street price of about
$99. Jaz will ship with a starter disk that will contain Jaz Tools,
a utility program for storing, moving, and managing information.

Iomega said the Jaz disks will be able to store and play: an entire
movie, compressed in the Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG)-1
format; up to eight hours of CD quality audio; or up to eight
minutes of broadcast quality video. You will also be able to store
as much as two hours of MPEG-1 compressed DSS satellite quality
video, or more than 20,000 scanned documents for document imaging.

Iomega said Jaz drives will have a sustained transfer rate of up to
6.73 megabytes-per-second (MBps) and a 10MBps synchronous SCSI (small
computer system interface) transfer rate. The mean-time-between-failure
(MTBF) rating of the Jaz drive is 250,000 hours, and the drive has a
12 millisecond average seek time, 17.5 millisecond average access time,
and a 256 kilobyte (KB) read/write cache.

The case color of the two-pound external version of Jaz is what
Iomega describes as "racing green" and there is a clear window so
the user can see the disk label while the disk is mounted. The case
is stackable with a Zip drive, Ditto (Iomega's tape backup drive),
and Bernoulli (the company's 5.25-inch removable media drive)
drives.

In addition to the $99 1GB disks, the Jaz drive can also write to
and read Iomega's 540MB disks, which are expected to sell for about
$69. Both disks will be available individually or in multi-packs.

(Jim Mallory/19950614/Press contact: Cory Maloy, Iomega, 801-778-
3712; Public contact: Iomega, 800-697-8833 or 801-778-1000)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
12/21/95
GENERAL
Mattel Plans Barbie Software

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00002)
Mattel Plans Barbie Software 12/21/95
EL SEGUNDO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 21 (NB) -- Mattel is
planning a major initiative in consumer software and interactive
products tied to such household names as Barbie, Match Box Cars, and
Cabbage Patch dolls. A new division, Mattel Media, is being created
to focus on developing and marketing products and software that build
on Mattel's existing toy market.

In a statement to Newsbytes, Lisa Sorge, a spokesperson for Mattel,
said, "Mattel has a group working on interactive applications that
will leverage Mattel brands in other areas of play. Details will be
announced at the time of the Toy Fair in February."

It has been reported that Mattel has entered into a software
distribution pact with Davidson & Associates, while Mattel's Fisher-
Price division is working with Compaq to announce new products at
the Winter Consumer Electronics Show in January. Mattel has indicated
that it will ship its first round of products in the fall of 1996,
although a public announcement will take place in early 1996.

Although specific product descriptions have been sketchy, Doug Glen,
president of the newly created Mattel Media, has said titles will be
developed around most of the existing Mattel brands.

Many of Mattel's toys have recognizable "play patterns" associated with
them, said the company. Mattel sees these play patterns as "natural
extensions" into the computer world. Cabbage Patch, Polly Pockets, See
'N Say, Fisher-Price, Barbie, and Hot Wheels, all are used by children
in "definable and repetitive ways," and it is these play patterns that
Mattel says it will concentrate on for its initial foray into software
development.

In an interview with Computer Retail Week, Mattel described one of
the planned software titles, Barbie Fashion Designer. The Barbie title
will allow users to design an entire wardrobe for the doll on the
computer, adding a hands-on component. After users complete the
design, they are able to print the pattern on specially designed fabric
using the PC's printer. Once printed, the user's design can be further
decorated using sequins, glitter, or paint markers that Mattel will
market. The end-result is apparel that can be worn by the Barbie doll.

Mattel has sold close to 900 million dolls that are either Barbies, or
her friends and family members, since 1959. In the first nine months of
this year, Mattel has earnings of over $240 million with sales of $2.48
billion.

(Richard Bowers/19951220/Press Contact: Lisa Sorge, Mattel,
310-473-4147)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/21/95
GENERAL
Asia Newsbriefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00003)
Asia Newsbriefs 12/21/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 DEC 21 (NB) -- In this roundup of news from around
Asia: Korea - World's first CDMA service begins; Thailand - Pager
service fees down; Korea - Better picture tube introduced; China -
Largest private satellite network inaugurated; Uzbekistan - NTTI wins
contract.

Korea - World's First CDMA Service Begins

The first cellular telephone service in the world based on CDMA (code
division multiple access) technology has opened in Korea. The new network
is operated by Korea Mobile Telecom and will enter full service on January
1. For the first two months of 1996, subscription will only be offered in
Inchon and Puchon, two cities in western Kyonggi Province. By the end
of 1996, the network will be available in all major cities except the
capital, Seoul.

Thailand - Pager Service Fees Down

The fees charged to private pager operators have been lowered by the
Telephone Organization of Thailand, the country's national
telecommunications operator. Phonelink, Hutchison, and World Page will
each see their rates reduced by 27%, according to a report in
Thailand's Business Day newspaper. Local area pager users will see a
typical monthly fee of 450 baht reduced to 315 baht with national
service pager fees falling from 650 baht to 455 baht the newspaper
reported.

Korea - Better Picture Tube Introduced

Samsung Display Devices has developed, what it says is, a safer picture
display tube. The new devices emit less electromagnetic radiation than
current models and were developed at a cost of around $1.5 million.
The 70% reduction in radiation, which is harmful to health in large
amounts, has been achieved by development of a new tube surface
coating which also reduces electric resistance from a trillion ohms to
just 10,000 ohms.

China - Largest Private Satellite Network Inaugurated

China's Ministry of Communications (MOC) and Comstream Corporation of
the United States have inaugurated what they say is the largest private
digital satellite communications network in the People's Republic of
China. The network, being used as an internal communications link
between all the bureaus of the MOC, comprises a 72-site time division
multiple access (TDMA) network that provides interactive voice, data
and video teleconferencing services. Total value of the contract was
$12.04 million.

Uzbekistan - NTTI Wins Contract

Japan's NTT International has won a consultancy contract with
Uzbekistan. The Tokyo-based company will offer advice for a project
to expand the local communications infrastructure in the country,
including installation of new switching centers in regional cities
and construction of new backbone links. The project is funded by an
interest free loan from the Japanese government.

(Martyn Williams/19951221)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/21/95
ONLINE
 ****Internet Update - Christmas Special

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00004)
 ****Internet Update - Christmas Special 12/21/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 DEC 21 (NB) -- In our second roundup of Christmas
related services and resources on the Internet: Christmas central;
The facts from Norway; Multilingual Santa mail; Christmas in Hawaii;
Festive e-mail; Christmas time; Seasonal top ten lists; Christmas
twice a year.

Christmas Central

The christmas.com site has a lot to offer Web surfers with a Christmas
feeling. In addition to Santa's personal hotlist, you can learn how to
say Christmas is 33 languages, learn the lyrics to popular Christmas
Carols, and find out about Christmas around the world.
World Wide Web: http://www.christmas.com/

The Facts From Norway

Norway's Telepost is offering a comprehensive reason to believe Santa
comes from Norway. Online, visitors can find the history of Santa,
hotshots of Santa in Norway and send e-mail to the man himself.
World Wide Web: http://web.telepost.no/Santa/Claus.html

Multilingual Santa Mail!

If you want to send a message to Santa in a language other than
English, the following addresses can be used for Spanish and French
languages messages respectively. An English language address is also
included.
Email: [e-mail]
Email: [e-mail]
Email: [e-mail]

Christmas In Hawaii

Read about Norfolk Pines, the Christmas tree of choice in Hawaii, plus
information about how Christmas trees get to the island and why that
made the Norfolk Pine so popular at this time of year.
World Wide Web: http://www.aloha-hawaii.com/c_trees.html

Festive E-mail

Send a Christmas e-mail attachment to your e-mail associates this
holiday season with a graphic from the Pad. You can download, for
free, a variety of holiday greeting card graphics or sounds. Once
downloaded, the files can be e-mailed or stored on a disk and sent
through the mail.
World Wide Web: http://www.shore.net/~dillon/thepad.htm

Christmas Time

This site promises updates and additions until Christmas and already
carries song lyrics, holiday games, software, craft, clip-art, and
more.
World Wide Web: http://remarque.berkeley.edu/~tigger/xmas/main.html

Seasonal Top Ten Lists

From Peggie's Place, the top ten reasons to celebrate Christmas, top
ten people to invite to Christmas dinner, and the top ten places to
celebrate Christmas, which run to many more than ten Internet links.
World Wide Web: http://www.woodtech.com/~pbohanon/Christmas.html

Christmas Twice A Year

From Sonoma County, where Christmas is celebrated in December and July
just because it's such a nice holiday, an interview with Santa Claus,
links to Santa sites on the Internet, and a form to fill in and send
e-mail to Santa.
World Wide Web: http://www.socool.com/socool/archives/xmas.html

(Martyn Williams/19951221)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/21/95
GENERAL
Home & Family Computing Expo

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00005)
Home & Family Computing Expo 12/21/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 21 (NB) -- MPC Tradeshows
Inc., a division of Houston-based Multimedia Publishing Corporation,
spent this fall traveling around the US with The Home and Family
Computing Supershow. Designed to reach novice and first-time computer
users, the show offers hands-on demos and ready-to-sell products.

"There are hundreds of computer tradeshows every year," says Marc
Ostrofsky, president and founder of the Home and Family Computing
Supershow. "But most of these shows are for people within the
industry. I do not know anything about computers and when I went to a
computer store, I met salespeople who knew little more than I did."

That was the beginning for Ostrofsky. He decided people did not want
to buy from someone who does not really know the product. "If people
want to buy a Hewlett-Packard (HP) computer, they want to talk to
someone from HP. I built this show on that idea. Basically, it is that
simple. Talk with the people who built the computer, put your hands on
it and operate it, and buy it right on the spot."

Ostrofsky's idea is simple enough and perhaps successful enough. HP
has now created a consumer tradeshow division. Compaq is backing
Ostrofsky with 300 Pentium-based computers for his Internet, gaming,
applications and other "experience" areas. Also participating as
sponsors are Apple Computer, Microsoft, and Compuserve.

Continuing, Ostrofsky said, "We also bring in small developers of
games, utilities, and applications. A lot of these people have great
products, but do not have the resources to be involved with something
like Comdex or CES. Here, they can reach the people they designed
their products and services for.

"I want to bring computer companies, and the families who are going to
purchase the companies' products, together in one place. Last year's
sales proved that the new computer buyer was not a technical expert,
but a person or family who knows very little about computers, programs,
Internet and the online services," claimed Ostrofsky.

This past Saturday, he ended this year's series of family shows in San
Francisco. It was filled with balloons, a Santa, activities for children
as young as six or seven, and hundreds of computers to access the
Internet, Compuserve, Prodigy, and America Online.

Somewhere in the midst of his Saturday crowd this past week,
Ostrofsky said he expected to see the head of Intel, Dr. Andrew Grove.
"This concept is getting attention everywhere. Andy Grove and ten of
his top people are supposed to be here to see what is going on."

(Patrick McKenna/19951220/Press Contact: James Korenchen,
Shandwick/Dorf & Stanton, 212-420-8100/MPC951221/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/21/95
ONLINE
 ****British Telecom Brings Virtual Antarctica Online

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LON)(00006)
 ****British Telecom Brings Virtual Antarctica Online 12/21/95
USHUAIA, ARGENTINA, 1995 DEC 21 (NB) -- British Telecom Inmarsat, the
satellite telephony division of BT, has invited anyone with access to
the Internet to join an interactive expedition to the blue ice-scapes
of the Antarctic.

According to BT officials, there's no need to strap on the ice shoes
or mush up the huskies, as the expedition is uploading pictures,
expedition updates and scientific information to a specially created
World Wide Web site at http://www.terraquest.com .

The Web site aims to attract interactive interest from classrooms
around the world, so giving students the chance to discover
Antarctica's wildlife and explore its eco-system.

The international TerraQuest expedition set off from the world's
southern-most city, Ushuaia in Argentina, on December 13, and,
according to BT, is now ready for interaction.

Through the Internet, with interfaces created by 7E Communications of
Ascot, Berkshire, in England, students will be able to take part in
daily discussions, landing parties, and study groups.

"Virtual passengers will be able to experience for themselves the
diverse landscapes, see icebergs carving into the sea, and learn about
its ecological relevance. Topics for study include global warming,
ozone depletion, krill harvesting, and the Antarctic eco-system's
dependence on it at the bottom of its simple food chain," said a
BT spokesperson.

According to BT, the service is made possible by satellite
communications links to the expedition ship, RV Livonia, provided by
BT Inmarsat -- the maritime communications division of BT, and
Telenor -- BT Inmarsat's Norwegian partner.

The interaction between the ship and UK schools by direct-dialed
telephone, fax, e-mail, and data transfer, will be accomplished via
SatMail and C-Sat technology, two of BT Inmarsat's services for
ocean-going vessels.

Having left Ushuaia, the crew are currently on their way to Antarctica
through Drake Passage, a rich feeding ground for whales, seabirds, and
other sea life, sailing toward Half Moon Island, Deception Island, and
Charlotte Bay for an ice cruise.

(Steve Gold/19951220/Press Contact: Lucy Bicknell, Band & Brown
Communications, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Reader
Contact: BT Inmarsat, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
12/21/95
GOVT
France Warns Polish Govt On Telecoms Licensing

(NEWS)(GOVT)(LON)(00007)
France Warns Polish Govt On Telecoms Licensing 12/21/95
WARSAW, POLAND, 1995 DEC 21 (NB) -- France Telecom, with the backing
of the French Government, has announced it will begin international
arbitration proceedings against Poland if the Polish Government
continues to prevent Centertel, the joint Polish state/France Telecom-
owned cellular network operator, from operating a GSM (global system
for mobile communications) network in Poland.

As reported in October, the Polish Government has opened tenders for
two of the three planned new cellular networks in Poland. According
to Communications Minister Andrzej Zielinski, the licenses will be
awarded in February of 1996 and foreign companies -- including
Ameritech, AT&T, Deutsche Telecom and Sprint -- can enter the tender
application list.

According to Zielinski, successful applicants must comply with current
Polish legislation that mandates that foreign companies must form a
joint venture company in Poland with Polish investors taking a
majority stake in the company.

In the runup to the October announcement, Zielinski has said that
Centertel, because it operates the analog cellular net in Poland, will
be unlikely to succeed in an application for a GSM license. Centertel
is regarded by some quarters as being overpriced, congested, and sells
clunky handheld mobiles for around $1,000 a time.

Zielinski said that he expects at least one of the two successful
applicants will have experience in running a GSM network elsewhere in
the world, so automatically precluding Centertel from one bidding for
one of the two licenses. "We think at least one partner in the
successful applying company should have the experience of running a
network of 100,000 telephones," he said.

The aim, Zielinski went on to say, is to ensure that Poland has four
cellular networks up and running by the end of 1998 -- one analog, two
GSM, and one PCN (personal communications network).

Centertel -- a joint venture between the state, Ameritech (24.5 percent)
and France Telecom (51 percent) -- has around 60,000 subscribers on a
congested network that covers around three quarters of Poland's
population. According to France Telecom, Ameritech has already given
the Polish Government notice of its intentions to begin proceedings
over the government's apparent refusal to give it a chance to bid for
a license to build a modern digital telephone network.

The whole affair could backfire badly on the Polish Government,
Newsbytes notes, as Ameritech and France Telecom are extremely
influential in the international telecoms marketplace. Upsetting these
telcos would make other potential international pitchers for telecoms
licenses in Poland, both mobile and landline, think twice about the
risks involved.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951220)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/21/95
TELECOM
UK's Vodafone To Revamp Tariffs & Connections

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00008)
UK's Vodafone To Revamp Tariffs & Connections 12/21/95
NEWBURY, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 21 (NB) -- In a clear
recognition that the days of "line rentals for no calls" are over in
the UK's cellular market, Vodafone has announced plans to implement a
range of mobile phone subscriber packages next April that will include
a set number of minutes within the basic charge.

To date, only Hutchison Orange, one of the UK's two PCN (personal
communications network) operators has offered "inclusive minute
standing charges," or "talk plans" as many in the industry refer
to them.

Orange has consistently been ignored in marketing discussions by
Vodafone staff in the UK media, so the decision to launch Vodafone
"talk plans" in April of next year clearly indicates that sales or
potential sales of Vodafone subscriptions may be suffering.

Dave Danielli, a spokesperson for Vodafone, told Newsbytes that an
official press statement on the "talk plans" has not yet been made,
but is expected to be released after the Christmas/New Year break.

"The details have gone out to our service providers and, by all
accounts, the information has been well received," he said. He added
that the information was not restricted, but designed to trickle
through to dealers and end-users of mobiles over the coming weeks.

Ray Okonski, a journalist specializing in cellular telecoms, was
skeptical about the new price plans, noting that the tariffs are only
recommended, meaning that service providers do not have to abide by
the recommended rates.

"With Vodac, Vodafone's service provider, it's not certain that they
will adopt the new talk plans. My comment to this is that, if Vodac
isn't going to bother with the new tariffs, why should Vodafone even
bother with the announcement of recommended rates. If Vodac doesn't
adopt them, they're a waste of time," he told Newsbytes.

Jon Morris, founder and managing director of JM Communications, a
cellular dealer, said that he was skeptical as to the possible success
of the new "talk plans," since they favor the business, rather
than the consumer, side of the market.

"If you are a regular user of cellular services, then the new tariffs
are very agreeable. But for the occasional user, as consumer users
are, then the plans commit you to 'talk time' you maybe don't really
want. This shows that Vodafone is not as committed to the consumer
market as Orange is," he said.

The new tariffs, although recommended, range from Personal World Extra,
which costs UKP30 connection plus UKP22.50 per month, and includes 50
minutes of calls. Peak rate calls cost 30 pence, while off-peak calls
cost 10 pence per minute. Billing is incremented in seconds.

Business World Extra costs UKP30 connection and UKP37.50 per month,
including 100 minutes of calls. Call charges are then 20 pence peak,
10 pence off-peak per minute, with billing incremented in seconds.

MetroWorld Extra, meanwhile, costs UKP30 sign-up and UKP30 per month,
including 75 minutes of calls. Calls are charged from 10 pence per
minute upwards, depending on time and distance called.

Full details of the new tariffs can be found on JM Communications'
World Wide Web pages at http://www.demon.co.uk/buss-srv/jmcomms/ .

(Steve Gold/19951220/Press Contact: Vodafone, [phone]; Ray
Okonski, [phone]; Jon Morris, 0973-208861)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/21/95
BUSINESS
UK Firm Wins Jordanian Fingerprint Contract

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00009)
UK Firm Wins Jordanian Fingerprint Contract 12/21/95
CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 21 (NB) -- Cambridge Neurodynamics
Limited (CNL) has won a contract for the supply of the Jordanian
national automatic fingerprint identification system. According to the
company, the contract was won against severe competition from other
security companies.

CNL claims that the Integrated Automatic Fingerprint Recognition
System (IAFRS) being supplied to the Jordanian Government, is the
world's first operational neural network-based fingerprint
recognition system.

According to the company, IAFRS' key strengths include low cost, high
accuracy, and rapid speed searches. The system can cope with searching
massive database searches, officials said. He added that major searches
can be completed in minutes rather than hours with conventional systems.

The system is also billed as offering very high performance and the
ability to cope with poor quality prints and effects of scars, dirt
and perspiration.

Moreover, since IAFRS uses standard PC systems as its basis, the
company claims that the system is extremely low cost when compared
to the competition.

The system has several distinct components: graphical display stations
to provide access to stored images and database information; capture
stations to enable the automatic entry of fingerprints by clerical staff,
so freeing up fingerprint expert time; and encoder units, which use
advanced neural network technology to analyze and digitally store
fingerprint characteristics.

In use, matcher units search the database and provide fingerprint
match results for subsequent analysis. To make maximum use of the
available hard disk space, the system is billed as using an advanced
image compression (AIC) set of algorithms to squeeze as many prints
per megabyte of hard disk space as possible.

(Steve Gold/19951220/Press Contact: Jeanette Schael-Fleming,
tel [phone], fax [phone]; Reader Contact:
CNL, tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/21/95
BROADCAST
Adding Data To Australia's Satellite Phone Service

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(SYD)(00010)
Adding Data To Australia's Satellite Phone Service 12/21/95
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1995 DEC 21 (NB) -- Sydney-based communications
specialist Offcom Pty Ltd. has installed a major communications
equipment order at the West Australian ground station in Perth. Offcom
claims this is another victory for the Australian Government's
Australian Content technology policy.

Offcom's fully Australian designed and manufactured auxiliary interface
units (AIUs) provide 60 simultaneous channels for fax and data
communications from the satellite phone network to the normal switched
network. A duplicate system is set up at the Sydney earth station.

Users of the NEC satellite phones use an Offcom MT101 Modem to connect
to data devices such as computer and global positioning system (GPS)
terminals. The GPS system allows a base station to track the satellite
phone user to within a few meters, anywhere the satellite can reach, on
land or sea. Typical users include mineral exploration expeditions and
commercial fishing boats as well as police vehicles.

The satellite phone system has particular use in Australia. While the
cellular phone system serves more than 95 percent of the population,
this is basically a strip around the southern and eastern coastline
where the bulk of the population exists. It is unlikely that any
terrestrial-based mobile phone system will ever cover the entire
continent.

(Paul Zucker/19951221/Press Contact: Offcom, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/21/95
GOVT
Australian Govt Porn Committee Calls For Action

(NEWS)(GOVT)(SYD)(00011)
Australian Govt Porn Committee Calls For Action 12/21/95
CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA, 1995 DEC 21 (NB) -- The Australian Senate's porn
committee, better known as the Senate Select Committee on Community
Standards Relevant to the Supply of Services Utilizing Electronic
Technologies, has concluded that material which would be refused
classification in any other medium, such as publications or television,
can be found online.

The committee recommends it should be an offense in Australia to use a
computer service to transmit, obtain possession of, demonstrate,
advertise, or request the transmission of material equivalent to the
"Refused Classification" category of the Office of Film and Literature
Classification.

When it comes to protecting children from the dubious online content,
the committee has concluded that the main control is prohibition at
source, and has recommended the Government pursue internationally the
classification of "material at source."

The committee recognized that local network operators and service
providers could not always control the content of their services and
called for an industry-based body to adjudicate on standards and to
impose "realistic sanctions." The recommendations are in the
committee's second report on the regulation of online computer
services.

(Computer Daily News/19951220)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/21/95
EDUCATION
China - Computer Classroom Named After CA's President

(NEWS)(EDUCATION)(PEK)(00012)
China - Computer Classroom Named After CA's President 12/21/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 DEC 21 (NB) -- Donated by Computer Associates
(CA), a computer classroom named Wang Jialian, the Chinese name of
CA's President Charles B. Wang, was launched recently in the Beijing
Jingshan High School. CA has also donated software to the State
Commission of Science and Technology.

The Wang Jialian Computer Classroom is equipped with more than 20
486-multimedia PCs and networking hardware and software. The classroom
greatly strengthened the computer education facility of the Beijing
Jingshan High School, a nationally recognized school with many students
from families of high-level Chinese central government officials.

However, CA's donation to the school means much more than those
computers, said Ms. Wang Nianqin, vice president of the Jingshan High
School. "The company's excellent software development and successful
enterprise management will also benefit the next generation," she said.

CA recently also donated software to the State Commission of Science
and Technology. The software includes its OpenRoad development tool,
OpenIngres database, and Unicenter management software.

The State Commission of Science and Technology will give the software
to more than 50 enterprises and institutions, including Xi'an Aircraft
Industry Company, Shenyang Aircraft Group, the Hailongjiang Science
and Technology Information Center, the Software Development Center
of Northeast University, the Beijing Software Engineering Center of
Chinese Academy of Science, and Tsinghua University.

Lin Quan, secretary general of the commission, said he highly
appreciated the donation of CA, adding that the software donation
further promotes cooperation between CA and Chinese software developers
and users. This will also give impetus to the development of domestic
application software, he said.

CA software has been successfully used by the Department of
Transportation, China Petroleum and Natural Gas Company, and China
Radio International.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951220)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/21/95
TRENDS
China - Typing Chinese Into PCs At Speech Speed

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(PEK)(00013)
China - Typing Chinese Into PCs At Speech Speed 12/21/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 DEC 21 (NB) -- Typing Chinese speeches usually
requires 200 characters per minute to keep pace. Now, Xiaojun
Computer's unique keyboard and software allow a user to achieve
that speed within three months, claims the company.

When Ms. Shen Fei, an engineer with Xiaojun Computer Company, was
demonstrating the company's products to Newsbytes, her talk and
Newsbytes' questions were displayed on the computer screen at a speed
that the eyes could hardly keep up with. Using a unique keyboard
specially designed for Chinese input, the typist pressed several
keys at the same time to get the fast speed.

With an ordinary keyboard, a typist has to strike three times faster,
(about 10 keys per second) to achieve the speech speed, said Shen.
However, the highly intensive operation soon makes the typist tired.
As a result, speech-speed typing of Chinese with a traditional
keyboard was impossible for any length of time, she claimed.

Many suggested solutions had proven partially successful or of little
help. The result was that none of the previous attempts had considered
changing the traditional keyboard, which was invented for English
typing, she said.

The special keyboard has 24 keys arranged in three rows with 10, 10,
and four keys like the configuration of "q" to "p," "a" to," and "v"
to "m," on the ordinary keyboard. Typing is based on pronunciation of
Chinese characters, and each key corresponds to a consonant or vowel
in Chinese. When pressing four keys at the same time, for example,
the typist inputs two Chinese characters, usually a word, at the same
time.

Actually, the typist can press a group of keys in any order, and the
key signals go to the computer only when the last pressed key is
released, Shen explained.

Training is needed for using the keyboard, Shen said. After a month of
training, the user can type about 80 characters per minute. Three
months is usually enough to achieve a speech speed of 200 characters
per minute, she claimed.

With a small liquid crystal display (LCD) screen, the keyboard is
connected to the serial port of a computer. The retail price of the
keyboard and software is RMB2,800 (US$337), and the company also
provides the training, said Shen Fei.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951220/Reader Contact: Xiaojun Computer
Company, tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/21/95
BUSINESS
India - Siemens Nixdorf Plans Subsidiary

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEL)(00014)
India - Siemens Nixdorf Plans Subsidiary 12/21/95
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1995 DEC 21 (NB) -- Siemens Nixdorf Informationssysteme
(SNI) AG, the information technology (IT) arm of the German multinational
Siemens, is setting up an Indian subsidiary with a view to sell and
manufacture its computer hardware in the country.

The Indian subsidiary will be involved in the manufacture of Unix servers
in the country for outsourcing to the Asian region. While Siemens Nixdorf
will hold a 51 percent stake in the newly formed subsidiary, Siemens
India Ltd. -- the Indian subsidiary of Siemens AG -- will hold 49 percent
of the equity.

SNI is expected to see an investment of DM5 million in the first year,
while the amount will be doubled next year. It will be managed by the Asian
region of Siemens Nixdorf, and Siemens India Managing Director Konrad
Pernstich will be the chief executive officer.

The company has already appointed Fujitsu-ICIM, HCL Hewlett-Packard,
and DCM Data Systems as its distributors in the country.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19951221)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/21/95
BROADCAST
Indian Insat-2C Satellite Settling Down In Orbit

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(DEL)(00015)
Indian Insat-2C Satellite Settling Down In Orbit 12/21/95
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1995 DEC 21 (NB) -- Insat-2C, India's second-generation
multipurpose satellite, and the first Indian device to offer Asia-wide
television and two-way business communications, was launched on December
7 aboard an Ariane launcher in French Guyana.

The satellite was put into a geosynchronous transfer orbit 27 minutes
after lift-off, and the master control facility (MCF) of the ISRO (Indian
Space Research Organization) at Hassan in Karnataka acquired the telemetry
signal two minutes later. The MCF will be controlling and commanding the
satellite for the next 10 years.

Earlier satellite launches in the country have been the Insat-1D, Insat-2A,
and Insat-2B. The next event will be the launch of the third remote sensing
satellite -- IRS-1C -- from the Baikanur cosmodrome in Kazakhastan during
the last week of this month.

It will be followed by the launch of the third developmental polar
satellite launch vehicle (PSLV) from Sriharikota in January-end or early
February. The next in the Insat series, Insat-2D, is scheduled to be
launched sometime next year, while the last one, Insat-2E will be launched
in late 1997.

Insat-2C, unlike the previous satellites, did not carry a meteorological
payload because of redundancy in capacity. The 14.6 meter long satellite
will be drawing 1,455 watts of power from 23 square meters of solar arrays
fixed in its north and south faces. Moving at an initial speed of 10
kilometers (km) per second, the upgraded satellite in its elliptical orbit
will take 10 hours and 30 minutes for a revolution.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and the Department of
Telecommunications will be the major beneficiaries of the Insat segment,
with the total number of transponders in this segment going up from the
present 54 to 78, with the addition of 24 transponders by the Insat-2C.
The satellite has 12 transponders in the C-band, three in the KU-band,
and three in the S-band.

While the three KU-band transponders will be used for business
communications in the four metropolitans, two of the 12 C-band
transponders will be for extended coverage from the West Asia to
South-East Asia. Presently, the S-band transponder for mobile satellite
services, introduced for the first time, will enable the cargo and
shipping industry to communicate while on the move. One C-band and two
S-band transponders in Insat-1D, three C-band, three extend C-band,
and one S-band transponder in Insat-2A, and two S-band and four C-band
channels in Insat-2B cater to the I&B ministry's needs, while the
Department of Telecommunications uses the rest.

The satellite has cost India R200 crore to launch and R125 crore to
design and build.

According to the latest reports, the I&B ministry has reserved as many
as four C-band transponders for possible allocation to private satellite
channels. The ministry already has requests from international channels
like the BBC, Home Box Office, and Discovery.

It is still not known if any Indian private satellite channels have
applied for transponders in the Insat series of satellites. The
government has, however, not decided on the modalities for allocating
the transponders to the private channels -- national or international.
The ministry has also exclusively devoted the KU-band transponder for
satellite-based news gathering activities of Doordarshan.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19951221)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/21/95
TELECOM
Canada Grants PCS Licenses To 4 Carriers

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00016)
Canada Grants PCS Licenses To 4 Carriers 12/21/95
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 DEC 21 (NB) -- The Canadian government
handed out early Christmas presents to four companies this week. The
major cellular telephone carriers and two other applicants got licenses
to offer personal communications services (PCS), also known as public
cordless phone service.

The federal government's Industry Canada department gave Rogers Cantel
Mobile Inc. and the regional shareholders of Mobility Personacom Canada
Ltd. (essentially the regional telephone companies) licenses to operate
PCS services in the 10 megahertz (MHz) frequency range. It also gave
Clearnet PCS Inc. and MicroCell Network Inc. licenses to run similar
services in the 30MHz range.

Some were surprised that the government licensed only four carriers.
There had been suggestions that as many as six carriers might get PCS
licenses.

However, Industry Canada spokesman Patrick Carrey told Newsbytes that
there could be more licenses in the future. That will not happen for at
least three years, though. At that time, Industry Canada plans a review
of the PCS market, and is reserving the option of adding more licensees
then or later.

PCS uses small wireless telephone handsets rather like those used in
cordless home telephones. Their range is more limited than that of
cellular phones. PCS is also expected to pave the way for the introduction
of personal telephone numbers that will be able to follow individual
subscribers wherever they go.

Carrey said the general indications are that Canadian PCS carriers will
begin offering services in 1997, though at least one carrier has hinted
that it might be operating by late in 1996. One of the stumbling blocks
is the fact that a number of microwave services currently use the
frequencies now allotted to PCS, and these will have to be moved before
PCS service can commence, Carrey noted.

The PCS services to be offered in Canada will be compatible with those
being offered in the United States, Industry Canada officials said.

Toronto-based Call-Net Enterprises Inc., the second largest shareholder
in MicroCell, welcomed the decision, saying its 20 percent stake in
MicroCell will complement its existing long-distance business. Call-Net
controls Sprint Canada Inc., one of the two major national alternative
long-distance companies.

LanSer Wireless Inc. of Montreal, one of the losers in the competition
for PCS licenses, expressed disappointment but said it will continue to
invest in and expand its existing wireless data services and messaging
businesses.

(Grant Buckler/19951221/Press Contact: Patrick Carrey, Industry Canada,
613-991-0179)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/21/95
BUSINESS
Cognos & Teijin Sew Up Japan Joint Venture

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00017)
Cognos & Teijin Sew Up Japan Joint Venture 12/21/95
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 DEC 21 (NB) -- Canadian software vendor
Cognos Inc. (TSE:CSN; NASDAQ:COGNF) and Tokyo-based Teijin Ltd. have
announced a Japanese joint venture, signaling a strengthening of Cognos'
Japanese presence and a continuing shift from softwear to software for
Teijin.

Formed in 1918, Teijin was Japan's first rayon manufacturer, and is a
leading Japanese producer of polyester. In addition to its traditional
textile business, though, Teijin is now involved in plastics, chemicals,
pharmaceuticals, information systems, and other areas. The company has
a "pretty good sized information systems group," a Cognos spokesperson
told Newsbytes.

Cognos, which already had a six-person office and established
relationships with seven distributors in Japan, has worked with Teijin
before on Japanese-language versions of its PowerHouse, PowerPlay, and
Impromptu software. The two companies will own equal shares in the new
joint venture, to be called Teijin Cognos Inc.

Cognos officials described the Japanese market as critical to their
business, and said that in recent months it has been shifting away from
proprietary systems toward open and distributed computing, resulting in
the widespread adoption of personal computers and networking products.
This is leading to a demand for data access and data warehousing, an
area where Cognos believes it can do well.

Cognos' Impromptu is an interactive database reporting, query, and access
tool. PowerPlay is a multidimensional data analysis tool, while PowerHouse
and another product, Axiant, are development tools.

Cognos will continue working with its existing Japanese distributors, the
spokesperson said. The company does not break out its Japanese sales, but
will say that it chalked up C$12.5 million in sales in the Asia/Pacific
region in fiscal 1995, which ended February 28.

(Grant Buckler/19951221/Press Contact: Roberta Carlton, Cognos,
617-229-6600 ext 2446)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/21/95
LEGAL
 ****Telecoms Bill Ready To Roll

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(WAS)(00018)
 ****Telecoms Bill Ready To Roll 12/21/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 DEC 21 (NB) -- House and Senate
negotiators and the White House agreed on a series of
compromises last night that clears the way for a major rewrite
of the nation's basis telecommunications law. With a series of
Republican compromises, the bill is ready for action as soon as
this week and will be signed by President Clinton.

"This is an early Christmas for consumers," said Vice President
Al Gore. "Every concern the president expressed about the
initial legislation has been dealt with on a bipartisan basis."

The key compromise came on media ownership rules. In
closed-door talks, Republicans agreed to drop provisions
relaxing rules against multiple ownership of media properties.

The compromise would allow a TV company to own stations that
reach up to 35 percent of national viewers, a 10 percent
increase over the current limit. It would also keep the Federal
Communications Commission in the business of policing
restrictions on local market concentration.

The compromise was a major defeat for media mogul Rupert
Murdoch. His News Corp.'s Fox network owns 12 television
stations and holds financial stakes in 17 others, and Murdoch
was lobbying hard for the Republican relaxations on media
concentration.

The conferees also agreed to give the Justice Department a role
in determining when local Bell telephone companies can get into
the long-distance business. This was a victory for the
long-distance providers, which had been consistently losing
their lobbying battles against the Baby Bells. "We think their
has been significant progress," said AT&T spokesman Herb Linnen.

The compromise also continues the harsh ban on online "smut,"
using the "indecency" standard that civil libertarians complain
is vague and unconstitutional.

The bill would also require TV makers to include the V-chip in
sets that would allow parents to screen out violent programming.

The measure would also retain federal regulation of cable
television rates for two years.

According to lobbyists working on the issue, the political
skills of the Democratic leaders of the conference -- Sen.
Ernest Hollings (D-S.C.) and Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) --
eventually wore down the Republican members. Hollings
threatened a filibuster if Republicans did not compromise on
media ownership rules. That would certainly have killed the
measure this year.

Ironically, the budget "train wreck" that has derailed the
federal government and kept Congress stranded in Washington far
longer than it wished, has made the telecom compromise possible.
Without the budget delay, Congress would be leaving town today
or tomorrow.

(Kennedy Maize/19951221)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/21/95
LEGAL
 ****House Overrides Securities Veto, Senate Showdown Looms

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(WAS)(00019)
 ****House Overrides Securities Veto, Senate Showdown Looms 12/21/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 DEC 21 (NB) -- The House
yesterday easily overrode President Clinton's veto of
legislation to scale back class-action securities lawsuits, but
a veto override could be tougher in the Senate.

The House vote was 319-100, with 89 Democrats breaking ranks and
joining with the GOP to override the president. High-tech
industries were supporting the override, arguing that the
legislation is crucial to their business.

William Archey, head of the American Electronics Association,
called the vote "a repudiation of Clinton's veto and a blow to
the trial lawyers' attempt to keep the current flawed system
intact."

Clinton's veto, which came just 30 minutes before the bill would
have automatically become law without his signature, was a
surprise. He had been signaling that he would approve the
measure. Politically, Clinton was in a no-win situation. The
high-tech industries that were crucial to his 1992 election
wanted the new law, while the trial lawyers, the most dependable
donors to Democrats, opposed it.

In making the veto, Clinton said he favors the purpose of the
legislation and would agree to a bill if the Senate can come up
with changes.

Clinton is in a difficult position in the Senate, but has more
possibility of pulling out a victory than he did in the House.
The original bill passed the Senate with 65 votes, one short of
the 66 required to override a presidential veto.

According to several lobbyists, the White House may be able to
get up to five Democratic senators who voted for the measure to
jump ship and support the president on the veto. The most
likely candidates are Senators Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts,
Bill Bradley of New Jersey, Herbert Kohl of Wisconsin, James
Exon of Nebraska, and Charles Robb of Virginia.

The Senate override battle puts Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), chief
sponsor of the legislation in the Senate, in a difficult position.
Dodd is doing battle for the insurance industry, which is very
important in his home state. But he is also the general chairman
of the Democratic National Committee, hand-picked by President
Clinton. His loyalties tear him in two directions.

"While I respect the president's decision, frankly I'm surprised
at the reasons, raised at the eleventh hour, which are
relatively minor," said Dodd. "I intend to work hard in the
coming days and weeks to enact this legislation."

(Kennedy Maize/19951221/Press Contact: Greg Garcia, AEA,
202-682-9110)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/21/95
NETWORK
Telematics Adds "Fault Tolerance" To WAN Switches

(NEWS)(NETWORK)(BOS)(00020)
Telematics Adds "Fault Tolerance" To WAN Switches 12/21/95
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 21 (NB) -- Telematics'
new PCP 800 introduces the same kinds of redundant and "fault
tolerant" capabilities to WAN (wide area network) switching that
host computers used in banking and other "mission critical"
environments have long been known for, contended ClareAnn
Anderson and Kevin Smith, two Telematics product managers, in a
conference call with Newsbytes.

Designed to provide 24-hour "up time," Telematics' latest switch
falls "right in the middle of our PCP product family," sharing
software as well as mix-and-match compatibility with Telematics
PCP 300 and PCP 400 series of smaller network switches,
introduced in April, and Telematics' larger PCP 6000, Anderson
asserted.

Smith pointed to the "versatility" of the new PCP 800, which can
be used, for example, as either a multi-access switch on a
corporate WAN or as a frame relay concentrator on a carrier or
service provider network. The switch also supports protocols that
include IP (Internet Protocol), X.25, asynchronous, and SDLC
(Synchronous Data Link Control).

Like Telematics' PCP 6000, the new PCP 800 offers "hot standby
power," a capability aimed at automatic failover to a second
power supply in case of power supply failure, the two execs
observed. And like all of the company's WAN switches, the new
product is capable of rerouting circuits.

But the PCP 800 also brings two other "fault tolerant" features
that are entirely new to the Telematics switching line-up,
Newsbytes was told. Aimed at providing protection in case the
primary processor subsystem failure, the new "1:1 processor
redundancy" capability is designed to automatically failover to
the back-up processor subsystem and bring the system up again.

"1:N line card redundancy," on the other hand, is intended to let
the operator migrate users from a failed line card to a backup
card, Newsbytes was told.

By keeping networks up and running "around the clock," these
features can save time and money for service providers and
corporations alike, Smith maintained. Telematics' products are
typified by "very high MTBF (mean time between failure rates), in
the "thousands of hours" range, according to the Telematics exec.
But still, the "fault tolerant" capabilities act as an "insurance
policy" in the event that a switching component does fail.

"Corporations don't want to pay union people to go out and
replace (a component) in the middle of the night," Smith
elaborated. And for their part, service providers often have
"reliability agreements" with organizations such as banks that
call for the provider to pay a fee if the user loses network
service, the product manager added.

Anderson reported that the PCP 800 has been successfully beta
tested in separate deployments by a network service provider,
a long distance carrier, and a cellular carrier. In addition, she
said, a major bank has bought the new WAN switch "without even
beta testing it."

Anderson acknowledged that, with some other switch vendors also
starting to introduce redundancy, high availability has become
somewhat of a trend recently. But, she asserted, Telematics'
"fault tolerant" features provide greater efficiencies.

Although some of Telematics' competitors also offer the ability
to move users from a failed line card to a backup card, for
example, Telematics is the only vendor to permit the swap
"without ever taking the network down," she illustrated.

Smith noted that the PCP 800 also "builds upon the architecture"
of the PCP 300 and PCP 400 series by adding "more ports, as well
as more high-speed ports." The PCP 800 provides a total of 84
ports, including 24 ports that operate at up to E1 speeds for
T1/E1 trunking and access connectivity, at switching rates of up
to 2000 switched frames per second, independent of frame size.

Other capabilities include dynamic bandwidth allocation, targeted
at "bursty" applications such as frame relay; sizable frame
buffering; switched end-to-end congestion management; and ANSI-
compliant interfaces. Telematics' new PCP 800 switch is available
now.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951221/ECI Telecom Telematics, 305-772-3070;
Lisa Downey or Tim Donovan, Rourke & Company for Telematics, 617-
267-0042)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/21/95
TRENDS
Interactive TV Slow To Take Off In Asia-Pacific Region

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00021)
Interactive TV Slow To Take Off In Asia-Pacific Region 12/21/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 21 (NB) -- Ovum, the London-based market
research company, has just issued the fourth and final update to its
report, "Interactive Television: the Market Opportunity." According
to the company, the update contains a set of forecasts for the
interactive TV market to the year 2005.

For the first time, the forecasts include projections for key
countries in Asia-Pacifica -- Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, South
Korea, New Zealand, and Singapore are covered. In addition, the report
includes forecasts of ad revenues generated in the interactive TV
industry.

These features, John Matthews, principal consultant with Ovum claims,
make the report the most comprehensive set of forecasts that Ovum has
ever produced on the subject. "Interactive TV has been slow to take
off, but it offers significant opportunities in the medium and the
long term," he said.

According to Matthews, who was the lead author of the report, the US
will be the first area to become "cash positive" as far as interactive
TV is concerned, in the year 2001. In 2002, Europe is forecast to also
become cash positive, that is, making a profit on the capital monies
invested in the technology.

Ovum predicts that the Asia-Pacific region will not become cash
positive, even at 2005, the far range of the report's coverage. The
reason for this, the report notes, is that the region has been later
to market and slower to build than others as far as interactive TV is
concerned.

The report predicts that 4.6 million households will have cable access
to interactive by the time 2005 rolls around, with Japan and South
Korea accounting for an impressive 2.2 million and 1.0 million,
respectively, of this Asia-Pacific figure.

Predictably, the US is the head honcho as far as interactive TV is
concerned, where around 26.4 million couch potato households will
have cable access to interactive TV by the year 2005.

The report also predicts that, by that year, revenues received by
service providers from advertising will be $780 million in the Asia-
Pacific region, $4.3 billion in Europe and $9 billion in the US.

"Interactive Television: the Market Opportunity," including four
updates, costs UKP1,495 in Europe, AUS$3,595 in Australasia, and
US$2,775 for the rest of the world.

(Steve Gold/19951221/Press Contact: Jennie Morales, Ovum, [phone]-
7258, Internet e-mail jhb@ovum,mhs.compuserve.com; Reader Contact:
Ovum, tel [phone], fax [phone], Internet e-mail
[e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/21/95
ONLINE
Lawson Software Offers Free Hierarchical Web Browser

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LON)(00022)
Lawson Software Offers Free Hierarchical Web Browser 12/21/95
HAYES, MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 21 (NB) -- Lawson Software has
taken the wraps off WebTree, a utility to guide visitors to the
hundreds of pages found on the World Wide Web. Unlike conventional Web
browsers, Lawson claims that this package offers a hierarchical view of
the page structure, allowing users to see where they are at any given
time and allowing them to jump straight to the information they are
looking for.

Jeff Imm, the company's European marketing manager, explained that the
package can also be used by Web site developers to help in the design
and ongoing creation of their Web site. In the case of Lawson's own
Wen site, located at http://www.lawson.com , Imm claims that the
company developed its own 200-plus page Web site in less than a third
of the time it would have taken without WebTree.

"Although we're still deciding on how we should distribute WebTree in
the future, an evaluation copy can be downloaded from our Wen site by
anyone who wants to try it," he said, adding that the package is
currently capable of running under DOS, Windows 3.x, Windows 95, and
Windows NT.

As readers of Newsbytes will have surmised, WebTree was originally
developed as an aid for in-house staff at Lawson to create the Web
site. It was only when the package was used in a real Web creation
environment that the company realized its potential outside of the
firm.

Lawson itself is a software house specializing in the provision of
enterprise wide, client/server business applications, focusing on the
accounting, health care, and distribution plus material management
side of business.

The company was founded in 1975 and has its HQ in Minneapolis, with
its European HQ near London's Heathrow Airport. The company employs
around 700 staff around the world.

(Steve Gold/19951221/Press Contact: Andrew Rodaway, Oast Communications,
[phone], Internet e-mail: [e-mail]; Reader
Contact: Jeff Imm, Lawson Software, [phone], Internet e-mail
[e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/21/95
TELECOM
Smart Phone Sends E-mail, Pays Bills

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEN)(00023)
Smart Phone Sends E-mail, Pays Bills 12/21/95
HERNDON, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 21 (NB) -- US Order Inc.
(NASDAQ: USOR) and Colonial Data Technologies Corp. (AMEX: CDT)
have announced a "smart phone" that can send e-mail over the
Internet, pay bills and do electronic banking, type and send text
messages directly to pagers, and shop from electronic catalogs.

The two companies said the Telesmart 400, which was originally
developed by US Order under the name "Falcon," can also take
advantage of the emerging caller services being introduced by
telephone service providers. One of those applications is
electronic directory assistance, which searches national databases
and visually displays telephone numbers and addresses on the
phone's screen for autodialing or downloading into the phone's
150-name personal directory.

The system can also integrate Caller ID and Call Waiting, allowing
the user to identify who is holding on Call Waiting by the name
and phone number that appears on the screen. The user can choose
to take the call, place it on hold, ask the caller to wait, deliver
pre-recorded answering messages such as "I'll call you back," or
automatically redial the second caller later. Walter Fiederowicz,
chairman of Colonial Data, said most telephone companies will be
offering versions of these services in 1996.

Features of the Telesmart 4000 include a backlit graphics screen, a
two-way speaker, a typewriter-style keyboard, and a magnetic card
reader for use in electronic banking and home shopping. A built-in
modem allows the user to download new software to the Telesmart
4000 as additional services are introduced and ordered by the
user. The modem also allows for remote technical assistance and
servicing, said Fiederowicz.

A suggested retail price has not been determined yet, but US Order
said the wholesale price of the phone is expected to be under $200.
US Order spokesperson Richard Stern told Newsbytes the phone will
ship in mid-March 1996.

(Jim Mallory/19951221/Press contact: Richard Stern for US
Order, 212-777-7722l; Public contact: Colonial Data, 703-506-
1778/SMARTFON951221/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/21/95
BUSINESS
 ****Informix To Acquire Illustra

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00024)
 ****Informix To Acquire Illustra 12/21/95
MENLO PARK,CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 21 (NB) -- Informix
Corporation (NASDAQ:IFMX), a developer of parallel processing
database technology, has announced an agreement to acquire Illustra
Information Technologies. Illustra is a supplier of object oriented
relational database software and tools for managing data in the
areas of the Internet, multimedia/entertainment, financial services,
and earth sciences.

Approximately 12.9 million shares of Informix common stock will be
issued to acquire all outstanding shares of Illustra. An additional 2.1
million Informix shares will be reserved for issuance in connection
with the assumption of Illustra's outstanding stock options. With
Informix shares currently trading in the $26 range, the total
transaction value would be $360 million. The acquisition of Illustra
will be accounted for as a tax free pooling of interest.

Jaye Prosser, a spokesperson for Informix, told Newsbytes, "Illustra is
one of the leaders in object oriented relational database technology.
While we are in development, integrating the technologies of the two
companies will increase our speed to market. Informix will be able to
integrate Illustra's dynamic content management system into its core
parallel database technology, Dynamic Scalable Architecture (DSA)."

He continued: "We believe that this technology integration will
give the combined organization a significant market advantage over
competing database vendors in providing a powerful database engine
to support the next wave of database applications."

Illustra's flagship product, the Illustra Server, allows users to
store, manage, and analyze complex multimedia data such as audio,
video, and images, in a single database, along with traditional
characters and numbers.

The Illustra Server is claimed to give Informix an edge on Internet
technology. Some analysts contend that the Internet market is shifting
technology from static and fixed database types to dynamic and rich
content, requiring users to interact with three-dimensional (3-D)
graphics, video, audio, HTML (hypertext markup language), spatial data,
and other complex data.

"To manage this new content, users are demanding a sophisticated
database engine that combines the robust, scalable, enterprise
solutions offered by relational databases with the flexible,
extensible, content management capabilities pioneered by Illustra,"
claimed Prosser.

"This acquisition gives Informix a significant lead over any other
database vendor in capturing the expanding market of content
management, especially in the Web space," said Phil White, chairman
of Informix. "In addition to our shared visions and markets, the
synergy with Illustra's technology gives us a significant time-to-
market advantage. Customers who had a hard time choosing between
the two companies now have the clear choice for selecting a database
that will take them into the twenty-first century and beyond."

"With this agreement, no other database vendor is better positioned
in the Web market and the overall information management market today,"
claimed Dick Williams, president of Illustra. "The combination of
Informix and Illustra technology will create the database of choice
for cyberspace because it is the ideal coupling of unique strengths."

(Richard Bowers/19951221/Press Contact: Jaye Prosser, Informix,
415-926-6316)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/21/95
APPLE
MacUser Names WebStar "Software Product Of The Year"

(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00025)
MacUser Names WebStar "Software Product Of The Year" 12/21/95
MARINA DEL REY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 21 (NB) -- Through its
acquisition of StarNine, Quarterdeck acquired WebStar and took it to
the top of the World Wide Web software world. WebStar, a Macintosh Web
server software rose from a shareware program, known as MacHTTP, to be
named "Software Product of the Year" by MacUser Magazine.

Quarterdeck's President and Chief Executive Officer Gaston Bastiaens
said he was pleased to receive the award on behalf of Quarterdeck and
"wanted to share credit for the program's success with the Macintosh
Internet community."

In a press release, he stated, "Our many customers, working daily with
our development team, have shown the world that the Macintosh can be
a solid, affordable Web server platform. This award reaffirms
Quarterdeck WebStar's leadership in the Web server market."

MacUser editors say Apple manages its own Web sites with WebStar
and includes it as the centerpiece for its Internet-server bundle.

Quarterdeck entered the world of Mac software when it purchased
StarNine earlier this year. Prior to the sale, WebStar was in
development at the acquired company. StarNine, which originally
picked-up MacHTTP and developed it as WebStar, also produced
ListStar, a popular Macintosh Internet e-mail server product.

Ellen Spooren, vice president of communications at Quarterdeck, told
Newsbytes, "We are really pleased with this award. The acquisition
of StarNine opened the Macintosh door for us and has made us the
leading commercial server software." According to Quarterdeck,
WebStar is the most widely used Web server software on the Internet.

WebStar received the MacUser Editors' Choice Award during the
magazine's 11th annual presentation via America Online.

Traditionally, Quarterdeck has been a developer of utilities for
the DOS/Windows platform. With Bastiaens at the helm, the company
revamped, and expanded its strategy with a full line of Internet
products for the same platforms.

Bolstered by the success of WebStar, Quarterdeck is expected to expand
its product line with Macintosh versions of its popular Internet
products. The company would neither confirm or deny this notion when
questioned by Newsbytes. However, a company spokesperson did say the
company's Macintosh strategy will be announced during the firm's
appearance at Macworld, January 9-12.

(Patrick McKenna/19951221/Press Contact: Ellen Spooren, Quarterdeck,
310-309-4261)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/21/95
ONLINE
Electronic Billing Via Internet

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(DEN)(00026)
Electronic Billing Via Internet 12/21/95
HERNDON, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 21 (NB) -- US Order (NASDAQ:OSOR)
recently introduced a new electronic banking product that lets merchants
send monthly statements to their customers via the World Wide Web.

The product is called Electronic Merchant Center (EMC) biller
workstation. It lets the merchant design bill templates, transmit
customized marketing information, and give customers direct access
to statement information if they have an Internet connection.

EMC includes the Visa Epay standards for electronic exchange of
bill payment information with Visa Epay banks and supports
formatting and delivery of bills to consumers.

EMC is the third in US Order's product family. The company
previously introduced its Electronic Banking Center that lets
consumers pay their bills electronically from any touch-tone phone
by connecting them to Visa Interactive through their member banks.

The company also offers an Electronic Exchange Center line of
middleware data translation systems that connect individual banks
to their customers through Visa interactive on more sophisticated
access devices, including the personal computer and "smart"
telephone.

US Order said customers who access a billers' Web site that is
supported by EMC will be able to retrieve up-to-the-minute
account information. They will also be able to pay their bills
electronically through the Visa bill pay system. Bills can be
presented on a recurring monthly basis.

The company said the EMC biller workstation will be available
for shipment in the second quarter of 1996, and will be sold to
merchants directly by US Order as well as through Visa Epay
financial institutions.

(Jim Mallory/19951221/Press contact: Richard Stern, US order,
212-777-7722; Public contact: US Order, 703-834-9480)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/21/95
CHIPS
Atmel's EPROM For Faster Modems

(NEWS)(CHIPS)(LAX)(00027)
Atmel's EPROM For Faster Modems 12/21/95
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 21 (NB) -- Atmel Corp.
(Nasdaq: ATML) has announced that it has developed, and is in
volume production of, a family of ultra-fast non-volatile memory
devices designed for Internet access and other high-speed modem
applications. The new EPROM (erasable programmable read only
memory) family encompasses one megabit (Mb), 2Mb, and 4Mb densities.

Non-volatile memory devices retain data even when shut off. They can
by found in almost all portable products, and in common household
appliances such as toasters, microwave ovens, and dishwashers. Atmel,
with sales over $400 million, has built its company on non-volatile
memory devices.

Jeff Katz, product marketing manager for Atmel, told Newsbytes, "This
EPROM, a 45 nanosecond 1Mb device, is designed specifically for use
in 28.8 kilobits-per-second (Kbps), V.34-standard modems. Prior to 45
nanosecond access times, modem manufacturers had to use wait states
or degrade the modem performance because the EPROM was too slow.
The current norm is EPROM's with 70 nanosecond, and high-speed
modems needed faster access times."

"The rapidly growing communications and transmission markets, led
by devices for Internet use require devices that offer high speed,
and are available in volume production," said Dirk Franklin, Atmel's
EPROM product marketing manager.

The speed of the new device is the result of a new advanced process
keyed to 0.65-micron line widths that was developed and installed in
Atmel's recently acquired Colorado Springs facility. According to the
company, in 1995, Atmel will have spent some 35 to 40 percent of its
revenues on construction and new production and test equipment,
including about $30 million in new equipment for the Colorado Springs
EPROM fabrications area.

The company say it expects to add an additional $50 million in
equipment in this area in 1996. EPROM production in this fab area
more than doubled from 1994 to 1995, and is expected to increase by
at least an additional 25 percent in the coming year.

"The modem market, estimated at approximately $2 billion in 1995, is
expected to grow to more than $3 billion by 1997. Rapid growth in
the use of the Internet, World Wide Web, and other online services is
fueling the quick conversion to 28.8Kbps modems from 14.4Kbps devices.
By early 1996, 28.8Kbps devices will be the highest volume modems in
the market. This one segment of the EPROM market will be $100 million,"
Franklin explained, "and it will continue to grow at least as fast as
the personal computer industry."

Atmel currently provides EPROMs for use with V.34 modem chip sets
sold by Rockwell, AT&T, Cirrus Logic, and Sierra Semiconductor.
Typical power consumption is only 25 microamps active and less than
10 microamps standby. The circuit is available in all standard 32-pin
plastic packages.

Prices for the circuit start at $5.50 each in quantities of 10,000
units.

(Richard Bowers/19951221/Press Contact: Francesca Venezia, Atmel,
408-451-2855)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/21/95
GENERAL
Claris Ships 32-Bit FileMaker Pro 3.0 For Mac, Windows

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00028)
Claris Ships 32-Bit FileMaker Pro 3.0 For Mac, Windows 12/21/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 21 (NB) -- If faced with
a choice between overall "ease-of-use" and adding an intriguing
but tricky new feature to FileMaker Pro, Claris Corp. would opt
for simplicity, said John Phelan, at a recent meeting with
Newsbytes in Boston. Nonetheless, the new FileMaker Pro 3.0
for Power Mac, Mac, Windows 95, and Windows 95, is packed with
dozens of new features, ranging from a built-in relational
database to PC-based phone dialing.

What this means is that virtually every feature in FileMaker Pro
is easy to use, according to Phelan, who is database business
manager for Claris. The simplicity is important because FileMaker
Pro is used by so many different kinds of people, for such a
variety of applications, he advised, during the recent press tour
in Boston.

Many Mac and Windows users employ FileMaker Pro for "do-it-
yourself" word processing, mailing lists, fax cover sheets, and
expense reports, he illustrated. Salespeople use it for lead
tracking and contact management, and teachers to produce
certificates and keep student records on file. And in the home,
FileMaker Pro is used to keep track of items like videocassettes,
music CDs, and office supplies.

FileMaker 3.0 comes with 40 new templates that simplify these and
other tasks, Phelan continued. Other new features include 40 new
"calculations," the ability to generate a mail merge "entirely
within FileMaker Pro," context-sensitive help, and new scripting
capabilities for the more "advanced user."

With the addition of the new relational database, FileMaker Pro
now provides functionality that moves the package into the same
category as products like Microsoft Access, Lotus Approach, and
Borland's Paradox, he asserted. But FileMaker Pro holds a
simplicity edge over all these competitors, the Claris exec told
Newsbytes.

Although FileMaker Pro 3.0 continues to provide the same flat
file database as previous releases of the package, users can now
convert existing flat files to a relational model, or create a
relational database from scratch, he pointed out.

In a demo, Newsbytes saw how you can now "automatically" create a
database in FileMaker Pro, with field names and pre-sized field,
by importing raw data in text, DIF, DBF, WKS, and other file
formats.

Phelan also showed Newsbytes a new "portal" tool in FileMaker Pro
3.0 that is designed to let users create "windows" within
individual database records. The window is used to place fields
from other related files, he added. These related files can then
be viewed or edited when dealing with "one-to-many
relationships."

FileMaker Pro 3.0 also lets the user keep up to 50 files open at
any one time, in contrast to the former restriction of 16 files,
according to Phelan. Newsbytes also viewed a set of new text
rulers that let users set tabs, indents and formatting by inches,
centimeters or pixels within text fields in database records, for
a "consistent" appearance.

In addition, the most "advanced users" can now go further to
automate database tasks such as conditional branching and
looping, custom message dialogs, and script duplication, through
a series of new ScriptMaker capabilities. A new "global field
type" can be used to hold specific "values," such as "sales tax
percentage," for all records in the database, and as a temporary
storage place for scripts.

FileMaker Pro also provides a variety of new platform-specific
features, according to Phelan. On the Windows side, for example,
the "picture/sound field type" has been replaced by a new
"container field type" for viewing graphics, audio, and movies as
OLE (object linking and embedding) objects. If a Mac is being
used as host on the network, the host can view embedded OLE
objects as graphics. Other enhancements include support for drag-
and-drop and "DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange)/message/send mail."

In the Macintosh arena, he reported, improvements include support
for PlainTalk, AppletScript Attachability, and the upcoming
FileMaker Pro 3.0 Companion for Newton 2.0, a software product
for Mac-to-Newton database synchronization that Claris intends to
deliver next year. Meanwhile, the new 32-bit, cross-platform
FileMaker Pro 3.0 is available immediately, at estimated street
pricing of $199. Upgrades from competing products and from
previous editions of FileMaker Pro are priced at $99.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951221/Reader Contact: Claris, 408-987-7000;
Press Contacts: Kevin Malton, Claris, 408-987-7227; Steve
Ruddock, Claris, 408-987-7202)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/21/95
APPLE
 ****Problems With Apple's PowerPC PowerBook

(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00029)
 ****Problems With Apple's PowerPC PowerBook 12/21/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 21 (NB) -- Newsbytes has
learned that some users are having problems with Apple Computer's
(NASDAQ:AAPL) high-end PowerPC 5300 PowerBook computer. The problem
is described as an "incompatibility" between the notebook's new hard
disk and older networking software.

However, Apple is aware of the situation. One company was told by
Apple that it knew of the problem and was working on a "patch" to
correct it.

Describing the problem, an unnamed source, who wished to remain
anonymous, said, "Basically, we cannot print, send mail or do any
networking tasks. The screen freezes and we have had to turn the
PowerBook off and restart it when we perform tasks such as sending
an attached file."

The source added: "After learning Apple could not solve the problem,
our computer experts unloaded the networking software and built their
own solution so we could use the PowerBook."

Continuing, the source said, "As I understand it, the new hard disk
in the PowerPC PowerBook is incompatible with the existing networking
software. We paid somewhere between $5,000 and $6,000 for these
PowerBooks and these kinds of problems are just not supposed to happen.
I do not know if Apple knew of this before we made the purchase, but
a problem like this should be worked out before the PowerBook was
shipped."

Newsbytes contacted Apple for a comment and was told by Linda
Goncalves, an Apple spokesperson, "We have experienced some
problems with the PowerPC PowerBook and we are working to correct
them. We cannot comment directly at this time on the specifics."

(Patrick McKenna/19951221)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00030)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 12/21/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 21 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|          Thursday, December 21, 1995           |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network's on the Web! Check out http://www.nbnn.com for
free daily top stories from Newsbytes and its affiliate publications, and
from PC Week, MacWeek, and other Ziff news magazines. A subscription gives
you all the news, full-text, plus the most comprehensive database of past
computer stories online. The keyword-searchable database dates from today
back through 1983. Subscriptions are $24.95 for three months. Questions?
Send to '[e-mail]'  For Japanese Newsbytes and
additional services, see the Newsbytes Pacifica Website at
http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

APPLE     MacUser Names WebStar "Software Product Of The Year........ 25

APPLE      ****Problems With Apple's PowerPC PowerBook............... 29

BROADCAST Adding Data To Australia's Satellite Phone Service......... 10

BROADCAST Indian Insat-2C Satellite Settling Down In Orbit........... 15

BUSINESS  UK Firm Wins Jordanian Fingerprint Contract................ 09

BUSINESS  India - Siemens Nixdorf Plans Subsidiary................... 14

BUSINESS  Cognos & Teijin Sew Up Japan Joint Venture................. 17

BUSINESS   ****Informix To Acquire Illustra.......................... 24

CHIPS     Atmel's EPROM For Faster Modems............................ 27

EDUCATION China - Computer Classroom Named After CA's President...... 12

GENERAL   Mattel Plans Barbie Software............................... 02

GENERAL   Asia Newsbriefs............................................ 03

GENERAL   Home & Family Computing Expo............................... 05

GENERAL   Claris Ships 32-Bit FileMaker Pro 3.0 For Mac, Windows..... 28

GOVT      France Warns Polish Govt On Telecoms Licensing............. 07

GOVT      Australian Govt Porn Committee Calls For Action............ 11

LEGAL      ****Telecoms Bill Ready To Roll........................... 18

LEGAL      ****House Overrides Securities Veto, Senate Showdown Looms 19

NETWORK   Telematics Adds "Fault Tolerance" To WAN Switches.......... 20

ONLINE     ****Internet Update - Christmas Special................... 04

ONLINE     ****British Telecom Brings Virtual Antarctica Online...... 06

ONLINE    Lawson Software Offers Free Hierarchical Web Browser....... 22

ONLINE    Electronic Billing Via Internet............................ 26

PC        Iomega's 1GB "Jaz" Removable Drive Ships................... 01

TELECOM   UK's Vodafone To Revamp Tariffs & Connections.............. 08

TELECOM   Canada Grants PCS Licenses To 4 Carriers................... 16

TELECOM   Smart Phone Sends E-mail, Pays Bills....................... 23

TRENDS    China - Typing Chinese Into PCs At Speech Speed............ 13

TRENDS    Interactive TV Slow To Take Off In Asia-Pacific Region..... 21

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 -> Iomega's 1GB "Jaz" Removable Drive Ships -- Iomega Corp. (NASDAQ:
IOMG) says it has begun shipping limited quantities of the internal
version of its one gigabyte (GB)-capacity "Jaz" removable drive to key
partners in the professional audio and video industries. The company said
it expects to begin shipment of internal and external Jaz drives to retail
and VAR (value-added reseller) partners as well as other OEMs (original
equipment manufacturers) in the first quarter of 1996. .

2 -> Mattel Plans Barbie Software -- Mattel is planning a major initiative
in consumer software and interactive products tied to such household names
as Barbie, Match Box Cars, and Cabbage Patch dolls. A new division, Mattel
Media, is being created to focus on developing and marketing products and
software that build on Mattel's existing toy market.

3 -> Asia Newsbriefs -- In this roundup of news from around Asia: Korea -
World's first CDMA service begins; Thailand - Pager service fees down;
Korea - Better picture tube introduced; China - Largest private satellite
network inaugurated; Uzbekistan - NTTI wins contract.

4 ->  ****Internet Update - Christmas Special -- In our second roundup of
Christmas related services and resources on the Internet: Christmas
central; The facts from Norway; Multilingual Santa mail; Christmas in
Hawaii; Festive e-mail; Christmas time; Seasonal top ten lists; Christmas
twice a year.

5 -> Home & Family Computing Expo -- MPC Tradeshows Inc., a division of
Houston-based Multimedia Publishing Corporation, spent this fall traveling
around the US with The Home and Family Computing Supershow. Designed to
reach novice and first-time computer users, the show offers hands-on demos
and ready-to-sell products.

6 ->  ****British Telecom Brings Virtual Antarctica Online -- British
Telecom Inmarsat, the satellite telephony division of BT, has invited
anyone with access to the Internet to join an interactive expedition to
the blue ice-scapes of the Antarctic.

7 -> France Warns Polish Govt On Telecoms Licensing -- France Telecom,
with the backing of the French Government, has announced it will begin
international arbitration proceedings against Poland if the Polish
Government continues to prevent Centertel, the joint Polish state/France
Telecom- owned cellular network operator, from operating a GSM (global
system for mobile communications) network in Poland.

8 -> UK's Vodafone To Revamp Tariffs & Connections -- In a clear
recognition that the days of "line rentals for no calls" are over in the
UK's cellular market, Vodafone has announced plans to implement a range of
mobile phone subscriber packages next April that will include a set number
of minutes within the basic charge.

9 -> UK Firm Wins Jordanian Fingerprint Contract -- Cambridge
Neurodynamics Limited (CNL) has won a contract for the supply of the
Jordanian national automatic fingerprint identification system. According
to the company, the contract was won against severe competition from other
security companies.

10 -> Adding Data To Australia's Satellite Phone Service -- Sydney-based
communications specialist Offcom Pty Ltd. has installed a major
communications equipment order at the West Australian ground station in
Perth. Offcom claims this is another victory for the Australian
Government's Australian Content technology policy.

11 -> Australian Govt Porn Committee Calls For Action -- The Australian
Senate's porn committee, better known as the Senate Select Committee on
Community Standards Relevant to the Supply of Services Utilizing
Electronic Technologies, has concluded that material which would be
refused classification in any other medium, such as publications or
television, can be found online.

12 -> China - Computer Classroom Named After CA's President -- Donated by
Computer Associates (CA), a computer classroom named Wang Jialian, the
Chinese name of CA's President Charles B. Wang, was launched recently in
the Beijing Jingshan High School. CA has also donated software to the
State Commission of Science and Technology.

13 -> China - Typing Chinese Into PCs At Speech Speed -- Typing Chinese
speeches usually requires 200 characters per minute to keep pace. Now,
Xiaojun Computer's unique keyboard and software allow a user to achieve
that speed within three months, claims the company.

14 -> India - Siemens Nixdorf Plans Subsidiary -- Siemens Nixdorf
Informationssysteme (SNI) AG, the information technology (IT) arm of the
German multinational Siemens, is setting up an Indian subsidiary with a
view to sell and manufacture its computer hardware in the country.

15 -> Indian Insat-2C Satellite Settling Down In Orbit -- Insat-2C,
India's second-generation multipurpose satellite, and the first Indian
device to offer Asia-wide television and two-way business communications,
was launched on December 7 aboard an Ariane launcher in French Guyana.

16 -> Canada Grants PCS Licenses To 4 Carriers -- The Canadian government
handed out early Christmas presents to four companies this week. The major
cellular telephone carriers and two other applicants got licenses to offer
personal communications services (PCS), also known as public cordless
phone service.

17 -> Cognos & Teijin Sew Up Japan Joint Venture -- Canadian software
vendor Cognos Inc. (TSE:CSN; NASDAQ:COGNF) and Tokyo-based Teijin Ltd.
have announced a Japanese joint venture, signaling a strengthening of
Cognos' Japanese presence and a continuing shift from softwear to software
for Teijin.

18 ->  ****Telecoms Bill Ready To Roll -- House and Senate negotiators and
the White House agreed on a series of compromises last night that clears
the way for a major rewrite of the nation's basis telecommunications law.
With a series of Republican compromises, the bill is ready for action as
soon as this week and will be signed by President Clinton.

19 ->  ****House Overrides Securities Veto, Senate Showdown Looms -- The
House yesterday easily overrode President Clinton's veto of legislation to
scale back class-action securities lawsuits, but a veto override could be
tougher in the Senate.

20 -> Telematics Adds "Fault Tolerance" To WAN Switches -- Telematics' new
PCP 800 introduces the same kinds of redundant and "fault tolerant"
capabilities to WAN (wide area network) switching that host computers used
in banking and other "mission critical" environments have long been known
for, contended ClareAnn Anderson and Kevin Smith, two Telematics product
managers, in a conference call with Newsbytes.

21 -> Interactive TV Slow To Take Off In Asia-Pacific Region -- Ovum, the
London-based market research company, has just issued the fourth and final
update to its report, "Interactive Television: the Market Opportunity."
According to the company, the update contains a set of forecasts for the
interactive TV market to the year 2005.

22 -> Lawson Software Offers Free Hierarchical Web Browser -- Lawson
Software has taken the wraps off WebTree, a utility to guide visitors to
the hundreds of pages found on the World Wide Web. Unlike conventional Web
browsers, Lawson claims that this package offers a hierarchical view of
the page structure, allowing users to see where they are at any given time
and allowing them to jump straight to the information they are looking
for.

23 -> Smart Phone Sends E-mail, Pays Bills -- US Order Inc. (NASDAQ: USOR)
and Colonial Data Technologies Corp. (AMEX: CDT) have announced a "smart
phone" that can send e-mail over the Internet, pay bills and do electronic
banking, type and send text messages directly to pagers, and shop from
electronic catalogs.

24 ->  ****Informix To Acquire Illustra -- Informix Corporation
(NASDAQ:IFMX), a developer of parallel processing database technology, has
announced an agreement to acquire Illustra Information Technologies.
Illustra is a supplier of object oriented relational database software and
tools for managing data in the areas of the Internet,
multimedia/entertainment, financial services, and earth sciences.

25 -> MacUser Names WebStar "Software Product Of The Year -- Through its
acquisition of StarNine, Quarterdeck acquired WebStar and took it to the
top of the World Wide Web software world. WebStar, a Macintosh Web server
software rose from a shareware program, known as MacHTTP, to be named
"Software Product of the Year" by MacUser Magazine.

26 -> Electronic Billing Via Internet -- US Order (NASDAQ:OSOR) recently
introduced a new electronic banking product that lets merchants send
monthly statements to their customers via the World Wide Web.

27 -> Atmel's EPROM For Faster Modems -- Atmel Corp. (Nasdaq: ATML) has
announced that it has developed, and is in volume production of, a family
of ultra-fast non-volatile memory devices designed for Internet access and
other high-speed modem applications. The new EPROM (erasable programmable
read only memory) family encompasses one megabit (Mb), 2Mb, and 4Mb
densities.

28 -> Claris Ships 32-Bit FileMaker Pro 3.0 For Mac, Windows -- If faced
with a choice between overall "ease-of-use" and adding an intriguing but
tricky new feature to FileMaker Pro, Claris Corp. would opt for
simplicity, said John Phelan, at a recent meeting with Newsbytes in
Boston. Nonetheless, the new FileMaker Pro 3.0 for Power Mac, Mac, Windows
95, and Windows 95, is packed with dozens of new features, ranging from a
built-in relational database to PC-based phone dialing.

29 ->  ****Problems With Apple's PowerPC PowerBook -- Newsbytes has
learned that some users are having problems with Apple Computer's
(NASDAQ:AAPL) high-end PowerPC 5300 PowerBook computer. The problem is
described as an "incompatibility" between the notebook's new hard disk and
older networking software.

(Ian Stokell/19951221)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD



Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/20/95
EDUCATION
German Govt's Ambitious School Internet Plan

(NEWS)(EDUCATION)(LON)(00001)
German Govt's Ambitious School Internet Plan 12/20/95
BONN, GERMANY, 1995 DEC 20 (NB) -- Deutsche Telekom has announced it
is teaming up with the German Government on an ambitious three-year
project to plug German schools and other educational establishments
into the Internet.

The project, while it has attracted acclaim for its sheer scale, has
worried some analysts who fear that Deutsche Telekom subscribers may
end up footing at least part of the bill.

Deutsche Telekom, meanwhile, has said that the DM35 million (US$25
million) three-year project is being jointly funded by itself and the
taxpayer, and officials claims that the revenue expectations from the
scheme more than offset the initial capital investment.

According to Hagen Hultzsch, a senior board member of Deutsche
Telekom, announcing details of the project to the press, around 35,000
schools and colleagues should be online to the Internet within the
next three years, linking in via ISDN (integrated services digital
network) circuits.

Newsbytes notes that the deal will allow Deutsche Telekom to divest
itself of older ISDN terminal adapters (TAs) that the company was
promoting at the Cebit Computer Faire in March of this year. Third
party companies' TAs, Newsbytes noted at the show, were cheaper and
more efficient than the Deutsche Telekom equivalent.

According to Hultzsch, the three-year scheme will run in parallel with
a telecoms industry initiative to place more online resources on to
the Internet in Germany. This will not be as difficult as it sounds,
since many online resources are already connected to the German packet
data network (PDN), so linking those same resources into the Internet
should not be a major task, Newsbytes notes.

Hultzsch told reporters that the primary aim of the project is to
ensure that German students have access to the best resources into
further their education, and not just in terms of IT (information
technology). "German schools must not be allowed to miss out on modern
technologies," he said.

According to Hultzsch, only one in 50 of Germany's schools have access
to a computer, a figure that does not even begin to compare with the
IT investments that other European countries are making in educational
resources.

In parallel with the Deutsche Telekom/German Government initiative,
Berlin-based Cornelsen Software and Stuttgart-based Klett Verlag, the
educational sector publishing houses, have committed to setting up an
educationally-oriented online system for teachers and their students.
Plans call for the pilot system to be and running by the end of 1996,
with a national rollout in 1997.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951219/Press & Reader Contact: Deutsche Telekom,
tel [phone], fax [phone]; Cornelsen Software, tel +49-
30-897-850, fax [phone]; Klett Verlag, tel [phone],
fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/20/95
TELECOM
Germany's Mannesmann Mobile Phone Group Looks Forward

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00002)
Germany's Mannesmann Mobile Phone Group Looks Forward 12/20/95
DUSSELSORF, GERMANY, 1995 DEC 20 (NB) -- It's been an interesting year
for Mannesmann-Mobilfunk, the mobile telecoms division of Mannesmann-
Tally. According to Juergen von Kuczkowski, the company's chairman,
sales are expected to increase this year to around the DM2.7 billion
mark, thanks to 60,000 new subscribers on the company's D2 GSM (global
system for mobile communications) digital phone network.

Kuczkowski said that the surge in sales was due to a shift of mobile
phones' emphasis from being a business tool to being a business
commodity, plus the acceptance of a mobile phone as a useful accessory
for consumers to buy. As reported by Newsbytes at the Cebit Computer
Fair in March of this year, the D2 network has been instrumental in
persuading consumer users on the cellular networks, mainly by
introducing innovative low entry point tariffs to the user.

As a result of these initiatives, Kuczkowski said that the D2 network
has about 1.4 million subscribers in Germany, and expects to push this
to more than two million by the end of 1996, despite a general
slowdown in consumer spending in Germany as a whole.

"The market is moving in the opposite direction as the overall
economy. That is the surprising thing," Kuczkowski told journalists.
He added that, despite the successes, he expects sales to tail off in
the consumer sector over the coming year.

Interestingly, Kuczkowski said that the primary competition to the D2
network is still the Deutsche Telekom D1 network, rather than the
E-Plus PCN (personal communications network) digital phone system, which
was launched in the spring of 1994. According to the latest industry
estimates, D2 claims that E-Plus still only has around 200,000
subscribers on its network.

Despite this, Kuczkowski said that there is still a threat to D2's
supremacy in the German mobile phone market, and the company is
planning to spend around DM700 million in 1996 to expand and enhance
its network -- the same amount of money the company spent on its
network during 1995. The bulk of the money will be spent on improving
coverage and capacity in the city areas of Germany.

According to Mannesmann Mobilfunk's chairman, the 1996 investment
program will take the company's total investment in GSM technology to
more than DM4 billion, a target figure that the company had committed
to almost a year ago. The extra investment, he told analysts, was due
to the threat of competition.

Kuczkowski's comments have led many to speculate that D2 is planning a
counter offensive in tariff terms, if PCN takes off in German to any
appreciable extent. The E-Plus network charges around half to two
thirds of the charges that D1 and D2 charge their subscribers,
especially during off-peak times. To meet this challenge, both GSM
networks will have to look at cutting their call charges, if PCN takes
off significantly in Germany, Newsbytes notes.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951219/Press & Reader Contact: Mannesmann Mobilfunk,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/20/95
ONLINE
UK - What's New Web Site

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LON)(00003)
UK - What's New Web Site 12/20/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 20 (NB) -- Indexes abound for US World Wide
Web sites, but what about a "what's new" in the UK Web site scene? EMAP
Computing, the IT (information technology) publishing division of East
Midlands Allied Press (EMAP), a UK press conglomerate, has opened up
just such a Web site -- at http://www.emap.com/whatsnew/ -- and, at
first glance, the results look impressive.

Roger Green, the publisher of EMAP Computing, told Newsbytes that the
idea for the site came out of various conversations he and his staff
had, ever since they opened up the main EMAP Computing Web site
earlier this year.

"We publish Internet, which was the first UK magazine to cover the
Internet back in 1994, and the Web site was opened to service the
needs of readers of that magazine, plus others in the computer
publishing group. We realized that we had to offer something that
readers of the Web site would be interested in logging on to see,
and the what's new service was born out of that," he said.

According to Green, the Web site what's new pages are updated
continuously through the day by the staff of EMAP Computing and the
number of Web sites which are appearing is increasing almost
exponentially.

"A few years ago, it was possible to keep a what's new section Web
list in a magazine, but Internet users are now aware that it takes up
to two months for the information to make it to the printed page. By
offering a Web service like this, we can ensure that information
reaches the Internet user as quickly as possible," he said.

According to Green, the Web site is being hosted by EMAP Computing's
online media center and uses a specially-commissioned database search
"engine' to make it easy for users to find sites that reflect their
interests.

"We felt that it was vital to make the What's New site simple and
convenient to use, and to be sure that it works with a variety of web
browsers," he said.

(Steve Gold/19951219/Press Contact: Roger Green, EMAP Computing,
[phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/20/95
LEGAL
UK Sailor In Court Over Phone Scam

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(LON)(00004)
UK Sailor In Court Over Phone Scam 12/20/95
PORTSMOUTH, HAMPSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 20 (NB) -- A Royal Navy
Court
Martial has heard this week how a group of radio operators on board
HMS Ark Royal cheated the navy out of more than UKP5,000 of phone
calls. For the prosecution, Lieutenant-Commander Nick Hawkins said a
total of 29 calls made by radio operator Darren Gray had either been
logged incorrectly or not at all.

Subsequent investigation of the incident revealed that a total of
13 ratings on board the Royal Navy's flagship had run up dozens of
satellite phone calls back to the UK while the ship was patrolling the
Adriatic last summer. The ratings made calls, the prosecution said,
that were not logged by the operator.

Gray was discovered to have made several calls, with a cost of
UKP1,000 to three destinations in the North-West of England. British
Telecom (BT) investigations revealed that the calls were made to his
ex-girlfriend, his sister, and his cousin's office.

Royal Navy prosecutors said that the whole affair came to light when
BT's bill to the navy was queried when it did not tally with the ship
logs.

According to Hawkins, 10 of the 13 ratings have been dealt with
summarily, and that another two cases -- other than Gray's -- were
being processed by the Naval court system. The discrepancy between the
ship logs (and billed calls) and the BT bill is known to be more than
UKP5,000.

In the naval court, Gray admitted 23 charges of phone fraud, a single
charge of wasting police time and a single charge of going AWOL
(absent without leave) for a total of 160 days.

Hawkins told the court that naval ratings were either logging the
times of the calls incorrectly or, in some cases, not logging the
calls at all. As a result, the calls could not be recharged using the
ship's radiophone logs.

Because Inmarsat calls cost several pounds a minute, the UKP5,000
discrepancy was traced to just 29 private calls made from the ship
between June 5 and August 12 last year.

Hawkins said that Gray was charged with wasting police time after he
accused a colleague of stealing a cash card and taking more than
UKP500 out of his bank account. On investigation, it transpired that Gray
had given the colleague a card to make the withdrawals in repayment of
a loan he had taken.

Matters came to a head in May of this year when Gray did not return to
HMS Nelson, the ship he was posted to, despite the fact that an
investigation into the frauds was ongoing. In October, he gave himself
up to police in his home town of Skelmersdale, Lancashire, claiming
that he wanted to face the music.

Legal representatives of Gray said that, while he had been wrong in
his actions, he had admitted what he had done and that he was not
alone in the actions.

The Navy Admirals Board has dismissed Gray from the service and
sentenced him to 12 months in prison. They have also ordered him to
pay UKP1,049 towards his phone calls.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951219)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/20/95
BUSINESS
Novell Restructures European Marketing Operations

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00005)
Novell Restructures European Marketing Operations 12/20/95
BRACKNELL, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 20 (NB) -- Novell Europe,
Middle East & Africa (EMEA) has announced that a major restructuring
of its marketing operations is now taking place, According to Charles
Callis, vice president of the division, the aim of the changes is to
refocus Novell's products and services marketing at a central and
localized level.

Under the changes, six new Novell EMEA marketing departments are being
formed to focus on "customers, partners, solutions, and products." Each
department will be responsible for developing its own programs, quarterly
campaigns and related marketing activities. The departments will work
closely with local country organizations to develop, what Novell calls,
"effective marketing initiatives."

"We're refocussing on our core networking software business," Callis
explained. "The changes to Novell EMEA's marketing structure is intended
to meet the evolving needs of our customers and partners in a positive
manner."

According to Callis, plans call for initiatives from the newly
restructured central EMEA marketing group to be developed, packaged
and implemented in a way that makes them most effective on a localized
basis.

The six new departments involve: programs marketing; market relations;
marketing services; solutions marketing; events marketing; and major
account program marketing.

The most significant change is that the various country managers
within Novell Europe are re-assigned. For example, Newsbytes notes
that David Godwin, who was previously Novell UK's country director,
now becomes head of Novell EMEA's solutions marketing operation.

Callis said that the changes mean that the next year will have both
challenges and opportunities. "As we launch new marketing initiatives
it will be imperative that we communicate clear and consistent
messages to Novell's customers, partners and those who influence the
industry," he said.

(Steve Gold/19951219/Press Contact: Vivienne Wilson, Novell, +44-1344-
724460; Reader Contact: Novell, tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/20/95
GOVT
E-Mail For US Soldiers In Bosnia

(NEWS)(GOVT)(DEN)(00006)
E-Mail For US Soldiers In Bosnia 12/20/95
MANNHEIM, GERMANY, 1995 DEC 20 (NB) -- One of the first things
soldiers in the advance party of US troops arriving in Bosnia did
was set up an e-mail link so the members of one advance unit can
stay in touch with home.

The system reduces the reliance of the soldiers on letters and
telephones as ways of communicating with family and friends. "It's
a more up-to-date way for us to let our families know that we are
OK," Army Chief Warrant Officer Clinton Banner told British wire
service Reuters. Banner spearheaded the project at Taylor Barracks
near Mannheim, preparing a computer in the 72nd Signal Battalion's
family support center that will be able to communicate with PCs in
Croatia and Bosnia.

The e-mail system is part of the Army's Milnet system, but users of
popular online services like Compuserve and America Online can also
communicate with the unit's soldiers if the GIs have provided them
with the appropriate electronic address.

Messages can be confirmed as received at either end of the
electronic link within seconds. However, soldiers with a little free
time on their hands while participating in the NATO peacekeeping
mission won't be able to surf the Internet for the latest hot sites.
"This is not an electronic surfboard," said Banner.

A similar system allows soldiers stationed in Haiti to communicate
with their families and loved ones. However, despite its high
tech nature, the system doesn't solve a problem experienced by
soldiers from revolutionary days to the present -- someone has to
write. The wife of an Army Reservist whose unit is currently on a
179-day deployment to Haiti told Newsbytes "I'm the only one that
writes to him."

The Department of Defense said this week it will establish an e-mail
address to "any soldier" in Bosnia as part of its BosniaLINK home
page on the World Wide Web. BosniaLINK has a messageform under the
heading "Send your holiday greetings to the troops in Bosnia" --
although you can't send e-mail to specific soldiers or units yet.
The "any soldier" messages will be published in internal military
publications and on military TV and radio. The Web site contains
maps and other information about Bosnia.

The BosniaLINK address is http://www.dtic.dla.mil/bosnia/ .

(Jim Mallory/19951219)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/20/95
ONLINE
E3 Expo Adds Web Site

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LAX)(00007)
E3 Expo Adds Web Site 12/20/95
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 20 (NB) --  E3 (Electronic
Entertainment Expo) expo has a new World Wide Web Site that will feature
hot links to exhibitors' home pages, and offer details on conference
sessions, industry trends, hotel/travel data, and general E3 News. The
expo will take place May 16-18, 1996 at the Los Angeles Convention
Center.

The E3 Web site can be found at http://www.mha.com/e3/. It currently
has an exhibitor list, online brochure request form, and general
details on the  event.

"The Internet and World Wide Web are continuing to become key
information and entertainment resources for the industry and the
media," stated Doug Lowenstein, president of the Interactive Digital
Software Association (IDSA), which owns E3, a trade show devoted
exclusively to interactive entertainment software and products. "This
exciting new feature instantaneously puts show information and
updates at the fingertips of all of E3's key audiences. While the E3
Web site is specifically targeted to the industry, it also has the
added benefits of directly reaching consumers, who can utilize the
hot links to exhibitors' web sites for information about their new
products."

IDSA, producer of the expo, includes members such as Compton's New
Media, Discovery Channel, Disney Interactive, Electronic Arts,
Mindscape, Nintendo, Philips Media, Sega, Sony Interactive, Viacom
New Media, and Virgin Interactive.

Dana Trujillo, a spokesperson for E3, told Newsbytes, "Over 170
exhibitors have already signed up for over 411,000 square feet of
exhibition space. More than 400 exhibitors are expected, with over
40,000 attendees."

"The Web site will be expanded in January. Details on conference
sessions will updated as they change. It will also contain updated
information on special events, celebrity appearances and other late-
breaking news. The hot links to our exhibitors Web sites will kick
in at that time also," said Trujillo

The expo is currently reviewing Internet security arrangements to
possibly allow for online credit card registrations. "We want the E3
Web site to be the ultimate information resource for exhibitors,
attendees, and the media. If our research into current Internet
security issues finds that it is a viable option for financial
transactions, we'll expand the Web site into a virtual registration
center," said Lowenstein.

(Richard Bowers/19951219/Press Contact: Dana Trujillo,
Neale-May & Partners, 415-328-5555)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/20/95
GENERAL
Japan Newsbriefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00008)
Japan Newsbriefs 12/20/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 DEC 20 (NB) -- In this roundup of news from Japan:
Fujitsu licenses Sun's Java; Overseas telephone traffic jumps; CNBC
gains broadcast approval; PC-VAN to begin weather information service;
NTT World Bird Count results.

Fujitsu Licenses Sun's Java

Fujitsu has announced it will license Sun Microsystems' Java
programming language for use in its own products and services. Fujitsu
plans to implement Java on its Internet-related products and system
integration services. Java-based programs and tools will help the
company offer enriched network services, improved data quality, and
easier operations it said. "Fujitsu views that the application
development environment which Java provides will be able to be widely
applied," said Takeshi Maruyama, executive vice president of Fujitsu,
in a company statement. "Such an excellent language is a great asset
to the computer world and I would like to express our appreciation to
Sun Microsystems for making Java an open specification. We are looking
forward to the opportunity for our two companies to work together to
jointly create a new networking computing environment."

Overseas Telephone Traffic Jumps

The number of minutes spent on calls to and from Japan jumped in
fiscal year 1994, according to figures just released by the Ministry of
Posts and Telecommunications. Calls from Japan to overseas rose by
11.4% to total 2,665 million minutes. Calls to Japan increased by a
greater amount, 16.2%, to 1,141 million minutes. For Japanese callers,
the United States was the most popular destination, accounting for 22.8%
of all time. China was second with 11.3%, followed by South Korea with
10.2%.

CNBC Gains Broadcast Approval

CNBC Asia, the Hong Kong-based business news broadcaster affiliated to
the NBC television network in the United States, has become the fourth
foreign broadcaster to be awarded approval for broadcast on Japanese
cable systems. Until now, potential viewers have had to face
installing a large satellite dish to catch the signal from a Pacific
region satellite. The service should soon become available on some
cable systems and possibly via direct to home broadcasting from a
Japanese satellite.

PC-VAN To Begin Weather Information Service

PC-VAN, Japan's second largest online service, has announced it will
soon begin offering weather data via its service. The information will
include the latest weather details from over 850 locations throughout
Japan plus ski reports. It will be provided to the NEC owned online
service by Weather News Inc., a Tokyo-based weather information
provider and carry a usage surcharge of 10 yen ($0.10) per minute.

NTT World Bird Count Results

In September, Newsbytes featured the World Bird Count, a day of bird
watching being organized by Nippon Telegraph & Telephone, NTT. After
the event, participants were requested to e-mail, post, and fax in
details of types of birds seen during the day-long event, and NTT has
now released details of the day. A total of 2,764 species of bird were
seen across the world by around 50,000 participants, including a number
which are close to extinction. In Japan, NTT reported, the most
reported bird was the Sparrow, followed by Pied Wagtails and Rufous
Turtledoves. The telephone operator is donating $10 for each bird
species seen, a total of $27,640, to Asian wildlife protection
charities.

(Martyn Williams/19951220)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/20/95
TRENDS
Banks Poised For Electronic Banking - But Are We?

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(DEN)(00009)
Banks Poised For Electronic Banking - But Are We? 12/20/95
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 20 (NB) -- Experts estimate
that more than 13 million households will jump online instead of
standing in line to do their banking by the year 2000. But are we
really ready?

According to a study conducted recently by Jupiter Communications
LCC, the number of home users of online banking will jump almost 20-
fold by the year 2000, and banks are rapidly gearing up to provide
the necessary services that could eventually mean they will never
see their customers face-to-face -- at least if the predicted
cashless society becomes a reality.

Instead, your paycheck will be electronically deposited in your account,
and you will pay bills by transferring the money using your desktop or
laptop PC. A few clicks of the mouse will let you know if a particular
check has cleared or if you have enough money for a ticket to the
Bahamas.

The final step in the cashless society -- once users and bankers have
accepted the inevitability of electronic banking -- is the ability
to put some coin in your jeans, and all that will take is a simple
credit card reader-type device attached to your PC. Insert your cash
card, press a few keys, and the money is refilled. Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ: MSFT) calls it "bathrobe banking."

But are we ready to get that organized? According to a study
commissioned by Microsoft, the company that publishes a software
program called Microsoft Money for Windows 95, one of several
available software packages that perform electronic banking chores,
most of us still have our bills and other financial records stuffed
in a drawer or shoebox and wait until the last minute to pay our
bills.

The transition to electronic banking will probably be easy for the
48 percent of the respondents that said they look at their
checkbook register to determine their bank balance. But for the 52
percent that have to call the bank or drive to the automated
teller machine (ATM) machine to find out how much money they have,
the change may be more traumatic.

"Personal financial management can be a loaded emotional issue,"
according to Pat Davidson, a Chase Manhattan Bank vice president.
But he said the features of electronic banking should make it
easier for us to stay out of financial trouble.

The study showed that people in the 25-35 age bracket have the
most difficulty with out-of-control finances. But they also were
the most enthusiastic about using a computer and online service to
read bank statements or pay bills.

The software is ready, the banks are ready, and now all we have to
do is find that shoebox.

(Jim Mallory/19951220)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
5 12/20/95
NETWORK
Novell Ships NetWare Web Server, LAN Workgroup

(NEWS)(NETWORK)(DEN)(00010)
Novell Ships NetWare Web Server, LAN Workgroup 5 12/20/95
OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 20 (NB) -- Novell Inc. (NASDAQ: NOVL)
has announced it is shipping its new NetWare Web Server and
version 5 of LAN Workgroup for Microsoft Windows and DOS.

NetWare Web Server (NWS) is a software system that lets users take
advantage of the features of NetWare 4.1 while using the Internet
for internal and external publishing. NetWare Web Server was
announced at the Internet World Expo in Boston in late October and
is shipping earlier than expected.

NWS supports symmetric multiprocessing and is scalable to meet the
Internet publishing and access needs of users. The software
installs "out of the box" on top of the NetWare 4.1 network operating
system. According to Novell, beta customers reported successful
installation, configuration and creation of a simple World Wide Web
page in about 10 minutes.

Web Server has a suggested retail price of $995.

LAN Workgroup for Microsoft Windows and DOS, version 5, runs on
NetWare 4.x servers and gives NetWare users centralized access to
information on both NetWare and TCP/IP (Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol) networks, including Unix systems and
the Internet.

LAN Workgroup 5 includes the Netscape Navigator, a popular Internet
browser and news reader that lets users point and click to
retrieve text, graphics, audio, and video on the World Wide Web.

It also includes a Windows mailer interface for sending and
receiving both e-mail and files over TCP/IP networks, including
the Internet. The mailer includes support for Simple Mail Transfer
Protocol (SMTP) and the Post Office Protocol version 3 (POP3).

LAN Workgroup 5's PC-X Server lets users run X Windows-based
applications on remote hosts over both IP (Internet protocol) and
IPX (Internet Packet Exchange) right from the desktop. The program
is Winsock-compliant, letting it run all Windows applications on
any Winsock-compliant TCP/IP stack.

Novell said it has improved the terminal emulation in
Workgroup 5 using Telnet, with drag-and-drop keyboard remapping now
available in order to simplify keystroke sequences. You also get an
integrated NFS (Network File System) client that provides transparent
access to files on any host supporting the NFS standard.

Novell said Workgroup 5 is identical in functionality, look, and feel
to Workplace 5. except that Workgroup 5 is centrally installed at
the NetWare server, eliminating the need for the administrator to
visit all of the network clients for installation and configuration.

LAN Workgroup 5 for Microsoft Windows has a suggested retail price
of $1,500 for a five-user version, $2,495 for the 10-user pack, and
$6,995 for the 100-user edition. Upgrade prices are available.

(Jim Mallory/19951220/Press contact: Rick Nyllenbeck, Novell,
408-577-8206)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/20/95
GENERAL
Ericsson Cable Receives Swedish Quality Award

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00011)
Ericsson Cable Receives Swedish Quality Award 12/20/95
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, 1995 DEC 20 (NB) -- Ericsson Cable AB, the Swedish
telco's cable division, has been given the Swedish Quality Award for
1995. At a ceremony in Gothenburg, Sweden, Lars Renstrom, head of the
division, and Janne Sjoden, the manager of Ericsson Cables, received
the award from HRH King Carl XVI Gustaf.

According to Ericsson, the award is submitted by the Swedish Institute
for Quality (SIQ). In announcing their decision, the judges said that
the award was given because the company had considerable capability to
change.

"Committed leadership, cooperation based on mutual trust between the
individual and the company, plus the participation of everyone in the
company in the improvement process, have led to rapid development.
Independent, goal-oriented groups have given all staff increased
responsibility and greater influence in decision making processors,"
said the judges' report.

At the ceremony, Janne Sjoden said that the key to success in the
competitive telecoms market requires that the customer must be clearly
placed in focus, and the staff must strive for satisfied customers.

"Within Ericsson Cables, composed of three divisions, we established
clear goals for our quality work a number of years ago. The active
cooperation by everybody, proficiency, ability and enthusiasm have
formed the basis for a successful result," he said.

In his speech, Lars Renstrom said that the company is on target to
achieve 50 percent growth in volume terms in the 1994/96 time frame,
adding that more than half of the company's turnover stems from
products that were not made five years ago.

"The precision of delivery during the last few years has remained
between 98 and 99.5 percent, while the turnover per employee has
nearly doubled in the 1990s," he said. He added that, over the last
five years, the company's lead times have been reduced by 30 percent.

So, does the award mean that Ericsson Cables has achieved its targets
and is happy with the current state of affairs? Lars Ramqvist, the
company's president, said that the game-plan for the company is to
continue expanding and acquiring more customers.

"We have laid a stable foundation for that within Ericsson," he said.
"Last year, four Ericsson companies in Europe received quality
awards -- this is gratifying, but it is also necessary for more
Ericsson businesses to distinguish themselves for well performed
quality work."

According to Ramqvist, the company goal is to understand the needs of
the customer and to comply with them to a higher degree than others.

"To be able to do that, it is necessary for us to change and improve
rapidly. I believe that Ericsson Cables can do so, and I consider the
award to the Cable division as a confirmation of that," he said.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951220/Press Contact: Bengt Callmer, Ericsson
Business Area Communications, tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/20/95
BUSINESS
KPTT Netherlands' Cashless Card Joint Venture

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00012)
KPTT Netherlands' Cashless Card Joint Venture 12/20/95
AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS, 1995 DEC 20 (NB) -- Koninklijke PTT
Nederland, the Dutch telecoms group, has announced it is teaming up
with Postbank, the post giro banking operation, to develop and market
multi-function smart cards.

According to KPTT, the smart cards can be used in situations in place
of small amounts of cash, such as buying shopping, making phone calls,
and parking. Plans call for the first generation of cards to be issued
within the next year and sold through multiple outlets, and
"reloadable" with cash at bank ATMs (automated teller machines),
modified payphones, and over modem links from the home or office.

Although KPTT is avoiding any direct reference, it seems likely that
the two companies are pitching hard -- and may even have secured the
contract -- for the supply of the commercial phase of ChipKnip, a
smart card payment system that started being piloted in Arnhem at the
beginning of this month.

In the ChipKnip pilot, 3,000 citizens have been persuaded to collect
their ChipKnip cards from their banks and post offices and are using
the cards in place of cash for low- and medium-value transactions.

Interpay, the company behind ChipKnip, says that it plans to see
20,000 to 30,000 people using the card in the first phase of its
launch, which will allow them to use the cards at more than 800
payment machines in shops, restaurants, hotels, and other facilities
around the city.

According to Wilhelm Stolwijk, Interpay's director, plans call to
extend the ChipKnip project to other cities in the Netherlands,
possibly gobbling up around 15 percent of otherwise cash transactions.
This, he claims, would go a long way to reducing the cost of the five
billion coins which are currently in circulation in the Netherlands.

If anyone can promote ChipKnip in the Netherlands, KPTT can, Newsbytes
notes. In September, the company reported net profits for the six
months to June 30 as rising more than 10 percent on a 7.2 percent
increased turnover, making the company one of the strongest in its
field.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951220/Press Contact: Interpay Nederland,
[phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/20/95
TRENDS
Massachusetts Tunnel Deploys Electronic Toll Collection

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(BOS)(00013)
Massachusetts Tunnel Deploys Electronic Toll Collection 12/20/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 20 (NB) -- An "electronic
toll collection" system, installed in Boston's newly opened Third
Harbor Tunnel, carries the technical potential to be upgraded to
"value pricing," a pricing scheme that calls for vehicles to be
automatically charged at different rates depending on "time of
day" of travel, said Mike Breslin, VP of marketing for MFS, in an
interview with Newsbytes.

Aside from the Boston's Third Harbor Tunnel, also known as the
Ted Williams Tunnel in honor of the baseball hero, MFS's new
electronic toll collection system is also being used throughout
California's state highway system, Breslin told Newsbytes.

In addition, he reported, MFS is currently conducting
negotiations with the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority for use of
the new system on the Massachusetts Turnpike, a highway that
connects much of the state from east to west.

"Value pricing" has just been added to State Road 91 in
California, and could be added to the Ted Williams Tunnel in
Boston through a "simple software upgrade" if the Massachusetts
Turnpike Authority decides to make this change at a later time,
Breslin added.

Despite cold weather and snow on the ground in Boston, thousands
of people attended recent opening ceremonies for the tunnel,
which featured appearances by Ted Williams himself, as well as by
Massachusetts Governor William Weld and the two previous
governors who presided over Massachusetts during the several
years it took to complete the "Big Dig" in Boston.

"This is here, now. And you'll be talking about it for another
100 years," the sports hero remarked, during the opening
ceremonies.

In the new Ted Williams Tunnel, which will be available for the
first few years to commercial vehicles only, "electronic toll
booths" are being used in conjunction with traditional manual
toll booths, according to Breslin. The "third tunnel" is designed
to ease traffic conditions between Boston and sites north of the
downtown area of the city, including Logan Airport, the "North
Shore" suburbs, and New Hampshire and Maine.

Vehicles opting for electronic toll collection are outfitted with
battery-driven 3.25- by 3.25-inch "transponders," which attach
to the back of the driver's mirror. The transponders use wireless
technology to communicate with the toll booths. The Massachusetts
Turnpike Authority is distributing the transponders to commercial
customers.

MFS served as systems integrator, or prime contractor, for the
electronic toll collection component of the tunnel.
Subcontractors on the electronic toll collection project include
Digital Equipment Corp., Texas Instruments, Computer Recognition,
and Tail Wind Instruments, Breslin noted.

With estimates ranging from $8 to $10 billion, the Third Harbor
Tunnel is generally regarded as "the most expensive road" ever
built.

Breslin told Newsbytes that MFS won the bid for the electronic
toll collection project in mid- to late October, over three
competitors. Pricing constituted 25 percent of the judges'
criteria, the VP asserted. The bid from MFS was the lowest of the
four bids entered, he added.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951219/Press Contacts: Erin Maguire, MFS
Network Technologies, 402-233-7648; Andy Murphy for MFS, 203-854-
6761)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/20/95
TRENDS
Yellow Pages On A Business Card

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(DEN)(00014)
Yellow Pages On A Business Card 12/20/95
PALM BEACH GARDENS, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 20 (NB) -- A Florida
company has introduced a pocket data bank that fits in your shirt
pocket and contains thousands of preprogrammed phone numbers and
other bits of information.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95122014.PCX
Click here for photo

The Business Card Inc. said the product, called The Business Card,
can also hold over 1,000 names, numbers and addresses selected by
the user. Additionally, there is an appointment scheduler, a
calculator, calendar, alarm clock, confidential file niche, and
personal note pad.

According to Chris Chilvers, president of The Business Card Inc.,
it would take a user years of research and thousands of hours of
data input to collect the information the company has done for you.
"There are numbers in there of places people don't even know exist,"
Chilvers told Newsbytes.

The 5-inch by 2.5-inch by 0.75-inch device, which is actually a
Rolodex-brand personal digital assistant with a small keyboard and
128 kilobytes of memory, comes programmed with information about
hotel and motels, auto rental firms, postal rates, 24-hour copying
service locations, airlines, international time zones, bus and train
companies, sports lines and airport numbers. You also get an area code
locator, a 25-city traveler's guide, discount computer dealer and
discount stock broker listings, numbers for the major credit card
companies, loan payment scales, and computer help line numbers.

If that's not enough there are instructions on performing emergency
CPR, a federal office listing, post office rates, metric
conversions, international currency conversions, emergency attorney
listings, AAA discounts, travel clubs, a locator number to find the
nearest ATM machine, and emergency health information.

The Business Card has a suggested retail price of $149.95. Options
include a belt pounch and infra-red PC link to download information
from your desktop or laptop computers. A  20-minute instruction video
is included. The display is 24 columns by six lines. Chilvers said
the company will update the unit yearly.

(Jim Mallory/19951219/Press contact: Chris Chilvers, The Business
Card, 800-499-6628/BUS-CARD951220/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/20/95
BUSINESS
3Com Plans Software Design Center In India

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEL)(00015)
3Com Plans Software Design Center In India 12/20/95
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1995 DEC 20 (NB) -- Networking company 3Com Corp.,
plans to set up a software development center (SDC) in India, which is
expected to be in place within a year, according to Subhash Bal, country
manager 3Com Asia Pvt. Ltd.

"Our main focus will be on software development for our international
product range, with the aim to build core software team capable of
delivering international standards," he said.

The initial investment in the SDC has been estimated to be in the range
of US$1 million to $3 million in the first year, with the figure expected
to multiply over the years.

"We are not limited by budgets, since 3Com has an annual research and
development budget of nearly $150 million," Bal told Newsbytes.

The software development will take place in Bangalore or New Delhi, and
a decision on this will be taken in the coming six months. The center
will be working on ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) designs,
intelligent switching, and routing codes. 3Com, which started its Indian
operations in May, also plans to set up offices in Bombay and Bangalore.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19951220)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/20/95
BROADCAST
India - ASCOM & Essar Plan Satellite Mobile Telephony

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(DEL)(00016)
India - ASCOM & Essar Plan Satellite Mobile Telephony 12/20/95
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1995 DEC 20 (NB) -- Afro-Asian Satellite
Communications (Gibraltar) Ltd. (ASCOM), a company promoted by Subhash
Goyal of Zee TV, the Hindi channel on Star TV Network, has recruited
Essar Telecom Ltd. as a majority joint partner in its proposed venture
to provide a satellite-based mobile telephony service, called OBSIDIAN,
to countries across Asia and Africa.

ASCOM proposes to invest $120 million in the joint venture for a 25
percent equity stake in the company. Essar will have a 51 percent
equity stake, with the remaining 24 percent going to the public and
financial institutions.

OBSIDIAN will be in competition with the other satellite-based mobile
telephony systems like Iridium, Inmarsat-P, and Odyssey. It is designed
to provide users with personal communication services via satellites.
Users can access the system via special handsets which communicate
directly with the satellite. Calls to and from these handsets are
connected through satellite gateways -- worldwide.

The system will consist of three satellites in the geosynchronous orbit
and each satellite will permit coverage of a large region providing
coverage in an approximate area of 1,000 square kilometers.

Although ASCOM has mentioned that the proposed service will be
complementary to existing telecommunications in India and would bring
substantial benefits to the Department of Telecommunications (DOT), it
does not envisage any payment of licensing fees to the Government and
will only be paying DOT for the use of its network for calls from India
on a commercial basis.

On behalf of the proposed joint venture company, Essar Telecom, a
company promoted by the Essar Group, is seeking approval from the
Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) to collect and maintain
foreign exchange earnings and deposits from local Indians as existing
in a 100 percent exported oriented unit (EOU). The company has also
sought Government approval for payments to Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd.
for termination of calls within India from international customers. The
entire system will be will be ready in 36 months and will be operational
by end-1997, as projected by the company in its application.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19951220)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/20/95
BUSINESS
Brooktrout Invests In "TAPI LAN Server" Vendor

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BOS)(00017)
Brooktrout Invests In "TAPI LAN Server" Vendor 12/20/95
NEEDHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 20 (NB) -- A newly
unveiled "staged investment" deal by Brooktrout Technology leaves
the door open for integration between Brooktrout's fax and voice
messaging products and Claflin & Clayton's NetPhone, one of the
first network servers to comply with Microsoft's TAPI (Telephony
Application Programming Interface), maintained Andrew O'Brien,
Brooktrout's VP of marketing, in an interview with Newsbytes.

Brooktrout's new equity investment deal, which also allows
Brooktrout to sell Claflin & Clayton products to OEMs (original
equipment manufacturers) and resellers, calls for an investment
of up to $1 million, subject to Claflin & Clayton's fulfillment
of various "stages" of "business terms," O'Brien told Newsbytes.
The VP declined, however, to elaborate upon the specific
"business terms," citing confidentiality.

Although there are many TAPI and TSAPI (Telephony Services API)-
compliant applications today written to support PBXs (private
branch exchanges), actual use of LAN-based applications with a
PBX typically requires "costly" systems integration, according to the
Brooktrout exec. Claflin & Clayton's NetPhone is one of only "a handful"
of LAN (local area network) servers that also comply with Microsoft's
two computer telephony standards, he continued.

"NetPhone takes the innovative and very direct approach of
providing all the capabilities of a PBX in a LAN server," O'Brien
contended.

NetPhone, he asserted, is also "the best product in this rapidly
emerging segment," noting that his assessment is based on the new
LAN server's "tight integration" with TAPI and TSAPI, as well as
on its "underlying switching technology."

Based around a PC add-in board, NetPhone also includes a set of
tools for TAPI and TSAPI application development, according to
O'Brien. Claflin & Clayton's product currently supports up to 36
phone lines.

O'Brien told Newsbytes that, while Brooktrout is not presently
announcing any plans to integrate its own fax and voice messaging
products with Claflin & Clayton products, the newly inked deal
contains no "contingencies" that would preclude this prospect.

Brooktrout foresees "a couple of different options" as to how an
integration arrangement with Northboro, Massachusetts-based
Claflin & Clayton might work, O'Brien added, but he declined to
be more specific about these possibilities at this time.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951219/Reader Contact: Brooktrout Technology,
617-449-9009; Press Contacts: Heather Magliozzi, Brooktrout, 617-
449-4100; Sharon Rodger or Marianne Sabella, FitzGerald
Communications for Brooktrout, 617-494-9500)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/20/95
ONLINE
 ****Newsbytes Free Gifts At First Virtual

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00018)
 ****Newsbytes Free Gifts At First Virtual 12/20/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 20 (NB) -- Newsbytes News
Network, a comprehensive source of daily telecom, computer, and
interactive services news since 1983, and First Virtual Holdings Inc.,
are offering free one-month trial subscriptions to Newsbytes' E-Mail
Subscription Service to new First Virtual account holders.

Internet users who create a new account on First Virtual's Internet
secure transaction system from the company's Web site at
http://www.fv.com can choose a free one month gift subscription to
Newsbytes News Network's award-winning newswire. The subscription
service offers the complete text of Newsbytes' newswire delivered
directly to a subscribers' Internet mailbox each business day.

New account holders will receive twenty-four free issues under the
offer. FV account holders who wish to continue receiving Newsbytes at
the end of the free gift period can make their payment securely over
the Internet using the First Virtual transaction system.

Pierre-R. Wolff, First Virtual's director of marketing, emphasizes the
security of the First Virtual Internet payment system: "Many of the
solutions proposed for processing credit cards over the Net have been
breached, and so reliability can only be counted on from a system such
as First Virtual's."

First Virtual reports tremendous growth since it first deployed
its Internet payment system in October 1994. Wolff told Newsbytes,
"First Virtual's consumer base has grown to over 70,000 consumers and
continues to grow at approximately 10 to 12% compounded weekly." He
expects that growth to continue: "First Virtual is in the process of
working with some large institutions in order to provide their consumer
bases with virtualPINs (FV accounts) which could bring the number of
consumers much higher in a short period of time."

In addition to utilizing First Virtual's Internet payment system to
conduct commerce securely over the Internet, Newsbytes uses First
Virtual's Infohaus service to distribute its newswire by e-mail. First
Virtual calls the Infohaus "the first-ever public-access information
mall." Darren New, director of custom software development at FV and
author of the Infohaus software, claims the Infohaus mailing list
software used by Newsbytes is "the only for-fee mailing list manager in
the world. People can subscribe, unsubscribe, pay, renew, get back
issues, and change their addresses, all without having to contact the
information provider."

Newsbytes, a pioneering electronic publication offering both text and
images, has provided daily coverage of the dynamic and complex computer
and telecommunications industries since 1983. More than 150 media
outlets, including print publications, online services, and database
companies, are licensed to publish Newsbytes wire material. The wire
service reports at least stories each day, filed by 19 staff
correspondents worldwide. All reporting is first-hand, original, and
objective. News is gathered from independent sources, trade shows, and
interviews with top industry professionals.

Headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, in the United States, Newsbytes News
Network has bureaus in San Francisco, Denver, Washington DC, Boston, Los
Angeles, Toronto, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Sydney, Beijing, Manila, and
New Delhi.

(Newsbytes Staff/19951220/Press Contact: Pierre-R. Wolff, tel
[phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Reader Contact: First
Virtual Holdings, Inc., tel [phone], fax [phone],
Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/20/95
UNIX
HP's "Intelligent, Mix-and-Match" AutoRAID

(NEWS)(UNIX)(BOS)(00019)
HP's "Intelligent, Mix-and-Match" AutoRAID 12/20/95
BOISE, IDAHO, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 20 (NB) -- Hewlett-Packard has
already signed up multiple OEMs (original equipment
manufacturers) for AutoRAID, although Acropolis Systems is the
only customer to be officially announced so far for the
"completely unique," self-adjustable, Unix-based storage
subsystem, revealed Bob McGraw, market development manager for
the HP Storage Systems Division, in a briefing for Newsbytes.

Unlike traditional subsystems, which require the user to select a
single RAID (redundant array of inexpensive disks) level, HP's
new AutoRAID is "adaptive," using built-in "intelligence" to move
data between RAID 0/1 for mirroring and data striping, and RAID 5
for the less costly capability of parity, McGraw told Newsbytes.

"As a result, the user gets high availability and data security
without the expense of a fully mirrored system," the market
developer manager maintained.

Also in contrast to other storage devices, which demand use of
the same type of disk throughout an array, AutoRAID can
accommodate disks of different capacities and speeds within a
single device, according to McGraw.

"You can take 2 gigabyte (GB) disks and 4GB disks, and 5,400
revolutions-per-minute (rpm) and 7,200 rpm disks, for example, and
`mix-and-match' them any way you want," illustrated the HP exec.
Alternatively, the user can start out with lower-end disks, and
upgrade to faster, higher capacity disks over time, he suggested.

Additional distinguishing features of HP's new AutoRAID subsystem
include "active hot spare" and "autoconfiguration," Newsbytes was
told.

AutoRAID's ability to automatically migrate data between RAID 0/1
and RAID 5 is ideal for database applications, OLTP (online
transaction processing), and other applications in which only a
"small subset" of the data is being used at any given time,
contended McGraw.

"All the data is initially stored in (RAID) 0/1. AutoRAID then
uses a set of `policies' to analyze the data, and migrates the
oldest data into RAID 5," he reported.

From then on, AutoRAID continues to move data back and forth
between RAID 0/1 and RAID 5, "always looking for opportunities to
balance data across all the spindles," McGraw said. Migration, he
added, is automatically deferred to a later time during periods
of high system activity.

AutoRAID's new "active hot spare" feature goes a step beyond
conventional "hot spare," in which an extra disk is available in
case of disk failure, added the market development chief.

"It's a waste of money to have (the extra disk) just sitting
there. So we use (RAID 5) parity to take the space that (the
extra disk) represents, and spread it across the array. Then we
use this extra space to increase O/1 RAID," he informed
Newsbytes.

The "autoconfiguration" capability, on the other hand, allows the
user to add more capacity to the system without needing to spend
time formatting or configuring the added disk module, he
explained.

Acropolis, an OEM player in the Sun Microsystems market, plans to
ship an Acropolis-branded version of AutoRAID, as well as a
turnkey Acropolis AxilServer S/420 system bundled with Acropolis'
AutoRAID-based ASI-1200 DynamicRAID subsystem, by the end of
March, according to McGraw.

Slated for availability in cabinet as well as rackmount editions,
the upcoming ASI-1200 is designed to support up to 12 one-inch-
high 3.5-inch disks or six 1.6-inch-high disks, two active
controllers, two active load balancing power supplies, and three
fans. Disks, power supplies, and fans are hot swappable. The ASI-
1200 will provide up to 5.7 terabytes (TB) of capacity when used
in conjunction with the AxilServer S/420 and storage management
software.

"We've signed up other customers, too, and we hope to be able to
announce some of them in the first quarter," McGraw noted. One
potential "customer" that is now evaluating the new RAID
subsystem is HP itself, for use with the company's own
workstations and servers, added the HP Storage Systems Division
exec.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951220/Reader Contact: Hewlett-Packard, 800-
826-4111; Press Contact: Dave Webb, The Hoffman Agency for HP,
408-286-2611)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/20/95
LEGAL
 ****Clinton Vetoes Securities Bill

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(WAS)(00020)
 ****Clinton Vetoes Securities Bill 12/20/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 DEC 20 (NB) -- After days of
agonizing, President Clinton Tuesday night vetoed legislation
designed to protect corporations from lawsuits filed by investors.
The decision came only hours before midnight, when the bill would
have become law without the president's signature.

A week ago, White House officials said the president was leaning
toward a signature of the bill that passed both houses of
Congress by a wide margin. But a lobbying campaign by consumer
groups and trial lawyers turned the president around.

"The president supports the goals of this legislation, but he is
unwilling to close the courthouse doors on investors who have
legitimate claims," said a White House statement.

The surprise veto angered Silicon Valley, which has been an
important source of political and financial support for Clinton.
According to the American Electronics Association, nearly 53
percent of the Valley's high-tech companies have been sued for
allegedly violating the anti-fraud provisions of securities law.

"This is an outrage," said William Archey, head of AEA. "The
securities litigation reform bill was one of the most moderate,
balanced and bipartisan pieces of legislation the president saw
all year. By vetoing this bill, the president has turned on the
nation's most respected high-tech companies and left them to
face meritless securities lawsuits, 93 percent of which settle
for an average of $8.6 million apiece. That makes this a $2.4
billion industry with a third of this amount, plus expenses,
going to the lawyers."

Now the supporters of the legislation will try to override the
veto. The House passed the bill by a vote of 324-102, more than
enough votes to override. In the Senate, the bill passed by
65-30, one vote short of the 66 necessary to overturn the veto.

Republican leaders in the House have indicated they will try to
schedule an override vote this week. The Senate is likely to
wait to see the outcome of the House vote before it moves on an
override.

Republicans were charging that Clinton changed his mind on the
bill after being lobbied by William Lerach, a San Diego lawyer
who specializes in class action securities suits. He was at the
White House on Friday with several hundred other Democratic
contributors. His firm has contributed $180,000 to the party
this year, according to the Federal Election Commission data.

Lerach told reporters yesterday that he had not spoken to the
president about the issue, but "my opinion is known to everyone
in Western civilization," he told the Washington Post. "The
legislation is horrible."

(Kennedy Maize/19951220/Press Contact: Greg Garcia, AEA,
202-682-9110)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/20/95
GOVT
Bosnia Web Home Page For US Forces

(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00021)
Bosnia Web Home Page For US Forces 12/20/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 DEC 20 (NB) -- The Internet,
created to protect military communications, can now be used by
civilians to contact US forces in Bosnia.

The Pentagon has created Bosnia Link, a World Wide Web home page
that allows users to send holiday readings to the troops in the
NATO "joint endeavor" operation to implement the peace agreement.
While not able to send messages to individual soldiers, the Web
site does permit general messages of good will.

Users fill out an online form, including a message of up to 50
words, and then click a button to send the form. The Pentagon
says that, while the messages don't go to individuals in the
military, "A selection of these messages will be delivered
through internal military print media to the troops and will be
broadcast over Armed Forces Radio and Television to the troops
deployed in Bosnia and the various supporting the joint endeavor
operation."

The Pentagon says it is working on individual e-mail capability.

The home page also contains a lot of useful information about
the Bosnian operation, including maps and charts, fact sheets,
news releases, photos, biographies of key commanders and
leaders, transcripts of press briefings, and speeches and
congressional testimony.

The Bosnia Link home page also has hot links to other relevant
sites, including the Air Force, NATO, the State Department, the
Navy, and the White House.

The address for Bosnia Link is http:www.dtic.dla.mil/bosnia/ .

The Pentagon also has a general information World Wide Web site,
called Defense Link. Its address is http:www.dtic.dla.mil/defenselink/ .

(Kennedy Maize/19951220/Press Contact: Kenneth Bacon,
703-695-0192)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/20/95
TRENDS
Latin American Software Sales Sluggish

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(WAS)(00022)
Latin American Software Sales Sluggish 12/20/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 DEC 20 (NB) -- Dragged down by
the weak Mexican peso, third quarter software sales in Latin
America were sluggish, says the Software Publishers Association.
Sales for the quarter were $37.9 million, down five percent
over the third quarter of 1994.

Sales in the region were positive for the first three quarters,
totaling $126.9 million, a 28 percent gain over the first nine
months of 1994.

Mexico was clearly the weak spot in the region. Sales for the
third quarter totaled $6.3 million, down 52 percent over the
third quarter of last year. For the first three quarters,
Mexican sales totaled $18.8 million, down 47 percent over the
1994 period.

Brazil continues to be the dominant market in the region.
Personal computer software sales hit $12.1 million for the third
quarter, up 10 percent over last year's third quarter. For the
first nine months, Brazilian sales totaled $47.5 million -- an
increase of 96 percent.

The rest of Latin American had a strong showing, with sales for
the quarter of $19 million, a 31 percent hike. For the first
nine months, Latin American sales outside of Mexico and Brazil
totaled $59.3 million, up 59 percent.

"The growth of software sales in Latin American markets
other than Brazil and Mexico is a positive sign for future
growth throughout the region," said Ken Wasch, SPA president.
"As these markets struggle to meet copyright compliance laws,
software sales are sure to increase in future quarters."

(Kennedy Maize/19951220/Press Contact: Anne Griffith,
202-452-1600 ext 360)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/20/95
ONLINE
Software Carries Sound & Pictures Over Internet

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TOR)(00023)
Software Carries Sound & Pictures Over Internet 12/20/95
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, 1995 DEC 20 (NB) -- Free
software from Telescape Communications Inc. will let Internet users, not only
talk over the net, but see each other or other still pictures as they do so,
the company said.

Telescape is giving away the most basic version of its Ts Intercom software,
which carries audio signals and still pictures as well as data almost in
real time. Using this software on two PCs connected to the Internet,
people anywhere in the world can carry on something similar to a long-
distance telephone call while exchanging pictures and data at the same
time, officials said.

Geoffrey Hansen, president and founder of Telescape, told Newsbytes the Ts
Intercom software his company is offering at no charge handles only simplex
communication, which means only one of the two parties to an Internet
"phone call" can talk at a time. The company plans to offer a commercial
version of the software that supports full two-way conversation and comes
with some other extras such as built-in voice-mail, he said.

Hansen also acknowledged that, depending on the traffic on the Internet
and the route the connection between two parties follows, there may be
slight delays in a call using Ts Intercom. In tests, Telescape has seen
delays of as much as three seconds on calls across North America, he said.
In some cases, intercontinental calls will work better than shorter
ones -- the governing factor seems to be the path a connection follows
over the net, Hansen said.

The Ts Intercom software is available for download at Telescape's site
on the World Wide Web, which is at http://www.telescape.com .

(Grant Buckler/19951220/Press Contact: Geoffrey Hansen, Telescape,
604-893-7088, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/20/95
BUSINESS
Quarterdeck Restructures Again

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00024)
Quarterdeck Restructures Again 12/20/95
MARINA DEL REY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 20 (NB) -- Quarterdeck Corp.
(Nasdaq: QDEK) has announced major corporate organizational changes for
the second time in the last few months. Quarterdeck has formed two
operating companies, Quarterdeck North America/Rest of the World (ROW)
and Quarterdeck Europe, to be based in Ireland.

Each company will have its own President and will be responsible for
its own sales, distribution channels, operations, manufacturing,
product fulfillment, customer service, and technical support. Jim
Moise, senior vice president of Worldwide Sales, has been appointed
president of Quarterdeck NA/ROW. A president will be appointed for
Quarterdeck Europe in the coming weeks.

Ellen Spooren, head of corporate communications for Quarterdeck, told
Newsbytes, "Under these two umbrella operating divisions, the
company will have four business units: the recently created Internet
Services unit; the Utilities unit; the newly named Internet Applications
business unit; and the new Telecommunications and Collaborative
Computing Unit. Each of the four units will operate under both of the
new operating companies."

The Utilities unit remains unchanged, with Alex Eckelberry as vice
president and general manager. According to the company, the Utilities
unit will concentrate on PC software in small- and medium-sized
businesses as well as the home market.

The Internet business unit has become the Internet Applications
business unit, with Emerick Woods as vice president and general
manager. This unit focuses on the Internet, with product lines such
as WebCompass, WebStar for PC and Macintosh, and IWare Connect
for Novell NetWare.

The Remote Computing unit has become part of the new Telecommunications
and Collaborative Computing Unit, which combines the remote computing
products like WebTalk and Expertise, as well as Internet clients, such
as Quarterdeck Mosaic, InternetSuite, and Larry Magid's Essential
Internet. The focus of this unit is to drive the distribution of the
client products through partnerships with Internet service providers
and OEM (original equipment manufacturer) channels. A senior vice
president to head the unit will be named early next year.

The recently created Internet Services unit is dedicated to providing
products and services to the increasing number of small- and medium-sized
businesses interested in conducting commerce on the Internet. This unit
will be headed by Steve Tropp as senior vice president and general
manager.

Quarterdeck also announced the appointments of Koen Bouwers as
vice president of Worldwide Marketing and Ellen Spooren as vice
president of Corporate Communications. Bouwers has previously held
marketing positions for Philips Electronics and Apple.

(Richard Bowers/19951220/Press Contact: Ellen Spooren, Quarterdeck
Corporation, 310-309-4261)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/20/95
TRENDS
 ****PC Growth Still Strong, Compaq On Top - IDC

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TOR)(00025)
 ****PC Growth Still Strong, Compaq On Top - IDC 12/20/95
FRAMINGHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 20 (NB) -- Worries early in
1995 that the American personal computer market's growth might slow down
this year have turned out to be unfounded, research firm International
Data Corp. said in a market forecast released this week. IDC said the PC
market in the United States grew 22 percent in 1995, a slightly better
growth rate than 1994's 20 percent.

IDC also said Compaq Computer Corp. (NYSE:CPQ) of Houston remains
the number one PC vendor in the US market, but Packard Bell Electronics
Inc., of Westlake Village, California, is close behind, with Apple
Computer Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) running third. Once-mighty IBM (NYSE:IBM) is
in fourth place, followed in order by Gateway 2000 Inc. (NASDAQ:GATE),
Dell Computer Corp. (NASDAQ:DELL), Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE:HWP), Acer
America Corp., Toshiba Corp. (TOKYO:TOSBF), and AST Research Inc.
(NASDAQ:ASTA).

Bruce Stephen, vice-president of worldwide personal systems research at
IDC, told Newsbytes that despite much negative press coverage, Apple is
holding its share of the hardware market. However, he said Apple has done
this by pricing its products more aggressively in the latter part of the
year, and this has affected the company's profit margin. Stephen added
that concerns about the company may hurt its ability to attract new
customers in the coming months, and that some corporate personal computer
buyers are moving away from Apple's Macintosh to computers running
Microsoft's Windows.

IBM has some strong products, especially in the portable segment, but
"they've got a long way to go in the desktop arena," Stephen said. Both
Hewlett-Packard and Dell are doing well in market areas that traditionally
have belonged to IBM, and front-runner Compaq has been very successful in
competing with Big Blue.

Hewlett-Packard has moved from tenth to seventh spot in the rankings,
thanks to huge growth in commercial desktops, an expansion into the
retail PC areas, and an increase in PC server shipments.

Another traditional minicomputer-maker seeking a berth in the top 10
is Digital Equipment Corp. (NYSE:DEC). Stephen said the Maynard,
Massachusetts-based company is not quite there yet -- IDC currently
ranks DEC 12th in US PC shipments -- but may make it soon, especially
if a couple of the leaders falter. AST is in 10th place and slipping,
Stephen noted, and its problems might help DEC gain ground.

Other PC vendors showing strong growth in the US market include Acer,
whose Aspire line is helping broaden its consumer desktop business, and
Dell, which has moved quickly to new Pentium processors, cut prices, and
recovered from past calamities in the laptop marketplace with a new and
strong portable lineup.

IDC's projections are based on quarterly surveys of vendors as well as
recent discussions with vendors and others to determine the trends in
fourth-quarter sales, Stephen said.

(Grant Buckler/19951220/Press Contact: Bruce Stephen, IDC,
508-935-4269; Hillary DeMello, IDC, 508-935-4282, Internet e-mail
[e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/20/95
LEGAL
 ****IRS Worker Guilty Of Snooping Taxpayer Info

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(DEN)(00026)
 ****IRS Worker Guilty Of Snooping Taxpayer Info 12/20/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 20 (NB) -- A former
employee of the Internal Revenue Service has been convicted by a
federal jury of unlawfully using IRS computers to repeatedly obtain
confidential taxpayer information.

Following a four-day trial, the jury decided Richard Czubinski, 32,
of Dorchester, Massachusetts, used his position at the IRS to
unlawfully access IRS computers to acquire the information for his
unauthorized and personal use. Czubinski was convicted of nine
counts of wire fraud and four counts of computer fraud.

Prosecutors alleged that in 1992, when he was employed as an IRS
contact representative, Czubinski used his computer password to
access and inspect confidential taxpayer records of people he
perceived as enemies, as well as some of his associates.

According to the US Attorney's Office in Boston, Czubinski was a
member of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan and was affiliated with
other white supremacist groups. He was allegedly using the
information he obtained to build dossiers on people he suspected
might be informers against those groups.

Officials allege he also obtained information on the Suffolk County
Assistant District Attorney, who criminally prosecuted his father,
and about a committee that supported a man who defeated Czubinski in
an unsuccessful bid for political office.

Czubinski will be sentenced on February 26, 1996. He faces a
maximum punishment of five years in prison and $250,000 fine on
each of the 13 counts on which he was convicted.

(Jim Mallory/19951220/Press contact: Joy Fallon, US Attorney's
Office Boston, 617-223-9445)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/20/95
ONLINE
 ****Netscape Creates Java Conference

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SFO)(00027)
 ****Netscape Creates Java Conference 12/20/95
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 20 (NB) -- Netscape
Communications (NASDAQ:NSCP) says it has never seen interest in a
programming language grow so fast as it has with the phenomena of Java,
Sun Microsystems' open Internet programming language. In response,
Netscape and Integrated Media have announced the Netscape Internet
Developers Conference, the first Java and JavaScript developers
gathering.

Called Netscape Internet DevCon, for short, the show will take place
March 5-7 in San Francisco at the Moscone Center. This conference is
directed towards Netscape and Internet developers from the enterprise
side, and, from the commercial side, design professionals, value-added
resellers, system integrators, and technical consultants.

Co-founder of Netscape and developer of Mosaic, Marc Andreesen, heads
a list of three keynote speakers. He will be joined by Sun's chief
technology officer, Eric Schmidt, and chief executive officer of @Home,
Will Hearst.

Netscape says sessions will cover topics such as developing internal
enterprise Web sites, programming to Netscape's open application
programming interfaces (APIs), programming with Java and JavaScript
languages, and creating interactive Web pages.

Why is Java so hot? Nova Spivack, marketing director and co-founder
of EarthWeb, told Newsbytes, "Java is the programming language
which will bring the Internet to a new level of experience for all
users."

EarthWeb co-developed the Java developers and information Web site
called Gamelan which can be found at http://www.gamelan.com . Users
with a Java player built into their browser can play three-dimensional
(3-D) Netris, an interactive game which shows-off Java capabilities.

"The Web site opens its Java information to all Internet users, but to
really experience products created with Java, players need the Java
player," explained Spivack.

Pre-registration for Netscape Internet DevCon is $895. After January
31, 1996, the price will be $995. Members of Netscape's Development
Partners Program are entitled to a $100 discount. Netscape warns the
event is limited in size.

Integrated Media is a division of IDG, conference/tradeshow producer,
computer book publisher and computer industry consultant and research
specialists.

(Patrick McKenna/19951220/Press Contact: Andrea Cook, Netscape,
415-528-6711; Public Contact: 800-225-4698, 617-551-9800)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/20/95
BUSINESS
FTP Gets GroupWare Product Via $10Mil HyperDesk Deal

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BOS)(00028)
FTP Gets GroupWare Product Via $10Mil HyperDesk Deal 12/20/95
ANDOVER, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 20 (NB) -- FTP
Software's newly unveiled $10 million purchase of the assets of
HyperDesk, makers of GroupWorks "personal groupware," is aimed at
adding software that "complements" FTP's World Wide Web server/browser
and flagship "TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet
Protocol) management" products, said Peter Zaballos, director of
strategic planning, in an interview with Newsbytes. In another
prong of the deal, FTP will establish a marketing relationship in
Japan with ASCII Corp., HyperDesk's principal shareholder.

Zaballos told Newsbytes that the cash purchase of Westborough,
Massachusetts-based HyperDesk's assets will give FTP the rights
to HyperDesk's "product, code, tools, and marketing and business
plans."

But even more importantly, he said, the approximately 24
employees of HyperDesk, including all developers who work for the
Westborough, Massachusetts-based company, will join FTP Software.

FTP has now signed a letter of intent for the $10 million
acquisition, according to Zaballos. When the pact goes through,
HyperDesk will become a component of FTP's recently formed New
Ventures Business Unit, an organization that also encompasses
FTP's Internet Business Unit.

Last summer, David Zirkle, who is FTP's president and CEO (chief
executive officer), and other senior company officials met with
industry analysts to relay the message to Wall Street that FTP
does not expect the "collection of business units" within New
Ventures to initially produce the same "handsome" 40 percent
profit net margin as the company's core OnNet product line for
TCP/IP connectivity, Newsbytes was told.

"The way that Wall Street works, if you've got a lot of cash and
no debts, and you're returning high profits, they want you to
keep doing that. We need to make investments for the future, and
investments take money. So (Zirkle) went out and said, 'We're
going to continue to manage our core business to this high profit
margin model, but we're going to set up a series of new ventures
that will allow us to run at a lower profit margin to make the
required investments necessary for us to fold in a series of
higher profit margin businesses over the coming years,'" according
to Zaballos.

Components within FTP's New Ventures unit are "businesses where
we'll invest heavily on the front end -- initially, probably,
just breaking even -- and then, as those operations mature,
pulling them into the company's traditional profit margin," he
continued.

Zirkle enumerated a number of future investment areas last
summer, including the Internet and "collaborative software,"
Zaballos noted.

"At this point, you could look at the Internet as well as our
current TCP/IP products as the platform over which applications
will run. And I think that's a pretty consistent trend in the
industry," he remarked.

"We don't see (groupware) as supplanting or replacing any of the
value we deliver on the two other fronts. It's a complementary
extension," added FTP's director of strategic planning.

FTP chose to purchase HyperDesk's assets because the GroupWorks
product, now being updated to version 2.0, is "robust, feature-
slim, scalable from workgroups to the enterprise, and (able to)
work right out of the box," Zaballos maintained.

As previously reported by Newsbytes, GroupWorks uses OLE (object
linking and embedding) extensions for workgroup sharing of
database information, documents, and e-mail. Use of the OLE
extensions permits faster performance and higher throughput by
eliminating replication, at the same time allowing customers to
avoid the expense of a server, said Herb Osher, HyperDesk's
president, and Robert M. Strong, VP of research and development,
in a meeting with Newsbytes at GroupWare Boston '95, where
GroupWorks 1.0 was introduced in March.

In a demo at the show in Boston, Newsbytes saw how GroupWorks 1.0
greets each end-user with  screen called "My Work" that uses
graphics to portray project tasks, meetings, and "milestones."
Users are provided with three views of the "milestones" a
timeline, an outline view, and a project calendar.

The Winsock TCP/IP- and Novell IPX (Internet Packet Exchange)-
compatible GroupWorks 1.0 can be used in large workgroups of 30
to 50 users by segmenting domains, the HyperDesk execs said at
that time.

FTP's Zaballos told Newsbytes this week that GroupWare 2.0, an
upgrade introduced earlier this month, adds support for Windows
95 and Windows NT, along with other "significant enhancements,"
including the ability to link Web pages to "group collaboration
projects." GroupWare 2.0 is slated to ship in January, he noted.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951220/Reader Contact: FTP Software, 508-685-
4000; Press Contact: David Seuss or Constance Mazelsky, Lois Paul
& Partners for FTP, 617-862-4514)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/20/95
APPLE
Macworld Set For January In San Francisco

(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00029)
Macworld Set For January In San Francisco 12/20/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 20 (NB) -- Macintosh
enthusiasts will once again make the pilgrimage to Macworld next
month as more than 72,000 are expected to gather for the 1996 event.
Running from January 9 through 12, the show will focus on Macintosh
and Newton developer tools and sessions.

Unlike last year's off-beat keynote, this year's show will feature a
keynote from the president of the newly formed Apple Americas group,
Jim Buckley. Entitled, "Apple Innovation: Building on the Solutions
Advantage," his address will cover "current solutions" and how the
company's strategy translates "directly into customer benefits in key
markets."

Mitch Hall & Associates (MHA), producer of Macworld, expects this
show to be the largest ever. Pre-registered attendance is up 15% over
last year and 1,500 booths will offer attendees a chance to see and
experiment with products from categories such as multimedia,
entertainment, education, Internet, small office/home office (SOHO),
networks, CD-ROM technology, design, applications, and the latest
hardware.

In addition to the tradeshow floor, Macworld '96 will offer 108
sessions based on categories such as: The Education Conference;
The Getting Started Conference; The SOHO Conference; The Advanced
User Conference, and The Design/Art/PrePress Conference.

There are two separate Macworld attendance packages. One covers
conferences and exhibits for $175 at the door, and a second is
exhibits-only for $40, "cash only."

A spokesperson for the show told Newsbytes, "Our list of new products
and services to be announced at this show is still growing. Macworld
San Francisco still remains the number one Mac show in the world.
People plan their vacations around this show and almost every
developer, reseller, and others involved with the Mac will be here."

(Patrick McKenna/19951220/Press Contact: Helga Beck, Neale-May
& Partners, 415-328-5555)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00030)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 12/20/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 20 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|          Wednesday, December 20, 1995          |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network's on the Web! Check out http://www.nbnn.com for
free daily top stories from Newsbytes and its affiliate publications,
and from PC Week, MacWeek, and other Ziff news magazines. A subscription
gives you all the news, full-text, plus the most comprehensive database
of past computer stories online. The keyword-searchable database dates
from today back through 1983. Subscriptions are $24.95 for three months.
Questions? Send to '[e-mail]'  For Japanese Newsbytes
and additional services, see the Newsbytes Pacifica Website at
http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

APPLE     Macworld Set For January In San Francisco.................. 29

BROADCAST India - ASCOM & Essar Plan Satellite Mobile Telephony...... 16

BUSINESS  Novell Restructures European Marketing Operations.......... 05

BUSINESS  KPTT Netherlands' Cashless Card Joint Venture.............. 12

BUSINESS  3Com Plans Software Design Center In India................. 15

BUSINESS  Brooktrout Invests In "TAPI LAN Server" Vendor............. 17

BUSINESS  Quarterdeck Restructures Again............................. 24

BUSINESS  FTP Gets GroupWare Product Via $10Mil HyperDesk Deal....... 28

EDUCATION German Govt's Ambitious School Internet Plan............... 01

GENERAL   Japan Newsbriefs........................................... 08

GENERAL   Ericsson Cable Receives Swedish Quality Award.............. 11

GOVT      E-Mail For US Soldiers In Bosnia........................... 06

GOVT      Bosnia Web Home Page For US Forces......................... 21

LEGAL     UK Sailor In Court Over Phone Scam......................... 04

LEGAL      ****Clinton Vetoes Securities Bill........................ 20

LEGAL      ****IRS Worker Guilty Of Snooping Taxpayer Info........... 26

NETWORK   Novell Ships NetWare Web Server, LAN Workgroup 5........... 10

ONLINE    UK - What's New Web Site................................... 03

ONLINE    E3 Expo Adds Web Site...................................... 07

ONLINE     ****Newsbytes Free Gifts At First Virtual................. 18

ONLINE    Software Carries Sound & Pictures Over Internet............ 23

ONLINE     ****Netscape Creates Java Conference...................... 27

TELECOM   Germany's Mannesmann Mobile Phone Group Looks Forward...... 02

TRENDS    Banks Poised For Electronic Banking - But Are We........... 09

TRENDS    Massachusetts Tunnel Deploys Electronic Toll Collection.... 13

TRENDS    Yellow Pages On A Business Card............................ 14

TRENDS    Latin American Software Sales Sluggish..................... 22

TRENDS     ****PC Growth Still Strong, Compaq On Top - IDC........... 25

UNIX      HP's "Intelligent, Mix-and-Match" AutoRAID................. 19

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 -> German Govt's Ambitious School Internet Plan -- Deutsche Telekom
has announced it is teaming up with the German Government on an
ambitious three-year project to plug German schools and other
educational establishments into the Internet.

2 -> Germany's Mannesmann Mobile Phone Group Looks Forward -- It's been
an interesting year for Mannesmann-Mobilfunk, the mobile telecoms
division of Mannesmann- Tally. According to Juergen von Kuczkowski, the
company's chairman, sales are expected to increase this year to around
the DM2.7 billion mark, thanks to 60,000 new subscribers on the
company's D2 GSM (global system for mobile communications) digital phone
network.

3 -> UK - What's New Web Site -- Indexes abound for US World Wide Web
sites, but what about a "what's new" in the UK Web site scene? EMAP
Computing, the IT (information technology) publishing division of East
Midlands Allied Press (EMAP), a UK press conglomerate, has opened up
just such a Web site

4 -> UK Sailor In Court Over Phone Scam -- A Royal Navy Court Martial
has heard this week how a group of radio operators on board HMS Ark
Royal cheated the navy out of more than UKP5,000 of phone calls. For the
prosecution, Lieutenant-Commander Nick Hawkins said a total of 29 calls
made by radio operator Darren Gray had either been logged incorrectly or
not at all.

5 -> Novell Restructures European Marketing Operations -- Novell Europe,
Middle East & Africa (EMEA) has announced that a major restructuring of
its marketing operations is now taking place, According to Charles
Callis, vice president of the division, the aim of the changes is to
refocus Novell's products and services marketing at a central and
localized level.

6 -> E-Mail For US Soldiers In Bosnia -- One of the first things
soldiers in the advance party of US troops arriving in Bosnia did was
set up an e-mail link so the members of one advance unit can stay in
touch with home.

7 -> E3 Expo Adds Web Site --  E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) expo
has a new World Wide Web Site that will feature hot links to exhibitors'
home pages, and offer details on conference sessions, industry trends,
hotel/travel data, and general E3 News. The expo will take place May
16-18, 1996 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

8 -> Japan Newsbriefs -- In this roundup of news from Japan: Fujitsu
licenses Sun's Java; Overseas telephone traffic jumps; CNBC gains
broadcast approval; PC-VAN to begin weather information service; NTT
World Bird Count results.

9 -> Banks Poised For Electronic Banking - But Are We -- Experts
estimate that more than 13 million households will jump online instead
of standing in line to do their banking by the year 2000. But are we
really ready?

10 -> Novell Ships NetWare Web Server, LAN Workgroup 5 -- Novell Inc.
(NASDAQ: NOVL) has announced it is shipping its new NetWare Web Server
and version 5 of LAN Workgroup for Microsoft Windows and DOS.

11 -> Ericsson Cable Receives Swedish Quality Award -- Ericsson Cable
AB, the Swedish telco's cable division, has been given the Swedish
Quality Award for 1995. At a ceremony in Gothenburg, Sweden, Lars
Renstrom, head of the division, and Janne Sjoden, the manager of
Ericsson Cables, received the award from HRH King Carl XVI Gustaf.

12 -> KPTT Netherlands' Cashless Card Joint Venture -- Koninklijke PTT
Nederland, the Dutch telecoms group, has announced it is teaming up with
Postbank, the post giro banking operation, to develop and market
multi-function smart cards.

13 -> Massachusetts Tunnel Deploys Electronic Toll Collection -- An
"electronic toll collection" system, installed in Boston's newly opened
Third Harbor Tunnel, carries the technical potential to be upgraded to
"value pricing," a pricing scheme that calls for vehicles to be
automatically charged at different rates depending on "time of day" of
travel, said Mike Breslin, VP of marketing for MFS, in an interview with
Newsbytes.

14 -> Yellow Pages On A Business Card -- A Florida company has
introduced a pocket data bank that fits in your shirt pocket and
contains thousands of preprogrammed phone numbers and other bits of
information.

15 -> 3Com Plans Software Design Center In India -- Networking company
3Com Corp., plans to set up a software development center (SDC) in
India, which is expected to be in place within a year, according to
Subhash Bal, country manager 3Com Asia Pvt. Ltd.

16 -> India - ASCOM & Essar Plan Satellite Mobile Telephony --
Afro-Asian Satellite Communications (Gibraltar) Ltd. (ASCOM), a company
promoted by Subhash Goyal of Zee TV, the Hindi channel on Star TV
Network, has recruited Essar Telecom Ltd. as a majority joint partner in
its proposed venture to provide a satellite-based mobile telephony
service, called OBSIDIAN, to countries across Asia and Africa.

17 -> Brooktrout Invests In "TAPI LAN Server" Vendor -- A newly unveiled
"staged investment" deal by Brooktrout Technology leaves the door open
for integration between Brooktrout's fax and voice messaging products
and Claflin & Clayton's NetPhone, one of the first network servers to
comply with Microsoft's TAPI (Telephony Application Programming
Interface), maintained Andrew O'Brien, Brooktrout's VP of marketing, in
an interview with Newsbytes.

18 ->  ****Newsbytes Free Gifts At First Virtual -- Newsbytes News
Network, a comprehensive source of daily telecom, computer, and
interactive services news since 1983, and First Virtual Holdings Inc.,
are offering free one-month trial subscriptions to Newsbytes' E-Mail
Subscription Service to new First Virtual account holders.

19 -> HP's "Intelligent, Mix-and-Match" AutoRAID -- Hewlett-Packard has
already signed up multiple OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) for
AutoRAID, although Acropolis Systems is the only customer to be
officially announced so far for the "completely unique,"
self-adjustable, Unix-based storage subsystem, revealed Bob McGraw,
market development manager for the HP Storage Systems Division, in a
briefing for Newsbytes.

20 ->  ****Clinton Vetoes Securities Bill -- After days of agonizing,
President Clinton Tuesday night vetoed legislation designed to protect
corporations from lawsuits filed by investors. The decision came only
hours before midnight, when the bill would have become law without the
president's signature.

21 -> Bosnia Web Home Page For US Forces -- The Internet, created to
protect military communications, can now be used by civilians to contact
US forces in Bosnia.

22 -> Latin American Software Sales Sluggish -- Dragged down by the weak
Mexican peso, third quarter software sales in Latin America were
sluggish, says the Software Publishers Association. Sales for the
quarter were $37.9 million, down five percent over the third quarter of
1994.

23 -> Software Carries Sound & Pictures Over Internet -- Free software
from Telescape Communications Inc. will let Internet users, not only
talk over the net, but see each other or other still pictures as they do
so, the company said.

24 -> Quarterdeck Restructures Again -- Quarterdeck Corp. (Nasdaq: QDEK)
has announced major corporate organizational changes for the second time
in the last few months. Quarterdeck has formed two operating companies,
Quarterdeck North America/Rest of the World (ROW) and Quarterdeck
Europe, to be based in Ireland.

25 ->  ****PC Growth Still Strong, Compaq On Top - IDC -- Worries early
in 1995 that the American personal computer market's growth might slow
down this year have turned out to be unfounded, research firm
International Data Corp. said in a market forecast released this week.
IDC said the PC market in the United States grew 22 percent in 1995, a
slightly better growth rate than 1994's 20 percent.

26 ->  ****IRS Worker Guilty Of Snooping Taxpayer Info -- A former
employee of the Internal Revenue Service has been convicted by a federal
jury of unlawfully using IRS computers to repeatedly obtain confidential
taxpayer information.

27 ->  ****Netscape Creates Java Conference -- Netscape Communications
(NASDAQ:NSCP) says it has never seen interest in a programming language
grow so fast as it has with the phenomena of Java, Sun Microsystems'
open Internet programming language. In response, Netscape and Integrated
Media have announced the Netscape Internet Developers Conference, the
first Java and JavaScript developers gathering.

28 -> FTP Gets GroupWare Product Via $10Mil HyperDesk Deal -- FTP
Software's newly unveiled $10 million purchase of the assets of
HyperDesk, makers of GroupWorks "personal groupware," is aimed at adding
software that "complements" FTP's World Wide Web server/browser and
flagship "TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol)
management" products, said Peter Zaballos, director of strategic
planning, in an interview with Newsbytes. In another prong of the deal,
FTP will establish a marketing relationship in Japan with ASCII Corp.,
HyperDesk's principal shareholder.

29 -> Macworld Set For January In San Francisco -- Macintosh enthusiasts
will once again make the pilgrimage to Macworld next month as more than
72,000 are expected to gather for the 1996 event. Running from January 9
through 12, the show will focus on Macintosh and Newton developer tools
and sessions.

(Ian Stokell/19951220)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD



Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/19/95
GENERAL
Czech Republic - HP's DesignJet Color Printers

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00001)
Czech Republic - HP's DesignJet Color Printers 12/19/95
PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC, 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- Hewlett-Packard s.r.o.
is now offering in the Czech Republic two new large format color
plotters/printers -- the DesignJet 750C, a replacement for the 650C,
and the DesignJet 755CM, positioned as a large format postscript
printer for desktop publishing (DTP) or advertising agencies.

Both plotter/printers, available in the Czech Republic since
November 1, have the following features: up to 600 by 600 dots-per-
inch (dpi) in monochrome and 300 by 300 dpi in color; as fast as
two pages-per-minute (ppm) speed for A1-sized page in monochrome and
4ppm in color; support for all new media including opaque and
translucent bond, vellum, natural tracing paper, clear and matte
film, coated paper, heavyweight coated paper, three glossy papers,
and glossy film; support for HP-GL, AutoCAD, and Windows; and seven
megabytes (MB) RAM upgradable to 71MB.

The 755CM comes with PostScript, extra memory, color management
software, and the JetDirect print server. It is positioned as a
printer for DTP or advertising agencies, and can print from
Quark, Pagemaker, and other high-end DTP packages. JetDirect
is the network interface that enables connections to the Mac
platform.

The 750C is available through all Hewlett-Packard distributors,
including CHS, ELKO, Expert & Partner, and TH'system. HP estimates
that there are currently about 15 active resellers of the DesignJets,
but anticipates this number increasing with the introduction of the
new models. The 755CM will be available from the distributor ELKO
and the three value-added resellers (VARs): Axiom s.r.o., CAD
Studio s.r.o., and DTP Studio s.r.o.

The 755CM has a large memory buffer and supports several PostScript
protocols. Said Martin Horansky of Axiom/Zlin, "It is intended for
large format printing, which means that the main benefit is that it
works with smaller files.

"We are expecting customers, for example, in banking for fast
advertising. It enables them to go to all their branches and do
a fast advertising campaign," said Horansky. Other examples include
advertising agencies that prepare displays for exhibitions and
architectural designers.

Dealer prices are around 200,000 Kc (US$7,692) for the 750C and
260,000 Kc (US$10,000) for the 755CM.

(Steven Slatem/19951218/Press & Reader Contact: Erik Elmer,
Hewlett-Packard s.r.o., tel [phone], fax [phone],
Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/19/95
ONLINE
NBC/Microsoft Offer Super Bowl In Cyberspace

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(DEN)(00002)
NBC/Microsoft Offer Super Bowl In Cyberspace 12/19/95
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- Super Bowl XXX is
coming to cyberspace. No, they aren't going to play the game in
virtual reality instead of on a real field, but if NBC, the
National Football League, and Microsoft have their way it might be
the next best thing.

The software and broadcast powerhouses said they will support the
game that matches the two best teams in professional football each
January with a multimedia event that includes a site on the World
Wide Web. There will even be interactive advertisements.

Microsoft will be the title sponsor of the Web site and has helped
design it. A Microsoft spokesperson told Newsbytes that Super Bowl
fans who attend the Super Bowl game January 28th at Arizona State
University's Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona, will receive a
free CD-ROM that contains Microsoft's Web browser, called Internet
Explorer. The disk also contains images of various content
providers' home pages in the package of items that comes with each
seat cushion.

The spokesperson said the site, which goes live at the end of
December, will have periodic live chat sessions with NFL players,
coaches and personalities, as well as motion video with sound of
the game as it progresses.

Like the real stadium, the Web site is already being prepared for
the big game. You'll be able to click on information about the
hosts and even send mail to their mailboxes. A section on travel
will provide information about the state of Arizona, what to do
and see there, lodging and attractions listings, photos of the
state, a link to Arizona's home page and an electronic reservations
section for lodging and attractions.

A Mall section lets you let your fingers do the shopping, while a
Season module provides the standings and statistics of the National
Football League teams. You can also read up on the history of the
Super Bowl event and vote to decide who wins a hypothetical
grudge match between the Buffalo Bills and the Minnesota Vikings
that's complete with some snappy banter by two well-known sports
announcers. There is also a press release section where you can
read announcements by various participants.

This isn't the first joint venture between NBC, owned by General
Electric, and Microsoft. The television broadcaster already provides
content for the Microsoft Network, and last week Newsbytes reported
that the two companies will launch an all-news cable service next
year.

(Jim Mallory/19951219/Press contact: Microsoft, 206-882-8080)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/19/95
ONLINE
Dimension X Intros Java Authoring Kit

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00003)
Dimension X Intros Java Authoring Kit 12/19/95
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- Dimension X said
it is releasing two products that will help Internet World Wide Web
site administrators (Webmasters) incorporate virtual reality and
Sun Microsystems' Java technology into Web sites. The two products,
called "Liquid Reality" and "Ice," are now available to the public
for licensing.

Liquid Reality is a two-part product, Brad Karns, executive vice
president of Dimension X, told Newsbytes, covering an authoring
kit and a viewer. "What we've done is taken the standard VRML
(virtual reality modeling language) spec and we've made it extensible,"
he said.

"So what you can do is create something using standard VRML models
that will have a dynamic. You can add behaviors, sounds, hyperlinks,
and other features" to a Web site, Karns said. These can be viewed with
Java-capable browsers like Sun's HotJava and Netscape 2.0. With Liquid
Reality, users also have access to platform independence, along with
parsing, rendering, and writing tools for VRML.

Ice is a low-level three-dimensional (3-D) application programming
interface (API) graphics engine that can render graphics with Java,
Karns said. The engine is designed for fast rendering at interactive
speeds, while incorporating features like multiple light sources,
texture mapping, and smooth shading. Using Ice, developers can put
on the Web online applications like games and 3-D worlds. Karns said
that, like Liquid Reality, Ice is the first application on the market
he knows of that has these features.

Licenses for Liquid Reality and Ice will be free for non-commercial
users, but a fee will be charged for commercial purposes. Karns said
this is because the products are not easy to use as of yet, and the
licensing fees will pay for product support. Liquid Reality and Ice
can be licensed together or separately, he added.

However, Karns said the company hopes to add more layers to both
Liquid Reality and Ice so they will become "products for the masses."

For more information, Net surfers can access http://www.diminsionx.com/
for details about the company, Liquid Reality, Ice, or Java.

(Bob Woods/19951218/Press Contact: Brad Karns, Dimension X,
213-957-0300; Public Contact: Dimension X, 213-957-0300)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/19/95
BUSINESS
Prodigy Forms WildFlower Div, Acquires SonicNet Share

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00004)
Prodigy Forms WildFlower Div, Acquires SonicNet Share 12/19/95
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- Ed Bennett, Prodigy's
president and chief executive officer, continues to reshape the online
company with a new investment arm called WildFlower Partners division.
First action for the new division was to acquire an interest in New York-
based World Wide Web site, SonicNet.

Known for its rock and alternative music content, SonicNet received an
undisclosed amount of cash to further develop its specialized content,
hire additional staff, and expand into new entertainment areas.

Speaking to Newsbytes about the acquisition, Prodigy's Mike Darcy
said, "There are two important messages in this announcement. First,
we have named and introduced our new investing division as WildFlower
Partners, and, secondly, our first major investment is with a company
which delivers the world of rock music in an entertaining, bright and
vivid fashion. SonicNet is one of the hottest Web sites on the Net."

Darcy also said both companies are privately held and the specific
amount of investment or the percentage of acquisition would not be
made public. He additionally said, "Our participation in SonicNet gives
them the resources to take one of the most creative Web sites to even
newer levels of production."

Currently, SonicNet offers: "Chat Central," where users chat about the
latest alternative and rock music news; "Shows," where users can find
concert listings, live rock festival reports, and QuickTime videos;
"Rant Dog Rant," for articles with an attitude and user postings;
"Reviews" of CDs and videos; and "Links" to other cool sits. SonicNet
is located at http://www.sonicnet.com .

WildFlower Partners will continue to look for other new partners who
are on the "cutting-edge of the Web," said the company. Explaining the
benefits to Prodigy members, Darcy said, "SonicNet and any other partner
we bring in will be distributed to our more than two million members
through the service and each partner will supply exclusive content to
Prodigy members."

(Patrick McKenna/1995/Press Contact: Mike Darcy, Prodigy,
914-448-8846)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/19/95
TRENDS
UK Businesses Slipping Through The Web - Report

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00005)
UK Businesses Slipping Through The Web - Report 12/19/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- Businesses in the UK are missing
out on the potential of the Internet by not setting up their own
World Wide Web pages, a report just issued by Lombard Business Finance
claims.

According to the report, just over one in 10 companies are currently
logged on to the Internet, and of those which are not connected, only
17 percent of businesses plan to do so in future.

Interestingly, however, the research also claims to reveal that the
vast majority of companies which are now using, or are planning to
connect to the Internet, expect to do more business via the Internet
in the next two years.

The report shows that the services industry, with businesses ranging
from solicitors to accountants and recruitment agencies, is using the
Internet the most, with a quarter of companies questioned able to
boast an e-mail address, and almost a third planning to log-on soon.

According to Jeffrey Johnson, Lombard Business Finance's managing
director, it is obvious that many of the UK's businesses are missing
out on the potential of the Internet. "The report clearly shows that,
once a company has experience of this new medium, the possibilities
are obvious to those who use it," he said.

"Once computer communications have become a familiar business tool,
the hype surrounding the information superhighway will give way to
widespread understanding and acceptance of what is another way of
communicating and doing business," he said.

In the report, which was compiled by Lombard to assess who is using
the Internet to its full potential, the figures show that the UK's
building trade are more likely to "surf the Net," than anyone else --
40 percent of financial decision markers in the construction industry
have used the Internet and nearly all of them expect that their
business use will increase over the next two years.

The report shows that the companies in London and the South East are
more likely to have access to the Internet, with 18 percent already
connected. And, the report notes, the larger the company, the more
likely it is to have plans to log on in the future -- over 40 percent
of businesses with a turnover in excess of UKP10 million intend to
move online soon.

The report was compiled as part of Lombard Business Investment Group's
quarterly survey and took place in September of this year. The report
polled more than 450 financial decision makers at businesses with
turnovers ranging from UKP100,000 to UKP10 million.

(Steve Gold/19951218/Press Contact: Paul Breadle, Le Fevre, +44-1865-
202666; Reader Contact: Lombard North Central, tel [phone],
fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
2000 12/19/95
TRENDS
Europe - Cellular Market To Quadruple By Year

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00006)
Europe - Cellular Market To Quadruple By Year 2000 12/19/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- According to a report issued
by Schema, one of Europe's leading telecoms consultancies, the Western
European cellular marketplace is expected to quadruple by the year
2000 with the consumer side of the market expected to rise to account
for more than 70 percent of the subscriber base during that period.

The study -- called "European Cellular Market Survey" -- predicts that
the number of European cellular users will grow from 13 million in 1994
to more than 61 million by the year 2000. The report also claims to show
that the greatest trend affecting the growth of this market will be the
consumer side of the business, with a growth rate of 20 percent in
1994 to 70 percent in the year 2000.

Elaine Axby, head of mobile consulting with Schema, explained that the
market for cellular communications in Europe is currently enjoying a
period of strong growth driven by competitive activity, price reductions,
and regulatory pressure. "Substantial subscriber numbers are forecast for
the end of the century with consequently high revenue streams for
operators, service providers, and manufacturers," she said.

Axby went on to say that one major factor influencing the development
of the cellular market in Europe will be the need to address the
consumer market in order to achieve the predicted growth.

"At present, mobile is predominantly a business purchase but we
predict that, by 1997, consumer users of cellular services will have
caught up with business users and, by the end of the century, will
outnumber them by more than two to one," she explained.

The report claims to provide a market analysis of cellular
communications in Europe and the future profitability of operators.
The research was conducted through a combination of desk and telephone
research, using Schema's library of information on mobile services in
Europe, and telephone research carried out among operators and
service providers across Europe.

The report predicts that revenue growth from monthly subscriptions and
calls made will rise from just under $8 million in 1994 to almost $19
million by the year 2000, and that the revenue generated by consumer
users will rise from just over three percent to 41 percent in the
same period.

"Although the market is experiencing substantial growth, there is a
decline in the revenue per subscriber. Schema predicts that this will
fall from more than $600 per subscriber in 1994, to around the $300 per
subscriber level by the year 2000. This will place increased pressure
on the margin of operators and service providers, and may leased to
the necessity to launch innovative value added services," Axby said.

Further details of Schema can be found on the company's Web service
pages at http://www.firefly.co.uk/firefly .

(Sylvia Dennis/19951218/Press Contact: Kieran Moore; Firefly PR, +44-
171-381-4505, Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Reader Contact:
Schema, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/19/95
ONLINE
Health Mall Opens On Web

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00007)
Health Mall Opens On Web 12/19/95
CHERRY HILL, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- Health food,
vitamins, and other fitness-related products and services have hit
the Internet's World Wide Web, in the form of The Health Mall. The
new Web site is described as a "virtual one-stop shopping experience"
for people interested in health and fitness.

More than 40 businesses that deal in health, nutrition, fitness,
and "personal development" have opened their cyber-doors at The Health
Mall, officials said. The companies sell health foods, vitamins,
herbs, natural pet-care products, health and beauty aids, macrobiotics,
kosher and dietetic foods, organic foods, and natural beef and poultry.
Some of the firms also offer sports nutrition, dental hygiene, and
naturopathy information and services.

"There's nothing like our site on the Internet," Robert Savar, Health
Mall founder, told Newsbytes. "You might have individual sites out
there, from health food companies or health food magazines. We're
an actual 'mall.' Our home pages range from one page to fifteen
pages," he said.

Savar also said the mall contains a directory of health food stores
and health food restaurants that exist in the "real world," he said.
Other features of the electronic mall that can be used in real life
include printable "coupons" that physical stores take, Savar said.
The coupons do change, to ensure repeat visits to the site, officials
said.

Many of the companies at The Health Mall accept orders online, and
have the ability to take secure credit card transactions, Savar said.

When Newsbytes accessed The Health Mall, we found an index page that
clearly identified the various sections of the electronic marketplace.
Entering the mall itself was easy, mainly due to a listing of shops
that are broken down alphabetically by entry, business type, and state
and country location. A "What's New" page detailed changes and
additions to the site. And a "classified" section lets users list
items to sell and other typical listings.

The Health Mall is at http://www.hlthmall.com/ .

(Bob Woods/19951218/Press Contact: Robert H. Savar, The Health Mall,
609-354-8304)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/19/95
TRENDS
Newsweek - Who's Hot On The Internet?

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00008)
Newsweek - Who's Hot On The Internet? 12/19/95
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- Hitting newsstands around the
US is Newsweek's "The Year of The Internet" issue naming the 50 people
who matter most on the Internet. From social consciousness, technological
advancements, sarcasm and serious content contributors, Newsweek salutes
a host of individual efforts.

The well-known magazine avoids controversy by simply listing the important
players and not ranking them. Looking for "vision," "tools," "content," and
"inventiveness," Newsweek searched across the Net to find their players.

Called a "Cyber Robin Hood," Belgium native Bart Decrem made the list for
his efforts to bring Silicon Valley to the low-income area of East Palo
Alto, California. His non-profit "Plugged In" organization brought in
$20,000 in federal grants and help from Intel, Apple, and others, to
open a computer lab 70 hours a week and offer Internet classes to
children and adults.

Television/Internet wizard Halsey Minor launched "c/net," a high-
production television show about computers and the industry as a
preview to his 24-hour computer television channel. He is listed for
his efforts to produce the television show and two Web sites.

On the lighter side, Newsweek salutes cartoonist and creator of Dilbert,
Scott Adams. The first person to print his e-mail address in his
newspaper comic strip, Adams brought Dilbert to life on the Internet
with the Dilbert Zone (http://www.unitedmedia.com ). Both Carl
Steadman and Joey Anuff are highlighted for SUCK, an "irreverent,
sarcastic and jaded look" at what they consider the worst of the World
Wide Web.

Mentioned frequently for his "$500 networked terminal," Oracle's
president and chief executive officer, Larry Ellison, is also among
the top 50.

Donna Hoffman, who recently challenged the Nielsen estimates of
Internet users, makes the list for her debunking of the Marty Rimm
study of online pornography.

Perhaps not so well-known, Yahoo's Srinija Srinivasan made the list
for her behind-the-scenes efforts in deciding how thousands of Web
pages make the trip to Yahoo's Internet directory.

Another 43 spots are filled with what Newsweek calls the "Big
Thinkers." Macromedia's Bud Colligan is listed for his contribution
of development tools which are now enhanced by Shockwave. No-one
named Gates was on the list.

(Patrick McKenna/19951218/Press Contact: Karen Wheeler,
Newsweek, 212-445-4343)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/19/95
GENERAL
Alcom's New Pricing For LanFax

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00009)
Alcom's New Pricing For LanFax 12/19/95
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- Alcom
Corporation, developer of fax server technology, announced a new
pricing and configuration schedule for LanFax Server. Gone is the
rigid buy-this-high-minimum marketing strategy, and in comes a
flexible price, low-minimum policy.

Alcom has traditionally delivered its LanFax Server in hard coded
user counts, much like the Novell NetWare price model. Answering to
customer complaints and value-added reseller demand (VAR), Alcom has
put this model aside for one with more flexibility.

David Temesi, director of marketing for Alcom, told Newsbytes, "Our
old system of pricing was a 25-user based minimum system. A buyer
had to buy a minimum of 25 licenses at a total price of $1,995. The
next upgrade was 50 at $2,995, next was 100 at $4,995, and next was
250 at $7,495. We did not allow in-between sales. All sales had to be
at those units. This forced users to buy licenses they didn't need.
If you needed 26, you had to buy 50."

The new pricing allows customers to purchase a base product at a
"very low price point," then later add users or fax lines as needed,
said the company.

The base model of five users and one fax line sets a new "entry price"
standard for high-end fax servers, according to the company. At $495,
the product can now be sold to clients with smaller needs without
forcing them to purchase unneeded licenses. Additional user licenses
can be purchased for as little as $14.95 a user. Fax lines can be
purchased for as low as $345 each.

"The concept of adding user licenses or user packs has been around for
a while," said Temesi. "By adopting this to the LanFax products, Alcom
breaks down the entry barrier that most small- to medium-sized companies
face with competing products. Our customers have been asking for this
pricing flexibility. The net result for Alcom might not be added revenue,
but it should mean a broader base of customers."

Under the new pricing, the entry is five units at $495, versus the old
entry-level of 25 units at $1,995. Temesi believes this will add a
whole new set of customers who never had a use for the previous
minimum of 25.

(Richard Bowers/19951218/Press Contact: David Temesi, Alcom,
415-694-7000)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/19/95
ONLINE
America Online Adds Holiday Shopping Partners

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00010)
America Online Adds Holiday Shopping Partners 12/19/95
VIENNA, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- America Online
(NASDAQ:AMER)
members who have last minute shopping to do, but don't want to get caught
in frenzied crowds in shopping malls and stores around the US, can visit
14 more stores in AOL's Marketplace "virtual mall." The stores include
Caffe Starbucks, Lillian Vernon, Eddie Bauer, and FAO Schwarz.

By using AOL's Marketplace area, a shopper can purchase gifts with
the click of a mouse, and not have to worry about a line at the cash
register, said the company. With the announcement, more than 35 US
retailers are on AOL, officials said.

Judy Tashbook, America Online spokesperson, told Newsbytes that user
accesses of merchants online "stores" in the Marketplace is way up,
although she couldn't give any specific statistics. She also said
the service has seen a jump in the number of vendors wanting to
establish presences on AOL, along with the Internet in general,
"to capitalize on the holiday rush," she said.

Ted Leonsis, president of America Online Services Company, said the
online medium is the "next logical and profitable step" for savvy
marketers who have seen the success of the shop-at-home concept.
"Retail catalogs were the success of the 1980s. Now, with the
onslaught of consumers online and AOL's interactive capabilities, we
can attract high-powered vendors and deliver even more convenience."

Other vendors that have newly-established online partnerships with AOL
include AtOnce Software, Lens Express, and Lillian Vernon.

Tashbook also said some vendors that had been affiliated with America
Online through the "2Market" CD-ROM/online-based service have also made
the jump to the full AOL service. Some of those vendors include Eddie
Bauer, Godiva Chocolatier, Hammacher Schlemmer, and Sharper Image.

Tashbook added that AOL doesn't see online commerce fading away any
time soon; in fact, "it's just picking up," she said.

(Bob Woods/19951218/Press Contacts: Judy Tashbook, America Online,
703-918-1452; Pattie Tobias, The Weber Group, 617-520-7021)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/19/95
ONLINE
Compuserve User Web Pages Now Open To Businesses

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00011)
Compuserve User Web Pages Now Open To Businesses 12/19/95
COLUMBUS, OHIO, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- Space for Internet
World Wide Web sites on Compuserve's computers used to be only for
individuals. But now, the online service is offering businesses
free access to both its servers and its Web page creation and
publishing tools.

Compuserve officials said businesses can now use the service's Home
Page Wizard to build a site containing up to one megabyte (MB) of
information, and place it in the company's Our World area, which is
at http://www.ourworld.com/ .

Jeff Shafer, Compuserve spokesperson, told Newsbytes the company
has been receiving "hundreds of phone calls" about Web sites for
businesses. He said that, with the rush companies are making to get
information onto the Web, Compuserve wanted to help businesses get
a leg up on the competition. "There's been such an overwhelming
clamoring to get onto the Web," Shafer said. "People are practically
breaking down the doors to get on the Web. We decided to get them
out there now."

The free, basic service for businesses will help Compuserve when it
starts a more advanced corporate service to help businesses start and
maintain Web pages. Fees and other details haven't been determined yet
for the new offering, but Shafer said with the online network helping
companies to go out on the Web now, "that also helps us build a client
base from a business model standpoint. If we can put them out there
with something now, we can come back in a month or two and help them
upgrade. A lot of them will take advantage of it."

In addition, other home page authoring tools can be used to establish
Web sites on Our World, Shafer said. Packages from Quarterdeck and
InContext even have the integrated capability of easily posting pages
to Our World built right in, he added.

More than 17,000 personal home pages have been established and posted
to Compuserve's Our World area since the service began, officials said.
The Home Page Wizard software package was downloaded from Compuserve
more than 35,000 times in its first ten days of availability, officials
added.

(Bob Woods/19951218/Press Contact: Jeff Shafer, Compuserve,
614-538-4632)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/19/95
TELECOM
 ****First PCS 1900 System Launched In US

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00012)
 ****First PCS 1900 System Launched In US 12/19/95
WASHINGTON STATE, WA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- It's been a long
time coming, but the first PCS (personal communications system) 1900
(megahertz) digital cellular system in the US has now gone live,
Newsbytes can report.

According to Ericsson, the Swedish telco that has supplied much of the
digital telecoms infrastructure of the Sprint Spectrum PCS 1900
service operating in the Washington-Maryland-North Virginia market,
the service went live at the end of the November and response from
interested parties has been excellent.

"The Sprint Spectrum service is now operational and anyone can walk in
and buy a CD337 digital phone for instant connection over here," Per
Magnusson, a spokesman for Ericsson US, told Newsbytes.

As with the Mercury One-2-One network in the UK, Sprint Spectrum is
not locking the phones to a subscription to the network, but is
locking the phones to the network. Thus, although the phones are being
sold at a subsidized $149 price point, with a $50 cash back voucher in
the phone's box, they can only be used on the Sprint Spectrum network.

According to Magnusson, the CH337 hand portable is the lowest priced
PCS phone on sale, alongside the Nokia and Motorola Flare PCS units,
which sell for around $50 more than the Ericsson unit.

"SMS (short message system) is already available on the network and
data over the network is planned," he said, adding that all the
facilities seen on European PCN services can be implemented on the PCS
networks in the US.

SMS is a two-way alphanumeric paging service that operates across the
PCS networks. Messages of up to 160 characters can be generated across
the network, either sent by the exchange where voice-mail is left, or,
using the phone keypad, on a mobile originated basis.

According to Bo Hedfors, president of Ericsson's US operations, the
Sprint Spectrum service, which is run by APC, is blazing a trail in
the world of PCS in the United States. "Ericsson is proud to be part
of the APC team -- and proud to be part of this historic moment in
our nation's capital," he said.

The CH337 is the same unit as seen on the GSM (global system for
mobile communications) and PCN (personal communications network)
services in Europe, and tips the scales at just seven ounces.

The phone, which has a footprint of five- by two-inches, has the same
software as its European cousin, the difference being that it operates
on the PCS 1900 frequencies, rather than the 900/1,800 megahertz
frequencies found outside of the US.

(Steve Gold/19951218/Press Contact: Kathy Egan, Ericsson US,
212-685-4035; Mats Dahlin, Ericsson Radio Systems US, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/19/95
BUSINESS
Deutsche Bank AG & IPC In Global Technology Deal

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00013)
Deutsche Bank AG & IPC In Global Technology Deal 12/19/95
BONN, GERMANY, 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- IPC Information Systems (ITS) has
announced it is formalizing a global agreement with Deutsche Bank AG
to design and implement all its trading floors on a worldwide basis.

According to Hermann Seiler, senior vice president of Global
Information Technology (IT) for Deutsche Morgan Grenfell, the project
will connect more than 4,000 trader positions in 15 countries into a
seamless global "hoot and holler" network.

"We selected IPC as global technology partners because they share our
vision for global technology standards and are one of the few
suppliers who can globally offer the trading room implementation
service that we need, when we need it," he said.

Under the agreement, IPC will provide project management teams to
support the planning and construction of trading floors, and plan the
procurement and installation of the required products. This includes
the standardization of design, installation and integration of the
trading room communications infrastructure, including cable, local
area networking (LAN) equipment, video distribution, voice recorders
and Tradenet MX trading turrets and hoots.

"This relationship has been under way since September of this year and
the first trading floor will come online in February, 1996," explained
John Russell, ITS' technical director.

According to Russell, project management is the key to completing
projects of this magnitude on time and within budget. "IPC have
dedicated an experienced project team to work with the bank for the
duration of the global implementations," he said.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951218/Press Contact: TDM Marketing Associates, +44-
1625-575592; Reader Contact: IPC Information Systems, [phone];
Deutsche Bank, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/19/95
BUSINESS
Philips To Acquire HDS Operation

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00014)
Philips To Acquire HDS Operation 12/19/95
EINDHOVEN, NETHERLANDS, 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- Philips Electronics,
the electronics components division of the Dutch IT (information
technology) group, has contracted to buy the IT division of HDS Info
Management, itself a division of Koninklijke Begemann Groep, a Dutch
trading conglomerate.

Financial details of the transaction have not been revealed. Since HDS
is a division of KBG, no details of the division's trading accounts
have been published. Newsbytes notes that HDS is a specialist in
software outsourcing, operating software services for companies with
minicomputers and upwards, to the Dutch market.

Currently, HDS has three offices in the Netherlands and is known to
employ around 50 staff. According to Philips, plans call for the HDS
operation to be merged with Philips' existing communications and
processing services operations, which has outsourcing offices and
agents in 20 countries, with a claimed employee base of around 3,500.

Begeman is currently in the middle of a major reorganization to
realign its debt ratios, Newsbytes notes.

The acquisition is unusual however, as, in July of this year, AT&T
Network Systems announced its intention to buy part of the public
network assets held by Philips Electronics of the Netherlands for an
undisclosed price. As reported by Newsbytes at the time, the deal
relates to four Philips units, dealing with cellular, managed
transport networks, microwave, and data transmission.

The businesses under consideration include the corresponding
activities of Philips Kommunikations Industrie (PKI) of Nurmeberg,
Germany; and of Telecommunications Radioelectriques et Telephoniques
(TRT) of Paris, France. Both are subsidiaries of Philips.

(Steve Gold/19951218/Press & Reader Contact: Philips Electronics,
[phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/19/95
ONLINE
Nashville, Tennessee Gets Wired

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00015)
Nashville, Tennessee Gets Wired 12/19/95
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- A vision of a
city-wide electronic network wiring citizens, government, and private
industry has manifested itself in Nashville, Tennessee, as Mayor Phil
Bredesen's concept is now up and running in the town that's more famous
for country music than being a "wired" community. Nashville "CityNet,"
described as a local network with access to the worldwide Internet,
is up and running.

Businesses and local governmental agencies are hooked up by the
CityNet network, which lets them send e-mail, transfer files
electronically, or engage in videoconferencing sessions. Users
can also access an array of information, shopping, entertainment,
and other services from their computers at home or at work, officials
said.

"Nashville CityNet is a new model for electronic networking," Bredesen
said. "CityNet was designed as a local version of the Internet. The
difference is it takes advantage of the power of Nashville's local
infrastructure for much faster retrieval of information." Bredesen
said CityNet's primary objective is to make information of local
interest more widely available to the community, while intending
to keep the service access easy and affordable.

Dale Smith, the BellSouth account executive who worked with the
various entities to bring CityNet to life, told Newsbytes he's not
aware of a system that goes as far as Nashville's system. He said
other cities may have so-called "electronic communication commerce,"
but they aren't open to both local and Internet access at the same
time, like CityNet.

A central router, a BellSouth Connectionless Data Service (CDS)
switch, provides a single point of local connectivity to both local
CityNet members and Internet service providers, Smith said. The
router provides CityNet users local connectivity to a designated
Internet provider, who in turn provides a direct connection for the
user to the Internet backbone network.

The connection to the CDS is what differentiates CityNet traffic
from Internet traffic, Smith said. Electronic traffic on CityNet
stays local -- it never travels out to the Internet, Smith said.
BellSouth's CDS uses the most direct route to the user's desired
network destination.

Smith also said it is possible for a business to establish an
account with CityNet only, without Internet connectivity. Officials
with a stake in CityNet then hope those particular businesses would
see the value of electronic commerce, and then sign on for Internet
access, Smith said.

(Bob Woods/19951218/Press Contact: David A. Storey, BellSouth,
205-977-5001)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/19/95
ONLINE
Internet Update - Holiday Web Surfing Picks

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00016)
Internet Update - Holiday Web Surfing Picks 12/19/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- To aid in your holiday World Wide Web
surfing, Newsbytes offers a selection of previously announced sites that
are worth going back to. Today, a selection of Web sites worth visiting
for nothing more than enjoyment.

Push-Pull Animation

Guaranteed to bring a smile to your face! KMR Media has put up a
selection of four pages using the push-pull animation technique to make
a man run, a house puff smoke, a mail truck drive, and the world spin.
To get these, your browser must support push-pull animation which rules
out most non-Netscape users.
World Wide Web: http://www.kmrmedia.com/

NBC 4 Seismo Cam

NBC's Los Angeles affiliate, KNBC, has a camera pointed at its
newsroom earthquake detector linked to a sensor in Griffith Park, near
the famous Hollywood sign. The picture is updated every five minutes
and allows Internet users to watch the chart recorder register moves
of the Earth. Seveal pictures of previous major quakes are also
archived.
World Wide Web: http://www.knbc4la.com/seismo/index.html

Radio Days - A Soundbite History

Recreate a bygone era with soundclips of the greatest moments of the
radio, including the most famous news bulletins, a recreation of the
first ever commercial radio broadcast, and much more.
World Wide Web: http://www.otr.com/

Watch The World

The "Cameras, Cameras, Cameras" Web site offers a hyperlinked index of
all cameras hooked up to the Internet. From here you can jump to see
Stockholm, Room 100 of Buckman School, KJRH in Tulsa, and even what
"Dave" is watching on his TV. It's all here and great fun, if you have
a good Internet connection.
World Wide Web: http://www.intertain.net/~cameras

Netscape Power Pack Links

Under the "Netscape Power Pack My Butt" title, a Stanford University
student has set up a page of links pointing to Internet sources that
enable users to download all of the software in Netscape's Power Pack
software package for free. The software is all freeware or shareware.
World Wide Web:
http://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~friedman/power_pack.html

And The Winner Is...

Two different "Miss Internet" contests have been set up and are
currently running on the network. The first we saw was "Miss Internet
95" and is being run by The Business Arts Group on its Webvote server.
The Web site features pictures, videos, and audio of the contestants
and, naturally, allows visitors to vote on their favorites. The second
contest is running from Finland and is similar, but without the video
and audio.
World Wide Web: http://www.webvote.com/
World Wide Web: http://www.missinternet.fi/

New Scientist Magazine Online

The UK's New Scientist magazine, a weekly popular journal full of the
latest news from the worlds of science and technology, has just
debuted on the Internet. Web users can read articles, reviews, and
commentary from the current issue and follow scientific trends.
World Wide Web: http://www.newscientist.com/

World War II Propaganda Posters

The National Archives has inaugurated a new Exhibit Hall on the
Internet's World Wide Web. In the new hall, Internet users will be
able access selected items from the National Archives holdings. The
first exhibit, "Powers of Persuasion," takes eleven posters from World
War Two. Added to each is details of the artist and background to the
poster. World Wide Web : http://www.nara.gov/

Mozilla Museum

The Netscape Navigator is nicknamed Mozilla - "Mosaic Killer" - but
it's also the name of a green monster that serves as the software's
mascot. You can now access a "museum" on the Web that displays
images of the Netscape monster, both past and present.
World Wide Web : http://www.snafu.de/~tilman/mozilla/

(Martyn Williams/19951219)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
12/19/95
TRENDS
 ****Security Attacks On Internet Computers Increase

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00017)
 ****Security Attacks On Internet Computers Increase 12/19/95
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, USA, 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- Under an advisory
bulletin headlined "Widespread Attacks on Internet Sites," the
Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) has warned of a large
increase in attempts to hack into computers connected to the Internet.

The organization said it has been working on a series of hacks and
attempted hacks that have taken place in the last few weeks. The
number of reported intrusions is already high, with a large amount of
the hundreds of attacks successful, said CERT.

The higher than usual activity prompted the release of the advisory,
only the 18th of the year. It continued, saying the attacks are
still taking place and many are believed to be going unnoticed.

All of the attacks taking place are using known weaknesses in the
computer systems which can be fixed, and system operators are being
asked to check the current advisory and refer back to past issues for
details of how to fix potential break-in points. In many cases, all
that is required is a software patch or upgrade.

The hacks that are successful result in the intruder being given root
access, the freedom to move about the computer system at will, and
copy, change, view or delete many files.

Copies of the current advisory, code number CA-95:18, can be
downloaded using file transfer protocol (ftp) from
ftp://info.cert.org/pub/cert_advisories .

The CERT team is based at Carnegie Mellon University's Software
Engineering Institute in Pittsburgh and can be contacted by e-mail at
[e-mail] or by phone at 412-268-7090. The fax number is
412-268-6989. The telephone line is manned 24 hours a day and outside
of business hours, CERT personnel are on call for emergencies.

(Martyn Williams/19951219)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/19/95
TRENDS
UK - January '96 IT Conference For CEOs

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00018)
UK - January '96 IT Conference For CEOs 12/19/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- Regent Associates has announced
it is hosting a one-day conference for chief executive officers (CEOs)
of companies that is designed to offer an analysis of trends driving
the worldwide IT (information technology) industry in 1996.

Susan Leveritt, a spokesperson for the company, told Newsbytes that
the conference, which takes place at the London Heathrow Radisson
Edwardian Hotel on January 26, costs UKP295 to attend, and has
attracted a lot of interest from the UK business community, simply
because of the subject matter and the speakers that Regent has lined
up for the event.

"Issues like IT are critical to the success of companies as we move
towards the year 2000. I saw a business program on the TV news the
other night which said that a poll of business people on the main
issues that they think will affect their businesses in the years to
come are 'globalization' and 'IT,'" she said.

Topics to be covered at the event include: "Great Telecommunications
Opportunities;" "The Internet -- Its Effect on the IT Industry;" "The
Changing Structure of the UK IT Industry;" "Financial Performance
Trends;" "User Buyer Patterns;" "Software and Service Futures;" and
"Directions of the Global IT Industry."

"What we've tried to do with this event is to line up a range of key
speakers that really know their topics, to make the conference really
suitable for CEOs. We believe we have succeeded with this, as our
speakers for the day range from top IT investment executives, to
industry analysts and corporate advisors," Leveritt said.

Speakers for the conference Include: Geoff Unwin, CEO, Cap Gemini
Sogeti; David Moschella, IDG; David Lewin, chairman of Ovum; Peter
Lines, managing director of Input; Anthony Miller, senior business
analyst for Technology Investment Strategies; Russ Nathan, chairman of
Romtec; and several others.

According to Regent Associates, the conference is directed toward
top-level corporate strategists and investors in business.

Regent Associates International is billed as the leading organization
specializing in advising companies in the information technology
industry on international corporate development. The company advises
on and implements mergers and acquisitions, company sales, asset
divestiture, management buy-ins and buy-outs, and strategic investments.

(Steve Gold/19951219/Press & Reader Contact: Regent Associates,
[phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/19/95
ONLINE
America Online & New York Times Extend Online Deal

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00019)
America Online & New York Times Extend Online Deal 12/19/95
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- America Online
Inc. (NASDAQ:AMER) and the New York Times have extended their
relationship, so the paper can continue to offer its content to AOL's
four million-plus subscribers in its "@times" area. The agreement
looks beyond the paper's current offerings, as well, officials said.

The new deal points toward the future creation of joint interactive
programming and potential sponsorship arrangements. Judy Tashbook,
America Online spokesperson, told Newsbytes that, when it comes to
interactive content, "they (the Times) are transforming their
traditional media efforts into New Media using new capacities like
interactivity, and introducing more multimedia. So that's what they
mean by joint programming -- working with AOL to develop a new
platform to deliver their news."

When it comes to new sponsorships, Tashbook said "the Times (newspaper)
is a valuable advertising platform. Companies in the past that have
advertised through the New York Times who might be interested in
advertising in @times would not deliver their print ads reconstituted
online. They would develop multimedia or interactive advertising."

Already, new developments are underway. As Newsbytes reported last
month, the @times section underwent a major overhaul, and new services
were implemented.

The New York Times has been affiliated with America for two years
now, officials said, and has been online as the @times section since
June, 1994. Recent refinements include a separate Page One section,
which is updated each night at around 11:30 EST, with articles from
the next day's national/metro, business, sports, and arts news
sections. In addition, content from the paper's "Science Times" and
"Computers & Technology" sections are now included and are fully
searchable.

Last month, Elliott Rebhun, editor of @times, told Newsbytes the
section is moving to real newsroom staffing, so information can be
updated on a regular basis. He added some original content might be
forthcoming, but not from the AOL site. The Times is also developing
an Internet World Wide Web page that is separate from AOL.

The @times area on AOL can be reached at the keyword "@times" or
"Times."

(Bob Woods/19951219/Press Contact: Judy Tashbook, America Online,
703-918-1452; Public Contact: America Online, 800-827-6364)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
4 12/19/95
ONLINE
Rock Concert On The Web Set For January

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TOR)(00020)
Rock Concert On The Web Set For January 4 12/19/95
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- The World Wide Web may
be the most talked-about communications medium of 1995, but it still can't
get its picture on the cover of the Rolling Stone. However, the Web may
get a bit more attention in the music business thanks to an online concert
being planned for January 4.

SenseNet Inc. of New York is organizing the concert, which will feature
Deborah Harry, Joan Jett, Psychotica, Lunachicks, and other performers
still to be announced. The plan is to put live audio and video online
and make it available to anyone with stable access to the Web.

To participate, Web surfers will need to download compact audio and video
player software from the Web site (http://www.inconcert.com ) before the
concert, explained spokesman Martin Belk of SenseNet. The players will
take little disk space and are available for all commonly used operating
systems, Belk said.

The organizers are not sure yet how successfully people who reach the
Web through commercial online services such as America Online and
Compuserve will be able to watch and listen to the concert. Belk said the
fact that subscribers to these services are going through the online
service's systems to get to the Internet, adding an extra step, might
cause some delays. SenseNet is testing this currently, he added, and
will know more by the end of this week.

The concert is meant partly as a demonstration of the ways the Web can be
used for interactive multimedia communications. The interactivity of the
January 4 concert will be limited, though: members of the online audience
will be able to choose from five video feeds coming from different cameras
at the concert site.

(Grant Buckler/19951219/Press Contact: Martin Belk, SenseNet,
212-824-5000, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/19/95
LEGAL
 ****FBI Nabs Suspected AutoCAD Pirate

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(LAX)(00021)
 ****FBI Nabs Suspected AutoCAD Pirate 12/19/95
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- In a second
major case in less than two months, criminal charges were filed today
against a man believed to have pirated up to $1 million worth of AutoCAD
computer-aided design (CAD) software. The defendant, Los Angeles resident
Howard Dennis Barnes, 53, who is charged with illegally copying and
selling the Autodesk software, pleaded not guilty to two felony charges

Barnes has been charged with criminal copyright infringement and
trafficking in counterfeit trademarked goods. The charges resulted
from his alleged sale of counterfeit copies of AutoCAD Release 13.

Sandra Boulton, head of Autodesk's Anti-Theft Department, told
Newsbytes, "Piracy is not unique to Autodesk, but our higher priced
software makes it tempting to pirates. The loses to Autodesk as a
result of these two cases alone range between $1 and $2 million.
Total sales for the AutoCAD last year was about $300 million.

"Eight years ago we were the first company to create an anti-theft
department. Today, almost every major computer company has someone
investigating piracy," said Boulton.

The Barnes case follows closely one of the first successful
criminal prosecutions for illegal software theft, a $1 million case
involving "Captain Blood." Thomas "Nick" Alefantes, known as Captain
Blood, was arrested in November at his home in Los Angeles after being
pursued for years by Autodesk, Microsoft, and other software developers.
Alefantes pleaded guilty and will be sentenced in January, according
to the District Attorney's office.

"We first contacted the FBI two years ago about both Barnes and
Alefantes. The FBI, once convinced that there is a serious problem,
diligently pursued the two and finally put cases together for
prosecution," said Boulton.

The Barnes case affects a large number of users because he reportedly
advertised his products nationwide on Compuserve and in the
classified ads of newspapers throughout California. The ads, which
claimed the software was legal, offered AutoCAD Release 13 for as
little as $650 (compared to its suggested retail price of about $3,950).
According to Autodesk, people who responded to the ads say they
were told that Barnes was a bankruptcy liquidator.

The company has received numerous calls about Barnes activities
from dealers and customers over the past year on its anti-piracy
hotline, 1-800-NO-COPIES.

"It has been reported that software companies lost an estimated $15.2
billion worldwide in 1994 as a result of software piracy. In North
America, 1994 losses have been estimated at $3.12 billion," said
Boulton.

(Richard Bowers/19951219/Press Contact: Sandra Boulton, Autodesk
Anti-Theft Department, 503-830-1010)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/19/95
APPLE
Apple Ships $289 Videoconferencing Kit

(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00022)
Apple Ships $289 Videoconferencing Kit 12/19/95
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- Previously announced
and demonstrated earlier this year, Apple Computer's (NASDAQ:AAPL)
QuickTime Conferencing Kit is now available through Apple resellers.
Designed to connect through the Internet or a local area network, the
kit contains a color camera, software and necessary cables for "complete
desktop videoconferencing."

In January, Apple plans to ship an integrated digital services network
(ISDN) kit as an upgrade to this first QuickTime Conferencing Kit.
The ISDN Kit will increase cross-platform performance, allow for larger
video display on a monitor, provide a faster frame rate for true full-
motion video and permit conferencing outside of a local area network
with multiple stations.

Using the new QuickTime Conferencing Kit, Mac users are able to
videoconference, take PICT "snapshots" during a session, record a
session as a QuickTime movie and share images, sounds and QuickTime
movies in a shared window. Users of shared window content can mark
content while discussing a project or presentation.

Processing video data places heavy demands on a computer's random
access memory. The new kit requires 16 megabytes of memory and an
AV Macintosh or AV Power Macintosh using System 7.5 or later. A
PlainTalk Microphone, which ships with most of the above models,
is also required. There are no hard drive requirements listed, but
storage requirements could become high if a user begins saving
conferencing sessions.

An Apple spokesperson told Newsbytes, "We think an under-$300 price
tag sets a standard which other videoconferencing systems will have
to try to reach. This brings very important technology to the desktop
at a very affordable price."

When the ISDN upgrade ships, it will include a NuBus expansion card
for ISDN connectivity and an H.320-compliant hardware codec for
video compression and decompression. H.320 software, a telephone
headset, documentation, and all necessary cables, are also included.
Apple says the price will be about $1,750. A PCI (Peripheral
Component Interconnect) version is planned for the second quarter,
1996.

To provide customers and potential customers with additional
information and videoconferencing help and tips, Apple will open a
special QuickTime Conferencing World Wide Web site. The site should
be open sometime in January and offer "one-stop shopping."

Hoping to see a number of video applications developed for its
conferencing tool, Apple says it will license QuickTime Conferencing
core technology to third party developers for a "very low annual fee."
The licensing arrangements are available today.

(Patrick McKenna/19951219/Press Contact: Stacey Fields, Stirling &
Cohan, 415-513-0980)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/19/95
LEGAL
 ****Software Distributor Sues Novell For $834 Million

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(DEN)(00023)
 ****Software Distributor Sues Novell For $834 Million 12/19/95
SANDY, UTAH, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- A Utah software distributor
that sees itself as a modern-day "David" has filed a lawsuit against
a corporate "Goliath" in the form of Novell Inc. (NASDAQ: NOVL). The
Network Trade Center (NTC) suit charges the network operating system
software publisher with illegal business tactics and violation of
federal anti-trust laws, Federal Racketeering and Corrupt Organization
Act (RICO), and various state laws.

By many company's standards, NTC is no "David." According to
Timothy Willardson, NTC outside counsel, the privately held company
did about $400 million in gross sales in 1994. Willardson described
NTC as a network software and peripherals reseller that doesn't sell
computers.

Mark Bondiett, an officer of NTC, alleges that "Novell often
threatens our vendors and customers in order to injure our business,"
He also alleges that Novell has a pattern of manipulating prices to
hurt resellers that Novell does not like. NTC claims other resellers
also complain about Novell's alleged tactics, and said with the help
of some of those resellers it will file a class action suit in the
near future.

Willardson, was more specific about the charges when interviewed by
Newsbytes. He alleged that Novell has publicly made "false and
disparaging statements" about NTC both "orally and in writing." He
also said Novell has sent letters to NTC suppliers telling them they
should cease doing business with NTC.

NTC's suit is in response to a mid-July lawsuit filed by Novell that
alleges trademark and copyright infringement, unfair competition,
interference with existing economic relations, and unjust enrichment
on the part of NTC. The suit alleges that NTC acquired upgrade products
through misrepresentation and, in turn, sells the products to what Novell
calls "misinformed end users." It asks for an injunction to stop NTC
from selling Novell software and for damages in a yet-unspecified amount,
said Willardson.

Novell officials had not returned phone calls from Newsbytes by press
time.

Willardson acknowledged that NTC, while not an authorized reseller
of Novell software, does sell that company's product. He said NTC
gets the software from the first tier distributors that legally
buy from Novell. He also alleges that, until recently Novell, would
sell product to NTC. He told Newsbytes that NTC tried to become an
authorized Novell distributor, but found the process too daunting.
"They won't even give you a copy of what you are agreeing to," he
told Newsbytes.

Willardson said winning the fight with Novell is critical. Asked
what the consequences of losing might be, he responded "It could be
potentially fatal." In response to a question about a possible
settlement, the attorney told Newsbytes: "NTC would love to live in
harmony with Novell. They (NTC) just want to make a living."

If the two companies can't resolve their problems a trial is
expected in late 1996 or early 1997.

(Jim Mallory/19951219/Press contact: Timothy Willardson, NTC,
801-572-8200; Melanie King, Novell, 801-429-7997)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/19/95
TRENDS
Compaq Clings To Slim 1995 Sales Lead

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(DEN)(00024)
Compaq Clings To Slim 1995 Sales Lead 12/19/95
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- It appears that Compaq
Computer Corp. (NYSE: CPQ) will cling to its sales lead in 1995,
but not by much.

According to International Data Corp., a consulting and analysis
company with research centers in 40 countries, Compaq will finish
1995 with the most US PC shipments, but only slightly ahead of
Packard Bell and Apple. IDC said Compaq captured 11.9 percent of
the market, with Packard Bell in the second spot with 11.6 percent
market share, and Apple, once the leader, close behind at 11.5
percent.

Packard Bell growth slowed this year, but the company that
specializes in selling its products through mass market retailers
managed to move from number three to number two with an aggressive
pricing strategy. Its growth was also slowed by strong competition
from Acer and Hewlett Packard, according to IDC.

Apple was helped by an improved pricing policy, although the reduced
profits are expected to adversely affect the company's financial
bottom line in the current quarter.

IBM garnered the number four position in US shipments, declining in
market share from 8.8 percent to 8.2. However, Big Blue still managed
to grow 15 percent. Gateway 2000 grabbed the fifth position on the
list, but is being pushed by Dell and Micron. Dell maintained its
hold on the sixth position, while Hewlett Packard moved from number
10 to number 7 this year. Acer moved up one spot to number eight.

Toshiba, at number 9, dropped one spot on the list from last year, but
kept a strong grip on the portable market. The company is seeing
increasingly strong competition in that market, however. AST dropped
from the seventh spot on the 1994 list to number 10 this year, and was
the lone vendor on IDC's list to have negative growth. The company is
reportedly having financial problems, said IDC.

IDC also raised its 1995 US PC hardware shipment estimates, now
estimating 22.8 million units will ship by year-end, for a 22
percent growth rate. In 1994, shipments were up by 20 percent over
the previous year.

IDC said its higher estimate was based on a continued strong
economy, the explosion of the Internet, continued rapid improvement
in price-performance ratio, and improved product availability.

(Jim Mallory/19951219/Press contact: IDC, 508-872-8200)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/19/95
GOVT
White House Reverses On Presidential E-Mail

(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00025)
White House Reverses On Presidential E-Mail 12/19/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- The Clinton administration
has decided not to appeal a federal court ruling that stopped former
President George Bush from controlling White House computer records and
backup tapes.

Until last weekend, the Clinton administration had supported the deal
that Bush cut with then-Archivist Don Wilson, made just hours before
Bush left office, to give Bush "exclusive legal control" of the
information.

In February, District Court Judge Charles Richie voided the deal, ruling
that it violated the Presidential Records Act. That law was passed during
the aftermath of the Watergate scandal, to prevent future presidents from
destroying documents.

Following Richie's ruling, the White House said it did not want subsequent
administrations reviewing its e-mail and computer documents, and indicated
that it was considering an appeal.

But US Archivist John Carlin, appointed by President Clinton earlier this
year, announced over the weekend that the Justice Department would not
appeal the ruling that voided the agreement between Bush and Wilson.

In what many critics viewed as a quid pro quo arrangement, Wilson was
named executive director of the George Bush Presidential Studies Center
at Texas A&M University after agreeing to the deal with the outgoing
president.

Carlin, a former Democratic governor of Kansas, said during his
confirmation hearings last spring that he agreed with the court's
decision voiding the deal. On Saturday, he put out a statement saying,
"On behalf of the National Archives, I strongly support the decision
of the solicitor general (not to appeal) and I am pleased that this
litigation is finally behind us."

The case against the Bush deal was brought by the National Security
Archive, a Washington public interest group pushing for disclosure of
government records. Tom Blanton of the group said yesterday, "It took
the Clinton administration three years to figure out that they ought
not to be defending this action by Bush."

Blanton has edited a book that contains many of the e-mail messages,
called "White House E-mail." Blanton says access to the electronic
messages "vastly expands the historical record" available to
presidential scholars.

(Kennedy Maize/199512195/Press Contact: Tom Blanton, 202-994-7000)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/19/95
GOVT
FCC Auction - Big Bucks From Small Business

(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00026)
FCC Auction - Big Bucks From Small Business 12/19/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- The Federal Communications
Commission's spectrum auction for small businesses is bringing in big
bucks. The first round in the court-delayed auction yesterday brought
bids totaling $457 million, a record for the first round in an FCC
auction.

"This option is proof that competition pounds in all sizes," said
Michele Farquahar of the FCC staff. "We have generated more revenue in
one round of this auction than in any other round of previous auctions."

The auction is limited to small businesses. Originally, it had been
targeted to small businesses and businesses owned by minorities or
women, but a Supreme Court ruling in another case caused the FCC to
restructure the auction. Then a court in Cincinnati last fall held
up the auction again, when a potential bidder raised problems with the
rules. In October, Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens said the
delay was not in the public interest and gave the FCC a green light
to go ahead.

Only businesses with less than $500 million in assets and revenue below
$125 million in each of the last two years are eligible to bid on the
licenses for personal communications services, the advanced technology
that many believe will replace cellular phones.

According to the FCC, there were 2,102 bids for 493 licenses around
the US. The agency said 255 firms made bids in the first round. The
bidding will continue as long as new bids are made in each round. Past
FCC PCS auctions have lasted weeks.

The government shutdown is complicating the auctions. The FCC is one
of the agencies that has not received congressional funding, so most
commission employees are on furlough. While the auctions are allowed
to go forward, because they raise revenue, the rest of the agency is
out of business, including the auction hotline telephone and the
public affairs operation.

(Kennedy Maize/19951219/Press Contact: Kathleen Ham or Amy Zoslov,
202-418-0660)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/19/95
TRENDS
Asian Software Sales Show Significant Gains

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(WAS)(00027)
Asian Software Sales Show Significant Gains 12/19/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- Third quarter software
sales in Asia were up 38 percent over last year's third quarter,
hitting $277 million, according to the Software Publishers Association.
For the first three quarters, sales were $843.5 million, up 55 percent
over the first three quarters of 1994.

Unit sales soared ahead of dollar revenues, increasing 158 percent for
the third quarter and 153 percent for the first nine months.

The Asian region has proven no different than the rest of the world --
Windows is boss. According to SPA, 81 percent of all application
sales in the region this year have been Windows applications. Macintosh
has kept its market share of 12 percent during the first three quarters.

Japan continues to be the largest software market outside the United
States, with third quarter sales of $172 million, up 38 percent over
the third quarter last year. Sales for the first nine months hit $548
million, a 62 percent increase over last year.

Even some piracy hot spots are turning into good markets for legitimate
software. For example, revenues in Thailand hit $3.6 million for the
third quarter, up 384 percent. Similarly, software sales in Singapore
reached $11.2 million, a 161 percent increase for the third quarter.

In China, potentially the world's largest market, the impact of
software piracy can still be seen clearly. Software sales for the third
quarter in China were a tiny $900,000, up 119 percent. For the first
three quarters, China sales totaled $3.6 million, up 242 percent over
the first nine months of last year.

The soft spot in the Asian market was Korea with $8 million in sales
for the third quarter, down nine percent.

(Kennedy Maize/1995121995/Press Contact: Anne Griffith,
202-452-1600 ext 360)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/19/95
IBM
IBM & Ameritech In Broad Alliance

(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00028)
IBM & Ameritech In Broad Alliance 12/19/95
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- IBM (NYSE:IBM) and
Chicago-based regional Bell operating company Ameritech have announced
an alliance to provide integrated computer and communications services
to customers. The two companies also announced an exchange of outsourcing
business in which IBM will manage much of Ameritech's computer operations
and Ameritech will take over running various communications services for
IBM.

The two companies said they will jointly market integrated voice, data,
and video managed desktop services. They also said the services they will
provide to each other will amount to about $400 million over seven years.

Steve Muchetti, general manager of communications and media at IBM, said
in a teleconference with reporters and analysts this morning that the aim
of the alliance is to provide a "single point of contact" for customers
seeking computing and communications services. The venture will also
insulate the two companies' customers from technological obsolescence,
he added.

Ameritech will contribute voice, video, and networking expertise, while
IBM will supply the computing know-how, Muchetti said.

The deal does not involve forming a formal joint-venture company. However,
the two companies plan to set up a single help-desk facility for customers,
to employ about 100 people initially and be located somewhere in Ameritech's
five-state serving area in the midwestern United States. Officials also
said about 300 Ameritech employees will move to IBM's Integrated Systems
Solutions Corp. (ISSC) subsidiary over the next couple of years.

Jack Reich, president of Ameritech's custom business services unit, said
the combination -- which has the working name Alliance Business Services --
will focus at first on Ameritech's serving area, but plans to offer its
services across the country.

Sam Palmisano, president and chief executive of ISSC, said his company has
been working in the area of integrated computing and communications for
about four years already, and the relationship with Ameritech will
complement what ISSC is already doing. The two companies have "a very
complementary set of skills" and the market they are entering represents
"a very large business opportunity," he said.

Among the potential long-term implications of the deal is the possibility
that customers could some day receive a single bill covering telephone
and computing services, Reich said.

Muchetti described the alliance as providing the underpinning for the
strategic focus on network-centric computing that Chairman Louis Gerstner
has outlined in his keynote address at November's Comdex/Fall trade show
and conference and elsewhere. Network-centric computing requires "a very
well coordinated infrastructure," he said, as well as applications.

(Grant Buckler/19951219/Press Contact: Colleen Brathwaite, IBM,
914-642-5455)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/19/95
TELECOM
Pac Bell Building For Massive Internet Use

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SFO)(00029)
Pac Bell Building For Massive Internet Use 12/19/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- Last year, the
National Science Foundation selected Pacific Bell to become one of four
Internet network access points (NAPs) which provide high-volume service
to Internet service providers (ISPs). Pac Bell now says it will
increase its NAP by 40 times to meet the dynamic growth of the Internet.

As part of Pac Bell's FASTRAK data and video and services group, the
NAP allows ISPs to deliver Internet connectivity to thousands of
individuals and businesses. This boosting of the Internet backbone
takes place through a new facility and new high-transport asynchronous
transfer mode (ATM) switching from StrataCom (NASD:STRM) of San Jose,
California.

The new facility combined with the latest ATM technology will allow
Pac Bell to handle as many as 600,000 e-mail messages or comparable
data per second.

Warren Williams, director, Network Access Point at Pac Bell, told
Newsbytes, "The real battle of the Internet and providing service is
taking place on the backbone -- the areas the desktop user uses everyday,
but does not see. Everyone is getting on the Internet. You see it on the
evening news, on the radio and in print -- even when you talk to your
local shops and friends. It seems everyone is getting onto the Internet.
To handle this, we have to have the ability to handle the volume of
calls created from such a demand."

Williams explained, "Today's announcement is like a large freeway
intersection. That intersection or the place through which all the calls
are passing is our facility. Now there can be more roads coming into
the facility and through ATM technology the speed of these roads is
increased."

According to Pac Bell, one billion e-mail messages pass through the
Internet daily and the World Wide Web offers more than 42 million
home pages. "This is why we need to build on the existing capacity. We
are in an era where the Internet is expanding dramatically and users
are asking for more audio, video and interactivity," said Williams.
"This requires bandwidth both on the users side and behind the ISPs."

Current ATM technology from StrataCom will operate at 155 megabits-
per-second (OC-3). Already, some technology companies have spoken about
future developments which will offer OC-12 (622 megabits-per-second)
and OC-48 (almost 2.5 gigabytes-per-second).

Pac Bell's new gateway will become active in late January or early
February. Neither ISPs or individual users will see additional costs
as a result of these advancements.

(Patrick McKenna/19951219/Press Contact: Scott Smith, Pacific Bell,
415-542-0597)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/19/95
TRENDS
China - Developing Apps To Increase Market Share

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(PEK)(00030)
China - Developing Apps To Increase Market Share 12/19/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- Chinese software developers face
strong competition from foreign countries, but they need to develop
more application software products to gain a greater share of the
domestic software market, say some analysts.

Software sales in China are expected to soon reach RMB15 billion
(US$1.8 billion), including services. It is predicted that around RMB6.5
billion (US$783 million) will be software alone. Currently, Chinese
software is estimated to have 50 percent of the domestic software market.

Although Chinese workers hold half the market, they depend mainly on
supplying information services, such as systems integration and
training, for about two-third of their sales.

It is expected that Chinese companies will improve their software
market share by developing more application software. Although foreign
companies are also planning to develop application software, Chinese
workers have the advantage of cultural background, claim some analysts,
which they argue is necessary for application software writing.

Some foreign software developers do not think that cultural differences
will affect application software development. "The only difference is
language," Charles Wang, chairman of chief executive officer (CEO) of
Computer Association, told Newsbytes when he visited China. However,
some Chinese experts believe that application software in different
countries must follow the traditional ways of doing things, specific to
individual countries.

Between 1990 and 1995, Chinese application software writers have found
success in the fields of computer-aided design (CAD), accounting, and
ship-making processes. Chinese-made platforms for operating software
were also successful during the period. Chinese-made software occupied
half the market for the Chinese Windows platform, and 95 percent of DOS.

In the next five years, development of Chinese platforms for imported
software, such as Unix and Windows, will remain a crucial task for
Chinese software writers, because they make up the foundation of most
application software. Systems integration and information services,
mainly of value-added network services, will also be important.

Government policies will be made to develop basic software, including
operating systems and supporting software, which are now dominated by
foreign companies, according to an official of the State Science and
Technology Commission.

The state plans to set up new software parks in the Chinese Academy of
Science in Beijing, Northeast University in Shenyang in the Liaoning
Province, and Wuhan University in Hubei Province.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951219)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/19/95
IBM
 ****Taligent To Become IBM Subsidiary

(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00031)
 ****Taligent To Become IBM Subsidiary 12/19/95
ARMONK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- In a newly unveiled
agreement to turn over Taligent to IBM, Apple and HP will retain
full rights to Taligent technology developed at IBM, said John
Slitz, IBM's VP of object development, in a conference call today
with Newsbytes. Also under the deal, Taligent will become an
"object technology development center" that is wholly owned IBM
subsidiary.

Slitz told Newsbytes that IBM, Apple and HP started last summer
to discuss the prospect of internalizing Taligent within one of
Taligent's member companies, for the sake of "efficiency." IBM
then emerged as the most likely choice, in part, he indicated,
because AIX is the development platform for Taligent.

IBM, he added, fits in well with IBM's "cross-platform" plans for
1996. IBM will continue to develop Taligent for AIX and OS/2, as
well as for Windows NT, Apple, and, "where appropriate," for
IBM's MVS and AS/400, according to the IBM VP.

But, he pointed out, Taligent cannot be "ported" to an Apple
platform until Apple has completed development of a 32-bit
multitasking environment such as Copland.

In 1996, IBM will continue to work on incorporating Taligent into
"cross-platform" products that include VisualAge C++, OpenDoc,
Systems Object Model (SOM), and Distributed SOM, according to
Slitz.

At Fall Comdex, he noted, IBM demonstrated "the marriage of the
Taligent framework with C++ libraries," for the generation of
OpenDoc as well as Windows OLE (object linking and embedding)
parts.

Now that IBM has licensed Java from Sun, the company is looking
into integrating Java into software products for the Internet, as
well as products that include MQ Series, VisualAge, and Lotus
Notes, the VP added.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951219/Reader Contact: IBM, 914-765-1900;
Press Contacts: Keith Mary Rantas-Drew, IBM, 914-766-1211;
Brodeur & Partners for IBM, 617-622-2800)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00032)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 12/19/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 19 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|           Tuesday, December 19, 1995           |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network's on the Web! Check out http://www.nbnn.com for
free daily top stories from Newsbytes and its affiliate publications,
and from PC Week, MacWeek, and other Ziff news magazines. A subscription
gives you all the news, full-text, plus the most comprehensive database
of past computer stories online. The keyword-searchable database dates
from today back through 1983. Subscriptions are $24.95 for three months.
Questions? Send to '[e-mail]'  For Japanese Newsbytes
and additional services, see the Newsbytes Pacifica Website at
http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

APPLE     Apple Ships $289 Videoconferencing Kit..................... 22

BUSINESS  Prodigy Forms WildFlower Div, Acquires SonicNet Share...... 04

BUSINESS  Deutsche Bank AG & IPC In Global Technology Deal........... 13

BUSINESS  Philips To Acquire HDS Operation........................... 14

GENERAL   Czech Republic - HP's DesignJet Color Printers............. 01

GENERAL   Alcom's New Pricing For LanFax............................. 09

GOVT      White House Reverses On Presidential E-Mail................ 25

GOVT      FCC Auction - Big Bucks From Small Business................ 26

IBM       IBM & Ameritech In Broad Alliance.......................... 28

IBM        ****Taligent To Become IBM Subsidiary..................... 31

LEGAL      ****FBI Nabs Suspected AutoCAD Pirate..................... 21

LEGAL      ****Software Distributor Sues Novell For $834 Million..... 23

ONLINE    NBC/Microsoft Offer Super Bowl In Cyberspace............... 02

ONLINE    Dimension X Intros Java Authoring Kit...................... 03

ONLINE    Health Mall Opens On Web................................... 07

ONLINE    America Online Adds Holiday Shopping Partners.............. 10

ONLINE    Compuserve User Web Pages Now Open To Businesses........... 11

ONLINE    Nashville, Tennessee Gets Wired............................ 15

ONLINE    Internet Update - Holiday Web Surfing Picks................ 16

ONLINE    America Online & New York Times Extend Online Deal......... 19

ONLINE    Rock Concert On The Web Set For January 4.................. 20

TELECOM    ****First PCS 1900 System Launched In US.................. 12

TELECOM   Pac Bell Building For Massive Internet Use................. 29

TRENDS    UK Businesses Slipping Through The Web - Report............ 05

TRENDS    Europe - Cellular Market To Quadruple By Year 2000......... 06

TRENDS    Newsweek - Who's Hot On The Internet....................... 08

TRENDS     ****Security Attacks On Internet Computers Increase....... 17

TRENDS    UK - January '96 IT Conference For CEOs.................... 18

TRENDS    Compaq Clings To Slim 1995 Sales Lead...................... 24

TRENDS    Asian Software Sales Show Significant Gains................ 27

TRENDS    China - Developing Apps To Increase Market Share........... 30

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 -> Czech Republic - HP's DesignJet Color Printers -- Hewlett-Packard
s.r.o. is now offering in the Czech Republic two new large format color
plotters/printers

2 -> NBC/Microsoft Offer Super Bowl In Cyberspace -- Super Bowl XXX is
coming to cyberspace. No, they aren't going to play the game in virtual
reality instead of on a real field, but if NBC, the National Football
League, and Microsoft have their way it might be the next best thing.

3 -> Dimension X Intros Java Authoring Kit -- Dimension X said it is
releasing two products that will help Internet World Wide Web site
administrators (Webmasters) incorporate virtual reality and Sun
Microsystems' Java technology into Web sites. The two products, called
"Liquid Reality" and "Ice," are now available to the public for
licensing.

4 -> Prodigy Forms WildFlower Div, Acquires SonicNet Share -- Ed
Bennett, Prodigy's president and chief executive officer, continues to
reshape the online company with a new investment arm called WildFlower
Partners division. First action for the new division was to acquire an
interest in New York- based World Wide Web site, SonicNet.

5 -> UK Businesses Slipping Through The Web - Report -- Businesses in
the UK are missing out on the potential of the Internet by not setting
up their own World Wide Web pages, a report just issued by Lombard
Business Finance claims.

6 -> Europe - Cellular Market To Quadruple By Year 2000 -- According to
a report issued by Schema, one of Europe's leading telecoms
consultancies, the Western European cellular marketplace is expected to
quadruple by the year 2000 with the consumer side of the market expected
to rise to account for more than 70 percent of the subscriber base
during that period.

7 -> Health Mall Opens On Web -- Health food, vitamins, and other
fitness-related products and services have hit the Internet's World Wide
Web, in the form of The Health Mall. The new Web site is described as a
"virtual one-stop shopping experience" for people interested in health
and fitness.

8 -> Newsweek - Who's Hot On The Internet -- Hitting newsstands around
the US is Newsweek's "The Year of The Internet" issue naming the 50
people who matter most on the Internet. From social consciousness,
technological advancements, sarcasm and serious content contributors,
Newsweek salutes a host of individual efforts.

9 -> Alcom's New Pricing For LanFax -- Alcom Corporation, developer of
fax server technology, announced a new pricing and configuration
schedule for LanFax Server. Gone is the rigid buy-this-high-minimum
marketing strategy, and in comes a flexible price, low-minimum policy.

10 -> America Online Adds Holiday Shopping Partners -- America Online
(NASDAQ:AMER) members who have last minute shopping to do, but don't
want to get caught in frenzied crowds in shopping malls and stores
around the US, can visit 14 more stores in AOL's Marketplace "virtual
mall." The stores include Caffe Starbucks, Lillian Vernon, Eddie Bauer,
and FAO Schwarz.

11 -> Compuserve User Web Pages Now Open To Businesses -- Space for
Internet World Wide Web sites on Compuserve's computers used to be only
for individuals. But now, the online service is offering businesses free
access to both its servers and its Web page creation and publishing
tools.

12 ->  ****First PCS 1900 System Launched In US -- It's been a long time
coming, but the first PCS (personal communications system) 1900
(megahertz) digital cellular system in the US has now gone live,
Newsbytes can report.

13 -> Deutsche Bank AG & IPC In Global Technology Deal -- IPC
Information Systems (ITS) has announced it is formalizing a global
agreement with Deutsche Bank AG to design and implement all its trading
floors on a worldwide basis.

14 -> Philips To Acquire HDS Operation -- Philips Electronics, the
electronics components division of the Dutch IT (information technology)
group, has contracted to buy the IT division of HDS Info Management,
itself a division of Koninklijke Begemann Groep, a Dutch trading
conglomerate.

15 -> Nashville, Tennessee Gets Wired -- A vision of a city-wide
electronic network wiring citizens, government, and private industry has
manifested itself in Nashville, Tennessee, as Mayor Phil Bredesen's
concept is now up and running in the town that's more famous for country
music than being a "wired" community. Nashville "CityNet," described as
a local network with access to the worldwide Internet, is up and
running.

16 -> Internet Update - Holiday Web Surfing Picks -- To aid in your
holiday World Wide Web surfing, Newsbytes offers a selection of
previously announced sites that are worth going back to. Today, a
selection of Web sites worth visiting for nothing more than enjoyment.

17 ->  ****Security Attacks On Internet Computers Increase -- Under an
advisory bulletin headlined "Widespread Attacks on Internet Sites," the
Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) has warned of a large increase
in attempts to hack into computers connected to the Internet.

18 -> UK - January '96 IT Conference For CEOs -- Regent Associates has
announced it is hosting a one-day conference for chief executive
officers (CEOs) of companies that is designed to offer an analysis of
trends driving the worldwide IT (information technology) industry in
1996.

19 -> America Online & New York Times Extend Online Deal -- America
Online Inc. (NASDAQ:AMER) and the New York Times have extended their
relationship, so the paper can continue to offer its content to AOL's
four million-plus subscribers in its "@times" area. The agreement looks
beyond the paper's current offerings, as well, officials said.

20 -> Rock Concert On The Web Set For January 4 -- The World Wide Web
may be the most talked-about communications medium of 1995, but it still
can't get its picture on the cover of the Rolling Stone. However, the
Web may get a bit more attention in the music business thanks to an
online concert being planned for January 4.

21 ->  ****FBI Nabs Suspected AutoCAD Pirate -- In a second major case
in less than two months, criminal charges were filed today against a man
believed to have pirated up to $1 million worth of AutoCAD
computer-aided design (CAD) software. The defendant, Los Angeles
resident Howard Dennis Barnes, 53, who is charged with illegally copying
and selling the Autodesk software, pleaded not guilty to two felony
charges

22 -> Apple Ships $289 Videoconferencing Kit -- Previously announced and
demonstrated earlier this year, Apple Computer's (NASDAQ:AAPL) QuickTime
Conferencing Kit is now available through Apple resellers. Designed to
connect through the Internet or a local area network, the kit contains a
color camera, software and necessary cables for "complete desktop
videoconferencing."

23 ->  ****Software Distributor Sues Novell For $834 Million -- A Utah
software distributor that sees itself as a modern-day "David" has filed
a lawsuit against a corporate "Goliath" in the form of Novell Inc.
(NASDAQ: NOVL). The Network Trade Center (NTC) suit charges the network
operating system software publisher with illegal business tactics and
violation of federal anti-trust laws, Federal Racketeering and Corrupt
Organization Act (RICO), and various state laws.

24 -> Compaq Clings To Slim 1995 Sales Lead -- It appears that Compaq
Computer Corp. (NYSE: CPQ) will cling to its sales lead in 1995, but not
by much.

25 -> White House Reverses On Presidential E-Mail -- The Clinton
administration has decided not to appeal a federal court ruling that
stopped former President George Bush from controlling White House
computer records and backup tapes.

26 -> FCC Auction - Big Bucks From Small Business -- The Federal
Communications Commission's spectrum auction for small businesses is
bringing in big bucks. The first round in the court-delayed auction
yesterday brought bids totaling $457 million, a record for the first
round in an FCC auction.

27 -> Asian Software Sales Show Significant Gains -- Third quarter
software sales in Asia were up 38 percent over last year's third
quarter, hitting $277 million, according to the Software Publishers
Association. For the first three quarters, sales were $843.5 million, up
55 percent over the first three quarters of 1994.

28 -> IBM & Ameritech In Broad Alliance -- IBM (NYSE:IBM) and
Chicago-based regional Bell operating company Ameritech have announced
an alliance to provide integrated computer and communications services
to customers. The two companies also announced an exchange of
outsourcing business in which IBM will manage much of Ameritech's
computer operations and Ameritech will take over running various
communications services for IBM.

29 -> Pac Bell Building For Massive Internet Use -- Last year, the
National Science Foundation selected Pacific Bell to become one of four
Internet network access points (NAPs) which provide high-volume service
to Internet service providers (ISPs). Pac Bell now says it will increase
its NAP by 40 times to meet the dynamic growth of the Internet.

30 -> China - Developing Apps To Increase Market Share -- Chinese
software developers face strong competition from foreign countries, but
they need to develop more application software products to gain a
greater share of the domestic software market, say some analysts.

31 ->  ****Taligent To Become IBM Subsidiary -- In a newly unveiled
agreement to turn over Taligent to IBM, Apple and HP will retain full
rights to Taligent technology developed at IBM, said John Slitz, IBM's
VP of object development, in a conference call today with Newsbytes.
Also under the deal, Taligent will become an "object technology
development center" that is wholly owned IBM subsidiary.

(Ian Stokell/19951219)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD



Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/18/95
ONLINE
Univ Students To Develop Professional Web Sites

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00001)
Univ Students To Develop Professional Web Sites 12/18/95
FARMINGTON HILLS, MICHIGAN, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 18 (NB) -- College
students and the Internet have gone hand-in-hand for many years.
But Data Systems Network Corp. and Oakland University are taking
things a step further -- the school's students are now developing
professional World Wide Web sites for corporate clients.

Barbara Hauswirth, marketing manager of Data Systems, told Newsbytes
she believes this is the first time students from a college and
a corporate entity will jointly develop and maintain Web sites for
both new and current clients of Data Systems.

"At many universities, students are starting to get Internet
experience," Hauswirth said. "But Oakland University has a pretty
aggressive MIS (management information systems) curriculum. Their
big emphasis in the past five years has been not to give their
students theory classes, but give them skills they can really use
out in the real world."

This isn't an internship program, Hauswirth said, but it mimics one
in that students get similar real-life experience.

Those skills and experiences will be honed as they develop the sites,
too. They'll design the pages using hypertext markup language (HTML)
and other technologies, develop online forms, looking at other ideas,
and finding out what's cutting edge on the Web. "These guys are true
techno-geeks -- I love 'em," Hauswirth said. "They spend hours and
hours of lab time surfing the Web. Most of them are graduate students
who want real-life applications."

While the students develop the sites, Data Systems will serve as the
network and communications integration consultant and supplier. The
company's specialists also have experience in firewall security. More
sales and technical professionals will be brought on board to service
new accounts expected to be brought in from the Data Systems/Oakland
University joint venture, company officials said.

(Bob Woods/19951218/Press Contact: Barbara Hauswirth, Data Systems
Network, 800-544-2086)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/18/95
BUSINESS
Ericsson To Distribute Acer PCs In Scandinavia

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00002)
Ericsson To Distribute Acer PCs In Scandinavia 12/18/95
COPENHAGEN, SWEDEN, 1995 DEC 18 (NB) -- Ericsson and Acer have teamed
up to distribute the complete range of Acer branded PCs throughout
the Scandinavian region. According to Tony Lin, Acer Scandinavia's
managing director, the agreement was initiated in September of this
year when Ericsson's Electronic Distribution division started
distributing Acer's systems in Sweden.

The agreement broadened last month when Denmark started being covered
by the arrangement, and plans now call for Norway and Finland to be
covered early next month.

"We are all very pleased about this new partnership with Ericsson.
The company has an excellent reputation and an extensive network of
well-trained representatives throughout the region. With their
channels and our products, we believe this new relationship will
prove to be a great success," he said.

First established in 1990, Acer Scandinavia is headquartered in
Copenhagen. Earlier this year, Acer established a new firm, Acer
Norway, another regional operation, to handle sales and support
in Norway.

Ericsson Electronic Distribution, meanwhile, claims to be the leading
distributor of electronic components in Sweden. Plans call for
Ericsson Computer Products, its PC division, to handle the Acer
products.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951215/Press Contact: Antony Lin, Acer Scandinavia,
[phone]; Reader Contact: Lennart Nystrom, Ericsson Electronic
Distribution, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/18/95
TELECOM
UK Paging Firm Develops First Duplex Voice Pager

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00003)
UK Paging Firm Develops First Duplex Voice Pager 12/18/95
BASINGSTOKE, HAMPSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 18 (NB) -- Multitone has
announced what it claims is the industry's first two-way voice pager.
The Pagephone, as it is known, uses standard VHF and UHF frequencies
to send and receive numeric and alphanumeric text messages, but can
also make and receive voice calls across those same set of frequencies.

Steve Johnson, a spokesperson for the company, told Newsbytes that the
Pagephone is unique since it does not use cellular, CT-2 (cordless
telephony type two), or DECT (Digital European Cordless Telephony)
standards to achieve full duplex voice transmission. Instead, using
PMR (private mobile radio) technology, the pagephone interleaves
analog voice transmissions in with the digital messages used on
private paging systems.

"This makes the Pagephone ideal for low voice call volume situations,"
he said, adding that, since the system is licensed as a PMR system, it
can be patched into a PABX (private automatic branch exchange) with
level 9 "breakout" to the public telephone network.

"You can attach the Pagephone central unit to extensions off a PABX,
allowing Pagephone users to dial out to other PABX extensions, and
also on to the public network," he explained. He added that external
and PABX callers can also "call" a Pagephone user.

"Pagephone is unique in that you can dial and use the unit as a
standard cordless phone, without having to press talk/listen switches
as you do with PMR systems. Many users will probably use the paging
system to send a message such as `please call extension 206,' and the
Pagephone allows the pager user to place a voice call to the sender of
the message without having to use a hardwired phone," he said.

Because only a limited set of frequencies in the 138 megahertz (MHz) to
174MHz VHF and 400MHz to 470MHz UHF wavebands are available on paging
services, the Pagephone is only designed to offer limited voice
calling facilities in a paging environment, rather than constant
cordless communications.

In a heavy workload situation, the Pagephone system will automatically
queue full duplex voice calls until channels are available. Simplex
(one-way) voice messages, however, can be transmitted on a store-and-
forward basis by the handset and the network.

The range of each Pagephone base station depends on the terrain, but
Jones told Newsbytes that base stations, each with a six-watts power
output can be located at several miles apart (typically three to four)
to cover wide areas, although calls in progress cannot be "handed off"
between base stations as is the case with cellular radio.

For voice calls, different levels of priority can be assigned.
According to Multitone, this means that security guards can get
immediate access to the network for voice-calls, knocking off calls
in progress if required, while lesser security levels will find
their voice calls auto-queued at busy periods.

Pagephone systems vary in price, but can be offered for as few as
four people and as many as 2,000 users.

(Steve Gold/19951215/Press Contact: Clare Courtney, Grayling,
[phone]; Reader Contact: Multitone, tel [phone],
fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/18/95
TELECOM
UK - C3's "Hot Desking" Computer Telephony System

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00004)
UK - C3's "Hot Desking" Computer Telephony System 12/18/95
CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 18 (NB) -- Telecoms company, C3 Computer
Telephony, has unveiled a digital packet network switching system
(DPNSS)-based Intelligent Office system, designed around a Windows NT
computing platform.

According to Maurice Jones, a spokesperson for C3, the system is
designed to interface with an intelligent PABX (private automatic
branch exchange) and other telecoms devices plus systems that work
to DPNSS protocols, to offer a "hot desking" control system.

Hot desking is the practice of allocating desks in an office
environment from a pool, to staff who spend a degree of their time out
of the office. For example, if a staff of 100 spent only a third of
their time in the office, only 50 or 60 desks need to be available to
cope with most workload situations.

The C3 Windows NT software, coupled with suitable hardware, can then
allocate virtual extension numbers to the desk phones in use, while
other virtual extensions can be routed to staff who are on the road,
using cellular or paging with voice-mail services.

The C3 system automatically dials the number assigned to a user on the
system, either the desk phone in the office, the office phone at home,
mobile or voice-mail as appropriate. The system is claimed to be so
sophisticated that, even when sat at a "hot desk," a user can have the
option of accepting the call, or "bouncing" it on.

"A number of suppliers claim to have products that offer these
functions, but many are expensive and make inefficient use of
resources because they are based on analog proprietary solutions,"
said Jones.

"C3 systems, by contrast, are based on open telephony building blocks,
and use DPNSS digital connections to provide an extremely cost-
effective network-wide solution with vastly improved call handling
speeds. DPNSS allows private network operators, for example, to
operate services such as hot desking, virtual office, voice- and fax-
mail, interactive voice response and automated attendant services
across their networks from a single PC platform," he explained.

According to Jones, the use of Windows NT improves the efficiency of
Intelligent Office (IO) applications even further, providing higher
densities and unparalleled power in the shape of a 32-bit operating
system, with multi-platform support for Intel and Alpha chipsets.

"Take a typical 60-line virtual office application, for example --
when this may be constructed from two PCs containing Dialogic cards
and running voice engines, a file server, a PC running a 3270 session
(for connection to a mainframe), and a management workstation, the
same job, in principle, can be done in a single Windows NT box with
two Dialogic cards," he said.

C3's virtual office software is known as Telelink NT and is claimed to
be compatible with the company existing computer telephony development
tools. Pricing on Telelink depends on the system and site licenses
required.

(Steve Gold/19951215/Press Contact: Mike Gray, Gray Associates,
tel [phone], fax [phone]; Reader Contact: C3,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/18/95
ONLINE
America Online's New Parental Control Feature

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00005)
America Online's New Parental Control Feature 12/18/95
VIENNA, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 18 (NB) -- In order to give parents
more control of what they see both online and on the Internet, America
Online (NASDAQ:AMER) (AOL) is introducing an advanced feature where
parents can have their youngsters access just the service's "Kids Only"
area.

The online service already offers controls for parents, to keep their
children away from material deemed inappropriate for the kids, Margaret
Ryan, America Online spokesperson, told Newsbytes. Those controls
include the ability to restrict instant messaging and chat room access.
Now AOL is "making the Kids Only area (the childrens') own AOL," Ryan
said, complete with a children's opening screen that's similar to the
welcome screen most people see when they access the network.

With the new capability, parents can set a separate screen name and
password for their children. When children log into AOL, they'll see
the special opening screen and be taken to the Kids Only area
automatically, Ryan said. Once there, they can take advantage of
content from providers like Kids WB!, Nickelodeon, Scholastic Kids'
World, KidzBiz/Invention Connection, and others. Message boards and
chat rooms are monitored by AOL staffers, who use the prefix "KO" in
their screen names.

In addition to AOL content, access is severely restricted to the
Internet's World Wide Web, Ryan said. Only sites approved by AOL
staff can be accessed in the Kids Only area, she said.

The Kids Only area is programmed for children between the ages of
six and twelve, officials said. For older children, parents can
still use the parental controls already in place, Ryan said.

"Child safety on the information superhighway is a universal concern
and as the Legislature debates these issues in Washington, AOL is
empowering parents with the choice and the tools to decide what and
how their children experience the online world," said Ted Leonsis,
president of America Online Services Company.

(Bob Woods/19951214/Press Contact: Margaret Ryan, America Online,
703-883-1625; Public Contact: America Online, 800-827-6364)


(ADVISORY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00006)

NewsPix Images For Newsbytes Publishers 12/18/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A.,1995 DEC 18 (NB) -- Photos are now
posted as they arrive, which means quicker access to the story
pictures. The bulletin will continue on Mondays, with updates
Wednesdays and Fridays, as needed.

These photos correspond to recent Newsbytes stories. They are online
in the Newsbytes menu on America Online, NiftyServe, and the
Newsbytes private bulletin board system in Minneapolis. Some
selections are also available from the Newsbytes Pacifica Website
at http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) files are larger in size,
PICT files are designed as thumbnails for onscreen viewing.
The photos are titled with name/year/month/day.

PICT/thumbnail pictures are black and white (gray scale). File
message will indicate color if the JPEG image is color.

Some of the "for use" images, may be PICT files. To distinguish
these files from the thumbnail preview PICT images, the tag for the
color "for use" image will have PICT, all caps. The thumbnail will
remain noted as "pct."

To become a licensed Newsbytes publisher, call Newsbytes at
612-430-1100 (US) or write to [e-mail] on the
Internet. Licensing applies to any medium.

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

Week of DECEMBER 18 - DECEMBER 22,1995

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

- NEW THIS WEEK -

ONTECH951213 - color / Software Finds Network Files: screenshot of the
search mode, text lines (no GIF).

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

- PARTIAL LISTING OF PREVIOUS ITEMS -

VACATIONS951213 - color / Free Travel & Vacation Planning On The Web:
screenshot of web page graphic.

DELUXE951212 - color / Adobe Intros Mac Photo Editing Software:
screenshot of work screen.

PEACHTREE951212 - color / Peachtree Intros Electronic Bill Paying
Service: shot of the software package.

POWER951208 - color / AER's 12-hour Battery For HP OmniBook: The
Powerslice LX with tray that slides out to support the Omnibook
mouse.

COMPCARD951207 - color / OKI Develops PC On A Card: the card with the
OKI imprint visible.

WTC951211 - color / Internet World Trade Center Opens On Web: main
art banner from web site.

EARTHWEB951205 - color / WebInnovation - EarthWeb Shows Gamelan
& Hot Web Sites: Gamelan logo.

WEBINNOV951206 a, b, c - color / Web Frenzy in San Francisco:
a) Marc Andreesson giving the keynote address, b) the SGI COSMO logo,
c) view of exhibition floor at the San Francisco Hilton.

WINK951204 - b&w / Japan Group Supports Interactive TV: various
TVs and a PC with set-top boxes and menus on screen.

TEC951201 - color / Games Sales Predicted Strong For Holiday Season:
catalogue cover from Edutainment company.

CITIZEN951208 - b&w / Citizen To Offer World's Smallest Printer
Under $200: Citizen's new PN50 b&w printer.

GOTV951130 - color / US West Launches Interactive Cable TV:
screenshot from GOtv, with the animated host Uncle Frank (resembles
Albert Einstein).

(Newsbytes/19951218)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/18/95
GENERAL
Japan Newsbriefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00007)
Japan Newsbriefs 12/18/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 DEC 18 (NB) -- In this roundup of news from Japan:
Matsushita, Daiei to normalize relations; Japan - US fiber cable
broken; NEC says Windows 95 software faulty; Nintendo asks for software
price cuts; Sony to promote high end VCRs; Intuit enters Japan market.

Matsushita, Daiei To Normalize Relations

After a thirty-year period Matsushita Electrical Industrial Co., which
markets products under the Panasonic and National brand names, and
leading supermarket operator Daiei, are to resume a "trading
relationship." Matsushita stopped shipping goods to Daiei in 1964 after
the supermarket began discounting its electrical items. The two have
had a trading relationship since last year when Daiei took over the
Chujitsuya supermarket chain which was supplied by Matsushita.

Japan - US Fiber Cable Broken

Japan's largest international telephone operator, KDD, said that
the TPC-4 fiber optic cable that runs between the United States and
Japan has been out of operation since late November. The cable was
severed on November 19 when a section linking the third and fourth
transponders, from Japan, broke away. KDD says repairs are currently
underway and trans-Pacific telephone traffic has not been affected.

NEC Says Windows 95 Software Faulty

NEC has announced a defect in the Microsoft Plus software package,
localized by NEC, results in an inability to access word processing
software on its "Can Be" range of personal computers. The company
says the error lies with itself, and not Microsoft, and will begin
replacing packages free of charge from Wednesday this week. Around
6,000 users are thought to be affected.

Nintendo Asks For Software Price Cuts

Nintendo has asked its distributors to cut prices on current 16-bit
games software, ahead of the launch of its new Ultra-64 game system.
Typical games prices are expected to drop from 11,000 yen ($110) to
around 8,000 yen ($80). A price cut in games for the Super Famicon
system is essential as the company has already announced games for its
new system will be priced no higher than 9,800 yen ($98). The new
system, to be launched in April next year, will offer substantially
improved graphics and sound.

Sony To Promote High-End VCRs

Sony is to attempt to encourage consumers to spend more money on VCRs
by increasing production of high-end models. The company wants more
people to buy video cassette recorders like its model that incorporates
VHS and eight millimeter (mm) decks into one machine. Sony hopes the
100,000 yen ($1,000) range of machines will catch on and become more
popular than cheaper 30,000 yen ($300) models.

Intuit Enters Japan Market

Intuit has purchased Milky Way Corporation of Tokyo, a PC-based
financial software provider. The acquisition marks Intuit's entry into
the Japanese market. Among Milky Way's software is Obanto, a computer
accounting package that has won seven out of the last eight annual
awards in the Nikkei Pasocon user surveys. The company brings to
Intuit over 80,000 users in Japan and is expected to report revenues
of around $29 million for the current calendar year.

(Martyn Williams/19951218)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/18/95
ONLINE
 ****Internet Update - Year In Review

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00008)
 ****Internet Update - Year In Review 12/18/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 DEC 18 (NB) -- Since the summer, Newsbytes has been
providing details of the latest new services and resources on the
Internet. Here is a quick selection of sites Newsbytes covered that we
feel deserve to be mentioned again.

World Wide Music

This is something every music fan should check out. On the home page
they describe a situation we have all been in: "A friend recommends a
new album to you, tells you that you'll love it. How do you know if
they are right? You hear a great song on the radio -- but how can you
tell if the rest of the album is any good?" This great World Wide Web
site has 30 second sound clips from over 40,000 albums online -- 200,000
clips in all. The even better service available to regular users is that
the computer will start to make recommendations once it knows your taste!
World Wide Web: http://www.worldwidemusic.com/

CNNfn Knight Ridder News

The new CNN Financial Network has already launched its own Web pages
ahead of its upcoming launch. A section of the server includes a
searchable database of the latest global financial and business news
from the Knight Ridder news service.
World Wide Web: http://www.cnnfn.com/news/knight_ridder/index.html

Looking For Shareware?

If you are after Shareware to do a particular job, this site carries a
virtual library of hundreds of thousands of software titles available
across the Internet. You can search and browse categories of software
and then jump to the archives to download the software. Shareware
Central is a service of c:net, the computer network.
World Wide Web: http://www.shareware.com/

All About Viruses

Not the human kind, but the computer variety. This set of pages
includes basic information about computer viruses, such as what they
are, and how to protect your PC or Macintosh computer against
infection. A large selection of links to all types of Internet
resources makes this a useful resource. World Wide Web:
http://isteonline.uoregon.edu/istehome/edtechnews/antivirus/Viruses.html

Political Cartoon Of The Day

Seasoned Canadian political cartoonist D.H. Monet is producing
exclusive cartoons especially for Internet users each day. The
cartoons are available from 10am EST every weekday at the
Cartoon-of-the-Day page.
World Wide Web : http://www.tcm.com/aim/cartoon-of-the-day/

Ora.com Magazine Online

O'Reilly Associates, well-known publisher of Internet and networking
books and handbooks, has placed its ora.com magazine on the Internet.
The magazine features articles on subjects covered by O'Reilly books
and selected passages from the books. Current articles include: Computer
Crime; A Brief History of Unix; PGP - The Privacy Wars; Clickable Image
Maps; and The Sendmail Story.
World Wide Web : http://www.ora.com/gnn/bus/ora/features/index.html

Ask Dr. Internet

Dr. Internet is now online to answer questions about the computer
network from users, both new and old, worldwide. The service is
supported by a group of volunteers from Project Gutenburg who are
answering five new questions a month plus five answers that have
been sent in as FAQs (frequently asked questions). All the answers
are then added to a master FAQ list. You can send in questions, and
answers via e-mail.
Internet e-mail : [e-mail]

Call Up The Operator

A nice new Yellow and White Pages site with access to International
and domestic telephone books including 800 and 900 number directories
with the ability to "reverse look-up" a name from the number.
World Wide Web: http://www.555-1212.com/

Doctor HTML

Doctor HTML will visit a Web page and report back on any errors or
problems with the HTML (hypertext markup language) code and other areas
such as the spelling, verification of the hyperlinks, and examination of
the tables and forms. A must-visit for all Webmasters and HTML authors.
World Wide Web: http://imagiware.com/RxHTML.cgi

WAIS Search Interface

Sometimes Newsbytes comes across services so useful that we add them to
our own personal bookmarks file. This is one of them. It's a World Wide
Web interface to a search engine covering all public WAIS databases. If
you're not familiar with the WAIS tool this is a great place to start
exploring the numerous information sources available.
World Wide Web: http://sunsite.unc.edu/cgi-bin/fwais.pl

OKRA White Pages Directory

The Department of Computer Science at the University of California,
Riverside has announced a "white pages" database. The "OKRA: net.citizen
Directory Service" is a freely searchable database of currently over
half a million e-mail addresses. Search keywords can be e-mail addresses,
names, organizations, and hostnames, and it's growing all the time.
World Wide Web: http://okra.ucr.edu/okra/

Internet Address Finder

This is an e-mail version of the previous service. Users can search for
users by name or by entering an e-mail address and finding out the name
of the person. The majority of this data is gathered from Usenet
postings, but each user is asked to register, thus adding more names to
the service. IAF is a free and comprehensive white pages service.
World Wide Web: http://www.iaf.net/

Search Engines!

1995 saw so many new search engines, each useful in its own way.
Savvy Search will simultaneously search nineteen search engines
that cover the World Wide Web, Gopher, Usenet, and FTP sites.
World Wide Web: http://guaraldi.cs.colostate.edu:2000/

With such a grand name as the Information SuperLibrary, you expect
a useful service and, when you visit the page, you won't be
disappointed. The page not only links to a wide range of Internet
search tools, covering everything from the Web to veronica and e-mail,
but describes each of the tools as well enabling users to find the
most effective index for their searches.
World Wide Web: http://www.mcp.com/general/search/srcheng.html

The University of California, Berkeley, has a new search engine called
Inktomi that uses parallel computing to offer "the fastest and most
comprehensive engine now available to search the World Wide Web." The
developers say it indexes more documents that Yahoo, Lycos and
Infoseek and is quicker than all but Infoseek which is just as fast.
World Wide Web: http://inktomi.berkeley.edu/

(Martyn Williams/19951218)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
12/18/95
ONLINE
Compuserve Unveils WinCIM Version Two

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00009)
Compuserve Unveils WinCIM Version Two 12/18/95
COLUMBUS, OHIO, USA, 1995 DEC 18 (NB) -- Compuserve has released
version two of its Windows front-end program, WinCIM. The new software
features several new features that will make connection to the service
and Internet browsing easier for less-experienced computer users, the
next large audience for online services.

Newsbytes was given access to the beta copies of WinCIM and have been
using them for the last several months. Changes have come in two main
areas -- the Internet and a new search engine for the Filing Cabinet.

The new software comes bundled with the Compuserve Internet Dialer, a
Windows socket interface that allows connection to the Internet using
Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP), and Spry Mosaic, an browser for the
Internet's World Wide Web produced by the now Compuserve owned Spry
Inc.

Perhaps the most important change in the new software is that, as
standard, it connects to Compuserve via the Internet Dialer program.
This results in a call to any point on the CIS network or affiliates
as desired, and the establishing of a connection using the PPP
protocol.

Connection into the Compuserve Information Service is then made
possible via a connection across the Internet into CIS. The biggest
advantage of this method is that the user is free at anytime to launch
the World Wide Web browser and browse the Internet while also
accessing Compuserve.

For users who have no wish to connect to the Internet, however, the new
system simply adds more possible sources of problems, but can be easily
disabled by unchecking the Winsock option in the software.

An improved mail interface makes sending messages to users of other
systems much easier. Gone is the need to preface addresses with the
correct syntax for the Compuserve mail gateway. Now addresses can be
entered in the system's native form, such as [e-mail], and the
destination, in this case "Internet," can be chosen from a small menu.
The software then takes care of the rest.

The ribbon bar along the top of the program has been re-designed to
feature new options as default, although all buttons can be customized
by the user. One of the new buttons automatically launches the World
Wide Web browser, when connected via the Internet Dialer.

A powerful new search engine has also been included in the Filing
Cabinet, meaning searching multiple folders for that nugget of
information is a thing of the past. A dialog box, much like those used
to search forums online, appears when selected and allows a fully user
definable search to be accomplished.

The full package offers a useful upgrade, especially for those wishing
to use the Internet more intensively or those that store a large
amount of information in the Filing Cabinet.

Compuserve users can download a copy of the new software, WinCIM
2.0.1, from the WinCIM download area, at GO WINCIM.

(Martyn Williams/19951218)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
12/18/95
BUSINESS
Zenith To Build Computer Monitor Tubes

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(MSP)(00010)
Zenith To Build Computer Monitor Tubes 12/18/95
GLENVIEW, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 18 (NB) -- Zenith Electronics
Corp. (NYSE:ZE) said it will pump $45.6 million dollars into its
Melrose Park, Illinois, plant to manufacture color picture tubes
for computer monitors.

The new line in the plant will have the capacity to make more than
one million color display tubes annually, and will begin production
in the second quarter of 1997.

One of Zenith's largest customers for the tubes will be South Korea's
LG Electronics Inc. (LGE), which happens to be Zenith's largest
stockholder. Last month, LGE purchased about 58 percent of Zenith in
a $351 million dollar deal, a move which Newsbytes reported.

At the time, Zenith officials said they intend to use much of LGE's
invested capital to support its color picture tube capacity and
technology initiatives, along with supporting its Network Systems
cable products business, which includes cable modems.

LGE is better known world-wide for its GoldStar brand of electronic
products including computer displays, some of which Newsbytes has
written about during its coverage of this year's Comdex Fall '95
show in Las Vegas.

The Melrose Park expansion is the first strategic investment Zenith
has made in facilities since LGE's stock buy, John Taylor, Zenith
spokesperson, said.

The computer monitor tubes are four to five times more profitable for
Zenith, as opposed to the color television picture tubes the company
makes at Melrose Park, Taylor said. That plant currently has the
capacity to make 4.5 million color picture tubes annually, and employs
about 3,300 workers. Moschner said adding color computer display tube
production should help "maintain our very strong employment base here."

Zenith President and Chief Executive Officer Al Moschner stressed
the investment's strategic importance to Zenith's profit improvement
programs, saying "the high-res color display tube business offers
significant revenue opportunities."

The company has been awash in red ink since 1988, Newsbytes notes,
although LGE officials have said Zenith will turn a profit in fiscal
1997 or 1998.

Although some of the color TV picture tubes Zenith makes have the
Zenith name on them, there are no plans to do the same with the color
monitor tubes, officials said. The company had made flat screen tubes
in the late 1980s, but quit when it sold its Zenith Data Systems to
France's Groupe Bull.

(Bob Woods/19951218/Press Contact: John Taylor, Zenith,
708-391-8181)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


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12/18/95
LEGAL
BSA Steps Up Latin American Anti-Piracy Blitz

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(DEN)(00011)
BSA Steps Up Latin American Anti-Piracy Blitz 12/18/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 DEC 18 (NB) -- The Business Software
Alliance (BSA) has stepped up its anti-piracy campaign in Latin
America with raids of homes and businesses that yielded thousands of
copies of, what the organization said were, illegal copies of software.

BSA is a trade group that "combats software piracy through education
and enforcement programs" in more than 60 countries in Latin America,
North America, Europe, and Asia. The group counts Autodesk, Bentley,
Intergraph, Lotus, Microsoft, Novell, The Santa Cruz operation, and
Symantec among its members.

The raids earlier this month in Brazil and Puerto Rico uncovered
thousands of counterfeit copies of software published by Autodesk,
Lotus, Microsoft, Novell, the Wordperfect Applications Group, and
Symantec. Authorities mounted the raids in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo,
and Porto Alegre in early December, after BSA petitioned local law
enforcement officials. The petition was based on a tip to BSA's
toll-free anti-piracy hotline and after the appearance of newspaper
advertisements offering the illegal software.

The Brazilian Association of Software Companies said the illicit
activity included illegal duplication of CD-ROMs. The group believes
if enforcement actions could reduce the piracy rate of 80 percent by
one-fourth the legitimate software market would double in size.
Estimated dollar losses in Brazil in 1994 due to software piracy,
the last year for which figures are available, reportedly exceeded
$550 million.

Raids in Puerto Rico last week marked the commencement of BSA's
anti-piracy campaign in that country. The group conducted surprise
inspections of seven hardware and software dealers that reportedly
uncovered significant quantities of counterfeit and illegally
reproduced software.

Violation of US copyright laws, which apply in Puerto Rico, carry
penalties of up to 10 years in jail and fines of up to $250,000 for
individuals, and $500,000 for companies as well as statutory civil
damages of up to $100,000 for "willful infringement."

BSA said Latin America is one of the fastest growing markets for
prepackaged software products, second only to Asia. Officials
estimate the black market for software in the area will reach $4
billion by the year 2000.

BSA spokesperson Diane Smiroldo told Newsbytes that Asia is still
the most serious problem area for counterfeit software, with an
estimated piracy rate of 98% in the People's Republic of China and
an estimated dollar loss due to illegal software copying of $526
million annually. An estimated 67 percent of the software in use
in Japan is counterfeited, said Smiroldo, and accounts for a loss
annually of about $2 billion. BSA's loss estimates refer to the
amount of money lost to legitimate sales if the users of pirated
software had purchased legitimate versions.

(Jim Mallory/19951218/Press & public contact: tel [phone],
fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/18/95
TELECOM
Telecom "Scandal" Stalls Indian Parliament Proceedings

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEL)(00012)
Telecom "Scandal" Stalls Indian Parliament Proceedings 12/18/95
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1995 DEC 18 (NB) -- Allegations of a mega scam in
the bidding process of telecom licenses by the Indian opposition
parties stalled proceedings in both houses of Parliament for over a
week. The issue concerned alleged "favoritism" by the Union
Communications minister, Sukh Ram, in awarding the basic telecom
services licenses to Himachal Futuristic Communications Ltd. (HFCL).

Tracing back the controversy, Delhi-based HFCL, which had a turnover
of US$2.8 billion in 1994-95, first stunned the telecom industry when
it quoted approximately $24.3 billion for nine telecom circles for
basic telecom services in August. The company had made these bids in
partnerships with Bezeq of Israel and Shinawatra of Thailand. Doubts
were raised over the company's capacity to raise the financial
resources needed to pay the quoted license fee.

The Opposition parties have accused the Communications minister of
bailing HFCL out, which was the highest bidder for nine telecom circles,
by imposing a cap that no single company could be awarded licenses for
more than three telecom circles. By giving HFCL the freedom to choose
three states, Opposition parties have accused the minister of sparing
the company a financial burden of $71.43 billion.

Meanwhile, the chances of functioning of both houses of Parliament
receded as the standoff over licensing of basic telecom services which
has paralyzed Parliament for nearly a week continued with the Opposition
parties and the Government sticking to their stands. The Government
turned down the Opposition demand for a Joint Parliamentary Probe (JPC)
into the controversy and also the demand that the award of cellular
licenses be postponed. Instead, the Government has asked the Opposition
to reconsider its demand for a JPC as a writ petition on tendering in
basic services moved by some Opposition members is pending before the
Supreme Court.

In another move, the Government has gone ahead and awarded 18 licenses
to 27 companies for operating cellular mobile phone services,
disregarding the Opposition demand that the exercise be postponed
until it has examined the issue. In all, 27 companies had qualified
for licenses to operate cellular mobile phone services in 19 of the 21
telecom circles. The remaining nine companies have been granted a two
weeks' extension for completing the licensing procedures. Prominent
among the licensees are: JT Mobile-Telia for Andhra Pradesh and Punjab;
Modicom-Vanguard for Punjab and Karnataka; Birla Communications-AT&T for
Gujarat and Maharashtra; and US West-BPL for Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and
Maharashtra, among others.

Both Houses of the Parliament adjourned for six days with the treasury
and opposition benches continuing to lock horns on the telecom issue,
which threatens to affect the pre-Election mood of the nation.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19951218)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/18/95
BUSINESS
Netscape Enters Indian Market

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEL)(00013)
Netscape Enters Indian Market 12/18/95
MDNMNEW DELHI, INDIA, 1995 DEC 18 (NB) -- Netscape Communications Corp.,
the Internet software company has entered the Indian market through an
alliance with Microland Ltd., a networking and communications solutions
provider and Wipro Infotech Group. As per the agreement, Microland will
be the value-added reseller for Netscape for the Indian subcontinent.

Speaking on the occasion, Pradeep Kar, chairman and managing director of
the company, said, "Our strategy is to provide the best capabilities
available to make the Internet easily accessible to everyone in India."

The software product line from Netscape includes three families of
products -- the Netscape Navigator client software, Netscape server
software, and Netscape Internet applications. To focus on the Internet
and World Wide Web related software services, Microland has also set up
a new unit -- called Microweb.

Apart from Netscape Communications Corp., Microland Ltd., the R73 crore
company also has alliances with AT&T, Bay Networks, Cisco Systems Inc.,
Compaq Corp., Intel Corp., Microsoft Corp., and Novell Corp.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19951218)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/18/95
GOVT
Philippines - Govt's Online Processing Center Reaps Revenue

(NEWS)(GOVT)(HKG)(00014)
Philippines - Govt's Online Processing Center Reaps Revenue 12/18/95
MANILA, PHILIPPINES, 1995 DEC 18 (NB) -- After six months of operation,
the Online Processing Center (OLPC) which computes taxes and duties of
imported vehicles at the Bureau of Customs (BOC) in the Philippines
has harvested around $77 million, according to BOC figures recently
released.

OLPC is a duties and taxes automated computation scheme package of
control measures designed to manage fraud on shipments passing through
Customs. It began operations last May.

There used to be many errors, deliberate or unintentional, committed
by importers in the computation of duties and taxes which Bureau
personnel failed to detect. BOC Commissioner Guillermo L. Parayno Jr.,
said that the OLPC has streamlined the operations and is expected
to come up with good results for the Bureau.

Since the introduction of the online processing system, no major
underpayment through computational error has been found. This
system is expected to stop leakages in the government revenue.

The OLPC scheme was implemented to insure proper collection of
duties and taxes, to protect importers from unnecessary expenses, to
prevent motor vehicle smuggling, and to protect the vehicles from
damage, destruction, and wear-and-tear caused by prolonged exposure
to the natural elements, said the bureau.

According to Buenaventura Maniego, district collector of the Manila
International Container Port, the OLPC offers importers other
services, such as the accommodation of requests for vehicle
registration plates from the Land Transportation Office.

(Kay Yeban & Metropolitan Computer Times/19951218/Press Contact:
Commissioner Guillermo L. Parayno Jr., Philippine Bureau of Customs,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/18/95
BUSINESS
Czech Republic - Hewlett-Packard PCs Ship

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00015)
Czech Republic - Hewlett-Packard PCs Ship 12/18/95
BRNO, CZECH REPUBLIC, 1995 DEC 18 (NB) -- CHS Czechia, which on
September 1 announced a pilot program agreement with Hewlett-Packard
(HP) to provide its customers with enhanced configurations of the V
line of HP Vectra PCs, is preparing to ship the first of such systems
to resellers in the Czech Republic. First shipments are expected
this month.

CHS Czechia announced at INVEX that it expected to begin shipping
in October, but has extended the projected shipping date.

CHS Czechia will start with the Pentium-based VL generation of
HP Vectra PCs and hopes to soon offer Intel 486-based VE models,
which are "more acceptable" in the market than the Pentium models.

"VL3 is not our best-selling Vectra -- VE has bigger numbers than
VL3," said Vaclav Sindelar, product manager at CHS Czechia.

The program for configuration of PCs upon customer order was
introduced to cut down on the need for resellers to keep a lot
of machines in stock and to reduce the time for delivery to
customers, according to Zbynek Kraus, director of CHS Czechia.

HP is aiming for "growth of sales of HP PCs in the Czech Republic
of 60%," said Petr Bobek, PC product manager at Hewlett-Packard
s.r.o. CHS Czechia is to configure the PCs according to HP's
quality standards and is applying for ISO 9002 certification.

This year, CHS will configure only the Pentium-based VL3 line
(consisting of 75 megahertz (MHz), 90 MHz, and 133 MHz models),
installing hard drives, loading software, and upgrading central
processing units (CPUs), according to Briza.

(Steven Slatem/19951218)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/18/95
BUSINESS
China - Great Wall Reaches Production/Sales Goal

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(PEK)(00016)
China - Great Wall Reaches Production/Sales Goal 12/18/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 DEC 18 (NB) -- The Great Wall Computer Group has
reached its production/sales goal of 100,000 PCs for 1995. The achievement
brings hope to the Chinese domestic computer industry, say some analysts,
despite the yearly sales volume being small when compared with world-class
computer giants, said an official with the firm.

Great Wall International Computer Group, the leading domestic computer
company, announced recently that its yearly production/sales goal of
100,000 Golden Great Wall PCs had been achieved on November 27, over a
month early. The figure was double-checked at the company's sales
department and manufacturing base in Shenzhen.

Golden Great Wall PCs are "made-in-China" products manufactured by
Great Wall -- IBM's joint venture, which was established in February,
1994. It is estimated that China's total PC sales volume in 1995 will
be one million, meaning Golden Great Wall PCs will have a market
share of at least 10 percent.

International computer companies are eyeing the Chinese computer market
as a potentially lucrative one.

In Shenzhen, GKI Electronics Co. -- jointly founded in last September by
Great Wall Group, IBM, and a Shenzhen high-tech company - has turned out
its first batch of computer motherboards. The move will ensure the
Golden Great Wall computer's annual production of 200,000 in coming
years, said the company.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951218)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/18/95
TRENDS
China - Telephones/PCs Listed Top By Beijing Residents

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(PEK)(00017)
China - Telephones/PCs Listed Top By Beijing Residents 12/18/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 DEC 18 (NB) -- A telephone, computer, and a car are
the first three items on the list of goods which Beijing residents want
to buy, a recent market survey discovered. Those items are followed by a
wide-screen color TV, a video camera, and a microwave oven,

The market survey, conducted by China Diamond Information Industry Co.
from July to November, covered six districts in China's capital. About
1,200 families in 60 neighborhood communities were involved, said
the survey's organizer, Professor Ke Huixin from Beijing Broadcasting
and Television University.

This was a door-to-door survey and one person was chosen in each family
as the family's representative, said the survey organizer. Then, the
representative was questioned on a wide range of commodities and
consumption tendencies.

The survey found that 97.1 percent, 93.5 percent, and 88.8 percent of
those surveyed already have TV sets, refrigerators, and washing machines,
respectively. After those three items, the other top commodities owned
by Beijing residents are telephones, housing, and stereos.

Beijing residents list the items they want to buy first as the telephone,
computer, and car, the survey said. The survey also found that women are
more interested in owning a microwave oven and a computer than men, who
would prefer a video camera.

The survey also discovered that 56.9 percent of computer owners are
those with some college, university, or higher institution education,
said the survey organizer.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951218)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
12/18/95
GENERAL
Canadian Product Launch Update

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00018)
Canadian Product Launch Update 12/18/95
KINGSTON, ONTARIO, CANADA 1995 DEC 18 (NB) -- This regular feature,
appearing on the first day Newsbytes publishes each week, provides
further details for the Canadian market on announcements by international
companies that Newsbytes has already covered. This week: Apple's Chinese
Dictation Kit.

Apple Canada Inc., of Markham, Ontario, launched the Apple Chinese
Dictation Kit (Newsbytes, Nov. 28), a speech dictation system that converts
Mandarin (Putonghua) speech into simplified or traditional Chinese text.
Spokeswoman Sue Taylor of Apple Canada told Newsbytes that Canadian buyers
will be able to order the product from US distributor AsiaSoft when it
becomes available in the first quarter of 1996. Canadian buyers will have
to pay in American currency, and the price is US$299. AsiaSoft has a World
Wide Web site at http://www.asiasoft.com .

(Grant Buckler/19951218/Press Contact: Susan Taylor, Apple Canada, 905-
477-5800, Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Public Contact: AsiaSoft,
800-882-8856, Internet e-mail [e-mail] or [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
12/18/95
BUSINESS
Canada's Netron Opens First Subsidiary In UK

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00019)
Canada's Netron Opens First Subsidiary In UK 12/18/95
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 DEC 18 (NB) -- Although it already has
three offices in the United States, Toronto software developer Netron
Inc.'s first foreign subsidiary will be in the United Kingdom. The
maker of application development tools has announced the creation of
the new organization in Northampton, northwest of London.

Andy Staniewski, president of Netron, told Newsbytes that Netron currently
derives about 10 percent of its sales from the UK market. Over all, he
added, about 25 percent of the company's sales are outside of North
America. The new subsidiary employs about a dozen people initially,
Staniewski said.

Netron's product focus on the concept of developing software that is
reusable because it is made up of modules. The company's principal
product is Netron CAP. Staniewski said the company's over-all revenues
in the current fiscal year will be in the neighborhood of C$16 million.

With headquarters in Toronto and offices in Chicago, Atlanta, and New
York, Netron also has distributors in Europe, Asia, and South America.
The company has been selling its products through distributors in the
UK for about two and a half years, he said.

In recent months, officials said, Netron has chalked up significant
sales in the UK, Italy, Turkey, and Belgium.

One of Netron's largest UK customers is Barclay's Merchant Services, the
merchant bank, which is currently using Netron's technology and consulting
services to help convert a 20-year-old mainframe computer system to a
client/server model. Netron officials said creation of a British subsidiary
will help bring its consultants closer to customers such as Barclays.

(Grant Buckler/19951218/Press Contact: Rick Strosberg, Netron,
416-636-8334 ext 266, or [phone]; Ed Bride, for Netron,
413-442-7718)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/18/95
TELECOM
 ****FCC OKs French & German Stakes In Sprint

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(WAS)(00020)
 ****FCC OKs French & German Stakes In Sprint 12/18/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 DEC 18 (NB) -- The Federal Communications
Commission has approved a 20 percent share in Sprint Corp. for the state-
owned telephone companies of France and Germany. Together, France Telecom
and Deutsche Telekom are putting $4.2 billion into Sprint.

But the FCC said the approval is conditional, based on whether the French
and German governments opened their telecommunications markets to
competitors.

"Trust but verify," said FCC Chairman Reed Hundt, echoing a remark Ronald
Reagan once made about the Soviet Union. "France and Germany have made
extraordinarily commitments to open their markets," said Hundt. "I would
not have approved of this without those commitments."

The three major long-distance companies -- Sprint, MCI, and AT&T -- have
all formed international alliances as they hope to expand from the US
and serve foreign markets. They hope to be able to offer worldwide
telecommunications business to multi-national corporations.

AT&T was in favor of the FCC approval of the Sprint stake, while MCI was
opposed. In a statement following the FCC action, Sprint said that it
doesn't believe the conditions imposed by the FCC "will have significant
impact on the way we initially intend to do business."

Sprint will not be able to serve new customers in France or Germany until
those countries allow competing telephone companies. Both countries say
they will take initial action to open up by the middle of next year and
will have full competition by 1998.

Sprint is required to report to the FCC by March 1998 about the
implementation of competition by France and Germany. If the markets are
not open by then, the regulators could revoke Sprint's license to
operate in those countries.

(Kennedy Maize/19951218/Press Contact: Susan Lewis Sallett,
202-418-1500)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/18/95
EDUCATION
Internet Christmas Gift For Maryland Schools

(NEWS)(EDUCATION)(WAS)(00021)
Internet Christmas Gift For Maryland Schools 12/18/95
BELTSVILLE, MARYLAND, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 18 (NB) -- A Maryland Internet
provider has a Christmas present for the state public schools. The Digital
Express Group (Digex) is offering free, high-speed access to schools for
one year.

The gift is worth $5,000 to $10,000 per school system, depending upon the
choice of access.

The state has 24 school systems. Schools will have a choice of high-speed
connections based on their current level of Internet activity and on the
number of schools in the system that want access to the Internet.

"State and national policy makers have expressed the desire to connect
schools to the Internet," Doug Humphrey, Digex's founder and chief
executive officer, said, "but funding problems are slowing that effort.
Digex is stepping up to the plate with a gift of free Internet access in
a time of shrinking fiscal resources."

The company says it will waive its installation costs and monthly Internet
service fees for one year, beginning immediately. At the end of the year,
school systems will have the option of continuing service under a contract
the company negotiated earlier this year with the state of Maryland, which
provides reduced rate access.

Digex will offer access via frame relay, a high-speed service that runs
over dedicated telephone lines. School systems will have a choice of one
T-1 frame relay Circuit at 512 kilobits-per-second (Kbps) or five 56Kbps
circuits. School systems that are already Digex customers will be offered
additional circuits for free.

Humphrey, a University of Maryland graduate, started Digex in his basement
in 1991. Now it is a multi-billion dollar business with nearly 100 employees
and a high-speed backbone connection to the Internet. The company has points
of presence in major cities including Washington, Baltimore, Richmond,
Philadelphia, and New York.

Among the company's clients are the Securities and Exchange Commission, the
University of Maryland and other state agencies, the World Bank, CSPAN,
WNET in New York, and the national Organization for Women.

Digex also provides Internet access to the Caribbean island of Barbados
and linked the former Soviet republic of Georgia to the Internet.

(Kennedy Maize/19951218/Press Contact: Doug Humphrey, 301-847-5105)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/18/95
ONLINE
 ****Europe Online Readies For Early 1996 Launch

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LON)(00022)
 ****Europe Online Readies For Early 1996 Launch 12/18/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 18 (NB) -- Europe Online, the European
online service that is headquartered in Luxembourg, has announced its
UK, German, and French services are now online and accessible on a
beta test basis via the company's World Wide Web site at
http://www.europeonline.com .

Chris Casburn, marketing director with the English language operation,
which will be targeted at UK modem users, told Newsbytes that all
three versions of the online service, together with the international
service, will be launched during the first quarter of 1996.

"Initially, we're using the Transpac PDN (packet data network) to
allow dial-up access to the service at speeds of up to 14,400 bits-per-
second (bps). Plans call for the Transpac dial-up, which is available
in seven cities around the UK on a local call basis, and across Europe
as well, to be extended to 28,800 bps working before the commercial
launch," he said.

Casburn went on to say that the company is issuing free beta test IDs
and passwords, which will operate for up to 20 hours until the end of
January, 1996, and encouraging users to either dial in via Transpac
or, if they have an Internet account, come in across the Web.

"This is the only consumer online service created for Europeans by
Europeans, and differs from the America Online model for Europe, as
well UK Online," he said, adding that there was some confusion in the
online market as to who is doing what.

"We are Europe Online, the online service based in Luxembourg," he
said. He added that, by differentiating on the basis of language, right
down to the menus and news services available online, the company is
sure it will meet its target of taking 35 percent of the consumer
online services market within five years.

"We've taken ads in today's Independent daily newspaper and are
encouraging users to try out our service. Where a user does not
already have an Internet account, we offer them a modified version
of NetScape, but we will issue our own software when we launch
commercially," he explained.

According to Casburn, Europe Online will give access to the latest
news, entertainment, business and personal finance services, as well
as electronic shopping services, interactive language courses and
information on European events.

According to the company, unlike existing online services, the content
will be compiled specifically to appeal to a wide range of people and
will actively encourage the formation of discussion groups. These
could cover issues such as childcare, education, world affairs, or
problems affecting local communities.

Commenting on the beta stage for Europe Online, Jerry Roest, the
managing director of the UK operation said that, by inviting
individuals or families to pre-register with the service, the company
plans to use the feedback to enhance the service. "A computer and
modem is all that is needed to get online," he said.

Newsbytes notes that Europe Online is still very much in its formative
stages, with plans for areas operated by Mindscape and Acclaim.
Several online games, including demos of Turican II, Worms, Zoop and
others are playable online. Plans also call for Great Universal Stores
to offer its mail-order catalog service via Europe Online.

Casburn refused to be drawn on how much EOL will cost users, but he
did reveal that the cost structure will be similar to that of
Compuserve, with subscribers paying a set fee each month in return for
a given number of free hours, and then paying for extra hours on a
pay-as-you-go basis.

"The general trend price wise is downwards and we expect to price in
at a low level," he said, hinting strongly that the company is looking
to undercut Compuserve in its pricing strategy.

Casburn said that, even when the commercial service gets under way in
the New Year, the server system will stay in Luxembourg for the
foreseeable future.

(Steve Gold/19951218/Press Contact: Victoria Osborne, Burston-
Marsteller, [phone]; Reader Contact: Europe Online,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/18/95
BUSINESS
UK's Royal Mail Developing E-mail Operations

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00023)
UK's Royal Mail Developing E-mail Operations 12/18/95
LIVERPOOL, MERSEYSIDE, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 18 (NB) -- The Royal Mail has
contracted with PhoneLink, the online business information services
provider, to develop a new electronic postal service for individuals
and businesses.

According to PhoneLink, the service, to be provisionally known as
"Tel-Me - Royal Mail Electronic Services," will enable UK PC users
within businesses and at home to send correspondence electronically
to anyone in the world for the first time.

Customers of PhoneLink's existing Tel-Me service are being invited to
trial the service. According to Chris Knowles, PhoneLink's customer
marketing strategies director, the pilot scheme will commence in the
New Year and demand for, and feedback on, the service will determine
the scope and scale of future plans for its commercial roll-out.

The plan with the service is to enable Tel-Me users to send
correspondence electronically to anyone in the world, not just to PC
users with e-mail addresses. Messages typed into the PC will be sent
directly to Royal Mail's Electronic Services simply by clicking on the
send button within Tel-Me.

The message will then be printed at Royal Mail's Electronic Mail
Center located in Mount Pleasant, London, which is billed as Europe's
largest distribution center and automatically inserted into the
distinctive yellow Electronic Services envelope for first class
delivery.

"Internet users no longer need to run two separate systems, one for
those with the necessary computer links and one for those without.
They can now simply send their computer messages as normal, and Royal
Mail and Tel-Me will sort out which can be delivered electronically
and which should be printed off and posted via Electronic Services for
next day delivery," explained Jim Cotton-Betteridge, Royal Mail's
marketing director.

According to Cotton-Betteridge, major international companies are
already using Electronic Services to print and dispatch their volume
mailings, including trading documents and marketing communications.

Cotton-Betteridge said that the joint initiative with Tel-Me
technology is a further development for allowing electronic access
into the Royal Mail. "The trials with Tel-Me represent a major step
forward for those using the Internet, enabling customers to get the
most out of their Internet connections as well as the most out of the
post," he said.

The Royal Mail Electronic Service will have a 6pm weekday cut-off time
for deliveries to postal addresses the next day. PhoneLink claims that
the service will be especially convenient for the disabled, the
teleworker (telecommuter), and individuals living in remote areas.

"Tel-Me - Royal Mail Electronic Services offers many of the benefits
of e-mail, plus the advantage of knowing your message will be handled
with complete confidentiality and printed out and delivered direct to
the recipient's front door by the Royal Mail," Knowles said.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951218/Press Contact: Buffalo Communications, +44-171-
385-0777; Derek Wilson, Post Office News Room, [phone]; Reader
Contact: PhoneLink, tel [phone], fax [phone]; UK Only -
BT Localcall, 0345-225577)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/18/95
TRENDS
Internet Stocks - Newsweek Says Beware!

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00024)
Internet Stocks - Newsweek Says Beware! 12/18/95
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 18 (NB) -- Your Internet stock may
be a purchase of dreams and hype rather than real value, states Allan
Sloan in Newsweek's year-end double cover package called "The Year of
the Internet." Technology stocks are up 50% over this past year, but
some Internet stocks are up 500%.

Sloan asks the question: "If Internet stocks are such a hot trend,
backed by top notch analysts, should you run out and buy all you can?
"No, not unless you're prepared to spend your golden years eating pet
food," states Sloan.

Explaining further he says, "To be sure, plenty of securities analysts
tout these stocks. Why am I so negative when people who are
presumably better-informed are so positive? Because analysts are paid
largely on the business they create, and profit mightily from the
stock-underwriting business they help bring in. Those are pretty good
incentives to believe in fairy tales. The clearest sign that these
shares are overvalued comes from the companies themselves, which have
recently sold additional new shares. The hope to squirrel away cash to
survive the inevitable market downturn, when they won't be able to
sell the stock."

A clear distinction must be made between technology stocks and
Internet stocks. Companies such as Intel, Microsoft, Oracle, Motorola,
and others, have a history based on real products and sales. "But with
Internet stocks, which have no meaningful history, you're buying dreams,
hopes and hype," claims Sloan.

Sloan is not alone in his assessment of Internet stocks. When Netscape
Communications went public with its soaring initial public offering
(IPO), Michael Murphy, a computer industry analyst and publisher of
the California Technology Stock Letter, told Newsbytes, "Wall Street
simply does not understand technology stocks. This is a company
(referring to Netscape at the time of the IPO) which has not produced a
profit."

Pointing out the difference between a technology stock and an Internet
stock, Sloan says, "If you bought 100 shares of Microsoft for $21 at its
initial public offering in 1986, your $2,100 has become 1,800 shares
currently worth almost $160,000. Pretty slick. But if you are to make a
similar 75-to-1 profit in Netscape, the stock has to rise to almost
$9,800 a share by the year-end of 2004. That would make Netscape the
greatest success in the history of capitalism."

Closing his end-of-the-year perspective, Sloan advises, "The time to
buy these things isn't now, but when no-one wants them. When they're
on newspaper front pages or magazine covers, look out below."

(Patrick McKenna/19951218/Press Contact: Karen Wheeler,
Newsweek, 212-445-4343)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/18/95
BUSINESS
 ****Bay Networks Buys Xylogics For $330Mil, Adding 500 Jobs

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BOS)(00025)
 ****Bay Networks Buys Xylogics For $330Mil, Adding 500 Jobs 12/18/95
BILLERICA, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 18 (NB) -- With its
just-finalized $330 million purchase of Xylogics, Bay Networks
will add 500 new jobs, while leaping in front of Cisco as number
one player in the remote access component of the internetworking
market, asserted Jim Hourihan, VP of marketing, in an interview
with Newsbytes.

As previously reported by Newsbytes, Bay Networks first announced
its intentions to buy Xylogics, a Burlington, Massachusetts-based
maker of remote access servers, in September.

Hourihan told Newsbytes that the acquisition by Bay Networks, an
internetworking company formed through the merger of Wellfleet
and SynOptics, was accomplished by means of a stock swap in which
"for every Xylogics share, we provided 1.05 Bay Net shares."
Under terms of the deal, Xylogics will become an independent unit
of Bay Networks.

The 500-or-so new employees to be added to Bay Networks as a
result of the purchase will provide manufacturing, support and
service to Xylogics' line of products for accessing corporate
networks, the Internet and commercial online services from branch
offices and through modem dial-up, according to Hourihan.

All of the new staffers will work in Massachusetts, he added. Bay
Networks currently has 1,419 employees in Massachusetts, about
250 of them from Xylogics, and the remainder "mostly from
Wellfleet." With a total of 4,450 employees worldwide, the
company has offices in both Santa Clara, California, at the
headquarters of the former SynOptics, and in Billerica,
Massachusetts, the previous home of Wellfleet.

Hourihan pointed out that Bay Networks specializes in producing
high-end networking products such as multiprotocol routers,
switches, intelligent hubs, and network management systems for
large and medium-sized companies.

Now, with the acquisition of Xylogics, Bay Networks will capture
the market lead in the remote access market versus Cisco's line
of remote access routers, he contended, citing an IDC study that
names Xylogics the "worldwide leader in remote access ports
shipment market share" for the first half of 1996. The IDC
statistics give Xylogics a 22.6 ports share of "hardware-based
remote access servers."

Hourihan acknowledged that, prior to deciding on the Xylogics
purchase, Bay Networks looked at "all the companies in the remote
access business," including Shiva.

Xylogics got the nod, he said, due to synergies in the areas of
"company culture," product line-up, and distribution channels.
Xylogics had previously produced remote access products for Bay
Networks on an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) basis.

"There is absolutely no overlap in our product lines," Hourihan
maintained. Meanwhile, from Xylogics' perspective, the deal will
bring wider distribution, together with access to Bay Networks'
24-by-seven phone support facility and other aspects of service
and support, according to marketing VP.

Xylogics' products will now be distributed through Bay Networks'
1,600-member direct sales force, as well as through Bay Networks'
1,500 resellers, Hourihan observed.

Prior to the acquisition, he reported, Bay Networks had been
"building its own distribution channels." Bay Networks, however,
will not be using Xylogics' previously established channels,
Newsbytes was told.

"Xylogics has about 200 reseller partners, whereas we have about
1600. There's some overlap. But nonetheless, it's about an eight-
to-one difference," the VP elaborated.

Hourihan added that the formation of Bay Networks was "what
really kicked off the frenzy of mergers and acquisitions" in the
internetworking market, pointing to Fore Systems' just announced
purchase of Alantec Corp. as another recent example of an
industry trend in this direction.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951218/Reader Contact: Bay Networks: 408-988-
2400, 508-670-8888; Press Contact: Chris Carleton, Bay Networks,
508-436-3706)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/18/95
ONLINE
 ****Microsoft Tests Electronic Software Delivery

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00026)
 ****Microsoft Tests Electronic Software Delivery 12/18/95
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 18 (NB) -- Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ:MSFT) will participate in a pilot program to deliver software
through CyberSource Corp.'s "software.net" Internet World Wide Web site,
using technology from Digital Delivery, officials from the companies
announced today.

The new agreement calls for software.net to test Digital Delivery's
new delivery agent for the electronic sale and delivery of software
titles via the Internet. The system will be implemented at the site
starting January 1, 1996, officials said.

"This is a radical new way for people to buy software," Mark Friedler,
director of business development at Digital Delivery, told Newsbytes.
"Today, if you go to buy software or download anything from the
Internet, first you have to find what you download. Then you have
to start the download. Then you have to wait. And if for any reason
your download gets interrupted, you have to waste a whole lot of time
getting the program again."

With Digital Delivery's software distribution technology, all of those
headaches go away, Friedler claimed. Customers begin the process by
downloading the company's delivery agent, which is 250 kilobytes (KB).
The agent then prompts the user for credit card and other information.
After validating the information, the agent then downloads the software
in the background, so the user can then work on other tasks. When the
download is done, the Web server then verifies the software was
downloaded correctly, and begins the installation process. If all is
well, the delivery agent then deletes itself from the user's computer,
Friedler said.

The technology also communicates the fact it is finished downloading
the software to the retailer, so inventories can be adjusted.

The system itself is secure because the delivery agent is independent
of the browser, Friedler said. The agent also implements its own
communications with the server using secure sockets and other security
measures, ensuring security, he added.

Software.net's Web site is located at http://software.net/ . Digital
Delivery officials said they are negotiating with other Microsoft
resellers for similar agreements.

Digital Delivery's Web site is at http://delivery.reach.com .

(Bob Woods/19951218/Press Contacts: Lydia Trettis, Connors
Communications, 212-807-7500; Mark Friedler, Digital Delivery,
212-226-4115)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/18/95
WINDOWS
Kolvox's Voice Software For Internet

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(TOR)(00027)
Kolvox's Voice Software For Internet 12/18/95
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 DEC 18 (NB) -- Kolvox Communications
Inc. (ASE:KOL) has announced software designed to let computer users navigate
the Internet using voice commands. Kolvox's VoiceCompanion for the
Internet will work with major World Wide Web browsers such as those
from Netscape, Microsoft, and Spry, the company said.

Martin Tuori, vice-president of technology at Kolvox, told Newsbytes that
VoiceCompanion for the Internet is part of the same line and built on the
same concepts as the company's other voice-control products, such as a
package that lets WordPerfect users issue spoken commands to their word
processor. It accepts spoken commands and translates them into operations
in the Internet software.

According to Kolvox, the software will let a user log onto the Internet,
browse the World Wide Web, read and send electronic-mail, and upload or
download files using only spoken commands.

The new software comes with an Internet task manager called GoFetch! that
Kolvox said will perform such tasks as retrieving mail or news articles,
downloading stock market data and the like.

Kolvox is planning a freeware version of VoiceCompanion for Internet, to
be distributed on the Internet and commercial online services starting
in March, as well as full-featured versions for which users will have to
pay US$24.95. Tuori said there will be different versions with extra
features built in to work with commercial online services such as America
Online and Compuserve. The commercial versions of the software are to
ship early in 1996, company officials said.

Kolvox also said it will adapt a telephone access interface which it
originally developed for Phoenix Technologies Ltd., so that users can
phone their personal computers and retrieve Internet data over a
conventional voice connection -- for instance, having the software read
them their electronic-mail over the phone. This option is due to be
available in the fall of 1996, the company said.

Tuori said Kolvox will pursue a variety of distribution strategies,
including direct sales and bundling agreements with Internet access
providers, Internet software vendors, and even hardware manufacturers.
With use of the Internet growing fast, he said, many PC vendors are
likely to start pre-installing Internet access software on new PCS.

(Grant Buckler/19951218/Press Contact: Martin Tuori or Isaac Raichyk,
Kolvox, 416-221-2400)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/18/95
BUSINESS
Former Novell Execs Launch Web Venture

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00028)
Former Novell Execs Launch Web Venture 12/18/95
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 18 (NB) -- Two former
Novell vice presidents have joined with several other industry
executives to form a company the group said will pursue
opportunities relating to the Internet's World Wide Web.

Joe Firmage, former vice president of strategic planning for
Novell's NetWare System Group, Toby Corey, former vice president of
marketing for Novell's NetWare Product Division, and James Heffernan,
formerly chief financial officer at Interlink Computer Sciences, have
joined forces with other senior industry executives to form USWeb
Corp. A USWeb Corp. spokesperson said Firmage and Corey resigned
from Novell within the last 30 days.

Corey will serve as executive vice president for the new company
that plans to assist companies and individuals in establishing a
presence on the Web. He said the group expects Web sites to become
far more important than just electronic order systems, multimedia
magazines, and interesting places to find new information. "We believe
that Web sites are essentially real estate lots in an unbounded
territory on a new continent."

Corey compares the effect the Web will have on society to the
changes that took place on the western US frontier during the 19th
century. "Our civilization will change in fundamental ways as the
Web frontier is progressively settled," said the USWeb Corp.
executive.

He predicts Web sites are where citizens will eventually go to
vote, register their automobiles, join town hall discussions or to
check out local schools before moving into a town as well as
obtain products. "For businesses Web sites will contain storefronts,
agents and information centers...dramatically streamlining
innumerable everyday business functions and extending the market
reach of virtually any business to the entire planet."

Corey predicted that, for individuals, their personal Web site
will become an online homestead, where all live communication is
conducted, where text/audio/video messages are sent and received,
where personal information is presented to others, and where the
individual can store information that today might be stored on the
hard disk of a PC.

USWeb Corp. is currently finalizing negotiations for its first round
of investment financing. It will have offices in Salt Lake City,
Utah, and San Jose, California. Its Web site, at http://www.usweb.com ,
is scheduled for launch in the "near future."

(Jim Mallory/19951218/Press contact: Martha Felt, Martha Felt Group
for USWeb Corp., 801-328-1113; Public contact: USWeb Corp.,
800-998-7932)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/18/95
BUSINESS
Fore Systems Buys Backbone Switch-Maker Alantec

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BOS)(00029)
Fore Systems Buys Backbone Switch-Maker Alantec 12/18/95
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 18 (NB) -- With a
newly announced decision to buy Alantec that represents Fore
Systems' fourth acquisition in the past six months, Fore will
further broaden its family of networking products to include
switches for the backbone as well as for the departmental level,
said Eric C. Cooper, chairman and CEO (chief executive officer),
in a conference call with Newsbytes.

Cooper told Newsbytes that, with the latest purchase, Fore will
add Alantec's PowerHub multilayer LAN (local area network)
products for switching, bridging, and multiprotocol routing to
its own ForeRunner departmental ATM (asynchronous transfer mode)
switches, as well as to the Ethernet and Fast Ethernet desktop
and workgroup switches acquired through a purchase of Applied
Techwork Technologies announced in June.

Also in June, Fore bought two technologies -- multi-protocol
routing over ATM, and a private network-to-network interface
(PNNI) -- from RainbrowBridge, the CEO pointed out.

The announcement of the Alantec acquisition also comes less than
two weeks after Fore's announcement of a previously completed
purchase of CellAccess Technology.

Cooper informed Newsbytes that Fore expects the purchase of
Alantec and CellAccess to be useful in helping customers to
"migrate" to ATM by extending the company's reach into the
rapidly growing markets of backbone switching/routing and "wide
area remote access," respectively.

Lots Gatos, California-based CellAccess provides remote access
services that include ATM as well as frame relay, UNI, and FUNI,
plus T1 DSU/CSU with "drop and insert" capabilities, according to
the company chief.

Under the newly announced deal with Alantec, which is scheduled
for completion in March, Alantec will become an independent
subsidiary of Fore, Cooper reported.

The CEO added that staffing at San Jose, California-based Alantec
will remain the same as it is today at all levels, including top
management.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951218/Reader Contact: Fore Systems Inc.,
412-272-6600; Press Contact: Kim Booth, Fore Systems, 412-272-
6600)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00030)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 12/18/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 18 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|           Monday, December 18, 1995            |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network's on the Web! Check out http://www.nbnn.com for
free daily top stories from Newsbytes and its affiliate publications,
and from PC Week, MacWeek, and other Ziff news magazines. A subscription
gives you all the news, full-text, plus the most comprehensive database
of past computer stories online. The keyword-searchable database dates
from today back through 1983. Subscriptions are $24.95 for three months.
Questions? Send to '[e-mail]'  For Japanese Newsbytes
and additional services, see the Newsbytes Pacifica Website at
http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

BUSINESS  Ericsson To Distribute Acer PCs In Scandinavia............. 02

BUSINESS  Zenith To Build Computer Monitor Tubes..................... 10

BUSINESS  Netscape Enters Indian Market.............................. 13

BUSINESS  Czech Republic - Hewlett-Packard PCs Ship.................. 15

BUSINESS  China - Great Wall Reaches Production/Sales Goal........... 16

BUSINESS  Canada's Netron Opens First Subsidiary In UK............... 19

BUSINESS  UK's Royal Mail Developing E-mail Operations............... 23

BUSINESS   ****Bay Networks Buys Xylogics For $330Mil, Adding 500 Job 25

BUSINESS  Former Novell Execs Launch Web Venture..................... 28

BUSINESS  Fore Systems Buys Backbone Switch-Maker Alantec............ 29

EDUCATION Internet Christmas Gift For Maryland Schools............... 21

GENERAL   NewsPix Images For Newsbytes Publishers.................... 06

GENERAL   Japan Newsbriefs........................................... 07

GENERAL   Canadian Product Launch Update............................. 18

GOVT      Philippines - Govt's Online Processing Center Reaps Revenue 14

LEGAL     BSA Steps Up Latin American Anti-Piracy Blitz.............. 11

ONLINE    Univ Students To Develop Professional Web Sites............ 01

ONLINE    America Online's New Parental Control Feature.............. 05

ONLINE     ****Internet Update - Year In Review...................... 08

ONLINE    Compuserve Unveils WinCIM Version Two...................... 09

ONLINE     ****Europe Online Readies For Early 1996 Launch........... 22

ONLINE     ****Microsoft Tests Electronic Software Delivery.......... 26

TELECOM   UK Paging Firm Develops First Duplex Voice Pager........... 03

TELECOM   UK - C3's "Hot Desking" Computer Telephony System.......... 04

TELECOM   Telecom "Scandal" Stalls Indian Parliament Proceedings..... 12

TELECOM    ****FCC OKs French & German Stakes In Sprint.............. 20

TRENDS    China - Telephones/PCs Listed Top By Beijing Residents..... 17

TRENDS    Internet Stocks - Newsweek Says Beware..................... 24

WINDOWS   Kolvox's Voice Software For Internet....................... 27

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 -> Univ Students To Develop Professional Web Sites -- College students
and the Internet have gone hand-in-hand for many years. But Data Systems
Network Corp. and Oakland University are taking things a step further

2 -> Ericsson To Distribute Acer PCs In Scandinavia -- Ericsson and Acer
have teamed up to distribute the complete range of Acer branded PCs
throughout the Scandinavian region. According to Tony Lin, Acer
Scandinavia's managing director, the agreement was initiated in
September of this year when Ericsson's Electronic Distribution division
started distributing Acer's systems in Sweden.

3 -> UK Paging Firm Develops First Duplex Voice Pager -- Multitone has
announced what it claims is the industry's first two-way voice pager.
The Pagephone, as it is known, uses standard VHF and UHF frequencies to
send and receive numeric and alphanumeric text messages, but can also
make and receive voice calls across those same set of frequencies.

4 -> UK - C3's "Hot Desking" Computer Telephony System -- Telecoms
company, C3 Computer Telephony, has unveiled a digital packet network
switching system (DPNSS)-based Intelligent Office system, designed
around a Windows NT computing platform.

5 -> America Online's New Parental Control Feature -- In order to give
parents more control of what they see both online and on the Internet,
America Online (NASDAQ:AMER) (AOL) is introducing an advanced feature
where parents can have their youngsters access just the service's "Kids
Only" area.

6 -> NewsPix Images For Newsbytes Publishers -- Photos are now posted as
they arrive, which means quicker access to the story pictures. The
bulletin will continue on Mondays, with updates Wednesdays and Fridays,
as needed.

7 -> Japan Newsbriefs -- In this roundup of news from Japan: Matsushita,
Daiei to normalize relations; Japan - US fiber cable broken; NEC says
Windows 95 software faulty; Nintendo asks for software price cuts; Sony
to promote high end VCRs; Intuit enters Japan market.

8 ->  ****Internet Update - Year In Review -- Since the summer,
Newsbytes has been providing details of the latest new services and
resources on the Internet. Here is a quick selection of sites Newsbytes
covered that we feel deserve to be mentioned again.

9 -> Compuserve Unveils WinCIM Version Two -- Compuserve has released
version two of its Windows front-end program, WinCIM. The new software
features several new features that will make connection to the service
and Internet browsing easier for less-experienced computer users, the
next large audience for online services.

10 -> Zenith To Build Computer Monitor Tubes -- Zenith Electronics Corp.
(NYSE:ZE) said it will pump $45.6 million dollars into its Melrose Park,
Illinois, plant to manufacture color picture tubes for computer
monitors.

11 -> BSA Steps Up Latin American Anti-Piracy Blitz -- The Business
Software Alliance (BSA) has stepped up its anti-piracy campaign in Latin
America with raids of homes and businesses that yielded thousands of
copies of, what the organization said were, illegal copies of software.

12 -> Telecom "Scandal" Stalls Indian Parliament Proceedings --
Allegations of a mega scam in the bidding process of telecom licenses by
the Indian opposition parties stalled proceedings in both houses of
Parliament for over a week. The issue concerned alleged "favoritism" by
the Union Communications minister, Sukh Ram, in awarding the basic
telecom services licenses to Himachal Futuristic Communications Ltd.
(HFCL).

13 -> Netscape Enters Indian Market -- Netscape Communications Corp.,
the Internet software company has entered the Indian market through an
alliance with Microland Ltd., a networking and communications solutions
provider and Wipro Infotech Group. As per the agreement, Microland will
be the value-added reseller for Netscape for the Indian subcontinent.

14 -> Philippines - Govt's Online Processing Center Reaps Revenue --
After six months of operation, the Online Processing Center (OLPC) which
computes taxes and duties of imported vehicles at the Bureau of Customs
(BOC) in the Philippines has harvested around $77 million, according to
BOC figures recently released.

15 -> Czech Republic - Hewlett-Packard PCs Ship -- CHS Czechia, which on
September 1 announced a pilot program agreement with Hewlett-Packard
(HP) to provide its customers with enhanced configurations of the V line
of HP Vectra PCs, is preparing to ship the first of such systems to
resellers in the Czech Republic. First shipments are expected this
month.

16 -> China - Great Wall Reaches Production/Sales Goal -- The Great Wall
Computer Group has reached its production/sales goal of 100,000 PCs for
1995. The achievement brings hope to the Chinese domestic computer
industry, say some analysts, despite the yearly sales volume being small
when compared with world-class computer giants, said an official with
the firm.

17 -> China - Telephones/PCs Listed Top By Beijing Residents -- A
telephone, computer, and a car are the first three items on the list of
goods which Beijing residents want to buy, a recent market survey
discovered. Those items are followed by a wide-screen color TV, a video
camera, and a microwave oven,

18 -> Canadian Product Launch Update -- This regular feature, appearing
on the first day Newsbytes publishes each week, provides further details
for the Canadian market on announcements by international companies that
Newsbytes has already covered. This week: Apple's Chinese Dictation Kit.

19 -> Canada's Netron Opens First Subsidiary In UK -- Although it
already has three offices in the United States, Toronto software
developer Netron Inc.'s first foreign subsidiary will be in the United
Kingdom. The maker of application development tools has announced the
creation of the new organization in Northampton, northwest of London.

20 ->  ****FCC OKs French & German Stakes In Sprint -- The Federal
Communications Commission has approved a 20 percent share in Sprint
Corp. for the state- owned telephone companies of France and Germany.
Together, France Telecom and Deutsche Telekom are putting $4.2 billion
into Sprint.

21 -> Internet Christmas Gift For Maryland Schools -- A Maryland
Internet provider has a Christmas present for the state public schools.
The Digital Express Group (Digex) is offering free, high-speed access to
schools for one year.

22 ->  ****Europe Online Readies For Early 1996 Launch -- Europe Online,
the European online service that is headquartered in Luxembourg, has
announced its UK, German, and French services are now online and
accessible on a beta test basis via the company's World Wide Web site at
http://www.europeonline.com .

23 -> UK's Royal Mail Developing E-mail Operations -- The Royal Mail has
contracted with PhoneLink, the online business information services
provider, to develop a new electronic postal service for individuals and
businesses.

24 -> Internet Stocks - Newsweek Says Beware -- Your Internet stock may
be a purchase of dreams and hype rather than real value, states Allan
Sloan in Newsweek's year-end double cover package called "The Year of
the Internet." Technology stocks are up 50% over this past year, but
some Internet stocks are up 500%.

25 ->  ****Bay Networks Buys Xylogics For $330Mil, Adding 500 Jobs --
With its just-finalized $330 million purchase of Xylogics, Bay Networks
will add 500 new jobs, while leaping in front of Cisco as number one
player in the remote access component of the internetworking market,
asserted Jim Hourihan, VP of marketing, in an interview with Newsbytes.

26 ->  ****Microsoft Tests Electronic Software Delivery -- Microsoft
Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) will participate in a pilot program to deliver
software through CyberSource Corp.'s "software.net" Internet World Wide
Web site, using technology from Digital Delivery, officials from the
companies announced today.

27 -> Kolvox's Voice Software For Internet -- Kolvox Communications Inc.
(ASE:KOL) has announced software designed to let computer users navigate
the Internet using voice commands. Kolvox's VoiceCompanion for the
Internet will work with major World Wide Web browsers such as those from
Netscape, Microsoft, and Spry, the company said.

28 -> Former Novell Execs Launch Web Venture -- Two former Novell vice
presidents have joined with several other industry executives to form a
company the group said will pursue opportunities relating to the
Internet's World Wide Web.

29 -> Fore Systems Buys Backbone Switch-Maker Alantec -- With a newly
announced decision to buy Alantec that represents Fore Systems' fourth
acquisition in the past six months, Fore will further broaden its family
of networking products to include switches for the backbone as well as
for the departmental level, said Eric C. Cooper, chairman and CEO (chief
executive officer), in a conference call with Newsbytes.

(Ian Stokell/19951218)





Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD



Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/15/95
IBM
 ****More On Lotus Notes/Web Integration Plans, Notes 4.

(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00001)
 ****More On Lotus Notes/Web Integration Plans, Notes 4.0 12/15/95
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 15 (NB) -- Fueled by
IBM resources, and driven by a desire to outperform major
competitor Microsoft, Lotus will work "aggressively" to transform
the Notes server into the number one platform for "distributed
publishing" in both the Web and Notes environments, starting with
the shipment of Notes Release 4 later this month.

Lotus co-leaders Mike Zisman and Jeff Papows made this comment
at a press conference attended by Newsbytes in Cambridge,
Massachusetts.

In a "surprise" move, the single- and new multi-processor
versions of the Notes Release 4 server will both include Lotus's
InterNotes Publisher product for Notes/HTML (hypertext mark-up
language) conversion, asserted Lotus CEO (chief executive
officer) and Executive VP Zisman.

The multiprocessor server will also bring "order of magnitude"
improvements in "scalability," with 32-bit, SMP (symmetrical
multiprocessor) support for 1000 simultaneous sessions, and
directory support for 100,000 users, according to the Lotus CEO.

Midway through 1996, Lotus will update both the single- and
multiple-processor versions of the Notes Release 4 server to
include HTML, HTTP (Hypertext Transport Protocol), Java,
JavaScript, and the first in a series of Web-based applications,
he added.

The incorporation of HTML and HTTP into Notes was first announced
under the code-name "Spike" in a press conference attended by
Newsbytes at Internetworld Boston. "I think the Notes server will
become a very popular Web server," Zisman told the press and
analysts in Cambridge this week.

The inclusion of Java and JavaScript in Notes is being made
possible through a licensing deal between IBM/Lotus and Sun,
announced during an IBM "videoconference-over-the-Internet"
attended by Newsbytes in New York City last week.

Zisman said in Cambridge that the first application for the new
Notes/Web server will be Lotus Notes:Newsstand, a product now
being sold to information providers on a separate basis for
publishing information on Notes-based networks.

Also next year, Lotus will produce a set of "application
frameworks" in the areas of electronic publishing, commerce,
service, and marketing that will be designed to let third-party
and corporate developers create server-based "collaborative and
groupware" applications for access by Web browsers and Notes
clients.

Lotus will ultimately begin to package other Lotus-developed and
third-party applications with the Notes/Web server, as well, he
reported.

Growth of the Web is happening so fast that soon, "all servers
will become Web servers," Zisman predicted. Lotus, he added, is
targeting the newly Web-enabled Notes at a new "distributed
publishing" market. Lotus views its pursuit of this new "sweet
spot" as "a definite market share situation" versus Microsoft, he
acknowledged.

The CEO also distinguished the "distributed publishing" market
from "design" publishing tools, a Web market foreseen by Lotus as
focusing on highly "customized" publishing applications.

Notes, he suggested, will not require major changes for
adaptation to Web publishing, pointing out that NotesScript
and JavaScript are both scripting languages, and that, like Web
servers, Notes document databases use hypertext links. "We will
recognize (the Web browser) as a client that doesn't have a
database," he said.

Zisman also criticized Netscape for its recent moves to add
third-party plug-ins to the Web client, asserting that the Web
server is better able than the browser to handle the weight of
additional applications.

Lotus COO (Chief Operating Officer) and Senior VP Papows asserted
that the resources of IBM will make it possible for Lotus to
pursue the new sweet spot "aggressively," and with a "long-term"
view.

In accordance with the Web-enabling and related architectural
changes to Notes, he explained, Lotus will begin to adopt a new
"client-server" pricing model in which the Notes client will be
lower-priced, but the Notes server will be higher-priced than
before. Lotus will add a third Notes client, priced at only $55,
in Release 4.

During a pair of demos at the event, the journalists and analysts
saw capabilities of the new Mail Client that include a "true
universal inbox" for e-mail, fax and video; a new toolbar for
novice users; "mailbox replication;" new "mood stamps,"
permitting the user to mark mail as "personal" or "confidential,"
for example, as well as to "flame" the recipient; and InterNotes
Web Navigator, a new Web-enabled Notes browser previewed at Fall
Comdex, and also previously reported on in Newsbytes.

Zisman observed that, although mailbox replication was available
through "selective replication" in Notes Release 3, "it took a
programmer to take advantage of it." In Release 4, the capability
permits mobile end users to create rules-based "location
profiles" for managing messages according to various on-the-road
scenarios, such as being in a plane or a hotel.

Also in Notes Release 4, all three Notes clients will use the
Lotus cc:Mail user interface specification, the Lotus CommServer
will "interconnect the cc:Mail and Notes-based infrastructures,"
and the cc:Mail Release 7 client will be "directly hosted by the
Notes Server," Zisman told the group.

Other enhancements will include support for Microsoft Mail
clients through MAPI (Mail Application Programming Interface);
multithreaded routing; a "single copy object store," which will
work with pointers; "server passthrough" to servers outside the
firewall; a "do not copy" feature; and new "action/timed and
simple/rich agents and integrated systems monitors" for Notes
administrators. Both the single- and new multiprocessor editions
of the server will be available in Windows 95, OS/2, NLM (NetWare
Loadable Module), two Windows NT, and three Unix editions.

A cc:Mail MTA (Message Transport Assistant) will enter beta this
month, and an X.400 MTA will follow suit in January. Also in the
future, Lotus will add an SMTP/MIME (Simple Mail Transport
Protocol/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) MTA, plus support
for POP3, Zisman revealed.

Papows told the journalists and analysts at the press conference
that Notes Release 4 will be priced at $495 for the single-
processor server; $2,295 for the new multi-processor server; $55
for the new Notes Mail client; $69 for the Notes Desktop client;
and $275 for the "full" Notes client.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951214/Reader Contact: Lotus, 617-577-8500;
Press Contact: Lois Paul & Partners for Lotus, 617-862-4514)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/15/95
TELECOM
UK Alternative Carrier Goes Global

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00002)
UK Alternative Carrier Goes Global 12/15/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 15 (NB) -- First Telecom, one of the growing
band of licensed alternative telecoms carriers (ATCs) in the UK, has
announced the opening of toll-free access to its telecoms service in
the UK and the US via, respectively, 0800 and 1-800 numbers.

The announcement is important, Newsbytes notes, since to access the
First Telecom service, users can sidestep the problem of having to
dial a London phone number and pay standard phone rates for that call.
Calls can now be routed via First Telecom, which charges 14
pence per minute weekdays, 10 pence per minute weekends, for calls to
all US numbers, excluding 900 area code premium rate services.

The surcharge for 0800 access is 4 pence per minute, and 40 pence per
minute for 1-800 access. According to Mark Daeche, a spokesperson for
First Telecom, the 0800 access means that callers in hotels, from
pay phones and from PCN (personal communications network) mobiles, can
now calls the US from 14 pence per minute -- calculated as 10 pence
weekend costs plus 4 pence per minute for use of the 0800 number.

Subscribers in the US, meanwhile, can call through London and back to
the US for 50 pence per minute. Moreover, since First Telecom offers
calls to most countries of the world at discount rates, it means that
US subscribers can also dial most European countries at a significant
discount on AT&T and MCI rates. Discounts of up to 70 percent are
available on many international routes, the company claims.

"It's a crazy situation that we find ourselves in, since it means that a
subscriber in the US will usually find it's cheaper to route the call
via our 1-800 service to London, and back to the US, than use a
pay phone to call a few hundred miles in the US," Daeche told
Newsbytes, adding that, unlike most competitors, since First Telecom
uses full 64 kilobit fiber optic lines, fast modems and fax
transmissions carry across the network perfectly.

Daeche explained that First Telecom can offer the low 4 pence
a minute rates on 0800 calls from anywhere in the UK since it is not
using British Telecom (BT) for its service. Instead, the company has
contracted with another ATC for 0800 service. The only slight problem
is that the 0800 number is one of the new even digit numbers (i.e.
0800-xxx-yyyy) rather than the usual 0800-xxxyyy numbering scheme seen
in the UK.

"This will be less of a problem as far as recognition goes as all UK
(toll free) numbers will move from six to seven digits over the next
18 to 24 months," he said, adding that many First Telecom callers are
sufficiently "telecoms savvy" not to worry about dialling an extra
digit for the 0800 number.

Despite its low calling rates, First Telecom operates wholly within
the UK, US and foreign telecoms legislation. Daeche
said that, because of these laws, the company cannot route its own
fiber optic links into the US telecoms network.

"Only AT&T and Cable & Wireless have such landing rights. That means
that our calls route to the US and are then handed on to Cable &
Wireless for final routing to the US called number. The high call
quality is unaffected," he explained.

According to Daeche, the move into the US and UK toll-free access
market effectively moves First Telecom from being a simple UK
telecoms service reseller and into the global service arena.

"We have had to make this change, since we see flexibility as the
driving force in the future of telecoms services. The worst thing that
anyone can do in this business is to create a five year plan and then
stick rigidly to it. We're flexible and can adapt our services to meet
the needs of the customer," he told Newsbytes.

(Steve Gold/19951214/Press Contact: Paul Hildrew, Nelson Bostock
Communications [phone]; Reader Contact: First Telecom +44-
171-363-6600; Fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/15/95
GENERAL
Denon's Optical JukeBox Technology

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00003)
Denon's Optical JukeBox Technology 12/15/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 15 (NB) -- Denon, the hi-fi specialist, has
launched two new 200-disc capacity CD-ROM and compact disc machines,
the DRD-1400 storing 100 of CD-ROM discs at each tray and the DRD-
1400F CD Changer for playing compact discs. According to the US-
headquartered company, the two drives will soon be available on both
sides of the Atlantic at approximately $1,000 for the CD-ROM version
and $4,400 to $4,800 for the audio version.

According to Mark Kaltman, a spokesperson for the company, the size of
both machines is slightly larger than the space taken by 200 CD-ROM or
CDs in their jewel boxes, making the systems the most compact and
transportable of their type on the market.

For additional security both boxes are equipped with a lock and key
access. The duration of the electronics in the system is designed for
"hard-wearing" environments.

Denon claims that the machines can be used 24 hours a day, seven days
a week in professional broadcast or studio environments and still
provide an accurate and clean performance.

The DRD-1400 CD-ROM Changer features a dual-transport design, which
means the system can support any combination of two CD-ROMs, CD-DAs
and multi-session CDs simultaneously.

According to Denon, the transport and drive mechanism of the DRD-1400
can be operated either together or separately of each other and allow
users to pick particular parts from any disc when connected to any PC
via a single-ended SCSI-2 or serial interface (RS-232C0, RS-422A) and
controlled by Windows NT.

Users can daisy-chain up to 16 machines and build a library of 3,200
online discs with a fast and immediate access to any part of each
disc. The machines are claimed to be designed for not only high-
quality multimedia use, but also for an outstanding audio. The 20-bit
digital filter performs smoothly and produces high end quality sound.
The music has zero-cross distortion, challenging the very
best CD players.

The DN-1400F CD Changer, meanwhile, is specifically for playing music
and with enhanced sound presentation features it offers virtually the
same features as the CD-ROM model but with an extended sound quality
reproduction.

According to Denon, the machine reduces the "dead time" pause caused
by selection of tracks existing on other players. It also allows
simultaneous playback from two transports for monitoring/queuing.

The DN-1400F CD Changer can be operated from either a PC under Windows
or an Apple Macintosh computer. Digital and analog outputs are available
through the DN-1400F's balanced XLR connectors.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951214/Press & Reader Contact: Mark Kaltman, Denon US
201-575-7810)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/15/95
TELECOM
Belgium Selects Ameritech Consortium In Belgacom Tender

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00004)
Belgium Selects Ameritech Consortium In Belgacom Tender 12/15/95
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1995 DEC 15 (NB) -- The Belgian Government has
announced that the consortium led by Ameritech, which includes
partners TeleDanmark and Singapore Telecom, has been selected to take
a 50 percent stake, less one share, in Belgacom.

According to Elio di Rupo, the Ameritech consortium has bid BF 73.3
billion ($2.5 billion) for the stake, which outbid a consortium led by
Koninklijke PTT of the Netherlands and Swiss Telecom.

Media reports in Belgium have noted this week that Belgacom's 26,000-
plus workforce is rated as the least productive of Europe telcos in
terms of revenue and profits. Newsbytes notes that the announcement of
the successful bidder has gone down like a lead balloon with the
Belgian Trade Union movement, which only yesterday held a series of
marches in Brussels to express their dissatisfaction with the
privatization of previously state-owned organizations.

As reported previously by Newsbytes, three consortia were approved in
July of this year to take a stake in Belgacom. In addition to the
Ameritech and Koninkjke PTT consortia, the third bidder was Bell
Atlantic/British Telecom.

The fourth bidder ousted in the July reckoning was Swiss Telecom,
which the Belgian Government said failed to reach the final stage
because it did not have "enough industrial synergies to consolidate
Belgacom's future."

Ironically, Newsbytes reported in July that Ameritech's bid was
looking a little shaky as, according to the Belgian Government's
Privatization Commission, the bid price needed to be revised to meet
the range set by the Commission. No details of the actual range
requested have been released by the Government at the time, however.

Back in July, the Government was talking in terms of selling off a 25
percent stake in Belgacom. At the time, di Rupo said that the Belgian
Telecoms Minister had not decided what percentage of Belgacom it
planned to sell off.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951214/Press & Reader Contact: Belgacom, tel +32-2-
202-9736, fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/15/95
PC
German Firm Claims Breakthrough Graphics Card

(NEWS)(PC)(LON)(00005)
German Firm Claims Breakthrough Graphics Card 12/15/95
UNTERHACHING, GERMANY, 1995 DEC 15 (NB) -- Number Nine Visual
Corporation has taken the wraps off what it claims is a revolutionary
3D graphics accelerator for the PC. Known as 9FX Reality, the card is
based on the Verite 3D graphics engine from Rendition in the US, and
has been built and optimized from the ground up.

Chris Corfield, a spokesperson for the company, told Newsbytes that
the card technology has been optimized for games and graphics on the
PC in both 2D and 3D mode.

"When you look at what is possible with the graphics on this card,
it's difficult to see how the games console vendors, including Sega
and Nintendo, can keep up. The resolution on this card is little short
of amazing," he said.

According to Corfield, several PC games software houses have been
working with Rendition and Number Nine on developing games
specifically for the 64-bit graphics environment. Companies that are
supporting the card includes Software Inc., developers of Doom and
Quake; Papyrus Design (Nascar Racing), Simis (Terracide) and Looking
Glass Technologies (Flight Unlimited).

The architecture of the Verite platform is claimed to be split over
two sub architectures -- the graphics engine itself and a programmable
embedded graphics RISC (reduced instruction set computing) core, which
is billed as an unique and important innovation from Rendition.

According to Number Nine, the RISC core can be thought of as handling
the setup of the drawing, while the graphics engine goes and does the
drawing itself. There are two advantages to this approach, the company
claims -- first, the two subsystems can work in parallel (the RISC
core is already at work setting up the next drawing as soon as it
hands off the first one to the graphics engine), and second, the
graphics RISC processor can be programmed according to the evolving
and future needs of the entertainment market.

In game play, or in business graphics, the 9FX Reality card is claimed
to support texture mapping with perspective correction, which the
company claims ensures a real world perspective of three dimensional
objects, along with anti-aliasing and edge anti-aliasing, which gets
rid of unwanted visual effects such as "staircasing" or line breakups.

Pricing on the 9FX Reality has been set at DM 599 in Germany, with UK
and French pricing being set, respectively, at UKP 229 and FF 1,495.
Italian and Spanish pricing has been set at LL 482,250 and Pta 37,000,
respectively.

(Steve Gold/19951214/Press Contact: Banner PR [phone]; Email:
[e-mail]; Reader Contact: Number Nine GmbH +49-
89-614-4910; Fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/15/95
GENERAL
Australia - SoftKey/Learning Company Staff Changes

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00006)
Australia - SoftKey/Learning Company Staff Changes 12/15/95
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 1995 DEC 15 (NB) -- As part of The Learning
Company's loss of a merger with Broderbund Software, and Broderbund's
subsequent agreement with SoftKey International, some changes
Down Under took place.

Tony Hughes, SoftKey's managing director for the Asia-Pacific region,
says the merger makes SoftKey the No. 2 consumer software company
behind Microsoft. It also heralds an Australian SoftKey expansion.
The Asia region is split between two managing directors: Hughes, based
in Sydney, takes Asia Pacific, and Matthew Barlow gets Japan.

Barlow, formerly MD of Future Vision, came to SoftKey when it acquired
Future Vision last August. "The idea was I'd be based out of Tokyo
until business grew to a point where we could justify a presence in
Sydney," says Hughes. The moment has clearly arrived, and Hughes
says SoftKey will now be "staffing up" and looking for bigger premises.
Distributor Dataflow distributes both Learning Company and SoftKey titles in
Australia.

When Newsbytes spoke to Hughes recently, he said that worldwide, Softkey's
goal is to become consolidator of the software industry. The company has
demonstrated its intentions by borrowing half a billion US dollars over the
past several months, and embarking on a spending spree which has certain
other companies up in arms.

In discussing Softkey's bid for TLC, Hughes admitted it was a hostile bid
and that one of its competitors, Broderbund, had already been negotiating
with TLC for several months. "The [TLC] shareholders meeting to consider the
Broderbund offer was scheduled to have been held on November 10," Hughes
said. Just a week prior to that meeting though, Softkey put in a competitive
bid which was 17 per cent premium over Broderbund's offer. "Essentially,"
said Hughes, "this had the effect of postponing the shareholders meeting
between TLC and Broderbund."

As a further extension of Softkey's acquisition program, the company
purchased Future Vision Holdings in October. A multimedia software company
which generated revenues of approximately $US11 million in its most recent
financial year, Future Vision was obtained in exchange for the issuance of
approximately 1.1 million shares of common stock.

(Keir Wells and Computer Daily News/19951211)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/15/95
ONLINE
Desktop Data Says LinkEdge Will Integrate Information

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TOR)(00007)
Desktop Data Says LinkEdge Will Integrate Information 12/15/95
WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 15 (NB) -- Desktop
Data, Inc. (NASDAQ:DTOP), operator of the NewsEdge news filtering
service, said its new LinkEdge software will tie together different news
sources and media to make it easier for its subscribers to obtain information
from NewsEdge.

The NewsEdge service filters more than 500 news and information sources
according to individual users' profiles and sends the selected material to
subscribers' personal computers.

LinkEdge is an interface or front end for the NewsEdge service that runs on
the customer's personal computer. Marni Hoyle, a spokeswoman for
Desktop Data, told Newsbytes that it has two principal advantages. First,
users will now be alerted to the availability of new information in formats
other than text, such as video feeds from NBC Desktop Video and Securities
and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings available through Indepth Data
Inc.'s Indepth EDGAR service. Second, users will be able to obtain these
different types of information with a click of the mouse, rather than having
to worry about which service provides which data.

For instance, a NewsEdge subscriber might receive an alert, in the form of a
text message that looks just like other text news items, that NBC Desktop
Video is about to broadcast an interview with an executive of a competing
firm. By clicking an on-screen button, the subscriber could receive the video
feed on his or her desktop PC.

Similarly, the subscriber could respond to an alert about a new SEC filing
and obtain the data from the EDGAR service, Desktop Data said.

Hoyle said Desktop Data will offer LinkEdge with support for either NBC
Desktop Video or the EDGAR service or both, as each subscriber prefers.
Pricing will vary by configuration; as an example, Hoyle said an existing
NewsEdge subscriber could add LinkEdge providing any one of NBC
Desktop Video's three channels to a maximum of 50 desktops for $20,000
per year, under a promotion now under way.

LinkEdge 1.0 is to ship before the end of December. Desktop Data expects
to expand LinkEdge with support for other information sources in future,
Hoyle told Newsbytes.

(Grant Buckler/19951214/Press Contact: Marni Hoyle, Desktop Data,
617-672-2421, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/15/95
ONLINE
America Online Beefs Up Canadian Access

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TOR)(00008)
America Online Beefs Up Canadian Access 12/15/95
VIENNA, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 15 (NB) -- America Online, Inc.
(NASDAQ:AMER) has announced the installation of 28,800-bit-per-second
(bps) access on local lines in 18 Canadian cities and on a toll-free line
accessible from anywhere in the country. A company spokeswoman said the
moves are part of a push to beef up AOL's international offerings.

Effective immediately, AOL has 28,800-bps access to its own network in:
Calgary and Edmonton in Alberta; Vancouver, British Columbia; Winnipeg,
Manitoba; Hamilton, Kitchener, London, Ottawa, Oshawa, St. Catharines,
Toronto, and Windsor in Ontario; Montreal, Quebec; and Regina and
Saskatoon in Saskatchewan. Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Victoria, British
Columbia are to get 28,800-bps access before the end of this month, the
company said.

Access through any of these local lines carries a surcharge of three cents
(US) per minute on top of AOL's basic monthly rate of US$9.95 per month
and US$2.95 per additional hour. Those not within range of a local 28,800-
bps port can call toll-free 800-318-2265 from anywhere in the country to
connect at the same speed. The only catch is that the surcharge for the toll-
free line is 20 cents per minute in US currency.

Leslie Garvey, a spokeswoman for America Online, told Newsbytes that the
new high-speed access in Canada is part of a plan to improve America
Online's service in Canada and Europe. The company is starting that push in
Canada, she said, since it borders on the United States.

Another piece of AOL's push into the Canadian market is the naming of
Stephen Bartkiw as managing director for Canada. Bartkiw was most
recently director of online services at Rogers Cablesystems Ltd., one of
Canada's largest cable-television operators, and before that was business
development manager for Southam New Media, a division of newspaper
publisher Southam Inc., in Toronto.

(Grant Buckler/19951214/Press Contact: Kathy Johnson, America Online,
703-918-1948, Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Public Contact: America
Online, 703-448-8700)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/15/95
GENERAL
 ***IT Asia 95 Biggest IT Event In Asia

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEL)(00009)
 ***IT Asia 95 Biggest IT Event In Asia 12/15/95
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1995 DEC 15 (NB) -- They called it the "Biggest Event
In The IT Industry" in the entire Asia-Pacific region in terms of
sheer size, and to that extent, the Manufacturers' Association for
Information Technology (MAIT), the organizers, created just that.

IT Asia '95, the annual MAIT jamboree, was sprawled across an
area of 24,000 square meters in Delhi's Pragati Maidan from 6-9
December. With 30,000 registered visitors, up from just 12,000 last
year, according to the chairman IT Asia, Bikram Dasgupta,
up to 400,000 people had visited the show.

This IT Asia had no blockbuster announcements. Gopal Srinivasan,
president, MAIT, put it quite succinctly, "Last year was full of
big announcements, but I think this show is about real products which are
available now. What you are seeing is the outcome of big announcements.
There are LAN and Internet applications, services and products
everywhere you go here."

The Showbuzz

Multimedia and Internetworking were the major themes this year and the
technologies could be witnessed in full gear in the pavilions,
attracting huge crowds. All the major multimedia vendors, from Creative
Labs, to Aztech and Compro, participated in a big way either directly
or through their partners in India.

Companies offering CD titles were abundantly scattered in all the
pavilions, and quite a few had come from other countries to participate
directly and display their fare. High-end production systems and
graphics workstations were also well represented through the
presence of players like Silicon Graphics, Avid Technologies (through
Tata Elxsi India Ltd.), Matrox Studio (through Benchmarks Systems),
and Intergraph (through Rolta).

The Internet was also the buzz at the show. MAIT launched an 80-page
Web site giving details on all the aspects of the exhibition, from the
exhibitors to the seminars. Stalls offered membership to bulletin
board services (BBS) at special prices.

For networking equipment, from hubs and routers to ATM switches, there were
3Com Asia, Cisco and Cabletron.

Another trend was products targeted for the SOHO (small office home office)
segment. Both local and international companies had a lot to offer in
terms of software at special prices in IT Asia.

Direct foreign participation was much higher this time. The Singapore
pavilion, which incidentally also represented the highest number of
companies participating from outside India, had two major companies
representing the latest trends -- Creative Labs with its range of
multimedia products and Cabletron in internetworking.

ACS Computer Pte Ltd. had on display the Compro range of
multimedia products. Apple Computer, which had also participated last
year, once again managed to hog the limelight, with their partners
and their solutions for the range of segments they are addressing.
"Sur Tal" Excellence and Harmony in computing, was the theme of the
pavilion--and the ambience of the pavilion perfectly matched the theme.

Silicon Graphics Systems (India) Pvt. Ltd. was present with their
systems for the publishing and education market. The pavilion featured
theme booths for different segments of the market. Internet access,
the theme of one of the booths, offered the visitors a trip on the
information superhighway. The company had its volunteers dressed
like bandits, spread all over the exhibition area contributing
to the company bagging the "The Most Talked-About Company" in the
show award.

Another first timer at the mega event was Cisco Systems Inc.,
displaying ATM switching engines, and intelligent multi layer LAN
switches.

US-based Santa Cruz Operation had taken over an entire hall in the show,
bringing together all its partners to present their solutions.
The firm attempted to portray the level of investment and
commitment SCO continues to put into one of the world's largest Unix
operating system markets -- India.

(C. T. Mahabharat/19951215)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/15/95
GENERAL
IT Asia - India Rallies Toward Fast Growth Track

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEL)(00010)
IT Asia - India Rallies Toward Fast Growth Track 12/15/95
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1995 DEC 15 (NB) -- P. Chidambaram, Minister of
Commerce, inaugurated IT Asia 95 with the remark that Indians
need to be shaken out of their complacency that the largest pool of
technical manpower, the widespread use of English and the fast
developing infrastructure will automatically put it on a fast
growth track. "We believe that India has the second largest pool of
skilled manpower in the world. This is questionable. In fact,
India ranks 46th in the list of 47 countries as given in the World
Competitive Report," he pointed out.

"There are very few countries in the developing world that have
world-scale production facility as well as a world-class market
(in the IT sector) like India," Chidambaram said, "However, we have
not been able to exploit these advantages." He felt what was
required was a major change in attitude. "Instead of WAGging (Waiting
around the Government), our industry need to Bark and BITE (Building
Initiative for Technology and Excellence)," he quipped.

Gopal Srinivasan, president MAIT, spoke at length about the NII --
national infrastructure program -- which involves computers, telecom
networks, software, information content and people to enhance the
capability, productivity and effectiveness of all key processes
in the country.

(C. T. Mahabharat/19951215)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
12/08/95
ONLINE
Philippines - Southern Provinces Hooked on the Net

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(HKG)(00011)
Philippines - Southern Provinces Hooked on the Net 12/08/95
MANILA, PHILIPPINES, 1995 DEC 8 (NB) -- The Internet fever has
spread on to the southern islands of Visayas and Mindanao in the
Philippines as more and more Intercut service providers are setting
up shop in the larger provinces there. Among the southern provinces
getting hooked on the Net are Bohol and Cebu in the Visayas and Davao
in Mindanao.

With the Philippines having the most number of ISPs in Asia, Cebu
is blazing the info technology trail for the country's other southern
cities with approximately four Intercut providers currently underway and
more still girding for their infrastructures before the year ends.
Spearheading ISPs in Cebu is the Center for Network Management
and Services (CNMS) of the University of San Carlos which was
launched immediately after the Philippines got wired for the Intercut
on March 1995.

Concurrently hooking up Cebu to the world are the Global Systems
Interconnect, Inc., Nexus Online, and the MosCom. In the offing is
WebLink, having already accessed Mindanao cities like Davao.
CyberNet Information Service is at present gearing up for their system
installation.

With varying rates and scope of services, the Cebu-based ISPs
maintain two types of connection being offered: the shell
accounts/dial-up access and the SLIP/PPP accounts.

Acosta said Davao's Intercut access is long overdue considering its
upbeat business climate, improved telecommunications facilities, and
availability of computer hardware. It now joins Cagayan de Oro and
Iligan cities in Mindanao's cruise to the Intercut.

(Delora Sales, Leo Corleone, Michael Obenieta &
Conduit/19951208/Intercut e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/15/95
BUSINESS
China - Alcatel Seeks More Of China's GSM Market

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(PEK)(00012)
China - Alcatel Seeks More Of China's GSM Market 12/15/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 DEC 15 (NB) -- France's Alcatel Corp announced
recently a plan to increase its presence in China's developing GSM
technology market. A spokesman for the global telecommunications company,
Ernest Eidenberger, announced that the corporation considers its joint
venture in China, Shanghai Bell Alcatel Mobile Telecommunications Co,
established at the beginning of this year, to be the first step into
the potential market.

Eidenberger said that the joint venture so far has the ability to make
GSM equipment including the base station transceivers, mobile switching, and
handsets. Alcatel has received orders from Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jilin,
and other areas where large-scale construction of GSM networks in going on.

The company's large project in Jilin province of Northeast involves US$20
million to build a network that will go into operation next year with 160,00
subscribers, said Eidenberger. In addition, the French corporation also
plans to provided GSM pay-phone systems for economically underdeveloped
regions and other application areas where fixed telephone line installations
are not suitable.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951209)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/09/95
TELECOM
China - Mobile Phone Owners Won't Give Up Pagers

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(PEK)(00013)
China - Mobile Phone Owners Won't Give Up Pagers 12/09/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 DEC 9 (NB) -- Although mobile phones are
proliferating fast in China, they won't replace pagers, according to
a recent survey.

There were 17 million pagers at the end of 1994, and 24 million at present,
according to sources from the State Radio Monitoring Center. Sales will be
worth RMB15 billion (US$1.8 billion) and service fees will be
about RMB10 billion (US$1.2 billion) this year.

Although pager carriers consist of 2 percent of the country's total
population and will be less than 3 percent in 1996, the number of pagers
put China just next to the United States which has 27 million pagers in
use.

Besides displaying the caller's phone number, many "Chinese" pagers
allow the caller to leave oral massages and then display them on the beeper
screen in Chinese. Pagers also provide information such as the weather
forecast, stock prices, news, and TV program guides.

Not only businessmen, but also students, police officers, reporters, and
government officials also carry beepers.

People who own mobile phones are not giving up their beepers. Several
businessmen carrying both mobile phones and beepers told Newsbytes
that their mobile phones are only used for making outgoing calls.

A pager costs from RMB600 to 2,500 (US$72 to 300) and the annual service fees
are around RMB300 to 600 (US$36 to 72). Pager services are available in about
1500 cities in China and inter-city pager networks are under development.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951209)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/15/95
GENERAL
Bill To Be A Daddy

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00014)
Bill To Be A Daddy 12/15/95
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 15 (NB) -- Bill is going to
be a daddy. Bill Gates, the 40-year old chairman of Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ: MSFT) and his wife of nearly a year, Melinda French, 31,
announced yesterday they will become parents sometime in late
May of next year.

The couple doesn't know yet if it will be a boy or a girl, but if
its a boy they have decided he won't be named Bill or William. That
will break a Gates family tradition that has lasted four
generations. Bill Gates' true name, as was his father's, grandfather's
and great-grandfather's, is William Henry Gates. Bill was known as
"Trey" when he was younger.

Melissa French is a Microsoft executive in the company's consumer
division. A company spokesperson said she said she hasn't decided
yet whether she will return to work after the child is born.

Gates is the world's richest American with an estimated wealth of
$12 billion to $14 billion. But even if the family's fortunes
continue to prosper, his heir won't get much of the couple's wealth.
Gates said he will give away most of his wealth to charitable
causes.

Gates' first book hit the retail shelves last month, in which he
talks about computing devices of the future. Those include an
electronic wallet that will store digital money, tell you where
you are if you're lost, monitor your heart rate, and unlock doors.

The 275-page hard cover book, titled "The Road Ahead," has a price
sticker that reads $29.95 and comes with an interactive multimedia
CD-ROM that contains the complete text of the book, hundreds of
multimedia hyperlinks, video simulations of future technology, a
World Wide Web browser and a special video interview with Gates that
can also be played on an audio CD player. You also get an electronic
tour of the lakeside home Bill and Melinda are building. Gates is
donating the profits from the book to charity.

The home has about 50,000 square feet that includes high quality
display screens that will exhibit the user's choice of art at the
touch of a button. There's also a huge underground garage, an
underwater stereo system in the swimming pool and a trampoline
room. Unconfirmed construction estimates range as high as $40
million, and the house is expected to be competed late next year.

(Jim Mallory/19951215/press contact: Microsoft, 206-882-8080)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/15/95
BROADCAST
More on Microsoft/NBC Deal

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(MSP)(00015)
More on Microsoft/NBC Deal 12/15/95
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 15 (NB) -- Internet World
Wide Web users might have gotten a taste of what the new NBC News/
Microsoft online service will look like in the near future. Yesterday
morning's news conference, held by officials of both Microsoft and NBC,
was both shown and heard live on the Web.

Through the use of Xing's StreamWorks technology and simultaneously
linking Xing's and NBC's respective Web sites, Internet users worldwide
had access to the news conference. The program was carried by NBC
Desktop Video's NBC Pro service. Xing received the NBC Pro feed,
converted it, and fed it out at varying speeds. Internet users with
integrated services digital network (ISDN) access, 28.8Kbps (kilobits
per second), and 14.4Kbps access could both see and listen to the
conference, while people with 9600bps modems could receive an audio-
only feed, officials said.

It's that kind of multimedia feature that will be an integral part
of the "MSNBC" Online service, although Xing was never mentioned as
a technology provider. It should also be noted that even at the
fastest speed, Xing's video quality was a bit below what consumers
would normally see on television.

The online service is a part of two new businesses in which the software
giant and the broadcast network will participate. Yesterday, officials
from both companies said they're entering into a 50/50 partnership
to develop both the online service to be delivered on the Microsoft
Network (MSN), and a 24-hour news and information channel on cable TV.
MSNBC Cable will debut within six months over the existing "America's
Talking" cable channel. NBC's current "NBC Desktop Video" computer-
based business information service will be incorporated into MSNBC
Online.

While the cable TV network will have a ready-made audience of 20
million people, not as many people are expected to make the leap
immediately into cyberspace to get their news. "It's a capacity
issue," NBC President Bob Wright said at yesterday's news conference,
which Newsbytes attended via teleconference. "Some people may take
five years before they have a system that can really do this."
Officials from both companies said they think upcoming developments
will make faster access to the Internet possible for greater number
of people.

Yesterday's announcement also provides a major boost to Microsoft's
plans to capitalize on the Internet, analysts said Thursday. They feel
the move is a logical one as the company prepares for a future when
consumers may have access to high speed cable modems to access the
Internet or online services.

(Bob Woods/19951215/Press Contacts: Paul Lief Rosengren, NBC, 212-
664-2756)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/15/95
BUSINESS
Iomega Public Offering, 3-1 Stock Split

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00016)
Iomega Public Offering, 3-1 Stock Split 12/15/95
ROY, UTAH, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 15 (NB) -- Iomega Corp. (NASDAQ: IOMG)
said this week its board of directors will ask stockholders to
approve an increase in the number of authorized shares and a
three-for-one stock split.

The board has scheduled a special shareholder meeting for January
26, 1996 to vote on the proposals.

The board will ask shareholders to approve an increase in the
number of authorized shares from the current 30 million to 150
million. The proposal will be voted on by shareholders of record as
of the close of business on December 22, 1995.

Shareholders of record as of January 15, 1996 will be the
beneficiaries of a three-for-one stock split in the form of a
stock dividend to be paid on or about January 31, 1996, if the idea
gets the nod from shareholders at the special meeting.

Iomega also announced it has filed a registration statement with
the Securities and Exchange Commission covering a proposed public
offering of 5.25 million shares of its common stock. The company
said it may sell up to an additional 787,6500 shares to cover over
allotments in connection with the offering. Hambrecht & Quist and
Montgomery Securities will serve as managing underwriters for the
offering.

Iomega said it will use the proceeds from the offering for general
corporate purposes and working capital needs.

Iomega markets data storage devices that use removable storage
media as well as a line of tape drives under the trade name Ditto.
The company's stock was trading at $52.50 this morning. The stock
has been steadily climbing since Thanksgiving when it closed at
$35.50 the day before the holiday.

(Jim Mallory/19951215/Press and public contact: Iomega,
801-778-3585)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/15/95
TRENDS
European Software Sales Explode

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(WAS)(00017)
European Software Sales Explode 12/15/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 DEC 15 (NB) -- Software sales in
Western Europe hit $471.6 million for the third quarter of 1995,
a 58 percent increase over the third quarter of 1994, according
to the Software Publishers Association. The figures represent a
substantial turnaround on revenues, as Europe has been a soft
market recently.

"Revenues have been slow in the past, but unit sales had been
perking along nicely," Anne Griffith, SPA research analyst, told
Newsbytes. She explained that European software prices were
much higher than in the US, and have been falling lately in a
regional price war.

Now, said Griffith, it looks like European prices and American
prices for US software are about the same. "I think we have
finally gotten to the bottom," she said.

For the first nine months of 1995, sales of software
applications were $1.4 billion, a 16 percent increase over the
same period last year. For the quarter, unit sales increased 76
percent and were up 54 percent for the first three quarters.

Major business applications dominated the sales figures for the
quarter, says SPA. Word processor, spreadsheet and presentation
graphics sales rose between 50 percent and 60 percent.

Windows applications continue to dominate, as DOS applications
fell to $13 million for the quarter and Macintosh applications
rose only slightly to $28 million.

Germany and the United Kingdom continued to lead in Europe,
jointly accounting for over 50 percent of revenue. But all of
the regions showed revenue gains.

"The figures show that the sales expansion in the third quarter
in Western Europe was widespread and not confined to just a few
markets," said Ken Wasch, SPA president.

SPA gets its figures from 30 primarily US-based software firms
that submit confidential sales data to the accounting firm of
Arthur Andersen.

Among the participants are Adobe, Borland, Claris, Lotus,
Microsoft, Software Publishing, Symantec, and WordPerfect.

(Kennedy Maize/19951215/Press Contact: Anne Griffith, SPA,
202-452-1600, ext. 360)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/15/95
APPLE
Pipeline For Macintosh Available Today

(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00018)
Pipeline For Macintosh Available Today 12/15/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 15 (NB) -- Internet
service provider PSINet (NASDAQ:PSIX) says its Pipeline company
will distribute a Macintosh version of its Internet
software at The Home & Family Computing Supershow in San Francisco.
Pipeline also announced additional features for its Windows software.

PSINet took Pipeline, originally a New York-based service, national
this past July with a Windows software package. Pipeline spokesperson
Jon Boroshok spoke to Newsbytes about the new Mac version. "We
have always wanted to have a Macintosh package to compliment our
Windows software. There are a lot of Mac users who need a simple and
easy way to access the Internet and this is it. We recently won PC
Magazine's 'Editors' Choice' award as an excellent package for new
users."

Commenting further, he said, "Our national service now has more than
200 points-of-presence (POPs or local phone access areas) and I think
we are the only national Internet provider to offer unlimited Internet
usage for a flat fee," said Boroshok. "Mac users have had always had
trouble getting onto the Internet. Our software makes it as simple as
possible."

Pipeline's Internet service is priced at $19.95 per month for unlimited
use 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Its Mac software is available
free and can be downloaded from http://www.usa.pipeline.com . System
requirements include System 7.0 or later, 8 megabytes (MB) of RAM
(or four with RAM Doubler), a 9600 bits per second or faster modem
and 8 MB of hard disk space.

This Mac version offers access to the World Wide Web, e-mail, Usenet
Newsgroups, Internet Relay Chat, Telnet, File Transfer Protocol, and
organized Gopher sites. Upgrades are already on the drawing board for
Winsock capabilities and personal Web pages.

Pipeline also announced new features for its Windows users. The
company's Windows software version 3.4 is upgradable to Winsock
capabilities which means users may choose whatever browser they wish
to use and apply other Winsock applications. Additionally, the
company is offering Pipeline Personal Web Pages for $4.95/month.
Until February, this service is free.

For another $4.95/month, customers may add another household
member to an existing account. Up to five accounts may be added and
each additional user name will be charged at the above price. Pipeline
can be contacted through 1-800-453-7473 for its free software.

(Patrick McKenna/19951215/Press Contact: Aggie Nteta, Pipeline, tel
703-904-4100)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/15/95
IBM
IBM's Eastern European OS/2 Preload Agreements

(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00019)
IBM's Eastern European OS/2 Preload Agreements 12/15/95
PARIS, FRANCE, 1995 DEC 15 (NB) -- IBM Central Europe & Russia (CER)
has announced that four PC vendors in Russia and Poland have signed
OS/2 Warp preload contracts. Three Russian companies, R-Style
Computers, Coman Corporation and Formoza, along with Vobis Poland,
have already started preloading OS/2 Warp on machines rolling
through their factories.

According to Big Blue, the deals are significant, since the three
Russian firms are in the top five sales-wise in the CIS region. Dan
Lautenbach, IBM vice president for emerging markets and OEM (original
equipment manufacturer), explained that OS/2 Warp has been something
of a success in Eastern Europe, which has helped the company proceed
with the preload agreements for the operating system.

"These (Russian) companies account for a significant portion of the
Russian operating system market. In addition, Vobis Microcomputer in
Poland adds to the worldwide momentum of OS/2 Warp," he said.

According to Lautenbach, R-Style Computers has committed to making the
English language version of OS/2 Warp available as a preload on at
least 95 percent of the company's systems, and will begin using using
the Russian language version when it becomes available.

Plans call for R-Style and IBM to participate in joint marketing
activities in Russia, with Big Blue providing R-Style specialists with
technical training. The company claims to have shipped 24,000 PCs
during 1994, and expects to make more than 40,000 shipments during the
current year. According to R-Style, OS/2 Warp will boost 1996 sales
figures by between seven and 10 percent.

Coman Corporation, meanwhile, will start loading OS/2 Warp on around
30 percent of its systems sold starting this month. According to
Sergey Anisimov, the company's president, the demand for OS/2 from
corporate customers and the public sector strongly influenced Coman's
decision to preload the operating system.

Coman also plans to launch an advertising campaign highlighting the
availability of its computers preloaded with OS/2 Warp. Company
officials claim that PC sales during 1995 will top the $26 million
mark, while 1996 targets have been set at between $45 and $50 million.

Over at Formoza, which is billed as Russia's second largest OEM
(original equipment manufacturer) in the PC business, plans call for
the company to preload 14,400 systems with Russian language PC DOS and
2,000 systems with OS/2 Warp over the next 12 months. Of these
systems, 2,400 will be equipped with the English language version of
OS/2 Warp. The company claims it shipped around 20,000 systems last
year and will ship around 50,000 units this year.

In Poland, Vobis Poland, an offshoot of the giant Vobis Corporation in
Germany, half of all 80486 and Pentium-based machines are now shipping
with the Polish version of OS/2 Warp. According to Danusz
Pietraszkiewicz, the company's country manager, Vobis aims to offer
state of the art systems that are tailored to the needs of the
customer.

"Beyond doubt, many of our customers find OS/2 to be their preferred
operating system, so the number of OS/2 users is rapidly growing," he
said, adding that the company shipped around 8,000 PCs last year and
expects to ship double that quantity this year.

Vobis, Newsbytes notes, is the largest PC retailer in Poland, with 18
retail outlets.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951215/Press Contact: IBM Corporate Communications
[phone]; Fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/15/95
ONLINE
UK Internet Service Provider Forms InsuranceNet Company

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LON)(00020)
UK Internet Service Provider Forms InsuranceNet Company 12/15/95
CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 15 (NB) -- Unipalm Pipex, the UK's
largest Internet service provider (SP) has formed a new company,
InsuranceNet, with the aim of servicing the Internet needs of the
Insurance industry in the UK.

According to Peter Loughlin, the director of the new company, the
service company will act as a supplier of hardware, software and
Internet services, together with consultancy, to any company in the
insurance industry that wishes to plug into the Internet.

"The Internet offers a number of possibilities that existing
online/EDI (electronic document interchange) services do not,
especially in terms of cost per transaction," he told Newsbytes,
adding the company is the only firm to date that specializes in
getting insurance companies and brokers hooked into the Internet.

Plans call for the InsuranceNet service to have its own domain name,
and to act as an information exchange environment for the insurance
industry, bringing together market information, company product
information, and links to peripheral resources such as loss adjusters.

There will also be live discussion forms and an industry news service
on the domain server. Loughlin explained that the formation of the new
company is a major initiative that will generate significant benefits
for brokers and insurers alike.

"We've already concluded discussions with a number of major insurers,
as well as a number of national brokers and the concept is attracting
a lot of positive interest," he said.

When pressed, however, Loughlin told Newsbytes that it is too early in
the day to name these insurance majors, although details will be
announced when the company goes "live" for users in the New Year.

Loughlin's background is from the insurance industry, and he claims to
have played a major part in the creation of the Insurance Club, an
online service for the insurance industry that serves insurers and
brokers.

Loughlin claims that existing online systems for the insurance
industry tend to be fragmented. "At the moment, the insurance industry
runs on a wide variety of systems. That adds expense -- the Internet
is cost effective, stable, established and, contrary to popular myth,
can be made as secure as any network," he said.

(Steve Gold/19951215/Press Contact: Peter Loughlin [phone];
Amanda Hassall, GBC [phone]; E-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/15/95
GENERAL
China - Technology Newsbriefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(PEK)(00021)
China - Technology Newsbriefs 12/15/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 DEC 15 (NB) -- In this news roundup from China,
60 telecommunications companies display their equipment in Beijing,
IBM announces revised OS/2 in Shanghai, Motorola signs agreement to
provide data communications product to MPI, and ICBC's ATMs will allow
RMB withdrawal from foreign credit card accounts.

Sixty Telecom Firms Display Equipment In Beijing

1995 Beijing International Radio Telecommunications Equipment Exhibition was
held from November 28 to December 2 at China International Exhibition Center,
Beijing. 60 companies from 12 countries and regions displayed their
products there. Major exhibits included mobile telecommunications equipment,
digital microwave transmission equipment, and satellite receiving equipment.

IBM Revises OS/2 In Shanghai

Competing with Windows 95, IBM's recently announced its newly revised OS/2
software platform and supporting AS/400 emulation software in Shanghai. Wu
Baochun, manager of IBM's operations in East China, said that the revised OS/2
platform, catering to the needs of Chinese customers, is capable of linking
computer terminals with both the computing environment and the Internet.

Motorola Provides Data Communications Product To MPI

Motorola recently signed an agreement with Ministry of Power Industry (MPI) in
Beijing to provide its data communications products to the second phase
construction of the national electricity data exchange network. The
network is to serve the rapid growth of the domestic power industry as
well as to meet demand for power generating, dispatching, and managing.

ICBC's ATMs Will Allow RMB Withdrawal From Foreign Accounts

Shanghai's branch of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) will extend
its network of automatic teller machines (ATMs) and will improve the machines'
capabilities, according to its President Shen Ruolei. By the first quarter of
next year, when the bank links its main computer systems with the ATM
network of Visa International, credit card holders can use their foreign-
currency-account cards to draw RenMinBi cash from ICBC ATMs in Shanghai.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951209)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/15/95
GENERAL
Two Vacancies In Australia's IT Community

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00022)
Two Vacancies In Australia's IT Community 12/15/95
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 1995 DEC 15 (NB) -- For upwardly mobile young
Australian-based execs, top posts opened up this week.
PC maker Acer Computer Australia will be looking for someone to fill the
highly polished shoes of sales and marketing director Jonar Nader, who has
announced his resignation. Fast-growing software house Symantec is seeking a
general manager for Australia and NZ, following another elevation for
regional MD Garry Sexton.

The irrepressible writer/broadcaster/scoutmaster/marketing whiz Jonar Nader
has announced his resignation as Acer Computer's sales and marketing
director, just 12 days after MD James Wang told the press he would be
"definitely staying on." Nader says he leaves on good terms with Wang:
"We're great friends and always will be," he told Newsbytes.

Nader said his decision to leave was unconnected with the late-November
push which saw almost 10 percent of the Australian staff moved out as the
company gears for a new era of concentrating on corporate and government
markets. "Having spent two and a half years at Acer I believe I have
accomplished my goals," said Nader. He says he has yet to decide his next
move, but has "lots of exciting things" in mind. While he ponders the
choices, he will fill time by building a house (just up the road from
Newsbytes headquarters in Sydney) writing two books and preparing a third
edition of his best-selling Dictionary of Computing.

Symantec Australia is looking for a new general manager as local managing
director Garry ("Business Class") Sexton spreads his sphere of influence to
take in half the world. Sexton, who was already taking care of business for
Symantec in South-East Asia, as well as Australia and NZ, has been given
additional jurisdiction over North Asia and India. He also gets the twin
titles senior director and general manager, Asia Pacific: one of the four
new independent reporting structures into which Symantec has divided its
global affairs.

His additional responsibilities cover Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, and
India but not Japan.

(David Frith and Computer Daily News/19951214)


(ADVISORY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00023)

NewsPix Update For Newsbytes Publishers 12/15/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A.,1995 DEC 15 (NB) -- This update
will be posted each Wednesday and Friday to reflect the daily
picture additions. The updates will in turn become part of the
main NewsPix Bulletin issued on Monday.

These photos correspond to recent Newsbytes stories. They are online
in the Newsbytes menu on America Online, NiftyServe, the Newsbytes
Pacifica Website at http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/ and the
Newsbytes private bulletin board system in Minneapolis.

To become a licensed Newsbytes publisher, call Newsbytes at
612-430-1100 (US) or write to [e-mail] on the
Internet. Licensing applies to any medium.

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

DECEMBER 15, 1995

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

VACATIONS951213 - color / Free Travel & Vacation Planning On The Web:
screenshot of web page graphic.

DELUXE951212 - color / Adobe Intros Mac Photo Editing Software:
screenshot of work screen.

PEACHTREE951212 - color / Peachtree Intros Electronic Bill Paying
Service: shot of the software package.

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

PREVIOUS THIS WEEK -

POWER951208 - color / AER's 12-hour Battery For HP OmniBook: The
Powerslice LX with tray that slides out to support the Omnibook
mouse.

COMPCARD951207 - color / OKI Develops PC On A Card:the card with the
OKI imprint visible.

WTC951211 - color / Internet World Trade Center Opens On Web: main
art banner from web site.

(Newsbytes/19951215)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/15/95
TRENDS
Home Office Internet Use Increases Consumer Acceptance - Study

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(MSP)(00024)
Home Office Internet Use Increases Consumer Acceptance - Study 12/15/95
PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 15 (NB) -- Homes which double
as small offices are driving the growing use of the Internet and online
services, according to a study by Response Analysis Corporation. The
study also said online use didn't matter if people ran a business out
of their home or brought work with them after leaving the office.

The study focused on workers who would most likely use online services
and the Internet -- those people with annual incomes of $35,000 or
more. Sixty percent of these households had personal computers. Of
that majority, almost 20 percent use either online services or the
Internet, the survey said.

But in home office households more than 75 percent have a computer, 28
percent use online services, and 15 percent use the Internet. Those
percentages are greater than the general population of $35,000-plus
homes, the study said.

"We suspected that home office households would show more use (of the
Internet and online services) than households in general," Raymond
Boggs, Response Analysis vice president, told Newsbytes. "The
business applications available via online services and the Internet
appeal more to the home-based worker, especially the communications
aspect" of Internet e-mail and other vehicles, he said.

The study also showed that while "typical" consumers surf the Web
casually, home office workers use the Internet in a more focused
fashion. In addition, few home businesses have developed their own
home pages, the survey said. But the use of the Web for promotion and
business development is a "natural next step" for home workers with
an entrepreneurial spirit, Response Analysis officials noted.

The survey was conducted in the summer of 1995, with 757 households
having an annual income of $35,000 or more participating. Results have
a plus-or-minus four percent rate of error, and have a 95 percent
confidence level, Boggs said.

The report containing these results is available directly from Response
Analysis for $2950. Other areas examined in the study include the
influence of children on technology acquisition, and comparing the
attitude and intentions of PC owners and non-owners.

(Bob Woods/19951215/Press Contact: Raymond L. Boggs, Response
Analysis Corporation, 609-921-3333)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/15/95
CHIPS
AMD To Build $1.9 Billion Plant In Germany

(NEWS)(CHIPS)(LAX)(00025)
AMD To Build $1.9 Billion Plant In Germany 12/15/95
SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 15 (NB) -- Advanced
Micro Devices (AMD) announced that its board of directors has
approved a 10-year plan to invest $1.9 billion and employ more than
1,400 people in a microprocessor center in Dresden, Germany. The
new plant should be producing microprocessors in quantity by 1999.

The biggest part of the investment is $1.5 billion for the construction
of an 875,000-square-foot semiconductor wafer fabrication facility
and design center.

Chuck Mulloy, director of public relations for Advanced Micro Devices,
told Newsbytes, "The wafer fab facility will include approximately
90,000 square-feet of clean-room space for the manufacture of future
generations of Microsoft Windows-compatible microprocessors and
other high volume products. In this industry you have to
continuously look at the long run. This plant is primarily being put in
place for the post 2000 marketplace. Five years from now there could
be microprocessor products that are not anywhere near the drawing
board today."

"We still believe the PC microprocessor market will grow to fill this
plant, but at its core this plant is being designed as a flexible
microprocessor logic fabricator," says Mulloy.

Ground breaking for the new facility is scheduled for the end of
1996, with production commencing by year end 1998. At maximum
capacity, it will be capable of producing up to 6,000 eight-inch
wafers per week. The facility will start up on AMD's 0.25-micron
process technology and then migrate to 0.18-micron process
technology.

"This new megafab, designated Fab 30, combined with the Dresden
design center, will give AMD the resources required to serve an
increasing share of our customers' needs into the next century,"
said W.J. Sanders III, chairman and chief executive officer of AMD.

Sanders continued, "AMD is committed to leadership in the
microprocessor market. The microprocessor comprises the largest
segment of the micro-component market, which we expect to account
for 25 percent of the $300 billion semiconductor market by the end of
the decade." According to the company, current marketshare is around
16 percent.

The design center, which will conduct research and development
activities for future microprocessors, will begin operations
approximately two years after ground breaking.

"Fab 30 will be AMD's first wafer manufacturing facility in
Europe," Sanders said. "The Dresden area is an ideal location to
establish our European microprocessor center. There is a pool of
highly trained and motivated workers, along with the infrastructure
to support state-of-the-art semiconductor manufacturing and design
activities," Sanders said.

(Richard Bowers/19951215/Press Contact: Chuck Mulloy, Advanced
Micro Devices, 408-749-5481)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/15/95
WINDOWS
Windows 95 Gets Unimodem Voice Support

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(DEN)(00026)
Windows 95 Gets Unimodem Voice Support 12/15/95
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 15 (NB) -- Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ: MSFT) has announced it has added voice support for the
Unimodem driver to the Windows 95 operating system.
The new Unimodem V driver is available to developers and end users
without charge over the Internet and several online subscription
services.

Microsoft said the enhanced driver makes it faster and easier for
developers to create Windows 95-based communications applications
that use both voice modems and the communications platform
provided in Windows 95.

Unimodem is the term for the universal modem driver and telephony
service provider for the Windows operating system. It already
supports many of the most popular fax/data modems as well as some
of the emerging voice modems now coming to market. Features include
wave playback and record to and from the phone line and wave
playback and record to and from the telephone handset.

According to John Ludwig, vice president of the personal systems
division at Microsoft, adding voice-modem support to Unimodem makes
it possible for software vendors to develop next-generation TAPI
(Telephony Applications Program Interface) voice applications.

TAPI is the tool that makes it possible to truly integrate the
PC and the telephone, and some industry watchers believe when that
happens everything about the way we do business will change, since
TAPI can deal with voice, data, fax or even video.

A TAPI product implementation has three parts. You need a
TAPI-aware application that talks to a TAPI dynamic-link library
(DLL), and a device driver, such as Unimodem, to control the phone
system.

Unimodem supports speakerphones, caller ID, distinctive ringing and
call forwarding, all tools that will help turn your PC into a
telephone command post.

A Microsoft spokesperson told Newsbytes you can download the
Unimodem V software from Microsoft's home page on the World Wide
Web at http://www.microsoft.com/windows . It's also available on the
Microsoft Network and in the Windows 95 forums on America Online,
Compuserve and Prodigy. The driver will be integrated into future
versions of the Windows operating system.

(Jim Mallory/19951215/Press contact: Karla Wachter, Waggener
Edstrom for Microsoft, 503-245-0905; Public contact: Microsoft,
206-882-8080 or 800-426-9400)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/15/95
ONLINE
 ****Study Says Internet Is Overhyped And Not Global

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SFO)(00027)
 ****Study Says Internet Is Overhyped And Not Global 12/15/95
REDWOOD CITY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 15 (NB) --
Zona Research, a publisher and consulting, research company, released
a study this morning stating the consumer potential of the Internet is
vastly over-hyped and Internet's potential is best used within an
organization or business as opposed to across the Internet. Rather than
being global, the Internet is actually regional.

Called, "Internet vs. Intranet: Markets, Opportunities and Trends," the
report states businesses will find it easier and more efficient to use the
Internet for internal communication and productivity enhancement.

Zona's president, Stephen Auditore, says, "Based on our surveys and
analysis of Internet domain distribution, online service customers, and
other available surveys, we conclude that the prospects for commercial
consumer use of the Internet are vastly overstated. We see the prime
commercial opportunity for Internet/Intranet technologies to be inside
the enterprise. There are more than 15 million users within the
enterprise who have an infrastructure in-place which would allow them
to use the World Wide Web."

Another sobering observation made by Zona is words like "global" and
"worldwide" are highly inaccurate. "Our research indicates that aside
from the educational and government communities, the vast majority of
all Internet and Intranet activity is occurring in North America and
other English speaking regions," stated Auditore.

Getting back to the Internet commerce issue, he continued, "The notion
of tens of millions of consumers jumping online, exercising their
purchase prerogative, is grossly over-hyped, especially if the New York
Times' reports of the upcoming CommerceNet/Nielsen study are
accurate. As companies look to make investment in this area, it is
important to understand the true dynamics of the market, and to make
decisions based on the realities, not the aspirations of industry
promotion groups and consortia."

Auditore also says the critical event in the growth of the Interent is not
its origin as DARPA, the use of Unix, nor the explosive Internet software
phenomena with Netscape Communications, but Judge Green's decision
to break up AT&T. "We see a direct correlation between government
control of the telecommunications infrastructure of a region and the use
and access of the Internet within that region," stated Auditore.

Speaking to Newsbytes, Auditore was not at all down on the Internet
and its possibilities for commerce, saying, "I think there will be a
consumer-based market on the Internet. The exact model may not be
what everyone thinks it will be, but the potential is really there.
Security is still a big issue and the numbers are not there yet."

Auditore also said, "This study is in relation to the
CommerceNet/Nielsen report, as reported in the New York Times. Our
numbers show there are less than six million commercial online service
subscribers who even possess the connectivity underlying technology to
use the World Wide Web. This is far different than the numbers
gathered through their survey."

The Zona Research study is more than 170 pages long and is available
for $895. Designed for information technology professionals to identify
key markets and opportunities on the Internet, the report provides in-
depth analysis from a number of different sources. More information is
available from Zona's Web site at http://www.zonaresearch.com .

(Patrick McKenna/19951215/Press Contact: Joel Tomaneng, Zona
Research, tel [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/15/95
TELECOM
Sweden's Ericsson Secures First D-AMPS Order In Chile

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00028)
Sweden's Ericsson Secures First D-AMPS Order In Chile 12/15/95
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, 1995 DEC 15 (NB) -- Ericsson has revealed it has
signed an order for an AMPS/D-AMPS (American Mobile Phone
System/Digital AMPS) cellular network with Compania de
Telecomunicaciones Moviles Chile (CTCC), one of the two cellular
operators in Chile.

The contract is significant, since it marks the first time that the US
digital phone systems standards have been used in Chile. It is also
another country that could, theoretically at least, offer roaming to
D-AMPS phone subscribers in the US.

CTCC is a subsidiary of the partially privatized Telefonica
Internacional de Chile owned CC, which has operated a cellular network
in Chile since 1988. The order includes a mobile switching center and
a number of Ericsson's RBS 884 base stations, Plans call for the
network to be operation in early 1996.

"Chile has the most rapidly expanding economy in Latin America and we
want to offer state of the art technology to support this growth,"
explained Senor Gerardo Marti Casadevall, CTCC's general director.

Sven Christer Nilsson, vice president of Ericsson Radio Systems,
meanwhile, said that the deal heralds the start of inter-regional
roaming between the US and Asia, as well as South America. "The
addition of Chile to the D-AMPS coverage area in Latin America is an
important step, enabling operators to provide seamless coverage
throughout the region," he said.

The D-AMPS system soon to be seen in Chile is the same as that which
is in commercial service in Dallas, TX, Newsbytes notes, and
incorporates a digital control channel to allow operators to introduce
fully digital features and services into their infrastructures.

According to Ericsson, examples of such features and services include
sleep mode, data and fax capabilities, enhanced automatic
international roaming, support for private systems and advanced mobile
station support for hierarchical cell structures.

Newsbytes notes that there are almost two million subscribers using D-
AMPS network worldwide and 40 million using the analog variant, AMPS,
which has the option for upgrading to D-AMPS in the future. Ericsson
claims that 15 million of these subscribers use its own equipment.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951215/Press Contact: Per Bengtsson, Ericsson
Business Area Radio Communications [phone]; Reader Contact:
Magnus Amseklev, project manager, Ericsson Cellular - American
Standards [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/15/95
ONLINE
 ****DEC Offers Free "Super Spider" Web Searching

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(BOS)(00029)
 ****DEC Offers Free "Super Spider" Web Searching 12/15/95
MAYNARD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 15 (NB) -- As a "holiday
gift to the Internet," Digital Equipment Corp. today started
offering free public access on the Web to the company's new
Altavista "super spider" and indexing technology, billed as up to
100 times faster than other Web search engines, said Digital's
Alan Jennings and Louis Monier, in a conference call with
Newsbytes.

The Alpha-based Altavista is able to search and index up to 2.5
million pages per day, according to Jennings, who is Digital's
manager of advanced technology business development. In internal
use at Digital over the past few weeks, the super spider has
already searched some 60 million pages, or about half of the Web,
he contended.

In contrast, Lycos has only searched about 7 million Web pages,
and the World Wide Web Worm, its closest competitor, about 3
million pages, added Monier, who leads the research team at
Digital that created Altavista.

Altavista's search speeds are made possible by the ability of the
super spider to algorithmically "breed" batches of smaller Web
crawlers, together with the use of Alpha processing power and
high-speed ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) networks, according
to the two Digital officials.

The new Altavista Web site also offers other capabilities that
are hard to find elsewhere on the Web, Monier maintained. For one
thing, users can search not just for text, but for hotlinks on
the Web, "so they can see what other Web pages are pointing to
their pages."

In addition, Digital is posting copies of actual UseNet news
pages on the Altavista site, for direct access by the many end
users who do not have the "set-up" to access these pages directly
themselves.

The Altavista software, developed at Digital's Palo Alto research
labs, consists of two components, Newsbytes was told. The super
spider itself resides on a "small" Alpha server, whereas a large
SMP (symmetric multiprocessor) Alpha 8400 Turbolaser is used to
host the Web site and to perform indexing.

From the smaller Alpha, the large spider dispatches members of
its brood to multiple sites throughout the Web. But, said Monier,
to prevent search delays, or latency, the smaller crawlers are
only allowed to search about 1,000 pages at a time on any one Web
site. "We then give that site a rest for a few weeks."

Joked Jennings: "So it is a polite spider, too." Currently,
Altavista is being run with the use of two processors on the
Turbolaser SMP machine, Jennings noted. "But the machine is
designed to be configured with up to eight processors, and up to
96 Turbolasers can be clustered together."

Digital, he added, is offering free access to the Altavista Web
search and indexing technology as a way of obtaining public
evaluation and feedback.

"We're also interested in establishing business partnerships
around Altavista," he acknowledged. Thirdly, Digital expects that
Altavista will help to "showcase Alpha's high horsepower,"
according to the Digital manager.

Digital has not yet decided how Altavista will be employed
commercially. "But it will probably have some very unique
business uses in the future," Jennings reported.

Monier told Newsbytes that, during the several weeks of internal
use, Altavista was accessed by about 10,000 users within Digital.
"Usually, they looked up references to themselves or their
families first. Then they tried to find old friends and college
roommates," he explained. Digital employees also used Altavista
to find information about the Web, conduct market research, and
look up facts about travel destinations.

Analysts were strongly impressed with Altavista's search and
indexing power. "At 2.5 million pages a day, Digital's
specifications are really hi-test,'" said Greg Kline, director,
Network Integration and Management Research, at the Business
Research Group.

"Altavista is like a spider on steroids," agreed Jim Green, an
analyst at Summit Strategies. "I was expecting to see something
(on the Altavista Web page) like, `Caution. You're using an
Alpha. You might burn your fingers.' But there's none of that
kind of self-promotion," the analyst told Newsbytes.

You can access Digital's new Altavista Web page at
http://www.altavista.digital.com .

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951215/Reader Contact: Digital Equipment
Corp., 508-493-5111; Press Contact: Sarah Miller, Digital, 508-
264-6673)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/15/95
APPLE
 ****More Tough Times At Apple

(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00030)
 ****More Tough Times At Apple 12/15/95
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 15 (NB) -- Apple
Computer (NASDAQ:AAPL) announced it expects current quarterly
unit shipments and revenues to be below its internal projections. The
numbers are still expected to be an increase over last year, but Apple
says a continuation of this trend could lead to a loss in the first
quarter ending December 31.

As reported by Newsbytes yesterday, Apple's continuing difficulties are
attributed to price cuts the company has made in response to
competition from sellers of Intel-based desktop computers. Apple says
it expects gross margins to be less than last quarter's 20.7% and
in a press release, the company said its key markets in the US and
Japan suffered most from the competitive situation.

In the same release, Michael Spindler, president and chief executive
officer for Apple, states, "Our anticipated results for the first quarter
are obviously disappointing. We are currently engaged in an intensive
review of all aspects of our business, including the factors contributing
to our first quarter results, and will take appropriate actions to address
the challenge."

Does this mean yesterday's stories about a possible 800 to 2,000 layoffs
are about to happen in January? Apple still has no comment, but
Michael Murphy, analyst and publisher of the California Technology
Stock Letter, told Newsbytes, "There absolutely will be layoffs. They
have already cut out a lot of the fat and will have to tighten the belt
even further."

Responding to Apple's announcement this morning, Murphy said, "It is
shocking when Apple is having trouble at this time of year. This should
be the time when they have their highest sales. The toughest time is
traditionally after the holidays when most revenues come from
customers adding peripheral equipment and software to systems
purchased during the holidays. Now they face the possibility of a more
difficult second quarter following this current quarter."

Murphy also said Apple was still facing the problem of supplying
customers with its high-end Power Mac systems due to continued
production difficulties with the necessary microprocessor. "Even if they
had the systems, they still have not solved the Open Transport
problem," added Murphy. According to Murphy the problem has
existed since July and Apple has promised to correct it by January.

Expanding on his response to Apple's lowered projections, Murphy
explained, "This is a very serious problem. When you cannot
sufficiently supply the high-end systems and cannot make a good profit
from high-volume entry level systems, you are in a very difficult
situation. I am surprised they are only three points down on the stock
market this morning."

According to Murphy, Apple does have some good news this quarter.
"They were able to debut a version of Pippin for the public and I think
it could be an important product for them. It will have a very different
user base and even though many in the industry may have not taken
note of it, Pippin could help Apple in the wider picture," he
commented.

Pippin is a small computer-like device which uses a standard television
to display its content. When it becomes available it will allow users to
access the Internet, play games and access programs common to most
desktop systems. Pippin is expected to enter the market in 1996 with a
$700 price tag.

(Patrick McKenna/19951215/Press Contact: Betty Taylor, Apple, tel 1-
408-974-3983)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/15/95
GOVT
 ****Conferees Compromise On Bells, Netsmut

(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00031)
 ****Conferees Compromise On Bells, Netsmut 12/15/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 DEC 15 (NB) -- Call it a win for
the Baby Bells and a loss for online libertarians.
House and Senate conferees yesterday reached tentative agreement
on rules of the road for letting regional Bell operating
companies into the long-distance business. They also agreed to
apply an "indecency" standard to content on the Internet and
other online services.

The conference committee on telecommunications legislation is
trying to finish its work this week and have something on
President Clinton's desk next week.

Yesterday's agreements leave only one major sticking point:
restrictions on media ownership. The White House has said that
if Congress makes it too easy for media conglomerates to gobble
each other up, the President will veto the bill.

Long-distance carriers suffered a defeat yesterday when their
supporters gave up on trying to impose conditions on the Bells
getting into the long-distance business. They had wanted to
keep the Bells out of the new market until the long-distance
carriers were able to compete in local phone markets.

The compromise requires that a Bell Company face competition
from one rival and comply with a checklist of technical
requirements. The Federal Communications Commission could also
block entry into long-distance if the agency finds that it would
not be in the public interest.

On the issue of online pornography, the conferees agreed to
impose potential fines and criminal penalties for transmitting
indecent material on electronic networks.

According to Rep. Rick White (R-Wash.), the conferees have
agreed to define indecency has "any comment, request,
suggestion, proposal, image or other communications that, in
context, depicts or describes, in terms patently offensive as
measured by contemporary community standards, sexual or
excratory activities or organs."

Jerry Berman, head of the Center for Democracy and Technology,
said the provision is unconstitutional and his group will
challenge it in court.

The so-called "national day of protest" that digital
libertarians tried to organize over the Internet to protest the
limits on online content appears to have had no impact on the
lawmakers.

While the protest tied up phone and fax lines on Capitol Hill,
it did not reach the hearts and minds of the conferees.

(Kennedy Maize/19951215/Press Contact: Jerry Berman, CDT,
202-637-9800)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/15/95
GENERAL
Newsbytes Week In Review

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00032)
Newsbytes Week In Review 12/15/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 15 (NB) -- This is a
look at the top stories this week, listing with their category
code: UK Businessman Found Guilty In Credit Card Scam; Microsoft
To Invest In New NBC Cable Channel; Pac Bell Retreats In Broadband
Race; Online Liability Outlined By New York Court; MacWeek Says
Apple Plans To Layoff 800-2,000; Netcom & Security First Bank Join
For Internet Banking; Novell Has 66% Of European Networking
Mkt - Report; Citizen's Photo-Realistic Color Printer Under $600;
1995 Hard Drive Market Shows Growth - Report; Security Risks
Rising On Web, But So Is "Awareness;" Apple In Chinese PowerPC
Joint Venture; Clinton Budget Would Boost Digital TV; Int'l
Surveillance - Free Online Report; More On Lotus Notes/Web
Integration Plans, Notes 4.0; Conferees Compromise On Bells,
Netsmut; Study Says Internet Is Overhyped And Not Global;
DEC Offers Free "Super Spider" Web Searching; More Tough Times
At Apple.

More Tough Times At Apple (APPLE)

CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 15 (NB) -- Apple
Computer (NASDAQ:AAPL) announced it expects current quarterly
unit shipments and revenues to be below its internal projections. The
numbers are still expected to be an increase over last year, but Apple
says a continuation of this trend could lead to a loss in the first
quarter ending December 31.

DEC Offers Free "Super Spider" Web Searching (ONLINE)

MAYNARD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 15 (NB) -- As a "holiday
gift to the Internet," Digital Equipment Corp. today started
offering free public access on the Web to the company's new
Altavista "super spider" and indexing technology, billed as up to
100 times faster than other Web search engines, said Digital's
Alan Jennings and Louis Monier, in a conference call with
Newsbytes.

Study Says Internet Is Overhyped And Not Global (ONLINE)

REDWOOD CITY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 15 (NB) --
Zona Research, a publisher and consulting, research company, released
a study this morning stating the consumer potential of the Internet is
vastly over-hyped and Internet's potential is best used within an
organization or business as opposed to across the Internet. Rather than
being global, the Internet is actually regional.

Conferees Compromise On Bells, Netsmut (GOVT)

WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 DEC 15 (NB) -- Call it a win for
the Baby Bells and a loss for online libertarians.
House and Senate conferees yesterday reached tentative agreement
on rules of the road for letting regional Bell operating
companies into the long-distance business. They also agreed to
apply an "indecency" standard to content on the Internet and
other online services.

More On Lotus Notes/Web Integration Plans, Notes 4.0 (ONLINE)

CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 15 (NB) -- Fueled by
IBM resources, and driven by a desire to outperform major
competitor Microsoft, Lotus will work "aggressively" to transform
the Notes server into the number one platform for "distributed
publishing" in both the Web and Notes environments, starting with
the shipment of Notes Release 4 later this month.

UK Businessman Found Guilty In Credit Card Scam (LEGAL)

LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 14 (NB) -- A former mobile phone dealer
who went to college to study computing has been found guilty of
masterminding a "highly sophisticated" international fraud with
"potentially limitless" possibilities.

Microsoft To Invest In New NBC Cable Channel (BROADCAST)

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 14 (NB) -- Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ:MSFT) and General Electric's (NYSE:GE) NBC said they are
joining together to create a 24-hour news network that will exist both
on cable TV and in cyberspace. Both Microsoft and NBC will invest $200
million each in the new network that will be called "MSNBC."

Pac Bell Retreats In Broadband Race (BROADCAST)

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 14 (NB) -- Just three months
days ago, Pacific Bell announced a $16 billion program to install a
broadband digital network with half the state of California wired by
the year 2000. However, while the digital infrastructure is still in the
plans, the time-frame has been extended, and the video aspects of it are
in limbo.

Online Liability Outlined By New York Court (LEGAL)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 14 (NB) -- Yesterday, a New York
Supreme Court judge upheld an earlier ruling in the case of Stratton
Oakmont versus Prodigy. Putting online services and content providers
such as bulletin board systems (BBSs) in a "tough" position, Justice
Stewart Ain ruled that what people write on forums must be controlled,
or a provider may face legal responsibility for any libelous content.

MacWeek Says Apple Plans To Layoff 800-2,000 (APPLE)

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 14 (NB) -- Apple Computer
Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) says MacWeek was speculating on rumors when it
printed an article saying Apple's board of directors plans to layoff
up to 2,000 employees in January.

Netcom & Security First Bank Join For Internet Banking (ONLINE)

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 14 (NB) -- Netcom On-Line
Communication Services (NASDAQ:NETC) and Security First Network Bank,
FSB have announced an industry alliance that officials from both
companies said will help new and existing Netcom customers take
advantage of banking via the Internet.

Novell Has 66% Of European Networking Mkt - Report (TRENDS)

BRACKNELL, BERKSHIRE, 1995 DEC 13 (NB) -- According to figures just
released by market research firm Dataquest, NetWare remains the
dominant network operating system in Europe, accounting for around
66 percent of unit shipments in 1994.

Citizen's Photo-Realistic Color Printer Under $600 (TRENDS)

SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 13 (NB) -- Citizen America is
shipping Printiva 600C, claimed to be the first desktop printer to offer
photo-realistic printing for under $1,000. Using a new technology, called
the micro dry process, Printiva 600C offers the quality of dye sublimation
color printing for as little as $0.80 per page at 90% density, says the
company.

1995 Hard Drive Market Shows Growth - Report (TRENDS)

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 13 (NB) -- Dataquest,
well-known high-tech market and research consulting company, says
preliminary figures for the 1995 rigid disk drive market appear to be
up 26% over 1994. Shipments for 1995 will exceed 86.6 million units
as compared to 69.3 million units in 1994.

Security Risks Rising On Web, But So Is "Awareness" (ONLINE)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 12 (NB) -- "Secure servers"
will help to improve security on the Web, and so will more
firewalls, but it is absolutely essential for the organization to
centrally develop a set of "security guidelines," maintained
Daniel E. White, in an interview with Newsbytes about a new Ernst
& Young/InformationWeek survey that found both "security-related
financial losses" and computer viruses to be problematic for most
companies.

Apple In Chinese PowerPC Joint Venture (APPLE)

BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 DEC 12 (NB) -- Apple Computer Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)
and South Software Park (Zhuhai) Technology Co. Ltd., have announced the
formation of Apple-SSP (Zhuhai) Technology Co. Ltd, designed to develop
core technologies for future PowerPC computing products in China.

Clinton Budget Would Boost Digital TV (GOVT)

WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 DEC 12 (NB) -- The White House
budget plan contains a proposal to speed up the transition from
analog to digital television technology, including a subsidy for
consumers to buy set-top converters.

Int'l Surveillance - Free Online Report (TRENDS)

LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 11 (NB) -- Privacy International, a not-
for-profit personal privacy organization, has issued a free 150-page
report in which it claims that there exists a massive international
surveillance trade funded by the arms industry and led by the UK.

(Ian Stokell/19951215)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00033)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 12/15/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 15 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|           Friday, December 15, 1995            |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network's on the Web! Check out http://www.nbnn.com for
free daily top stories from Newsbytes and its affiliate publications, and
from PC Week, MacWeek, and other Ziff news magazines. A subscription
gives you all the news, full-text, plus the most comprehensive database
of past computer stories online. The keyword-searchable database dates
from today back through 1983. Subscriptions are $24.95 for three months.
Questions? Send to '[e-mail]'  For Japanese Newsbytes
and additional services, see the Newsbytes Pacifica Website at
http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

APPLE     Pipeline For Macintosh Available Today..................... 18

APPLE      ****More Tough Times At Apple............................. 30

BROADCAST More on Microsoft/NBC Deal................................. 14

BUSINESS  China - Alcatel Seeks More Of China's GSM Market........... 11

BUSINESS  Iomega Public Offering, 3-1 Stock Split.................... 15

CHIPS     AMD To Build $1.9 Billion Plant In Germany................. 25

GENERAL   Denon's Optical JukeBox Technology......................... 03

GENERAL   Australia - SoftKey/Learning Company Staff Changes......... 06

GENERAL    ***IT Asia 95 Biggest IT Event In Asia.................... 09

GENERAL   IT Asia - India Rallies Toward Fast Growth Track........... 10

GENERAL   Bill To Be A Daddy......................................... 13

GENERAL   China - Technology Newsbriefs.............................. 21

GENERAL   Two Vacancies In Australia's IT Community.................. 22

GENERAL   NewsPix Update For Newsbytes Publishers.................... 23

GENERAL   Newsbytes Week In Review................................... 31

GOVT       ****Conferees Compromise On Bells, Netsmut................ 17

IBM        ****More On Lotus Notes/Web Integration Plans, Notes 4.0.. 01

IBM       IBM's Eastern European OS/2 Preload Agreements............. 19

ONLINE    Desktop Data Says LinkEdge Will Integrate Information...... 07

ONLINE    America Online Beefs Up Canadian Access.................... 08

ONLINE    Philippines - Southern Provinces Hooked on the Net......... 11

ONLINE    UK Internet Service Provider Forms InsuranceNet Company.... 20

ONLINE     ****Study Says Internet Is Overhyped And Not Global....... 27

ONLINE     ****DEC Offers Free "Super Spider" Web Searching.......... 29

PC        German Firm Claims Breakthrough Graphics Card.............. 05

TELECOM   UK Alternative Carrier Goes Global......................... 02

TELECOM   Belgium Selects Ameritech Consortium In Belgacom Tender.... 04

TELECOM   China - Mobile Phone Owners Won't Give Up Pagers........... 12

TELECOM   Sweden's Ericsson Secures First D-AMPS Order In Chile...... 28

TRENDS    European Software Sales Explode............................ 16

TRENDS    Home Office Internet Use Increases Consumer Acceptance - St 24

WINDOWS   Windows 95 Gets Unimodem Voice Support..................... 26

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 ->  ****More On Lotus Notes/Web Integration Plans, Notes 4.0 -- Fueled
by IBM resources, and driven by a desire to outperform major competitor
Microsoft, Lotus will work "aggressively" to transform the Notes server
into the number one platform for "distributed publishing" in both the Web
and Notes environments, starting with the shipment of Notes Release 4
later this month.

2 -> UK Alternative Carrier Goes Global -- First Telecom, one of the
growing band of licensed alternative telecoms carriers (ATCs) in the UK,
has announced the opening of toll-free access to its telecoms service in
the UK and the US via, respectively, 0800 and 1-800 numbers.

3 -> Denon's Optical JukeBox Technology -- Denon, the hi-fi specialist,
has launched two new 200-disc capacity CD-ROM and compact disc machines,
the DRD-1400 storing 100 of CD-ROM discs at each tray and the DRD- 1400F
CD Changer for playing compact discs. According to the US- headquartered
company, the two drives will soon be available on both sides of the
Atlantic at approximately $1,000 for the CD-ROM version and $4,400 to
$4,800 for the audio version.

4 -> Belgium Selects Ameritech Consortium In Belgacom Tender -- The
Belgian Government has announced that the consortium led by Ameritech,
which includes partners TeleDanmark and Singapore Telecom, has been
selected to take a 50 percent stake, less one share, in Belgacom.

5 -> German Firm Claims Breakthrough Graphics Card -- Number Nine Visual
Corporation has taken the wraps off what it claims is a revolutionary 3D
graphics accelerator for the PC. Known as 9FX Reality, the card is based
on the Verite 3D graphics engine from Rendition in the US, and has been
built and optimized from the ground up.

6 -> Australia - SoftKey/Learning Company Staff Changes -- As part of The
Learning Company's loss of a merger with Broderbund Software, and
Broderbund's subsequent agreement with SoftKey International, some
changes Down Under took place.

7 -> Desktop Data Says LinkEdge Will Integrate Information -- Desktop
Data, Inc. (NASDAQ:DTOP), operator of the NewsEdge news filtering
service, said its new LinkEdge software will tie together different news
sources and media to make it easier for its subscribers to obtain
information from NewsEdge.

8 -> America Online Beefs Up Canadian Access -- America Online, Inc.
(NASDAQ:AMER) has announced the installation of 28,800-bit-per-second
(bps) access on local lines in 18 Canadian cities and on a toll-free line
accessible from anywhere in the country. A company spokeswoman said the
moves are part of a push to beef up AOL's international offerings.

9 ->  ***IT Asia 95 Biggest IT Event In Asia -- They called it the
"Biggest Event In The IT Industry" in the entire Asia-Pacific region in
terms of sheer size, and to that extent, the Manufacturers' Association
for Information Technology (MAIT), the organizers, created just that.

10 -> IT Asia - India Rallies Toward Fast Growth Track -- P. Chidambaram,
Minister of Commerce, inaugurated IT Asia 95 with the remark that Indians
need to be shaken out of their complacency that the largest pool of
technical manpower, the widespread use of English and the fast developing
infrastructure will automatically put it on a fast growth track. "We
believe that India has the second largest pool of skilled manpower in the
world. This is questionable. In fact, India ranks 46th in the list of 47
countries as given in the World Competitive Report," he pointed out.

11 -> Philippines - Southern Provinces Hooked on the Net -- The Internet
fever has spread on to the southern islands of Visayas and Mindanao in
the Philippines as more and more Intercut service providers are setting
up shop in the larger provinces there. Among the southern provinces
getting hooked on the Net are Bohol and Cebu in the Visayas and Davao in
Mindanao.

11 -> China - Alcatel Seeks More Of China's GSM Market -- France's
Alcatel Corp announced recently a plan to increase its presence in
China's developing GSM technology market. A spokesman for the global
telecommunications company, Ernest Eidenberger, announced that the
corporation considers its joint venture in China, Shanghai Bell Alcatel
Mobile Telecommunications Co, established at the beginning of this year,
to be the first step into the potential market.

12 -> China - Mobile Phone Owners Won't Give Up Pagers -- Although mobile
phones are proliferating fast in China, they won't replace pagers,
according to a recent survey.

13 -> Bill To Be A Daddy -- Bill is going to be a daddy. Bill Gates, the
40-year old chairman of Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) and his wife of
nearly a year, Melinda French, 31, announced yesterday they will become
parents sometime in late May of next year.

14 -> More on Microsoft/NBC Deal -- Internet World Wide Web users might
have gotten a taste of what the new NBC News/ Microsoft online service
will look like in the near future. Yesterday morning's news conference,
held by officials of both Microsoft and NBC, was both shown and heard
live on the Web.

15 -> Iomega Public Offering, 3-1 Stock Split -- Iomega Corp. (NASDAQ:
IOMG) said this week its board of directors will ask stockholders to
approve an increase in the number of authorized shares and a
three-for-one stock split.

16 -> European Software Sales Explode -- Software sales in Western Europe
hit $471.6 million for the third quarter of 1995, a 58 percent increase
over the third quarter of 1994, according to the Software Publishers
Association. The figures represent a substantial turnaround on revenues,
as Europe has been a soft market recently.

17 ->  ****Conferees Compromise On Bells, Netsmut -- Call it a win for
the Baby Bells and a loss for online libertarians. House and Senate
conferees yesterday reached tentative agreement on rules of the road for
letting regional Bell operating companies into the long-distance
business. They also agreed to apply an "indecency" standard to content on
the Internet and other online services.

18 -> Pipeline For Macintosh Available Today -- Internet service provider
PSINet (NASDAQ:PSIX) says its Pipeline company will distribute a
Macintosh version of its Internet software at The Home & Family Computing
Supershow in San Francisco. Pipeline also announced additional features
for its Windows software.

19 -> IBM's Eastern European OS/2 Preload Agreements -- IBM Central
Europe & Russia (CER) has announced that four PC vendors in Russia and
Poland have signed OS/2 Warp preload contracts. Three Russian companies,
R-Style Computers, Coman Corporation and Formoza, along with Vobis
Poland, have already started preloading OS/2 Warp on machines rolling
through their factories.

20 -> UK Internet Service Provider Forms InsuranceNet Company -- Unipalm
Pipex, the UK's largest Internet service provider (SP) has formed a new
company, InsuranceNet, with the aim of servicing the Internet needs of
the Insurance industry in the UK.

21 -> China - Technology Newsbriefs -- In this news roundup from China,
60 telecommunications companies display their equipment in Beijing, IBM
announces revised OS/2 in Shanghai, Motorola signs agreement to provide
data communications product to MPI, and ICBC's ATMs will allow RMB
withdrawal from foreign credit card accounts.

22 -> Two Vacancies In Australia's IT Community -- For upwardly mobile
young Australian-based execs, top posts opened up this week. PC maker
Acer Computer Australia will be looking for someone to fill the highly
polished shoes of sales and marketing director Jonar Nader, who has
announced his resignation. Fast-growing software house Symantec is
seeking a general manager for Australia and NZ, following another
elevation for regional MD Garry Sexton.

23 -> NewsPix Update For Newsbytes Publishers -- This update will be
posted each Wednesday and Friday to reflect the daily picture additions.
The updates will in turn become part of the main NewsPix Bulletin issued
on Monday.

24 -> Home Office Internet Use Increases Consumer Acceptance - Study --
Homes which double as small offices are driving the growing use of the
Internet and online services, according to a study by Response Analysis
Corporation. The study also said online use didn't matter if people ran a
business out of their home or brought work with them after leaving the
office.

25 -> AMD To Build $1.9 Billion Plant In Germany -- Advanced Micro
Devices (AMD) announced that its board of directors has approved a
10-year plan to invest $1.9 billion and employ more than 1,400 people in
a microprocessor center in Dresden, Germany. The new plant should be
producing microprocessors in quantity by 1999.

26 -> Windows 95 Gets Unimodem Voice Support -- Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:
MSFT) has announced it has added voice support for the Unimodem driver to
the Windows 95 operating system. The new Unimodem V driver is available
to developers and end users without charge over the Internet and several
online subscription services.

27 ->  ****Study Says Internet Is Overhyped And Not Global --Zona
Research, a publisher and consulting, research company, released a study
this morning stating the consumer potential of the Internet is vastly
over-hyped and Internet's potential is best used within an organization
or business as opposed to across the Internet. Rather than being global,
the Internet is actually regional.

28 -> Sweden's Ericsson Secures First D-AMPS Order In Chile -- Ericsson
has revealed it has signed an order for an AMPS/D-AMPS (American Mobile
Phone System/Digital AMPS) cellular network with Compania de
Telecomunicaciones Moviles Chile (CTCC), one of the two cellular
operators in Chile.

29 ->  ****DEC Offers Free "Super Spider" Web Searching -- As a "holiday
gift to the Internet," Digital Equipment Corp. today started offering
free public access on the Web to the company's new Altavista "super
spider" and indexing technology, billed as up to 100 times faster than
other Web search engines, said Digital's Alan Jennings and Louis Monier,
in a conference call with Newsbytes.

30 ->  ****More Tough Times At Apple -- Apple Computer (NASDAQ:AAPL)
announced it expects current quarterly unit shipments and revenues to be
below its internal projections. The numbers are still expected to be an
increase over last year, but Apple says a continuation of this trend
could lead to a loss in the first quarter ending December 31.

31 -> Newsbytes Week In Review -- This is a look at the top stories this
week, listing with their category  code: UK Businessman Found Guilty In
Credit Card Scam; Microsoft  To Invest In New NBC Cable Channel; Pac Bell
Retreats In Broadband  Race; Online Liability Outlined By New York Court;
MacWeek Says  Apple Plans To Layoff 800-2,000; Netcom & Security First
Bank Join  For Internet Banking; Novell Has 66% Of European Networking
Mkt - Report; Citizen's Photo-Realistic Color Printer Under $600; 1995
Hard Drive Market Shows Growth - Report; Security Risks  Rising On Web,
But So Is "Awareness;" Apple In Chinese PowerPC  Joint Venture; Clinton
Budget Would Boost Digital TV; Int'l  Surveillance - Free Online Report;
More On Lotus Notes/Web  Integration Plans, Notes 4.0; Conferees
Compromise On Bells,  Netsmut; Study Says Internet Is Overhyped And Not
Global; DEC Offers Free "Super Spider" Web Searching; More Tough Times
At Apple.

(Wendy Woods/19951215)





Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD



Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/12/95
GENERAL
Native American Clip-Art Libraries

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00001)
Native American Clip-Art Libraries 12/12/95
RIO RANCHO, NEW MEXICO, 1995 DEC 12 (NB) -- The United States Postal
Service (USPS) will incorporate some of the borders found in clip-art
libraries produced by RT Computer Graphics into a series of stamps to
be released next year. The company says it has brought to market two
collections that feature Native American clip-art libraries for both
Windows and Macintosh users.

RT Computer Graphics President Art Bernstein told Newsbytes he has seen
some advance mock-ups of the new stamp collection, which commemorates
Indian dance. Three of the stamps use borders from his company's
clip-art libraries. "This is an honor for us, especially because we're
quite small," he told Newsbytes.

The two libraries are called "The Santa Fe Collection" and "The Plains
Collection." Both use authentic designs created by Native Americans,
drawing on centuries of artistic tradition and history, officials said.
Some of the art featured was passed down from generation to generation.

The collections contain the "most meaningful and treasured" symbolic
designs from Native American cultures, said the company. Combined, both
programs give users more than 850 images and borders. Some of the
designs include pottery, rugs, sand paintings, and an image of Sitting
Bull.

Bernstein said he saw a lot of interest in Native American and
southwestern clip-art graphics from his experience on an Indian
reservation. In setting up their computer labs, he received many
requests for Native American clip-art. He also said the style in the
clip-art is very popular not only in the southwest, but nationwide and
worldwide as well.

The mainly black-and-white images are stored in either PostScript or
Windows MetaFile format. Both programs come with a free viewer program
which can create a slide show of the images. Bernstein also said the
images are compressed on the floppy disks and can be decompressed
individually, so the user doesn't have to take up valuable hard drive
space.

Future plans call for a CD-ROM version of various clip-art libraries,
Bernstein said. Also planned is a petroglyph clip-art collection,
consisting of a series of cave paintings and other prehistoric art.
The series will also have several "rock art" renderings, described by
Bernstein as "modern situations pictured in pre-historic art." He
said the rock art will be "Flintstone-esque" in nature.

(Bob Woods/19951212/Press Contact: Phil Hall, Open City Communications,
212-714-3575, Internet e-mail [e-mail]. Public Contact: RT
Computer Graphics, 800-891-1600 or 505-891-1600)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/12/95
ONLINE
Internet Update

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00002)
Internet Update 12/12/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 DEC 12 (NB) -- In this roundup of new services and
resources on the global Internet: Free Web pages directory; Unknown
Russia; Australian sports industry directory; Art from the Far East;
New K-12 resources; All about viruses; What's hot in Thailand;
Information super library; Online from Bosnia; Other Balkan pages.

Free Web Pages Directory

Across the network a number of kind-hearted Webmasters make available
space on their servers free of charge to groups of people from
children to non-profit organizations and, in some cases, anyone that
wants space. Here you can find the most complete guide to servers
offering free space and how to get it.
World Wide Web: http://www.serve.com/jpsp1/freeweb/freepages.html
World Wide Web:
http://www.citynet.co.uk/users/jpsp1/freeweb/freepages.html

Unknown Russia

While many people have heard of, and even been to, cities like Moscow
and St. Petersburg, much of the rest of Russia remains a mystery.
Through the Internet, it is now possible to visit the south of the
country and find out about Rostov-on-Don City and the Rostov State
University and take a virtual tour of Uran.
World Wide Web: http://uran.bevd.blacksburg.va.us/

Australian Sports Industry Directory

The Australian Sports Industry Directory is now online and offering a
comprehensive resource of all sporting bodies, associations, venues,
clubs, teams, and businesses in Australia.
World Wide Web: http://www.immedia.com.au/asid/asid_ind.html

Art From The Far East

The art work of three well-known Japanese artists -- Masuteru Aoba,
Kazumasa Nagai, and Makoto Nakamura -- is now on display at the
G-Search Web server in its "From Japan" gallery, part of the
G-Search InterShop.
World Wide Web:
http://www.g-search.or.jp/hypertext/FromJapan/welcome_e.html

New K-12 Resources

In addition to its Math and Science gateway that began in February,
Cornell Theory Center has added the Arts & Social Science gateway and
the Educators gateway. Each offers students and educators a starting
point for Internet resources suitable for K-12 aged children.
World Wide Web: http://www.tc.cornell.edu/Edu/MathSciGateway/
World Wide Web: http://www.tc.cornell.edu/Edu/ArtSocGateway/
World Wide Web:
http://www.tc.cornell.edu/Edu/MathSciGateway/educGateway.html

All About Viruses

Not the human kind but the computer variety. This set of pages
includes basic information about computer viruses, such as what they
are, and how to protect your PC or Macintosh computer against
infection. A large selection of links to all types of Internet
resources makes this a useful resource. World Wide Web:
http://isteonline.uoregon.edu/istehome/edtechnews/antivirus/Viruses.html

What's Hot In Thailand

All the news from the Thai Internet is available from this set of
pages which acts as a comprehensive index to Thai information
available. Sources include news, weather, travel and tourism,
language, demographics, sports, info servers, and business. A guide to
Thai restaurants worldwide will please anyone that enjoys Thai food!
World Wide Web: http://www.ait.ac.th/Asia/infoth.html

Information SuperLibrary

With such a grand name you expect a useful service and, when you visit
the page, you won't be disappointed. The page not only links to a wide
range of Internet search tools, covering everything from the Web to
Veronica and e-mail, but describes each of the tools as well, enabling
users to find the most effective index for their searches.
World Wide Web: http://www.mcp.com/general/search/srcheng.html

Online From Bosnia

Several servers are now offering information from and about Bosnia and
the situation in the ex-Yugoslavia. The US Department of Defense has
established an official page with operation maps, fact sheets, news
releases, biographies of key commanders and leaders, and transcripts
of briefings, speeches, and testimony.
World Wide Web: http://www.dtic.dla.mil/bosnia/

Other Balkan Pages

The Peacenet pages on the Balkans include many links to all types of
Internet resources and seeks to answer questions such as how the war
began and if it will ever end. The final report of the UN Commission of
experts on the former Yugoslavia is also available on the Internet.
The report comprises over 3,000 pages of reports and documents
relating to war crimes in Bosnia.
World Wide Web: http://www.peacenet.org/balkans/
World Wide Web: http://www.cij.org/cij/commission.html

(Martyn Williams/19951212)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/12/95
APPLE
Macromedia's SoundEdit 16 2.0 For Mac

(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00003)
Macromedia's SoundEdit 16 2.0 For Mac 12/12/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 12 (NB) -- Macromedia
(NASDAQ:MACR) developers are getting a new version of SoundEdit 16 for
integrating high-quality audio into multimedia presentations, CD-ROM
titles, and World Wide Web sites. Designed to offer developers an
easy-to-use tool for a wide number of formats, the new version allows
for the creation of cutting-edge sound in Director, Authorware, and
Extreme 3D projects.

Version 2 runs on Macintosh and PowerMac computers with a native
version for the latter. Features include automated batch processing of
audio files, support for advanced audio compression, and support for
third-party plug-ins.

According to Macromedia, automated batch processing allows developers
to save hours of production time. Users may convert bit depth,
compression, sample resolution and file format of an unlimited number
of files with a single mouse click.

The version's support of IMA compression permits the 4:1 compression
of 16-bit sound. SoundEdit 16 2.0 can read and write .AU files and
employ 5-law encoding, which are popular on the Internet. Additionally,
version 2 allows professional downsampling options like dither and
brighten to create 8-bit, 11 kilohertz (KHz) and 8-bit, 22KHz files
from 16-bit files.

Another new feature is support for direct-to-disk audio CD capture.
This allows developers to directly import standard audio CD tracks, the
edit, process and apply effects just as they would to any file format.

A Macromedia spokesperson told Newsbytes, "Macromedia's Open
Architecture allows SoundEdit to support all of the special third-party
plug-ins which are so important to particular developers working in a
customized environment. These add-ons add many special effects to a
wide variety of multimedia applications."

Developers can also used SoundEdit 16 Version 2 with Deck II, a
special digital audio tool which as become part of the Macromedia
product line due to the recent acquisition of OSC.

Macromedia says users should expect to see Version 2 late this month
with a price tag of $399. An upgrade, priced at $129, is available to
registered users of SoundEdit 16.

(Patrick McKenna/19951211/Press Contact: Mary Leong, Macromedia,
415-252-2118)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/12/95
LEGAL
Netherlands - Philips Facing $1Billion Law Suit

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(LON)(00004)
Netherlands - Philips Facing $1Billion Law Suit 12/12/95
HILVERSUM, NETHERLANDS, 1995 DEC 12 (NB) -- According to a
report in Economishe Tijd, the Dutch financial daily paper, Philips
Electronics faces a $2.95 billion law suit from Maurits de Prins, the
founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Super Club, the video
rental group which is now a division of Philips.

According to the paper, a lawsuit has been filed with the Dallas
Division of the US District Court for Texas. Among the papers filed
are allegations of deceit, fraud, conspiracy, and breach of confidence.

Although no-one is talking particulars of the case, the paper reports
that de Prin's legal representatives -- Gardere & Wynne, and Thompson,
Coe, Cousins & Irons -- have taken sworn affidavits. The defendants in
the case are Philips Electronics, its parent operation, Philips NV,
and Philips Corporation in the US.

Philips has declined to comment on the case, claiming that this is
standard procedure in matters going through the courts.

De Prins' papers, meanwhile, allege that Philips acted in an incorrect
manner when gaining control of Super Club. According to Economishe
Tijd, de Prins and other shareholders felt aggrieved when Philips
acquired its shareholding in Super Club at a discount on what de Prins
alleges is their true value.

Despite the sums involved, de Prin's spokesperson, Rebecca Shaw of
Space Communications in Texas, is quoted by the paper as saying that
de Prins is not interested in the money involved, but is more after
rehabilitations. The trial could take place some time next year, the
paper reports.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951211/Press & Reader Contact: Philips Electronics,
[phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/12/95
ONLINE
Barclays Opens Santa's Cybergrotto On Internet

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LON)(00005)
Barclays Opens Santa's Cybergrotto On Internet 12/12/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 12 (NB) -- Barclays Bank's Barclaysquare Web
site, located at http://www.itl.net/barclaysquare , has opened up a
Cybergrotto" for Santa at its site. The idea, according to Sara Mak, a
spokesperson for the bank, is that "trendy kids" can now e-mail their
Christmas present lists to Santa at the Cybergrotto, rather than use
conventional "snail mail."

Barclays opened the second phase of its operations a few weeks ago,
Newsbytes notes, since when it claims it has become the most popular
Internet shopping mall in the UK. Barclays claims that, during the
last few weeks, the bank has had more than 500 phone calls and 340
e-mail messages from potential retailers for Barclaysquare.

As reported previously by Newsbytes, Barclaysquare is operated by
Barclays Merchant Services, the plastic card processing division of
the bank, and offers Web shopping facilities for Argos, Sainsbury's,
and Blackwell's bookshop. Phase two of the launch has increased the
companies to Interflora, British Telecom, Victoria Wine, Sun Alliance,
United Distillers, and the Airline Network.

According to Mak. these new retailers have been receiving orders from
customers, including one to Interflora from Denmark, to send a bouquet
of flowers to Australia.

"We've just uploaded an animation program (for PC users) which shows
Santa riding his sleigh across the screen and leaving a Merry
Christmas trail behind," Mak said. He added that Web page accessories
have the choice of downloading the program in low-, medium-, and high-
resolution, to allow for slower speed modem users accessing the
service.

The resulting animation can also be stored as a Windows screen saver,
or e-mailed to other Internet users as a Christmas card. Newsbytes
notes that there is also an advent calendar at the site.

Since its original launch in May of this year, Barclaysquare claims it
has attracted more than 105,000 shoppers and received almost 3,500
e-mails from Internet users. The service has also been named as one of
the UK's top ten online products and services by the December issue of
Business Age magazine.

(Steve Gold/19951211/Press Contact: Barclays Bank Public Relations,
[phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
12/12/95
GENERAL
Canada's Orchestra Multisystems' 2 New Monitors

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00006)
Canada's Orchestra Multisystems' 2 New Monitors 12/12/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 12 (NB) -- Orchestra Multisystems Inc., a
Canadian manufacturer of color monitors, has released two high-performance,
yet "budget," monitors, into the European marketplace. According to the
company, the monitors were unveiled to the North American marketplace at
last month's Comdex Fall computer show in Las Vegas.

The two monitors will form the flagships of Orchestra's Brass series.
The new senior flagship, the 17-inch Tuba II monitor, sells for US$699,
while the 15-inch French Horn costs US$429.

According to company officials, the two monitors incorporate
technology sufficiently powerful enough to support high quality,
graphics applications. The monitors are targeted at the mainstream
publishing industry as well as small home desktop publishers and
users.

The screens on both machines are flat with a new non-glare coating,
for the "eye comfort of the user." Both monitors have been built from
"the ground up" to be energy saving, and are expected to meet the US
Government's Energy Star certification schemes.

According to Orchestra, the larger screen on the Tuba II will be
particularly useful for designs demanding a large screen facility,
while the smaller French Horn II "fits nicely" on a desk with limited
space. Both monitors come with a three-year warranty and are billed as
Windows Plug and Play-compliant.

"Orchestra is constantly seeking new ways to offer top quality
monitors of exceptional value. These powerful monitors have the
advanced features that today's graphic's users need. We have made them
exceptionally affordable," claimed Peter Calderon, vice president of
sales and marketing for Orchestra MultiSystems.

According to Orchestra, the 17-inch Tuba II is compatible with both
Apple Mac and PCs, and supports a high resolution of 1,600 by 1,280
dots-per-inch (dpi) at a 82 hertz (Hz) refresh rate. The monitor
provides advanced adjustment for rotation, trapezoidal, pin-cushioning,
degaussing, and RGB color correction/tuning.

Any adjustment of images on the monitor can, the company claims, be
easily done by the on-screen display (OSD) menu. Other useful features
include an overscanning capability and an edge-to-edge screen image
for maximum viewing area.

The French Horn II, meanwhile, features a screen resolution of 1,280 by
1,024 dpi in non-interlaced mode with a 60Hz refresh rate. The on-screen
display menu is also supported by this budget monitor.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951211/Press & Reader Contact: John Hui, Orchestra
MultiSystems, 714-891-3861)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
12/12/95
IBM
IBM Targets German Consumer PC Market

(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00007)
IBM Targets German Consumer PC Market 12/12/95
STUTTGART, GERMANY, 1995 DEC 12 (NB) -- IBM Deutschland has announced
plans for a major push into the German consumer PC market during 1996.
According to Edmund Hug, the company's German chairman, while Big Blue
has been pitching hard into the business PC market, it has had only a
few machines to offer consumers.

Hug, quoted by Suddeustche Zeitung (South-West Daily Paper), said that
1996 will prove to be something of a watershed for IBM as far as
consumer systems go. "During the next year we plan to emphasize this
(end of) the market," he told the paper.

According to the German daily, the market for consumer systems in
Germany has grown by 20 percent over the last year. This upsurge in
sales has not gone unnoticed by IBM Deutschland, and is an area that
the company wants to exploit in the new year.

The change in emphasis for IBM's German operation may cost around
1,200 jobs within the company's business division, but, according to
Hug, all but 300 or so of these staffers will be transferred to different
positions within the new consumer side of the company. The 300 lost
jobs, Hug told the paper, will be accounted for by "natural wastage"
and early retirement options for the staff concerned.

Hugs announcements to the German press come two months after the
company announced plans to shed the 1,200 staff over the next year,
Newsbytes notes. In mid-October, Newsbytes reported that Horst
Richter, a member of the supervisory board of Big Blue's German
operation, and a senior member of IG Metall, the German trade union,
told journalists that the staff cuts are on top of the 6,000 positions
already lost over the last year.

Earlier this year, IBM Deutschland reported a return to profitability
for its 1994 trading year -- profits of US$589 million were reported
against a loss of $381 million in 1993, on an increased (2.4 percent
up) turnover of $8,440 million. The bulk of the 1994 sales growth came
in domestic sales, which were up 3.3 percent to $6,080 million.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951211/Press & Reader Contact: IBM Deutschland,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
1996 12/12/95
BUSINESS
Sweden's Ericsson Looks Ahead To

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00008)
Sweden's Ericsson Looks Ahead To 1996 12/12/95
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, 1995 DEC 12 (NB) -- Ericsson, the Swedish telecom
and electronics giant, has announced that the focus of its 1996
strategy will be to build on its successes in the broadband
communications network.

According to Lars Ramqvist, Ericsson's president, the broadband
systems the company will be looking to concentrate on will include
small telephone exchanges and access connectivity products.

Speaking with reporters, Ramqvist said that ATM (asynchronous transfer
mode) was something of a hot topic among the competition, with the
result that the company needs to bolster its product range offerings
in that section of the market.

Ramqvist is quoted in Kontakten, the company's in-house magazine, as
acknowledging that the competition has been quick to offer ATM
products in the smaller end of the market. "With the focusing now
taking place and the resources at our disposal, we expect to quickly
establish a leading position in this area," he explained.

Ramqvist's comments come in the wake of a successful year with
Ericsson's telecoms operations, but the company's networking
operations are still reported to be average. In September of this
year, Newsbytes reported that Ericsson had drawn up a new business
plan for the next few years and that, as part of the changes planned,
the firm plans to shave around 6,000 staff from its business sales
payroll.

The announcement came as something of a shock in the normally placid
Swedish technology marketplace, since it means that Ericsson will
progressively reduce its 30,000-strong workforce down to 24,000 by the
end of next year.

Under the changes announced in September, Ericsson's Public
Telecommunications Business (PTB) division will also transfer its
resources to the core operations related to the development of AXE
exchanges system and development of broadband solutions.

Plans also call for non-core operations, which cannot operate
profitably within Ericsson itself, to probably be spun off or sold to
external partners. According to Ericsson, this could affect around
2,200 members of staff in the company's PTB division in Sweden, as
well as a significant number outside the country.

At the time, Ericsson claimed that, in order to stay ahead of the
competition, various rationalization measures within the AXE
operations must be speeded up. The telco claims that concentrating on
areas closest to the core operations and increased cooperation with
partners should result in an increase in responses to customer demands
for "total solutions" in the broadband area, where operations are
generally developing at a slower pace.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951211/Press Contact: Anders Igel, Ericsson Business
Area Public Telecommunications, [phone]; Lars Wilkund, Ericsson
Human Resources, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/12/95
ONLINE
Peachtree Intros Electronic Bill Paying Service

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(DEN)(00009)
Peachtree Intros Electronic Bill Paying Service 12/12/95
NORCROSS, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 12 (NB) -- Peachtree Software
Inc., a subsidiary of Automatic Data Processing Inc. (NYSE: ADP)
has announced it will introduce an electronic bill payment system
for users of many popular commercial accounting software packages,
beginning in the first quarter of 1996.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95121209.PCX
Click here for photo

The company claims users of the system could save countless
dollars each year in costs and time spent writing and processing
accounts payable checks. "Writing checks to pay bills for
operating a business is an expensive, time-consuming occupation for
small business owners and finance managers," according to Ron Verni,
vice president of marketing and sales for Peachtree.

Verni said it made sense to develop an electronic bill payment
system since most small businesses already use accounting software
to manage their accounts payable. The company cited an ADP survey
of more than 500 ADP/Peachtree customers completed in April that
found the average company writes about 100 checks per month, not
including payroll checks. The company said the survey indicates it
costs an average of $2.50 to $2.81 per check to pay bills, depending
on the size of the company.

Peachtree said the bill paying software captures invoice-level data
and creates full remittance advice, enabling users to create
multiple invoices per payment and multiple payment adjustments per
invoice.

Peachtree spokesperson Cliff Bussard told Newsbytes the service will
be available for Peachtree Accounting for Windows in the first
quarter of 1996. He said the exact fee structure hasn't been worked
out yet, but will include a minimum number of transactions monthly,
with transactions above that number charged at a rate that will
probably be about $1 or less each.

The software will be integrated into the next release of Peachtree
Accounting for Windows, which is set for shipment in the first
quarter of 1996. Bussard said the company is negotiating with a
number of popular accounting program publishers to incorporate the
technology into those company's software. Current users of
Peachtree Accounting for Windows will receive a free upgrade when
the software is available, said Bussard.

Payment is made through CheckFree Corporation in Columbus, Ohio.
Payees that are Checkfree customers will receive payment
electronically, while other companies will get a check from
CheckFree.

In the first quarter of 1996, ADP will launch SoftPay, a standalone
product that gives the PC-equipped small business operator access to
ADP payroll services. No fee has been announced yet for SoftPay,
which accepts input from the customer, calculates payroll, sends out
payroll checks, and prepares the necessary government tax filings and
payments. A record of all that information is provided to the
business users.

In the last half of 1996 ADP will introduce online banking for
small businesses, which will include balance checking, fund
transfer and services like determining if a check has cleared.

(Jim Mallory/19951211/Press contact: Brad MacAfee, Copithorne &
Bellows for Peachtree, 770-392-8611 Public contact: Peachtree,
800-228-0068)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/12/95
GENERAL
China - Technology Newsbriefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(PEK)(00010)
China - Technology Newsbriefs 12/12/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 DEC 12 (NB) -- In this news roundup from China:
4,000 hours of Chinese TV programs sold abroad in past two years; IBM
contributes hardware and software to Xiamen University; more cities
to change phone numbers from 7 to 8 digits; and Zhejiang to provide
business information through the Internet.

4,000 Hours Of Chinese TV Programs Sold Abroad

China has earned at least US$6 million by selling TV programs to
overseas buyers over the past two years. This figure is more than 10
times the amount in previous years. About 4,000 hours of programs have
been sold for broadcasting abroad, through a national TV agency
representing 47 Chinese TV stations. Some of the programs, particularly
those featuring classical stories, have been a great hit, attracting a
large overseas audience.

IBM Contributes Hardware And Software To Xiamen University

IBM recently signed an agreement with Xiamen University in the Fujian
Province for the joint establishment of a computer center there. As
stipulated in the agreement, IBM will contribute computer systems, network
accessories, and software products worth a total of US$1.04 million to the
university. The work on the main network will start next April, sources
said.

More Cities To Change Phone Numbers From 7 To 8 Digits

Telephone numbers in Beijing and Guangzhou will be expanded to eight
digits next year, following the shift in Shanghai recently. The change
is scheduled to be effective from May 8, 1996, by adding a "6" to the
current seven-digit local number. Phone numbers in Guangzhou, the
provincial capital of Guangdong province, will be changed to eight
digits from June 8, 1996, by adding a "8" to the current number.

Zhejiang To Provide Business Information Through The Internet

Zhejiang province will develop a so-called "Golden Pigeon Project"
which aims to provide more business information overseas. This project
will link Zhejiang's business community to the rest of the world via
the Internet. Its home pages will list social, economic, and cultural
information about the prosperous province. Some pillar industries,
priority enterprises, and economic cooperative opportunities will also
contribute to the offerings.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951212)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/12/95
TRENDS
China - Vast Market For Financial Software

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(PEK)(00011)
China - Vast Market For Financial Software 12/12/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 DEC 12 (NB) -- The Chinese market for accounting
software is potentially huge, because 40 to 60 percent of the country's
medium- and large-sized enterprises plan to conduct computerized
accounting by the year 2000, said an official with the Ministry of
Finance.

Although some industries -- such as foreign trade, power utilities, and
railways -- have already implemented modern accounting tools, only about
10 percent of China's businesses now have computerized accounting. Most
Chinese accountants are still using the abacus, which was reportedly
invented in China about 1,300 years ago.

It is estimated that at least one million accountants will receive
computer training in the 1995/1996 period. Courses will be conducted by
the Ministry of Finance, computer companies, and training institutions,
said the official.

Large foreign trade companies that have close business relationships with
foreign countries lead this field, according to sources from the Ministry of
Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation. However, even these foreign trade
companies with the "most advanced" computerized accounting still lag about
10 years behind their counterparts in developed countries, said the
government official.

Although starting later in this field, the Chinese government considers
computerized accounting an important task for reform, said the government
official. China is conducting three "golden projects" -- Golden Customs,
Golden Card, and Golden Bridge -- aimed at computerizing China's trade,
financial, and information industries.

For computer companies, China's accounting computerization will prove to
be a great business opportunity. Many financial software development
companies have been established in recent years. Market competition is
fierce, however.

Even foreign companies, such as System Software Association and Microsoft,
are being lured by the vast market potential and have begun developing
accounting software suitable for Chinese clients.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951212)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/12/95
BUSINESS
Network Firm Sets Asia Hub In Philippines

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00012)
Network Firm Sets Asia Hub In Philippines 12/12/95
MANILA, PHILIPPINES, 1995 DEC 12 (NB) -- WorldTel Canada President Barclay
Hambrook was in the country recently to launch WorldTel Philippines Inc.,
a joint venture between WorldTel and the Prudentialife Group of Companies.

By next year, the Philippines is set to be the WorldTel Internet hub in
Asia, linking Brunei, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, and Thailand, Hambrook
told Newsbytes. The Philippines will be the center of network management,
training, and services in the region.

WorldTel Philippines, the first Internet business provider in the
country, hopes to dominate 78% of the Internet business market. It also
aims to change the way business is done locally through the net.

"We want to establish a market presence here and in Asia-Pacific since
nobody is doing this business but us," Hambrook said. WorldTel
utilizes the vast resources of the Internet to build global networking,
marketing, advertising, entertainment, electronic publishing of corporate
products and services, as well as providing technical support, said the
company.

With the world trade market expected to grow at a 50% rate in the next
two to three years, corporate businesses will need another medium to
effectively promote their products and services. WorldTel regards the
net as a perfect into-the-future avenue for advertisers and netsurfers to
utilize, both to buy and sell. Hambrook added that the net is also an
opportunity for business ventures and consultancy.

WorldTel offers its customers the chance to have their products and
services seen in all WorldTel sites worldwide.

The annual rate for the WorldTel Web page, which varies according to
text and graphics used, ranges from $385 (1 page) to $962 (3 pages) to
$1,538 (5 pages). While basic mail costs $19 per month, Direct Access
A for individuals costs $31 per month and $2 for every extra hour.
The Direct Access B groups package amounts to $56 per month with
$2 for every extra hour. For companies with multiple local area
networks (LANs) using server link, it will amount to $1,538 per month
with unlimited net access.

Asked about the growing competition among Internet service providers
in the country, Jose Alberto Alba, president of WorldTel Philippines,
said that there is enough space for everybody in the local market.
"What we offer is a global network for companies, and not just a way
to get you onto the net."

(Kay Yeban & Metropolitan Computer Times/19951212)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
12/12/95
GOVT
China - Govt Sees CAD For Industries

(NEWS)(GOVT)(PEK)(00013)
China - Govt Sees CAD For Industries 12/12/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 DEC 12 (NB) -- The Ministry of Electronics Industry
(MEI) will help other industries in their computer utilization during the
Ninth 5-Year Plan period (1996-2000). Not only that, but computer-aided
design (CAD) will be a priority, said Yang Tianxing, director of MEI's
department of computer and information technology popularization.

The director was speaking at a press conference for the Third National
Electronic Information Application Exhibition, which was held recently
in Beijing. He said that the MEI will be boosting computer utilization
for other industries in the Ninth 5-Year Plan period.

The exhibition, jointly organized by the MEI, the Ministry of Finance,
and the Industrial Bank of China, was designed to review the achievements
in information technology applications during the Eighth Five-Year Plan
(1991-1995) period, and to prepare plans for the next five years.

In the Eighth Five-Year Plan period, RMB10 billion (US$1.2 billion) was
invested for the implementation of electronic information technology,
and the direct economic benefit amounted to RMB15 billion (US$1.78
billion), according to the government.

The development of CAD systems will be a priority, said the official.
He pointed out that 80 percent of design institutes are using CAD
systems, and expects that during the next five years, 70 percent of
large- and medium-sized enterprises and major research institutes will
adopt CAD systems.

The ministry will also work to promote computer-assisted management
systems in large- and medium-sized enterprises and will help 14,000
large enterprises to conduct a computer-controlled process by 2000,
he said.

Computer control of power conservation will be introduced to all the
relevant industries, especially the metallurgical industry, to
achieve the annual goal set by the ministry of saving 100 billion
kilowatt-hours, according to Yang.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951212)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/12/95
ONLINE
Australian Developers Seek Electronic Commerce

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SYD)(00014)
Australian Developers Seek Electronic Commerce 12/12/95
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1995 DEC 12 (NB) -- Electronic commerce is shaping
up as the key cyber battleground of 1996, with two teams of giants --
Netscape/MasterCard/IBM and Microsoft/Visa - vying for the secure online
transaction standards lead.

However, they are not the only players, and there is an outside chance
that locally developed protocols will win the day with Australian banks.

The word from Sally O'Neill, chief manager of the legal arm of the
Commonwealth Bank's online services group, is that fully fledged
electronic banking is further away than most people think. "At best,
you're probably looking at the second half of next year," she said.

Part of the delay, she said, is due to the absence of a united standards
push from the Australian financial services industry. Companies such as
Australia's Techway are lining up to sell their secure online transaction
protocols, but the banks are not ready to buy.

"We've got about six or seven different proposals. We've been trying to
document all the scenarios," said O'Neill. An industry body which could
organize banks and financial institutions into a cooperative approach to
electronic commerce would be helpful, said O'Neill. "We haven't got a
vehicle, and to be honest, no-one wants to disclose their hand."

If the banks agree in time, O'Neill does not write off the possibility of
a company outside the Visa and MasterCard camps walking off with the bulk
of banks' electronic business. "If we could get an Australian standard,
we'd be covering 98-99 percent of transactions," she said, adding that
Australian banks have the opportunity to lead the world in the adoption
and development of electronic commerce.

Techway has been trialing its secure online transaction technology in
several banks over recent months. David Ballantyne, Techway's managing
director, said that he expects to announce a "real live customer" shortly.

(Dorothy Kennedy and Computer Daily News/19951212)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/12/95
TRENDS
 ****Semiconductor Book-To-Bill Ratio Drops

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00015)
 ****Semiconductor Book-To-Bill Ratio Drops 12/12/95
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 12 (NB) -- According to Price
Waterhouse's World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS), the 1.14
seasonally adjusted book-to-bill ratio showed a drop in November. This
months ratio is the lowest since February, 1995, with the all-time high
of 1.23 set in July, 1995.

The book-to-bill ratio indicates that for every $100 worth of products
shipped (billed), manufacturers received $111 of new orders (bookings).

The ratio is computed by a three-month moving average, and seasonally
adjusted. A ratio over 1.00 indicates that orders are higher than
products that have been shipped, and is considered bullish for the
semiconductor industry.

The semiconductor industry has recorded book-to-bill ratios exceeding
1.10 every month this year. The last time the ratio dipped below 1.10
was the 1.07 mark for December, 1994.

Chris Jones, the editor of "The IN-Stat Electronics Report", told
Newsbytes, "The WSTS book-to-bill ratio is the semiconductor
industry bellwether stat. A positive trend in the book-to-bill ratio
can drive a lot of investment into the industry. We think, however,
that sometimes too much attention is paid to this one statistic. A
book-to-bill ratio of 1.14 is extremely healthy on its own, and there
is some evidence that when the ratio gets higher the market is
overheated.

"After saying all this though, we will be publishing in our upcoming
newsletter our predictions for 1996, and we see a slow down in
growth for the semiconductor industry. Not a decline, but a slowdown
from the pace of 1995. We think our projection on worldwide growth
at 24.9 percent is one of the lowest growth numbers predicted. A
large part of our pessimism is based on the erratic economic outlook
for 1996, and these book to bill numbers help confirm our outlook,"
said Jones.

According to the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics, seasonally
adjusted billings in the North America market increased Billings
increased 42.7 percent from $3.09 billion in November, 1994, to the
$4.41 billion in November, 1995. This represents a 2.2 percent
increase from the $4.32 billion posted in October.

November bookings improved 53.9 percent from the November, 1994,
mark of $3.27 billion to $5.03 billion. The November bookings
represents a 1.5 percent dip from last month's all-time record of
$5.11 billion.

WSTS projects that the $33.5 billion North American market will grow
40.2 percent to $47.1 billion by the end of this year. WSTS also
predicted that the $101.8 billion global semiconductor market will
increase 43.7 percent to $146.4 billion in 1995.

The previous twelve months ratio has tracked: November, 1994 -
1.05; December, 1994 - 1.07; January, 1995 - 1.12; February, 1995 -
1.11; March, 1995 - 1.15; April, 1995 - 1.17; May, 1995 - 1.20; June,
1995 - 1.18; July, 1995 - 1.23; August, 1995 - 1.17; September,
1995 - 1.15; October, 1995 - 1.18; November, 1995 - 1.14 (preliminary).

In-Stat is a market research firm founded in 1981, and is
headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. In-Stat provides research on
the semiconductor and communication industries, with a monthly
newsletter, "The IN-Stat Electronics Report."

(Richard Bowers/19950811/Press Contact: Kevin Brett, SIA,
408-246-2711)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/12/95
ONLINE
DEC "Content Authoring System" For Web, Set-Top, PCs

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(BOS)(00016)
DEC "Content Authoring System" For Web, Set-Top, PCs 12/12/95
SHREWSBURY, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 12 (NB) -- Digital
Equipment Corp.'s new Mediaplex Application Development System is
designed to help spur development of "interactive content" by
letting authors publish for the Web, PCs, and set-top boxes, in
either Unix, Windows NT, or Windows, on a single turnkey system
that includes bundled tools from Macromedia, said Digital's Ira
Smotroff, in an interview with Newsbytes.

"We're providing `one-stop shopping' for `one to many' publishing,"
summed up Smotroff, who is Digital's product manager for application
authoring.

The Digital exec told Newsbytes that the new content production
system, which is due to ship in the first quarter, combines an
Alpha workstation capable of "dual booting" for Digital Unix and
Windows NT with an Intel Pentium-based PC and authoring software
that includes: Macromedia Director; Macromedia's Shockwave for
Director, for publishing to the Web; the Macromedia Extreme 3D
modeling, rendering and animal tool; Macromedia xRes, for high
resolution image editing and compositing; and Sonic Foundry's
Sound Forge digital sound editor.

Digital Unix is the operating environment used for video-on-
demand (VOD), pay-per-view, and digital ad insertion systems
driven by Alpha-based Mediaplex servers for cable TV and
multimedia broadband environments, according to Smotroff. "But
you also have the option of running Windows NT, which is quickly
becoming another authoring environment of choice," he said.

Content created with the new turnkey system can be played back on
Windows-based PCs, the Web, and set-top boxes from Apple and
Online Media, as well as from a range of vendors conforming to
Microware's DAVID specification, Newsbytes was told. "You can
also test applications for all these environments simultaneously
on the (Mediaplex Application Development) system," Smotroff
asserted.

Meanwhile, he added, playback of the Macromedia files on the Web
will be enabled through Shockwave, together with Macromedia's IML
browser, a product that will be embedded in the Netscape Web
browser as a result of a recent deal between Macromedia and
Netscape. A testing environment for the Web will be available for
the new turnkey authoring system as a separate option, as will a
Digital software development kit (SDK) for creating applications
that are "fully integrated with the streaming capabilities" of
Digital's Mediaplex video server.

Initially in the interactive multimedia and Web markets, much of
the content is being "repurposed" from platforms such as NTSC
(North American Television Standards Committee) video as well as
from CD-ROM and other digital environments, Smotroff observed. The
Macromedia tools bundled with Digital's new turnkey system are able
to use Macromedia files authored on either Macintoshes or SGI
(Silicon Graphics Inc.) workstations, according to the product
manager.

The upcoming Mediaplex Application Development system will come
with: a 17-inch monitor; keyboard; internal modem; 166 megahertz
(MHz) Alpha processor; 64 megabytes (MB) of random access memory;
4.7 gigabytes (GB) of hard disk space; an 8GB DAT (digital audio
tape) drive; and Ethernet network connectivity, housed within a
deskside cabinet. RAID (redundant array of inexpensive disks)
support will be optionally available.

The authoring PC will also include: a 17-inch monitor and
keyboard, together with a quad-speed CD-ROM drive; MPEG (Motion
Picture Experts Group) video card; 16-bit audio card and
speakers; 100MHz Pentium processor with a 256 kilobyte (KB)
burst cache; 16MB of RAM; 1GB of hard disk space, and Ethernet
connectivity.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951212/Reader Contact: Digital Equipment
Corp., 508-493-5111; Press Contact: The Weber Group for Digital,
617-661-7900)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/12/95
ONLINE
 ****Security Risks Rising On Web, But So Is "Awareness"

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(BOS)(00017)
 ****Security Risks Rising On Web, But So Is "Awareness" 12/12/95
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 12 (NB) -- "Secure servers"
will help to improve security on the Web, and so will more
firewalls, but it is absolutely essential for the organization to
centrally develop a set of "security guidelines," maintained
Daniel E. White, in an interview with Newsbytes about a new Ernst
& Young/InformationWeek survey that found both "security-related
financial losses" and computer viruses to be problematic for most
companies.

With more Web servers and end-users being added to the Internet
on a weekly basis, security risks are on the rise, said White.
But the outlook on the security front is not entirely gloomy,
either. the Ernst & Young partner told Newsbytes. "Awareness is
increasing, too," he contended.

Over 50 percent of the 1,300 CIOs (chief information officers)
and other "senior information specialists" responding to the
Third Annual Ernst & Young/InformationWeek Information Security
Survey said their companies had suffered security-related
financial losses over the past year. For each of 20 corporations,
these losses amounted to over $1 million.

Another two-thirds of the information specialists acknowledged
running across a computer virus within the past 12 months,
according to White.

But meanwhile, in the awareness arena, 40 percent of the
respondents said they are dissatisfied with Internet security,
and 87 percent asserted that they would employ the Internet more
for business if security were better.

White informed Newsbytes that a major security problem associated
with the growth of the Web is that increasing numbers of remote
sites are going unmanaged by individuals who have the requisite
training and skill sets. "The folks at these remote locations
might be specialists in sales or insurance. But all too often,
they are not specialists in Internet security," he noted.

It is largely for this reason that the organization should
centrally develop clear guidelines that spell out security
policies, said the Ernst & Young exec. These guidelines
should then be consistently enforced across branch offices,
manufacturing facilities, warehouses, and other remote sites, he
advised.

White further recommended that these security guidelines should
be accompanied by tools for centralized network monitoring,
configuration, and software distribution.

And for the many organizations now planning to initiate the
process of business re-engineering, centralized security controls
may as well be built in right from the start, he suggested.

Although the "thrust" of these and other changes in the corporate
computing infrastructure will be toward client-server architectures,
the future will see more mainframes, as well, predicted White.
"There will be increased computing of all kinds," he observed.

One hopeful sign now appearing in the direction of centralized
security is that more and more security specialists are reporting
directly to CIOs, Newsbytes was told.

Three-year results from the Ernst & Young/InformationWeek study
show the number of security chiefs in this category to have risen
from 27 percent in 1993 to 47 percent in 1995.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951212/Reader Contact: Ernst & Young,
212-773-3000; Press Contact: John Lenard, Edelman Public
Relations for Ernst & Young, 212-768-0550)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/12/95
TELECOM
Telecom Italia To Handle PictureTel In Italy

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00018)
Telecom Italia To Handle PictureTel In Italy 12/12/95
MILAN, ITALY, 1995 DEC 12 (NB) -- Videoconferencing company PictureTel
has contracted with Telecom Italia, along with Aethra, Italy's
videoconferencing specialist, to market and support sales of
PictureTel's Live PCS50 videoconferencing system in Italy.

As part of the agreement, Aethra will act as the distribution arm
between PictureTel and Telecom Italia, and will offer installation and
maintenance for the PictureTel systems. According to Carla Raffo,
PictureTel's director of marketing, Telecom Italia aims to add its
market knowledge and a 1,000-strong sales team in Italy.

"All the elements are now in place for a rapid expansion of the
videoconferencing market in Italy. ISDN (integrated services digital
network) lines are now widely available, and the technology is
available," Raffo explained.

According to Raffo, the deal will bring the possibility of equipping
every Italian desktop with videoconferencing one step closer.

Live PCS50 is a plug-in videoconferencing kit for PCs. The kit
includes a video camera, loudspeaking telephone or headset, PC plug-in
hardware, and software. According to PictureTel, the kit can be
installed on any desktop PC with an 80386 processor or better, running
Microsoft Windows 3.1.

The kit also includes PictureTel's LiveShare software, which allows
users to share applications and data on their PCs during video calls,
as well as providing whiteboard and file transfer facilities.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951212/Press Contact: Veronique Froment, RSA,
tel [phone], fax [phone], Internet e-mail
[e-mail]; Reader Contact: Dott Paolo Di
Prima, Telecom Italia, tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/12/95
TRENDS
Sweden's Telia Intros "Green" Itemized Phone Bill

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00019)
Sweden's Telia Intros "Green" Itemized Phone Bill 12/12/95
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, 1995 DEC 12 (NB) -- According to Telia, the Swedish
telco, conventional itemized phone bills are a waste of both time and
natural resources. As a result, Telia has unveiled TICS (Telia
International Customer Software) for its low-cost international
alternative telecoms carrier (ATC) customers that it claims offers a
"real alternative" to the reams of paper that conventional ATC
services offer.

According to Paul Morgan, Telia's head of marketing, instead of users
being deluged with a mountain of paper to back up their bills, they
simply load up their billing software and slot in a disk with the
appropriate data. The software allows the call data to be viewed and
manipulated at will, and also exports data to third party applications.

To get the point across that TICS is a lot better than printed
itemized bills, Telia is offering the computerized itemized billing
free of charge. Customers can still elect to have paper bills for a
surcharge, and 20 percent of the surcharge goes to the Tree Council,
a charity that replants and protects trees.

"Paper-based bills do not deliver the call information in a useable
format, so people do not even bother to look at them. Your phone bill
reflects your business and contains some vitality which can help
improve your performance -- if only you could analyze it effectively
and quickly," Morgan explained.

"PC-based itemized billing makes this possible. You can manipulate the
data to produce meaningful reports or import it into spreadsheet
programs like Excel and Lotus 1-2-3, and present it in your own chosen
format," he said.

According to Telia, since its ATC service offers call savings
approaching 30 percent when compared to British Telecom rates, plus
free computerized itemized billing, most business phone users would be
better off using Telia's international call services.

Interestingly, Telia claims that its research shows that around 10
percent of calls have a duration of less than the BT minimum charge.
The Telia ATC service -- known as Tele-Focus -- uses "true" per-second
billing, with part seconds rounded down to the nearest second, plus a
simple tariffing system that the Swedish telco claims makes it easy
for subscribers to work out what they are saving.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951212/Press Contact: Frank Smith, The Edge
Partnership, tel [phone], fax [phone], Internet e-mail
[e-mail]; Telia International, tel [phone],
fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/12/95
TELECOM
Nortel Selects Smallworld GIS For Network Planning

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00020)
Nortel Selects Smallworld GIS For Network Planning 12/12/95
PARIS, FRANCE, 1995 DEC 12 (NB) -- Nortel has acquired a Smallworld
GIS (geographic information system) license for the design of its
global system for mobile communications/personal communications
network (GSM/PCN) cellular networks. The contract was signed with
the Sema Group, Smallworld's distributor in France.

According to Francois Vincent, Nortel GSM Wireless Networks'
engineering tools manager, Smallworld's GIS is a "powerful advanced
product" designed to reduce the implementation costs of data conversion
and customization, and to provide "seamless integration" with other
corporate systems and software. The software runs on Unix platforms
and under Windows NT.

Plans call for Nortel to use Smallworld GIS in various engineering
stages of cellular network development, from radio design to
configuration management.

According to Vincent, cellular network planning tools require an
environment that combines a geographic information system with a
database.

"Calculations for radio propagation simulations require very accurate
cartographic information, while cellular networks have a great number of
configuration parameters -- both of these factors imply large volumes of
data," he said.

"Our choice was based on the performance of Smallworld GIS's geographic
features, combined with its powerful, integrated software workshop.
Moreover, the flexibility provided by the product's programming
language enables us to anticipate rapid changes in our industry, and
to utilize a tool that is customizable to our customer's needs," he
added.

Nortel plans to use the Smallworld GIS software for planning of GSM
and PCN networks which it is contracted to commission and hand over.
The announcement of its acceptance of Smallworld GIS is a significant
move for Smallworld, which is based in Cambridge, England, and claims
to have one of the world's fastest growing number of installed bases.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951212/Press & Reader Contact: Beatrice Bichon,
Nortel GSM Wireless Network, [phone]; Smallworld Systems,
[phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/12/95
TRENDS
Intel - Home PC Tops Christmas List

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00021)
Intel - Home PC Tops Christmas List 12/12/95
SWINDON, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 12 (NB) -- Intel's just-commissioned report
from the Gallup organization claims to show that 43 percent of UK
consumers would choose a multimedia PC for Christmas over other
popular and identically priced gifts, including: a color TV (19
percent); hi-fi stereo system (24 percent); and a 35 millimeter camera
kit (seven percent). The PC was the most popular choice, Intel claims,
regardless of age, sex, geographic location, or social status.

The survey is also billed as revealing that UK consumers view the home
PC as having an extremely positive influence on the individual and
family, benefiting education (74 percent), job or career (62 percent),
and entertainment (64 percent).

Interestingly, while terms such as "the information superhighway" and
"Internet" are new terms in society, 39 percent of consumers believe it
is important to be connected. However, only 33 percent of consumers
believe that PC usage is more enriching than watching TV.

Perhaps even more interestingly, the report claims that age, sex,
geographic location, and social status influence the desirability of
the multimedia PC, as well as attitudes towards PCs in the home and
the information superhighway or Internet.

According to the report, consumers aged 25 to 34 and 35 to 44,
typified by people with families, showed the strongest interest in the
PC as a gift (51 and 46 percent, respectively). Consumers aged 45 to
54 expressed the lowest interest (31 percent) and were less likely
than other age groups to view the home PC as beneficial towards their
education, job or career, and entertainment.

While women and men believe equally that the home PC benefits
education (74 percent), and job or career (62 percent), the report
noted that women were more likely to cite education as the primary
reason for wanting a home PC (41 percent vs 28 percent), while men
were more likely to cite entertainment as the primary reason (15
versus seven percent).

London residents were most likely to choose the multimedia home PC
over other gifts (50 percent), while most interest was more moderate
in the North and Scotland (39 percent), and the Northwest (37 percent).
According to the report, the Midlands and Wales (45 percent) were
representative of the overall UK population.

Interestingly, Scottish consumers were seen as more likely than any
other regional group to view connecting to the information superhighway
or Internet as important.

According to Steve Poole, vice president of Intel Europe, the high-
performance home PC is an "electronic chameleon" that allows users to
play music CDs, watch TV, run great multimedia software, or connect to
the Internet.

"The Intel/Gallup survey results underscore our belief that this will
be the strongest-ever Christmas selling season for Pentium processor-
based PCs," he said.

The face-to-face survey was commissioned by Intel and conducted by
Gallup between November 15 and 21, 1995. To compile the report, Gallup
surveyed 1,393 adults aged 16 to 54. The statistical margin for error
was plus or minus 3.5 percent, according to the company.

(Steve Gold/19951212/Press Contact: Mike Sullivan, Intel, +44-1793-
403000; Reader Contact: Intel, tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/12/95
TELECOM
UK - Vodafone's PIN Authentication On Analog Network

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00022)
UK - Vodafone's PIN Authentication On Analog Network 12/12/95
NEWBURY, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 12 (NB) -- Confirming plans
laid down earlier this year, Vodafone has turned its PIN (personal
identification number) authentication system on its analog cellular
network.

Unlike US PIN systems, which only work when a mobile is roaming and
requires the roamer to enter the PIN after each dialing string and
before the "send" key is pressed, the Vodafone system applies to all
calls, provided the mobile supports the PIN system.

The PIN on the Vodafone system is a 16-digit one, entered by the
subscriber on request from Vodafone, usually when the phone is turned
on for the first time. The PIN is then used as a pass-key to scramble
the electronic serial number (ESN) of the phone as it broadcasts
across the airwaves.

Each time the phone is either turned on or an outgoing call to a new
number is made, the "broadcast ESN" is changed. Using this approach
ensures that anyone plucking the ESN and its associated mobile
identification number (MIN) from the airwaves only has a small "window
of opportunity" to make an unauthorized call using the data, before it
is scrambled again.

Announcing the implementation of the Vodafone authentication system,
Chris Gent, Vodafone's managing director, said that, as mobile phone
crime becomes increasingly sophisticate, so have the measures to stop
it.

"The introduction of authentication is one of the most significant
steps we have taken in the fight against crime. Most of our current
and allow of our news subscribers can be protected from cloning by
authentication," he claimed.

"Our other anti-fraud measures have been designed to limit the effect
of fraud and identify it quickly. The strength of authentication is
that it prevents the fraud happening in the first place," he said.

According to Vodafone, phones manufactured after May, 1993, for
connection to analog networks should support the authentication
system, Around a million of Vodafone's 2.5 million subscribers have
phones suitable for use with authentication, the company claims.

(Steve Gold/19951212/Press & Reader Contact: Vodafone,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/12/95
ONLINE
 ****HP Teams With Netscape & Microsoft On Internet Printing

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LAX)(00023)
 ****HP Teams With Netscape & Microsoft On Internet Printing 12/12/95
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 12 (NB) -- Hewlett-Packard
Company (HP) has announced separate agreements with Netscape
Communications Corp., and Microsoft Corp., to enhance printing from
the Internet. The partnerships will develop "open, non-proprietary"
printing standards for the hypertext markup language (HTML), the
formatting language used by content providers to develop World Wide
Web sites.

The new HTML printing extensions will allow users to print
information in the same format in which it was originally designed.
While it is easy to display formatted documents on a computer screen,
it is not always possible to print items retrieved from the Internet
as they were originally designed.

Jim Lyons, product manager for printing devices at Hewlett-Packard,
told Newsbytes, "Hewlett-Packard supports what we call a distribute-
and-print model. In a distribute-and-print model, users receive
information electronically and print only the portions they need.
Printing from the Internet is part of a broader HP strategy to support
this trend. Distribute-and-print is different from traditional print-
and-distribute information model in which a user creates and prints a
document, photocopies it and then manually distributes it via
interoffice mail, the postal service, or overnight delivery services."

Hewlett-Packard sees the Internet as the ultimate extension of the
distribute-and-print model. With users, both commercial and residential,
being able to print what they need from the Internet with all the high
quality graphics and color they want.

"It is our goal to give users the ability to print from the Internet
any information or portion of a document they choose, in its original,
context-rich format," said Carolyn M. Ticknor, Hewlett-Packard vice
president and general manager of the LaserJet Solutions Group. "The
role of paper in communications is changing as the popularity of the
Internet and e-mail grows. More information will be printed on the
desktop, offering users greater convenience and control over the
information they receive."

Currently, users who select a Web page or document for printing
cannot print only a desired portion of it, but must print the entire
document. Extensions to the HTML language will enable users to print
only the portions of a document or Web page that they need.

In addition, Lyons points out that the new products will bring speed
to Internet printing, "Through performance improvements to HP printer
engines and new HTML enhancements, users will be able to print text,
graphics and photographs faster than they can today."

Today, information on the Internet is designed for low-resolution
(72-120 dots-per-inch) display devices. When rendered on high-resolution
(300-600 dots-per-inch) printing devices, Internet documents often
suffer line breaks, page breaks, and other formatting problems.

"There will be a day when in every home full color printing can be
taken right off the Internet. It will be done with speed and at low
cost. That day may be a decade off, but it will come and we want
Hewlett-Packard to be there," said Lyons.

(Richard Bowers/19951212/Press Contact: John Curtis, Hewlett-
Packard, 208-396-6350)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/12/95
LEGAL
 ****Internet Day Of Protest Is Today

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(MSP)(00024)
 ****Internet Day Of Protest Is Today 12/12/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 DEC 12 (NB) -- To protest what they
view as the "censoring" of the Internet, several organizations have
organized an "Internet Day of Protest" for today. The move is in
response to language in a proposed telecommunications bill that
would change the telecom business in the US.

The organizations, which are generally against censorship, are
objecting to a deal struck by the House Conference Committee on
Telecommunications reform to prosecute individuals transmitting
"indecent" or pornographic material over networks like the Internet,
on commercial online services like America Online and Prodigy, and
via smaller Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Those individuals
could face jail terms and fines of up to $100,000.

The groups involved in the day of protest include the American Civil
Liberties Union (ACLU), the Center for Democracy and Technology, the
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the Electronic Privacy
Information Center (EPIC), Wired Magazine, and Voters
Telecommunications Watch (VTW).

Specifically, the groups are asking "netizens" (Internet citizens)
to contact the offices of key Senators and House Representatives to
go on the record with their protest of the bill. In today's wired
world, that contact could be made by either phone, fax, or e-mail.

Some of the names on the list include Senators Robert Dole (R-KS),
J.J. Exon (D-NE), Ernest Hollings (D-SC), and John McCain (R-AZ);
along with Representatives John Conyers (R-MI) and Patricia
Schroeder (D-CO). House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) was also on the
list.

The groups are asking voters to tell legislators that any bill designed
to protect children from objectionable material on the Internet will
actually destroy it as a medium for education, commerce, and political
discourse.

Judging from Newsbytes' experience this morning, the "spread the word"
campaign might have had some sort of impact. When we tried to call the
offices of several of those key legislators, we were greeted with a
chorus of busy signals. We did reach a representative from Sen. Dole's
office, but she was not able to get back to us on any call volumes by
the Newsbytes daily deadline. And an e-mail to House Speaker Gingrich's
office went unanswered.

A different kind of protest that was scheduled for yesterday has been
moved to Thursday. The "Rally Against Censorship from Ground Zero of
The Digital Revolution" was postponed in San Francisco due to bad
weather. The rally will now be held Thursday from 12:00 Noon to 1:00 pm
PST at San Francisco's South Park. Expected to be in attendance are
Bay area media members, along with people from the online, Internet,
New Media, and telecommunications communities, officials said.

(Bob Woods/19951212/Press Contact: Electronic Privacy Information
Center, 202-544-9240)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/12/95
BUSINESS
Fulcrum To Acquire TRIP Systems

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00025)
Fulcrum To Acquire TRIP Systems 12/12/95
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 DEC 12 (NB) -- Fulcrum Technologies Inc.
(TSE:FUL; NASDAQ:FULCF) has announced plans to acquire TRIP Systems
International Inc., of Brookfield, Connecticut. Both companies produce
text-retrieval software.

The deal will give Fulcrum a boost in some international markets, the
company's president, Eric Goodwin, told Newsbytes. TRIP has a presence
in two major areas -- China and Scandinavia -- where Fulcrum has done no
business at all, Goodwin said. It also has strong distribution in Japan
and much of Europe, areas where Fulcrum has begun developing a presence.

Goodwin said Fulcrum was attracted to TRIP by its employees and its
customers. The Connecticut firm has a lot of expertise in developing
text-retrieval technology, he said. As a result, Fulcrum expects at least
a large number of TRIP employees will be offered jobs at Fulcrum. "We
don't see any major work force reductions," Goodwin said.

The companies also fit well together because they produce similar
products but have different geographic strengths. "In many areas it seems
their strongest markets were not our strongest markets," Goodwin said.

Fulcrum said it will pay US$4.6 million for privately owned TRIP Systems.
Spokeswoman Gillian Brouse of Fulcrum told Newsbytes that TRIP will be
integrated with Fulcrum rather than remaining a separate subsidiary, but
that some operations are likely to remain in Connecticut and at other
TRIP offices.

Although it is based in the United States, Brouse noted, TRIP is not
particularly strong in the US market. Its business is principally in
Europe and the Far East, she said.

Fulcrum officials said they expect the senior management of TRIP
will remain with the merged company.

Fulcrum is on the World Wide Web at http://www.fulcrum.com.

(Grant Buckler/19951212/Press Contact: Gillian Brouse, Fulcrum,
613-238-1761, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/12/95
ONLINE
AIM To Launch Data Collection & Identification Online

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TOR)(00026)
AIM To Launch Data Collection & Identification Online 12/12/95
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 12 (NB) -- AIM USA, a trade
association for companies in the automatic data collection and
identification industry, has announced the setting up of an online
service called Data Collection and Identification Online. The service
is part of Industry.Net, an online business marketplace accessible via
the Internet's World Wide Web.

Autumn Katarincic, a spokeswoman for Industry.Net, told Newsbytes that
the site will include a mixture of AIM information -- such as the trade
association's membership rules and current notices -- and advertising
from AIM member companies. Member companies will be able to set up their
own "business centers," or home pages, on the service, Katarincic
explained. It will be open to anyone who has the means to reach it, she
said.

The service will contain information on such things as applications,
standards, and technologies including magnetic stripe, bar codes, and
radio frequency identification, an industry buying guide, and
information about the data collection and identification trade show
Scan-Tech.

Industry.Net opened in 1993, and currently hosts 10 other industry
associations, including such groups as the Materials Handling Institute,
the American Supply and Machinery Manufacturers' Association, and the
Industrial Distribution Association, and more than 4,000 companies.
Officials said that more than 180,000 buyers and specifiers use the
service, which is accessible at via the Web http://www.industry.net.
Both Industry.Net and AIM USA are located in Pittsburgh.

(Grant Buckler/19951212/Press Contact: Autumn Katarincic, Industry.Net,
412-967-1700, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/12/95
APPLE
 ****Apple In Chinese PowerPC Joint Venture

(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00027)
 ****Apple In Chinese PowerPC Joint Venture 12/12/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 DEC 12 (NB) -- Apple Computer Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)
and South Software Park (Zhuhai) Technology Co. Ltd., have announced the
formation of Apple-SSP (Zhuhai) Technology Co. Ltd, designed to develop
core technologies for future PowerPC computing products in China.

"Establishing a strong research and development base in China is a
priority for Apple to accelerate our push into the local market. With
SSP, we have a cost-effective software development center that can tap
the vast pool of technical engineering resources in China," said Robin
Abrams, vice president and managing director of Apple Asia.

One of the new company's first tasks will be to localize the Macintosh
operating system (OS) and develop software applications in Chinese
versions. Apple says the venture will position the company to be a
leading factor in China's growing personal computer market.

In essence, the agreement calls for Apple to supply technical resources
and support, operational equipment and management staff, and a high-
speed communication line between Apple's Cupertino, California
headquarters and South Software Park's Zhuhai, Guangdong province
location. SSP will provide personnel management.

Apple says Apple-SSP products will meet international standards and
developed for domestic and export sales.

The new venture has received the support of China's Ministry of
Electronics Industry and the People's Government of Zhuhai. Apple-SSP
is a project under a government Five-Year Plan which is designed
to build a base in Southern China as a player in the global software
market.

According to Apple, the capabilities of its PowerMac family of
computers was critical in gaining the support of the Chinese
government agencies.

Yang Tianxing, director general of Computer and Information Technology
Advancement under the Ministry of Electronics Industry, said, "The
marriage of the PowerPC chip, jointly developed by IBM, Apple and
Motorola, and the Mac operating system has created a new standard for
the personal computer industry."

(Patrick McKenna/1995/Press Contact: Nancy Keith Kelly, Apple,
408-974-2133)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/12/95
GOVT
 ****Clinton Budget Would Boost Digital TV

(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00028)
 ****Clinton Budget Would Boost Digital TV 12/12/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 DEC 12 (NB) -- The White House
budget plan contains a proposal to speed up the transition from
analog to digital television technology, including a subsidy for
consumers to buy set-top converters.

Under the White House plan, which is designed to raise an
additional $13 billion, broadcast would be required to switch to
digital by 2002, compared to a 15-year transition in a 1992 plan
by the Federal Communications Commission.

The FCC is meeting today to look at its digital TV plan, and may
make changes in it.

Moving broadcasters to a digital signal would render
conventional TV sets useless. Consumers would have to either
buy a digital television set, at an initial cost of some $10,000
or put a converter on the conventional TV for several hundred
dollars.

The Clinton plan would create a fund to help people buy the
set-top converters. The fund would come from auctioning off the
analog channels, raising the estimated $13 billion.

The purpose of the shorter transition time is to bring the
proceeds from the auction into the Treasury faster, helping the
administration reach its goal of a balanced budget in seven
years.

The broadcast industry is opposed to the shorter transition and
does not like the White House plan. "I don't think consumers
will screen last because they may have to spend less to buy a
converter," said Lynn McReynolds, spokeswoman for the National
Association of Broadcasters. "They're still going to have to
buy something they wouldn't have because the White House would
be speeding up the transition."

The FCC is considering changing its 1992 plan because of changes
in technology and markets, and under pressure from Congress.
Under the plan, broadcasters would be given a new channel to go
along with the existing channel. The new channel would be used
for the digital signal.

But some broadcasters have said they want to use the new channel
to broadcast several analog signals instead of the single
digital signal. And Congress sees the second license as
something that can be sold at auction to raise money for the
Treasury.

At today's FCC meeting, a group of computer hardware and
software companies -- including Apple, Microsoft and Compaq --
are expected to challenge the move to digital signals. They
argue that digital television will prevent computers and TVs
from converging into a single appliance.

The system the FCC is on the verge of approving came from an
alliance of TV makers, equipment suppliers, and research labs.
This coalition says the computer industry is overstating the
problem.

(Kennedy Maize/19951212/Press Contact: Lynn McReynolds,
202-429-5300)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/12/95
ONLINE
More On Microsoft's Digital Signature Initiative

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(DEN)(00029)
More On Microsoft's Digital Signature Initiative 12/12/95
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 12 (NB) -- One portion of
Microsoft Corp.'s (NASDAQ: MSFT) Internet strategy announced
recently is a digital signature initiative which the company said
will provide a "safer environment" for executable code on the
Internet.

If the Internet is to become a viable conduit over which business
can be conducted, security is a prime concern. The initiative
announced this week by Microsoft is designed to address concerns
about malicious code or viruses. Microsoft said the technology will
enable users to verify that a program is free of third-party
tampering.

One way to assure that integrity is to equip Internet browsers like
Microsoft's own Internet Explorer with the ability to automatically
download applications from a list of vendors approved by the user.
Microsoft said if the author of the application is not on the
user's pre-approved list, the browser can display the signature of
the executable code so the user can make an informed decision on
whether to proceed with the download.

Downloaded files are often the source of viruses, code put into
apparently innocuous programs to cause damage that can range from
the simple display of a message to complete erasing of the files on
the PC's hard drive.

Microsoft said it will propose the Internet digital signature
specifications to the W3 (W cubed) Consortium and the Internet
Engineering Task Force as an open Internet standard available to
the entire Internet community.

The company said it will host a digital signature design preview as
part of the Open Process Design Review to be held in January in
order to solicit feedback from the Internet community.

Ken Wasch, president of the Software Publisher's Association, said
the digital signature technology will benefit the organization's
members. "Independent software publishers large and small will have
greater business opportunities publishing powerful software with this
mechanism. Users will buy more signed software over the Internet
because it will be more powerful and uses will have confidence in
the accountability of its creator," said Wasch.

The computer industry is moving toward electronic distribution of
software as a replacement for the traditional retail channel, as
more consumers connect to the Internet. That's another reason the
digital signature concept is important.

Bob Atkinson, a digital signature architect, said the technology
provides the user "a virtual suit of armor," allowing them to
download and run the most powerful and interesting programs
without undo fear of anonymous computer vandalism.

(Jim Mallory/19951212/Press contact: Kira Sorensen, Microsoft,
206-882-8080; Public contact: Microsoft, 206-882-800)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00030)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 12/12/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 12 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|          Wednesday, December 12, 1995          |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network's on the Web! Check out http://www.nbnn.com for
free daily top stories from Newsbytes and its affiliate publications,
and from PC Week, MacWeek, and other Ziff news magazines. A subscription
gives you all the news, full-text, plus the most comprehensive database
of past computer stories online. The keyword-searchable database dates
from today back through 1983. Subscriptions are $24.95 for three months.
Questions? Send to '[e-mail]'  For Japanese Newsbytes
and additional services, see the Newsbytes Pacifica Website at
http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

APPLE     Macromedia's SoundEdit 16 2.0 For Mac...................... 03

APPLE      ****Apple In Chinese PowerPC Joint Venture................ 27

BUSINESS  Sweden's Ericsson Looks Ahead To 1996...................... 08

BUSINESS  Network Firm Sets Asia Hub In Philippines.................. 12

BUSINESS  Fulcrum To Acquire TRIP Systems............................ 25

GENERAL   Native American Clip-Art Libraries......................... 01

GENERAL   Canada's Orchestra Multisystems' 2 New Monitors............ 06

GENERAL   China - Technology Newsbriefs.............................. 10

GOVT      China - Govt Sees CAD For Industries....................... 13

GOVT       ****Clinton Budget Would Boost Digital TV................. 28

IBM       IBM Targets German Consumer PC Market...................... 07

LEGAL     Netherlands - Philips Facing $1Billion Law Suit............ 04

LEGAL      ****Internet Day Of Protest Is Today...................... 24

ONLINE    Internet Update............................................ 02

ONLINE    Barclays Opens Santa's Cybergrotto On Internet............. 05

ONLINE    Peachtree Intros Electronic Bill Paying Service............ 09

ONLINE    Australian Developers Seek Electronic Commerce............. 14

ONLINE    DEC "Content Authoring System" For Web, Set-Top, PCs....... 16

ONLINE     ****Security Risks Rising On Web, But So Is "Awareness.... 17

ONLINE     ****HP Teams With Netscape & Microsoft On Internet Printin 23

ONLINE    AIM To Launch Data Collection & Identification Online...... 26

ONLINE    More On Microsoft's Digital Signature Initiative........... 29

TELECOM   Telecom Italia To Handle PictureTel In Italy............... 18

TELECOM   Nortel Selects Smallworld GIS For Network Planning......... 20

TELECOM   UK - Vodafone's PIN Authentication On Analog Network....... 22

TRENDS    China - Vast Market For Financial Software................. 11

TRENDS     ****Semiconductor Book-To-Bill Ratio Drops................ 15

TRENDS    Sweden's Telia Intros "Green" Itemized Phone Bill.......... 19

TRENDS    Intel - Home PC Tops Christmas List........................ 21

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 -> Native American Clip-Art Libraries -- The United States Postal
Service (USPS) will incorporate some of the borders found in clip-art
libraries produced by RT Computer Graphics into a series of stamps to be
released next year. The company says it has brought to market two
collections that feature Native American clip-art libraries for both
Windows and Macintosh users.

2 -> Internet Update -- In this roundup of new services and resources on
the global Internet: Free Web pages directory; Unknown Russia;
Australian sports industry directory; Art from the Far East; New K-12
resources; All about viruses; What's hot in Thailand; Information super
library; Online from Bosnia; Other Balkan pages.

3 -> Macromedia's SoundEdit 16 2.0 For Mac -- Macromedia (NASDAQ:MACR)
developers are getting a new version of SoundEdit 16 for integrating
high-quality audio into multimedia presentations, CD-ROM titles, and
World Wide Web sites. Designed to offer developers an easy-to-use tool
for a wide number of formats, the new version allows for the creation of
cutting-edge sound in Director, Authorware, and Extreme 3D projects.

4 -> Netherlands - Philips Facing $1Billion Law Suit -- According to a
report in Economishe Tijd, the Dutch financial daily paper, Philips
Electronics faces a $2.95 billion law suit from Maurits de Prins, the
founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Super Club, the video
rental group which is now a division of Philips.

5 -> Barclays Opens Santa's Cybergrotto On Internet -- Barclays Bank's
Barclaysquare Web site, located at http://www.itl.net/barclaysquare ,
has opened up a Cybergrotto" for Santa at its site. The idea, according
to Sara Mak, a spokesperson for the bank, is that "trendy kids" can now
e-mail their Christmas present lists to Santa at the Cybergrotto, rather
than use conventional "snail mail."

6 -> Canada's Orchestra Multisystems' 2 New Monitors -- Orchestra
Multisystems Inc., a Canadian manufacturer of color monitors, has
released two high-performance, yet "budget," monitors, into the European
marketplace. According to the company, the monitors were unveiled to the
North American marketplace at last month's Comdex Fall computer show in
Las Vegas.

7 -> IBM Targets German Consumer PC Market -- IBM Deutschland has
announced plans for a major push into the German consumer PC market
during 1996. According to Edmund Hug, the company's German chairman,
while Big Blue has been pitching hard into the business PC market, it
has had only a few machines to offer consumers.

8 -> Sweden's Ericsson Looks Ahead To 1996 -- Ericsson, the Swedish
telecom and electronics giant, has announced that the focus of its 1996
strategy will be to build on its successes in the broadband
communications network.

9 -> Peachtree Intros Electronic Bill Paying Service -- Peachtree
Software Inc., a subsidiary of Automatic Data Processing Inc. (NYSE:
ADP) has announced it will introduce an electronic bill payment system
for users of many popular commercial accounting software packages,
beginning in the first quarter of 1996.

10 -> China - Technology Newsbriefs -- In this news roundup from China:
4,000 hours of Chinese TV programs sold abroad in past two years; IBM
contributes hardware and software to Xiamen University; more cities to
change phone numbers from 7 to 8 digits; and Zhejiang to provide
business information through the Internet.

11 -> China - Vast Market For Financial Software -- The Chinese market
for accounting software is potentially huge, because 40 to 60 percent of
the country's medium- and large-sized enterprises plan to conduct
computerized accounting by the year 2000, said an official with the
Ministry of Finance.

12 -> Network Firm Sets Asia Hub In Philippines -- WorldTel Canada
President Barclay Hambrook was in the country recently to launch
WorldTel Philippines Inc., a joint venture between WorldTel and the
Prudentialife Group of Companies.

13 -> China - Govt Sees CAD For Industries -- The Ministry of
Electronics Industry (MEI) will help other industries in their computer
utilization during the Ninth 5-Year Plan period (1996-2000). Not only
that, but computer-aided design (CAD) will be a priority, said Yang
Tianxing, director of MEI's department of computer and information
technology popularization.

14 -> Australian Developers Seek Electronic Commerce -- Electronic
commerce is shaping up as the key cyber battleground of 1996, with two
teams of giants

15 ->  ****Semiconductor Book-To-Bill Ratio Drops -- According to Price
Waterhouse's World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS), the 1.14
seasonally adjusted book-to-bill ratio showed a drop in November. This
months ratio is the lowest since February, 1995, with the all-time high
of 1.23 set in July, 1995.

16 -> DEC "Content Authoring System" For Web, Set-Top, PCs -- Digital
Equipment Corp.'s new Mediaplex Application Development System is
designed to help spur development of "interactive content" by letting
authors publish for the Web, PCs, and set-top boxes, in either Unix,
Windows NT, or Windows, on a single turnkey system that includes bundled
tools from Macromedia, said Digital's Ira Smotroff, in an interview with
Newsbytes.

17 ->  ****Security Risks Rising On Web, But So Is "Awareness -- "Secure
servers" will help to improve security on the Web, and so will more
firewalls, but it is absolutely essential for the organization to
centrally develop a set of "security guidelines," maintained Daniel E.
White, in an interview with Newsbytes about a new Ernst &
Young/InformationWeek survey that found both "security-related financial
losses" and computer viruses to be problematic for most companies.

18 -> Telecom Italia To Handle PictureTel In Italy -- Videoconferencing
company PictureTel has contracted with Telecom Italia, along with
Aethra, Italy's videoconferencing specialist, to market and support
sales of PictureTel's Live PCS50 videoconferencing system in Italy.

19 -> Sweden's Telia Intros "Green" Itemized Phone Bill -- According to
Telia, the Swedish telco, conventional itemized phone bills are a waste
of both time and natural resources. As a result, Telia has unveiled TICS
(Telia International Customer Software) for its low-cost international
alternative telecoms carrier (ATC) customers that it claims offers a
"real alternative" to the reams of paper that conventional ATC services
offer.

20 -> Nortel Selects Smallworld GIS For Network Planning -- Nortel has
acquired a Smallworld GIS (geographic information system) license for
the design of its global system for mobile communications/personal
communications network (GSM/PCN) cellular networks. The contract was
signed with the Sema Group, Smallworld's distributor in France.

21 -> Intel - Home PC Tops Christmas List -- Intel's just-commissioned
report from the Gallup organization claims to show that 43 percent of UK
consumers would choose a multimedia PC for Christmas over other popular
and identically priced gifts, including: a color TV (19 percent); hi-fi
stereo system (24 percent); and a 35 millimeter camera kit (seven
percent). The PC was the most popular choice, Intel claims, regardless
of age, sex, geographic location, or social status.

22 -> UK - Vodafone's PIN Authentication On Analog Network -- Confirming
plans laid down earlier this year, Vodafone has turned its PIN (personal
identification number) authentication system on its analog cellular
network.

23 ->  ****HP Teams With Netscape & Microsoft On Internet Printing --
Hewlett-Packard Company (HP) has announced separate agreements with
Netscape Communications Corp., and Microsoft Corp., to enhance printing
from the Internet. The partnerships will develop "open, non-proprietary"
printing standards for the hypertext markup language (HTML), the
formatting language used by content providers to develop World Wide Web
sites.

24 ->  ****Internet Day Of Protest Is Today -- To protest what they view
as the "censoring" of the Internet, several organizations have organized
an "Internet Day of Protest" for today. The move is in response to
language in a proposed telecommunications bill that would change the
telecom business in the US.

25 -> Fulcrum To Acquire TRIP Systems -- Fulcrum Technologies Inc.
(TSE:FUL; NASDAQ:FULCF) has announced plans to acquire TRIP Systems
International Inc., of Brookfield, Connecticut. Both companies produce
text-retrieval software.

26 -> AIM To Launch Data Collection & Identification Online -- AIM USA,
a trade association for companies in the automatic data collection and
identification industry, has announced the setting up of an online
service called Data Collection and Identification Online. The service is
part of Industry.Net, an online business marketplace accessible via the
Internet's World Wide Web.

27 ->  ****Apple In Chinese PowerPC Joint Venture -- Apple Computer Inc.
(NASDAQ:AAPL) and South Software Park (Zhuhai) Technology Co. Ltd., have
announced the formation of Apple-SSP (Zhuhai) Technology Co. Ltd,
designed to develop core technologies for future PowerPC computing
products in China.

28 ->  ****Clinton Budget Would Boost Digital TV -- The White House
budget plan contains a proposal to speed up the transition from analog
to digital television technology, including a subsidy for consumers to
buy set-top converters.

29 -> More On Microsoft's Digital Signature Initiative -- One portion of
Microsoft Corp.'s (NASDAQ: MSFT) Internet strategy announced recently is
a digital signature initiative which the company said will provide a
"safer environment" for executable code on the Internet.

(Ian Stokell/19951212)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD



Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/08/95
GENERAL
Japan Newsbriefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00001)
Japan Newsbriefs 12/08/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 DEC 8 (NB) -- In this roundup of news from Japan,
Ex NTT executive found guilty of bribery, portable telephone
subscribeRs up in September, electronic newspaper consortium
established, Matsushita licences VideoCD software, more cable
multimedia experiments planned, Fujitsu adds content to Teleparc.

Ex NTT Executive Found Guilty Of Bribery

A Tokyo court Friday handed down suspended sentences to three people
over bribery in the stocks-for-favors scandal that involved Recruit, a
major employment agency, and took place in the late 1980s. The three
are Kunio Takaishi, vice education minister at the time, Hisahiko
Hasegawa, an executive of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) at the
time, and Hiroshi Kobayashi, president of a Recruit affiliated finance
company. Both Takaishi and Hasegawa received two-year jail sentences,
suspended for two years, and fines of 22.7 million yen each. The two
each received 10,000 shares of Recruit Cosmos Co., the real estate arm
of Recruit, from Kobayashi in return for political and industrial
favors in September 1986. Two other former NTT executives, Hisashi
Shinto, a former chairman, and Ei Shikiba, a former executive, have
previously been found guilty in the Recruit case which caused scandal
in 1988 when the bribery came to light.

Portable Telephone Subscribes Up In September

Just released figures from Japan's cellular telephone companies show
7.4 million people were using the units as of the end of September.
The figure represents a 402,900 subscriber jump over August. NTT
DoCoMo still leads the pack with 3,682,000 subscribers, up 206,000.

Electronic Newspaper Consortium Established

Newspaper readers in the Tokyo area could wake up to a new type of
"paper" from next spring. A four-company consortium comprising the
Sankei Shimbun, Fuji Television Network, Mitsubishi Electric Corp., and
Mitsubishi Corp., have established Electronic News Service Inc. The new
company will send an electronic edition of the Sankei Shimbun to
special subscriber terminals via Fuji Television's channel 8 sender in
Tokyo. Subscribers will pay around 40,000 yen ($400) to enroll in the
service and receive a receiver/reader after which a monthly
subscription of 1,200 yen ($12) will be levied in lieu of a newspaper
subscription fee. If tests are successful next spring, the service
will be extended to the Osaka region and eventually to all of Japan
via the stations of the Fuji Television Network.

Matsushita Licences VideoCD Software

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., has begun marketing a software add-on
for VideoCD disks that will enable the disks to be played in CD-ROM
drives. Currently, PC users require a special VideoCD decoder to view
the images on the disks; the new software will mean all that
is needed is a computer and CD-ROM drive. The VideoCD uses an MPEG-1
based compression system and is most widely used in Japan on karaoke
disks which hold the images, words and music to songs. Matsushita has
worked with Compcore Multimedia of the United States to produce the
software which will be sold at 50 yen ($0.50) a copy to large volume
producers of VideoCD. The Osaka-based company predicts sales of around
1 million units in the first year.

More Cable Multimedia Experiments Planned

Suginami Cable Television has become the latest of Japan's cable
networks to announce it will begin multimedia trials in 1996. The
Tokyo-based operator will offer subscribers video on demand and other
information across 100 channels squeezed into an unused 100MHz portion
of the TV band, according to the Nikkei Shimbun. Optical fibers
required for the project have already been laid and the digital
hardware needed will soon be installed at a cost of between 500
million and 1 billion yen ($5 - 10 million).

Fujitsu Adds Content To Teleparc

Fujitsu has added Tokyo Journal, a monthly English listings and
information magazine, to its roster of contributors to Teleparc, an
innovative online service available via NiftyServe or the Internet.
Via the new TJWeb, users can now access a selection of Tokyo Journal's
contents. Teleparc is an Internet magazine delivering information
from, on and to Tokyo and Asia in both English and Japanese and was
launched in July this year and is available on the World Wide Web at
http://teleparc.infoweb.or.jp/ .

(Martyn Williams/19951208)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/08/95
ONLINE
 ****Internet Update - Christmas Special

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00002)
 ****Internet Update - Christmas Special 12/08/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 DEC 8 (NB) -- So it may not be Christmas quite yet
but this year Christmas sites abound on the World Wide Web in much
greater numbers than the last two years, with the number of sites in
the North Pole almost outnumbering its inhabitants. With all these
sites, someone like Sprint must have a backbone running there.

In this first, of three, updates of new Christmas-related sites on the
global Internet: Holly & Sara's Christmas page, Visit Santa - win a
prize, The Knight family Christmas, Christmas in Minnesota, Time for a
laugh, How many days left, Where's Santa, Genie holiday Web, Carol
lyrics online, Santa's workshop, Christmas down under, Winter Web
wonderland, Santa land, New version of XSnow, Free chocolate.

Holly & Sara's Christmas Page

About 30 images, and nothing else on the first page make this a slow
download but once you're in, there is the opportunity to send Santa an
e-mail, visit the North Pole, learn about Christmas around the world
and jump to other pages across the world.
World Wide Web: http://www.logicnet.com/melanie.mccluskey

Visit Santa, Win A Prize!

Parole d'Images has created a great looking Christmas page with the
choice of either English or French. Not only can you visit Santa's
home but also take part in a daily competition. The competition is
open to all but only EU residents can win prizes.
World Wide Web: http://www.paroles.fr/noel/

The Knight Family Christmas

Obviously from a family that spends too much time in front of the PC, this
site from the Knight family offers many links to Christmas destinations
all over the Internet and, as they themselves say, is "one of the
largest on the net as far as I can find."
World Wide Web: http://www.io.org/~knights/xmas.htm

Christmas In Minnesota

If you're lucky enough to be spending Christmas in Minneapolis, not
only will you be near the headquarters of Newsbytes but, you won't
need to buy a newspaper to find out what is happening during the
holiday season. An extensive listing of what's happening in
Minneapolis is supplemented by things everyone can enjoy like Midi
files of Christmas Carols, recipes, decorating tips, traditions,
games, puzzles and more.
World Wide Web: http://www1.minn.net/~arneson/xmas.html

Time For A Laugh

Randy Glasbergen, a nationally published cartoonist, and Ted Goff, a
syndicated cartoonist, have created a home page with six of their best
Christmas cartoons.
World Wide Web: http://www.borg.com/~rjgtoons/mc.html

How Many Days Left?

Sure you could just look at a calendar but isn't "surfing the net"
much more fun? To find out exactly how many shopping days are left
until Christmas crank up the modem and surf over to this page.
World Wide Web: http://www.uidaho.edu/cgi-bin/countdown.pl

Where's Santa?

Not a Christmas version of "Where's Waldo" but a neat program that
will actually track Santa during his deliveries around the world and
is said to be the same program used by Santa's helpers at the North
Pole to keep tabs on deliveries Christmas Eve. The actual method of
calculation isn't revealed but we're betting on some sort of satellite
GPS tracking unit attached to his sleigh! Runs under Windows 3 and
95.
World Wide Web: http://www.cyberhighway.net/~citius/santa.html

GEnie Holiday Web

Online service GEnie has created another page of holiday links, this
time devoted to Christmas. Get tips on selecting good gifts, join a
tutorial on holiday meal planning with Chef Dan, listen to Christmas
carols, and download clip art for your holiday projects. You'll find
stories ranging from the Bible to the current day, games, even holiday
ideas for youth groups. Kids can send e-mail to Santa.
World Wide Web: http://www.genie.com/holiday/holiday.html

Carol Lyrics Online

Lyrics to all the Christmas Carol favorites from O Come, All Ye
Faithful and O Little Town of Bethlehem to Hark The Herald Angels
Sing plus many more are online to give everyone the ability to hold a
carol concert this holidays, says the author.
World Wide Web: ftp://col.hp.com/html/tbc/Xmas/index.html

Santa's Workshop

Visit Santa's workshop, get counted by the Clausodometer, check
Santa's local time, sign the guestbook, post your wish-list and read a
tale from the wreath.
World Wide Web: http://www.santas-workshop.com/

Christmas Down Under

From Australia, where they'll all be on the beach over the holidays,
the OzKidz Internaut Cyber Centre is offering its own Christmas pages.
World Wide Web: http://www.gil.com.au/ozkidz/

Winter Web Wonderland

Neosoft has opened another Christmas site this year. New features and
attractions include the ability to send a free Christmas "GIFt" to
friends, send a letter to Santa, get free Internet holiday coupons
("print and give") and even view the latest image from a camera
mounted in the North Pole - "you won't believe your eyes."
World Wide Web: http://www.neosoft.com/citylink/xmas

Santa Land

The pages that seek to bring back some of what Christmas used to be
with links to entertainers such as Bing Crosby, Lucile Ball and
holiday music from the radio, not MTV. Audio files of Christmas Carols
and songs are available, as is a live shot of midtown New York from
the Empire State Building.
World Wide Web: http://santaland.northpole.qnet.com/

New Version Of XSnow

As Christmas approaches a new version of XSnow, the X-windows
application that will let it snow on the root, in between and on
windows. This year's version includes some minor updates plus a big
reduction in systems resources needed.
World Wide Web: http://www.sara.nl/Rick.Jansen/

Free Chocolate!

Well, virtual chocolate actually. Hiding behind each window of the
Advent Calendar is a chocolate and a set of Christmas links. New
windows can be opened each day from midnight GMT. The calendar can be
accessed in English, French and German and accessed via either of the
two URLs.
World Wide Web: http://www.enst-bretagne.fr/~bdt/avent/indez.html
World Wide Web:
http://www-eleves.enst-bretagne.fr/~stokelev/avent/indez.html

(Martyn Williams/19951208)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/08/95
ONLINE
 ****Prodigy Attracts Two NBC Execs

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SFO)(00003)
 ****Prodigy Attracts Two NBC Execs 12/08/95
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 8 (NB) -- Ed Bennett,
Prodigy's president and chief executive officer (CEO), continues to
reshape the online service with the addition of two NBC
executives. Josh Grotstein and Lisa Simpson have worked together at
NBC and come to Prodigy with extensive content development expertise.

"Ed has a very clear idea of where he wants to take Prodigy and his
way is unconventional. I think he is developing a model which is
on the brink of making Prodigy the online service which will bring
cutting-edge experiences to its subscribers," said Lisa Simpson.

At NBC, she served as director, business development with
responsibilities for multimedia, interactive and online business
affairs. Her focus at Prodigy entails the development and management
of deal structure and stategic alliances for the company. Additionally,
she will oversee the company's West Coast content and marketing efforts
under the title, vice president of strategic business alliances.

Grotstein who served as vice president and general manager for NBC
Online Ventures becomes senior vice president, content, where he will
oversee the creation and development of all original content. His chores
also include overseeing existing content and programming, stategic
alliances, acquisitions, and licensing.

Perhaps the most significant part of Bennett's plans for Prodigy is the
already accomplished conversion of the entire service to the programming
language of the Internet, HyperText Markup Language (HTML). With a
service based on HTML, full, easy and fast integration with the World Wide
Web became an integral goal of the service. Now many of Prodigy's areas
are being delivered through custom Web sites created by independent
vendors. These vendors wall-off part of their Web server to offer an
exclusive area to Prodigy members, but also allow Prodigy members to
access standard Web offerings on each server available to the entire Web
community.

Grotstein said he was attracted to Prodigy by Bennett's vision and
personality. "When we were called by Prodigy, we were most impressed
with our personal talks with Ed Bennett. He has built an impressive
development team. The kind of team we want to join."

Describing what they bring to the table, Grotstein said, "Acumen and
an understanding of the broadcasting medium to Prodigy. The
online model is similar to broadcast but it is not a distribution
model. It is a content model. Once sufficient bandwidth is
available to deliver true live video over the Web, the Web will
really come of age. I cannot say whether that will be in two years
or four years. Cable modems hold a tremendous potential for that
type of delivery. But the Web will be more than television. With
interactivity and user control, the Web will be a new mass medium
and that is why we want to be with Prodigy. This is a time for
this new media like television was a new media in the 1950s. It is a
changing and evolving time for the Web."

Simpson echoed the similar thoughts saying, "The Web is not really for
prime time just yet. It has been a very liberating source for Prodigy
and I look forward to being a part of its development here."
Commenting on what she brings to the company, Simpson explained,
"I have worked with a lot of phenomenal people in the broadcast
industry and I intend to leverage those relationships as broadcast
becomes and other technical achievements are more integrated into
the Web."

(Patrick McKenna/19951208/Press Contact: Lydia Trettis, Connors
Communication, tel [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/08/95
ONLINE
 ****Kentucky Company Finds Easy Money On Internet

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00004)
 ****Kentucky Company Finds Easy Money On Internet 12/08/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 DEC 8 (NB) -- A Kentucky-based company has found a
way to make money out of porn on the Internet no matter what user's
needs and opinions. On one hand, Watchdog Productions sells a list of
porn on the Internet "to help you stay abreast of all the online
resources featuring a sexual content that are now so freely available
to everyone" while on the other hand, Kidsafe Productions will sell
the same list as an "import source for any blocking software that
allows you to block online access to specific internet addresses."

When Newsbytes was forwarded an advertisement for Kidsafe Productions
in Williamsburg, Kentucky, offering not only software to block
offensive sites but a list of sexually explicit Internet locations, we
decided to look into it and we found a group of companies making money
out of porn on the network.

The advertisement was forwarded from one of the newsgroups used for
swapping pornographic pictures and referred anyone interested to a Web
page hosted by Prodigy.

The page noted, "The Internet is already beyond regulation, so
obviously the best tack is to take steps to block your personal
computer so it can't access these online hard-core sex sites without a
special password. It's simple! You can easily take charge of your own
computer (even if a novice user) and monitor, or even completely
block, objectionable materials from being accessed on it, by anyone
who does not have your secret access code."

So it sounded just like another type of Internet blocker now on sale
from companies such as Safesurf and Cybersitter, but wait. Looking at
what you get we noticed it included a: "HUGE LIST of adult online sex
sites (2,000 entries). Includes those notorious Internet Usenet
Newsgroups, World Wide Web pages, FTP sites, gophers, Bulletin Board
Services, and much more!" It almost sounded as if they were trying to
sell these lists and not really the blocker package.

To give them the benefit of the doubt, Newsbytes requested a review
version of the software. It would clear up any misunderstanding we had
and might make a good product for review.

The next day we received a two e-mails from Kidsafe with details of the
package in one and the other containing the details of an FTP site
with user name and password required to access. This is essentially
what users get for sending in $10.

After several attempts at accessing the busy site we finally got on
and proceeded to the designated directory where we found a several
files. There was a 50K text file with the promised offensive site
list, a copy of the Internet blocker software produced by CyberSitter
and several utilities for viewing GIF and JPEG graphics files and
unzipping compressed files.

We downloaded the list and looked through it, then contacted Marc
Kanter at Solidoak Software, producers of Cybersitter, and we asked
him what he thought of Kidsafe using his product alongside an index of
the very sites the software was meant to block.

"Thank you for this enlightening piece of work. I am very offended
to see this. We would not and will not give permission to distribute
Cybersitter in such a manner," he replied.

He added, "It is illegal to distribute, or copy Cybersitter without
permission. It is not shareware or freeware. We provide a trial
version on our Web site and make it clear that is what it is. It can
be converted, by Solidoak Software only, into a full working program.
Cybersitter can also be legitimately purchased in many of the major
computer stores in the US. Our offensive filter file is encrypted and
nobody has or will be given access to it."

Jay Friedland at Surfwatch Software also criticized the methods being
used and said, "We have always taken the position that it would be
more harmful to expose our list since it would promote the opposite
goal of what we are trying to achieve and children will find a way to
access computers which don't have Surfwatch on them. I have heard of
several of these 'services' in the past, and they are often just
trying to sell a 'sex' list in a way which will protect themselves
from liability."

After passing on copies of the list to the two, Friedland told us,
"The list shows a tremendous similarity to an existing and free guide
to Internet sex resources." Upon inspection of the free list, supplied
confidentially to Newsbytes, we confirmed that the vast majority of
the Kidsafe list was identical in content and even formatting to the
free list.

What did Kidsafe have to say about this? Surely it was just a clever
way to sell people lists of sexually related sites while pretending it
was something else. "WRONG!!!" they replied by e-mail. "List is for
reference and addresses to use in the other software that supports it.
If you want the list try Watchdog," they added.

We jumped back to the list to see just what people were getting for
their $10 and found a lot of pages that are either very well known,
such as Playboy and Penthouse magazines, or sites that are not really
what most of the readers would be impressed with, such as the AIDS
mailing list. There are also a lot of bulletin board services listed
as well as others found in indexes such as Yahoo. Jay Friedland at
Safesurf told us there were few new sites in the list.

As we scanned down the list of World Wide Web sites we
noticed one particular entry labelled, "Instant success with viewing
and decoding newsgroup and e-mail sex picture files." The reason it
stood out was that the address was very similar to that of Kidsafe's
Web site.

Upon comparison we found the two pages live in the same user directory
on the Prodigy Web server so we went back to take a closer look.

Side by side, although not hyperlinked together, we found "The Kidsafe
Sex Censorship Kit," "The World Nudist Archives And Links Service,"
"Instant Success With Newsgroups Pictures Files," and "The Online
Watchdog Sex Site Hotlist."

So, on the one hand you can pay $10 if, "you are serious about not
wanting your kids to access every kind of flithy smut known to man,"
while on the other hand, you can use a different service from the same
company and pay just $5 to get the same "big list of newsgroups and
picture files, including over 60 HOT XXX ADULT GROUPS."

We contacted Kidsafe Productions, aka Watchdog Productions, again to
comment on the later information found and the similarity of their
list with the free one. They claimed they had permission from the
author to use sites in his list although they also claimed they had
permission from Solidoak Software to archive and offer Cybersitter.

When we e-mailed them of the comments from Solidoak's Marc Kanter, "It is
illegal to distribute, or copy Cybersitter without permission," they
failed to respond. At deadline we have failed to receive any further
response from the organization despite waiting a week for a reply.

Parents interested in obtaining software to block access to offensive
Internet sites can contact several companies including Solidoak
Software, makers of Cybersitter, at 1-800-388-2761 or on the Web at
http://www.solidoak.com/ and Surfwatch Software, makers of Safesurf,
at 1-800-458-6600 or on the Web at http://www.surfwatch.com/ .

Other manufacturers include Cyber Patrol from Microsystems Software at
508-879-9000 and NetNanny from NetNanny Ltd. at 1-800-340-7177.

(Martyn Williams/19951204)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
00 12/08/95
GENERAL
Citizen To Offer World's Smallest Printer Under $

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00005)
Citizen To Offer World's Smallest Printer Under $200 12/08/95
SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 8 (NB) -- Citizen
America Corp., announced an entry-level version of its lightweight PN60
portable printer. After removing some of the PN60 features such as color
printing, Citizen's new PN50 still offers Thermal Fusion printing and is
expected to have a street price of approximately $199.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95120805.PCX
Click here for photo

Citizen expects to deliver the new printer to major retail outlets in
January. Like the PN60, PN50 is about the size of a standard flashlight
and provides laser quality images at 2 pages per minute. It measures 10-
inched in length, 2-inches in depth and 3-inches in height and weighs 1.1
pounds. Citizen says the suggested retail price is $249 which means its
street price should be approximately $199.

Unlike the popular ink jet printers which spray wet ink onto paper before
drying, the company's thermal fusion process uses heat and pressure to
bond dry resin-based ink onto paper. The outcome is a smear-resistant,
waterproof document. Ink is transferred from a black ribbon cartridge
which is typically capable of 30 pages of text or 18 graphic pages.

Citizen's other models in the portable line are built for use with either
a Mac or an IBM/clone computer. PN50 is for the IBM/clone market only
and is powered by an AC adapter or an optional, rechargable NiCad
battery. A single battery charge can handle about 30 pages of text.

Duane Yamashita, Citizen's product manager, told Newsbytes, "We
carefully studied the needs of business travelers and found there is a
need for printing whenever they want it. If it is 2:00 in the morning
or at the airport between flights, they want to be able to have a
lightweight printer which meets these demands. Instead of looking
for a Kinko's outlet or a hotel business center, a traveler can have
print capabilities wherever they have their notebook."

PN50 comes with a Centronics parallel cable and Windows 3.1 and
Windows 95 drivers. Its output is 360 x 360 dots per inch.

On another note, Yamashita told Newsbytes, the company will add IR
(infrared) technology to its PN60 printer in the coming months. This
means any notebook with IR capabilities can print to PN60 without a
wired connection. A user would simply set the printer within a few feet of
a notebook and in the line-of-sight of the IR window to print documents.

(Patrick McKenna/19951207/Press Contact: Matt Roberts, Citizen, tel
310-453-0614 ext 288; /CITIZEN951208/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/08/95
BROADCAST
Australia - Telstra Names 21 Suppliers For Broadband Project

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(SYD)(00006)
Australia - Telstra Names 21 Suppliers For Broadband Project 12/08/95
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 1995 DEC 8 (NB) -- Telstra has invited 21 Australian
IT companies to submit proposals for development of its AUS$40 million
interactive broadband services pilot project. The service will use
Telstra's cable-TV connections to carry interactive services to
home-based TVs and personal computers, the latter carrying data
at two to 27 megabits per second, according to a Telstra press
statement.

The project will include trialing of cable modems to link PCs to interactive
services.

However, the list of invited suppliers issued yesterday does not include
Australian modem maker NetComm, which is developing cable modems for the
world market with ADC of the US. ADC's Homeworx technology is planned to be
used with Optus Vision's rival hybrid coaxial-fiber cable system in
Australia.

Suppliers invited to respond to Telstra's request for proposal (RFP) are:
Alacatel, Anderson Consulting, Apple, Bellcore, DEC, EDS Australia,
Ericsson, Hewlett-Packard, ISSC, Logica, Microsoft, NEC, News Data Com,
Nortel, Oracle, Philips, Samsung, Siemens, Silicon Graphics, Sybase and
Telstar. Their selection follows a public expression of interest issued by
Telstra in September.

Telstra claims its broadband cable currently runs past more than 700,000
Australian homes. According to Telstra Multimedia CEO Gerry Moriarty, the
first interactive broadband services will probably form part of Telstra's
interactive trial at Gungahlin in Canberra in late 1996.

(Computer Daily News/19951208)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/08/95
TELECOM
Czech Republic - Nextel To Be Internet Provider

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00007)
Czech Republic - Nextel To Be Internet Provider 12/08/95
PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC, 1995 DEC 8 (NB) -- Nextel, the data networking
division of SPT Telecom, recently purchased from Eurotel, announced
it is building an ATM backbone and gearing up to become a full-fledged
Internet provider. The company is dedicated to providing a full
suite of corporate connectivity and network management
services as well as information services with X.400-based
messaging.

Mr. Pavel Jirousek, marketing manager at Nextel, says
Nextel is now building multimedia networks, with an ATM backbone
capable of supporting data, voice and video transmission. Nextel's
offerings include not only X.25 based public data network services,
but also frame relay services, computer to computer
interconnection via private switches, PABXes, and videoconferencing,
according to Jirousek.

Another area of focus is on providing information services,
including e-mail messaging based on the X.400 standard and the
TCP/IP protocol. "We would like to extend our activities to the
commercial Internet and we have several tools for it," said
Jirousek, who drew attention to its backbone capable of
supporting TCP/IP the new SPT telecom's partnership with
TelSource, which includes UniSource as the international
corporate connectivity component.

"Internet is a big phenomenon of our age, and it's not possible to
offer these as separate services," said Jirousek. "SPT Telecom
must become a commercial provider of Internet access services.
We are working very hard at this and would like to introduce
these services next year on a commercial level."

Nextel plans to support three types of services: dial-up access
via telephone lines at up to 28.8 Kbps, full access via leased-line
or VSAT at up to 2 Mbps, and private TCP/IP networks
with firewall, name server, and private WWW server
installations.

With the recent strategic partnership with Unisource and AT&T
and their joint venture UniWorld, SPT Telecom's Nextel division
is gearing up to be part of a global playing effort.

(Steven Slatem, IntelliTech/19951207/Contact: Pavel Jirousek,
Nextel, SPT Telecom a.s., tel [phone], fax: +42 2
273114)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/08/95
GOVT
Australian 'Innovation' To Boost Information Technology

(NEWS)(GOVT)(SYD)(00008)
Australian 'Innovation' To Boost Information Technology 12/08/95
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA 1995 DEC 8 (NB) -- The Australian government
plans to spend AUS$24 million developing Australia's high performance
computing and communications (HPCC) capabilities, including domestic
broadband communications and a $1.2 million broadband link with Japan.

The measures were part of the much-heralded Innovation Statement which the
Prime Minister Paul Keating unveiled yesterday at the National Trade and
Investment Outlook Conference in Melbourne. The HPCC strategy includes
setting up centers of expertise and technology diffusion centers to help
industry adopt HPCC.

The statement said the Government will introduce a $495 million
package of measures over four years, of which it claims around $410
will be new spending. The statement had a lot to say under the heading of
IT, but much of it was really about using IT for a range of social measures
such as improving education, community communication, indigenous
communication and public access to information, culture and heritage.

Business, arts, DSS, get boosts. However, in all of that there will be lots
of business opportunities. One program, Accessing Australia, will see
Canberra give state and local government $11.4 million to put computers
into public libraries to make online information services available to
Mr and Mrs Everybody, and to train librarians.

This plan will also extend the pilot community information network which was
established in June 1995 to help low-income people. The network puts
computers in public locations to provide access to the public. More than $10
million will go to cultural and heritage institutions under the Australia's
Story program to digitize significant Australian cultural material. This
will enable them to develop online public access to gallery and museum
material.

(Computer Daily News/19951207)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/08/95
BROADCAST
Ericsson Scores Reward In Euro RACE Project

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(LON)(00009)
Ericsson Scores Reward In Euro RACE Project 12/08/95
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, 1995 DEC 8 (NB) -- Ericsson has been presented with
an award for the best research product in the European Commission
(EC's) RACE (Research and technology development in Advanced
Communications technologies in Europe) project. The award for
technological achievements was presented by the EC for Ericsson's
work on the Multi-Wavelength Transport Network (MWTN), new
technologies that will provide the network for broadband services
such as videoconferencing and video on demand.

According to Olof Sahlen, a spokesman for Ericsson's fiber optics
research center, the MWTN project involves ten organizations
across Europe.

Ericsson claims that the MWTN project has demonstrated a managed, re-
arrangeable wavelength-division-multiplexed fiber optics telecoms
network. The company's contributions include the development of opto-
electronic components, software for management systems, network
modelling and optical switching demonstrations in experimental
broadband networks, such as the Stockholm Gigabit Network (SGN).

Several of Ericsson's group companies have been involved in the
project: Ericsson Components AB, Ericsson Telecom AB, Ericsson
Utvecklings AB (formerly Ellemtel), Ericsson Infocom Consultants AB
and Ericsson Telecommunicazioni of Italy.

Other organizations involved in the project include BT Labs (UK),
Telia (Sweden), the University of Essex (UK), University of Paderborn
(Germany_, Pirelli and Italtel of Italy, Centro Studi E Laboratori
Telecommunicazioni (CSELT, Italy) and France Telecom.

The award, which was presented in Vienna, Austria, was judged by an
independent panel on behalf of the RACE project. RACE, Newsbytes
notes, is a telecoms research project within the EC that consists of
121 separate projects.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951207/Press Contact: Eva Bardvall, marcoms, Ericsson
[phone]; Reader Contact: Sonny Johansson, Research Center
Systems Switching, Ericsson Utvecklings AB [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/08/95
GOVT
Philippines' First Computerized Police Force

(NEWS)(GOVT)(HKG)(00010)
Philippines' First Computerized Police Force 12/08/95
CEBU CITY, PHILIPPINES, 1995 DEC 8 (NB) -- "The set-up will be
a little like 911 in the United States although not as sophisticated.
Not yet, anyway," said Augusto Marquez, Intelligence Section (IS)
division chief of the Cebu City Police Command (CCPC). This will
be the first Philippines city to link police operations by computer.

The information system set-up will link subordinate police precincts
and divisions to the main police headquarters in Camp Sotero
Cabahug. Marquez said the initial plan is to install a complete
computer hardware set (monitor, printer, and modem) in each of the
subordinate units and connect these to the mainframe computer terminal
in the police headquarters. He estimated that around 21 units of
computer hardware set will be needed for the linkage.

The $250,000 computerization program, a joint undertaking of the
Cebu City Government and the CCPC, is scheduled to be bid by
year-end. Mayor Alvin B. Garcia already approved of the plan. So far,
only Systems Standards Inc., an IBM business partner, has submitted a
comprehensive proposal.

"This will make us the first city in the country whose police operations
are computerized," said Marquez, a member of the working group
behind the grand program.

Through the acquisition of the necessary software, every policeman in
Cebu City's 11 precincts can become a cartographer. A composite
sketch of a crime suspect can be generated through the computer then
sent to all units for their information and guidance.

The computerization scheme will also make possible a more efficient
document filing system, proper logistics management, automated
scheduling of activities, tours of duty and assignments of policemen,
assure security of classified information, fast processing of personnel
information and performance evaluation as well as simultaneous
dispatch of information to all units.

An alarm raised in one precinct can be disseminated to all units for a
more coordinated police operation.

According to Marquez, the computerization plan will also lessen the
number of police personnel needed for clerical work so that more
officers can now be assigned to field duty.

(Marlen Del Mar & Conduit/12061995/Internet e-mail
[e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/08/95
TELECOM
Telecom Satellite AsiaSat-2 Launch Successful

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(PEK)(00011)
Telecom Satellite AsiaSat-2 Launch Successful 12/08/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 DEC 8 (NB) -- On November 28, China successfully
launched another telecommunication satellite AsiaSat-2 at Xichang
Satellite Launching Center. The satellite will cover more than 50
countries and regions in Asia, Eastern Europe, Australia, and states
of the former Soviet Union.

The satellite was launched using a Long March 2E, a multistage,
heavy-trust rocket. The rocket put the satellite into orbit
that will vary from 185-309 kilometers (0.606-1.013 million feet)
above the earth.

AsiaSat-2, a Lockheed communication satellite for Hong Kong-based
Asia Satellite Telecommunications Co Ltd., is to be used for telecom
services for different Asian countries and was designed to last
15 years. Maneuvered by Asia Satellite Telecommunications Co Ltd., and
Lockheed-Martin, it will eventually settle into an orbit at 100.5
degree east longitude.

Covering more than 50 countries and regions, AsiaSat-2 transmits radio
signals and serves public communications networks. Customers already
have signed on to use the services. They include Satellite Television,
Deutsche Welle Broadcasting Organization, Portuguese RTPi International
Television, the Chinese Ministry of Radio, Film, and Television, AP
Television, and Global Television News.

AsiaSat is owned by British Great Eastern Wireless, China International
Trust and Investment Company, and Hong Kong Whampoo.

The carrier rocket was developed in China and has a payload of 9.2 tons
(20,270 pounds). This is the 38th launch in the Long March series and
technological changes were made to increase reliability.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951205)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/08/95
TELECOM
AT&T Launches India Web

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEL)(00012)
AT&T Launches India Web 12/08/95
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1995 DEC 8 (NB) -- AT&T has launched a new Web site
on the Internet called AT&T India Horizons. Visitors to the site can
take a virtual tour of Japan, locate Indian restaurants and shops
in Chicago, New York or any other place, catch daily headlines from
India and the World as well as browse through India-centric
information.

This Web site has been brought to the Indians by the AT&T Consumer
Communications Services, and is linked to other sites popular with
Indians. The company celebrated the launch of the Web site by
broadcasting radio messages by the first 250 people who visited
the marker page while the Web was under construction.

(C. T. Mahabharat/19951208)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/08/95
GENERAL
China - Technology Newsbriefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(PEK)(00013)
China - Technology Newsbriefs 12/08/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 DEC 8 (NB) -- In this news roundup from China, the
country is expected to be the second largest computer market in the
world by 2000; consumer electronics exhibition held in Beijing;
newspaper CompuWorld's donation to improve education; Oracle holds news
conference in Shanghai to show its technology and information solutions.

China Will Be The World's Second Largest Computer Market By 2000

Due to rapid economic development, China's computer market will be
growing fast. Statistics show that computer sales are expected to
reach RMB55 billion (US$6.5 billion) this year, up 40 percent from 1994.
About 1 million PCs will be sold this year, half of which are purchased
by Chinese families, with 486-class machines taking a market share of
55 percent and Pentiums 7 to 8 percent. China is expected to become the
second largest computer market in the world by the year 2000.

Consumer Electronics Exhibition Is Held In Beijing

The Second China International Consumer Electronics Exhibition was
held from November 24 to 28 at Beijing World Trade Center. The 5-day
exhibition, sponsored by China International Electronics Import and
Export Corp, attracted 52 manufacturers from Hong Kong, Taiwan, the
United States, Russia, Japan, and South Korea as well as from the home
country. The displayed products included audio-video players, computers,
and multimedia and/or game machines. Next year, the annual event will be
held in Shanghai in September.

Newspaper CompuWorld's Donation To Improve Education

CompuWorld, a newspaper in the electronics sector, recently announced a
RMB400,000 (US$48,000) donation to improve education in poor areas of
Sichuan province. The 15-year old newspaper jointly is invested by the
International Digital Group of America and a Chinese official press
department. It reported that its per employee tax payment to the state
was more than RMB1 million (US$120,000) from 1990 to 1995.

Oracle Shows Technology And Information Solutions In Shanghai

Oracle China held its first annual conference on applications in
Shanghai from November 9 to 11 and more than 1,000 Chinese officials and
customers attended the opening session of the conference. The main goal
of the conference was to show Chinese users and customers that the US
computer company is eager to provide technology and information
solutions to China.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951208)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/08/95
ONLINE
 ****Compuserve Licenses Microsoft's Web Browser

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00014)
 ****Compuserve Licenses Microsoft's Web Browser 12/08/95
COLUMBUS, OHIO, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 8 (NB) -- In a move designed to
strengthen its "open" online Internet World Wide Web strategy,
Compuserve said it has reached an agreement with Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ:MSFT) to license its "Internet Explorer" Web browser.

Compuserve officials said it will include a customized version of
Internet Explorer in upcoming versions of the company's retail and
corporate Internet suite software packages. Those include Internet
In A Box, Internet In A Box for Kids, Mosaic In A Box, and Internet
Office.

An Internet Explorer version will also be available for downloading
and use on Compuserve's own online service, as well as its new "Wow"
consumer online service.

The Microsoft deal works well with Compuserve's strategy to commit to
open Internet standards, William Giles, Compuserve spokesperson, told
Newsbytes. Because of its belief, the company announced earlier this
week it would open a "WebCentral" area on the main Compuserve service,
which Newsbytes covered. Among other features, Compuserve members can
download most any popular Web browser and use it while connected to
Compuserve. Many of those browsers will be available for free, a
Compuserve official told Newsbytes at the time.

"We do not view ourselves as a browser company," Giles told Newsbytes.
"The real future for the Internet and the World Wide Web is not in
proprietary software, but in the service, and the access, and the
community we build online." Compuserve wants to create on the latter,
he said.

When it comes to surfing the Web, "we don't care what the color of
your glasses is, as long as you can see," Giles said.

Other features of the new WebCentral area will include the ability to
obtain browser technical support, answers to browser questions, chat
with both other Compuserve members and Web browser experts, read the
latest industry news, and hotlink to related areas on the Web. The
new area will be available by Christmas on Compuserve's main service,
and in the first quarter of 1996 on the Web.

For more information, Web users can access Microsoft's home page at
http://www.microsoft.com/ , or Compuserve's at
http://www.compuserve.com/ . Microsoft's Internet Explorer can be
downloaded from http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ . In January,
Compuserve customers will be able to download Internet Explorer
from both Compuserve's home page, as well as Spry's Web site at
http://www.spry.com/ .

(Bob Woods/19951208/Press Contacts: John Irwin, Compuserve Internet
Division, 206-957-8236; William Giles, Compuserve, 614-538-4388)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/08/95
BUSINESS
 ****Wall Street's Internet Stock Jitters

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(MSP)(00015)
 ****Wall Street's Internet Stock Jitters 12/08/95
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 8 (NB) -- For the second
day in a row, the stocks of several Internet-related companies are
way down on Wall Street. Analysts say the reasons for this are a
skeptical review of such stocks in the Wall Street Journal, and
critical comments regarding several companies by a Smith Barney
analyst.

In general, the stock market was a bit off yesterday. The Dow Jones
Industrials closed down almost 40 points to about 5160. Much closer
to cyberspace, the American Stock Exchange's Index fell 6.94 points to
239.15.

The two biggest movers on the downward spiral yesterday were World
Wide Web browser developers Netscape (NASDAQ:NCSP) and Spyglass
(NASDAQ:SPYG). Netscape plunged $28.75 to $132, while Spyglass
dropped $14.75 to $95.25. Both companies had been trading at or near
record highs since they first started trading on the NASDAQ exchange
earlier this year.

Analysts say the main reason for the drops in those and other Internet-
related issues are related to a report from brokerage Smith Barney,
which initiated coverage on several Internet firms. The brokerage
listed Netscape with a "sell" rating. It also gave America Online
(NASDAQ:AMER) a neutral rating. Smith Barney also listed four
companies as underperforming -- Netcom (NASDAQ:NETC), Spyglass, UUNet
(NSADAQ:UUNT), and PSINet (NASDAQ:PSIX).

In addressing the "sell" rating on Netscape, a Smith Barney analyst
said the model for Internet development has yet to be defined. "We
believe strongly the Internet will be an engine of technology growth
over the next ten years," he told CNBC yesterday. "My concern with
Netscape is the market has allotted the company a market capitalization
we regard as unsustainable." He also said no one company will be able
to monopolize the Internet and use proprietary technology the way they
did in the past five to ten years.

The other companies mentioned in yesterday's Smith Barney ratings also
took hits on their stock prices. America Online was down $3.25 at
$41.375, Netcom plunged $8.75 at $54.75, PSINet was off $2.625 at
$25.875, and UUNet was down $7.625 at $58.34.

As of 12:00 EST today, some of those stocks were still way down from
what they were earlier in the week. Netscape was down $7.50 at $125,
UUNet was off $3.75 at $55, and Netcom was down $2.875 at $51.875. Not
doing so bad were: Spyglass, down $0.50 at $94.75; America Online, off
$0.25 at $41.125; and PSINet, down $0.375 at $26.25.

Ironically, Microsoft shares basically held steady yesterday, after
its big announcement regarding the company's Internet strategy.
Microsoft shares closed down 12 cents to $90.50 yesterday, but were
up $3 at $93.50 at 12:00 EST. Other winners were Sun Microsystems,
which closed up $3.375 at $93.12, and Oracle, gaining 50 cents to
$44.25. Sun was up because Microsoft announced plans to license Sun's
Java technology in its Internet strategy, while Oracle will partner
with Microsoft in its new Internet plans.

(Bob Woods/19951208)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/08/95
TELECOM
 ****Pac Bell Moves Into Wireless TV

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LAX)(00016)
 ****Pac Bell Moves Into Wireless TV 12/08/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 8 (NB) -- Pacific Bell
has announced that it will acquire, for approximately $175 million, all
of the stock of Wireless Holdings Inc. (WHI) and Videotron Bay Area
Inc. (VBAI). The new wireless networks give Pacific Bell quick access
into cable television markets in California, Florida, South Carolina, and
Washington.

Pacific Bell is facing major competition to its base telephone business
from cable television providers who are developing telephone over
cable. Several cable companies have announced plans to implement
telephone services in California. Pacific Bell sees wireless television
as a means of competing in a timely manner with the likes of TCI and Cox
Broadcasting.

Speaking to Newsbytes, Craig Watts, manager of corporate communications
for Pacific Telesis Group, said, "Our move into wireless TV is by no
means a temporary phenomenon. It is our means of competing with the
aggressive moves of Cox Cable and TCI Cable into telephony over cable.
Our acquisitions to date give us the ability to offer 100 channel
television to over seven million homes is California."

The new additions to Pac Bell send a wireless microwave beam cable
from transmission towers to small antennas on the rooftops of houses.
From the antenna the signal is delivered through coaxial cable to the
TV set, where it is decoded by a converter box.

"Microwave signals are more powerful than satellite, but need clear
line-of-sight to the home. They are not good in hilly terrain or where
large buildings block transmission. They are well-suited for the Los
Angeles basin, and the San Francisco Bay area where long unobstructed
views reach millions of homes," said Watts.

The consideration will be payable by delivery of $120 million of
Pacific Telesis common stock and the assumption of approximately
$55 million of debt to Videotron and Transworld. The transaction is
intended to be tax free to the Transworld shareholders, who will
receive shares of Pacific Telesis common stock in exchange for their
Transworld stock on its liquidation.

Transworld owns 50 percent of Wireless Holdings, which owns cable
assets and leases in: the San Francisco Bay area, San Diego, and
Victorville, in California; Greenville in South Carolina; Seattle,
Washington; as well as an operating system in Spokane, Washington. In
addition, Transworld owns 20 percent of Videotron Bay Area (Videotron
USA owns 80 percent), the wireless cable system in Tampa, Florida,
with approximately 6,300 subscribers.

Pacific Bell has also announced that, through it Pacific Telesis Video
Services, it plans to develop content for the cable operations. It will
also obtain video content from TELE-TV, a joint venture formed by
Pacific Telesis, NYNEX, and Bell Atlantic.

Pacific Bell had already announced in April plans to buy a wireless
cable operation in Riverside, California. That move followed similar
deals by other regional telephone companies. For example, Atlantic
and NYNEX recently announced a deal to invest $100 million in CAI
Wireless Systems.

(Richard Bowers/19951206/Press Contact: Craig Watts, Pacific
Telesis Group, 415-542-6864)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/08/95
ONLINE
Neoglyphics Media Intros Web Technology

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00017)
Neoglyphics Media Intros Web Technology 12/08/95
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 8 (NB) -- Neoglyphics Media Corp.
said it has developed a "next-generation" of Internet World Wide Web
programming that company officials said will "change the way"
information is stored, authored, and transmitted on the Web. The new
development also addresses Web tracking and encryption technologies.

Neoglyphics' president and director of technology, Alex Zoghlin, told
Newsbytes the company has been working on these technologies for more
than a year, and that the technologies are available now. "This is
not vaporware," he said.

Utilizing the company's partnerships with Netscape, Oracle, and Sun
Microsystems, Neoglyphics has developed these technologies using
Oracle databases and Sun's Java language, Zoghlin said.

With Neoglyphics' new system, Web content can be created in real-time
and transmitted on-the-fly. For example, a company that puts a large
product catalog on the Web doesn't have to use any pre-formatted
hypertext markup language (HTML) pages, Zoghlin said. Instead, all of
the information for the pages -- including text, graphics, video, and
sound -- are stored in an Oracle database and created almost instantly.
That database can also "learn" about a customer's preferences and
configure Web pages based on those preferences, he said.

Other features in an Internet-mall setting include secure transactions,
automated order tracking, and real-time tracking of customer browsing
and buying patterns. To help with security, Neoglyphics employs
military-trained cryptographic experts who have developed what the
company calls the "most advanced security technology available to
non-government users." Because of the high-level security
technology, Neoglyphics is one of the first Web developers to be
fully bonded and insured against security breaches to the Web servers
it develops, officials said.

The new technology can be used in other applications, Zoghlin said.
His company is working with AT&T on a human resources program that
uses Java applets to do online testing, counseling, and financial
information on employees.

The types of customers Neoglyphics is targeting mainly Fortune 500
companies, Zoghlin told Newsbytes. "We really expect this to be
taken advantage of by larger companies" that can handle technology
changes, he said.

(Bob Woods/19951208/Press Contacts: Alex Zoghlin, Neoglyphics Media
Corporation, 708-853-9500; Michael B. Young, Tech Image Ltd.,
708-705-0040)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/08/95
BUSINESS
SoftKey Bags Learning Co.

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00018)
SoftKey Bags Learning Co. 12/08/95
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 8 (NB) -- SoftKey
International Inc. (NASDAQ:SKEY) has won an acrimonious
battle for The Learning Co. (NASDAQ:LRNG) of Fremont, California.

A wholly owned subsidiary of SoftKey, called Kidsco Inc., will pay $67.50
per share in cash for some 8.28 million shares of Learning Co., which are
all the outstanding shares of the educational software firm. Learning Co.
will be merged into SoftKey, said Scott Murray, chief financial officer of
SoftKey, though it will keep a presence in California.

Murray also told Newsbytes that some of Learning Co.'s management and staff
will get jobs at SoftKey. "We're evaluating everything right now," he said.
"We're clearly going to be bringing a number of the talented people there
on staff."

In accepting the offer, Learning Co. called off a merger deal with
Broderbund Software Inc. (NASDAQ:BROD), which had put in its own
takeover bid before SoftKey weighed in with a higher offer.

The battle to take over Learning Co. had been somewhat ugly in the past
few weeks, with accusations and lawsuits flying among the three companies.
As part of their agreement, Learning Co. and SoftKey said all outstanding
litigation is being dropped.

The acquisition follows a deal last week in which SoftKey took over
Compton's NewMedia Inc. and Compton's Learning Co. from Tribune Co.
(NYSE:TRB) of Chicago. As part of that transaction, Tribune agreed to
invest an additional $150 million in SoftKey if the Learning Co.
acquisition went ahead. With that $150 million investment, now expected
to proceed, Tribune will own something approaching 10 percent of SoftKey.

The Learning Co. and Compton's acquisitions followed SoftKey's earlier
takeover of Minnesota Educational Computing Corp. in what is clearly a
major push into the educational market by a company best known for
consumer software.

The stock market has seemed doubtful about this strategy in recent weeks,
with SoftKey shares sliding to the $30 range after peaking at just above
$50 in September. Murray maintained the price drop has been a "function
of uncertainty regarding these acquisitions." Asked whether he expects
the stock to rebound now that the Learning Co. takeover has succeeded,
Murray would only say that "I never try to predict the stock market."

(Grant Buckler/19951208/Press Contact: Scott Murray, SoftKey,
617-494-5861; Fred Spar or Michael Freitag, Kekst and Co. for Learning
Co., 212-593-2655)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/08/95
TRENDS
DVD Consortium Reaches Final Agreement

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00019)
DVD Consortium Reaches Final Agreement 12/08/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 DEC 8 (NB) -- A group of nine of the world's major
electronics companies have reached agreement on a common technical
format for video and computer data storage on digital video disks (DVDs).
The group began working towards a common system in September and the
agreement signals the start of technical development of DVD players
and recorders in preparation for a consumer launch late next year.

At an early evening press conference in Tokyo Friday, Taizo Nishimuro,
executive vice president of Toshiba, announced details of the
agreement and the official name of the format, which will be digital
versatile disks, or DVD for short.

On a technical level, the unified format will be based on the Super
Density disk model, originally proposed by Toshiba, which calls for
two 0.6 millimeter (mm) thick, 12 centimeter (cm) diameter, disks
sandwiched together. The coding system used to store data will follow
Sony's Multi Media Compact Disc system.

For video storage, MPEG-2 (Motion Picture Experts Group type 2) video
compression has been chosen as standard. For audio, Dolby AC-3 will be
used. The disks will be able to carry a maximum of eight sound channels
and 32 subtitle data channels alongside each movie.

Each disk will hold 4.7 gigabytes (GB) which equates to enough space for
133 minutes of video, per side, in standard configuration of three audio
channels, four subtitle tracks, and an average data rate of 4.69
megabits per second. Increasing the audio and subtitling information
will shorten the maximum movie length.

For computer data storage applications, the group agreed on use of the
Micro UDF or ISO-9660 file management structure.

Members of the core developing group are Toshiba, Matsushita
Electrical Industrial Co., Sony Corporation, Philips Electronics, Time
Warner Video, Pioneer Electronic Corp., Victor Company (JVC), Hitachi
Ltd., and Mitsubishi Electric.

The announcement was also made that MCA, the American entertainment
company, will not be a member of the core consortium because it does
not qualify. Members must have "technology that can contribute to the
standard and meaningful patents."

Thomson Multimedia of France will become the tenth member of the
group.

Until September, the companies had been divided into two groups, the
Super Density (SD) disk consortium was lead by Toshiba and Matsushita
while Sony and Philips lead a group under the name Multi Media Compact
Disc (MMCD).

Both groups were pursuing the same goal, a re-recordable media
suitable for audio, video and data, based on optical disks, but each
had a slightly different system. The two competing sides had sparked
worries over a format war similar to the VHS-Beta competition in the
early days of video cassette recording.

In that battle, Sony's Beta system lost to Matsushita's VHS and, this
time, the MMCD system, backed by Sony, was looking like the weaker of
the two systems. Originally, both sides would say nothing of
compromise although, slowly, cracks in group resolution began to
appear after comments made by the Chairman of the Electronic Industry
Association of Japan, Sony Chairman Norio Ohga, who said that the
existence of two standards was undesirable.

Shortly after, US computer giant IBM said a common system was the only
way to go and these events are thought to have lead to the compromise
being reached.

The MMCD system offered a data capacity of 7.4 megabytes (MB) on a single-
sided 12cm disk with the ability to store up to 270 minutes of digital
video. In contrast, the SD format would have held 18GB of data on a
double sided disc of the same size.

The Toshiba led SD system was supported by Hitachi, Matsushita
Electric Industrial, MCA, Pioneer Electronics, Thomson Multimedia,
Time Warner, Matsushita-Kotobuki Electronics Industries, Mitsubishi
Electric, Victor Co. of Japan (JVC), Nippon Columbia, Toshiba-EMI,
Pioneer LDC, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Turner Home Entertainment, Zenith
Electronics, Samsung Electronics, Toray, and SKC.

The MMCD system jointly developed by Sony and Dutch consumer
electronics giant Philips, who jointly developed the music CD format,
has received support from Nokia, Aiwa, Bang and Olufson, Grundig,
Magnavox and Marantz, Mitsumi, NEC Home Electronics, Gateway 2000,
TEAC and Ricoh, and Western Digital.

The first DVD players were scheduled to appear in the spring of next
year, but compromise talks have delayed the system launch by around four
months. The first systems should go on sale in late summer or autumn
of 1996 in the United States.

Toshiba Corporation has previously announced it will break with
tradition and launch its DVD equipment in the United States three
months before Japan. Typically, Japanese electronics manufacturers
launch new formats or systems in the home market first and then follow
with North American and European roll outs later

The company said the first DVD players, which will playback and record
digital video data on a disc the size of a CD, would be priced between
$600 and $700. The DVD-ROM drives, intended for use in computers, will
cost around $250 to $300 and be launched several months after the home
players.

Makoto Yasuda, a Toshiba spokesman, told Newsbytes recently, "The
current launch date is September 1996 in the US, and Japan and Europe
by the end of 1996."

(Martyn Williams/19951208/Press contacts : Philips Electronics,
[phone]; Sony Corporation, tel [phone], fax [phone];
Toshiba Corporation, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Matsushita
Electric, tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/08/95
ONLINE
 ****More On Microsoft's Internet Strategy

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(DEN)(00020)
 ****More On Microsoft's Internet Strategy 12/08/95
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 8 -- Integration and continuity.
Those are the words Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) Chairman Bill Gates
used during his keynote speech at an all-day briefing session for
reporters and analysts to describe Microsoft's newly developed Internet
strategy.

The integration part has already started, with Microsoft issuing a
a paper blizzard of announcements about cross-relationships with
other companies.

Perhaps the most surprising of those was the deal with Compuserve, in
which the online subscription service agreed to license Microsoft's
Internet Explorer and said it will include a customized version of that
Web browser software in upcoming versions of its Internet In a Box,
Internet In a Box for Kids, Mosaic In A Box, and Internet Office. It
will also be included in Compuserve's new consumer online service being
developed under the name Wow!.

Gates said Microsoft will continue to distribute Explorer at no charge.
The company is working on versions of Explorer for Apple Computer's
Macintosh operating system and for Windows 3.1.

In what was reported by the Associated Press as, literally, an
eleventh-hour decision Wednesday, Gates also announced a licensing
deal with Sun Microsystems for Java, a programming language for the
Internet.

The company also announced development of an interactive three-
dimensional (3-D) multimedia animation technology for the Internet
called virtual reality modeling language (ActiveVRML). Microsoft
said ActiveVRML is optimized for authoring and playback on
personal computers and allows content authors to deliver 3-D
multimedia effects easily on the Internet.

During his speech yesterday, Gates articulated another of his
visions of computing. He predicted businesses will adopt the
Internet for internal business use for communication with
employees, supplier and customers via, what he called, the "Intranet,"
and predicted that Internet applications will likely emerge faster
than those for the general consumer market.

Microsoft made public yesterday an agreement with Computer
Associates International Inc. (NYSE:CA)to Internet-enable their
co-branded product that includes CA-Unicenter, Microsoft Windows NT
Server, Systems Management Server, and either SQL Server 6.0 or
CA-OpenIngres. The two companies said they will collaborate to add
components from CA-Unicenter/ICE (Internet Commerce Enabled) and
Microsoft Internet Information Server. The product will be
manufactured by Microsoft and marketed by Computer Associates.

CA-Unicenter/ICE is a network and systems management product to
provide security and management for Web servers, clients and the
networks that connect them. Microsoft Internet Server lets users
share information interactively within a company or across the
Internet.

Gates said Microsoft will offer free Internet "add-ons" sometime
next year for its Windows 95 and Windows NT products, and
demonstrated test versions of some of those add-ons, which are
designed to allow users to more easily Web pages or to organize a
Web page into a nest of folders. The add-ons will be distributed
over the Internet at no cost and will also be pre-installed by some
PC makers.

The stock market apparently saw Microsoft's Internet strategy as
workable. In after hours trading yesterday the company's shares were
up slightly at 90-5/8. In early morning trading today the stock
rose 2-7/8 to 93-3/8. That's higher than Microsoft stock has been
since November 15th when it closed at 94.

(Jim Mallory/19951208/Press and public contact: Microsoft,
206-882-8080 or 800-426-9400)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/08/95
LEGAL
Pessimism Grows On Telecom Reform

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(WAS)(00021)
Pessimism Grows On Telecom Reform 12/08/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 DEC 8 (NB) -- The clock is
running out of time for action this year and pessimism is
growing about the ability of Congress to complete action on
legislation to rewrite the nation's basic communications law.

A House-Senate conference committee need scheduled yesterday
to work on some of the most contentious items in the two
telecommunications reform bills was canceled. According to
congressional staff members, the issue that is proving most
difficult is the terms of competition between the local
telephone companies and long-distance providers.

Complicating the matter is that the short-run funding for the
federal government expires next week and Congress will be
plunged once again into the budget battles.

"They can get it done before Christmas," a lobbyist working on
the legislation told Newsbytes, "but it is getting tougher and
tougher. If they don't make major progress next week, then I
doubt whether they can do it this year."

The Clinton administration would just as soon see the
legislation kicked into 1996 and the presidential election
campaign. Vice President Al Gore wants to kill the legislation,
and believes that is the best way to do it without a bruising
veto fight.

Prior to the canceled meeting, a compromise was beginning to
emerge over the competition issue. On the table is the question
of when the baby Bell companies can go after the long-distance
market. Both the Senate and House bills would make it easy for
the regional Bell companies to compete for long-distance service.

But the long-distance carriers have been mounting a major
lobbying campaign, arguing that the Bells should not be allowed
to chase the new business until the long-distance carriers can
compete for local service.

According to congressional sources, the compromise would fuzz
the issue by declaring that the Bell company must face "viable"
competition in local markets before it can go after the
long-distance market. The legislation would not define viable.

So far, the conferees have reached agreement on a relatively
few subjects. The conferees have agreed to side step cable
deregulation, by phasing in the repeal of price regulation over
three years. They also agreed to require new television sets to
contain the V-chip, computer technology that allows parents to
identify programs that have high levels of sexual or violent
content.

House conferees have also agreed to tough language on pornography
on the Internet, bringing the House bill quite close to the Senate
legislation on this subject.

(Kennedy Maize/19951208)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/08/95
GOVT
BSA Calls For Encryption Export Increase

(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00022)
BSA Calls For Encryption Export Increase 12/08/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 DEC 8 (NB) -- The Business
Software Alliance has called for a "cost of cracking adjustment"
in US policy on export of computer software. The adjustment
would be an increase in the length of encryption keys that would
be allowed to be exported, to track the increase in computing
power.

Robert Holleyman, BSA president, made the recommendation at a
conference sponsored by the National Institute of Standards and
Technology.

Holleyman called for an automatic key length increase of two
bits every three years, given that computing power for the same
cost doubles every 18 months.

The BSA chief also called for an immediate increase in key
lengths -- now limited to 48 bits -- to meet the worldwide
standard, known as "data encryption standard" or DES. Holleyman
said that, if software companies were permitted to use DES on
generally available software exports, the companies would
provide information about the programs to the National Security
Agency under a non-disclosure agreement.

Holleyman continued to hammer at administration export policy
which prohibits US publishers from selling software abroad if it
contains strong encryption capabilities. "US export law will
continue to inhibit the continued success of US industry, thus
threatening one of America's fastest growing industries and many
American jobs," he said.

According to Holleyman, the administration appears to be using
the export issue to deal with domestic law enforcement concerns
about encryption. "If the government feels that domestic use of
encryption needs to be regulated or a 'back door' needs to be
provided to domestic law enforcement, then it should raise the
issue with Congress and not try to impose such a policy via the
export laws," he said. "Serious constitutional issues are
raised by such an effort, and such policy should not be forced
on US citizens under the guise of export policy."

Holleyman said continued delay in providing relief on the export
issue is unnecessary and risky. "It is unnecessary because it
cannot advance national security interests when strong
encryption is available on the Internet and through our foreign
competitors," he said. "It is risky because it will force US
industry to stand on the sidelines as we enter this new era of
computing, resulting in lost American jobs, and delayed
development of the global information infrastructure."

There is a possibility that Congress could intervene in the
dispute and enact a change in export policy, BSA spokeswoman
Diane Smiroldo told Newsbytes. "There are rumors about
legislation being dropped in the hopper," she said, while
acknowledging that time is very tight for a legislative fix.

(Kennedy Maize/19951208/Press Contact: Diane Smiroldo,
202-872-5500)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/08/95
ONLINE
More On Yankee Group's Internet Predictions

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(BOS)(00023)
More On Yankee Group's Internet Predictions 12/08/95
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 8 (NB) -- The Internet is
headed for a major shakeout, in which telephone companies will
rise to the fore with packaged content and navigational help for
consumers, connectivity and directory services for businesses,
and access and electronic commerce for consumers and businesses
alike, predicted analysts from the Yankee Group, at a press
conference attended by Newsbytes in New York City.

By the year 2000, the Internet will become a "playground for
Everyman," where technology is "invisible" and availability is
guaranteed, said Howard Anderson.

In this new world, though, "capitalism will rule, for better or
for worse," according to Anderson, who is managing director of
the Yankee Group's new Interactive Commerce program.

Also over the next five years, the numbers of Internet users will
climb from just over 50 million today, to more than 200 million,
said the company. Meanwhile, consumers will come to constitute 40
to 45 percent of all users, in contrast to about 25 percent at
present, Anderson noted.

But for the online industry to move beyond the "early adopters"
phase, new services must be developed, and much of the progress
in this direction will come from phone companies, according to
the Yankee Group experts, who addressed journalists in sessions
at both the @Cafe in New York City and the Cybercafe in
Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The creation of electronic commerce services will be critical in
both the consumer and business markets, Anderson told the
journalists in New York City.

As previously reported in Newsbytes, Gregory Wester, research
director for the Interactive Commerce program, said that, on the
consumer side, the number of early adopters, or "TAFs"
(technologically advanced families), who can be expected to move
to online services has just about reached the saturation point.

Likewise, on the business front, the numbers of servers being
added to the Web is now beginning to slow for the first time,
maintained Stephen Franco, program manager, Interactive Commerce.

But when it comes to consumers, online services are still "highly
skewed to the TAF segment," which represents only 16 percent of
the general population, according to Wester.

The TAFs are not "propeller heads or computerphiles," he
continued. Members of this group tend to be early adopters of all
types of technologies, including consumer electronics.

But the TAFs also constitute a "psychographic/demographic cohort"
that does not represent consumers at large. For one thing,
average family income among the TAFs exceeds $50,000. For
another, TAFs are much more likely than other families to be
"heavy PC users," logging on to their computers three or more
days per week.

And in yet another point of distinction, TAFs are far less
probable than other families to "drop" an online service once
they have tried it out.

The conclusion to be drawn, Wester said, is that, up to now,
online services have appealed mainly to TAFs. "But selling to the
non-TAF market means selling to less frequent (PC) users."

These "less frequent users" are unlikely to enjoy "surfing the
Web," the research director pointed out. Instead, online service
providers will need to become "content packagers," offering
content services that can be easily accessed by consumers either
as a series of linked "stores," or in centralized "shopping
malls."

In providing these packaged Web services, he added, phone
companies like AT&T and MCI will be in the better position than
either cable companies or online service providers like
Compuserve, America Online (AOL) and Prodigy, because the phone
companies' brand names are so well ensconced among the general
public.

But the commercial online service providers are also starting to
migrate some of their services to the Web, Wester noted,
forecasting that AOL will eventually move its entire "AOL brand
name" into the space on the Web currently occupied by AOL's new
Global Network Navigator (GNN).

Directory services such as Yahoo! and InfoSeek are also
leveraging content services on the Web, according to Wester.
Banks such as Citibank are able to leverage public images of
"security."

On the business side, the growth in commercial Web sites has
slowed to 2.8 percent per week this quarter, Franco told the
journalists.

Meanwhile, however, the future will also hold much deeper
"enterprise penetration," with the numbers of enterprise
providing Web connectivity to 76 percent to 100 percent of their
employees projected to rise from just over ten percent today to
more than 30 percent within the next three years.

But although their Internet migration plans are "aggressive,"
most corporations today are still in the "early trial" phase,
accessing applications such as e-mail, newsgroups and the Web
over dial-up lines at 14.4 megabits-per-second (Mbps) or less,
and so far finding no "strategic value" from the Internet.

Only 12 percent of the enterprises interviewed by the Yankee
Group said they foresee "strong ROI (return on investment)" from
Internet migration and merely 19 percent responded that they
expect the Internet to bring "significant improvement" to their
businesses, Franco added.

But nevertheless, over 70 percent of these companies expect to
have reached "intermediate or advanced" stages of Web migration
by 1999. In the intermediate stage, companies will have "advanced
Web sites," which will include "basic integration with legacy
systems," together with Internet access at rates of 56 Mbps to
T1. In the advanced phase, migration will include Web sites with
"advanced integration, transactions and multimedia," and access
will evolve to T1 to T3 dedicated lines.

Franco echoed the prediction that phone companies will assume an
increasingly dominant position on the Internet, pinpointing 1996
as the time when consolidation will begin.

Once the MFJ restrictions are lifted, the RBOCs (regional Bell
operating companies) will start to assume access from "Mom and
Pop" Internet service providers, although some medium-sized
players, such as UUNet and BBN, look likely to remain in the
market, according to Franco.

During a Q&A with reporters that followed, Franco said that
corporations are also in need of Internet directory services,
citing AT&T and Novell's newly launched AT&T NetWare Connect
Service (ANCS) as an example of this kind of service.

Anderson and Wester acknowledged that cable companies, with their
wider bandwidth, will also find Web-related opportunities in the
consumer market. But regardless of the "width of the pipe,"
attractive content will be essential, Wester said, pointing to
VRML and Java as some of the technologies that will make content
delivered to PCs more compelling.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951207/Reader And Press Contact: The Yankee
Group, 617-367-1000)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/08/95
GENERAL
Personnel Roundup

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00024)
Personnel Roundup 12/08/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 8 (NB) -- In today's
roundup of personnel changes, not covered elsewhere by Newsbytes: Design
Edge, Harris Corp., CompUSA, Symantec Corp., Spectrum HoloByte Inc.,
IQ Software, Computervision Corp., Creative Technology Ltd., CompuServe
Inc.

Larry Barbera has been appointed industrial design manager for Design Edge
(512-477-5491), a product design and development firm. He was previously
senior design manager and industrial design manager of imaging and
computer product lines at Apple Computer. Prior to his 8-year stint at
Apple, Barbera was the design project manager of Desktop Products with
Hewlett-Packard's Corporate Industrial Design Group.

Harris Corp. has named Joseph Tsui managing director (telecoms) for its
Greater China region. Harris, a US company with global revenues of over
US$3 billion, said the move signals more expansion in its China operation,
now 20 years old. Tsui was a co-founder of Hong Kong's Tricom where he
was president of its telecoms unit. He also worked with US-based
Stromberg Carlson, Canada's Northern Telecom and Mitel Asia.

Clinton T. Newby Jr., has joined CompUSA (NYSE:CPU - 703-277-3100) as
senior director, Government and Education Sales. Newby, who holds a B.A.
in Economics from Syracuse University, currently resides in McLean, Va.,
with his wife and two sons.

Symantec Corp., (Nasdaq: SYMC - 408-446-7142) announced the appointment
of several current executives to new positions within the software company,
reporting to Gordon E. Eubanks, Jr., president and chief executive officer
(CEO). John C. Laing, currently executive vice president of worldwide
sales, is assuming responsibility for all of Symantec's desktop utilities
software products. Ted Schlein, vice president, enterprise solutions,
continues to be responsible for Symantec's Norton series of utilities
designed for networks of computers. Dana Siebert, Symantec's current vice
president, services, will now direct and lead the Symantec sales effort
worldwide, assuming all of Laing's former responsibilities. He will manage
Symantec's sales and distribution activities, with responsibility to
develop and expand business opportunities domestically and internationally.
In separate news, Joseph Shepela, 50, has joined Symantec as vice
president, human resources. Shepela's previous appointments included
top human-resource management positions with First Pacific Networks,
Quantum, Apple, and Hewlett-Packard.

Interactive entertainment software publisher Spectrum HoloByte Inc.
(Nasdaq: SBYT - 510-814-6336) announced the appointment of William E.
Meyer, C.P.A. as corporate controller. Meyer, 33, will oversee the
corporate accounting function for the company. Most recently, he was
vice president of Finance for SBT Accounting Systems. Meyer is a
Certified Public Accountant and holds a B.S. in Business Administration,
Accounting from California State University, Sacramento.

IQ Software (Nasdaq: IQSW - 770-446-8880) has announced the resignation
of Matthew C. Reedy, as an officer of the company, effective December 15,
1995. Reedy will remain a director of the company, and will become a
consultant to the company.

Computervision Corp. (NYSE: CVN - 617-275-1800) has announced that
Kathleen A. Cote was named president and chief operating officer. Cote
will report directly to Russell E. Planitzer, Computervision's chairman
and chief executive officer. Cote, 46, joined Computervision in 1986 as
vice president of manufacturing and in November, 1987, she was made a
corporate officer. In August, 1989, she was appointed vice president of
worldwide services, heading up Computervision's Services Business Unit.
In February, 1994, her role expanded to include marketing and corporate
communications, in addition to heading up the company's operating
committee.

Creative Technology Ltd. (Nasdaq: CREAF - 65-870-0449) says that Mr.
Ng Kai Wa has resigned as a director of the company and vice-chairman
of the board with effect from December 1, 1995.

CompuServe Inc. (212-872-8190) has announced the appointment of
Howard Blumenthal as editor-in-chief of the company's major new online
venture -- Project WOW! Blumenthal will lead the editorial direction
and content development of CompuServe's consumer-targeted online
service. Blumenthal is best known as the creator and senior producer
of the Peabody and Emmy award-winning PBS television series "Where
In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?" In addition, he was one of the
creators and production consultant of MTV's hit series "Remote Control."
As senior vice president of Kidsoft Inc., he was responsible for all
aspects of production for the company's quarterly CD-ROM magazine and
oversaw the development of the company's online presence.

(Ian Stokell/19951208)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/08/95
TRENDS
AER's 12-hour Battery For HP OmniBook

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(DEN)(00025)
AER's 12-hour Battery For HP OmniBook 12/08/95
SMYRNA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 8 (NB) -- AER Energy Resources
Inc. (NASDAQ: AERN) has announced it is shipping a zinc-air
battery for the Hewlett-Packard OmniBook notebook computers that can
run the notebook PCs for up to 12 continuous hours between charges.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95120825.PCX
Click here for photo

That's a considerable improvement over nickel cadmium (NiCad),
nickel metal hydride (NiMH), and lithium ion batteries, which
according to AER, typically provide only two to four hours of
run-time between charges.

The drawback to the zinc-air battery is that it is not a direct
replacement for the OmniBook's original battery. Instead, the
Powerslice attaches to the underside of the computer. The
battery is designed in such a manner that it slides onto the
Omnibook without the need for any additional clamps or
hook-and-loop tape.

Together the PC and the battery have a combined weight of 7.3
pounds, but neither the weight nor the additional thickness of the
combined unit are perceived as a drawback when compared to the
longer runtime, according to Dave Williams, product manager for HP's
Mobile Computing division which makes the OmniBook PCs. "The 12-hour
battery option has the potential to be a competitive advantage when
customers are comparing various mobile systems," said Williams.

The Powerslice LX includes a battery gauge that estimates the
percent of charge remaining in the battery. It can be recharged
using the Omnibook's standard AC adapter, and it has a tray that
slides out to support the integral Omnibook mouse.

An ergonomic hand rest for typing comfort is built in to the
power unit and unlike NiCad batteries there is no "memory effect"
if the battery is recharged before its power is completely
depleted. It also has a low self-discharge rate so it is ready to
use right out of the box. The LX has a suggested retail price of
$399.

AER's zinc air battery is an "air breathing" system that relies
on oxygen from the air to support the reactions that generate
electricity. The company said its zinc air battery has the highest
energy density by weight of any portable computer battery technology
currently on the market.

While the Powerslice LX is designed specifically for the Omnibook
family, an AER spokesperson told Newsbytes the company will release
a more generic version of the zinc air battery in the first quarter
of 1996 that will run several brands of computers. So far the unit
has been successfully tested with IBM, Dell, and Toshiba units. The
"generic" battery will connect to the PC via a cable and is expected
to have the same suggested retail price as the LX being shipped this
week.

AER recently completed a $10.6 million private placement of
convertible debentures, with the money earmarked for research and
development, to expand manufacturing capacity when needed, and to
support sales activities.

(Jim Mallory/19951208/Press contact: Judy Morris, Crescent
Communications, 404-698-8650; Public contact: AER Energy,
800-769-3720/POWER951208/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/08/95
NETWORK
US Robotics UK Division Commissions Networking Survey

(NEWS)(NETWORK)(LON)(00026)
US Robotics UK Division Commissions Networking Survey 12/08/95
SLOUGH, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 8 (NB) -- According to a report
commissioned by US Robotics' new UK systems division, 80 percent of
corporate network managers in the UK rate dial-up remote access and
WAN (wide area network) connectivity as a priority issue which must be
considered within the next 12 months.

According to Craig Coward, a spokesperson for US Robotics, the survey
was carried out by Computer Intelligence Europe during October and
targeted international companies with a minimum of 25 data processing
locations and 20,000 staff, as well as companies in the financial
sector with a minimum of 100 staff.

"The report was commissioned to show USR which direction the new
systems division should pursue for new business. The results were
quite interesting, as they showed that there is a significant trend
towards outsourcing of staff functions -- something that remote
network systems actively support," he told Newsbytes.

According to the report, 62 percent of respondents expect that their
bandwidth needs will increase as demands for remote connectivity
increase in the next 18 months, rising by another 17 percent over 18
months.

The survey took a cross-section of 140 UK network managers in a bid
to understand the issues and demands they face, and to establish the
true state of networking in the corporate sector in the UK.

61 percent of the sample said that remote access facilities are
currently an important part of their networking solutions. However,
the report notes that, when respondents were asked how important
remote access will be in the future, this rating increases to 76
percent on one years' time, and to 87 percent in five years.

Almost 50 percent of respondents said they are not ready for the
increased bandwidth requirements expected over the next 18 months.
They also report a 25 percent increase in network users, or bandwidth
that will result in network peaks and overload.

In terms of managing the additional traffic generated by the expected
numbers of remote sites, and users connecting to their networks, 50
percent of respondents said that they will need to implement network
management tools to cope. At present network tools were used only by
half of the companies surveyed, and current usage in these companies
covers only basic administration needs. Most network support, the
report notes, shows that support is undertaken by internal staff.

On the remote applications front, the survey indicated that current
remote access applications are divided between connection to LANs at
remote sites (75 percent), connecting individual teleworkers (60
percent), connecting mobile staff (69 percent), communications with
clients (51 percent) and communications with suppliers (37 percent).

The firms surveyed have an average of between four and six networked
sites per enterprise. While the majority of organizations have
relatively low numbers of remote users -- typically around 15 per site
-- the survey projects almost 1,700 companies in the UK with a mean
figure of 600 remote users.

According to Coward, the survey highlighted the networking and
supplier issues which large organizations rate as most important.
These included security and data integrity (92 percent), 24-hour
backup and support (73 percent), supplier's financial stability (72
percent), UK/European commitment (64 percent), suppliers' ability to
provide a range of products (63 percent), and one stop shopping
facilities (63 percent).

Kurst Christopherson, USR's UK systems systems division marketing
manager, said that, in order to provide the bandwidth necessary to
service the growth in remote access, ISDN (integrated services digital
network) integration with analog dial-up connectivity is seen to be of
growing importance.

73 percent of the respondents said they plan to mix ISDN with modems,
and 71 percent rate as important the ability to pool modems with ISDN
links on a central basis to handle dialup.

"This highlights the importance of having a coherent remote access
strategy with a smooth migration path to ISDN and a means of
accommodating both analog and digital dial-up in a single solutions,
as demonstrated by USR's own ISDN strategy," Christopherson explained.

87 percent of respondents also felt that it was very important to have
remote access fully integrated with their existing networking
infrastructure. "This reflects the complexity of integration issues,
as well as the need for reliable solutions," he said.

"Network managers both want and need to be able to integrate current
networks with predicted future solutions," he added.

(Steve Gold/19951208/Press Contact: The Edge Partnership +44-1625-
511966; Reader Contact: US Robotics [phone]; Fax +44-1753-
831527)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/08/95
TRENDS
Gateway 2000 Europe To Open Tech Support On Christmas Day

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00027)
Gateway 2000 Europe To Open Tech Support On Christmas Day 12/08/95
DUBLIN, IRELAND, 1995 DEC 8 (NB) -- Gateway 2000 Europe has announced
plans to open its technical support operation on Christmas Day,
December 25, this year. According to John Shepheard, the company's UK
and Ireland general manager, the decision to open on Christmas Day was
taken as the company expects many new users of Gateway PCs will be
unwrapping their systems on that day.

"Opening technical support on the 25th was an easy decision to make.
Given the number of customers who will unwrap their Gateway 2000 PCs
for the first time on Christmas Day, they can be assured that should
they need any questions answered, one of our support technicians will
be on hand to help," he explained, adding that the tech support lines
will open on Christmas Day from 8am to 5:30pm.

According to the company, it expects a significant number of
purchasers of the firm's PCs to come from the consumer market, rather
than the business market. It bases this on the premise that it has
this month started bundling multimedia software with its systems.

The multimedia-bundled systems are known as the Family PCs and, along
with Windows 95 as standard, the systems come with the Microsoft
Generations bundle, Superscape's Virtual Reality application and an
extensive games bundle.

The Generations bundle includes Encarta 95, Works for Windows 95,
Money for Windows 95, Publisher for Windows 95, Golf 2.0, Cinemania
95, the MS Entertainment Pack, MS-Bob, Julia Child (a chef's package)
and Music Central.

The games bundle, meanwhile, consists of Bioforge from Electronic Arts
(EA), Descent from Interplay, FIFA Soccer and Hi Octane from EA, Super
Carts from Virgin and Terminal Velocity from Formgen.

(Steve Gold/19951207/Press Contact: Text 100 [phone]; Reader
Contact: Gateway 2000 Europe [phone]; Fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
1995 12/08/95
TRENDS
Philippines - $80.7 Mil In PCs Sold In First Half

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(HKG)(00028)
Philippines - $80.7 Mil In PCs Sold In First Half 1995 12/08/95
MANILA, PHILIPPINES, 1995 DEC 8 (NB) -- Some serious shopping
for personal computers has been going on in the Philippines.
According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), a market
research and consulting firm on the information technology industry,
59,595 PC units worth $80.7 million pesos were sold in the
Philippines during the January to June period of 1995.

This was one of the key findings of a survey conducted by IDC on
the Philippines' systems market.

Total PC revenues in the first half of 1995 surpassed that of the first
half of 1994 by more than 50 percent. IDC attributes the brisk sales of
PCs to the "recent upbeat performance" of the Philippine economy
which "has fueled the expectation of further economic expansion and
encouraged acquisition of capital equipment, including computers, by
various industries."

The IDC report further notes that "branded PC vendors have raised
their share to total PC sales by implementing a more aggressive
pricing strategy combined with intensified sales efforts and use of
more channel partners." In the first half of 1995, branded PCs
captured 68 percent of the market, a 5 percent increase from the first
half of 1994's 63 percent.

In a related and recently published study on the Philippine PC market
in 1994, IDC found that 99,750 PCs worth $109.7 million were sold
locally.

IDC identified that of the total amount of PC units sold in the country
last year, 89.5 percent or 61,462 units were desktops; 8.4 percent or
5,738 units were portables (notebooks, sub-notebooks, laptops), and 2
percent or 1,393 units were servers. The 486-based PCs made up 68
percent of the units sold, the Pentiums 1.2 percent, and the 386-based
PCs, 29.1 percent.

Small businesses claimed the largest percentage of the local PC
market, purchasing 39.5% of the total units shipped. Medium and
large business sections accounted for the second and third highest
market shares in units. Medium businesses acquired 33.1% of the
total units, while 16.5 % went to large businesses. The home segment
ranked fourth largest share in the Philippine PC market with 4% of the
total units shipped.

The PC shopping spree in the Philippines is in line with IDC's
projections that in the PC market, the Asia Pacific region (without
Japan) "will represent the highest growth area worldwide for the 1995-
1999 forecast period." In 1994, the region accounted for 10.7 percent
of worldwide volume, a percentage projected to reach 15.8 percent in
1999." The Philippines is one of the emerging markets in the Asia
Pacific region's "growth engine." Other emerging markets are
Vietnam, China, India, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The Asia Pacific
region also includes large country markets such as Australia and
Korea, and the smaller, economically vibrant markets of Singapore
and Hongkong.

According to IDC, "Increased competition in 486s has led to larger
supply, and lower prices are a big factor in current markets. A
growing consumer market, multimedia PCs, color notebooks, and a
strong surge in the low-end server market have also contributed to
growth and will continue to do so. Another growth factor is channel
expansion. Major vendors are expected to increase their market share
in the region by widening the geographical spread of their shipments
in the region in order to grow economies of scale and market share."

(May Jurilla/19951208/Press Contact: Dilip Shrivastava, IDC
Philippines, tel [phone], fax [phone]; 54 A. Roces Sr.
Ave, corner Sct. Santiago St., Quezon City, Metro Manila,
Philippines, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/08/95
GENERAL
Newsbytes Week In Review

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00029)
Newsbytes Week In Review 12/08/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 8 (NB) -- This is a
look at the top stories this week, listing with their category
code: Netscape & Sun Announce JavaScript; Netscape Shockwave Plug-In
Makes Video Easier; MAID's Online Database/Internet Integration;
Compuserve To Allow For Other Web Browser Use; Silicon
Graphics/Sun/Netscape To Merge Web Technologies; Macromedia &
@Home Team On Fast Internet Multimedia; US West Amends Time
Warner Suit, Alleges Secret Deal; Silicon Graphics Develops 3-D Cosmo
Web Technology; Web Frenzy in San Francisco; Spindler Demos Apple's
Pippin Through TV Screen; UK Jailings After ATM Card Cloners Caught
Red-Handed; Speed Key To New Multimedia Web Alliance; Japan - Govt
Panel Proposes NTT Breakup; Microsoft Unveils Revised Internet
Strategy; House Conferees Back Tough Cyberporn Provisions; IBM Plans
Java For Operating Systems, Web Servers; Dataquest Study Foresees
Silicon Shortages; Growth Of The Web Starting To Slow.

Netscape & Sun Announce JavaScript (ONLINE)

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 4 (NB) -- Sun
Microsystems (NASDAQ:SUNW) and Netscape Communications (NASDAQ:NSCP)
have announced a new programming language for creating and customizing
computer network and Internet software applications, called JavaScript.
The new language is designed to work with both Sun's Java and the
hypertext markup language (HTML) to create interactive content for
the Internet and other networks, officials said.

Netscape Shockwave Plug-In Makes Video Easier (ONLINE)

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 4 (NB) -- Macromedia
(NASDAQ:MACR), a leading developer of design and authoring software
for multimedia presentations, has announced the availability of a
Netscape Navigator Plug-in for Shockwave content. Introduced at a
recent Macromedia user conference, Shockwave was developed to bring
full multimedia content to the World Wide Web.

MAID's Online Database/Internet Integration (ONLINE)

LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 5 (NB) -- MAID (the Marketing Analysis
Information Database) has announced it has cracked the technical
challenge of interfacing its online business databases with the
Internet. According to Paula Feery, a spokesperson for the company,
while many other online database services have a presence on the
Internet, there is no integration between the service and the World
Wide Web pages.

Compuserve To Allow For Other Web Browser Use (ONLINE)

COLUMBUS, OHIO, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 5 (NB) -- Compuserve said it will
implement an open standards strategy when it comes to its members
using the Internet and the World Wide Web. The online service
announced its subscribers will soon be able to use any Web browser
in connection with its network.

Silicon Graphics/Sun/Netscape To Merge Web Technologies (ONLINE)

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 5 (NB) -- Silicon
Graphics (NYSE:SGI) said it is teaming with several companies
on different aspects of multimedia Internet World Wide Web content.
The company said it will work with Sun Microsystems (NSADAQ:SUNW)
and Netscape Communications Corp. (NASDAQ:NSCP) to merge certain
three-dimensional (3-D) and multimedia Web interactivity, and
team with Sun and Macromedia to define an open set of multimedia
formats and application programming interfaces (APIs).

Macromedia & @Home Team On Fast Internet Multimedia (ONLINE)

SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 5 (NB) -- Macromedia, a
producer of multimedia and digital arts software, and @Home, a provider
of high-speed data to homes via a cable connection to a personal computer,
will work together to provide full multimedia on the World Wide Web.
Using Macromedia's Shockwave for Director and high-speed Internet access
similar to what @Home will be offering beginning with its Spring 1996
launch in Sunnyvale, California, the two companies will use @Home's
multimedia user interface and links to numerous Web sites with live
multimedia content.

US West Amends Time Warner Suit, Alleges Secret Deal (LEGAL)

ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 5 (NB) -- US West (NYSE: UMG)
has asked a Delaware court to block the proposed merger of Time
Warner and Turner Broadcasting System (TBS). US West said the merger
would, in effect, dismantle the Time Warner Entertainment partnership,
which would adversely impact US West's $2.5 billion investment in
that partnership.

Silicon Graphics Develops 3-D Cosmo Web Technology (ONLINE)

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 5 (NB) -- Silicon
Graphics (NYSE:SGI) has announced its new Cosmo product at the
WebInnovation Conference in San Francisco. Cosmo is described
as a set of advanced technologies using interactive multimedia and
three-dimensional (3-D) graphics to the Internet's World Wide Web.

Web Frenzy in San Francisco (ONLINE)

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 6 (NB) -- At least
one thousand hopefuls who wanted to get into WebInnovation, a
conference devoted to the latest in Web programming, had to be
turned away, according to Interactive Marketing Communications,
of Capistrano Beach, CA, the conference producer.

Spindler Demos Apple's Pippin Through TV Screen (APPLE)

CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 6 (NB) -- Critics call them dumb
terminals, while supporters say they are the "next wave" of computing.
This week Apple's chief executive officer (CEO), Michael Spindler,
demonstrated Pippin, a multimedia computer which uses a television to
display content.

UK Jailings After ATM Card Cloners Caught Red-Handed (LEGAL)

LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 6 (NB) -- A father and his son were jailed
this week for, respectively, four and two years, after the pair were
caught "red-handed" with more than 200 forged ATM (automated teller
machine) cards in their pockets while visiting Kings Lynn, a city
in the East of England.

Speed Key To New Multimedia Web Alliance (ONLINE)

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A. 1995 DEC 7 (NB) -- In about a
year or so, it will be easier to put up World Wide Web sites
that combine elements of virtual reality and interactivity.

Japan - Govt Panel Proposes NTT Breakup (TELECOM)

TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 DEC 7 (NB) -- A panel set up by the Japanese
government has reported its recommendations for areas that require
deregulation, including industries from automobile maintenance to home
building and, most importantly, the telecommunications industry.

Microsoft Unveils Revised Internet Strategy (ONLINE)

REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 7 (NB) -- Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ: MSFT) is revealing its new Internet strategy today, and is
expected to put the Microsoft Network (MSN) subscription service on
the Internet and give much of its content away without cost.

House Conferees Back Tough Cyberporn Provisions (LEGAL)

WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 DEC 7 (NB) -- Civil libertarians
took a beating yesterday as House lawmakers agreed to make it
illegal to knowingly transmit "indecent" material to minors over
computer networks. The House conferees to the telecommunications
rewrite voted 17-16 for the tough indecency standard.

IBM Plans Java For Operating Systems, Web Servers (IBM)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 7 (NB) -- IBM's newly
unveiled agreement to license Java technology from Sun
Microsystems will result in the use of Java on Web server
technology for all IBM operating environments, along with
Microsoft's Windows and Windows NT, said IBM's John Patrick,
during a bicoastal IBM videoconference attended by Newsbytes in
New York City.

Dataquest Study Foresees Silicon Shortages (TRENDS)

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 7 (NB) -- A recent Dataquest
report confirms worries about polysilicon shortages mentioned
frequently at this year's SemiCon 95 conference in San Francisco. A
shortage of the raw material for manufacturing semiconductors will
give silicon companies high market pricing power through the remainder
of this decade, suggests the Dataquest report.

Growth Of The Web Starting To Slow (TRENDS)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 7 (NB) -- Contrary to the
projections of some industry observers, early growth of the Web
is not in a seemingly endless upward spiral, but is in fact
beginning to flatten out already, asserted analysts from the
Yankee Group's newly formed Interactive Commerce service, at a
Yankee Group press conference attended by Newsbytes in New York
City.

(Ian Stokell/19951208)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/08/95
GENERAL
Labels Meant To Match CD-ROM Software To Hardware

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00030)
Labels Meant To Match CD-ROM Software To Hardware 12/08/95
ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 8 (NB) -- The Interactive
Multimedia Association (IMA) has announced a labeling plan meant to help
CD-ROM buyers make sure the titles they buy will work with their
computers. The IMA said it hopes its CD-Match program will reduce retail
returns of multimedia titles, currently running at about 30 percent.

The program will put standardized labels on CD-ROM software, indicating
the hardware and software needed to run each disk. The label will list
requirements under eight headings: operating system, CPU type and speed,
hard drive space, memory, graphics, CD-ROM speed, audio, and other
needs.

Since many PC owners may not be sure how their machines stack up on all
those counts, the IMA also plans to provide free software that, when run on
a PC, will provide a listing of its features in a format that corresponds
to the CD-Match label.

Ken Christie, the IMA's vice-president of marketing, told Newsbytes this
software will also give PC owners a way to check that their new PCS have in
fact been delivered with the advertised features. For that reason, and because
of complications that would be associated with labeling hardware, the IMA
does not foresee CD-Match labels appearing on hardware.

Christie said the CD Match labeling system is ready to go and detailed
specifications are available to software producers now. The IMA has posted
details on its World Wide Web page at http://www.ima.org, including
sample labels and the free computer-assessment software, which runs on a
variety of platforms.

The IMA plans to distribute the free software, which is based on Horizons
Technology, Inc.'s LANauditor technology, through other channels as well.

Because of the lead time to produce CD-ROM packages, Christie said, few
CD-Match labels are likely to be visible on store shelves this holiday buying
season. The IMA's goal is to get the program under way in lots of time for
the 1996 holiday buying season, he said.

(Grant Buckler/19951208/Press Contact: Ken Christie, Interactive
Multimedia Association, 317-823-5073, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/08/95
LEGAL
France - Alcatel Senior Managers Under Investigation

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(LON)(00031)
France - Alcatel Senior Managers Under Investigation 12/08/95
PARIS, FRANCE, 1995 SEP 8 (NB) -- Alcatel CIT, the telecoms hardware
and services division of Alcatel, the French telco, has revealed that
four of its senior staff have been placed under notice of
investigation as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged
overbilling practices.

According to Alcatel, Gerard Dega, Alcatel CIT's CEO, along with
Claude Tournier, a senior board director, and two other senior
staffers have been put on notice of investigation. Under Spanish law,
such noticed is required under employment practices, although they
remain on the company payroll and, for all intents, fully employed by
the company.

In a prepared statement for the press, Alcatel officials stressed that
the notice of investigation is quite routine, and is required so that
the Investigating Magistrate in the case, M. Jean-Marie D'Huy, can
take their statements.

The ongoing billing row, which has been simmering for several months
revolves around the alleged overbilling for hardware and allied
services to France Telecom, which is thought to be Alcatel CIT's major
customer in France.

The investigation has already resulted in a successful prosecution of
Pierre Guichet, Alcatel CIT's chairman earlier this year. Guichet is
now in jail, and Pierre Suard, the chairman of Alcatel itself, has
fallen from grace.

Newsbytes notes that Dega was formerly an international director of
Alcatel CIT, but took over the senior role when Guichet was jailed.

The continuing investigation comes in the wake of a worrisome couple
of months for Alcatel, Newsbytes notes. In September of this year,
with the billing investigation in full swing, the board of Alcatel
Alsthom announced a massive reorganization that will allow the company
to standardize its products and services both nationally and
internationally, across all its divisions. The aim of the changes,
which are currently under way, is to cut costs.

The sweeping changes have been forced on the telco by the
privatization of telecommunications companies in line with European
Commission (EC) policy, preparing the way for the January 1, 1998,
liberalization of telecoms. Even in the last six months, Newsbytes
notes, retail prices on Alcatel's equipment in France has fallen by
around 25 percent, and further price cuts in 1996 are expected.

Alcatel lost $250 million in the first half of 1995 and total losses
for the year are now expected to top the $5 billion mark. Industry
experts expect the telco to shed up to 30,000 staff over the next few
years, preparing the way for a return to profitability in 1998.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951208)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/08/95
ONLINE
Durand Updates MindWire "Online Services Platform"

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(BOS)(00032)
Durand Updates MindWire "Online Services Platform" 12/08/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 8 (NB) -- Outside of its
ability to provide easy ports between the Web, commercial online
services, and LANs (local area networks), Durand Communications'
MindWire online services platform is about the only environment
available today to allow the deployment of "live applications" on
the Web.

Andre Durand, CEO, in a meeting with Newsbytes on a Boston press
tour that is being held to announce a new 32-bit edition for
Windows NT, said that commercial users of MindWire already
include Digital Equipment Corp., which is employing the new
online environment for an AI-based (artificial intelligence)-
based customer service application, and Health Services Corp. of
America, a consortium of 1,700 hospitals nationwide that is using
MindWire in a contract purchasing application.

Meanwhile, CasinoWorld Holdings is using the product to build an
"interactive VR (virtual reality) world" for "casino gaming" on
the Web, according to Durand.

The CEO asserted that MindWare permits any new or existing
Windows application, written in any Windows-based programming
language, to operate in real time over the Web -- without
conversion into HTML (hypertext mark-up language)-- as well as on
other online services and internal LANs. The applications can
include "interactive VR" as well as programs calling for database
access.

When the user logs on to the MindWire server, applications are
automatically launched and updated on the MindWire client side,
according to the company chief. In addition, users can employ the
MindWare client to query databases running on the server, "even
over the Web, without the use of cludgy CGI (Common Gateway
Interface) gateways."

Durand explained that the new "online services platform" is based
around a layer of middleware that incorporates HTML (hypertext
mark-up language) as its "document environment," while adding
"client-server" capabilities.

During a demo, Durand showed Newsbytes a "connector" button on
the MindWire client software that is intended to provide point-
and-click access to the Web and other online services,
transparent to transport protocols such as TCP/IP (transmission
control protocol/internet protocol).

Other features of the Windows 3.1-based client include e-mail,
messaging, chat, a print menu, a product ordering interface, and
a "menu tree" for launching and accessing applications, when the
end user is either online or offline. The client is also
compatible with Windows 95.

The MindWire Server software, currently available in a 16-bit
version for Windows NT, includes application, file, and messaging
administration capabilities; an "interactive GUI (graphical user
interfaces) screen builder;" and an OLE (object-linking-and-
embedding)-based API (application programming interface),
according to Durand.

Durand Communications also offers an optional Database API, with
capabilities that include ODBC (Open Database Connectivity)
database functionality, server-imposed rules and security, and
"rich support for multimedia objects," Newsbytes was told.

Although HTML is well suited to use as a "document environment,"
Netscape and other makers of HTML-based servers and browsers are
being unreasonable if they expect "every application on the face
of the planet to be rewritten in HTML," he asserted.

And when applications written in other languages are translated
into HTML through document conversion tools, they tend to lose
functionality, he argued. To begin with, HTML was not designed to
handle client-server applications. "It's really just a terminal
emulator."

CGI, the protocol used for database gateways running on the Web,
is, if anything, even less well suited to the client-server
environment. "CGI is just a glorified file server. ODBC was
really designed for what CGI is doing today," Durand contended.

In essence, it is by incorporating HTML, but not requiring HTML
conversion, and by foregoing CGI all together, that MindWire has
become one of the first products to permit the operation of live
applications on the Web, he continued.

The forthcoming update to MindWire, with a 32-bit Windows NT
interface, is slated to ship in two weeks, for pricing starting
at $1,495. Also in the future, Durand Communications will embed
the Oracle database into its Database API, Durand revealed.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951208/Reader Contact: Durand Communications
Network, 805-961-8700; Press Contact: Jennifer Slavin, Durand,
805-961-8700; Kevin R. Ota, Capital Relations for Durand, 805-
494-0830)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00033)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 12/08/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 8 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

1 -> Japan Newsbriefs 12/08/95 In this roundup of news from Japan, Ex
NTT executive found guilty of bribery, portable telephone subscribeRs
up in September, electronic newspaper consortium established,
Matsushita licences VideoCD software, more cable multimedia
experiments planned, Fujitsu adds content to Teleparc.

2 ->  ****Internet Update - Christmas Special 12/08/95 So it may not
be Christmas quite yet but this year Christmas sites abound on the
World Wide Web in much greater numbers than the last two years, with
the number of sites in the North Pole almost outnumbering its
inhabitants. With all these sites, someone like Sprint must have a
backbone running there.

3 ->  ****Prodigy Attracts Two NBC Execs 12/08/95 Ed Bennett,
Prodigy's president and chief executive officer (CEO), continues to
reshape the online service with the addition of two NBC executives.
Josh Grotstein and Lisa Simpson have worked together at NBC and come
to Prodigy with extensive content development expertise.

4 ->  ****Kentucky Company Finds Easy Money On Internet 12/08/95 A
Kentucky-based company has found a way to make money out of porn on
the Internet no matter what user's needs and opinions. On one hand,
Watchdog Productions sells a list of porn on the Internet "to help
you stay abreast of all the online resources featuring a sexual
content that are now so freely available to everyone" while on the
other hand, Kidsafe Productions will sell the same list as an "import
source for any blocking software that allows you to block online
access to specific internet addresses."

5 -> Citizen To Offer World's Smallest Printer Under $200 12/08/95
Citizen America Corp., announced an entry-level version of its
lightweight PN60 portable printer. After removing some of the PN60
features such as color printing, Citizen's new PN50 still offers
Thermal Fusion printing and is expected to have a street price of
approximately $199.

6 -> Australia - Telstra Names 21 Suppliers For Broadband Project
12/08/95 Telstra has invited 21 Australian IT companies to submit
proposals for development of its AUS$40 million interactive broadband
services pilot project. The service will use Telstra's cable-TV
connections to carry interactive services to home-based TVs and
personal computers, the latter carrying data at two to 27 megabits
per second, according to a Telstra press statement.

7 -> Czech Republic - Nextel To Be Internet Provider 12/08/95 Nextel,
the data networking division of SPT Telecom, recently purchased from
Eurotel, announced it is building an ATM backbone and gearing up to
become a full-fledged Internet provider. The company is dedicated to
providing a full suite of corporate connectivity and network
management services as well as information services with X.400-based
messaging.

8 -> Australian 'Innovation' To Boost Information Technology 12/08/95
The Australian government plans to spend AUS$24 million developing
Australia's high performance computing and communications (HPCC)
capabilities, including domestic broadband communications and a $1.2
million broadband link with Japan.

9 -> Ericsson Scores Reward In Euro RACE Project 12/08/95 Ericsson
has been presented with an award for the best research product in the
European Commission (EC's) RACE (Research and technology development
in Advanced Communications technologies in Europe) project. The award
for technological achievements was presented by the EC for Ericsson's
work on the Multi-Wavelength Transport Network (MWTN), new
technologies that will provide the network for broadband services
such as videoconferencing and video on demand.

10 -> Philippines' First Computerized Police Force 12/08/95 "The
set-up will be a little like 911 in the United States although not as
sophisticated. Not yet, anyway," said Augusto Marquez, Intelligence
Section (IS) division chief of the Cebu City Police Command (CCPC).
This will be the first Philippines city to link police operations by
computer.

11 -> Telecom Satellite AsiaSat-2 Launch Successful 12/08/95 On
November 28, China successfully launched another telecommunication
satellite AsiaSat-2 at Xichang Satellite Launching Center. The
satellite will cover more than 50 countries and regions in Asia,
Eastern Europe, Australia, and states of the former Soviet Union.

12 -> AT&T Launches India Web 12/08/95 AT&T has launched a new Web
site on the Internet called AT&T India Horizons. Visitors to the site
can take a virtual tour of Japan, locate Indian restaurants and shops
in Chicago, New York or any other place, catch daily headlines from
India and the World as well as browse through India-centric
information.

13 -> China - Technology Newsbriefs 12/08/95 In this news roundup
from China, the country is expected to be the second largest computer
market in the world by 2000; consumer electronics exhibition held in
Beijing; newspaper CompuWorld's donation to improve education; Oracle
holds news conference in Shanghai to show its technology and
information solutions.

14 ->  ****Compuserve Licenses Microsoft's Web Browser 12/08/95 In a
move designed to strengthen its "open" online Internet World Wide Web
strategy, Compuserve said it has reached an agreement with Microsoft
Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) to license its "Internet Explorer" Web browser.

15 ->  ****Wall Street's Internet Stock Jitters 12/08/95 For the
second day in a row, the stocks of several Internet-related companies
are way down on Wall Street. Analysts say the reasons for this are a
skeptical review of such stocks in the Wall Street Journal, and
critical comments regarding several companies by a Smith Barney
analyst.

16 ->  ****Pac Bell Moves Into Wireless TV 12/08/95 Pacific Bell has
announced that it will acquire, for approximately $175 million, all
of the stock of Wireless Holdings Inc. (WHI) and Videotron Bay Area
Inc. (VBAI). The new wireless networks give Pacific Bell quick access
into cable television markets in California, Florida, South Carolina,
and Washington.

17 -> Neoglyphics Media Intros Web Technology 12/08/95 Neoglyphics
Media Corp. said it has developed a "next-generation" of Internet
World Wide Web programming that company officials said will "change
the way" information is stored, authored, and transmitted on the Web.
The new development also addresses Web tracking and encryption
technologies.

18 -> SoftKey Bags Learning Co. 12/08/95 SoftKey International Inc.
(NASDAQ:SKEY) has won an acrimonious battle for The Learning Co.
(NASDAQ:LRNG) of Fremont, California.

19 -> DVD Consortium Reaches Final Agreement 12/08/95 A group of nine
of the world's major electronics companies have reached agreement on
a common technical format for video and computer data storage on
digital video disks (DVDs). The group began working towards a common
system in September and the agreement signals the start of technical
development of DVD players and recorders in preparation for a
consumer launch late next year.

20 ->  ****More On Microsoft's Internet Strategy 12/08/95 Integration
and continuity. Those are the words Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT)
Chairman Bill Gates used during his keynote speech at an all-day
briefing session for reporters and analysts to describe Microsoft's
newly developed Internet strategy.

21 -> Pessimism Grows On Telecom Reform 12/08/95 The clock is running
out of time for action this year and pessimism is growing about the
ability of Congress to complete action on legislation to rewrite the
nation's basic communications law.

22 -> BSA Calls For Encryption Export Increase 12/08/95 The Business
Software Alliance has called for a "cost of cracking adjustment" in
US policy on export of computer software. The adjustment would be an
increase in the length of encryption keys that would be allowed to be
exported, to track the increase in computing power.

23 -> More On Yankee Group's Internet Predictions 12/08/95 The
Internet is headed for a major shakeout, in which telephone companies
will rise to the fore with packaged content and navigational help for
consumers, connectivity and directory services for businesses, and
access and electronic commerce for consumers and businesses alike,
predicted analysts from the Yankee Group, at a press conference
attended by Newsbytes in New York City.

24 -> Personnel Roundup 12/08/95 In today's roundup of personnel
changes, not covered elsewhere by Newsbytes: Design Edge, Harris
Corp., CompUSA, Symantec Corp., Spectrum HoloByte Inc., IQ Software,
Computervision Corp., Creative Technology Ltd., CompuServe Inc.

25 -> AER's 12-hour Battery For HP OmniBook 12/08/95 AER Energy
Resources Inc. (NASDAQ: AERN) has announced it is shipping a zinc-air
battery for the Hewlett-Packard OmniBook notebook computers that can
run the notebook PCs for up to 12 continuous hours between charges.

26 -> US Robotics UK Division Commissions Networking Survey 12/08/95
According to a report commissioned by US Robotics' new UK systems
division, 80 percent of corporate network managers in the UK rate
dial-up remote access and WAN (wide area network) connectivity as a
priority issue which must be considered within the next 12 months.

27 -> Gateway 2000 Europe To Open Tech Support On Christmas Day
12/08/95 Gateway 2000 Europe has announced plans to open its
technical support operation on Christmas Day, December 25, this year.
According to John Shepheard, the company's UK and Ireland general
manager, the decision to open on Christmas Day was taken as the
company expects many new users of Gateway PCs will be unwrapping
their systems on that day.

28 -> Philippines - $80.7 Mil In PCs Sold In First Half 1995 12/08/95
Some serious shopping for personal computers has been going on in the
Philippines. According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), a
market research and consulting firm on the information technology
industry, 59,595 PC units worth $80.7 million pesos were sold in the
Philippines during the January to June period of 1995.

29 -> Newsbytes Week In Review 12/08/95 This is a look at the top
stories this week, listing with their category code: Netscape & Sun
Announce JavaScript; Netscape Shockwave Plug-In Makes Video Easier;
MAID's Online Database/Internet Integration; Compuserve To Allow For
Other Web Browser Use; Silicon Graphics/Sun/Netscape To Merge Web
Technologies; Macromedia & @Home Team On Fast Internet Multimedia; US
West Amends Time Warner Suit, Alleges Secret Deal; Silicon Graphics
Develops 3-D Cosmo Web Technology; Web Frenzy in San Francisco;
Spindler Demos Apple's Pippin Through TV Screen; UK Jailings After
ATM Card Cloners Caught Red-Handed; Speed Key To New Multimedia Web
Alliance; Japan - Govt Panel Proposes NTT Breakup; Microsoft Unveils
Revised Internet Strategy; House Conferees Back Tough Cyberporn
Provisions; IBM Plans Java For Operating Systems, Web Servers;
Dataquest Study Foresees Silicon Shortages; Growth Of The Web
Starting To Slow.

30 -> Labels Meant To Match CD-ROM Software To Hardware 12/08/95 The
Interactive Multimedia Association (IMA) has announced a labeling
plan meant to help CD-ROM buyers make sure the titles they buy will
work with their computers. The IMA said it hopes its CD-Match program
will reduce retail returns of multimedia titles, currently running at
about 30 percent.

31 -> France - Alcatel Senior Managers Under Investigation 12/08/95
Alcatel CIT, the telecoms hardware and services division of Alcatel,
the French telco, has revealed that four of its senior staff have
been placed under notice of investigation as part of an ongoing
investigation into alleged overbilling practices.

32 -> Durand Updates MindWire "Online Services Platform" 12/08/95
Outside of its ability to provide easy ports between the Web,
commercial online services, and LANs (local area networks), Durand
Communications' MindWire online services platform is about the only
environment available today to allow the deployment of "live
applications" on the Web.

(Wendy Woods/19951208)





Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD



Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/07/95
BUSINESS
UK - Racal Buys British Rail Telecom

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00001)
UK - Racal Buys British Rail Telecom 12/07/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 7 (NB) -- Racal Electronics has announced
plans to buy the telecoms division of British Rail (BR).

According to Paula Wargen, a spokesperson for Racal, the deal is an
ideal one for Racal, since it gives the telco direct access to the
fiber optic network that lies beside BR's rail tracks that cross the UK.

"The BR network is under-used. We understand that it is only used to
20 percent of its capacity. For Racal, it offers an instant national
high capacity network," she told Newsbytes.

Newsbytes notes that the acquisition will more than double Racal's
network services division, since it adds the 10,000 mile British Rail
Telecom (BRT) network to its own. Furthermore, for historical reasons,
since BR has rail links to almost every major town and city in the UK,
the BRT network has a widely dispersed coverage.

BRT reported pre-tax profits of UKP17.6 million on a turnover of
UKP174 million in the year to March, 1995. According to Racal, although
the company has around 2,800 staff, few redundancies are planned.

Ironically, BRT has a ready-built set of customers for Racal, since
the British Government's privatization of the railways in the UK means
that contracts between BRT and the regional rail operating companies
around the UK have already been struck and will run into the next
century.

Such contracts will pay for the basic upkeep of the network, with
Racal then being able to use spare network capacity for its own needs.

(Steve Gold/19951206/Press Contact: Louise Charlton, Brunswick PR,
[phone]; Reader Contact: Racal Group Services, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/07/95
ONLINE
Compuserve Opens UK Media Forum

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LON)(00002)
Compuserve Opens UK Media Forum 12/07/95
BRISTOL, AVON, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 7 (NB) -- Compuserve UK has opened a
media forum for journalists and media people, as well as members of
the public. The forum, known as Fleet Street, is accessible using the
keywords GO FLEET at the Compuserve menu prompt, or from within
Compuserve Information Manager (CIM), Compuserve's graphical front-end
package for PC and Apple Macintosh users.

According to Jodie Turner, product marketing manager with Compuserve
UK, the forum is open to any subscriber of Compuserve and not just
those involved in the media. There are private areas for journalists,
details of which can be found in the Lobby when accessing the service.

The aim of the Fleet Street forum is so that anyone involved in the
British media can meet and discuss the burning issues of the day -- as
well as find work opportunities.

"Fleet Street was always the traditional meeting ground of the British
national print press. Although it may no longer exist as an industry
location, the notion of somewhere where the media can meet and talk is
still very much alive," Turner explained.

"By producing an online area such as this, we are providing an
environment where all of Britain's press, media and PR community --
from the Shetland Times to the Guernsey Press -- can meet, talk, and
discuss issues of relevance to the British media," she said.

The forum is being managed by Rupert Goodwins, technical editor of
Ziff-Davis' UK PC Magazine who claims he is an experienced online
conference moderator, having co-edited the popular Micromouse area
on the Prestel Micronet service in the 1980s.

"It's very good of Compuserve to provide this place for journalists
and PR people to meet, discuss and incessantly argue about all the
things that make our professions such fun," he said, adding that the
forum will prove a great place "for anyone in the media who's having
to grapple with the Internet."

(Sylvia Dennis/19951205/Press Contact: Judith Coley, Compuserve,
[phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail];
Reader Contact: Compuserve UK, 0800-000444)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/07/95
ONLINE
 ****Speed Key To New Multimedia Web Alliance

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SFO)(00003)
 ****Speed Key To New Multimedia Web Alliance 12/07/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A. 1995 DEC 7 (NB) -- In about a
year or so, it will be easier to put up World Wide Web sites
that combine elements of virtual reality and interactivity.

An example: a department store might be able to put up a
virtual site that looks like its sales floor, where every
onscreen icon represents a clothing line. Then, via an enhanced
Web browser connected to the Web via a 10 megabits-per-second
(Mbps) or faster cable modem, one could "enter" the mall, and
then shop for a suit by "trying it out on" a virtual reality
image of themselves scanned into the computer program.

Making this happen will be the marriage of four distinct
technologies. These will be: virtual reality, or the life-like
manipulation of simulated real-life objects on a computer screen;
applet technology, which enables a computer language necessary
for these commands to take place; enhanced Web browser technology,
which contains enough processing power to handle these integrated
applications smoothly; and, of high-speed cable modems which, due
to their bandwidth and speed advantage over modem phone lines, are
able to support such sophisticated technological convergences.

A major new alliance revealed at the Web Innovations conference
will go a long way toward making the technology real.

To be marketed under the name Cosmo, the alliance will be
between: Silicon Graphics, a major vendor and co-inventor of the
virtual reality modeling language (VRML), used for three-dimensional
(3-D) and other effects for movie studios and television production
houses; Netscape Communications Corp., which makes Netscape Navigator
Web browsers; and Sun Microsystems, designers of the Java computer
programming language that will make this all possible.

"Cosmo is all about a lot of business and commercial concepts --
3-D graphics, multimedia and interactivity," said Tom Jermoluk,
president and chief operating officer at Silicon Graphics.

The combined set of applications will be sold to the public
in future Netscape Navigator browser editions under the name of
Cosmo Player, an interactive multimedia viewer. Cosmo MediaBase,
will be the software that will enable Web site designers to compose
these new set of applications. The three companies think Cosmo will
be popular because it allows a home or business user to process
these services in real-time, rather than wait on a lengthy download
of sound and pictures.

"You won't need downloads, but will view these applications
within a world of real-time experimental interactivity. The
bottom line will be the applets it will let you create in a
virtual world," Jermoluk said.

Even in real time, however, today's relatively slow phone
modems may make access to Cosmo-enabled Web sites slow. That's
where the partnership is counting on cable modems.

"Bandwidth is getting higher, cheaper and faster. With the
fact of cable systems deploying fast Internet access for millions
of subscribers, bandwidth will increase over time," added Eric
Schmidt, chief technology officer for Sun.

"Most people in our industry believe that fiber will be the
answer to everything," said Netscape technology chief and
Netscape Navigator inventor Mark Andreessen. He said that there
is no practical upper limit on the speed of fiber-delivered
data, and that speeds of 50 to 75 terabits-per-second would
theoretically be possible.

One terabit is a trillion bits. For perspective, Most
cable modems now on the market will have downstream limits from
the site to the home PC of around 30 megabits, or 30 million
bits, per second. One word of text is generally about 50 bits
of data. A full-screen digitally compressed photo of a
television star scanned on to a Web page might be 400,000
megabits.

A competing set of services is expected to be announced by
Microsoft.

Close observers are predicting the multimedia Web war
between the two camps will be intense. "This is the steel cage
death match -- 'Microsoft versus everybody else,'" said Cliff
Cannerghton, vice-president of marketing for Internet access
provider and consulting firm BBN Planet.

No price was announced for Cosmo Player or Cosmo MediaBase,
but both will go on sale by next summer, the companies said.

(Russell Shaw/19951206)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/07/95
GOVT
Canada - No Govt Handouts Please, We're ITAC

(NEWS)(GOVT)(TOR)(00004)
Canada - No Govt Handouts Please, We're ITAC 12/07/95
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 DEC 7 (NB) -- Rumor has it the
Canadian government may be about to offer repayable grants to the
information technology (IT) industry, among others. But the Information
Technology Association of Canada (ITAC) has told the government it
doesn't like the idea.

Why would an industry lobby group argue that the government should not
give its members money? For one thing, according to ITAC, a balanced
budget and lower interest rates will do the industry more good than
"nice but non-strategic" government grants. For another thing, according
to Bill Munson, a senior policy analyst at ITAC, the industry group
believes tax credits are a better idea than grants because they leave
decision-making in the hands of the industry rather than the government.

ITAC is concerned that grants under the National Technology Investment
Program (NTIP) that the government is rumored to be planning might be
allocated for political reasons as much as for sound business reasons,
Munson told Newsbytes. So, ITAC would rather see the government
revitalize an existing tax-credit program for research and development,
known as the Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED)
program.

Munson said ITAC is concerned that the NTIP, if it goes ahead, might be
seen as a replacement for the SR&ED program.

ITAC realizes that there are some problems with the existing tax credit
program, especially with public perception that the program is subject to
abuses. To counter that concern, ITAC wants the government to improve
the traceability of funds and make the results more predictable, Munson
said. This may require some restrictions on access to the credits, ITAC
admitted. A clearer definition of what constitutes an SR&ED project is
also needed, the industry association said.

Another thing the government can do for the Canadian IT industry, ITAC
said, is price federal goods and services more fairly. As an example, the
association cited electronic budget documents. Munson said that when the
last federal budget was released, paper copies were available for about
C$50, but an electronic version cost about 10 times as much. Such pricing
discourages the use of electronic forms of information, which handicaps
the information technology industry, he said.

(Grant Buckler/19951205/Press Contact: Bill Munson, ITAC, 905-602-8345,
Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/07/95
ONLINE
Internet Update - Software Special

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00005)
Internet Update - Software Special 12/07/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 DEC 7 (NB) -- In this roundup of new software
available on the global Internet: Shareware Central; Win,What,Where?;
OLE support for Netscape; Sports Shareware; Windows Quick Boot; IDate;
Surfer Central; Map This!.

Please note that while we have checked the Web sites, the file
descriptions are based on those of the authors. Users should check
system compatibility before downloading and ensure all files are
virus checked once downloaded.

Looking For Shareware?

If you are after Shareware to do a particular job, this site carries a
virtual library of hundreds of thousands of software titles available
across the Internet. You can search and browse categories of software
and then jump to the archives to download the software. Shareware
Central is a service of c:net, the computer network.
World Wide Web: http://www.shareware.com/

Win,What,Where?

This is a Windows 3 utility that tracks all running applications by
monitoring when a program was launched and its duration. Features
include multi-user network operation, project tracking to enable
monitoring of grouped activities and keyboard and mouse tracking.
World Wide Web: http://www.owt.com/basic/

Browser With OLE

NCompass, the first browser to support OLE (object linking and embedding),
according to the writers, was released in September and now the authors
have turned their attention to producing a plug-in for Netscape 2.0
versions for Windows and the Macintosh that adds OLE support. "Using
NCompass' OLE control plug-in, real-time interactive multimedia on the
Internet becomes a reality," they say.
World Wide Web: http://www.excite.sfu.ca/NCompass/

Sports Shareware

Sports shareware are promoting a range of programs covering NFL
American Football, NBA Basketball, NHL Ice Hockey, the Golf League and
even the Lotto. The software is available straight off the net and it
makes use of statistics and data that can also be obtained from
various, free, Internet sources.
World Wide Web: http://www.adsnet.com/conan.brown/index.html

Windows Quick Boot

Windows Quick Boot is a small utility designed to automate the tasks
of exiting and restarting Windows 3.x and Windows 95 versions, as well as
rebooting the system. It can be configured to exit, restart or reboot
the system automatically at up to 30 different times and also doubles
up as a on-screen clock and an alarm clock.
World Wide Web: http://137.132.20.132/~ptlabs/wqb.html

IDate

Never forget that birthday, anniversary, or important date again!
IDate, which stands for Important Dates, is a personal organizer which
is designed to remind the user of upcoming dates and appointments.
With IDate in the StartUp group, IDate reminds users on loading of
Windows and even has a special early warning system for those really
important dates.
World Wide Web: http://137.132.20.132/~ptlabs/id.html

Surfer Central

If you're forever writing down Internet addresses on scraps of paper
and loosing them you need an address manager like Surfer Central. It
will keep all your e-mail, World Wide Web, FTP, Gopher, Archie, and
Telnet addresses, so you never loose them again. If you have a well-
organized Netscape bookmarks file, you can also import it into Surfer
Central.
World Wide Web: http://www.ee.umanitoba.ca/~waletz/

Map This!

A new version of Map This!, a freeware Windows program designed to
create, edit, and maintain World Wide Web clickable image maps. A true
WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) program, it supports NSCA, CERN,
and Client Side Image Map file formats. The software is a 32-bit program
and require Windows 95, Windows NT, or Windows 3.x with win32 support.
World Wide Web: http://galadriel.ecaetc.ohio-state.edu/tc/mt/

(Martyn Williams/19951207)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/07/95
TELECOM
 ****Japan - Govt Panel Proposes NTT Breakup

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00006)
 ****Japan - Govt Panel Proposes NTT Breakup 12/07/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 DEC 7 (NB) -- A panel set up by the Japanese
government has reported its recommendations for areas that require
deregulation, including industries from automobile maintenance to home
building and, most importantly, the telecommunications industry.

The panel recommended that Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) be
made more competitive by measures which possibly include its breakup
into smaller companies and the scrapping of restrictions which keep
NTT, and its competitors, from entering the international market, and
keep the international telephone companies from entering the domestic
market.

The panel, the deregulation subcommittee of the Administrative Reform
Committee, is one of the groups that the government is looking to for
guidance on what it should do with the telecommunications industry.

In its proposal, which was announced today and will be filed with the
government later this month, the panel said NTT should be split up to
improve competition in the telecommunications field, but provided no
proposals of how is should be done, instead recommending the matter be
decided by the Telecommunications Council of the Ministry of Posts and
Telecommunications.

The Telecommunications Council will itself report on the issue in
early 1996, with a Ministry decision due before the beginning of the
next fiscal year on April 1, 1996.

NTT, the world's largest telecommunications company, maintains a
monopoly on the local call market in Japan and competes with three
other companies, dubbed new common carriers (NCCs), for the long
distance market. It, and its domestic competitors, offer no
international services.

Current suggestions envisage the breakup taking the form of one long
distance operator, similar to DDI and Japan Telecom, and local call
services split between two to four companies across Japan.

In addition to the breakup, the panel also said the distinction
between international and domestic telecommunications operators should
also be abolished. This would free up NTT, DDI, Japan Telecom, and
Teleway Japan, all domestic operators, and KDD, IDC and ITJ, all
international operators, to compete with each other in the currently
separate markets.

While NTT's competitors have been campaigning for deregulation of the
domestic telecommunications market, the international operators have
been less vocal. At the recent Telecom 95 expo in Geneva, Seisuke
Nozaki, corporate director of ITJ told Newsbytes, "If NTT enter the
international market we will get damaged."

He continued, "We entered under the condition that both markets are
separate. When the government throws out the situation, something must
be done. You must understand, we entered the market under certain
situations and now they want to change the situation."

Satoshi Naito, public relations manager at IDC said in Geneva, "It is
natural and appropriate for NTT to challenge the domestic market, if
NTT joined the international market the NCCs, and maybe KDD, would
disappear."

Earlier this week, the Keidanren, Federation of Economic Organizations,
said a panel discussing the matter was unable to reach a final
decision and would continue discussions. The preliminary report did,
however, mention there were probably more disadvantages than
advantages to a breakup.

Some members of the Telecommunications Council have announced their
beliefs now the council's meetings have moved from closed to open
sessions. Masayo Kato, a leading figure in the Japan Housewives'
Association, said the large differences between Japanese and foreign
telephone rates must be corrected. A local call in Japan costs around
20 yen ($0.20) for three minutes during the day with long distance
calls costing up to 180 yen ($1.80) for three minutes.

Among others heard at the meetings, Yusai Okuyama, president of DDI,
urged the breakup to help promote fair competition. Isao Okawa,
chairman of Sega Enterprises, said such a breakup was "reasonable."

For its part, NTT today said a breakup would force telephone charges
up because of the expense involved. It estimated, by taking the model
of one long distance and two local companies, profits of 253 billion
yen ($2.53 billion) and 55 billion yen ($550 million), respectively,
would be registered at the long distance and east Japan companies, but
the west Japan company would loose 146 billion yen ($1.46 billion).

Each company would also be faced with charges of 450 billion yen ($4.5
billion) for establishing new billing centers, rearranging the network,
and other charges.

The company also claimed it would owe the government over 1.8 trillion
yen ($18 billion) in taxes concerned with the transfer of land and
property from NTT to the new companies.

NTT shares ended the day at 864,000 yen, a rise of 16,000 on the day.
The panel announcement was made after markets closed.

(Martyn Williams/19951207)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/07/95
ONLINE
Pay By Electronic Check For Online Purchases

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(DEN)(00007)
Pay By Electronic Check For Online Purchases 12/07/95
DENVER, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 7 (NB) -- A Denver, Colorado,
company says it has developed a system that lets online shoppers pay
for their purchases with an electronic check that lets the business
collect for the purchase instantly.

The system, known as Online Check System, from Audio Check Systems,
offers one solution to the hurdle faced by online merchants -- that
of providing a secure means of payment that can't be intercepted by
hackers.

To use the system, the purchaser provides information from their
checkbook, like the name on the check, the check number, and the
numbers at the bottom of the check. The merchant downloads that
information in encrypted form to Audio Check Systems using the
proprietary software the company provides. Audio Check Systems
then prints a check using that information and either over-nights
it to the merchant or makes a same-day deposit to the merchant's
account. Internet shoppers can click on an icon to complete an
online check form.

Audio check Systems spokesperson Nick Madamas told Newsbytes the
system offers advantages other than security. The merchant receives
the funds immediately and the buyer doesn't have to wait for a
check to arrive at the merchant's office in order to have the goods
shipped. It also cuts down on the amount of labor needed to match
paper orders with checks arriving in the mail, sending invoices and
holding orders awaiting payment.

According to Aaron Mandel, president of Audio Check Systems, the
system can double the merchant's market potential. "There are more
than 140 million checking accounts in the US, but only 75 million
credit card holders," said Mandel.

Mandel said the system also eliminates the 25 to 35 percent of phone
orders that are never filled because the check is never sent.

The cost of the software and service varies with the type of
business, said Madamas. The proprietary software carries a price
tag of $70 and up, and the merchant pays a fee of one percent of the
check amount, except for brokerage houses. Madamas said, because of
the large amount of most brokerage house sales, they pay a $2 per
check fee. There is also a $6 fee if you want the check deposited
directly into your bank account.

(Jim Mallory/19951206/Press contact: Ned High, Ned High PR for
Online Check Systems, 303-573-5464; Public contact: Audio Check
Systems, 800-967-7033/ONLINE951207/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/07/95
LEGAL
Romania - Bank Placed Under "Surveillance"

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(LON)(00008)
Romania - Bank Placed Under "Surveillance" 12/07/95
BUCHAREST, ROMANIA, 1995 DEC 7 (NB) -- The National Bank of Romania
(BNR) has announced it has placed Dacia Felix, a private bank
operating in the country, under surveillance. Central bank officials
said that Dacia has been under active surveillance since the middle of
November, although no reason has been given as to why.

Newsbytes notes that the announcement, which is only the second of its
type in Romania, coincides with the major computerization of Romanian
banks which occurred in the wake of the collapse of some of the fringe
speculative banks at the beginning of the year.

The first "surveillance" case involving a Romanian bank occurred in
January of this year when BNR placed Renasterea Creditului Romanesc
Credit Bank under surveillance after bank audits showed that there was
evidence of mismanagement. Subsequently, Marcel Ivan, RCR Bank's
president was arrested and charged with fraud.

Newsbytes notes that there are 30 banks licensed to operate in
Romania: six state-owned, seven foreign, and 17 with private capital
backing them.

In August of this year, Bancorex, the Romanian foreign investment and
trade bank, became the first bank in the country to issue Visa cards
to its business customers. The move marked the first time a local bank
in the region had started issuing Visa credit cards, even to business
customers.

Bancorex officials said that the bank is investing around $300,000 in
its program with the express aim of seeding the business community
with the idea that plastic money cards can be used at home in Romania,
as well as abroad. The bank has also been signing up merchants to
accept the card in and around Bucharest, the country's capital.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951206)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/07/95
GOVT
Philippines - Customs Bureau Improves Image

(NEWS)(GOVT)(HKG)(00009)
Philippines - Customs Bureau Improves Image 12/07/95
MANILA, PHILIPPINES, 1995 DEC 7 (NB) -- The Bureau of Customs (BOC) in
the Philippines appears on its way to shedding off its unpopular image.
BOC Commissioner Guillermo Parayno and his team of "think tanks" are
currently implementing a series of programs and procedural reforms
dubbed as SPACE, a computer-aided customs cargo clearance procedure.

SPACE stands for five general principles. The first is, "selectivity"
and differential of low risk shipments, which means that only high-risk
shipments will undergo the regular clearance process while the rest will
be given express cargo processing. It is estimated that by the year 2000,
only 5% of shipments will pass through the age-old regular lane.

The others are: Post Audit, where shipments given express clearance may
be subjected to post audit or some form of checking, to detect abusers
of the system; Advanced Processing, where the clearance process for
shipments will commence in the advance of cargo arrival; Client Self-
Assessment, where the BOC shall increase its reliance on the self-
assessment of clients/importers to develop an atmosphere of trust; and
electronic data interchange (EDI), where to the fullest extent possible,
the customs procedures will be automated and computerized, with the
users interacting with each other through the EDI.

In a related development, the Project Abstract Secure (PAS) of the
BOC was implemented recently to assure that transactions between
Customs and local banks are "less susceptible to unscrupulous
procedures."

Ten banks are now linked to the parallel transmission payment scheme
of the BOC. Asian Bank, Banco de Oro, Bank of America, Bank of
Tokyo, First Bank, HongKong Shanghai Bank, Landbank, Metrobank,
PhilBanking, and Pilipinas Bank are utilizing fast1, the diskette
transmission procedure.

Ten other banks have been on live electronic transmission or fast2
since last month: Allied Bank, China Bank, Citibank, Citytrust, Far
East Bank, PCI Bank, RCBC, Security Bank, Solid Bank, and United
Coconut Planters Bank.

These two transaction procedures are under the PAS computerization
plan. Online electronic transmission involves an electronic data
machine linked up with the banks. The system involves the encryption
of payment data by the various bank branches, their transmission to
the customs in an electronic form, and their decryption at the bureau
offices using advanced security software called Secure Data.

Secure Data provides a highly sophisticated data security system and
algorithms to protect data and to prevent, among others, unauthorized
access to sensitive information. Data is stored in encrypted format
and, reportedly, can never be decrypted without access to Secure Data
smart cards and cryptographic keys.

The diskette transmission procedure involves the use of bank couriers
in the transmission process. Encrypted data is transmitted in a
computer diskette to BOC using Secure Data software. Sixty-four
bank branches are expected to utilize fast2 by January of next year.

In an interview with Newsbytes, Commissioner Parayno said that PAS
was conceptualized to bring an end to leaks in Custom revenues
resulting from the use of bogus payments as bank documents are
brought from 160 banks branched all over Metro Manila to the
Bureau's collection offices at the South Harbor, the Manila
International Container Port, and the Ninoy Aquino International
Airport, as well as the Revenue Accounting Department of the BOC.

Parayno cited that the first semester of 1992 registered hundreds
of millions of illegally released shipments with the use of spurious
bank payments perpetuated by smuggling syndicates in connivance
with bank messengers and personnel, and even Customs officials. In a
span of two years, about $46 million worth of illegally withdrawn
shipments were exposed by the BOC.

Determined to put an end to these activities, the BOC and the
Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP) signed a memorandum
of agreement which outlined the procedures to be followed in the
transmission, receipt, and distribution of documents. The Secure
Data software was provided by BAP and the accompanying data entry
and printing software was jointly developed by BOC and BAP.

Technical experts from both organizations are now close to
completing the mechanics of transmitting encrypted data via
electronic-mail. This enhancement of PAS will altogether eliminate
the utilization of bank couriers in the transmission process.

(Kay Yeban & Metropolitan Computer Times/19951207)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/07/95
ONLINE
CA Announces Internet Products, Partnership With Netscape

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TOR)(00010)
CA Announces Internet Products, Partnership With Netscape 12/07/95
ISLANDIA, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 7 (NB) -- Claiming that his
company is "making the net safe for electronic commerce," Computer
Associates International Inc. (NYSE:CA) Chairman and Chief Executive
Charles Wang has announced software designed for administering World
Wide Web use, and a partnership with Internet star Netscape
Communications Corp.

Wang pointed out that a growing number of organizations are using Web
servers and browsers internally, in what he dubbed the "intranet." The
growth in installations of Web servers limited to internal use is
outpacing that of external Web servers by five to one, Wang said in a
New York press conference and teleconference. He said that if the Web
is to be suitable for commercial use, more tools for chores such as
network management and security are needed.

By focusing on providing Web server and browser software, Wang
maintained, "everyone seems to be focused on polishing the faucets,
and we're the first to provide the plumbing."

CA is setting out to do that through CA-Unicenter/ICE, an extension to its
Unicenter systems management software, and CA-OpenIngres/ICE, enabling
database technology that will support Unicenter/ICE. ICE stands for
Internet Commerce Enabled.

Sanjay Kumar, president and chief operating officer of CA, said
Unicenter/ICE will make Web servers more reliable and more hospitable
to commercial applications.

According to CA, Unicenter/ICE provides security, event management,
help-desk functions, storage management, resource accounting, and
database monitoring for Web servers and clients. Though Unicenter already
supports the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)
used on the Internet, in Unicenter/ICE, "We have specific things for Web
servers and specific things that have to do with mission-critical
applications in a Web-server environment," Wang said.

CA said OpenIngres/ICE will provide Web access to data on Unix and
Windows NT systems.

The company also announced an agreement with Netscape, maker of popular
Web software and a recent stock-market high flier. The two companies
said they will integrate and jointly market Netscape's Web server
products with Unicenter/ICE and OpenIngres/ICE.

"The strengths of the two companies, Netscape and Computer Associates,
are very synergistic," Wang said.

Todd Rulon-Miller, vice-president of Netscape, said the alliance with
CA will give his company access to an "extraordinary capability...for
sales and support globally."

(Grant Buckler/19951206/Press Contact: Bob Gordon, Computer
Associates, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Chris Holten,
Netscape, 415-528-2521)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/07/95
EDUCATION
Interactive Classrooms Spring Up On Canadian Campuses

(NEWS)(EDUCATION)(TOR)(00011)
Interactive Classrooms Spring Up On Canadian Campuses 12/07/95
WATERLOO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 DEC 7 (NB) -- High technology is turning
language laboratories at Canadian universities into integrated electronic
classrooms, and is likely to spread into other parts of academia in the
near future.

The University of Waterloo, which is known as one of North America's
leading institutions for computer science and related programs, had
turned a language lab into a fully interactive classroom, giving the
instructor control of all 24 desktop computers and the ability to
distribute audio, video, and computer software to any or all students.

The University of Ottawa will officially open similar facilities next
week, providing video, audio, computer software, and links to the
Internet on a total of 55 desktop computers in two multimedia language
labs.

Robert Courchene, chair of the University of Ottawa's Multimedia Language
Lab Committee, told Newsbytes that other Canadian universities, including
the University of Victoria in British Columbia and the University of
Calgary in Alberta, also have or are working on similar electronic
classrooms.

The difference between these facilities and traditional language labs is
control, explained Carl Hennig, supervisor of language labs at the
University of Waterloo. The instructor can send a video image to each
computer screen, which is useful for displaying video to a roomful of
students without having to darken the room to accommodate a projector or
rely on a large-screen TV that would not be as visible to everyone. The
instructor can also work on his or her own computer and have the display
duplicated on every student's computer screen. Students "liked the idea
of being able to see the instructor demonstrating what they're doing,"
Hennig told Newsbytes.

The instructor's control of the classroom also extends to being able to
freeze students' keyboards and mice when they should not be using their
computers -- preventing students from playing with their computers
rather than listening to the instructor.

Courchene said support for video and telecommunications links at the
University of Ottawa labs mean that students studying the Russian language,
for instance, can watch real Russian newscasts brought in by satellite. The
classroom also provides access to computer-based multimedia software and
to the Internet, he said. "It allows us to bring a lot more into the
classroom."

Courchene said the University of Ottawa's two labs -- one based on Apple
Macintoshes and one using IBM equipment -- are up and running but
students will not begin using them until some time in January.

The Waterloo classroom was set up last summer with 48 Macintoshes, and is
currently being used for workshops on how to conduct scholarly research
through the Internet as well as language teaching. It has also been booked
for testing by the accounting and psychology departments, and a fine arts
class is expected to use it next term.

Hennig said Waterloo's Department of Computing Services is planning
further facilities.

(Grant Buckler/19951207/Press Contact: Jim Fox, University of Waterloo,
519-888-4444, fax [phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail];
Lise Huot, University of Ottawa, 613-562-5800 ext 3150, fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/07/95
GOVT
Germany Installs 3-D Radar Defense System

(NEWS)(GOVT)(LON)(00012)
Germany Installs 3-D Radar Defense System 12/07/95
BREMEN, GERMANY, 1995 DEC 7 (NB) -- Ericsson Microwave Systems,
formerly known as Ericsson Radar Electronics, has contracted with STN
Atlas Electronik of Germany for the supply of the first batch of its
Improved Hard (robust against electronic interference) air defense
radar system.

According to STN, the radar system, which is built to withstand the
EMF (electromagnetic frequency) pulse of a nuclear blast, will be
installed with LeFlaSys, the German Light Air Defense System. Plans
call for the system to be installed in 1996, although the value of
the contract has not been revealed for security reasons.

The systems will be installed onboard various tracked combat
vehicles and will be used by the German Rapid Deployment Forces for
surveillance and target designation. In plain English that translates
to wartime seek and destroy capabilities, Newsbytes notes.

The contract is significant, since it is the first export order for
Ericsson's Hard Radar technology. The top secret technology is already
in use, Newsbytes notes, in Sweden for the RBS 90 tactical air defense
system.

So what is Improved Hard Radar? The technology is a three-dimensional
(3-D) radar system that is completely solid state, making it robust
enough for use in a combat zone. The system is a "track while scan" radar
which uses pulse to pulse frequency agility -- the ability to shift
frequencies for each radar "ping," which Ericsson claims makes it
ideal for spotting and targeting low level attack aircraft.

One interesting feature of the system is its ability to spot
helicopters, a task that is almost impossible using conventional two-
dimensional radar systems because of the helicopter's inherent ability
to duck and dive across terrain, so dodging conventional radar beams.

Ericsson claims that the system is also effective against small
targets, something that previous radar systems from the Swedish
electronics companies were light on.

In use, the 3-D target system operates in a multi-beam mode that scans
in elevation. This means that the system can beam different frequency
blips in all directions in rapid succession, making it highly
effective for use on board a combat vehicle.

The system software that processes the data from the beam units is
billed as having automatic track initiation, pop-up target and
helicopter detection, as well as automatic threat evaluation and
target designation.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951207/Press Contact: Bertil Hellstrom, Ericsson
Business Area Microwave Systems, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/07/95
BUSINESS
Summa Four Opens Office In Spain

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00013)
Summa Four Opens Office In Spain 12/07/95
MADRID, SPAIN, 1995 DEC 7 (NB) -- Summa Four, a specialist in open,
programmable switches, has opened its second European office, this one
being in Spain. Located in Madrid, the office is billed as providing
sales and support services for Summa Four to customers in Southern
Europe, as well as acting as a base for expansion into Greece,
Portugal, and Turkey.

"We have recently built relationships with several of the key telecom
players in the Southern European region and want to work more closely
with them," explained Peter Sharp, the company's managing director for
Europe, Middle East and Africa.

"It is essential that we have the organization structure in place that
strategically and tactically provides maximum market presence," he
said, adding that aim of the office is to provide the highest possible
level of service and support to customers, and so differentiate the
company against the competition.

According to the company, the new office complements the company's
existing European office in Wokingham, Berkshire, England.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951207/Press Contact: Spec Communications,
tel [phone], fax [phone]; Reader Contact: Summa
Fore Spain, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/07/95
NETWORK
UK - Vicom Unveils Low-Cost LAN Internet Technology

(NEWS)(NETWORK)(LON)(00014)
UK - Vicom Unveils Low-Cost LAN Internet Technology 12/07/95
BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 7 (NB) -- Vicom Technology has unveiled
the Vicom Internet Gateway, a software-driven LAN (local area network)
router that allows a small- to medium-sized network to access a single
Internet account on a LAN-wide basis.

Paul Lambert, product manager with Vicom, told Newsbytes that the
system is virtually unique in the marketplace, and is extremely cost-
effective. As a result, the company is talking to a number of third
parties about joint marketing and bundling deals.

The system is claimed to support any Internet-based applications, such
as Netscape and Eudora, acting as a transparent TCP/IP (Transmission
Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) router between the users' machines
and the Internet. In use, the system supports Ethernet, Token Ring, and
AppleTalk networks, and can access the Internet using modem dial-up or
ISDN (integrated services digital network) links.

"We all know that the Internet is gaining momentum all the time and
companies are looking to make better use of it, but with the growth
comes problems with the security, the ease-of-use, and cost. The Vicom
Internet Gateway provides the solution by delivering a centralized
management resource that reduces the required number of Internet
accounts and enabling an Internet access control mechanism." Lambert
went on to say.

According to Lambert, the Internet Gateway started life as an internal
system designed to interface between the company's DEC, HP, and AS/400
machines. Soon the Internet link was grafted on and the company
realized it had a commercial product on its hands.

As well as the normal Internet functions, the gateway is billed as
supporting Internet firewall facilities, as well as other security
features such as restrictions on connection time and selective barring
of access and services. Call management and network monitoring
functions, the company claims, can force connections to be dropped
after pre-determined period of inactivity.

According to Lambert, the basic configuration of the gateway allows
for three simultaneous users and sells for UKP560. Each extra user
costs UKP40, up to 10 users, where the price drops to UKP560 plus
UKP240. A 20 extra user license costs UKP400.

Further details of the gateway can be found on Vicom's Web pages
which start at http:www.vicomtechcom .

(Steve Gold/19951207/Press & Reader Contact: Vicom Technology,
tel [phone], fax [phone], Internet e-mail
[e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/07/95
PC
OKI Develops PC On A Card

(NEWS)(PC)(TYO)(00015)
OKI Develops PC On A Card 12/07/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 DEC 7 (NB) -- OKI America's Advanced Products
Division has unveiled a computer unit the size of a credit card. The
Compcard, a PC/AT-compatible with 486 processor running at 50
megahertz (MHz), weighs in at around 50 grams and signals the beginning
of the smart car, smart home, and smart office, claims OKI.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95120715.PCX
Click here for photo

The card also features on-card support for common VGA monitors and
STN, DSTN and thin film transistor (TFT) standard liquid crystal display
(LCD) displays. Using dual inline memory modules (DIMMs), memory
configurations of four megabytes (MB), 8MB, 16MB, and 32MB of memory
can be supported.

It comes with PhoenixPICO BIOS (basic input/output system) on a 128
kilobyte flash ROM and supports PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card
International Association)-ATA boot options. Its industry-standard EASI
(Embedded All-in-one Systems Interface) provides access to the ISA
(Industry Standard Architecture) bus, two serial ports, one parallel
port, keyboard, mouse, speaker, IDE, CRT, FDD, LCD, and power management.

The BIOS allows support for additional hardware such as flash memory
and systems including DOS and Windows.

"We have focused Compcard's development on meeting the market's need
for a comprehensive PC that is small, affordable and fast," said Wes
Shimanek, director of sales and marketing, OKI Advance Products.

Shimanek told Newsbytes more about where he expects to see demand come
from, "This is for the class of developers who needs sophisticated
devices for which the PC architecture and capability suggest
themselves but for which the standard PC is too large."

He added, "Compcard offers the OEM (original equipment manufacturer)
a very cost-effective and flexible solution that can take advantage of
a wealth of PC hardware and software options available in the market.
We see it going into traditional computer OEM uses, like embedded system
applications. But with this much power in this small a package, we
really see it going into a host of the new information appliances that
will herald the arrival of the smart car, smart home and smart office."

The exact configuration of the device depends on orders received by
OKI, which will be making the unit available on an OEM basis to other
manufacturers. The North American price for each Compcard is $376 each
in batches of 1,000.

OKI confirmed some orders have already been received for the Compcard,
mostly in sample quantities, but would offer no further information on
the customers or value of orders.

(Martyn Williams/19951207/Press contacts: Martin Winston, Newstips
Inc., tel [phone], fax [phone]; Reader contact: Oki America Inc.
Advanced Products Division, tel [phone], fax [phone], Internet
World Wide Web http://www.oki.com/ )




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/07/95
BUSINESS
AST PCs Now At Wal-Mart

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00016)
AST PCs Now At Wal-Mart 12/07/95
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 7 (NB) -- AST Computer says that
it has signed an agreement with Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), to begin carrying
AST Advantage 4075 PCs just in time for the holidays. AST already
markets to other discount retail chains, such as Sam's Club and Price
Club.

Camerone Welch-Thorson, a spokesperson for AST, told Newsbytes, "In
addition to gaining 1,250 stores nationwide, Wal-Mart provides
unique demographics for PC buyers. Wal-Mart concentrates on a rural
customer base not available through other retail outlets. Smaller
rural areas sometimes have no ready access to large computer outlets.
Wal-Mart concentrates on these smaller rural areas, and is a natural
extension for AST."

Wal-Mart is the world's largest retailer with sales over $82 billion
annually. There are 2,215 stores worldwide, with 1,250 in the United
States. They have locations in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Canada,
Mexico, Hong Kong, Brazil, and Argentina.

AST will offer at Wal-Mart a packaged Pentium PC called the
Advantage 4075. The PC includes a 75 megahertz (MHz) Pentium processor,
eight megabytes (MB)) of RAM, an 850MB hard drive, a 14-inch SVGA
monitor, built-in stereo, quad-speed CD-ROM player, internal modem,
Windows 95, and a package of over fifteen software products. The
suggested retail price for Wal-Mart will be $1,499.

Wal-Mart added PCs to its range of products five years ago. In
addition to AST, Wal-Mart sells Packard-Bell, IBM, Compaq, and Apple
products.

(Richard Bowers/19951206/Press Contact: Camerone Welch-Thorson,
AST, 714-727-8858)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/07/95
UNIX
Novell Completes Unixware Sale

(NEWS)(UNIX)(DEN)(00017)
Novell Completes Unixware Sale 12/07/95
OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 7 (NB) -- Novell Inc. (NASDAQ: NOVL)
said it has completed the sale of its Unixware business to The Santa
Cruz Operations Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOC), a deal first reported by
Newsbytes in September.

The sale is part of Novell's strategy to return to its core
expertise of network operating system software. The company is
also seeking a buyer for its applications business which includes
the popular Wordperfect word processing program.

Sale of the Unixware business netted Novell about 6.1 million shares
of SCO common stock that gives Novell about a 17 percent stake in
SCO. The deal also calls for Novell to receive revenue from SCO
based on the revenue generated by the Unixware business. The
revenue stream has an $84 million cap and will end by the year 2002.

Novell will also continue to receive revenue from existing licenses
for older versions of Unix System V source code. It will also get
royalties from SCO's licensing of Novell's NetWare networking
software, including NetWare Directory Services, for use in
Unixware-based operating system products.

SCO said it plans to merge the SCO OpenServer Release 5 and SCO
Unixware product lines to create a standard high-volume Unix open
rating system that contains integrated NetWare networking software.
The merged product is scheduled to ship in 1997. Meantime, SCO
plans to ship the next release of Unixware in the first quarter of
1996. That release is expected to include NetWare networking
software to assist users in integrating Unix systems with Novell
networks.

The company also plans the release next year of the next version of
its SCO OpenServer System and a compatibility Toolkit for creating
applications that run on both the SCO Unixware system and the
OpenServer System. The company is also working with HP and Novell
to develop a 64-bit Unix system for the next-generation Intel
architecture, which is expected to ship in 1998.

SCO will open a new development center in New Jersey that will
employ about 120 people, including engineers and marketing, sales
and administrative personnel. Hewlett Packard previously announced
its intent to open a development site in the same state to
facilitate joint development with SCO and Novell.

(Jim Mallory/19951207/Press contact: Melanie King, Novell,
408-577-6842 or Monika Laud, SCO, 408-427-7421)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/07/05
CHIPS
Atmel Plans French Wafer Fabrication Plant

(NEWS)(CHIPS)(LON)(00018)
Atmel Plans French Wafer Fabrication Plant 12/07/05
ROUSSET, FRANCE, 1995 DEC 7 (NB) -- Atmel Corporation (NASDAQ: ATML)
has announced it has started construction on its Fab 7 wafer chip
production facility, located approximately ten miles east of Aix-en-
Provence, France. According to Bernard Pruniaux, a senior spokesman for
the company, the facility should be fully up-and-running by the end of
next year.

Speaking with Newsbytes, Pruniaux said that the $500 million plant
will eventually be capable of producing more than 5,000 eight-inch
wafers per week -- a significant production which Atmel plans to ship
worldwide to electronics and computer companies.

"Locating the European Community has tax advantages for us, which is
why we decided to locate it here," he said, adding that producing the
chips within the EC, for supply to EC companies, will make the chips
very competitive in the marketplace.

According to Pruniaux, Fab 7 will be co-located with Atmel's existing
Fab 6 facility, and will include a 60,000 square foot "clean room" for
production of 0.35 micron semiconductors.

Newsbytes notes that, in April of this year, Atmel purchased a
majority interest in the Fab manufacturing, design and sales
organization from European Silicon Solutions, ES2. The organization
has since been renamed Atmel ES2.

Atmel claims to have spent more than $30 million over this year to
enlarge the existing ES2 Fab 6 facilities. Plans also call for the
company to invest a further $50 million in the coming year in the Fab
6 facility -- when taken in conjunction with the improved Fab 7
facility, Atmel claims that the combined plants will have double the
current capacity of the company worldwide.

Commenting on the plans for Fab 7, George Perlegos, Atmel's chief
executive officer, said that the facility is being built to meet the
rapid and continuing growth in the demand for Atmel products
worldwide. "Expanding in Europe further underlines our commitment
to European production," he said.

Perlegos emphasized the significance of this first concrete step of
Atmel's expansion into Europe saying that the company is in Europe
on a long-term basis.

"Europe is ahead in many key markets such as smart cards and cellular
telephones, and we want to develop partnerships with the leading
players here. We are in Europe to develop products, to manufacture,
and to grow our total business," he explained.

According to Pruniaux, "the combination of the Atmel investment and
experience in volume production with Atmel ES2's understanding of the
European market, places us in a strong position for sustained growth,"

According to Atmel, to celebrate the high level of US-French
cooperation that has characterized the Atmel investment in Provence,
guests at the groundbreaking ceremony earlier this week included
representatives from the French Minister of National and Regional
Development and the Ministry of Industry, the Regional Council of
Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, the General Council for Bouches-du-Rhone,
and the Municipality of Rousset.

As a symbolic gesture, a California Sequoia (Sequoladendron giganteum)
was planted at the entrance to the Fab 7 site. This fire-resistant
species has a lifetime expectancy in excess of 2000 years. It
symbolizes the planting of deep roots of Californian technology in
French soil, and long-term sustained growth, according to the company.

(Steve Gold/19951207/Press & Reader Contact: Atmel ES1,
[phone]; Jeff Katz, Atmel US, 408-436-4205)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/07/95
ONLINE
 ****Microsoft Unveils Revised Internet Strategy

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(DEN)(00019)
 ****Microsoft Unveils Revised Internet Strategy 12/07/95
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 7 (NB) -- Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ: MSFT) is revealing its new Internet strategy today, and is
expected to put the Microsoft Network (MSN) subscription service on
the Internet and give much of its content away without cost.

Bill Miller, MSN director of marketing, reportedly told the Seattle
Times that Microsoft isn't abandoning the effort it has put into
the online service. Instead, Miller attributed the change to the fact
that, in Microsoft's view, the concept of private online services
"doesn't make sense any more."

At a day-long seminar in Seattle today, Microsoft is announcing a
host of cross-agreements with various companies, including Computer
Associates, Oracle, and Spyglass. Yesterday at the Internet Control
Developer's Workshop, Microsoft proposed an Internet digital
signature initiative which the company said would provide a "safer
environment" for executable code on the Internet if adopted.

The Microsoft-Spyglass deal calls for Spyglass support for
Microsoft's Internet tools. Spyglass said it will enhance its
popular Web browser Mosaic with support for OLE (object linking and
embedding) Controls, Visual Basic Script, and the latest HTML
(hypertext markup language) extensions. It will also include support
for several new Microsoft server technologies reported on previously
by Newsbytes, such as secure transaction technology (STT) and private
communications technology (PTT) in its server software for Unix and
Windows NT.

Other announcements in this week's Internet blitz from Microsoft
include release of the next version of its Internet Explorer browser
software for the Windows NT Workstation, Windows 3.1 and Macintosh
platforms. The Windows 95 version of Explorer was released earlier.

The company also announced development of an interactive three-
dimensional (3-D) multimedia animation technology for the Internet
called virtual reality modeling language (ActiveVRML). Microsoft
said ActiveVRML is optimized for authoring and playback on personal
computers and allows content authors to deliver 3-D multimedia
effects "easily" on the Internet.

The technology is being offered as an open industry specification
and has been submitted as a proposal to VRML industry working
groups.

Another tool in Microsoft's Internet arsenal rolled out today is
Visual Basic Script, an Internet scripting language Microsoft will
offer over the Internet at no cost. Microsoft undoubtedly hopes to
position Visual Basic Script as a competitor to Java, Sun
Microsystems Inc.'s programming language.

Netscape and Sun Micro said this week they will develop and
distribute the JavaScript programming language free on the
Internet. Netscape and Sun hope to make the Internet itself the
computing environment of choice with users using low-cost
(sub-$500) terminals that temporarily borrow their computing power
from the Internet only as needed, then discard those resources.
Microsoft is betting on users sticking with Windows 95 and using
its Internet tools. At stake is Microsoft's lucrative business in
word processing, spreadsheet, and database software.

The Wall Street Journal reported today that NBC (National Broadcasting
Company) has accepted a bid from Microsoft to develop an online news,
sports and entertainment service to be known as NBC Supernet. When
contacted by Newsbytes a Microsoft public relations person would not
confirm that report. She also declined to deny it,saying only:
"Microsoft has no comment."

(Jim Mallory/19951207/Press contact: Microsoft, 206-882-8080)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/07/97
IBM
IBM Demos Video-Over-Web In Bicoastal Videoconference

(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00020)
IBM Demos Video-Over-Web In Bicoastal Videoconference 12/07/97
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A. 1995 DEC 7 (NB) -- IBM is developing a
new, "highly scalable" architecture for videoconferencing over
the Web, to be based on its SP (Scalable PowerParallel)
supercomputer, new "Tiger Shark" middleware, and emerging new
standards, that will be run over the IBM Global Network and other
ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) networks, officials revealed,
during an "InterNews" videoconference conducted over the Web and
attended by Newsbytes in New York City.

Irving Wladawsky-Berger, general manager of IBM's new Internet
Division, told reporters at the Supercomputing '95 conference in
San Diego, as well as journalists connected via Internet
videolink at IBM's office in Manhattan, that IBM plans to expand
upon the SP2-based prototype technology used in the San
Diego-to-New York videoconference with greater "scalability" and
finetuned performance in the future.

Journalists on two coasts could see both sites in four quadrants
of a projected video screen, made possible by means of live video
transport over a newly established high-speed network that IBM
has dubbed the "I-WAY" (Information Wide Area Year). AT&T's
InterSpan service was used for the ATM conference between New
York City and San Diego. The "interactive videoconference" was
also linked to about 20 other sites.

In answer to a question raised by one of the reporters in New
York City about a release date for "SP3," Wladawsky-Berger said
that, outside of videoconferencing products already offered by
IBM, IBM plans to offer videoconferencing-over-the-Web on
upcoming SP platforms that will extend beyond an "SP2, SP3, SP4"
sort of model, with availability in a variety of configurations.

When asked how the technology used in the press
conference-via-the-Internet differs from existing Web-based
videoconferencing technologies, Wladawsky-Berger replied that the
answer can be found in "scalability."

During a Q&A session in New York City at the close of the press
event, John Patrick, also of IBM, said that IBM intends to offer
supercomputing-based videoconferencing over the IBM Global
Network, as well as over ATM-based networks of other online
service providers.

IBM, he maintained, will adhere to "open standards" with the new
technology -- including RTP and other emerging standards for
videoconferencing over the Web -- so as to allow use across
multivendor videoconferencing environments. The SP-based
videoconferencing will also support Lotus and IBM's new
InterNotes technology, according to Patrick.

Also during the videoconferencing event, Patrick,
Wladawsky-Berger, and Argonne Laboratories' Rick Stevens, also
speaking from San Diego, outlined the elements of the prototype
technology, which includes computer hardware and storage systems
from IBM, along with software being jointly developed by IBM and
Argonne.

Patrick told the journalists in Manhattan that the architecture
is based on eight IBM SSA disks, each capable of handling 500
gigabytes, or "half a terabyte" of video, connected to an SP2-
based media server with 20 nodes. SP2 machines are able to
support up to 512 processors each, he pointed out.

The SP2 nodes used in the coast-to-coast demo have been outfitted
with Tiger Shark, a new "parallel file server" technology being
co-developed by IBM and Argonne that is designed to minimize the
latency, or transmission delays, that would otherwise result in
"jerky" movement on the videoconferencing screen, the officials
contended.

Other software on the media server side include IBM's DB2
Parallel Edition relational database management (RDBMS), along
with daemons that include "stream radar, a stream writer, and a
catalog server."

Technology used on the AIX-based clients was based on a new Web
browser specifically designed for videoconferencing applications,
Stevens said. The browser, which is available on the Internet as
downloadable shareware, has been subsequently enhanced by IBM and
Argonne, he added.

Wladawsky-Berger told the journalists that, although the
prototype technology used in the bicoastal videoconference is
"not there yet" yet, it is "almost there." The video seen on the
bicoastal screens was running at "close to" 30 frames-per-second,
or full-motion video rates, he illustrated.

Wladawsky-Berger was also asked why, as a "technology expert," he
has taken on the role of chief of IBM's new "Internet software
division."

The IBM exec mildly chided the reporter who asked the question
for seemingly implying that software required less technological
"expertise" than hardware. In fact, he asserted, the hardware
needed for "scalable" videoconferencing-over-the-Web already
exists, and it is on the software side that most of the
improvements need to be made.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951207/Reader Contact: IBM, 914-765-1900;
Press Contact: Pam Preston or Marlena Villafane, Technology
Solutions for IBM, 212-696-2000)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/07/95
TELECOM
Stentor Brings Concert Telecom Products To Canada

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00021)
Stentor Brings Concert Telecom Products To Canada 12/07/95
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 DEC 7 (NB) -- Stentor, the Canadian
alliance of telephone companies, is bringing the Concert portfolio
of telecommunications products and services to Canada through an
arrangement with British Telecom and MCI Communications Corp., the
partners in Concert.

Concert services, which include virtual private networks, managed data
services, frame relay services, and global application services, will
start to become available in Canada early in 1996, probably around
March or April, said John McLennan, president and chief executive of
Bell Canada, in a press conference in Toronto today. Bell Canada is
the largest company in the Stentor alliance.

Carol Stephenson, president and chief executive of Stentor Resource Centre
Inc., said Stentor has an exclusive agreement to offer Concert services in
Canada.

Officials said Concert is aimed at multinational companies, including any
small company with operations in two or more countries. Its purpose is to
provide consistent services and a single point of contact to customers.
Peter Erskine, president and chief executive of Concert Communications
Co., said at the press conference that his organization can provide "a
single bill around the world, if that's what the customer wants, and yet
truly local support."

Launched 18 months ago as a joint venture between American long-distance
provider MCI and British Telecom, Concert now has operations in more
than 50 countries around the world, Erskine said. He added that the
service is consistent throughout those countries. "We haven't just tried
to knit together some of the phone companies around the world...we've
delivered and built a global core network," he said.

Among the services that global network makes possible, he said, is the
ability for Concert customers to call from an office in one country to
an office in another country with a short number like an intra-office
extension.

At the Telecom 95 conference in Geneva earlier this fall, Concert
announced new features including a virtual private voice network and
audio conferencing.

Concert's existing customers include Microsoft Corp. and Ford Motor
Co., and a number of Canadian organizations, Erskine said.

(Grant Buckler/19951207/Press Contact: Tanya Pobuda, Hill & Knowlton
for Stentor, 416-483-5228 ext 254, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/07/95
TELECOM
AT&T Intros New Int'l Calling Plan

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(MSP)(00022)
AT&T Intros New Int'l Calling Plan 12/07/95
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 7 (NB) -- Building on its
"True Reach" long distance calling brand, AT&T (NYSE:T) has introduced
a new international calling program. Under the plan, AT&T customers
calling from any phone around the world can save money, officials
claimed.

AT&T said with the plan, called "AT&T True Reach International
Savings," customers don't need to sign multiple calling programs
to save on both international and domestic calls. AT&T customers can
save 25 percent on all of their AT&T calls, both international and
domestic, when they spend $25 a month on those types of calls.

Customers will also save on more types of calls, officials said. Some
of the types of calls that are covered by the True Reach International
Savings program include AT&T calling card calls, cellular long distance
calls, local toll calls, directory assistance, conference calls, and
operator-handled calls placed from the United States to both
international locations or places within the US.

"Our customers continue to tell us they want value simple calling plans
that offer the greatest flexibility and opportunity for savings," said
Shaun Gilmore, vice president global markets and services. True Reach
International Savings is the plan to save customers money on a broad
array of calls, he added.

Newsbytes notes AT&T's international calling plan is similar in
principle to the company's domestic True Reach Savings program, which
Newsbytes covered when it was introduced earlier this fall. At that
time, an AT&T spokesperson told Newsbytes the company's older calling
plan, True USA Savings, is being curtailed to subscribers who currently
use the service, and no new enrollments are being accepted.

AT&T customers will pay a $3 monthly fee to participate in the True
Reach International Savings program, officials said.

Advertising for True Reach International Savings will roll out today,
officials said, on television, radio, and in print publications.

(Bob Woods/19951207/Press Contacts: Carol Henry, 201-564-2839, or
Dick Gundlach, 718-533-9020, both of AT&T; Public Contact: AT&T
True Reach International Savings, 800-272-WORLD)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/07/95
LEGAL
 ****House Conferees Back Tough Cyberporn Provisions

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(WAS)(00023)
 ****House Conferees Back Tough Cyberporn Provisions 12/07/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 DEC 7 (NB) -- Civil libertarians
took a beating yesterday as House lawmakers agreed to make it
illegal to knowingly transmit "indecent" material to minors over
computer networks. The House conferees to the telecommunications
rewrite voted 17-16 for the tough indecency standard.

The vote means that such prohibitions are certain to be included
in the final telecommunications reform bill.

The vote was a defeat for a compromise measure being pushed by
Rep. Rick White (R-Wash.), which would have used a standard,
"harmful to minors," that is considerably narrower and has been
tested in court.

The conferees did adopt White language that protects commercial
online services from legal liability for unknowing distribution
of indecent material.

Opponents of the House language argued that the indecency
standard is too vague and is unconstitutional. They say that it
is possible that newspapers would be able to print a word such
as "breast" in their printed edition, but not in online versions
distributed over the Internet.

Jerry Berman, head of the Center for Democracy and Technology,
said the provision "creates the most Draconian measure of
censorship on any medium -- print, broadcast, or cable." The
American Civil Liberties Union also denounced the measure and
said it will sue to overturn it, once the bill is enacted into
law.

The Information Technology Association of America also slammed
the House language. "We're concerned that an indecency standard
is vague and subject to interpretation, unlike a 'harmful to
minors' standard which is explicit and has been included in the
pornography statutes of many states," said Harris Miller, ITAA
president.

Robert Smith, executive director of the Information Services
Association, trade group for the online services, said he was
pleased with the protections for online providers, but said his
group is "very concerned about the serious constitutional
problems that will result from the last-minute change in Rep.
White's proposed 'harmful to minors' standard to the 'indecency'
standard narrowly approved by the conferees. For example, the
vague 'indecency' language could prohibit James Joyce's Ulysses
or other classic works of literature from being transmitted
online."

The Supreme Court has said that indecent speech, unlike
obscenity, is protected by the First Amendment. The House
conferees purposely refused to define the term "indecent."

The vote was a victory for the Christian Coalition, and for
House Judiciary Committee Henry Hyde (R-Ill.). "We were holding
out for tougher language and it appears we're going to get it,"
said Mike Russell of the coalition.

Hyde not only lined up conservatives behind his tough language,
but also won support from some liberal Democrats on the
conference committee, including retiring Rep. Patricia Schroeder
(D-Colo.). "This is not the time for weak solutions," said Hyde
during the committee meeting yesterday.

The House vote is also a win for Sen. James Exon (D-Neb.),
author of similar language in the Senate version of the
telecommunications overhaul. "Now we have a framework for a
final agreement that accomplishes what we set out to do," he
said.

White, whose district includes Microsoft, said he was
"disappointed" about the vote and warned that US law cannot
block pornography on the Internet, because the net is global and
users will be able to retrieve material from outside the country
as easily as from next door.

(Kennedy Maize/19951207/Press Contacts: Sara Fitzgerald, ISA,
301-495-4955; Bob Cohen, ITAA, 703-284-5333)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/07/95
LEGAL
Securities Reform Bill Headed To White House

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(WAS)(00024)
Securities Reform Bill Headed To White House 12/07/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 DEC 7 (NB) -- The House yesterday
easily passed legislation designed to curb frivolous securities
lawsuits, sending the measure to the White House. The vote was
320-102, with strong bipartisan backing.

The House vote came a day after the Senate approved the
identical measure by a vote of 65-30.

The White House has not said whether President Clinton will sign
the bill, but there is great pressure on him to OK the new law.
The bill had strong backing from high-tech firms in the computer
and telecommunications Industries, which supported Clinton in
1992. He needs them again in his 1996 reelection campaign.

Clinton also badly needs California's electoral votes, and
high-tech firms are clustered there. Clinton won California in
1992 and the conventional political wisdom holds that he cannot
be reelected without California.

Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), who represents Silicon Valley in
Congress, said a Clinton veto "would place a real chill on
California figuring into the election around this issue. I think
it is a rank-and-file issue for people in California."

Given the volatility of high-tech stocks, said Eshoo, "There are
only two types of companies in the valley -- those who have been
sued and those who are waiting to be."

But some traditional liberal Democrats have been pushing the
president to kill the new law as harmful to small investors.

"This is a raid on the small investor," said Rep. John Dingell
(D-Mich.), former chairman of the powerful House Commerce
Committee. He said the bill will warm the hearts of financial
villains such as Ivan Boesky, Michael Milken, and Charles
Keating. The "scandalous" legislation, Dingell said, would be
"beloved by the great scoundrels of the past."

The legislation is the culmination of a four-year campaign
pushed by a coalition including high-tech manufacturers,
stockbrokers, insurance companies, and major accounting firms.

The most controversial aspect of the legislation is the "safe
harbor" provision that protects forward-looking financial
statements, such as earnings projections, from legal challenge.
A plaintiff would have to show that a false statement was made
knowingly.

Arthur Levitt, chairman of the Securities and Exchange
Commission, has endorsed the current "safe harbor" language as
acceptable.

Two provisions have drawn fire from Levitt and the White House.
They object to a three-year statute of limitations on fraud
suits, preferring five years. Also, they oppose limits on suing
individuals who "aided and abetted" fraud.

(Kennedy Maize/19951207)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/07/95
BUSINESS
Microsoft, Spyglass Extend Mosaic Licensing Agreement

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(MSP)(00025)
Microsoft, Spyglass Extend Mosaic Licensing Agreement 12/07/95
NAPERVILLE, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 7 (NB) -- When Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ:MSFT) goes digging into the "gold rush" of the Internet, as
Bill Gates calls it, the company will take a key Internet World Wide
Web player with it. Microsoft said it was extending its Web browser
technology license with Spyglass (NASDAQ:SPYG), and the two companies
signed a new agreement to ensure compatibility among Web servers
based on Unix and Microsoft Windows NT operating systems.

"It's a multi-million dollar agreement -- it covers multiple platforms,
and it's multiple years, so it's good," Marcus C. Miller, Spyglass
executive vice president, marketing and business development, told
Newsbytes. "Spyglass has always supported open standards, and
providing open standard products. Through this agreement, Spyglass
becomes Microsoft's multi-platform, World Wide Web technology
developer. It's a vote of confidence for us."

Besides the Mosaic licensing extension and the multi-platform Web
server agreement, the agreement also calls for joint cooperation and
multi-platform development for Visual Basic Scripting, OLE (object
linking and embedding) controls, Secure Socket Layers (SSL) and Secure
Transaction Technology (STT) security protocols, and Microsoft's
Blackbird viewing technologies integrated with hypertext markup
language (HTML). Down the road, all of this means Web users will be
able to see 3-D (three-dimensional) graphics, animation, and multimedia
directly over the Web.

Last month, Spyglass licensed the much-heralded Java technology from
Sun Microsystems, which also delivers multimedia over the Web. Java
is also seen as competition for the competing Microsoft initiative
announced today. But Miller said Spyglass doesn't see any problems
including both technologies in the company's products. "We don't have
to pick. There's applications that will use Java, there's applications
that will use Visual Basic Scripting, and there's applications that
will use both of them. We're working to keep advancing the market" in
general, he said.

Even though this kind of announcement is generally regarded as good
news for a company like Spyglass, the company's stock is taking a
beating on Wall Street. At 12:00 EST, shares were down $12.75 at
$97.25. Many Internet-related stocks were being pummeled on the
trading floor, though, after Smith Barney downgraded some of those
issues, CNBC reported. Some of those companies taking big hits include
Netscape, UUNET, Netcom, and PSINet. Microsoft's stock, was also down
$1.25 at $89.375 at 12 Noon EST.

(Bob Woods/19951207/Press Contacts: Randy Pitzer, Spyglass,
708-505-1010; Madeline Cox, Waggener Edstrom, 503-245-0905)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/07/95
BROADCAST
Phones & TV Share Cable System

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(DEN)(00026)
Phones & TV Share Cable System 12/07/95
BOCA RATON, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 7 (NB) -- A Florida company
is providing the technology being used in a Belgian town to route
telephone calls via the existing cable TV network.

The technology, called CoAxiom, is a product developed jointly by
the Siemens Public Communications Networks Group and
Scientific-Atlanta Inc. that makes it possible for cable
operators to deliver a variety of telecommunications services.

CoAxiom is being used in the Belgian town of Geel by cable
company IVEKA. So far, just six subscribers have connected their
telephones to the network and can make phone calls using the same
line that supplies them with a TV picture.

IVEKA is one of 32 cable TV network operators currently providing
service to more than 3.5 million Belgians. The Belgian electric
company, Electrabel, holds an interest in IVEKA.
.
In Geel, cable, and now phone, service is provided over a 10 mile
coaxial cable that uses 32 repeaters to boost the signal strength
in both directions, with phone calls being routed to the cable
TV center. The center is equipped with a digital PABX (private
automatic branch exchange) system.

The company said by Spring 1996 20 IVEKA customers should have
their telephones connected to the cable system. Each telephone
connection occupies 50 kilohertz of band width in the cable TV
network, allowing phone calls to be transmitted in ISDN (integrated
services digital network) quality of 64 kilobits-per-second (Kbps).
The company said the 6-7 megahertz (MHz) frequency usually used for
television signals would allow 144 telephone calls to be conducted
simultaneously.

It's a long way in more than just miles from providing service to
a few dozen users in a small Belgian town to making the same
technology economically attractive in major US metro areas.
However, Siemens Stromberg Carlson spokesperson, Jayne Scott, told
Newsbytes that the Belgian installation is a pilot project that
could eventually lead to TV cable operators all over the world
competing for your telephone service business.

"The market is becoming increasingly competitive for the consumer
because we will be able to get our phone service either from the
local phone company or from the cable company. They already do
that in Great Britain and a lot of times it's cheaper for the
consumer," said Scott. She said a similar situation is developing
in the US because of changes in legislation. "Cable TV companies
and utility companies will be able to offer phone service (in the
US)." Scott told Newsbytes.

CoAxiom was rolled out at Telecom 95 in Geneva in October, 1995.
Siemens Stromberg-Carlson said the technology will allow cable
operators to tap new sources of revenue by expanding their
service spectrum to include interactive multimedia applications.
Telephone service is an excellent opportunity since it allows
profitable operation in a relatively short time, said the company.

To provide subscribers with additional services network operators
utilize a channel of their TV cable network to transmit
narrowband telephone services for up to 500 connections. By
connecting to the appropriate CoAxiom headend interface unit (HUI)
on the operator side, and a customer interface unit (CIU) on the
subscriber side, users can continue using their telephone sets with
the CIU.

Another component of the CoAxiom product family is the CoAxiom
Management System, which allows the network operator to manage
subscriber connections. The link from the CoAxiom telephone
system to the public telephone network is achieved by means of
the HIU, which is equipped with a standard interface to digital
switching systems, such as Siemens' EWSD system.

(Jim Mallory/Press contact: Jayne Scott, Siemens Stromberg-Carlson,
407-942-5707)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/07/95
IBM
 ****IBM Plans Java For Operating Systems, Web Servers

(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00027)
 ****IBM Plans Java For Operating Systems, Web Servers 12/07/95
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 7 (NB) -- IBM's newly
unveiled agreement to license Java technology from Sun
Microsystems will result in the use of Java on Web server
technology for all IBM operating environments, along with
Microsoft's Windows and Windows NT, said IBM's John Patrick,
during a bicoastal IBM videoconference attended by Newsbytes in
New York City.

The deal with Sun was announced on both ends of an "InterNews"
interactive videoconference, linking IBM officials and
journalists in Manhattan and San Diego, California, in which IBM
also demonstrated a new supercomputer-based architecture for
videoconferencing over the Web, and outlined plans to enhance the
new architecture for future deployment of "highly scalable"
videoconferencing over the IBM Global Network and other ATM
(asynchronous transfer mode) networks.

Patrick told reporters at the New York City end of the
videoconference that IBM plans to incorporate Java into its own
Web-based services, such as the new InfoMarket and Lotus's
InterNotes, as well as into products for sale to end users.

These IBM products will include Web servers for IBM's AIX, OS/2,
AS/400 and MVS environments, in addition to Web servers from IBM
for Windows 3.1 and Windows NT, noted Patrick.

IBM, he revealed, also intends to produce Java programs, or
applets. The object-oriented Java applets, which will be capable
of multimedia support, will be designed for transmission over the
Web to multivendor platforms for client-based operation.

Speaking with Newsbytes at the close of the press conference,
Patrick added that IBM, an active participant in creating the
VRML (Virtual Reality Mark-Up Language) standard, will also
support a wide range of other Web-based standards beyond HTML
(hypertext mark-up language)in the future, and will soon start to
detail these new standards to the public and the press.

IBM expects to begin offering Web downloads of Java for AIX, OS/2
and Windows 3.1 in the first quarter of next year, according to
Patrick. The newly announced pact with Sun also covers
JavaScript, a new scripting language introduced earlier this
month by Sun and Netscape.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951207/Reader Contact: IBM, 914-765-1900;
Press Contact: Pam Preston or Marlena Villafane, Technology
Solutions for IBM, 212-696-2000)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/07/97
TRENDS
 ****Dataquest Study Foresees Silicon Shortages

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00028)
 ****Dataquest Study Foresees Silicon Shortages 12/07/97
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 7 (NB) -- A recent Dataquest
report confirms worries about polysilicon shortages mentioned
frequently at this year's SemiCon 95 conference in San Francisco. A
shortage of the raw material for manufacturing semiconductors will
give silicon companies high market pricing power through the remainder
of this decade, suggests the Dataquest report.

The 1996 shortage is expected to last nine to 10 months and come to an
end in 1997 when polysilicon capacity is increased. After a short relief
from these shortages, constraints will begin to accelerate again in 1999.

The report additionally says polysilicon shortages will contribute to a
200 millimeter (mm) wafer shortage which is projected to begin in this
coming year and continue throughout the decade.

In its forecast, Dataquest estimates the industry will demand 2,206,000
200mm wafers per month in 1996, while semiconductor manufacturers will
provide 1,956,000 200mm wafers. According to the report, this demand
over supply will gradually increase until the year 2000 when demand will
outstrip supply by 1,319,000 200mm wafers per month.

Nadar Pakdaman, a Dataquest analyst, told Newsbytes, "These numbers
are only estimates used to reflect a trend. If semiconductor companies
become more efficient in their testing of wafers, they could reduce
the difference between supply and demand to where it would be almost
balanced." He explained semiconductor companies use a tremendous
amount of wafers through testing and checking procedures. The projected
shortages could be far less than 25%, simply by more efficient testing.

Entitled, "Is There a Silicon Shortage Looming?" the report says the
mismatch of demand and supply also exists with 100mm and 125mm wafers
which are in a current shortage. For the long-term, Dataquest says
it expects the most serious shortage to be at the 150mm wafer size.

Pakdaman, said the other highlight of the study are market trends
created by a shift from 100mm and 125mm wafers to 150mm and 200mm
wafers. Because the shift will reduce the supply of the smaller wafers,
those companies which remain in 100mm and 125mm production will
see new market opportunities. These smaller wafers are used to build
semiconductors which are used in thousands of applications such as
toasters, tools, cars, and microwave ovens. Most of the semiconductors
used in computers are now coming from 200mm wafers. These include
microprocessors, dynamic RAM, logic chips, and others.

In spite of the possible shortages of polysilicon, Pakdaman said the
report says consumers will not see a product shortage as a result.

(Patrick McKenna/19951207/Press Contact: Tom McCall, Dataquest,
408-468-8312)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/07/95
TRENDS
 ****Growth Of The Web Starting To Slow

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(BOS)(00029)
 ****Growth Of The Web Starting To Slow 12/07/95
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 7 (NB) -- Contrary to the
projections of some industry observers, early growth of the Web
is not in a seemingly endless upward spiral, but is in fact
beginning to flatten out already, asserted analysts from the
Yankee Group's newly formed Interactive Commerce service, at a
Yankee Group press conference attended by Newsbytes in New York
City.

For the first time, the number of servers being added to the Web
on a monthly basis is now beginning to slow, said Steven Franco,
program manager, addressing members of the press at the @Cafe in
Manhattan.

In another current trend, research by the Yankee Group indicates
that the number of "early adopters," or "TAFs" (technologically
advanced families), moving to the Web in the consumer market has
just about reached the saturation point, noted Gregory Wester,
research director of the new program.

On the other hand, though, the recent entrance of phone companies
like AT&T and MCI into the Web arena should help to boost Web use
in the future, since the telcos are equipped with trusted "brand
names" that will help to boost confidence among the general
public, suggested Wester.

Once MFJ restrictions are lifted, RBOCs (regional Bell operating
companies) will join in as well, to provide Internet access on a
regional basis, he predicted.

At that point, the industry will see quick consolidation, with
new competition against commercial online service providers like
Compuserve, America Online (AOL), and Prodigy, as well as against
"Mom and Pop ISPs" (Internet service providers).

But there will still be plenty of room for systems integrators,
as well as for small software vendors and content providers, in
the future Web market, according to Howard Anderson, managing
director of the new Electronic Commerce program.

Emerging technologies like Java and VRML (virtual reality markup
language) will also come to play increasingly important roles,
Wester told the journalists and analysts in New York City.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951207/Reader and Press Contact: The Yankee
Group, 617-367-1000)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00030)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 06/14/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 7 (NB) -- These are capsules
of all today's news stories:

1 -> UK - Racal Buys British Rail Telecom 12/07/95 Racal Electronics has
announced plans to buy the telecoms division of British Rail (BR).

2 -> Compuserve Opens UK Media Forum 12/07/95 Compuserve UK has opened a
media forum for journalists and media people, as well as members of the
public. The forum, known as Fleet Street, is accessible using the keywords
GO FLEET at the Compuserve menu prompt, or from within Compuserve
Information Manager (CIM), Compuserve's graphical front-end package for PC
and Apple Macintosh users.

3 ->  ****Speed Key To New Multimedia Web Alliance 12/07/95 In about a
year or so, it will be easier to put up World Wide Web sites that combine
elements of virtual reality and interactivity.

4 -> Canada - No Govt Handouts Please, We're ITAC 12/07/95 Rumor has it
the Canadian government may be about to offer repayable grants to the
information technology (IT) industry, among others. But the Information
Technology Association of Canada (ITAC) has told the government it doesn't
like the idea.

5 -> Internet Update - Software Special 12/07/95 In this roundup of new
software available on the global Internet: Shareware Central;
Win,What,Where?; OLE support for Netscape; Sports Shareware; Windows Quick
Boot; IDate; Surfer Central; Map This!.

6 ->  ****Japan - Govt Panel Proposes NTT Breakup 12/07/95 A panel set up
by the Japanese government has reported its recommendations for areas that
require deregulation, including industries from automobile maintenance to
home building and, most importantly, the telecommunications industry.

7 -> Pay By Electronic Check For Online Purchases 12/07/95 A Denver,
Colorado, company says it has developed a system that lets online shoppers
pay for their purchases with an electronic check that lets the business
collect for the purchase instantly.

8 -> Romania - Bank Placed Under "Surveillance" 12/07/95 The National Bank
of Romania (BNR) has announced it has placed Dacia Felix, a private bank
operating in the country, under surveillance. Central bank officials said
that Dacia has been under active surveillance since the middle of
November, although no reason has been given as to why.

9 -> Philippines - Customs Bureau Improves Image 12/07/95 The Bureau of
Customs (BOC) in the Philippines appears on its way to shedding off its
unpopular image. BOC Commissioner Guillermo Parayno and his team of "think
tanks" are currently implementing a series of programs and procedural
reforms dubbed as SPACE, a computer-aided customs cargo clearance
procedure.

10 -> CA Announces Internet Products, Partnership With Netscape 12/07/95
Claiming that his company is "making the net safe for electronic
commerce," Computer Associates International Inc. (NYSE:CA) Chairman and
Chief Executive Charles Wang has announced software designed for
administering World Wide Web use, and a partnership with Internet star
Netscape Communications Corp.

11 -> Interactive Classrooms Spring Up On Canadian Campuses 12/07/95 High
technology is turning language laboratories at Canadian universities into
integrated electronic classrooms, and is likely to spread into other parts
of academia in the near future.

12 -> Germany Installs 3-D Radar Defense System 12/07/95 Ericsson
Microwave Systems, formerly known as Ericsson Radar Electronics, has
contracted with STN Atlas Electronik of Germany for the supply of the
first batch of its Improved Hard (robust against electronic interference)
air defense radar system.

13 -> Summa Four Opens Office In Spain 12/07/95 Summa Four, a specialist
in open, programmable switches, has opened its second European office,
this one being in Spain. Located in Madrid, the office is billed as
providing sales and support services for Summa Four to customers in
Southern Europe, as well as acting as a base for expansion into Greece,
Portugal, and Turkey.

14 -> UK - Vicom Unveils Low-Cost LAN Internet Technology 12/07/95 Vicom
Technology has unveiled the Vicom Internet Gateway, a software-driven LAN
(local area network) router that allows a small- to medium-sized network
to access a single Internet account on a LAN-wide basis.

15 -> OKI Develops PC On A Card 12/07/95 OKI America's Advanced Products
Division has unveiled a computer unit the size of a credit card. The
Compcard, a PC/AT-compatible with 486 processor running at 50 megahertz
(MHz), weighs in at around 50 grams and signals the beginning of the smart
car, smart home, and smart office, claims OKI.

16 -> AST PCs Now At Wal-Mart 12/07/95 AST Computer says that it has
signed an agreement with Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), to begin carrying AST
Advantage 4075 PCs just in time for the holidays. AST already markets to
other discount retail chains, such as Sam's Club and Price Club.

17 -> Novell Completes Unixware Sale 12/07/95 Novell Inc. (NASDAQ: NOVL)
said it has completed the sale of its Unixware business to The Santa Cruz
Operations Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOC), a deal first reported by Newsbytes in
September.

18 -> Atmel Plans French Wafer Fabrication Plant 12/07/05 Atmel
Corporation (NASDAQ: ATML) has announced it has started construction on
its Fab 7 wafer chip production facility, located approximately ten miles
east of Aix-en- Provence, France. According to Bernard Pruniaux, a senior
spokesman for the company, the facility should be fully up-and-running by
the end of next year.

19 ->  ****Microsoft Unveils Revised Internet Strategy 12/07/95 Microsoft
Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) is revealing its new Internet strategy today, and is
expected to put the Microsoft Network (MSN) subscription service on the
Internet and give much of its content away without cost.

20 -> IBM Demos Video-Over-Web In Bicoastal Videoconference 12/07/97 IBM
is developing a new, "highly scalable" architecture for videoconferencing
over the Web, to be based on its SP (Scalable PowerParallel)
supercomputer, new "Tiger Shark" middleware, and emerging new standards,
that will be run over the IBM Global Network and other ATM (asynchronous
transfer mode) networks, officials revealed, during an "InterNews"
videoconference conducted over the Web and attended by Newsbytes in New
York City.

21 -> Stentor Brings Concert Telecom Products To Canada 12/07/95 Stentor,
the Canadian alliance of telephone companies, is bringing the Concert
portfolio of telecommunications products and services to Canada through an
arrangement with British Telecom and MCI Communications Corp., the
partners in Concert.

22 -> AT&T Intros New Int'l Calling Plan 12/07/95 Building on its "True
Reach" long distance calling brand, AT&T (NYSE:T) has introduced a new
international calling program. Under the plan, AT&T customers calling from
any phone around the world can save money, officials claimed.

23 ->  ****House Conferees Back Tough Cyberporn Provisions 12/07/95 Civil
libertarians took a beating yesterday as House lawmakers agreed to make it
illegal to knowingly transmit "indecent" material to minors over computer
networks. The House conferees to the telecommunications rewrite voted
17-16 for the tough indecency standard.

24 -> Securities Reform Bill Headed To White House 12/07/95 The House
yesterday easily passed legislation designed to curb frivolous securities
lawsuits, sending the measure to the White House. The vote was 320-102,
with strong bipartisan backing.

25 -> Microsoft, Spyglass Extend Mosaic Licensing Agreement 12/07/95 When
Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) goes digging into the "gold rush" of the
Internet, as Bill Gates calls it, the company will take a key Internet
World Wide Web player with it. Microsoft said it was extending its Web
browser technology license with Spyglass (NASDAQ:SPYG), and the two
companies signed a new agreement to ensure compatibility among Web servers
based on Unix and Microsoft Windows NT operating systems.

26 -> Phones & TV Share Cable System 12/07/95 A Florida company is
providing the technology being used in a Belgian town to route telephone
calls via the existing cable TV network.

27 ->  ****IBM Plans Java For Operating Systems, Web Servers 12/07/95
IBM's newly unveiled agreement to license Java technology from Sun
Microsystems will result in the use of Java on Web server technology for
all IBM operating environments, along with Microsoft's Windows and Windows
NT, said IBM's John Patrick, during a bicoastal IBM videoconference
attended by Newsbytes in New York City.

28 ->  ****Dataquest Study Foresees Silicon Shortages 12/07/97 A recent
Dataquest report confirms worries about polysilicon shortages mentioned
frequently at this year's SemiCon 95 conference in San Francisco. A
shortage of the raw material for manufacturing semiconductors will give
silicon companies high market pricing power through the remainder of this
decade, suggests the Dataquest report.

29 ->  ****Growth Of The Web Starting To Slow 12/07/95 Contrary to the
projections of some industry observers, early growth of the Web is not in
a seemingly endless upward spiral, but is in fact beginning to flatten out
already, asserted analysts from the Yankee Group's newly formed
Interactive Commerce service, at a Yankee Group press conference attended
by Newsbytes in New York City.

(Ian Stokell/19951207)






Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD



Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/06/95
TELECOM
Italy's STET Buys Into Russian Telecoms Firm

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00001)
Italy's STET Buys Into Russian Telecoms Firm 12/06/95
MILAN, ITALY, 1995 DEC 6 (NB) -- Societa Finanziaria Telefonica per
Azioni (STET), the Italian telecoms holding company, has successfully
bid 2.932 trillion rubles for a 25 percent plus one share stake in
Svyazinvest, the Russian state telecoms company. As part of the deal,
the Italian telco will invest a further 3.5 trillion into Svyazinvest
over the next two years.

According to the Russian Privatization Center in Moscow, the fine
print regarding the deal is currently being worked out and the deal
is expected to be signed in the New Year.

The successful bid by STET comes as a major feather in its cap, as the
Italian telco has attempted several international ventures of this
type in the past, but has failed at the bidding stages.

Announcing the deal to journalists earlier this month, First Deputy
Prime Minister Anatoly Chubais said that STET stock purchase will act
as a model for future full or partial privatizations of Russian
companies. "It is the biggest transaction of foreign capital
there has ever been in Russia, and to be sure it is the biggest
privatization in this country," he told the press conference.

According to Chubais, STET beat a consortium consisting of France
Telecom, Deutsche Telekom, and a Russian division of US West in
pitching for the tender.

As previously reported by Newsbytes, the Russian Government is
anticipating selling of up to 49 percent of Svyazinvest in the future,
so a further part sale of 24 percent to a third party company or
consortium is expected in the New Year.

Svyazinvest owns controlling stakes in 85 regional telecoms companies,
including Moscow's international and inter-urban phone company MMT.
Newsbytes notes that Svyazinvest's charter capital exceeds R7,700
billion and has control of around 20 million of the 25.5 million phone
lines currently installed in Russia.

Chubais, meanwhile, said that the deal meant the government would now
probably raise this year's budgeted privatization receipts. He had
described Svyazinvest as "the key" to hitting the target.

"We have already raised more than 3.5 trillion roubles for the budget
because of privatization. The main task is to have 8.7 trillion by the
end of December and I really believe we will achieve that," he said,
adding that "the goal of privatization to get budgetary revenues will
be fulfilled."

As reported previously by Newsbytes, analysts have accused the
Russian Government of rushing the privatization through too quickly.
Government officials have dismissed such suggestions, claiming that
the plan is in line with major potential investors the Government has
discussed the plan with.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951205)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/06/95
ONLINE
UK - CompuServe's Internet In A Box, Sprynet Service

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LON)(00002)
UK - CompuServe's Internet In A Box, Sprynet Service 12/06/95
BRISTOL, AVON, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 6 (NB) -- Compuserve has launched its
Internet In A Box package in the UK. At the same time, the online
giant has rocked the UK Internet market by announcing a mirror image
of Sprynet "budget Internet" service launched in the US earlier this
year, with a UKP3.95 per month price tag.

Sprynet will initially be available as part of CompuServe's Internet
In A Box package which will sell for UKP49.95. According to
Compuserve, plans are in hand to offer a licensed copy of the Spry
Mosaic browser with a Sprynet account with a free sign-up deal early
next year.

As in the US edition, Internet In A Box is an Internet applications
suite that includes Spry Mosaic and Spry Mail, as well as Sprynet as
the default access service.

The big news, of course, is the UKP3.95 per month Sprynet Bronze deal
that gives up to three hours of Internet access free of charge. Extra
hours are charged at UKP1.50 each. The deal means that Global
Internet's UKP7.50 deal, announced last month, is no longer the
cheapest Internet service available.

Martin Turner, Compuserve UK's director of marketing, was upbeat about
the price schedule for Sprynet, which includes Silver membership at
UKP6.95 for seven hours, and Gold membership at UKP14.95 for 20 hours
a month. The UKP3.95 rate, he claimed, is the best available in the
UK Internet marketplace.

"For the price of fish and chips, every family can now join the
Internet community. We're making it easy for every person to
communicate with his or her friends, relatives and colleagues online,
around the world," he told journalists.

"Having an Internet address and Web page are becoming expectations,
just like the fax and phone number before them. We're growing the
worldwide Internet by filling these needs at an affordable price,"
he explained.

As in the US, the Sprynet service rates do not apply to what
Compuserve calls supplemental networks, but are aimed at users
prepared to dial the main Compuserve ports, either in the UK or
abroad. Because of the large number of ports on the Compuserve
network around the world, the Sprynet service is being billed as a
globetrotter's Internet service.

"Our breadth of network coverage is second to none. Using the same
worldwide presence developed for our Information Service, Compuserve
is now making the Internet accessible for everyone. We have reached
the market first at a price point which our competitors will find hard
to match because we are maximizing the capacity of our infrastructure
and technologies," Turner said.

Judith Coley, a spokeswoman for Compuserve, told Newsbytes that the
Sprynet bronze deal is an "excellent one" for anyone interested in
trying out the Internet. "It makes us the best offering in the UK as
far as Internet monthly charges are concerned," she said.

(Steve Gold/19951205/Press Contact: Judith Coley, Compuserve,
[phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Reader
Contact: Compuserve UK, 0800-000444)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/06/95
TRENDS
Visual Software Unveils 3-D Applications

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00003)
Visual Software Unveils 3-D Applications 12/06/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 6 (NB) -- Visual Software, the manufacturer
of three-dimensional (3-D) multimedia software, has announced a new
addition to the 3-D software family -- the Instant 3D. According to
the company, the new application is designed to perform in the Windows
95 and OLE (object linking and embedding) 2.0 environment.

According to the company, the "user friendly software" is "very easy"
to learn. Users have a choice of hundreds of textures such as stones,
flowers, and wood. Users can select a graphic of particular interest,
such as dinosaurs, frames, balloons, or planes, and illuminate them
with a selection of textures.

Combining all these effects and adding new ideas they are able to
create a completely new image. Instant 3D's advanced text editor turns
the TrueType fonts into a 3-D display, says the company, which can be
lit with light effects and enhanced by adding additional texture
such as wood, marble, and chrome.

Steve Bennett, managing director of Software Warehouse, the UK company
that is handling the US package, which was unveiled at the Comdex Fall
computer show recently, explained that creators of files under
Instant 3D can underline the effect their software can have on the
ordinary document.

"We have created a quick and easy way to add excitement to any
document or presentation produced with Windows 95 applications.
Instant 3D is a product for everybody, making all written
communications jump off the page," he said.

"Instant 3D will offer a world of 3-D graphics capabilities to any PC
users document. Visual Software's titles such as Simply 3D and Visual
Reality are excellent titles sold quickly and I anticipate that
Instant 3D will become immediately popular with our customers.
Software Warehouse recognizes that 3-D is going to be the next high
volume growth segment of the multimedia industry," he added.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951205/Press Contact: Gay Platts, David Bramley,
Platform, [phone]; Reader Contact: Software Warehouse,
[phone]; Visual Software, tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/06/95
BROADCAST
Hughes To Build Telenor Scandinavian Satellite

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(LON)(00004)
Hughes To Build Telenor Scandinavian Satellite 12/06/95
OSLO, NORWAY, 1995 DEC 6 (NB) -- Hughes Space and Communications
International, of Los Angeles, has contracted with Telenor Satellite
Services of Oslo to build a high-power TV satellite to serve the
Scandinavian region. According to Fran Slimmer, a spokesperson for
Hughes, the satellite will be known as the Thor IIA and will be a
high-power version of the company's HS 376 off-the-shelf unit.

Plans call for Hughes to deliver the satellite into orbit in the
latter part of 1996, ready for testing and eventual handover to
Telenor in Oslo, Norway, in the spring of 1997. As with other
satellites supplied by the company, Hughes will both build and launch
the satellite into orbit. The satellite will be launched on the back
of a McDonnell Douglas Delta II rocket.

Slimmer told Newsbytes that the Thor IIA satellite will complement the
existing Thor II DMAC satellite, which was built originally for
British Sky Broadcasting (BSB) in the late 1980s, but sold in 1992 to
Telenor when BSB was acquired by Sky Television and transmissions
switched to the Astra satellite.

"Our satellites are designed with a ten-year life-span, and the
existing Thor satellite is still providing service to Scandinavia,"
Slimmer said, adding that the unit is one of three models that Thor
produces for the DTH (direct-to-home) market.

Thor IIA will have 15 transponders, each of which will generate 40
watts of power in the Ku transmission band. It has not been decided
whether any or all of the transponders will use compressed digital
channel transmissions, although Newsbytes notes this is likely, since
compressed digital can squeeze eight or more channels on to a single
transponder. The satellite will use gallium arsenide solar cells to
generate around 1,200 watts of payload power.

Financial details of the deal with Telenor have not been revealed.
"Because we are a private company, we do not have to disclose these
figures to the media," Rimmer told Newsbytes.

(Steve Gold/19951205/Press Contact: Hughes Space and Communications
International, 310-364-6363)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/06/95
GOVT
Hungarian Govt Okays Telecoms Changes

(NEWS)(GOVT)(LON)(00005)
Hungarian Govt Okays Telecoms Changes 12/06/95
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY, 1995 DEC 6 (NB) -- Business is booming in the
Hungarian telecoms market -- so much so that Hungarian Telephone &
Cable Corporation has signed a $33 million loan agreement with Chemical
Bank to fund a new telecoms network in the country. At the same
time, the Hungarian Government has agreed, "in principle," to sell off
a significant proportion of its remaining share in Matav, the former
state controlled telecoms company.

The Hungarian Telephone deal will allow the private telco, which has a
majority stake in five telephone concession areas around Hungary, to
start building work on new telephone exchanges to drive a new national
telecoms network for the country.

As reported previously by Newsbytes, Magyarcom, a joint venture of
Deutsche Telekom and Ameritech, bought a 30.29 percent stake in Matav
for $875 million, as well as a 25-year-long contract for trunk and
international calls, in 1993.

Although no-one is discussing who may be a likely bidder for the
remainder of the shares in Matav, Central European media reports
suggest that Magyarcom is very interested in taking the remainder of
the available shares in Matav, but this is likely to be tied to a
float of the shares on the European stock exchanges some time next
year.

Matav is going through a boom period, Newsbytes notes. At the
company's annual general meeting on June 7 this year, the company's
general manager, Emil Tomka, said that this year will see Matav
plough back almost all of its after-tax profits into the network
infrastructure, pushing the number of lines up by at least a third
of a million.

Tomka said at the time that the company wants to invest for the
future, and hopes to make a profit in later years, rather than the
immediate future. "Our investment plan contains 68 billion forints and
from that we wish to build 360,000 lines this year," he said.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951205)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/06/95
TELECOM
Indian Institute & Bell-Northern In Telecom Research

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEL)(00006)
Indian Institute & Bell-Northern In Telecom Research 12/06/95
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1995 DEC 6 (NB) -- Bell-Northern Research (BNR),
the research and development subsidiary of Northern Telecom (Nortel),
and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, have agreed to
collaborate on advanced research in telecommunications.

As per the "memorandum of understanding" signed by the two institutes,
BNR may create a funding source that will be used to sponsor projects
proposed by either organization.

Early projects under consideration are on ATM (asynchronous transfer
mode), as well as cellular and PCS (personal communications services)
communications. Eventually, the technologies will be incorporated
into Nortel products throughout the world.

At present, BNR has established a three-year multi-million rupee grant
that will be used to provide financial assistance to IISc professors,
researchers and scholars for further work in the areas of telecom
research.

(C. T. Mahabharat/19951206)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/06/95
TELECOM
India - AT&T & ECIL Target Banking

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEL)(00007)
India - AT&T & ECIL Target Banking 12/06/95
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1995 DEC 6 (NB) -- The public sector giant,
Electronics Corporation of India Ltd. (ECIL), has signed a
memorandum of understanding with AT&T Global Information
Solutions of the US for the implementation of total solutions
to various banks.

The MOU also envisages the supply of equipment and technical
know-how by the foreign company.

Depending on customer requirements, ECIL will provide inter-
branch connectivity for banks through very small aperture
terminals (VSATs), leased phone lines, or VHF communication
systems.

While the Indian company will be responsible for securing
business, AT&T will provide training for the personnel. ECIL
already has a tie-up with AT&T for the maintenance of ATMs
(automated teller machines) in the Indian banks.

(C. T. Mahabharat/19951206)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
12/06/95
TELECOM
Indian Software Firms Target Australian Market

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEL)(00008)
Indian Software Firms Target Australian Market 12/06/95
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1995 DEC 6 (NB) -- The low costs and high
quality associated with Indian software companies is now helping
them tap the Australian software market, worth a reported $28
million, according to the National Association Software and
Service Companies (NASSCOM), the Indian software organization.

NASSCOM recently launched a major export initiative in Australia,
along with the Department of Electronics (DOE), and the Australian
Information Industry Association (AIIA).

Until now, of the total software exports from India, which has
been estimated at around $485 million during the 1994-1995 period,
exports to Australia were around $14 million, according to Dewang
Mehta, executive director of NASSCOM.

(C. T. Mahabharat/19951206)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/06/95
ONLINE
Australia - Banking Faces Non-Conventional Challenges

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SYD)(00009)
Australia - Banking Faces Non-Conventional Challenges 12/06/95
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1995 DEC 6 (NB) -- As guest speaker at an AIIA
breakfast in Sydney recently, banker Peter Andrews envisaged a new
ballgame for the banking industry in the next millennium as it comes
to terms with technologies and organizations -- such as smart cards
and Visa -- which may threaten its traditional role.

Back in 1966, Controversy Corner, a popular Australian football
program featured a regular spot called "the passing competition,"
where young players speared footballs through an elephant poster
plastered across a dummied-up hole in the studio wall. As the football
sailed through, the torn-asunder Commonwealth Bank elephant (the
bank's symbol in those days) would let out a trumpeting cry.

A young Peter Andrews, now general manager of information services
for the bank, was already three years into his banking career when
this was happening.

But back to the present, "We can only go forward on the basis that
nothing is sacred," said Andrews in an address which touched on the
entry of non-banking organizations into the financial sector and the
possible disintegration of "monolithic" banking structures. "Our
hunger for growth, being close to insatiable," he confessed, would
only be satisfied by the intelligent use of technology. The Internet
was earmarked as an area of future expansion, along with mobile
computing.

The Commonwealth and other Australian banks will undertake an
aggressive round of telemarketing campaigns, starting, says Andrews.
In a refreshing display of candor, Andrews also questioned the
direction of demand for new technology. "Are we in the midst of a
push or a pull?" he asked, adding, "We are yet to get to the point
where the pull is really sustainable."

(Dorothy Kennedy and Computer Daily News/19951206)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
12/06/95
LEGAL
China - Copyright Violations Drop

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(PEK)(00010)
China - Copyright Violations Drop 12/06/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 DEC 6 (NB) -- The number of copyright violations
in China has been "significantly reduced," according to an official
with the National Copyright Administration (NCA). However, the number
of translated foreign works has also dropped, due mainly to a lack of
funds for buying the copyrights, he said.

There are very few copyright violations this year, because almost all
publishers have rejected pirated translations, said Chen Shaokuan,
vice-director of the Copyright Department of NCA. He also said that
China has strictly followed the Universal Copyright Convention since
it signed the agreement on October 15.

Due to the efforts of law enforcement agencies and increasing
awareness among publishers and individuals, copyright violations have
dropped sharply, a government newspaper claims. However, exact figures
are not available.

NCA admitted that the number of translated foreign works has also
dropped since 1992, mainly because of a lack of funds for buying the
copyrights. However, besides the problem concerning money to pay for
the copyrights, the authors of works to be translated are sometimes
very difficult to find, claim some publishing firms.

In order to introduce their works in China, some authors from the
United States, Russia, Japan, Germany, and Egypt have renounced
their translation copyrights on selected works.

Four prominent Egyptian writers announced in Beijing in August that
they would give up translation copyrights to their books in China,
according to Gamal Sayed, head of the Press and Information Office
of the Egyptian Embassy in Beijing.

Egyptian writer Fuad Kendyl announced that he and three of his
countrymen were willing to give up their copyrights, in the hope that
their action will help spread Egyptian literature in China.

More than 300 Arabic literary, sociological, and religious works have
been translated into Chinese in the past few years, according to Sayed.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951206)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/06/95
BROADCAST
China - Digital Pay-Programs Via Satellite

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(PEK)(00011)
China - Digital Pay-Programs Via Satellite 12/06/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 DEC 6 (NB) -- As of November 30, China Central
Television (CCTV) has been test-broadcasting four channels of pay-
programs via satellite, using compressed digital encrypted signals,
according to the president of the company.

CCTV used to broadcast free-programs and the move is the first time the
central government TV station has used the advanced digital technology
for encrypted pay-program broadcasting. This was described as an
essential development by Yang Weiguang, vice minister of Ministry of
Radio, Film, and Television, and the president of CCTV.

Yang said that more channels covering new programs are needed to meet
the growing demands of different audiences. The four new channels
will broadcast movies, sports, culture, arts, agriculture, science
and technology, and military programs.

People will need to subscribe in order to receive these programs.
Residents of economically developed areas will pay RMB2 to RMB3 (US$0.24
to $0.36) a month, while people living in poor and remote areas will be
charged only RMB1 (US$0.12), said the CCTV president. Programs for
children, or concerning agriculture, the military, and science and
technology, will be free.

About 200 cable TV stations in 24 provinces have signed agreements with
CCTV to transmit the new programs. Officials with the Beijing Cable TV
station recently said that an additional RMB4 (US$0.48) per month will
be charged to Beijing cable TV subscribers if they want to receive the
four new channels.

Officials also said that CCTV has spent RMB200 to RMB300 million
(US$24 to $36 million) for equipment and the satellite channel lease,
and that the cost for making programs is estimated at RMB500 million
(US$60 million) a year.

China currently has a TV audience of more than 900 million people, or 75
percent of the population. It is believed that almost all the TV audience
in the country watches CCTV's program, especially its news coverage. Due
to CCTV's popularity, the most expensive time periods for commercials are
the several minutes just before and after CCTV's evening news. The
yearly rate for the "golden time" on CCTV is about RMB60 million
(US$7.14 million) per five seconds.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951206)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/06/95
GENERAL
Japan Newsbriefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00012)
Japan Newsbriefs 12/06/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 DEC 6 (NB) -- In this roundup of news from Japan:
Game makers to study convulsions link; DVD agreement this week;
Ericsson wins phone order; Toshiba plans new chip plant; TV/VCR
exports down in October; Tokyo Metropolitan Government goes online;
Fujitsu Ten to launch car navigation in US; Canon enters digital video
market.

Game Makers To Study Convulsions Link

Two of Japan's top video game makers, Nintendo and Sega, have agreed
to jointly study the cause of convulsions experienced by some users of
video games. The research, to be carried out with the Japan Epilepsy
Association, will attempt to discover the reason for the reactions and
study cases in Japan, the UK, the US, France, and four other countries.
The study will also look at reported cases where users have lost
consciousness while game-playing.

DVD Agreement This Week

An agreement between the two sides discussing a single and unified
technical format for digital video disk (DVD) is likely this week said
the Kyodo news agency, which quoted sources close to the two parties.
The two groups are led by Sony and Toshiba and are still discussing
other issues related to the combination of the two, once separate
formats, including the splitting of royalties.

Ericsson Wins Phone Order

Sweden's Ericsson has won another contract with the Digital Tu-Ka
telephone network for the supply of a PDC network for Digital Tu-Ka
Hokuriku. The new network is expected to be launched in 1997 and is a
jointly owned system allowing customers of both the Digital Phone
Group and Tu-Ka Cellular networks to use their telephones on Hokuriku
island. Ericsson has received previous contracts in other areas of
Japan and is one of the leading network builders in Japan.

Toshiba Plans New Chip Plant

Toshiba is to build a new semiconductor plant in northern Japan to
produce memory chips for use in computers, telephones, and other
devices. The company is investing 130 billion yen ($1.27 billion) over
the next three years in the plant, which will begin production in
March, 1998. Production will begin in April, 1996, and is scheduled for
completion a year later in the spring of 1997. Monthly output is
targeted at 30,000 wafers a month.

TV/VCR Exports Down In October

Exports of televisions and video cassette recorders from Japan in
October continued falling, according to statistics released by the
Electronic Industries Association of Japan (EIAJ), which also reported
domestic shipments rose during the month. During October, exports of
TV sets fell 21% on the year, to 221,000 units, while exports of video
recorders dropped 42.2% on the year, to 806,000 units. Within Japan,
shipments of televisions rose 8.3% compared with a year ago, to 761,000
sets. Video recorder shipments jumped a stronger 27.4% on the year, to
total 513,000 units in October. Imports of televisions climbed 42% to
754,000 sets with video recorder imports rising over double, at 102%,
to 267,000 units.

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Goes Online

The Tokyo metropolitan government will soon begin providing
information on the Internet. The service will include data and
information, such as minutes of council meetings, remarks and speeches
made by Governor Yukio Aoshima, and will be available in both Japanese
and English, according to the council, which expects strong demand for
the service.

Fujitsu Ten To Launch Car Navigation In US

Kobe-based Fujitsu Ten, a manufacturer of car entertainment and
information systems, is to begin selling car navigation systems in the
United States. The systems make use of digital maps stored on compact
disks and position fixing using the global positioning system (GPS)
network of satellites. American versions of the system will have much
more reliance on voice instructions as many states have laws against
video displays on the dashboard, according to the Kobe-based maker. The
systems are expected to sell for less than $1,000.

Canon Enters Digital Video Market

Canon has announced it will begin selling a digital camcorder in Japan
from December 22nd. The company joins Sony and Matsushita in the
market and will itself be sourcing the camera from Matsushita on an
OEM (original equipment manufacturer) basis. Canon's model will retail
for around 220,000 yen ($2,156), the same price as Matsushita's model.
It will test the waters with 2,000 units a month from the Osaka-based
manufacturer, and may begin building its own if sales go well.

(Martyn Williams/19951206)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/06/95
ONLINE
 ****Internet Update - European Special

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00013)
 ****Internet Update - European Special 12/06/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 DEC 6 (NB) -- In this roundup of new services and
resources on the European part of the global Internet: France - French
Riviera index; Switzerland - Swiss music resource; Greece - The latest
news; Russia - Yellow pages; Switzerland - Hugo online; Ukraine -
Newspapers online; Austria - Web index; Austria - Tourism information;
Ireland - Businesses on the Web; Switzerland - Business index.

France - French Riviera Index

The French Riviera takes a trip into cyberspace with "The Virtual
Riviera," an index to the real thing. Information covers subjects such
as resorts, yachts, festivals, golf, education, business, hotels,
brochures, and maps. A search engine provides quick access to desired
information.
World Wide Web: http://www.riviera.fr/

Switzerland - Swiss Music Resource

Music.ch is a large online database to music on the Internet from
Switzerland. The guide includes links to Swiss music on the Web,
mailing lists, news groups, and even on Internet relay chat (IRC).
The service is organizing chats with Swiss groups on IRC with the
Primitive Lyrics on the 12th.
World Wide Web: http://www.music.ch/

Greece - The Latest News

The two sister newspapers of Ta Nea and The Athens News have launched
electronic editions with coverage of the latest domestic and city
news, business, arts, entertainment and sports news plus there is even
the weather forecast, a letters column and classified ads. Ta Nea is
the largest selling daily newspaper in Greece and the Internet service
is updated daily except Sundays.
World Wide Web: http://www.dolnet.gr/

Russia - Yellow Pages

A well-organized guide to Russian resources on the network from news
and entertainment through music, movies, and sport to software. A
geographic index also points towards all resources from chosen areas
and cities.
World Wide Web: http://pages.nyu.edu/~vqr5838/rus_pages/

Switzerland - Hugo Online

The Hugo Association in Zurich has established the official site of
Swiss culture on the Internet. You can jump to the hippest and best
music and culture ventures in Switzerland to check the events calendar
and check out touring schedules of the best Swiss bands. An excellent
example of up-to-date and comprehensive Web publishing.
World Wide Web: http://www.hugo.ch/hugo/

Ukraine - Newspapers Online

A group of newspapers in Kiev have begun publishing Internet editions.
They include Komanda (Team), Rozovij Slon (Pink Elephant),
Daily-Express, Kievskie Vedomosti (Kiev News), Sil'ske Gittya,
Dajdgest Ukraina (Ukraine Digest), and Zritel. The service is currently
free, but will become subscription-based from the New Year so try them
out now! You will need a browser capable of displaying the Russian
language.
World Wide Web: http://kolo.esc.kharkov.ua/Kiev/newspapers.html

Austria - Web Index

Everything on the Web associated with Austria is here, from news and
culture to media and free-time activities. The index also extends to
include details of Austrian representatives overseas, tourism tips and
recommended travel routes, data on the country from the CIA World Fact
Book, and links to newsgroups, plus lots more. There doesn't seem to be
a thing they have missed.
World Wide Web: http://www.netwing.at/webindex/

Austria - Tourism Information

If you are traveling to Austria, check out the previous site and this
one first. The guide is split into four main areas covering Vienna,
Lower Austria, Burgenland, and Upper Austria, and includes details of
hotels, rates, and attractions. The service is available in English and
German.
World Wide Web: http://www.tourist-net.co.at/

Ireland - Businesses On The Web

From simple beginnings, this site has now grown to over 400 listings
of links to Irish businesses that maintain an Internet presence. You
can browse by category, alphabetically, or just check the new links.
World Wide Web: http://www.iol.ie/~aidanh/business/

Switzerland - Business Index

The Swiss + Directory offers a quick and easy way to find companies
based in Switzerland. The service, available in English, German,
French, and Italian, lists businesses by category, in the same form as
a Yellow Pages telephone book, and is organized in accordance with the
Classification of Economic Activities within the European Community
model (NACE).
World Wide Web: http://www.swissdir.ch/swissdir/

(Martyn Williams/19951206)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/06/95
ONLINE
Saab Cars USA On The Web

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00014)
Saab Cars USA On The Web 12/06/95
NORCROSS, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 6 (NB) -- Saab Cars USA's new
Internet World Wide Web site is now open for electronic traffic. The
site is designed for both people who are kicking cyber-tires and
deciding on a new car, and for longtime Saab admirers -- some of
whom keep their older Saabs for hundreds of thousands of miles.

Saab officials point out the trip within the site is a fast one, with
most screens being visible within ten seconds of accessing them, and
with a graphic "sign-post" imagemap that leads browsers in the
direction they choose.

When Newsbytes surfed to the site we found many animated graphics that
can only be seen with a more advanced Web browsing program, like a
later version of Netscape Navigator. The graphics were similar to the
"painting" look found in Saab's TV and print "Find Your Own Road" ad
campaigns. We saw many of Saab's new 1996 models, from the new five-door
900 Turbo to the 9000 Aero. We were also able to enter a drawing for
a free six-month lease on a 900 convertible.

"This (Web site) is an extension of the 'Find Your Own Road' campaign,"
Dan Prescott, Saab Cars USA spokesperson, told Newsbytes. "We found
that a lot of our buyers have the technology to be on the Internet.
We also found a correlation between the demographics of the typical
Saab buyer and those who are into the Internet. So it was just a
natural match."

One of the features of the site is the "Build Your Own Saab" page,
where prospective buyers can "build" the 1996 Saab of their choice.
By using exterior colors and wheels, 218 customized Saabs can be
built. When Newsbytes noted that other car manufacturers use these
types of programs to see which combinations of colors are most
preferred by consumers, Prescott said Saab's "building" page is
"more of an exercise for car shoppers" so they can see the
possibilities of car combinations available to them.

Even the site may look like it's basically finished, Prescott said
it is definitely a "work in progress."

Another important feature of the site comes in the form of a person,
Prescott said. A full-time electronic communications specialist has
been added to Saab USA's public relations staff to answer questions,
and to coordinate future live forums with Saab senior management and
engineers, he said.

Future plans call for uploading the text of the quarterly magazine,
Saab Soundings, to the site. Saab Soundings is sent to many people who
own new and used Saabs. The magazine contains articles on new
developments for Saabs, who owns Saabs, and other material.

Web drivers can ramp onto Saab's own road at http://www.saabusa.com/ .
Saab USA's parent, Saab Automobile AB, is planning on opening its own
site soon, officials added.

(Bob Woods/19951206/Press Contacts: Elke Martin or Dan Prescott,
Saab Cars USA, 770-229-6362)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/06/95
ONLINE
America Online & Time To Offer Health & Fitness

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00015)
America Online & Time To Offer Health & Fitness 12/06/95
VIENNA, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 6 (NB) -- Continuing a strategy
of partnering with media companies to develop online content, America
Online (NASDAQ:AMER) (AOL) is entering into a joint venture with Time
Inc. to develop a new interactive health and fitness online service.
AOL and Time will each hold a 50 percent interest in the new service,
which will reside on both AOL and Time's Pathfinder Internet World Wide
Web site.

The, as-yet unnamed venture, is scheduled to go online in early 1996,
officials said. It will feature coverage of health, fitness, food, and
nutrition. Content will feature original programming, online forums
and virtual workshops, and access to health care experts and support
groups. Some of the information will come from Time Inc. magazines
like Health, Cooking Light, Sunset, Martha Stewart Living, and other
titles.

Judy Tashbook, America Online spokesperson, told Newsbytes the new
health service will be programmed similar to a demographically targeted
television or cable channel, yet will have the aspects that are
specific to an online service.

Tashbook also said the new service will not replace the current Health
Area on AOL, but instead will become a part of the area. "When you go
to Keyword Health, all of it will be available," she said. "But what
(today's announcement) represents is a significant development, because
this will create content that will ultimately exist outside of the AOL
environment."

Eventually, some of the content found on the site will expand to other
market segments, including health care organizations and their
memberships, officials said. The health service may also migrate to
other media platforms, including Web, online/CD-ROM, and cable modem-
based interactive television.

Tashbook said the strategy of leveraging the content from media
companies for online distribution is one that AOL has done in the past,
and will continue to do in the future, as a "marriage of developing new
media." Already, AOL has signed similar joint ventures with Capital
Cities/ABC to develop a "channel" focused on fashion, and with New Line
Media to form a "Generation-X" area called "The Hub," both of which
Newsbytes has profiled.

(Bob Woods/19951205/Press Contacts: Judy Tashbook, America Online,
703-918-1452; Peter Costiglio, Time Inc., 212-522-3927)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
95 12/06/95
WINDOWS
Lotus Ships Freelance Graphics For Windows

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(BOS)(00016)
Lotus Ships Freelance Graphics For Windows 95 12/06/95
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 6 (NB) -- Lotus's
newly released Windows 95 edition of Freelance Graphics lets
users create presentations that "sound as great as they look,"
with content-building features that include TeamReview group
commentary and 30 "Content SmartMasters" chocked with advice from
business luminaries, plus presentation enhancements like Publish
to the Internet and TeamShow, asserted Nina McIntyre of Lotus, in
a briefing for Newsbytes.

"We're giving users very rich content, in addition to
technology," according to McIntyre, who is general manager of the
Graphics Product Group for Lotus Freelance Graphics. In contrast,
she charged, "Microsoft focuses mostly on core technology."

The Lotus general manager told Newsbytes that Lotus's new Content
SmartMasters supply a set of multi-page, multimedia templates
especially designed for presentations ranging from business,
marketing and compensation plans to "brainstorming sessions and
product/service press launches." Each SmartMaster is liberally
sprinkled from tips from a leading light in the appropriate
business area, she added.

For instance, Philip Kotler, one of the Content SmartMaster
advisors, is "well known to anybody who has an MBA (Master of
Business Administration) degree," McIntyre reported. And
marketing whizzes Trout & Partners Ltd produced the suggestions
incorporated into the marketing plan.

The Content SmartMasters are also linked to the kinds of clip art
and charts that might be used in a presentation of the kind in
question, according to the Lotus exec. In addition, users can now
underscore their points with six new Multimedia SmartMasters and
75 multimedia clips. The clips provide animated scenes such as "a
racer crossing a finish line, and a scale weighing the balance."
Alternatively, organizations can opt to "hardwire their own clip
art" to a Content SmartMaster. Or, customers can create Content
SmartMasters of their own.

To use the new Content SmartMasters, you first select a "content
topic," and then a "background look," Newsbytes was told. "Then
you're given the pages that would typically appear in the
presentation, and potentially, charts and text." Along the way,
buttons pop up that add clip art from a built-in clip art
browser, along with "content advice, with very detailed
explanations from an expert."

In the business plan SmartMaster, for example, a few of the
sections offered include a title page, agenda, executive summary
and mission statement, plus "product/service positioning, market
overview, target market description, and business strategy." At
the end of the presentation is a "financial spreadsheet for
revenue and operating income," McIntyre noted.

At one point in this SmartMaster, Kotler comes in to make
recommendations to the user on "what to consider in terms of
segmentation variables, which are different in the consumer and
business markets."

Freelance Graphics' TeamReview feature can also help to boost
content quality, by permitting team members to contribute their
ideas while preparation of the presentation is still in progress,
according to the general manager.

And when used with a company's customers, TeamReview can have the
added benefit of helping to secure a sale, McIntyre maintained.
By giving feedback about a presentation, customers tend to "buy
into" a product or service before they are actually called upon
to "buy," she reasoned.

On the presentation side, the Windows 95 edition permits a
presentation to be run on a remote PC, "either over a LAN (local
area network) or by modem," as well as to published to either
Lotus Notes or the Internet, said the exec.

The new TeamShow feature for remote presentation allows speaker
notes to be attached to presentations for live performances, she
continued. The remote lecturer can optionally use two screens,
with one screen showing the speaker notes, and the other screen
-- for audience viewing -- "hiding" these notes. If a need for
multiple performances is anticipated, users can "embed a voice"
in the presentation.

Lotus's new Publish to the Internet feature also permits
inclusion of speaker notes, according to McIntyre. Users of the
Web publishing capability can either keep the presentation in
native Freelance Graphics format or translate the presentation
into HTML (hypertext markup language).

In HTML format, the presentation can be viewed over the Web via
any HTML-compatible browser. The creator of the presentation can
include a table of contents for the Web that will help with
navigation by letting the viewer "go directly" to a page simply
by clicking on the right page number in the table of contents.

But Lotus has also included a new Mobile Screen Show Player,
capable of being posted for downloading off a Web site, that
permits the presentation to be seen in native Freelance Graphics
format, McIntyre pointed out.

Additional enhancements in Freelance Graphics 96 Edition for
Windows 95 include new Guide Me "context sensitive help" for tips
on the use of Freelance Graphics; task automation through
LotusScript; an integrated animation player; the ability to set
multimedia effects, such as sequencing, at the object and page
level and support for OLE (object linking and embedding) 2.0 and
Notes F/X 2.0, Newsbytes was told.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951107/Reader Contact: Lotus, 800-343-5414;
Press Contacts: Michelle Goguen, Lotus, 404-828-5395; Susan Kwon,
Lois Paul & Partners for Lotus, 617-860-5614)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
12/06/95
GOVT
 ****Vote Due On "Internet Smut" Issue

(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00017)
 ****Vote Due On "Internet Smut" Issue 12/06/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 DEC 6 (NB) -- A joint
House-Senate conference committee was set to vote today on
competing plans to regulate pornography on the Internet and
online services. No vote had been taken at press time.

Up for consideration are three approaches: a Senate plan by Sen.
James Exon (D-Neb.) to criminalize a wide variety of content on
the Internet -- anything described as "indecent" or "filthy:" a
somewhat narrower plan by Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.), chairman of
the House Judiciary Committee; and a compromise plan worked out
by Rep. Rick White (R-Wash.) that would apply
"constitutionally-tested standards" to banning "Internet smut."

Lobbyists told Newsbytes yesterday that it appeared that White's
approach had momentum and was accumulating the votes it needed
to win approval.

Social conservative groups, including the Christian Coalition,
were backing the Hyde amendment, but were not expected to
prevail in a final vote on the issue.

According to Exon, who has said he can back the White plan, the
Hyde amendment will come before the committee first. Then White
will offer his amendment as a substitute, and the winner will
then contend with the Senate-passed Exon amendment.

At a press conference Monday, White told reporters, "My
compromise is the result of much listening and learning.
Listening to the concerns about making sure that we get the
strongest law and learning about the importance of this new
tool -- the Internet. This compromise is about protecting our
children and protecting our future."

White, whose Seattle district encompasses Microsoft and the
scores of satellite software companies that orbit around it, has
four children, two of whom are Internet savvy. "My wife and I
spend considerable time discussing what our children watch on
television and what they can access on the Internet," he said.
"I will have that discussion with my wife, but I don't want to
have it with a federal bureaucrat at the Federal Communications
Commission."

White's compromise has attracted the support of a wide cross-
section of interests, including all the major online service
providers, Internet access companies such as Netcom, software
trade groups such as the Business Software Alliance, the
Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers, digital
liberties groups such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and
conventional media groups such as the Newspaper Association of
America.

The voting on the online porn issue comes as Congress tries to
wrap-up the massive telecommunications reform legislation before
the end of the first session of the 104th Congress, sometime
around Christmas.

As the Republican Congress tries to complete work on the bills,
the Democratic White House is trying to stall the issue into the
1996 session, when Presidential politics will dominate
Washington. To that end, most observers expect a veto of the
bill, regardless of what it contains.

(Kennedy Maize/19951206/Press Contact: Connie Correll, Rep. White's
office, 202-225-1201, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/06/95
WINDOWS
4Home Productions Previews Simply Accounting 4.

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(BOS)(00018)
4Home Productions Previews Simply Accounting 4.0 12/06/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 6 (NB) -- Simply
Accounting for Windows 4.0, an update slated for announcement in
January, will add new ease-of-use features for the entry-level
end of the SOHO (small office/home office) market, along with
"power" enhancements for an emerging group of entrepreneurial
users who come from the corporate world, revealed 4Home
Productions' Dave Dalton, during a sneak preview for Newsbytes
on a Boston press tour.

Dalton, who is 4Home's director of marketing, told Newsbytes that
4Home Productions was established as a spin-off of Computer
Associates (CA) when CA decided to establish a line of software
specifically geared to SOHO.

Some of 4Home Productions' software packages are aimed in
particular at the consumer side of SOHO, he acknowledged, citing
Simply Home, Simply Kids, Simply Taxes, and Simply Vacation as
examples. But other products, like Simply Accounting and Simply
Money, straddle the entire SOHO spectrum with capabilities
targeted at small businesses, too.

Simply Accounting is available for DOS and Macintosh, in addition
to Windows, according to Dalton. However, some of the DOS users,
especially at the entry-level, are reluctant to move to Windows,
due to discrepancies between the need to do rapid-fire data entry
in accounting, and Windows' strong reliance on the mouse.

To help migrate these users to a more graphical environment,
Simply Accounting for Windows provides the ability to
"dynamically arrange and resize" data columns, Newsbytes was
told.

"Many accounting tasks, such as payroll and paying the rent, are
`recurring.' You have to do them over and over again, month after
month," the marketing director continued. So, in an ease-of-use
enhancement in Simply Accounting 4.0, 4Home will add the ability
to "store recurring entries," and to call them up the next time
they are needed.

Users will be able to employ the recurring entries in
template-like fashion, keeping the landlord's address and the
amount of rent payment the same as for last month's rent, for
example, but changing the date. 4Home Productions will provide
the ability to create recurring entries with the General,
Purchases, Sales, Payroll, Transfers, and Adjustments Journals.

Also to simplify use of the software, Simply Accounting for
Windows will start to allow invoice numbers, check numbers, and
other source and item codes to include as many as 13 characters.

The drag-and-drop user interface will also add a status bar at
the bottom of the screen, for "detailed information" about menu
items, buttons, and fields.

What about the high end of the SOHO market? Right now, said
Dalton, the continuing trend toward corporate downsizing is
creating a new breed of business entrepreneurs. Because these
users work at home or in other small offices, they will not be
candidates for CA's "systems-oriented" AccPac and Masterpiece
accounting software products.

But, he maintained, the "new entrepreneurs" have "almost come to
expect" capabilities such as the ability to create and print
colorful graphical charts.

In a demo, Dalton showed Newsbytes how the new 4.0 edition will
let users produce pie and bar charts for "current revenue versus
last year." Graphs can also be created for payables by aging
period; receivables by aging period; expenses and net profit as
percentage of revenue; sales versus receivables; sales versus
budget; and expenses versus budget, Newsbytes was told.

"Historical information" is another high-end accounting software
that will make its way into Simply Accounting for Windows 4.0,
according to the 4Homes exec. None of Simply Accounting's
competitors provide this functionality, including QuickBook, Mind
Your Own Business, or One Write Plus, he contended.

Dalton depicted how users of Simply Accounting will now be able
to create reports on income statements, balance sheets, and trial
balances that compare data for two periods within the same years,
and that also show the amount and percentage of difference
between the two figures.

The marketing director also showed how you will now be able to
analyze items and customer and vendor activity based on the
number, amount, and cost of goods sold last year, in comparison
to the current year to date.

In a related capability, he reported, Simply Accounting for
Windows users will be able to look up details of posted invoices
from the Purchases, Sales, Payments, or Receipts Journals at any
time.

4Home Productions is not planning any major changes to Simply
Accounting for Macintosh, though, according to Dalton. Users of
the Macintosh edition are "very pleased with their current
feature set," the marketing exec told Newsbytes.

Simply Accounting for Windows 4.0 will run on both Windows 3.1
and Windows 95. The company's SRP (suggested retail price) is
$129.95, but Dalton projects street pricing in the neighborhood
of $70.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951206/Reader Contact: 4Home Productions,
516-342-7000; Press Contacts: Sue Rizzi, 4Home Productions,
516-342-2919; Meredith Mansfield, Connors Communications for
4Home, 212-807-7500)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
95 12/06/95
WINDOWS
Microsoft Ships Business Pack For Office

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(DEN)(00019)
Microsoft Ships Business Pack For Office 95 12/06/95
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 6 (NB) -- Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ: MSFT) said it is shipping a Small Business Pack for
Microsoft Office 95 -- a set of tools for the software suite that
includes books, a business analyzer, software, and templates to aid
in accomplishing various tasks related to running a small business.

According to an AT&T study cited by Microsoft, the most common
reason for small business failure is insufficient funding due to
poor business planning. Microsoft said the Small Business Pack
helps address that problem by simplifying and automating the
planning process. Better planning, according to the software
company, can help gain new funding and revenue sources.

The Business Pack includes "The Business Guide," which is based on
the book "Building a Profitable Business" by Greg Straugh and
Charles Chickadel. It includes more than 400 tips that can aid small
business operators. You also get "The Business Plan," an interactive
workbook that uses the spreadsheet program Excel and word processor
Microsoft Word to help the entrepreneur build a business plan. Excel
and Word are part of Microsoft Office.

"The Business Analyzer" compares the user's business with industry
norms in order to point out areas of strength and weakness. It also
provides reports on operating capital, total estimated cash value,
trading cash cycles and business break-even points.

Small Business Pack also includes ready-to-use accounts payable and
receivable forms, income and balance sheets, and expense reports. A
Leasing Wizard helps the user compare the cost of leasing, borrowing,
or paying cash for needed equipment.

You also get a business transaction database, a human resources
database, and an equipment inventory, as well as a template to assist
in preparing invoices. Sales tools include a sales database, a
product catalog database and a product fact sheet template. The
databases use Microsoft Access, another of the applications in
Microsoft Office 95.

Marketing tools in the pack include templates to aid in preparation
of newsletters, press releases, brochures, postcards and product
presentations. Other applications included in Office 95 are
Powerpoint, a presentation graphics program, and Schedule+.

Microsoft said it tightly integrated the Small Business Pack with
the Professional version of Office 95. That lets the various
applications work together. For example, if you create or update
financial data in the planner's customized spreadsheet the data
is automatically imported into the business plan.

The help files for Office 95 and the Small Business Pack are also
integrated so you call up help for either product from a single
source, and the pack extends the Office Pro 95 Shortcut Toolbar
by adding a new toolbar that provides one click access to all the
resources of the Small Business Pack.

Microsoft said the Small Business Pack is expected to sell for
under $99. To use it you need a PC equipped with a 386DX or higher
microprocessor, Windows 95, Office Professional for Windows 95, at
least 12 megabytes (MB) or more of memory and at least the same
amount of available hard disk space, a mouse, and a VGA or better
display.

(Jim Mallory/19951206/Press contact: Laura Peterson, Waggener
Edstrom for Microsoft, 206-637-9097; Public contact: Microsoft,
206-882-8080 or 800-426-9400)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/06/95
NETWORK
10Base-T Hubs, Noderunner Adapters From Artisoft

(NEWS)(NETWORK)(DEN)(00020)
10Base-T Hubs, Noderunner Adapters From Artisoft 12/06/95
TUCSON, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 6 (NB) -- Artisoft Inc. (NASDAQ:ASFT)
has started shipping new external hubs for 10Base-T networks and two
new Noderunner Pro Ethernet adapters.

The IEEE 802.3-compliant T-Runner Hub-8 and Hub-16 external
hub/concentrators are compatible with most major Ethernet
environments, including Artisoft's own LANtastic network operating
system, Microsoft Windows 95, and Novell's Netware, said the company.

The Hub-8 can connect up to eight client or server PCs, portable PCs,
and print servers via RJ-45 ports. The Hub-16 functions in the same
manner, except that it can connect up to 16 devices. Either can
cascade to other hubs for increased network capacity. The Hub-8 can
be daisy-chained to other hubs via its 10Base2 thin coax port or its
eighth RJ-45 port. The Hub-16 can be connected through its thin coax
port, its 16th RJ-45 port or its AUI port.

The hubs support auto partition and reconnection in order to isolate
faulty nodes. Each port has built-in polarity detection and
correction logic to automatically adjust for crossed and uncrossed
cables. Light emitting diodes (LEDs) indicate network setup and node
activity, and a built-in bracket is provided.

The suggested retail prices for the Hub-8 and Hub-16 are $229 and
$459, respectively, but Artisoft is offering resellers the devices in
special packs at a discounted price which could be passed along to
the consumer.

Artisoft is also shipping two new Noderunner Ethernet adapters.
The Pro UTP Ethernet adapter supports 10Base-T (unshielded twisted
pair) cabling, while the Pro Combo Ethernet adapter supports both
10Base-T and 10Base2 (thin coax) cabling.

Artisoft said features of the Plug and Play compatible adapters
include a lower power requirement than other Ethernet adapters, a
32 kilobyte buffer memory which increases performance by reducing
overhead on networks with high traffic and/or multitasking operating
systems, and Desktop Management Interface (DMI) support for managing
network PCs with DMI-compliant applications.

Suggested retail prices for the UTP and Combo versions start at $99
and $109, respectively, but through December 31, Artisoft is offering
resellers discounts. The adapters are available in one-, five-, and
10-user packages, and they are compatible with Artisoft's LANtastic
network operating system, Novell's Netware and Microsoft's Windows
95.

(Jim Mallory/19951206/Press contact: Bill Peterson, Artisoft,
520-670-7304; Public contact: Artisoft, tel [phone],
fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/06/95
ONLINE
Tango Links Web Servers To Databases

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TOR)(00021)
Tango Links Web Servers To Databases 12/06/95
MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 DEC 6 (NB) -- You might not think
of World Wide Web pages at first as containing the kind of information
for which database software would be useful, but according to EveryWare
Development Corp., many of them do. EveryWare said its Tango visual
development tool makes it easier to present data from databases on the
Web by linking Web pages to database management systems.

The initial release of Tango only connects Web server software that runs
on the Apple Macintosh to EveryWare's own Butler SQL (structured query
language) database software. In January, though, the company plans to
release a version of Tango that complies with the Open Database
Connectivity (ODBC) specification.

According to Henry Lach, director of marketing at EveryWare, with that
version, "You'll be able to use any ODBC database server on any platform."
That, he said, will include "all of the big-name and even some of the
small-name database servers."

EveryWare said Tango makes it easy to create Web pages that make use of
databases without having to write SQL code. According to Lach, databases
can be useful in a wide range of Web applications. "When you start talking
to people," he told Newsbytes, "you don't have to talk very long before
they've come up with three ideas all on their own and all of them require
a database."

Among the possible applications of Tango are electronic shopping malls,
product and pricing catalogs, chat and conferencing systems, event
registration systems, and enhanced security systems, EveryWare officials
said.

Lach said Tango has been available in "open beta" to users of the company's
Butler SQL database software for about three months, and a number of
organizations have already started using it. He said EveryWare has relied
mainly on direct sales in North America to date, but is beginning to
put more emphasis on mail-order catalog sales. The company also has
distributors in roughly 10 countries outside North America, he added.

The current version of Tango is only sold with the Butler SQL database
software, and the bundle costs US$495 for a two-user license. The ODBC
version of Tango will be sold on its own, EveryWare said.

(Grant Buckler/19951206/Press Contact: Henry Lach, EveryWare, tel 905-
819-1173 ext 233, fax [phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/06/95
TELECOM
"Back To The Future" With Telephone Voice Dialing Trial

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00022)
"Back To The Future" With Telephone Voice Dialing Trial 12/06/95
HAMILTON, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 DEC 6 (NB) -- Bell Canada has begun the
first Canadian market trial of a voice-activated phone dialing service
that will let Hamilton residents call as many as 50 numbers by speaking
a name.

The Northern Telecom Ltd. (TSE:NTL; NYSE:NT) technology used in the trial
has been tested elsewhere in Canada, and has been used in market trials
in the United States, but this is the first market trial in Canada, Henry
Theloosen, general manager of multimedia network applications at Northern
Telecom in Dallas, told Newsbytes.

To use the system, a phone subscriber will program it as you would an
autodialer, but by associating a spoken name rather than a pushbutton
with a particular number. Once a name and number are programmed into the
system, the subscriber will be able to dial the number by picking up the
receiver and speaking the name.

In the market trial, each customer will be limited to programming 50 names
into the system. Theloosen said that in its full implementation the system
is expected to handle 75 names per subscriber. The limit is not imposed by
the technology itself, he said, but by the amount of memory needed to store
the names and numbers. Northern and Bell have decided that most subscribers
will find 50 to 75 names sufficient.

The trial uses Northern's Network Applications Vehicle (NAV) multimedia
processing platform. This system will be installed at telephone-company
central offices, with one NAV system possibly shared among more than one
central office via T1 phone lines. It will do the speech recognition,
confirm to the caller who is being called (as in "Calling John") and then
relay the dialing information to the central office switch.

Theloosen said the same technology can be used for other purposes as well.
As Newsbytes reported earlier, Saskatchewan Telecommunications is using
it in a service that will let callers reach participating businesses by
speaking their names. Theloosen said it can also be used to provide access
to special telephone services such as call forwarding and last-number
redial.

The ultimate objective, Theloosen said, is to "go back to the future" by
allowing telephone subscribers to ask for what they want verbally rather
than pushing buttons, just as telephone users once made their requests
of a human operator.

The Hamilton voice-dialing trial is scheduled to run for six months.

(Grant Buckler/19951206/Press Contact: Peter Janecek, Northern Telecom,
905-566-3279, Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Pierre Boisseau,
Bell-Northern Resesarch, 514-765-7994, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/06/95
TELECOM
Motorola Develops 28.8 Wireless Data/Fax Modem

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(MSP)(00023)
Motorola Develops 28.8 Wireless Data/Fax Modem 12/06/95
SCHAUMBURG, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 6 (NB) -- Continuing a strategy
of developing PC Cards (Personal Computer Memory Card International
Association) with multiple functions, Motorola's PCMCIA Products
Division rolled out the "Montana" PC card. Montana contains data and fax
capabilities at 28.8 kilobits-per-second (Kbps), as well as cellular
connectivity and wireless messaging for one-way and two-way paging
systems.

With Motorola's Messaging Partner paging software package, Montana's
wireless capability allows users to easily download and review lengthy
pager messages. They can also send alphanumeric pagers through the
wireline modem to paging subscribers nationwide, broadcast messages to
multiple paging subscribers, send wireless messages through a Motorola
Tango pager to other two-way paging subscribers, and print, cut and
paste, and archive pager messages that have been downloaded from a
Tango or a Motorola Advisor pager. Wireless two-way messages can also
be sent using a Tango two-way pager.

The Montana is also equipped with Enhanced Throughput Cellular (ETC)
error-correction protocols that make it compatible with data-ready
phones from manufacturers like AT&T, NEC, Oki, and, of course, Motorola.
In addition, Montana has 28.8Kbps data performance at V.34 standard
modulation, error-correction, and data compression. Fax operation is
at 14.4Kbps, and can be used to communicate with Group 3, Class 1 and
2 fax machines.

Montana is both Windows 95- and Macintosh-compatible, and includes an
intelligent installation engine which automates both configuration and
installation. The PC card also incorporates flash ROM for future upgrades.

The card is priced at $329, with full shipping to take place in February,
1996.

Tom Morrow, Motorola spokesperson, told Newsbytes the PC card is
targeted at the mobile professional, "typically a corporate user who
is a manager in a Fortune 2000 company," he said. "That person would
be more than likely to use the wireless messaging function of the
card," and especially the capability to store long pages, he added.
Morrow said he did see some use for the card in the small office/home
office (SOHO) market.

Morrow said the future of PC cards at Motorola is to place more
functions on the same card, such as different wireless protocols or
ISDN (integrated services digital network) capabilities. "Are those
products imminent? No, but that is where multi-function cards are
going, in providing multiple solutions that really accommodate the
mobile traveler."

(Bob Woods/19951206/Press Contact: Jessica Chipkin, Motorola PCMCIA,
708-538-3415)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/06/95
GENERAL
Rock 'n' Roll Facts On CD

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00024)
Rock 'n' Roll Facts On CD 12/06/95
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 6 (NB) -- All you would ever
want to know about rock 'n' roll is on a new CD-ROM by Penguin Publishing.
Complete up-to-date information on single recordings, albums, and album
tracks from the last 40 years of popular music -- a total of 500 million
facts are included in the CD titled ROCKnROM, said the company.

Steve Levesque, a spokesperson for Penguin, told Newsbytes that
ROCKnROM includes information on 800,000 recordings, 90,000 artists,
30,000 music publishers, 100,000 songwriters, 9,000 arrangers,
10,000 record producers, 6,000 labels and companies, 200,000 allied
products, 5,000 studios and rock venues, 7,000 biographies, and 15,000
rock 'n' roll dates.

"There is no audio," he said, adding, "this is a written history of
rock 'n' roll information. It does include some photograph's and sheet
music, but not the actual audio."

ROCKnROM contains material from the archives of Billboard magazine,
Chart Information Network, the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society,
and work from music critics, writers, and historians. ROCKnROM includes
62,000 popularity charts from Billboard Magazine, giving a history of
best-selling music over the last few decades.

"The information contained in ROCKnROM could take days or weeks to
track down," says Michael Wadleigh, creator of ROCKnROM. "With
ROCKnROM the user can find out all the information needed concerning
a particular recording, song, or artist immediately. For musicians and
executives, and everyone in between, this title will help with creative
ideas, business analysis, and industry research."

Wadleigh, partnered in the project with Penguin Books' electronic
division, terms ROCKnROM: "The ultimate database of popular music,
an essential computerized library."

Price for ROCKnROM is a suggested $1,500 and is available for Windows
3.1. Included in that price will be quarterly updates and a free 15-day
trial. Minimum requirements for ROCKnROM are a 486 or Pentium IBM-
compatible computer, double speed CD-ROM drive, and VGA 256 color
monitor. Macintosh and online versions are scheduled for 1996.

Rhythm 'n' Blues and Country Music CD-ROM editions, following the
same format as ROCKnROM, are in the planning stages.

"Music and recording industry professionals and the entertainment
media are the initial markets for ROCKnROM," said Levesque. "These
include musicians, songwriters, record labels, producers and arrangers,
music publishers, copyright and collection agencies, recording studios,
managers, and agents."

Other areas to be targeted in the broad ranging marketing and
promotion campaigns being developed by Penguin Electronics for
ROCKnROM include radio stations, major entertainment wholesalers
and retail chains, print and TV media, libraries, and universities.

According to the company, ROCKnROM uses computerized links to connect
each of the 500 Million facts to "related and appropriate" pieces
of information. The ROCKnROM user can click onto a particular song
and run down its complete history, including writer, current owner,
other recordings, or chart history.

Similarly, if the user clicks on an artist, a full informational menu
is provided. "Every mention of, say, Eric Clapton, is linked to every
other reference," explains Wadleigh. "It is the first true relational
database. Everything and everyone is connected," says Wadleigh.

(Richard Bowers/19951206/Press Contact: Ian Dove, 213-651-9300)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
12/06/95
GENERAL
Quarterdeck Adds Security To WebStar

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00025)
Quarterdeck Adds Security To WebStar 12/06/95
BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 6 (NB) -- StarNine Technologies,
a Quarterdeck Corp. (NASDAQ:QDEK) company, has announced the WebStar/SSL
Security Toolkit, which can be added to any World Wide Web site on the
Internet or an internal corporate network. The toolkit offers secure
Web transactions and document transfers for the Macintosh.

A recent study conducted by the Georgia Institute of Technology
reported that the WebStar product line commands 66% of the market for
commercially available Web servers.

Among the commercially supported Web servers counted by the study, the
WebStar product line accounts for 66% of the servers used, with WinHTTP
being the second most widely used at 18%. Netscape Communications Netsite
server holds 10% of the commercial market, with other commercial servers
accounting for less than 6%. The study gives the WebStar product line
21% of the overall Web server market, which includes free non-commercial
servers.

The toolkit includes Quarterdeck WebStar/SSL, an encryption-enabled
version of StarNine's Web server for Macintosh, and utilities for
creating a digital ID for the server. Quarterdeck WebStar is available
separately for serving Web pages which require simpler password and
domain-level security.

"Quarterdeck WebStar/SSL Security Toolkit is an extremely attractive
solution for any group with a Macintosh that wants to enhance security
on their Web site," said Rusty Rahm, president of StarNine. "Whether
it's on the Internet or internal network, the Quarterdeck WebStar/SSL
Security Toolkit's simple point-and-click interface makes it easy to
serve Quarterdeck WebStar."

The Quarterdeck WebStar/SSL Security Toolkit is based on cross-platform
standards from Netscape Communications Corporation and RSA Data Security
Inc., which give users encryption support for creating a secure channel
that prevents eavesdropping on Web connections, server authentication
for verifying the identity of the originating Web site, and data
integrity to guarantee the transmitted data arrives unaltered

Naomi Pearce, a spokesperson for Quarterdeck, told Newsbytes, "The
Quarterdeck WebStar/SSL server is compatible with all SSL-capable Web
browsers, making it straightforward to create secure applications for
internal, cross-platform networks and the Internet. Moreover, the
server interoperates seamlessly with Unix or PC-based Web servers.

"The server's authenticated digital ID and public/private key allow
people accessing the secure site to be certain that they're sending
and receiving information from the correct server. In addition, all
communications between the server and the browser are encrypted,
ensuring that the messages are truly private. Data integrity
capabilities guarantee the data arrives unaltered," continued Pearce.

According to the company, the Toolkit also includes all the utilities
needed to generate the server's public/private key, as well as
request and process server digital ID's from VeriSign.

Both international and United States versions are available. A higher-
level of encryption security is included in the United States version.
The Quarterdeck WebStar/SSL Security Toolkit has a suggested retail
price of $1,295 with a special introductory price of $895, through
December 15.

(Richard Bowers/19951206/Press Contact: Naomi Pearce, Quarterdeck,
510-528-0824)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/06/95
ONLINE
 ****Web Frenzy in San Francisco

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SFO)(00026)
 ****Web Frenzy in San Francisco 12/06/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 6 (NB) -- At least
one thousand hopefuls who wanted to get into WebInnovation, a
conference devoted to the latest in Web programming, had to be
turned away, according to Interactive Marketing Communications,
of Capistrano Beach, CA, the conference producer.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\9512062a.PCX
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#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\9512062b.PCX
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#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\9512062c.PCX
Click here for photo

Some 1,600 attendees did manage to attend the three-day Web
extravaganza (Dec 4 - 6) at the San Francisco Hilton Towers.

Some 20 percent of those came from overseas. A thousand companies
sent people to hear representatives from Netscape, Silicon Graphics
and Sun Microsystems beat the drum for Internet multimedia and
progress. People from Sandia Labs, Autodesk, Hewlett-Packard and the
University of Missouri were among those attending. The diversity of
the attendees spoke to the spread of Internet use across many fields.

Other sponsors and exhibitors included Progressive Networks (RealTime
Audio), Adobe, Macromedia and Informix. Other Web-enabling companies
included EarthWeb, BBN Planet and I- Pro. Interactive Marketing also
had maintained a Web site for registration and for showcasing the
participating companies.

The main thrust of the keynote address by Marc Andreesson, Netscape
founder, was that the desktop paradigm for the PC is as good as dead.
His four main points included the belief that the new paradigm is
network-centric, cross-platform, dynamically updated, and involved
with a radical shift in distribution methods. He also made the point
that Internet use and the use of browser applications on LANs (local
area networks), is growing and is a part of the overall paradigm shift.

Conspicuously lacking coat and tie, Andreeson made small digs at Bill
Gates and Microsoft. This did not stop Andreesson from projecting Gates'
New York Times quote on Internet inevitability on a huge screen behind
him.

Ironically, most of the demos and presentations including the keynote
were being run from Windows 95.

Pictures, sound, support and a dose of VRML (virtual reality modeling
language) boosterism provided the gist for the conferees' activities.
Monday's big announcements came from Netscape, Silicon Graphics, and
Sun Microsystems as they announced mutual endorsement of Java,
JavaScript and VRML technologies. Macromedia also joined in regarding
the development of API's (application programming interfaces).

Andreesson's remarks were echoed by Tom Jermoluk, president and COO
of Silicon Graphics. The overall goal is open standards and shared
development, he said. Jermoluk and Eric Schmidt of Sun Microsystems
emphasized that market dominance, such as Microsoft has, was not a goal.
Open standards, developer support and camaraderie was emphasized and
reemphasized. Cosmo Code and Cosmo Player, utilizing the Cosmo Motion
engine, were promoted as the tools that content creators have been
demanding.

The "videostreaming" at the Cosmo/Java press conference and at the
Macromedia Shockwave demo impressed most of the crowd. Taking
advantage of T1 lines, most demos were real-time Internet
interaction. Animated graphics, video and audio were all being
downloaded from company servers. This, no doubt, was a bid for the
credibility of all these technologies.

The main non-Java authoring tool at WebInnovation, Macromedia's
Shockwave for Director displayed satisfactory animation capabilities
even with files under 10K. According to Macromedia, the Director
user base of almost a quarter million can move quickly into net
multimedia with this plug-in. Adobe's recently released PageMill and
SiteMill were other examples of application shells to make life
easier for non-programmer "creative' types." With PageMill one
can do Web page layout and let the program write the HTML. PageMill
offered strong drop and drag capabilities for text and graphic
placement. The presenter, Robert Siedal, did PageMill operations
solving user's questions, finishing up almost before they had stopped
speaking. SiteMill will automatically update and point out link
errors, taking some of the pain out of site management.

Newsbytes talked Martin Dunsmuir, general manager, server products,
of Progressive Network maker of RealAudio. "Now, in Web multimedia
the RealAudio is truly embedded without bringing up a separate
player," he explained. Besides fidelity improvements, a splitter
now allows multiple audio streams. Another feature mentioned
by Dunsmuir is the compiler in the RealAudio 2.0 beta that
allows for time line event triggers. "URLs can be brought up
allowing for a slide show to be controlled by the audio track."

Support applications were in force on the exhibition floor.
BBN Planet effectively partners with internet providers to do
operations work and site maintenance. Another approach is
taken by EarthWeb. Nova Spivak, executive vice president,
told Newsbytes, "We will set a client up, train their in-house
team, and then continue to update them on changing technologies
that can enhance their site." EarthWeb has also developed
Gamalean, a Java applet directory on the Internet in conjunction
with Silicon Graphics.

For all the talk of commerce on the net, certain issues are still
very unsettled. Working to develop a standard Web business
vocabulary and auditing methods is Internet Profiles Corporation or
I-Pro. Kevin Doerr, sales director, told Newsbytes, "The industry
needs credible means to evaluate usage in order to have coherent ad
rates structures." Doerr believes the faster this happens, the
sooner the ad dollars will come in, improving both content and
accessibility.

VRML has an image problem. Silicon Graphics Chief Scientist Andew
Paley told Newsbytes, "It's really unfortunate that virtual reality
is part of the name, because it's more than an immersive reality."
Paley says that the key to understanding VRML is to see it as object
manipulation. Using Java as a control tool, all the things one can
walk around or turn around in one's hands, can be dealt with virtually
and interactively via the internet. To get the understanding of
this, beyond the simplistic VR concept, was the underpinning of
the VRML sessions.

In the panel discussion following the keynote address, Mark Pesce,
the co-creator of VRML, said, "We need to co-opt the skeptic,
they can help us if we listen. We can turn the skeptic into a
client."

One such skeptic might be Nels Johnson of the San Francisco Canyon
Company. He has seen key elements of the Microsoft Blackbird
application suite at work. The unspoken nemesis of the
WebInnovation thrust was undoubtedly Bill Gates and Microsoft.
Johnson told Newsbytes that the performance of the OLE (object
linking and embedding)-enabled Microsoft package was impressive
and hard to duplicate in terms of overall application cooperation.

"Objects in Windows 95 work together to make a very unbounded
desktop," he said. He noted that drag and drop behavior is more
sophisticated in the Microsoft Network environment.

(Nick Gorski/19951206/Interactive Marketing Communications,
tel [phone], fax [phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail];
Internet World Wide Web http://www.vbc.com /WEBINNOV951206/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/06/95
APPLE
 ****Spindler Demos Apple's Pippin Through TV Screen

(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00027)
 ****Spindler Demos Apple's Pippin Through TV Screen 12/06/95
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 6 (NB) -- Critics call them dumb
terminals, while supporters say they are the "next wave" of computing.
This week Apple's chief executive officer (CEO), Michael Spindler,
demonstrated Pippin, a multimedia computer which uses a television to
display content.

Pippin certainly is not a dumb terminal. This multimedia device is a game
machine, an audio player, Internet access device and an educational tool
with mini-applications, such as a word processor. It has a four-speed CD
ROM drive, a PowerPC 603 processor, high resolution graphics and text
optimized for television display, stereo sound, serial ports and PCI
(Peripheral Component Interconnect) peripherals and networking capabilities.
Pippin also plays audio CDs, multimedia CD titles, and Photo CDs.

Spindler has spoken about Pippin at almost every keynote speech he has
made in the past year. With all of its features and power, Pippin does not
quite fit the Oracle concept of a simple network-based terminal which
Larry Ellison, Oracle's CEO, says is the future of desktop computing. That
basic concept is a computer which accesses applications and most of its
supporting programs through a network instead of a hard disk in a
computer. With increased technology and higher bandwidth, Ellison says
a desktop user does not have to deal with individual program cost,
installation, and standard operation through hard disk and random access
memory.

Supporters of these smaller, compact systems say these devices can sell
somewhere in the $500 range. With such a price tag, supporters are hoping
the devices will attract a new market of users who have been unwilling to
pay $2,000 or more for a fast desktop computer.

Pippin will makes its first retail appearance in Japan during the spring
of 1996. Bandai, a leading entertainment company in Japan, is the first
to license Apple's Pippin technology and will market and distribute a
Mitsubishi-made Pippin through its worldwide consumer channels.

Apple says it expects Pippin distribution in the US during the second
half of 1996. Speaking with Newsbytes, an Apple spokesperson said
Bandai plans to deliver Pippin to the US market for under $600.

Mike Murphy, publisher of the California Technology Stock Letter, told
Newsbytes, "This is certainly new technology and Apple may be able to
develop a new market of users with Pippin. I do not think traditional
computer users will be attracted to this technology as a replacement for
the desktop, but remember, there are only 13 million households with
computers. That leaves a lot of room for new users."

Murphy said Pippin is about the size of a large toaster and displays
readable text on a television. "I was pleased with the display of text.
There have been problems with making text readable on televisions and
Apple has done a good job solving the problem," commented Murphy.

The Pippin platform requires CD titles and applets written to a Pippin
specification. This means Apple needs to attract a development community
which will support Pippin with additional software products. Pippin CDs
can also be played on Macintosh computers.

In his demonstration, Spindler showed Internet access through Netscape's
browser, Navigator, and played educational, music, and game CD titles.

Interestingly, this same week, an experts at WebInnovation is quoted
as saying, "If there is one lesson we have learned, it is that personal
computers and the televisions are two separate appliances. People want
their television as a passive form of entertainment and they want their
computer as an interactive device."

Apple is betting Pippin will find a middle ground and a new market for
consumers. Murphy noted, "Remember, people may say they want passive
entertainment on their televisions, but Nintendo, Sony, and Sega have
built a very strong market with interactive devices which use
televised displays."

(Patrick McKenna/19951206/Press Contact: Lynne Keast, Apple,
408-974-5431)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/06/95
ONLINE
C/net's New Banner Ad Tool

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00028)
C/net's New Banner Ad Tool 12/06/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 6 (NB) -- A computer
network of a different kind is bringing to the Internet's World Wide
Web a new technology that allows advertisers to target customers
demographically and deliver specialized advertising to them. C/net's
new technology is called DREAM, or Delivery of Real-Time Electronic
Advertising.

The DREAM software was developed by C/net's technology group. Halsey
Minor, chief executive officer of C/net, told Newsbytes the DREAM
software will use a combination of information obtained via
registration at the site and the information given by a user's
browser when they surf to the site for demographic information.

By using either method, or a combination of both data models, the DREAM
software will be able to tell a user's age, gender, zip code, system
platform, connection speed, browser type, domain, whether they're
connecting from their home or office, and other demographic data.

"All we want are demographic profiles of people," Minor said. "It
helps us to deliver editorial content that's appropriate and
advertising that's appropriate."

Currently, most of the C/net site is available to anyone with Web
browsing capabilities. But that situation will change in the coming
months, Minor said. "Certain areas of our site require you to be a
member" and fill out the online registration form that will be used by
DREAM, he said. Soon, more of the C/net site will require Web surfers
to become members. This has some advantages and gives incentives for
people to register, Minor said, "because we now know who you are, we
can provide a whole bunch of services that are unique to you. We can
tell you the content you haven't seen yet. We can suggest areas of
interest to you."

DREAM will be available to C/net's advertisers beginning December
15. The DREAM technology will be used on C/net's two Web sites --
C/net Online at http://www.cnet.com/ , and Shareware.Com at
http://www.shareware.com/ . Insight, Internet Shopping Network, and
MicroXperts will be the first direct marketing advertisers to use
the new technology, C/net officials said.

Minor told Newsbytes the DREAM technology will only be used at sites
built by C/net. "We spent six months developing the technology,"
he said. "We're going to use it for a competitive advantage. We're
not in the software development business."

Besides DREAM, C/net has also offered ARM (Advertising Response and
Monitoring) software. ARM allows advertisers to evaluate audience
response to their messages, officials said. With ARM, C/net
advertisers can also determine the type of audience that's most
responsive to a product or a message. Advertising usage and response
rates can also be compared against system-wide averages. In addition,
C/net officials said its dynamic ad delivery system, called CAD
(Confirmed Ads Delivered), allows advertising banners to be rotated
throughout the service.

(Bob Woods/19951206/Press Contact: Patrick Toland, C/net,
415-395-7800)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/06/95
LEGAL
EC's Investigation Of Teledesic Project

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(LON)(00029)
EC's Investigation Of Teledesic Project 12/06/95
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1995 DEC 6 (NB) -- The European Commission (EC) has
announced it is investigating "all possible consequences" of the award
of satellite frequencies to Teledesic Corporation, the US-based
company which plans to transmit Internet services via satellite.

As reported previously by Newsbytes, Teledesic is a joint venture
project whose shareholders include Bill Gates, president of Microsoft,
Craig McCaw, the founder of McCaw Cellular, and AT&T's wireless
services division.

Teledesic has applied for, and obtained, a FCC license to operate its
satellite based service in the US, but the fact that the EC is
investigating the frequencies being used, highlights the potential red
tape that cross-border projects of this type must successfully hurdle
before they being operation. Even if the EC gives its assent to the
service frequencies, other countries could also announce similar
moves, something that could slow the project down, Newsbytes notes.

According to Martin Bangemann, the EC's Industry Commission and Anti-
Competition Minister, the issues at stake are more than simple use of
the frequencies. Since the service is planned to be a global one, the
issues of competition will come into the equation.

Legally speaking, the EC has no rights to protest the use of
frequencies without a license, since the Commission does not have
membership of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU),
the international telecoms body that oversees most aspects of
telecommunications in the world.

Strictly speaking, only the member countries of the EC can formally
protest. However, the anti-competitive aspect is something that the
EC can get between its teeth.

Teledesic may have committed an administrative gaffe, as Bangemann has
said that the first time his office became aware of the frequencies to
be used was at a meeting of the EC telecoms committee last week.

Coupled with the fact that Bill Gates, in the form of his company,
Microsoft, is still under investigation by the EC and the US
Department of Justice, has a one third stake in the project, industry
observers are less than surprised by the EC's actions.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951206/Press & Reader Contact: European
Commission, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/06/95
LEGAL
 ****UK Jailings After ATM Card Cloners Caught Red-Handed

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(LON)(00030)
 ****UK Jailings After ATM Card Cloners Caught Red-Handed 12/06/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 6 (NB) -- A father and his son were jailed
this week for, respectively, four and two years, after the pair were
caught "red-handed" with more than 200 forged ATM (automated teller
machine) cards in their pockets while visiting Kings Lynn, a city
in the East of England.

According to police investigating the case, John Gravette, a London-
based car dealer, aged 50, and with a "distinguished" criminal career
to date that includes theft and the smuggling of a ton of cannabis,
recruited his 27 year old son, Warren, into the scam and between them,
they drew UKP61,000 from bank ATMs to the police's certain knowledge.

However, officials admitted that the Gravettes were only small cogs in
a much larger operation that involved more than 2,500 withdrawals and
resulted in losses of more than UKP601,000. The Gravettes, however,
are alleged to have withdrawn UKP30,000 from ATMs in a single 48-hour
period.

Police said that they were aware that Gravette and his son were not
the masterminds behind the scheme, which involved secretly filming
cardholders as they withdrew funds from ATMs. By collating data from
the ATM receipts that were discarded by cardholders and matching them
to the PINs (personal identification numbers), the unknown team were
able to produce cloned cards with known PINs.

In court, prosecutors said that Gravette and his son lived a "cash
rich" lifestyle on the UKP61,000 that could be directly attributed to
their part in the scam. The pair pleaded guilty to a single charge of
conspiracy to steal.

Nicholas Price QC, the barrister defending Gravette senior, said that
his client only agreed to become involved to fund his "compulsive
gambling." To his shame, he said, Gravette senior had also involved
his son in the scheme.

David Wolfkind, the solicitor acting for Warren Gravette, told the
court that the 27 year-old was a former footballer, whose playing
career, which included a year's contract with Tottenham Hotspur, the
London-based soccer club, nose dived after Gravette senior was jailed
in the 1980s.

Commenting on the case, Alistair Kelman, a leading Barrister
specializing in information technology (IT) affairs, said that
Gravette senior's arrest sounds as though it was accidental, which
perhaps explained why only the two were arrested and charged in the
case.

"It sounds as though the police spotted an ex-con and, while sussing
him out, discovered the 200 ATM cards in his possession, then
realized what they had stumbled on to," he told Newsbytes.

"ATM fraud is a growing problem," Kelman went on to say, adding that
his view was that the rash of incidents in recent years suggested that
at least some of the ATM algorithms used to generate/check PINs on
plastic cards have been compromised.

"At a recent meeting of my class at the London School of Economics,
Professor Ross Anderson (of Cambridge University) said that the
situation with card PINs has become so bad that even the Chinese
security services now offer reverse engineering of smart and magnetic
stripe cards on a commercial basis," he said.

"That puts a different complexion on how safe these ATM and credit
card PINs really are, doesn't it?" he added.

(Steve Gold/19951206)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00031)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 12/06/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 6 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|                December 6, 1995                |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network's on the Web! Check out http://www.nbnn.com for
free daily top stories from Newsbytes and its affiliate publications,
and from PC Week, MacWeek, and other Ziff news magazines. A subscription
gives you all the news, full-text, plus the most comprehensive database
of past computer stories online. The keyword-searchable database dates
from today back through 1983. Subscriptions are $24.95 for three months.
Questions? Send to '[e-mail]'  For Japanese Newsbytes
and additional services, see the Newsbytes Pacifica Website at
http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

APPLE      ****Spindler Demos Apple's Pippin Through TV Screen....... 27

BROADCAST Hughes To Build Telenor Scandinavian Satellite............. 04

BROADCAST China - Digital Pay-Programs Via Satellite................. 11

GENERAL   Japan Newsbriefs........................................... 12

GENERAL   Rock 'n' Roll Facts On CD.................................. 24

GENERAL   Quarterdeck Adds Security To WebStar....................... 25

GOVT      Hungarian Govt Okays Telecoms Changes...................... 05

GOVT       ****Vote Due On "Internet Smut" Issue..................... 17

LEGAL     China - Copyright Violations Drop.......................... 10

LEGAL     EC's Investigation Of Teledesic Project.................... 29

LEGAL      ****UK Jailings After ATM Card Cloners Caught Red-Handed.. 30

NETWORK   10Base-T Hubs, Noderunner Adapters From Artisoft........... 20

ONLINE    UK - CompuServe's Internet In A Box, Sprynet Service....... 02

ONLINE    Australia - Banking Faces Non-Conventional Challenges...... 09

ONLINE     ****Internet Update - European Special.................... 13

ONLINE    Saab Cars USA On The Web................................... 14

ONLINE    America Online & Time To Offer Health & Fitness............ 15

ONLINE    Tango Links Web Servers To Databases....................... 21

ONLINE     ****Web Frenzy in San Francisco........................... 26

ONLINE    C/net's New Banner Ad Tool................................. 28

TELECOM   Italy's STET Buys Into Russian Telecoms Firm............... 01

TELECOM   Indian Institute & Bell-Northern In Telecom Research....... 06

TELECOM   India - AT&T & ECIL Target Banking......................... 07

TELECOM   Indian Software Firms Target Australian Market............. 08

TELECOM   "Back To The Future" With Telephone Voice Dialing Trial.... 22

TELECOM   Motorola Develops 28.8 Wireless Data/Fax Modem............. 23

TRENDS    Visual Software Unveils 3-D Applications................... 03

WINDOW    Microsoft Ships Business Pack For Office 95................ 19

WINDOWS   Lotus Ships Freelance Graphics For Windows 95.............. 16

WINDOWS   4Home Productions Previews Simply Accounting 4.0........... 18

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 -> Italy's STET Buys Into Russian Telecoms Firm -- Societa Finanziaria
Telefonica per Azioni (STET), the Italian telecoms holding company, has
successfully bid 2.932 trillion rubles for a 25 percent plus one share
stake in Svyazinvest, the Russian state telecoms company. As part of the
deal, the Italian telco will invest a further 3.5 trillion into
Svyazinvest over the next two years.

2 -> UK - CompuServe's Internet In A Box, Sprynet Service -- Compuserve
has launched its Internet In A Box package in the UK. At the same time,
the online giant has rocked the UK Internet market by announcing a
mirror image of Sprynet "budget Internet" service launched in the US
earlier this year, with a UKP3.95 per month price tag.

3 -> Visual Software Unveils 3-D Applications -- Visual Software, the
manufacturer of three-dimensional (3-D) multimedia software, has
announced a new addition to the 3-D software family

4 -> Hughes To Build Telenor Scandinavian Satellite -- Hughes Space and
Communications International, of Los Angeles, has contracted with
Telenor Satellite Services of Oslo to build a high-power TV satellite to
serve the Scandinavian region. According to Fran Slimmer, a spokesperson
for Hughes, the satellite will be known as the Thor IIA and will be a
high-power version of the company's HS 376 off-the-shelf unit.

5 -> Hungarian Govt Okays Telecoms Changes -- Business is booming in the
Hungarian telecoms market

6 -> Indian Institute & Bell-Northern In Telecom Research --
Bell-Northern Research (BNR), the research and development subsidiary of
Northern Telecom (Nortel), and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc),
Bangalore, have agreed to collaborate on advanced research in
telecommunications.

7 -> India - AT&T & ECIL Target Banking -- The public sector giant,
Electronics Corporation of India Ltd. (ECIL), has signed a memorandum of
understanding with AT&T Global Information Solutions of the US for the
implementation of total solutions to various banks.

8 -> Indian Software Firms Target Australian Market -- The low costs and
high quality associated with Indian software companies is now helping
them tap the Australian software market, worth a reported $28 million,
according to the National Association Software and Service Companies
(NASSCOM), the Indian software organization.

9 -> Australia - Banking Faces Non-Conventional Challenges -- As guest
speaker at an AIIA breakfast in Sydney recently, banker Peter Andrews
envisaged a new ballgame for the banking industry in the next millennium
as it comes to terms with technologies and organizations

10 -> China - Copyright Violations Drop -- The number of copyright
violations in China has been "significantly reduced," according to an
official with the National Copyright Administration (NCA). However, the
number of translated foreign works has also dropped, due mainly to a
lack of funds for buying the copyrights, he said.

11 -> China - Digital Pay-Programs Via Satellite -- As of November 30,
China Central Television (CCTV) has been test-broadcasting four channels
of pay- programs via satellite, using compressed digital encrypted
signals, according to the president of the company.

12 -> Japan Newsbriefs -- In this roundup of news from Japan: Game
makers to study convulsions link; DVD agreement this week; Ericsson wins
phone order; Toshiba plans new chip plant; TV/VCR exports down in
October; Tokyo Metropolitan Government goes online; Fujitsu Ten to
launch car navigation in US; Canon enters digital video market.

13 ->  ****Internet Update - European Special -- In this roundup of new
services and resources on the European part of the global Internet:
France - French Riviera index; Switzerland - Swiss music resource;
Greece - The latest news; Russia - Yellow pages; Switzerland - Hugo
online; Ukraine - Newspapers online; Austria - Web index; Austria -
Tourism information; Ireland - Businesses on the Web; Switzerland -
Business index.

14 -> Saab Cars USA On The Web -- Saab Cars USA's new Internet World
Wide Web site is now open for electronic traffic. The site is designed
for both people who are kicking cyber-tires and deciding on a new car,
and for longtime Saab admirers

15 -> America Online & Time To Offer Health & Fitness -- Continuing a
strategy of partnering with media companies to develop online content,
America Online (NASDAQ:AMER) (AOL) is entering into a joint venture with
Time Inc. to develop a new interactive health and fitness online
service. AOL and Time will each hold a 50 percent interest in the new
service, which will reside on both AOL and Time's Pathfinder Internet
World Wide Web site.

16 -> Lotus Ships Freelance Graphics For Windows 95 -- Lotus's newly
released Windows 95 edition of Freelance Graphics lets users create
presentations that "sound as great as they look," with content-building
features that include TeamReview group commentary and 30 "Content
SmartMasters" chocked with advice from business luminaries, plus
presentation enhancements like Publish to the Internet and TeamShow,
asserted Nina McIntyre of Lotus, in a briefing for Newsbytes.

17 ->  ****Vote Due On "Internet Smut" Issue -- A joint House-Senate
conference committee was set to vote today on competing plans to
regulate pornography on the Internet and online services. No vote had
been taken at press time.

18 -> 4Home Productions Previews Simply Accounting 4.0 -- Simply
Accounting for Windows 4.0, an update slated for announcement in
January, will add new ease-of-use features for the entry-level end of
the SOHO (small office/home office) market, along with "power"
enhancements for an emerging group of entrepreneurial users who come
from the corporate world, revealed 4Home Productions' Dave Dalton,
during a sneak preview for Newsbytes on a Boston press tour.

19 -> Microsoft Ships Business Pack For Office 95 -- Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ: MSFT) said it is shipping a Small Business Pack for Microsoft
Office 95

20 -> 10Base-T Hubs, Noderunner Adapters From Artisoft -- Artisoft Inc.
(NASDAQ:ASFT) has started shipping new external hubs for 10Base-T
networks and two new Noderunner Pro Ethernet adapters.

21 -> Tango Links Web Servers To Databases -- You might not think of
World Wide Web pages at first as containing the kind of information for
which database software would be useful, but according to EveryWare
Development Corp., many of them do. EveryWare said its Tango visual
development tool makes it easier to present data from databases on the
Web by linking Web pages to database management systems.

22 -> "Back To The Future" With Telephone Voice Dialing Trial -- Bell
Canada has begun the first Canadian market trial of a voice-activated
phone dialing service that will let Hamilton residents call as many as
50 numbers by speaking a name.

23 -> Motorola Develops 28.8 Wireless Data/Fax Modem -- Continuing a
strategy of developing PC Cards (Personal Computer Memory Card
International Association) with multiple functions, Motorola's PCMCIA
Products Division rolled out the "Montana" PC card. Montana contains
data and fax capabilities at 28.8 kilobits-per-second (Kbps), as well as
cellular connectivity and wireless messaging for one-way and two-way
paging systems.

24 -> Rock 'n' Roll Facts On CD -- All you would ever want to know about
rock 'n' roll is on a new CD-ROM by Penguin Publishing. Complete
up-to-date information on single recordings, albums, and album tracks
from the last 40 years of popular music

25 -> Quarterdeck Adds Security To WebStar -- StarNine Technologies, a
Quarterdeck Corp. (NASDAQ:QDEK) company, has announced the WebStar/SSL
Security Toolkit, which can be added to any World Wide Web site on the
Internet or an internal corporate network. The toolkit offers secure Web
transactions and document transfers for the Macintosh.

26 ->  ****Web Frenzy in San Francisco -- At least one thousand hopefuls
who wanted to get into WebInnovation, a conference devoted to the latest
in Web programming, had to be turned away, according to Interactive
Marketing Communications, of Capistrano Beach, CA, the conference
producer.

27 ->  ****Spindler Demos Apple's Pippin Through TV Screen -- Critics
call them dumb terminals, while supporters say they are the "next wave"
of computing. This week Apple's chief executive officer (CEO), Michael
Spindler, demonstrated Pippin, a multimedia computer which uses a
television to display content.

28 -> C/net's New Banner Ad Tool -- A computer network of a different
kind is bringing to the Internet's World Wide Web a new technology that
allows advertisers to target customers demographically and deliver
specialized advertising to them. C/net's new technology is called DREAM,
or Delivery of Real-Time Electronic Advertising.

29 -> EC's Investigation Of Teledesic Project -- The European Commission
(EC) has announced it is investigating "all possible consequences" of
the award of satellite frequencies to Teledesic Corporation, the
US-based company which plans to transmit Internet services via
satellite.

30 ->  ****UK Jailings After ATM Card Cloners Caught Red-Handed -- A
father and his son were jailed this week for, respectively, four and two
years, after the pair were caught "red-handed" with more than 200 forged
ATM (automated teller machine) cards in their pockets while visiting
Kings Lynn, a city in the East of England.

(Ian Stokell/19951206)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD



Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
12/05/95
TELECOM
Latinos Have New Way To Call Collect

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(MSP)(00001)
Latinos Have New Way To Call Collect 12/05/95
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 5 (NB) -- In launching its
first 800 collect calling number, Sprint (NYSE:FON) has decided
to market the service directly to the Latino market. The program
and the number, called 1-800-A-TU-CASA, can be used by people who
speak either Spanish or English via bilingual prompts, Sprint
officials told Newsbytes.

Saying that 27 million people in the US are in the Latino market,
and the size of the market has grown five times faster than the general
population, Juanada Teas, Sprint spokesperson, told Newsbytes the
Latino market has specific needs her company is trying to meet. "It
is a segment of the population we think is important, she said."

Sprint officials quoted a 1995 Hispanic Infosource study which said
one in seven Latinos had placed collect calls within the 30 days
preceding the study.

As far as 1-800-A-TU-CASA goes, Teas said the plan is "cheaper than
other 800 collect calling plans that are out there" in any language.
Customers can call the 800 number from anywhere in the US, and
can save up to 28 percent off of standard operator assisted collect
calls, Sprint officials said, based on an average AT&T 10 standard
collect call.

"Tu casa" means "your house" in Spanish, Teas told Newsbytes.

Sprint has developed other services for the Latino market, officials
said. One of the company's customer service lines is manned by Spanish
speaking operators, billing can be handled in Spanish, and a special
Spanish Foncard calling card is available. Sprint also offers an
international calling plan, called Acercate Siempre, which provides
customers one per-minute rate varying by country for worldwide calling.
Rates for Acercate Siempre change only within two 12-hour time periods.
The domestic rate structure for calling is the same as other customer
plans -- 10 cents a minute for evening calls from 7pm to 7am.

(Bob Woods/19951204/Press Contacts: Juanada Teas, Sprint, 202-828-
7426; Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Public
Contact: Sprint, 800-A-TU-CASA)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/05/95
ONLINE
NetManage's Free Windows NT Web Browser Over Internet

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LON)(00002)
NetManage's Free Windows NT Web Browser Over Internet 12/05/95
GUILDFORD, SURREY, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 5 (NB) -- NetManage says it is
offering a free Windows NT World Wide Web browser across the Internet.
The package, known as WebSurfer, is billed as being 16-bit or 32-bit
capable and, according to Karen Thomas, a spokesperson for the company,
is a full HTML (hypertext markup language) 3.0 application designed
for corporate networks.

In use, the package supports in-line video, true speech (the phase one
implementation of digital simultaneous voice & data), real audio,
custom menus bars, hierarchical hotlists, and off-line caching.

"NetManage is determined to carve out a significant slice of the
Internet market, which is why we're offering this Windows NT browser
free of charge on the Internet," Thomas told Newsbytes, adding that
the browser will be available free of charge indefinitely.

WebSurfer NT is available to anyone accessing the NetManage home page
at http://www.netmanage.com . Even if readers of Newsbytes do not run
Windows NT, the home pages are worth checking out, as they contain a
wealth of information about NetManage, its products and the Internet
generally.

Willie Tejada, vice president of product marketing with NetManage,
said that the Internet user community has adopted Web browsers as a
de facto interface to the Internet. This is fine, he claims, but most
browsers were designed for the novice and cost under $50, providing
the user with only basic navigation tools.

"WebSurfer bridges the gap between novice and power browser users by
providing advanced Web tools for sharing and communicating information
in voice, graphics and video across the corporate network, otherwise
known as the Intranet," he said.

According to Tejada, WebSurfer is free to any company that needs a
powerful Web browser as part of their Intranet systems. "For more
advanced publishing and videoconferencing capabilities, customers
can purchase the company's Chameleon desktop package," he said.

In use, WebSurfer supports HTML 3.0 and allows users to view even the
most advanced Web pages, including foreground and background colors,
plus multimedia applications. Since the package has a menu bar, it
allows users instant access to word processing, graphics and
spreadsheet applications. The browser will work at speeds of up to
128,000 bits-per-second (bps), which NetManage claims makes it deal
for use over ISDN (integrated services digital network) links.

For Windows NT users without Web access, Newsbytes notes that
WebSurfer can be accessed by ftp-ing to NetManage's ftp service at
ftp.netmanage.com/pub/demos/websurfer/web16.exe for the 16-bit version
of the software, or ftp.netmanage.com/pub/demos/websurfer/web32.exe
for the 32-bit version.

(Steve Gold/19951204/Press & Reader Contact: NetManage,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/05/95
TRENDS
Wales Emerging As Multimedia Center

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00003)
Wales Emerging As Multimedia Center 12/05/95
CARDIFF, WALES, 1995 DEC 5 (NB) -- Last week saw the first of what
could well become an annual event, the M2 = Multimedia show and
conference. Hosted at the BBC Wales Studio in Cardiff, the event aimed
to show delegates and exhibition goers what multimedia could do in a
practical sense.

According to Shan Ekin Wood, a spokesperson for the Welsh Development
Agency (WDA), the two sides of the event -- the conference and the
exhibition -- married together well. "It's a little to early to say
exactly whether there will be a similar event next year, but we would
expect there to be an event late next year," she told Newsbytes.

Leon Flexman, another spokesperson for the WDA, was more forthcoming.
He told Newsbytes that, although this first event was very much
explorative, he expects to see the event turning into an annual series,
subject to agreement from the main sponsors, the WDA, BBC Cymru Wales,
and British Telecom (BT).

"Cardiff and Wales generally is turning into something of a hotspot as
regards multimedia and information technology (IT). Twenty-three percent
of the UK's teleworkers (telecommuters) are based in Wales, and there
is a terrific communications infrastructure," he said.

The one-day event, which took place in Cardiff last Wednesday, was
opened by the Right Honorable William Hague, MP (Member of Parliament)
Secretary of State for Wales. Appropriately enough, Hague's address
was given virtually, live by video link from Westminister in London.

"I see in place all the necessary pre-conditions for Wales to become
a very leading player in the new information world," he said, adding
that it is important that "we" build on these foundations.

"If we do, then I believe the information revolution has a lot to
offer Wales. It can bring more high tech industries. It can enable a
further flowering of the creative skills we already possess, and
importantly, it can offer a possibility of more equal economic growth
between rural and urban areas," he said.

Also opening the conference were: Robin Lewis, deputy chairman of the
WDA; Bob Phillis, deputy director general of the BBC; and, via a
video link, Ian Taylor, Minister for Science & Technology.

Commenting on the conference, Robin Lewis, deputy chairman of the
WDA, said that the event "focuses on the important and rapidly
expanding area of multimedia and aims to demonstrate the business
benefits of the latest technological advances, whilst raising the
profile of Wales as a leading location for multimedia activities."

(Steve Gold/19951204/Press Contact: Hill & Knowlton, [phone];
Reader Contact: Welsh Development Agency, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/05/95
TELECOM
UK Cellphone Dealer Imposes Subscriber Bill Limit

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00004)
UK Cellphone Dealer Imposes Subscriber Bill Limit 12/05/95
RICHMOND, SURREY, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 5 (NB) -- Cellphones Direct, an
off-the-page mail-order phone selling company, has imposed a limit of
UKP50 on customer's monthly phone bills in order to reduce the level
of bad debts and fraud.

According to the London-based firm, if subscribers want to exceed the
UKP50 monthly limit on calls, they must lodge a deposit with the
company which is released at the end of the contract.

According to the phone dealer, the limit is mainly aimed at the
potential fraud problem associated with GSM (global system for mobile
communications) phones which allow roaming into Europe and beyond,
since the high cost of diverting calls, as well as the international
calls generated from such roaming, result in high bills.

The UKP50 monthly call limit is being imposed on new and existing
subscribers from February onwards. In a letter mailed out to
subscribers, the company wrote: "The purpose of the limit is not only
to protect you against the consequences of theft, unauthorized usage
and so on, but also to protect us from giving unlimited credit. Your
phone will be set up with a call charge limit of UKP50 a month...should
your current requirements be likely to exceed this sum, we will be
pleased to extend your monthly limit by whatever amount you wish to
deposit with us."

Industry watchers claim that the letter illustrates the extent to
which the cellular phone industry is being affected by bad debt and
fraud. It also illustrates the idea that the industry has failed to
convey to subscribers the true costs associated with owning or using a
mobile phone, experts note.

Dave Danielli, a spokesman for Vodafone, the cellular network operator
for which Cellphones Direct acts as an agent, told Newsbytes that the
dealer is being very upfront about the arrangement.

"Peoples Phone (a UK service provider) has always advertised that it
offers subscribers a monthly credit limit to prevent fraud or
excessive bills arriving on the doormat. Although the Cellphones
Direct announcement is packaged a bit differently, it amounts to the
same thing," he said.

Danielli went on to say that he was aware of customers with accounts
through Cellphones Direct who are not affected by the UKP50 limit,
nor do they need to lodge a deposit to exceed this limit. "For
customers with a proven track record, credit limits are not a
problem," he said.

Despite Vodafone's claims, Cellphones Direct has attracted some
considerable publicity in the UK media over the apparent blanket
imposition of the monthly credit limit. Danielli dismissed the media
reports so far, claiming that the story, from the point of Peoples
Phone have imposed limits since day one several years ago, is
effectively an old one.

"The situation is like it is with all cellular service providers and
their representatives. In order to ensure free and unrestricted use of
the mobile while roaming, subscribers must discuss the matter with
their service provider," he told Newsbytes.

(Steve Gold/19951204/Press & Reader Contact: Cellphones Direct,
[phone]; Vodafone [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/05/95
TELECOM
Sweden's Ericsson Developing Dual-Band Mobile Phone

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00005)
Sweden's Ericsson Developing Dual-Band Mobile Phone 12/05/95
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 5 (NB) -- Ericsson has confirmed
European media reports that it is developing a new generation of
digital mobile phones that will work on both GSM (global system for
mobile communications) and PCN (personal communications network)
services, operating, respectively, at 900 megahertz (MHz) and
1,800 MHz.

According to Jan Ahrenbring, a spokesperson for the company, the move
makes Ericsson the first major supplier to commit to developing such a
phone. Work has already started on a new cellular phone chipset that
will allow the dual-band phone to be supplied in the same casing as
the company's popular PH/EH337 GSM and PCN handsets.

Plans call for the DH337 handset to ship in mid-1997 and be capable of
intelligent roaming between GSM and PCN services, even in the same
country. The idea behind the phone, officials claim, is that it will
give mobile operators greater flexibility in network and service
planning.

Ericsson claims that the dual-band phone, providing roaming agreements
are in place between networks, will allow new entrants to the PCN
market to offer their network services to subscribers, safe in the
knowledge that, where their PCN service is unavailable, subscribers
will still be able to make and receive calls by roaming to the GSM
networks.

As well as offering something of a leg up for PCN services, which have
yet to implement inter-country roaming on a commercial base anywhere
in the world, Ericsson claims that a dual-mode phone also offers a
lifeline for GSM networks, many of whom may soon experience congestion
in cities where too many subscribers are chasing too few frequencies.

PCN services are currently operational, or are being established, in
France, Germany, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Switzerland, the UK.
Many more countries, Ericsson claims, are in the process of bringing
PCN licenses out, and Ericsson claims it is discussing the dual band
phone with several of its customer networks.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951204/Press Contact: Per Bengtsson, Ericsson
Business Area Communications, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
12/05/95
GOVT
Denmark Working To Liberalize Telecoms Market

(NEWS)(GOVT)(LON)(00006)
Denmark Working To Liberalize Telecoms Market 12/05/95
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK, 1995 DEC 5 (NB) -- Tele Danmark, the state
telecoms agency of Denmark, has announced that the Government has laid
down the ground plans for liberalizing Denmark's telecoms industry.
The announcement comes at a time when telecoms watchers were starting
to worry that Denmark may not achieve the mandatory free market
deadline of January 1, 1998, that the European Commission has imposed
on member governments.

In a statement to the press, Tele Danmark claims that the agreement
between the Government and itself, as well as other "interested parties"
will allow the country to have free market operation in the telecoms
sector by July of 1996, a clear 18 months ahead of the EC mandate.

According to the Danish Government, the agreement allows for all
Danish citizens to have equal access to basic telephone services at
stated maximum pricing levels, no matter where in Denmark they are
located. This basic rule is something that the EC has laid down in its
telecoms mandates to member governments, Newsbytes notes.

The main stumbling block that prevented the Danish Government from
announcing the planned liberalization of its telecoms markets before
now, and in line with EC guidelines, was the fact that the concession
fee payable by Tele Danmark has only just been waived, as outlined in
the Danish Government's budget plans for next year.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951204/Press & Reader Contact: Tele Danmark
Marketing, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/05/95
ONLINE
 ****MAID's Online Database/Internet Integration

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LON)(00007)
 ****MAID's Online Database/Internet Integration 12/05/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 5 (NB) -- MAID (the Marketing Analysis
Information Database) has announced it has cracked the technical
challenge of interfacing its online business databases with the
Internet. According to Paula Feery, a spokesperson for the company,
while many other online database services have a presence on the
Internet, there is no integration between the service and the World
Wide Web pages.

"Those services that do have a presence on the Web rarely have more
than a home page. What MAID has done is to integrate its business
database services with the Web pages, and plans to offer these
services across the Internet," she told Newsbytes.

While the technical issues of integrating what Feery claims are two
disparate online environments have been licked, MAID is still working
on what tariffs to impose on subscribers. Current levels of tariffs
range from UKP5,995 a year for a company with an unlimited number of
users, down to UKP99 per month for a company with four users.

"Tariffs are still being worked out, but the company is previewing the
service -- to prove that it's technically possible -- at the Online
Information 95 show in London, which opens today," Feery explained.
he added that MAID claims it is the first online database provider to
develop such a high level of integration.

Plans call for MAID to use Netscape SSL facilities to allow secure
payment transactions across the Internet. The company has signed an
agreement with Netscape Communications to use Netscape Navigator as
its recommended browser of choice for its subscribers.

MAID is calling its Internet database service "Profound for the
Internet," fitting the service into its "Profound for Business" portfolio
of database services. Plans also call for the service to be offered on
a gateway basis on Microsoft Network (MSN), again, once tariffs can be
agreed upon.

As reported previously by Newsbytes, shares in MAID rocketed in August
from their normally placid 160 pence to a high of 228 pence, before
falling back to a steady 220 pence. The share surge came after the
business information service announced an IP (information provider)
deal with Microsoft for MSN.

During the year to December, 1994, MAID turned in a pre-tax profit of
UKP1.3 million on a turnover of UKP8.9 million. The company was
floated in the London Stock Exchange in 1994 and now has 168 employees
with an estimated value of UKP280 million.

Feery told Newsbytes that the days of per-minute charges that MAID
used to impose on its subscribers in the early 1990s have given way
to a flat-rate monthly charge, as detailed.

"The addition of access via the Internet is quite a major one for
MAID, which is why we've announced it in time for the Online
Information 95 show," she explained.

Further details on the MAID Profound for Internet service can be
found on MAID's new Internet pages at http//www.profound.com .

(Steve Gold/19951204/Press Contact: Nick Hewer, Michael Joyce PR,
[phone]; Reader Contact: MAID, tel [phone],
fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/05/95
GOVT
French Govt Prepares Way For France Telecom Sell-Off

(NEWS)(GOVT)(LON)(00008)
French Govt Prepares Way For France Telecom Sell-Off 12/05/95
PARIS, FRANCE, 1995 DEC 5 (NB) -- The French Government has confirmed
plans to sell off a significant stake -- possibly as much as 49
percent -- of France Telecom, in order to meet the European Commission's
(EC) mandatory plans to liberalize all telecoms services by January 1,
1998.

Confirming outline plans made in Washington last Thursday by Francois
Fillon, the French Telecoms Minister, the Government has said that the
sell-off, which will take place later in 1996, will pave the way for
the approval of the Atlas joint venture between France Telecom and
Deutsche Telekom by the EC.

Fillon was in the US last week to explain to the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) that France is prepared to meet the US
on its request for free market competition in France before it gives
clearance for the buy-in to Sprint.

As reported previously by Newsbytes, EC officials have already
expressed concern that the deal between the two European telecoms
operations, which calls for them to take a joint 20 percent stake in
Sprint in the US, may go against monopolistic legislation, and may be
detrimental to EC telecoms consumers.

The $4.2 billion deal will see the creation of a joint venture company,
to be known as Phoenix, and also calls for both European companies to
offer voice and data services to major corporations, especially in the
international market.

As part of the Atlas deal, both the French and German telecoms
companies have also agreed to work with the EC on proposals to
liberalize their own country's cable TV industries, despite the fact
that no formal date for the liberalization has been set by the EC.

Industry experts suggested that this agreement to look at cable TV
market liberalization may be part of a private and informal agreement
between Karel van Miert, the EC's anti-competition Minister and the
two telcos, in order to get the Atlas deal past the European regulators.

In a prepared statement issued in June of this year, Van Miert warned
both telecoms companies that the proposed deal was not acceptable
under EC anti-trust law, as it then currently stood.

Van Miert's announcement came soon after France Telecom and Deutsche
Telekom announced preliminary plans to work together when offering
voice and data services to major corporations in the international
telecoms arena. As with other deals of this type, the Atlas project
must gain EC and FCC approval if it is to be allowed to proceed.

According to French newspaper reports, Fillon has told the FCC that
between 20 and 49 percent of France Telecom will be sold off to
investors by the end of 1996.

The announcement comes at a highly turbulent period, both for the
French Government and France Telecom. An escalating series of strikes,
which have now been running for a week, have paralyzed physical
communications within France, as trains and buses have stopped,
causing chaos and gridlocks on French roads. Now France Telecom
workers have voted to join the growing public sector strike.

Newsbytes also notes that French trade unions representing France
Telecom's 150,000-plus workers have already threatened a major strike
if the Government goes ahead with privatization places for the
telecoms company. A confrontation over and above the current strike
between the Government and France Telecom's workers now looks
inevitable.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951204/France Telecom, tel [phone],
fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/05/95
TELECOM
Consultant Sees Electric Utilities-Telecom Convergence

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(WAS)(00009)
Consultant Sees Electric Utilities-Telecom Convergence 12/05/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 DEC 5 (NB) -- An "elision of the
electric business and the information and communications
businesses" is on the way, former Illinois utility regulator
Philip O'Connor told a joint federal-state meeting on electric
restructuring yesterday.

This convergence among industries once seen as very different "is
a very big development," said O'Connor, now a consultant with the
Palmer Bellevue firm, and will "determine the winners and losers"
as competition comes to markets in both industries. The hybrid
that will result from this strange marriage, said O'Connor, is
the "electricom industry."

What do electric utilities bring to the telecommunications
industry? Plenty, says O'Connor. Among other things, electric
utilities have an infrastructure in place that already reaches
more people than the telephone. It consists of towers, poles,
conduit, buildings, wires, and fiber optic networks built for
internal use but with gobs of additional capacity. He notes that
five utilities -- Baltimore Gas & Electric, Houston Industries,
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, SCANA Corp. and Tampa
Electric -- are already leasing excess fiber capacity.

Utilities also have rights-of-way in high density urban markets
that are useful to telcos, and particularly useful to personal
communications systems companies. The energy utilities also have
a competitive rural facilities network that positions them well
for the future, O'Connor told the joint Department of
Energy-National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners
Monday.

And while utilities don't have the knowledge and skill base in
the technologies that the telecommunications companies possess,
they have other skills that are missing among the telcos --
maintenance experience, outage repair, regulatory permit
acquisition, and power engineering. They also have, in some case,
brand loyalty they can exploit with customers, an asset many of
the telecommunications providers also share.

The opportunities that telecommunications offers utilities are
significant, said O'Connor. They include enhanced customers
services such as real-time pricing, automated billing and
collection, and taping into customer appliances for information
and control. Another opportunity is for new revenue sources for
an industry that has seen slow growth at best over the last
decade. These new revenue generators could include Internet
access, telephony, cable or wireless TV, offering meter reading
for other utilities such as gas, water or sewer, home and
business security services, distance learning, and telemedicine.

It's important to act soon, O'Connor said, and the perils of not
taking action are great. Those who wait will become commodity
suppliers only, not providers of value-added services. The
information services provider will own the value-added
equipment, including set top boxes, advanced meters and the
like. And the information provider could well decide to become a
competitor in providing electricity. "AT&T has significant brand
equity" and could be out to eat the conventional power utility's
lunch, he said.

(Kennedy Maize/19951205)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/05/95
ONLINE
Hong Kong Made Sprint Internet Hub

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(HKG)(00010)
Hong Kong Made Sprint Internet Hub 12/05/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 DEC 5 (NB) -- US Sprint has announced the
expansion of high speed Internet service by making Hong Kong, Tokyo,
and Sydney regional hubs.

In theory, this should offer Asian users a faster and cheaper connection
to the global Internet. The hubs join seven others -- in London, Paris,
Stockholm, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Johannesburg, and Amman -- supporting
28 countries outside the US where Sprint currently offers high-speed
access to the global Internet.

As a result, Sprint now boasts it is the world's largest provider of
global Internet connectivity. In the past, the dependence on US circuits
has created data "logjams" and increased cost.

"Concentration of global Internet traffic in and through the United
States has led to a situation in which Internet traffic has become
increasingly congested -- it has become a little like having all the
world's air traffic routed exclusively via New York's JFK airport in
the United States," said William Blessing, vice president of Strategic
Development and Planning for Sprint.

"We have now transformed the pattern of global Internet traffic outside
the United States through our commitment to invest and build the
equivalent for the Internet of 10 international airport hubs."

What it means for customers whose Internet service provider (ISP) uses
the Sprint service, in theory, is that international access will be
through the regional Internet center closest to their "cyber" destination.
Sprint's international Internet centers are interconnected through
national and regional gateways known as "peering" points, such as the
Hong Kong Internet Exchange (HKIX) in Asia, and the London Internet
Exchange (LINX) in Europe.

In the past, Internet traffic originating outside of the United States,
but destined for non-US Internet hosts, often had to travel across the
US Internet before being handed off to international host destinations.

(Joel McCormick & I.T. Daily/19951205)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/05/95
TRENDS
Asia Faces Skills Shortage

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(HKG)(00011)
Asia Faces Skills Shortage 12/05/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 DEC 5 (NB) -- Asia's information technology (IT)
industry faces a skills shortage. That was the bleak message US-based
Compuware couldn't conceal as it announced it was launching its own Asian
operations with offices opening in Hong Kong and Singapore.

Ranked by US-based Computer Business Review as the world's ninth largest
independent software company, Compuware (1994 revenues US$531 million)
had been distributing its application development tools through
Singapore-based Executive Computing.

According to Steve Scheidt, vice president of international operations,
the company was so impressed with its sales performance in the region --
which still might have been three times better, if it weren't for
staffing problems -- that it took its distributorship back by buying
Executive Computing. "It was in our customers' best long-term interest
that we make a direct investment in Asia," he said.

While the local client roster glistens with blue bloods -- Citibank,
Standard Chartered Bank, Bank of China, and Hongkong Telecom among
them -- Scheidt admitted he was worried about the future, saying: "We
see our growth being limited by staffing, not demand."

Compuware targets client-server installations linked to mainframes.
Finding critical MVS experience is the problem, he said. "We've been
in Japan for four or five years and we hope we've learned from that --
but there was a problem with staffing.

"You can sell what you want, but without the staff to support it, you'll
only get in trouble," said Scheidt. He said the big job ahead was
getting training going and building up a bigger pool of expertise
in the MVS and client-server area.

"There's no doubt it's a bigger challenge in the short-term here in Asia.
I'm not saying it isn't a problem in the US, but it's bigger here,"
Scheidt said.

The skills problem is exacerbated by the differences in market needs.
Hong Kong is apparently more interested in latest technologies, S
while Singapore, on the other hand, wants traditional software development
tools. Hong Kong has an added dimension. While it accelerates on a
client-server track, China, which it is theoretically converging with,
is hidebound on mainframes.

Concerning China, Scheidt said, "We'll be more careful there -- we want
to build good solid relationships and guarantee our payments. We'll
approach it differently to other vendors," he said. "Because of this,
and the skills thing, it's difficult to estimate growth in China."

At present, the Asian region accounts for 10% of the company's revenues.
Scheidt says it ought to be closer to 30%. Plans are afoot for training
staff, initially by bringing expatriates in to do much of the
preliminary work.

(Joel McCormick & I.T. Daily/19951205)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
12/05/95
EDUCATION
China - Exhibition Links College Software To Applications

(NEWS)(EDUCATION)(PEK)(00012)
China - Exhibition Links College Software To Applications 12/05/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 DEC 5 (NB) -- The First Exhibition of Academically
Developed Software was held recently in Beijing to display software
developed by Chinese universities and colleges. It was sponsored by the
State Education Commission to the promote development and application of
software by academic institutions.

Software from about 40 Chinese universities and colleges was displayed,
and more than 100 agreements were reached for inter-college cooperation
in software development.

The three-day exhibition allowed participating colleges and universities
to exchange information and experiences regarding software development.
More exhibitions and seminars will be held regularly in the future,
said Wei Yu, vice director of the State Education Commission.

The exhibition is also seen as a showcase for academically developed
software to find practical applications. Colleges and universities
should join hands to develop more software that can be sold in both
domestic and overseas markets, Wei noted.

Over 400 products were displayed, including software systems for
education and management, computer-aided design, computer-aided
management systems, process control technology, databases, and
multimedia.

One successful example of such an application going commercial is the
fingerprint identification computer program developed by Beijing
University. In the first three quarters of this year, the software
was used in public security departments in Shanghai and other
places to track down 20 criminal suspects

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951205)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/05/95
GENERAL
Asia Newsbriefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00013)
Asia Newsbriefs 12/05/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 DEC 5 (NB) -- In this roundup of news from around
Asia: South Korea - Satellite communications firm established; China -
Seiko-Epson to open plant; Singapore - Networld+Interop 97 planned;
Thailand - Satellite project approved; Malaysia - Stock exchange info
coming to Internet.

South Korea - Satellite Communications Firm Established

Three companies -- Korea Telecom, Samsung Electronics, and Shinsegi
Telecom -- will jointly form a satellite communications company that
will handle regional use of a forthcoming mobile telephone system
being established by Inmarsat, the International Maritime Satellite
Organization. The new company, Korea Satellite Mobile Telecom, will be
established in February, 1996, and capitalized at 18.96 billion won
($24.7 million). The Inmarsat system, named Project 21, will launch 12
low earth orbiting (LEO) satellites to provide global mobile telephone
coverage.

China - Seiko-Epson To Open Plant

Japan's Seiko-Epson has announced it will open a plant in Suzhou,
Shanghai province, China to produce liquid crystal displays (LCDs) for
use in laptop computers and other devices. The company said it hopes
production to begin sometime next year at its new 130,000 square-meter
facility.

Singapore - Networld+Interop 97 Planned

Japan-based Softbank has said it will hold a Singapore version
of its Networld+Interop exhibition from April 7 to 11 next year. The
exhibition will be held at Singapore International Convention &
Exhibition Center and will be the first regional exhibition in the
series in an ASEAN country. The latest in enterprise-wide network
technology will be deployed through the InteropNet, the world's
largest event-oriented multiprotocol, multivendor network. The
system will supply all attendees with a full-scale networking and
interoperability platform.

Thailand - Satellite Project Approved

The Thai cabinet last week approved the expansion of the country's
links to the international satellite network to keep up with growing
demands for communications links. The project, valued at around 2.34
billion bhat will result in the construction of a new earth station in
Ubonrachathani, north-eastern Thailand, and expansion of the current
earth station in Nonthaburi province. The links will be extensively
used during the Asian Games which are scheduled to be held in Thailand
in 1998.

Malaysia - Stock Exchange Info Coming To Internet

The Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE) has signed an agreement with
Singapore's Sembawang Media to provide KLSE market information on the
Internet. Sembawang's subsidiary Information Frontiers will offer an
information service comprising online stock quotes and news.

(Martyn Williams/19951205)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/05/95
ONLINE
Internet Update

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00014)
Internet Update 12/05/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 DEC 5 (NB) -- In this roundup of new services and
resources on the global Internet: The Big Book of Alcoholics
Anonymous; LA CybrPORT; The illustration and cartoon gallery in Japan;
African information database; Royal Australian Air Force; New
multi-search engine; Temperature explained; Campbell Soup Company;
United News & Media; Go2 - The Guardian Online.

Pick Of The Day - The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous

An excellent, searchable, database and online series of books
published by Alcoholics Anonymous. The Big Book of AA is here,
complete, plus a selection of personal stories and links of other
related online resources.
World Wide Web: http://www.global.org/bigbook/

LA CybrPORT

These Web pages are advertised as "a fast minimal online guide to Los
Angeles & the World Wide Web." Newsbytes found the opening pages just
weird but once you get down to the real information it succeeds in
providing comprehensive links to all things Los Angeles on the Web.
Users with no graphics ability will find this one difficult to use.
World Wide Web: http://cybrport.com/

The Illustration & Cartoon Gallery In Japan

Three Japanese artists -- Mitsuru Ebina, Machiko Takaya and Hiroyuki
Ito -- are just concluding an exhibition in Shinjuku, Tokyo, but their
Internet exhibition continues. The artists' illustrations, cartoons,
and pictures for picture books are online.
World Wide Web: http://homebase.axes.co.jp/ETI/

African Information Database

The MBendi pages are an encyclopedia of information on Africa and
the African oil industry for use by the international business person,
traveler, and investor. In addition to the industry data, the Web site
features sections covering the countries, people, organizations, and
companies that make up Africa.
World Wide Web: http://mbendi.co.za/mbendi/index.htm

Royal Australian Air Force

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) home page is now available.
Pages are dedicated to its recruiting and study program and the RAAF
museum at Point Cook. Air Force news is also online as the RAAF builds
up to its 75th anniversary next year plus a calendar of celebratory
events planned.
World Wide Web: http://www.adfa.oz.au/DOD/RAAF/

New Multi-Search Engine

A new multi-search engine has debuted. Savvy Search will
simultaneously search 19 search engines that cover the World
Wide Web, Gopher, Usenet, and FTP sites.
World Wide Web: http://guaraldi.cs.colostate.edu:2000/

Temperature Explained

A great introduction to physical concepts of temperature,
thermometers, scales, heat, thermodynamics, kinetic theory, and
thermal radiation. Be patient because the whole thing is on one Web
page over 30 kilobytes in size.
World Wide Web: http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/staff/blynds/tmp.html

Campbell Soup Company

Just in time for the winter, a new Web site from the people at
Campbell Soups that includes a searchable database of recipes and tips
of how to plan meals. The site makes very good use of graphics and all
the pages look good.
World Wide Web: http://www.campbellsoups.com/

United News & Media Sites

The United News & Media group has a Web page offering links to all its
publications online, including Unix Review, Microsoft Systems Journal,
Embedded Systems Programming, Computer Security Weekly, and
many more computer and non-computer related titles.
World Wide Web: http://www.unm.com/

Go2 - The Guardian Online

Every Thursday, The Guardian newspaper in London publishes its Online
section with the latest in computer, Internet, and science news. The
section is now on the Internet with editorial and features, plus all
the jobs advertisements from the section.
World Wide Web: http://go2.guardian.co.uk/

(Martyn Williams/19951205)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
12/05/95
ONLINE
Internet Operators Work To Inter-Connect Asia

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00015)
Internet Operators Work To Inter-Connect Asia 12/05/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 DEC 5 (NB) -- In Asia the Internet is hot. New
service providers and online services are coming online every week,
with recent entrants including Cable & Wireless in Japan, China
Internet, a Beijing backed service for Hong Kong, and Singapore's new
Asian Connection online service.

As the popularity and use increases, the major network operators are
now racing to link up Asian countries to handle the demand.

Currently, most Internet traffic travels out of each country to the
United States where it is routed on to its destination, whether that be
in North America, Europe, back to Asia, or anywhere else in the world.

The current situation is summed up well by William Blessing, vice
president of Strategic Development and Planning for Sprint
International, a unit of the Sprint telecommunications company.
"Concentration of global Internet traffic in and through the United
States has led to a situation in which Internet traffic has become
increasingly congested -- it has become a little like having all the
world's air traffic routed exclusively via New York's JFK airport in
the United States," he explained.

Expensive trans-Pacific lines are now getting busy, but the new
networks will keep Asian traffic within Asia, thus cutting down traffic
significantly. For each inter-Asian message, two will be cut off the
Pacific lines -- one going out and one coming back.

First to announce plans was Asia Internet Holding, a consortium of
four leading companies that will build an Internet backbone network
between the three respective countries. The members are Japan's
Sumitomo Corporation, Internet Initiative Japan (IIJ), Pacific
Internet of Singapore, and Hong Kong Supernet.

The group has christened its new network the A-Bone and will consist
of a distributed hub with Tokyo as the main network hub. From Tokyo,
high speed T3 (45 megabits-per-second) links to the US, and Singapore
and Hong Kong will carry traffic throughout the region and onto the
rest of the Internet.

America's AT&T communications company has also decided to expand its
Internet involvement in Asia. It currently operates subsidiary AT&T
Jens Corp., providers of the SPIN Internet connection network in Japan

The new AT&T network already links Hong Kong and Japan and will soon
expand to Australia. It also includes links to the AT&T Worldnet
Internet services that are operating in North America and Europe.

Another company that is upgrading an existing network is Sprint, a
big competitor of AT&T, and operator of the massive global computer
network, Sprintnet. The company has just announced a global backbone
network with ten major hubs, including Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Sydney in
Asia.

All of Sprint's inter-Asian traffic will now travel to Hong Kong where
it will pass through the Hong Kong Internet Exchange, an Internet
peering site.

"Sprint's Internet customers in Hong Kong wishing to access Web sites
in London and Japan will now be able to avoid the United States
Internet, as their traffic is routed via Global SprintLink to Sprint's
London and Tokyo Internet centers," said Braham Singh, managing
director, ASEAN and Hong Kong Operations at Sprint International.

Britain's Cable & Wireless, a company with large interests in Asia,
is expanding its operations even further. Two weeks ago the company
launched an Internet connection service for companies in Japan and
last week announced the establishment of a global Internet backbone.

Many Internet users will be familiar with PSI, a US-based Internet
access and backbone provider. PSI currently counts one Asian
subsidiary, PSI Japan, but it too is expanding its reach, first of
all into South Korea with the new Hansol-PSINet Inc.

CERFnet, another US backbone provider is also planning expansion into
the region as Pushpendra Mohta, director of CERF, told Newsbytes,
"CERFnet's plans for next year include both Europe and Asia. The plans
are in the development stage yet, so firm dates are not available.
Asia is certainly the site of some of the world's hottest emerging
markets and is mostly untapped for Internet access services."

Its not just international links that are expanding either. China has
just announced it will build the country's first Internet backbone,
China Net, across the country. The network will touch down in 30
provinces, providing widespread access to the Internet and a high-speed
path across the nation and worldwide via three planned international
links.

China Net is being built by CTC Communications Development Co. Ltd.,
an affiliated company of the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications,
and AsiaInfo Computer Network Inc., a US-backed networking firm.

All of the work is reminding some network observers of the situation
in Europe just a few years ago when most traffic traveled via the US
east coast and back. Now, several major links traverse the European
continent, but that was much easier to build as most of Europe's
population, and wealth, is concentrated in the central and north
European area.

In Asia, fast growing economies need connection across great distances,
such as those from Japan to Singapore or Hong Kong to Australia. The
build and start-up costs will therefore be higher, but many agree that
once the systems are built, they could see much more use in the future
than links in other regions of the world.

(Martyn Williams/19951205)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/05/95
ONLINE
 ****Compuserve To Allow For Other Web Browser Use

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00016)
 ****Compuserve To Allow For Other Web Browser Use 12/05/95
COLUMBUS, OHIO, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 5 (NB) -- Compuserve said it will
implement an open standards strategy when it comes to its members
using the Internet and the World Wide Web. The online service
announced its subscribers will soon be able to use any Web browser
in connection with its network.

Compuserve said it will be the first online service in the industry
that will allow its members to use any Web browser. "Why should it
matter what glasses you look through" when it comes to viewing the Web,
Jeff Shafer, Compuserve spokesperson, told Newsbytes. "We're not going
to limit what you can do on the service by limiting you to a specific
browser."

As a part of the new Web abilities, Compuserve is launching an online
area called "WebCentral." The new area will have most of the leading
browsers available for downloading, with many being available for free.
"It's going to be the best place to go to online to use the Web,"
Shafer said.

"Over the next year, the Web is going to change in a way that took TV
40 years to change," Shafer told Newsbytes. "It doesn't make any
business sense to say the only way you can look at the Web is the way
we tell you to. If you want to use Netscape, use Netscape. We don't
care. The browser isn't what is important to us, financially. If
you're using Compuserve to look at the Web, that's what we want."

This move also represents Compuserve's commitment to open standards,
Shafer said. What this means is people can look at "their Web, their
way," he said.

Shafer also said, in most cases, the latest version of Web browsers from
specific companies will be available, even if it is in a test, or
"beta" form. In the future, users will also be able to test the latest
Web technologies, including Sun's Java multimedia applets.

Other features of the WebCentral area will include the ability to
obtain technical support and get answers to browser questions, chat
with members and experts about the Web, enter contests and win prizes,
read the latest industry news, and hotlink to related areas on the Web.

WebCentral will be available by Christmas on Compuserve's main service,
and in the first quarter of 1996 on the Web.

(Bob Woods/19951205/Press Contact: Jeff Shafer, Compuserve,
614-538-4632)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
12/05/95
ONLINE
WebInnovation Picks "1000 Most Influential Web Developers"

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SFO)(00017)
WebInnovation Picks "1000 Most Influential Web Developers" 12/05/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 5 (NB) -- Web developers
and users are banging on the doors to get into Interactive Marketing
Communications' (IMC) WebInnovation. Limited to "1,000 of the most
talented Web developers in the world," this show brings them together
with the computer companies leading who are building the road to the Web.

Rick Parkhill, president of IMC from Capistrano Beach, California,
told Newsbytes about his first WebInnovation conference. "There are
hundreds of Web conferences and tradeshows going on all the time, and
they all serve a purpose. But I feel we are on the eve of consumers
truly embracing this phenomena (the World Wide Web). People realize now
that the Web is going to be a mass media and we need to make it happen.
I wanted to bring the most talented and influential people who are
developing the very best of the Web into one conference so they could
network, get new tools, and learn about new technology," said Parkhill.

"We had no idea so many people would want to come. Unfortunately,
because of our commitments to the location, we could not allow more
than 1,000 attendees. We have had hundreds of other people wanting to
join us. Part of the 1,000 is also by design. This is not a show for
companies to come and learn about marketing on the Web or about how
to design a Web page," he said.

"We spent two months researching Web sites to find an elite
group of developers who are, in our estimation, delivering the most
dynamic Web content. What do we want them to get from this show? I
want them to leave here with a new sense of inspiration and a sense
of networking with similar talents," continued Parkhill.

Through earlier work with Silicon Graphics, Parkhill was able to find
sponsorship for WebInnovations. Companies such as Sun Microsystems,
Netscape Communications, Macromedia, Informix, Adobe, Advertising
Age, and others were reportedly "anxious" to join in Parkhill's
conference.

"Two years ago everyone was betting on interactive television as the
super information highway," he continued. "While all the attention, money,
and publications were focusing on interactive TV, this thing called the
Internet and the Web began to grow dynamically. Now, we have learned the
TV and the PC are two different appliances. The sales of PCs have
skyrocketed and it seems people, on the whole, want to have their TVs
and they want to have their computers."

he added: "On that computer side, the World Wide Web is the place where
this mass media will develop. It is still very confusing for a lot of
new users and it is still unchartable in many ways, but we should expect
these elements when an entirely new media is coming to life."

He continued, "Last year, everyone was saying, 'Let's get a URL (uniform
resource locator, or Web address).' The idea was to get on and have a
site. Most of the information was text-based and most of it was about
marketing products in a very static way. Now, we are seeing the
introduction of sound, audio, and animation. As soon as the bandwidth
is larger, we will have video delivered on a wide scale. I am not a
technologist, but I think we are about two years away from delivering
live content, much like television, over the Internet. But, unlike
television, the Web will allow you to interact with the content and
people and to control and change the display."

WebInnovation opened with a keynote address from the creator of Mosaic
and co-founder of Netscape Communications, Marc Andreesen. Today's
event will be highlighted by speaker Tom Jermoluk, president and
chief executive officer of Silicon Graphics.

The conference offers more than 50 sessions based on two tracks: a
Professional Web Content Creation, and a Commercial Web Applications.

What are some of the hot topics at WebInnovation. First and foremost,
it appears to be personal "networking." The WebMasters who have labored
away in anonymity appear to be pleased to meet and share stories with
one another. Second, is a long list of conferences, technologies, and
speeches. A sampling of WebInnovation sessions and technology fair
topics include Sun Microsystems' Java, Macromedia's Shockwave, Netscape's
version 2.0 for Navigator, Progressive Networks' Real Audio, VRML
(virtual reality modeling language) implementation for integrating two-
and three-dimensions, integrating existing databases into the Web,
browser plug-ins, data management, and server technology.

(Patrick McKenna/19951205/Press Contact: Tina Vennegaard, Bender,
Goldman & Helper, 310-473-4147)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
12/05/95
ONLINE
VR World - Using VR To "Build A Car Over The Internet"

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(BOS)(00018)
VR World - Using VR To "Build A Car Over The Internet" 12/05/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 5 (NB) -- When Doug
Schiff couldn't reach a tool he needed to help "build a car," he
simply made himself a bit taller. "The great thing about virtual
reality (VR) is that you can be as tall as you want to be,"
joked Schiff, who is Division Inc.'s VP of marketing, during a
trans-Atlantic presentation, billed as the first demo of
"immersive VR" to be done over the Internet, attended by
Newsbytes at MecklerMedia's Virtual Reality World in Boston.

Schiff and a VR partner known as Pierre, who was situated at the
Computer Graphics Expo in London, began the Internet demo
playfully. As live audiences on both sides of the Atlantic looked
on, the two colleagues exchanged toy birds and other three-
dimensional (3-D) objects. But the second stage of the demo was a
lot more serious, simulating the kinds of VR applications that are
actually going on today at companies like Ford Motor Company and
McDonnell Douglas with the use of Division Inc.'s dVISE and dVS
software.

Schiff told conference attendees and members of the press in
Boston that Division Inc. will soon be releasing its dVISE
"virtual world authoring package" and dVS distributed run-time
software in shrink-wrapped form for Windows 95-based PCs as well
as for Unix workstations from Hewlett-Packard and Silicon
Graphics.

Meanwhile, after "exploring VR since 1991," Ford has purchased
three software licenses for Division's dVISE 3.0 and dVS 3.0 for
use in "human/vehicle interaction" projects, vehicle packaging
studies, and design verification applications at a "major new
facility for developing tools and applications in VR and advanced
visual engineering," according to the marketing VP.

Other companies utilizing Division's VR systems for "virtual
prototyping" include McDonnell Douglas, Bechtel, BRN Europe,
BNFL, GDE Systems, and Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, reported
Schiff. A museum in New Mexico is also a user, he pointed out.

The trans-Atlantic demo at VR World in Boston and the Computer
Graphics Expo in London involved the use of a head-mounted
display and a 3-D "flying mouse," along with two HP workstations,
each attached over a single ISDN (integrated systems digital
network) link connected to the Internet.

Schiff and his overseas colleague Pierre used the
ISDN-to-Internet hook-up to manipulate and exchange virtual
"tools," as well as to discuss their progress in collaboratively
building the virtual car.

The Division exec told the audience in Boston that Division has
conducted previous trade show demos of its "immersive VR" system
in peer-to-peer mode over an Ethernet LAN (local area network),
complete with "3-D sound."

Unlike some other VR environments, he asserted, Division's dVISE
and dVS software are both "fully immersive," meaning that users
can interact with objects in real time, and "fully interactive,"
meaning that models within the environment "respond immediately
to human movement and input."

The dVISE VR authoring environment "requires no programming," and
is capable of reading in CAD (computer-aided design) data files,
contended Schiff. Division Inc., he added, has "not yet found a
ceiling" for the number of users that can be simultaneously
supported by the dVS distributed run-time software, designed to
enable use over the Internet and other networks.

The system has been benchmarked at 15 simultaneous users on a 10
megabits-per-second (Mbps) Ethernet LAN, but there could well be
capacity for more users, according to Schiff. Division Inc. is
planning to add support for both VRML (virtual reality markup
language) and Sun Microsystems' Java.

At Ford, engineers "immersed in the virtual environment" will try
out proposed card dashboard configurations to verify driver
visibility and instrument accessibility, according to the
Division VP. In addition, proposed designs for car trunks till be
tested with "virtual luggage" to determine how much luggage will
fit inside. Ford also intends to deploy networked VR
applications, he noted.

Although VR "has come a long way over the past few years," the
approach "is still in the early adopters phase," Schiff
acknowledged. But once a strong VR "advocate" is found within an
organization, the "response is tremendous," he told the group in
Boston.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951205/Reader and Press Contact: Division
Inc., 919-968-7797; Reader Contact: MecklerMedia, 203-226-6967;
Press Contact: Barry Schwartz, Schwartz Communications for
MecklerMedia, 212-980-3790)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
12/05/95
ONLINE
 ****Silicon Graphics/Sun/Netscape To Merge Web Technologies

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00019)
 ****Silicon Graphics/Sun/Netscape To Merge Web Technologies 12/05/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 5 (NB) -- Silicon
Graphics (NYSE:SGI) said it is teaming with several companies
on different aspects of multimedia Internet World Wide Web content.
The company said it will work with Sun Microsystems (NSADAQ:SUNW)
and Netscape Communications Corp. (NASDAQ:NSCP) to merge certain
three-dimensional (3-D) and multimedia Web interactivity, and
team with Sun and Macromedia to define an open set of multimedia
formats and application programming interfaces (APIs).

With the Silicon Graphics/Sun/Netscape teaming, the three companies
will work to bring together Silicon Graphics' virtual reality modeling
language (VRML), Sun's Java programming language, and Sun and
Netscape's JavaScript. Essentially, each company is endorsing the
other's technology, officials said.

The intent of the efforts is to accelerate the development of both
cross-platform applications and interactive multimedia content to be
used on the Internet or other enterprise networks, officials said.
"By uniting our efforts to jointly define a common 3-D, multimedia
interface, we accelerate the delivery of this exciting new medium,"
said Tom Jermoluk, president and chief operating officer of Silicon
Graphics.

The Silicon Graphics/Sun/Macromedia joint effort will bring open 3-D
extensions to enable developers to create additional enhancements
while maintaining universal access to Web content. One of the primary
technologies that the 3-D extensions will work with is Sun's Java
language. The planned open interface will support both Netscape's
Navigator and Sun's JavaScript. Silicon Graphics will also license
Java from Sun.

All three companies say they believe the new formats and APIs will
"enhance Java's capabilities for providing animation and interactivity,
especially in the area of 3-D rendering and multimedia over the Internet
or corporate networks." Those technologies include the real-time
streaming of audio, video, and 3-D graphics (similar to the RealAudio
system, Newsbytes notes), and videoconferencing.

Both specifications should be published during the first half of 1996,
officials said.

(Bob Woods/19951205/Press Contacts: Virginia Henderson, Silicon
Graphics, 415-390-1306; George Paolini, Sun Microsystems,
415-786-8199; Rosanne Siino, Netscape, 415-528-2619)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/05/95
BUSINESS
Northern Telecom & Cabletron Form Alliance

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00020)
Northern Telecom & Cabletron Form Alliance 12/05/95
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 DEC 5 (NB) -- Northern Telecom Ltd.
(TSE:NTL;NYSE:NT) and Cabletron Systems Inc. (NYSE:CS) have announced
an alliance. The two companies said they will develop and market
integrated communications and network products and services jointly.

Initially, Nortel and Cabletron will join forces to integrate their
existing products and sell each other's equipment, Northern Telecom
spokesman Peter Janecek told Newsbytes. In the future, they may also
develop new products together, but Janecek said there are no plans
definite enough to talk about at the moment.

The alliance will focus on Cabletron's Spectrum for Open Systems network
management software for its MMAC SmartSwitch intelligent hub product
lines and Nortel's Magellan Passport and Meridian 1 product portfolios,
officials said.

Janecek said Northern chose Cabletron for the alliance because
"they're the leading supplier of products in that area."

Besides working together to integrate and sell products, Northern
Telecom and Cabletron also plan to use each other's equipment in their
own operations. Northern said it will incorporate Cabletron's MMAC
intelligent switching hubs and Spectrum software in its own corporate
networks, while Cabletron said it will use Nortel's Meridian and
Magellan Passport products in its networks, and use the Nortel VISIT
desktop videoconferencing technology at its headquarters in Rochester,
New Hampshire.

The companies said the internal networks will serve as proving grounds
to show how merged Northern and Cabletron technology can help the two
firms' customers solve business problems.

(Grant Buckler/19951205/Press Contact: Mitch Gross, Cabletron,
603-337-2060, Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Peter Janecek,
Northern Telecom, 905-566-3279, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/05/95
ONLINE
 ****Macromedia & @Home Team On Fast Internet Multimedia

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LAX)(00021)
 ****Macromedia & @Home Team On Fast Internet Multimedia 12/05/95
SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 5 (NB) -- Macromedia, a
producer of multimedia and digital arts software, and @Home, a provider
of high-speed data to homes via a cable connection to a personal computer,
will work together to provide full multimedia on the World Wide Web.
Using Macromedia's Shockwave for Director and high-speed Internet access
similar to what @Home will be offering beginning with its Spring 1996
launch in Sunnyvale, California, the two companies will use @Home's
multimedia user interface and links to numerous Web sites with live
multimedia content.

The @Home services offer high-speed Internet access delivered via
hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) technology to personal computers. HFC
technology delivers both cable television signals and data over a
combined fiber-optic and coaxial infrastructure. Home is expected to
debut in Sunnyvale in early 1996.

Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, @Home is a joint venture
between Tele-Communications Inc. and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
(KPCB). KPCB venture capital partners have raised over $1 billion in
capital and invested in companies whose total market value exceeds
$43 billion. Tele-Communications Inc. (TCI) is one of the leading
cable television companies in the US.

Kelly Schwager, a spokesperson for @Home, told Newsbytes, "@Home
services will be offered via a high-speed modem attached to the user's
computer. The services are delivered at speeds of 10 million bits per
second, an overwhelming improvement over current dial-up modems.
For example, this connection enables a full range of multimedia
experiences, including rich graphics, CD-quality audio, and real-time
video."

Also speaking to Newsbytes, Norm Meyrowitz, vice president of
multimedia software for Macromedia, said, "Macromedia is all about
high-speed multimedia presentations which, up to now, have been
exclusive to CD-ROM. The Internet pipeline to the consumer through
@Home will be one-hundred times faster than connections through
the telephone wires. With this high-speed broadband connection,
Macromedia will work with Internet providers to provide full
multimedia presentations."

@Home's network will bring a fiber optic line to a nodule in a
neighborhood. Each nodule will serve about 200 homes with direct
coaxial cable links. According to Meyrowitz, the fiber optic cable
delivers the equivalent to 27 T1 lines to the nodule. The 200 homes
would effectively share this huge capacity. "Because not everyone will
be using the network at the same time, this amounts to a T1 line into
every home," said Meyrowitz.

"It's all coming together so fast," said William Randolph Hearst III,
president of @Home. "The ability to see interactive multimedia games,
education and business applications running at high speed on the
Internet opens up a wealth of possibilities for the creative community
and World Wide Web users. Shockwave is going to change the look of the
Web, much as @Home will change the way people access it."

Macromedia and @Home also announced plans to work together on
Shockwave for Director development and on new Java-based tools to
support the authoring of rich multimedia content and applications for
the World Wide Web. @Home will use Shockwave to allow Web publishers,
such as Discovery Channel Online and the Internet Shopping Network,
to create multimedia-rich applications for @Home subscribers.

"What we can do with multimedia on the Internet is amazing," said
Randy Adams, president of the Internet Shopping Network. "We are excited
about Macromedia and @Home providing the platform today and about how
they can continue to evolve this capability given the unique strengths
of both companies."

"Working with @Home enables us to create a testbed today of what most
consumers will experience as commonplace in the next two to three years,"
said Bud Colligan, president of Macromedia. "The high-speed Internet
connections to the home provided by @Home will deliver a significant
difference in the consumer's experience with Web access."

The focus on Macromedia's work with @Home will be for tools optimized
for continuous publishing, high fidelity layout, typographic control
and rich multimedia effects, all using the latest in graphics, video,
animation, sound, three-dimensional graphics, and interactivity.

"What this all comes down to is that we are going to provide, on the
@Home network, all the current multimedia capacity found on CD-ROM's.
The Internet can look and feel like the best CD-ROM," said Meyrowitz.

(Richard Bowers/19951205/Press Contact: Allyson Husted, @Home,
408-764-0760)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/05/95
LEGAL
 ****US West Amends Time Warner Suit, Alleges Secret Deal

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(DEN)(00022)
 ****US West Amends Time Warner Suit, Alleges Secret Deal 12/05/95
ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 5 (NB) -- US West (NYSE: UMG)
has asked a Delaware court to block the proposed merger of Time
Warner and Turner Broadcasting System (TBS). US West said the merger
would, in effect, dismantle the Time Warner Entertainment partnership,
which would adversely impact US West's $2.5 billion investment in
that partnership.

The amended lawsuit also alleges that Time Warner withheld from US
West information about a secret 1991 agreement among Time Warner,
ITOCHU, and Toshiba. The agreement allegedly specifies how any
acquisition of TBS would be handled.

US West alleges that Time Warner, ITOCHU, and Toshiba, the original
partners in Time Warner Entertainment, had agreed that, if Time
Warner acquired a controlling interest in Turner, a new partnership
would be created in which all the partners, including future one,
would participate. If that's correct and if the agreement were to
be ruled binding, US West would have been entitled to a say in the
decision to acquire TBS. US West said the reorganization was
announced without its approval.

US West said under Time Warner's announced reorganization plan,
Robert Daly and Terry Semel, currently co-chief executives at
Warner Brothers, would manage a new entertainment division.
US West claims that would maximize the value to Time Warner Inc.
shareholders, not the partners in Time Warner Entertainment. US
West said Daly and Semel would "divide their loyalties" between
Time Warner Entertainment and Time Warner Inc., to the disadvantage
of US West shareholders.

US West charged in its lawsuit that the agreement was withheld when
it was negotiating to become a partner in Time Warner Entertainment.
The company said it came to light during the exchange of documents
during the discovery process for the original lawsuit, which was
filed in late September.

US West said the secret agreement is consistent with the
understanding it had at the time it entered the partnership that all
partners would have to approve of and could participate in assets
and ventures of the type included in Time Warner Entertainment and
that Time Warner Inc. would not own or operate competing assets
outside of the Time Warner Entertainment partnership.

If the merger goes through, the combined company will offer products
as diverse as: Time, People and Sports Illustrated magazines;
Cable News Network (CNN) and CNN Airport; the Atlanta Braves and
the Atlanta Hawks, professional baseball and basketball teams,
respectively; Six Flags Theme Parks; World Championship Wrestling;
Warner Brothers; TNT; and HBO; as well as the music of the Warner
Music Group. Also included in the package are the cartoon libraries
of Warner Brothers, Looney Tunes, and Hanna-Barbera, and the pre-1948
movie library owned by TBS as well as the current Warner Bros. film
library.

The deal calls for Time Warner Inc. to issue up to 178 million
common shares to acquire TBS. TBS shareholders will receive 3/4 of a
share of Time Warner for each TBS Class A or B common share. Each TBS
Class C preferred holder will get .80 of a Time Warner common share for
each of the 6 shares of Class B common that their Class C preferred
shares are convertible to. The combined companies reported 1994
revenues of $18.7 billion.

The merger would be tax free to TBS shareholders, and TBS would
become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Time Warner Inc. Turner
would become vice chairman of Time Warner and head of the Time
Warner Video Division, and would be able to name two Time Warner
Inc. directors. Turner is expected to be one of those directors.

US West spokesperson Lois Leach told Newsbytes depositions are now
being taken and the court has set a mid-March 1996 hearing. Leach
said the US West lawsuit isn't the only hurdle faced by the Time
Warner partnership. There are reportedly a dozen or more lawsuits
pending, the Federal Trade Commission is looking into the merger and
the deal requires government regulatory agency approval.

(Jim Mallory/19951205/Press contact: Lois Leach, US West,
303-754-6355)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/05/95
LEGAL
Camelot Sues Internet Server Operator

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(DEN)(00023)
Camelot Sues Internet Server Operator 12/05/95
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 5 (NB) -- Camelot Corp.(NASDAQ:CAML)
said its subsidiary -- Third Planet Publishing Inc. -- has filed a
lawsuit against Jeff Pulver, alleging copyright infringement and
misappropriation of trade secrets.

The company alleges Pulver, who runs an IRC server on the Internet,
posted part of the company's proprietary software code on his World
Wide Web page recently. Third Planet Publishing is the publisher of
Digiphone, a software program that allows users to carry on
full-duplex phone conversations over the Internet.

Third Planet's suit seeks a preliminary injunction preventing Pulver
from posting on the Internet or anywhere else Third Planet's
confidential copyrighted information. Additionally, Third Planet is
asking that Pulver disclose the names of persons who accessed his
Internet Web page and downloaded the software. "We want to make
sure that the driver doesn't get disseminated any further without
our knowledge," said Wettreich.

Danny Wettreich, chairman and chief executive officer of Camelot,
told Newsbytes that no specific damages have been requested, but
he estimates damages to the company of in excess of $50,000 on
each of the charges. It's unknown how Pulver obtained the code.

The software, according Third Planet, involves the code that enables
full duplexing, or the ability for both parties to talk at the same
time, on PCs equipped with Soundblaster 16 sound cards. Third
Planet said Pulver acknowledged on his home page that the code was
part of the Digiphone software, but it was nevertheless posted with
an invitation to Internet users to download the code to their
computers.

The company said Pulver has removed the code from the Web page but
refuses to provide a list of users who have downloaded the code.
Wettreich said the company wants to know who downloaded the code
because it is the only full-duplexing sound driver for the
SoundBlaster 16 and can be utilized for other purposes, or even
in a competing program.

In the same lawsuit Third Planet sued Performance Systems Inc.,
dba PSINet, the Internet access provider for Pulver. Third Planet
said PSINet offers a competing product by Vocaltec. Third Planet said
PSINet refuses to disconnect Pulver.

(Jim Mallory/19951205/Press contact: Danny Wettreich, Camelot,
214-733-3005; Public contact: Camelot, tel [phone],
fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/05/95
ONLINE
 ****Silicon Graphics Develops 3-D Cosmo Web Technology

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00024)
 ****Silicon Graphics Develops 3-D Cosmo Web Technology 12/05/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 5 (NB) -- Silicon
Graphics (NYSE:SGI) has announced its new Cosmo product at the
WebInnovation Conference in San Francisco. Cosmo is described
as a set of advanced technologies using interactive multimedia and
three-dimensional (3-D) graphics to the Internet's World Wide Web.

The Cosmo system is a full suite of tools designed for the development,
the client, and the server side of the Web. All of the components of
Cosmo will support the open standards of the Web, including hypertext
markup language (HTML), Silicon Graphics' VRML (virtual reality
modeling language) 2.0, and the Java programming language from Sun
Microsystems.

The suite is composed of four software programs. The first is Cosmo
Create, described as an authoring software product that will let users
write and develop interactive Web pages, multimedia titles, and 3-D
worlds. Cosmo Create uses VRML, Java, and HTML, and it supports a
variety of third-party plug-in content creation applications.

Another program in the suite is Cosmo Code, dubbed by Silicon Graphics
as "the most advanced professional development environment for the Java
language." Cosmo Code consists of a run-time interpreter and compiler
for Java, a Graphical Source Debugger, a Visual Source Browser, the
Cosmo Motion library, and Cosmo's MediaBase libraries. Officials said
that, when combined with Cosmo Code, Media Base enables new applications
like multimedia collaboration on the Web, and intelligent media
browsing.

On the client side, the Cosmo Player is an interactive media viewer
that can be used either as a primary browser, or as a plug-in to
existing Web browsers like Netscape and Mosaic.

Officials said all four Cosmo products should ship within the first
half of 1996.

Silicon Graphics has also entered an agreement with Sun and Netscape,
in which each company recognizes the other's 3-D and interactive
multimedia developments, and will eventually bring to market an
open platform for Web development and viewing. Specifics of that
agreement are covered in a separate Newsbytes story today.

Silicon Graphics also announced an expanded Developer Program that
will offer "broader" services not only to its traditional commercial
software developers, but to Internet, corporate, and research
developers as well. The program now offers three options which include
a "host of benefits and tools," officials said. One of those tools
is the Cosmo Code development environment.

The Developer Program uses the Web by offering its members online
access to Silicon Graphics' proprietary development tools including
sample source code, development libraries, and tutorials.

(Bob Woods/19951205/Press Contact: Eileen M. Caetano, Silicon
Graphics, 415-933-2036, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/05/95
BUSINESS
Quarterdeck Offers Internet Consulting

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00025)
Quarterdeck Offers Internet Consulting 12/05/95
MARINA DEL REY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 5 (NB) -- Quarterdeck
Corp. (NASDAQ: QDEK) says it will form a new business unit dedicated
to providing products and services to small- and medium-sized businesses
interested in conducting commerce on the Internet. The Internet Service
Business Unit will concentrate on the Internet marketplace specifically
in commerce and transaction consultations.

Quarterdeck has been considered exclusively a product development
company. This new unit will be its first major foray into service
and consulting.

Audry Pobre, a spokesperson for Quarterdeck, explained to Newsbytes,
"Quarterdeck has never concentrated on consultation and service as a
profit center. This new unit is set up to do just this. Using tools like
WebCompass, Quarterdeck can offer tailored products for complete Internet
transaction services. Businesses who want to set up shop on the Internet,
can come to us for one-stop service, from concept to final product. This
is a departure for Quarterdeck, and in effect is a new profit center
for us."

"Our Internet Business Unit has been very successful in 1995, bringing
high quality, award winning products to market," said Gaston Bastiaens,
Quarterdeck president. "In 1996, we intend to broaden our position in
the Internet marketplace by providing services to companies that want
to take advantage of the commerce opportunities available on the Internet."

In addition to transaction services for small business, Quarterdeck's
Internet Services Business Unit (different from the existing Internet
Business Unit) will also provide different layers of services for
vertical markets, such as the medical and legal industries.

Quarterdeck also intends to begin providing content-based services.
Quarterdeck's recently announced alliance with Infonautics Corp.,
to bring Homework Helper to the Internet, is an example of content
services that will be offered. HomeWork Helper is an online general
reference library that makes searching through hundreds of text and
image databases "easy and inexpensive," claims the company.

(Richard Bowers/19951205/Press Contact: Ellen Spooren, Quarterdeck,
310-309-4261)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/05/95
ONLINE
WebInnovation - Speedware's 4GL Toolset For Internet

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SFO)(00026)
WebInnovation - Speedware's 4GL Toolset For Internet 12/05/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 5 (NB) -- While most of the
attention on the Web focuses on hot sites and the latest tools to create
an "exciting user experience," companies such as Speedware Corp. (TSE:SPW)
are the builders of tools to create applications which Web users never see.
Speedware has announced Release 2 of Speedware Autobahn, claimed by the
company to be the world's first fourth generation language (4GL)
application development toolset for the Internet.

"As a Web user, you may find a page in which you are interested," said
Ian Farquharson, Speedware's chairman and chief executive officer. "Let's
say something like Ford Motor Company as a hypothetical example. Once
in the Web site, you decide to order a set of seat covers for a certain
model of car. Our toolset allows a company or an Internet solutions
provider to build the application or applications needed to tie that
seat cover selection into the company's enterprise system. Without ever
knowing how it is done, the user can find out how many seatcovers are in
stock, what colors are available, and where they are inventoried. At the
same time, the company's database can be updated with the recorded sale."

Speedware Autobahn allows programmers to develop and deploy secure
commercial applications across the Web. Autobahn is designed for
applications supporting areas such as reservations, order processing,
customer processing, and other types of businesses where timeliness
is essential.

Farquharson said Autobahn is the only Web application development tool
based on 4GL which means is can interface with almost any popular
database. Release 2 offers more thorough integration with SoftQuad
International's HotMetal Light Web authoring tool, a new library of
graphical templates, and a new set of management tools, said the company.

A demonstration of Autobahn is available at Speedware's home page at
http://www.speedware.com . Scheduled for shipment in January, Autobahn
supports common operating platforms such as HP3000, HP9000, RS/6000,
Sun Solaris, and Windows NT.

(Patrick McKenna/19951205/Press Contact: Joanne McGarry,
Speedware, 416-408-2880)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/05/95
ONLINE
WebInnovation - EarthWeb Shows Gamelan & Hot Web Sites

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SFO)(00027)
WebInnovation - EarthWeb Shows Gamelan & Hot Web Sites 12/05/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 5 (NB) -- During October,
New York-based EarthWeb, an Internet development company, announced it
would develop a World Wide Web directory/resource center for Sun
Microsystems' Java programming language for the Internet. Called
Gamelan, the site is on display at WebInnovation with EarthWeb's newly
created Metropolitan Museum of Art and Fashion Internet sites.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95120527.PCX
Click here for photo

"Our Gamelan (pronounced gam-alon) site is getting more than 3.5 million
hits per month. This Web site is for serious Web developers to learn
about Java and a place for the curious to see the types of programs
which can be developed using Java," said Nova Spivack, director of
marketing and co-founder of EarthWeb.

"The Java programming language radically advances the multimedia
potential of the Web. It enables faster animation, games and powerful
interfaces within the Web. In a very short time, no leading Web site
will be able to remain competitive without this technology," said
Spivack.

Any Web user may access the Gamelan site at http://www.gamelan.com/
using any browser. However, the sample Java programs on the site
require a Java-enabled browser such as Sun's HotJava or Netscape 2.0.
This is well worth the time and effort. Newsbytes watched Spivack
navigate his way through two Java games which Web users can freely
access. Called 3D Netris and Gravity, these two games bring animation
and action to the Web which has not been seen before now.

EarthWeb is also debuting two sites which the company has produced.
"We spent two years working very closely with the Metropolitan Museum
of Art in New York to produce one of the most compelling Web sites on
the Internet," claimed Spivack. The museum's art work can be viewed,
enlarged to almost full screen viewing, and printed.

Users can visit the museum's gift shop and purchase a wide variety of
unusual gifts. "For millions of people from around the world who will
never be in New York, this is a great and personal way to visit the
museum," said Spivack. The museum's Web site is located at
http://www.metmuseum.org/ .

Asked if Java was used in the development of the museum's site, Spivack
said the company plans to introduce Java programming to the site in the
near future. "When we bring Java into the museum's Web site, you will
be extremely surprised. You will be able to view a sculpture and rotate
it 360 degrees to get the full perspective of the piece."

EarthWeb is also showing its Fashion Internet site where Web users can
access and view some of the latest fashions created by top designers.
Fashion Internet is located at http://www.finy.com . More information
about EarthWeb is available on the company's Web site at
http://www.earthweb.com .

(Patrick McKenna/19951205/Press Contact: Allison Fishman, EarthWeb,
tel [phone]/EARTHWEB951205/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/05/95
TRENDS
VR World - VR Authoring Tools For End Users, Developers

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(BOS)(00028)
VR World - VR Authoring Tools For End Users, Developers 12/05/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 5 (NB) -- Virtual reality
(VR) products demonstrated and displayed at MecklerMedia's
VR World show in Boston ran the "virtual gamut," from games to
specialized VR hardware like headgear, cameras, and "microphone
networks." But the predominant product category was VR authoring
tools, for audiences ranging from end-users to professional
developers, and for standalone and networked applications alike.

During an informal interview with Newsbytes in the General
Reality booth, Arthur L. Zwern, company president, gave his
impressions of the emerging VR development market. Different VR
tools, said Zwern, are targeted at each of three main groups:
gamesplayers, consumers, and other "hobbyists;" the "medium-strength"
industrial market; and the "heavy-duty" industrial market.

Zwern cited Dive Laboratories' Amber, a new three-dimensional
(3-D) VR library written in C++, as an example of a VR toolset for
"medium-strength" industrial markets. San Jose, California-based
General Reality has just begun to bundle Amber with its CyberEye
VR headsets, he pointed out.

The Windows-based Amber is integrated with the Microsoft
Foundation Classes and Visual C++, and provides compatibility
with VRML (virtual reality markup language) for the Web as well
as with NFF and TGA files, according to Zwern. Support is also
supplied for the MIDI (musical instrument digital interface) and
WAV multimedia file formats, and for networked environments through
the use of TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol).

At the Sense8 booth nearby, a company staffer reported that his
company now produces VR authoring tools for two of the three
major VR markets. Sense8's Silicon Graphics-based WorldToolKit for
C programmers has now been joined by World Up. Although World Up
also contains "a lot of C code," the code is on the back end,
with a "user-friendly" object-oriented environment at the front
end, Newsbytes was told. World Up comes with an "integrated
modeler and real-time scripting system," plus a free World Up
player. Support is provided for VRML, OpenGL, and ODBC (Open
Database Connectivity). The new World Up runs on Windows NT and
SGI Indy.

Across the way, ParaGraph was showing a new VR toolset meant to
straddle a range of markets. The vendor's Windows-based Virtual
Home Space Builder is billed as "easy enough for novices and
kids, but powerful enough to satisfy experts." The 3-D VR
authoring environment outputs in VRML, for "direct publishing to
the Web," and the company supplies information to prospective
customers from its own Web site at http://www.paragraph.com .

In another slice of virtual reality, a couple of booths away,
Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Mak Technologies displayed a
networked VR application now in use by soldiers within the US
Defense Department. Shown running on a network that included
Silicon Graphics and Sun workstations, together with a Windows-
based PC, the application allows you to select and "operate" a
military tank.

In the military training environment, you can choose a tank from
either your own or a networked participant's workstation,
selecting in any of three ways: a pick list, an icon menu, or by
clicking on the actual "tank" object itself.

Len Granowetter, software engineer at Mak, told Newsbytes that
Mak's DIS-based VR-Link networking toolkit comes with VR
libraries for Unix, Windows NT, Windows, and DOS. But plans are
currently in the works to extend the DIS standard with support
for Macintosh, as well as for VR games platforms like Nintendo
and Sega, he revealed.

On the VR hardware side, product introductions at VR World
included Virtual I/O's Virtual I-Glasses and TranScenic Corp.'s
Movie Map Camera. Also at the show in Boston, StrayLight
announced that 3DXTC, a turnkey VR system for consumers, now
includes a "microphone network link," aimed at letting users
speak with one another during game play. 3DXTC also comes bundled
with three VR games.

The two-day VR event in Boston also included a full complement of
conference sessions. MecklerMedia plans to repeat the show from
June 11 to 14 at the San Jose Convention Center in San Jose,
California. MecklerMedia also produces VR World Europe in Stuttgart,
Germany, in addition to Internetworld expos worldwide.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951205/Reader Contact: MecklerMedia, 203-226-
6967; Press Contact: Barry Schwartz, Schwartz Communications for
MecklerMedia, 212-980-3790)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/05/95
WINDOWS
Microsoft To Intro New "Money" Release

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(DEN)(00029)
Microsoft To Intro New "Money" Release 12/05/95
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 5 (NB) -- Bill Gates,
Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) chairman, told the nation's bankers
that the company will enhance its Microsoft Money software to
enhance its online capabilities.

Gates said the enhancements will concentrate in three areas. The
software will provide additional processing options to banks, an
intelligent update function enabling banks to offer users the
capacity to incorporate data seamlessly from their home banking
applications into Money, and provide hot links to banks' World Wide
Web site. Currently about 20 US banks offer home banking services
via Microsoft Money.

Gates' talk, entitled "Enabling Technology for Expanding Customer
Relationships," was presented at Retail Delivery 95, a conference
sponsored by the Bank Administration Institute. In the speech
Gates emphasized Microsoft's role to the banking industry as that
of a core technology supplier.

Gates said Microsoft will release a high performance Windows NT
server networking operating system-based application called Internet
Information Server next year. Gates said the server, scheduled for
release next year, will be integrated with the Microsoft BackOffice
family of server software and a multimedia authoring tool being
developed under the code-name "Blackbird." Gates said Microsoft will
provide secure payment technologies embedded in its Internet tools.

Gates' vision of online banking includes banks serving customers
across multiple delivery channels including "virtual branches,"
and via e-mail using personal computers. "it's becoming increasingly
important to provide home-banking services to the 35 percent of
Americans who use home PCs, as well as the increasingly large number
of home PC users abroad," said the software company leader.

Microsoft Treasurer Gregory Maffei, speaking to the Montgomery
Securities Conference in San Francisco this week, said Microsoft
will devote "well over $1 billion" on research and development in
fiscal 1996. Maffei said the company has spent about $2.8 billion
on R&D in the past 20 years. Most of that money will be devoted
to products and services for the Internet.

Intuit Corp., publisher of the popular Quicken software and perhaps
the personal finance software Microsoft Money has to outsell to be
successful, said this week it will provide online banking over the
Internet. The company said it is developing an Internet connection
that will allow customers to perform routine transactions like paying
bills, checking account balances and transferring funds. The company
said the service will be available by the second half of 1996.

(Jim Mallory/19951205/Press contact: Donna O'Neill, Waggener
Edstrom for Microsoft, 206-637-9097; Public contact: Microsoft,
206-882-8080 or 800-426-9400)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00030)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 12/05/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 5 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|          December 5, 1995                      |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

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free daily top stories from Newsbytes and its affiliate publications,
and from PC Week, MacWeek, and other Ziff news magazines. A subscription
gives you all the news, full-text, plus the most comprehensive database
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Questions? Send to '[e-mail]'  For Japanese Newsbytes
and additional services, see the Newsbytes Pacifica Website at
http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

BUSINESS  Northern Telecom & Cabletron Form Alliance................. 20

BUSINESS  Quarterdeck Offers Internet Consulting..................... 25

EDUCATION China - Exhibition Links College Software To Applications.. 12

GENERAL   Asia Newsbriefs............................................ 13

GOVT      Denmark Working To Liberalize Telecoms Market.............. 06

GOVT      French Govt Prepares Way For France Telecom Sell-Off....... 08

LEGAL      ****US West Amends Time Warner Suit, Alleges Secret Deal.. 22

LEGAL     Camelot Sues Internet Server Operator...................... 23

ONLINE    NetManage's Free Windows NT Web Browser Over Internet...... 02

ONLINE     ****MAID's Online Database/Internet Integration........... 07

ONLINE    Hong Kong Made Sprint Internet Hub......................... 10

ONLINE    Internet Update............................................ 14

ONLINE    Internet Operators Work To Inter-Connect Asia.............. 15

ONLINE     ****Compuserve To Allow For Other Web Browser Use......... 16

ONLINE    WebInnovation Picks "1000 Most Influential Web Developers.. 17

ONLINE    VR World - Using VR To "Build A Car Over The Internet...... 18

ONLINE     ****Silicon Graphics/Sun/Netscape To Merge Web Technologie 19

ONLINE     ****Macromedia & @Home Team On Fast Internet Multimedia... 21

ONLINE     ****Silicon Graphics Develops 3-D Cosmo Web Technology.... 24

ONLINE    WebInnovation - Speedware's 4GL Toolset For Internet....... 26

ONLINE    WebInnovation - EarthWeb Shows Gamelan & Hot Web Sites..... 27

TELECOM   Latinos Have New Way To Call Collect....................... 01

TELECOM   UK Cellphone Dealer Imposes Subscriber Bill Limit.......... 04

TELECOM   Sweden's Ericsson Developing Dual-Band Mobile Phone........ 05

TELECOM   Consultant Sees Electric Utilities-Telecom Convergence..... 09

TRENDS    Wales Emerging As Multimedia Center........................ 03

TRENDS    Asia Faces Skills Shortage................................. 11

TRENDS    VR World - VR Authoring Tools For End Users, Developers.... 28

WINDOWS   Microsoft To Intro New "Money" Release..................... 29

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 -> Latinos Have New Way To Call Collect -- In launching its first 800
collect calling number, Sprint (NYSE:FON) has decided to market the
service directly to the Latino market. The program and the number,
called 1-800-A-TU-CASA, can be used by people who speak either Spanish
or English via bilingual prompts, Sprint officials told Newsbytes.

2 -> NetManage's Free Windows NT Web Browser Over Internet -- NetManage
says it is offering a free Windows NT World Wide Web browser across the
Internet. The package, known as WebSurfer, is billed as being 16-bit or
32-bit capable and, according to Karen Thomas, a spokesperson for the
company, is a full HTML (hypertext markup language) 3.0 application
designed for corporate networks.

3 -> Wales Emerging As Multimedia Center -- Last week saw the first of
what could well become an annual event, the M2 = Multimedia show and
conference. Hosted at the BBC Wales Studio in Cardiff, the event aimed
to show delegates and exhibition goers what multimedia could do in a
practical sense.

4 -> UK Cellphone Dealer Imposes Subscriber Bill Limit -- Cellphones
Direct, an off-the-page mail-order phone selling company, has imposed a
limit of UKP50 on customer's monthly phone bills in order to reduce the
level of bad debts and fraud.

5 -> Sweden's Ericsson Developing Dual-Band Mobile Phone -- Ericsson has
confirmed European media reports that it is developing a new generation
of digital mobile phones that will work on both GSM (global system for
mobile communications) and PCN (personal communications network)
services, operating, respectively, at 900 megahertz (MHz) and 1,800 MHz.

6 -> Denmark Working To Liberalize Telecoms Market -- Tele Danmark, the
state telecoms agency of Denmark, has announced that the Government has
laid down the ground plans for liberalizing Denmark's telecoms industry.
The announcement comes at a time when telecoms watchers were starting to
worry that Denmark may not achieve the mandatory free market deadline of
January 1, 1998, that the European Commission has imposed on member
governments.

7 ->  ****MAID's Online Database/Internet Integration -- MAID (the
Marketing Analysis Information Database) has announced it has cracked
the technical challenge of interfacing its online business databases
with the Internet. According to Paula Feery, a spokesperson for the
company, while many other online database services have a presence on
the Internet, there is no integration between the service and the World
Wide Web pages.

8 -> French Govt Prepares Way For France Telecom Sell-Off -- The French
Government has confirmed plans to sell off a significant stake

9 -> Consultant Sees Electric Utilities-Telecom Convergence -- An
"elision of the electric business and the information and communications
businesses" is on the way, former Illinois utility regulator Philip
O'Connor told a joint federal-state meeting on electric restructuring
yesterday.

10 -> Hong Kong Made Sprint Internet Hub -- US Sprint has announced the
expansion of high speed Internet service by making Hong Kong, Tokyo, and
Sydney regional hubs.

11 -> Asia Faces Skills Shortage -- Asia's information technology (IT)
industry faces a skills shortage. That was the bleak message US-based
Compuware couldn't conceal as it announced it was launching its own
Asian operations with offices opening in Hong Kong and Singapore.

12 -> China - Exhibition Links College Software To Applications -- The
First Exhibition of Academically Developed Software was held recently in
Beijing to display software developed by Chinese universities and
colleges. It was sponsored by the State Education Commission to the
promote development and application of software by academic
institutions.

13 -> Asia Newsbriefs -- In this roundup of news from around Asia: South
Korea - Satellite communications firm established; China - Seiko-Epson
to open plant; Singapore - Networld+Interop 97 planned; Thailand -
Satellite project approved; Malaysia - Stock exchange info coming to
Internet.

14 -> Internet Update -- In this roundup of new services and resources
on the global Internet: The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous; LA
CybrPORT; The illustration and cartoon gallery in Japan; African
information database; Royal Australian Air Force; New multi-search
engine; Temperature explained; Campbell Soup Company; United News &
Media; Go2 - The Guardian Online.

15 -> Internet Operators Work To Inter-Connect Asia -- In Asia the
Internet is hot. New service providers and online services are coming
online every week, with recent entrants including Cable & Wireless in
Japan, China Internet, a Beijing backed service for Hong Kong, and
Singapore's new Asian Connection online service.

16 ->  ****Compuserve To Allow For Other Web Browser Use -- Compuserve
said it will implement an open standards strategy when it comes to its
members using the Internet and the World Wide Web. The online service
announced its subscribers will soon be able to use any Web browser in
connection with its network.

17 -> WebInnovation Picks "1000 Most Influential Web Developers -- Web
developers and users are banging on the doors to get into Interactive
Marketing Communications' (IMC) WebInnovation. Limited to "1,000 of the
most talented Web developers in the world," this show brings them
together with the computer companies leading who are building the road
to the Web.

18 -> VR World - Using VR To "Build A Car Over The Internet -- When Doug
Schiff couldn't reach a tool he needed to help "build a car," he simply
made himself a bit taller. "The great thing about virtual reality (VR)
is that you can be as tall as you want to be," joked Schiff, who is
Division Inc.'s VP of marketing, during a trans-Atlantic presentation,
billed as the first demo of "immersive VR" to be done over the Internet,
attended by Newsbytes at MecklerMedia's Virtual Reality World in Boston.

19 ->  ****Silicon Graphics/Sun/Netscape To Merge Web Technologies --
Silicon Graphics (NYSE:SGI) said it is teaming with several companies on
different aspects of multimedia Internet World Wide Web content. The
company said it will work with Sun Microsystems (NSADAQ:SUNW) and
Netscape Communications Corp. (NASDAQ:NSCP) to merge certain
three-dimensional (3-D) and multimedia Web interactivity, and team with
Sun and Macromedia to define an open set of multimedia formats and
application programming interfaces (APIs).

20 -> Northern Telecom & Cabletron Form Alliance -- Northern Telecom
Ltd. (TSE:NTL;NYSE:NT) and Cabletron Systems Inc. (NYSE:CS) have
announced an alliance. The two companies said they will develop and
market integrated communications and network products and services
jointly.

21 ->  ****Macromedia & @Home Team On Fast Internet Multimedia --
Macromedia, a producer of multimedia and digital arts software, and
@Home, a provider of high-speed data to homes via a cable connection to
a personal computer, will work together to provide full multimedia on
the World Wide Web. Using Macromedia's Shockwave for Director and
high-speed Internet access similar to what @Home will be offering
beginning with its Spring 1996 launch in Sunnyvale, California, the two
companies will use @Home's multimedia user interface and links to
numerous Web sites with live multimedia content.

22 ->  ****US West Amends Time Warner Suit, Alleges Secret Deal -- US
West (NYSE: UMG) has asked a Delaware court to block the proposed merger
of Time Warner and Turner Broadcasting System (TBS). US West said the
merger would, in effect, dismantle the Time Warner Entertainment
partnership, which would adversely impact US West's $2.5 billion
investment in that partnership.

23 -> Camelot Sues Internet Server Operator -- Camelot
Corp.(NASDAQ:CAML) said its subsidiary

24 ->  ****Silicon Graphics Develops 3-D Cosmo Web Technology -- Silicon
Graphics (NYSE:SGI) has announced its new Cosmo product at the
WebInnovation Conference in San Francisco. Cosmo is described as a set
of advanced technologies using interactive multimedia and
three-dimensional (3-D) graphics to the Internet's World Wide Web.

25 -> Quarterdeck Offers Internet Consulting -- Quarterdeck Corp.
(NASDAQ: QDEK) says it will form a new business unit dedicated to
providing products and services to small- and medium-sized businesses
interested in conducting commerce on the Internet. The Internet Service
Business Unit will concentrate on the Internet marketplace specifically
in commerce and transaction consultations.

26 -> WebInnovation - Speedware's 4GL Toolset For Internet -- While most
of the attention on the Web focuses on hot sites and the latest tools to
create an "exciting user experience," companies such as Speedware Corp.
(TSE:SPW) are the builders of tools to create applications which Web
users never see. Speedware has announced Release 2 of Speedware
Autobahn, claimed by the company to be the world's first fourth
generation language (4GL) application development toolset for the
Internet.

27 -> WebInnovation - EarthWeb Shows Gamelan & Hot Web Sites -- During
October, New York-based EarthWeb, an Internet development company,
announced it would develop a World Wide Web directory/resource center
for Sun Microsystems' Java programming language for the Internet. Called
Gamelan, the site is on display at WebInnovation with EarthWeb's newly
created Metropolitan Museum of Art and Fashion Internet sites.

28 -> VR World - VR Authoring Tools For End Users, Developers -- Virtual
reality (VR) products demonstrated and displayed at MecklerMedia's VR
World show in Boston ran the "virtual gamut," from games to specialized
VR hardware like headgear, cameras, and "microphone networks." But the
predominant product category was VR authoring tools, for audiences
ranging from end-users to professional developers, and for standalone
and networked applications alike.

29 -> Microsoft To Intro New "Money" Release -- Bill Gates, Microsoft
Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) chairman, told the nation's bankers that the
company will enhance its Microsoft Money software to enhance its online
capabilities.

(Ian Stokell/19951205)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
12/04/95
TELECOM
UK - Mercury To Offer Business Internet Services

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00001)
UK - Mercury To Offer Business Internet Services 12/04/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 4 (NB) -- Mercury Communications, the UK
operations division of Cable & Wireless, has announced the creation
of a managed Internet service for business users. According to Steve
Powers, a spokesman for the company, the telco is investing UKP35
million in the new project division.

"While the market for Internet service providers (SPs) is getting
crowded in the UK, we are a telco that supplies the Internet SPs
themselves with circuit capacity. By supplying direct to business
users, we can offer discounted services," he told Newsbytes.

Is there not a danger that Mercury might upset some of its
resellers -- i.e. the Internet SPs -- by cutting them out of the
loop?, Newsbytes asked Powers. "No, not really," he replied. "Although
the market is crowded, there is room for us all in the marketplace.
Remember that many of the Internet SPs are pitching for the consumer
market, while we are marketing our services for the business community.
That's a significant difference."

The first phase of Mercury's Internet project will start early in the
new year, when trials of Internet services will be made available to
business customers, with a commercial launch of the Cable & Wireless
Internet Exchange (CWIX) expected next summer.

Dial-up Internet services for business users are expected later in
1996, and there will be further development of tailored desktop
applications for business users.

Chris Jenkin, head of Mercury's online services division, said that,
as the Internet continues to grow in popularity and in scope, so its
users' requirements and expectations are steadily increasing.

"We see opportunities at several levels, from the corporate customer,
for whom security, and reliability, are vital, to the individual user
at home or on the move for whom the Internet keeps them connected to
the people and information they need," he said.

Jenkin went on to say that Mercury is looking to work with partners to
address new market opportunities. "We're already working with several
of the leading Internet and online SPs," he said, adding that
these include Pipex, Easynet, and CompuServe, with the aim of providing
them with advanced networking systems to reach their own customers.

"Our aim," he said, "is to build on these relationships."

Plans call for the CWIX network to operate internationally, and market
its Internet services around the world. Cable & Wireless divisions
other than Mercury currently working on CWIX offerings include Honk
Kong Telecom, C&W Japan, Cable & Wireless US, C&W Europe and Omnes,
the joint venture between C&W and Schlumberger for the oil and gas
industries.

(Steve Gold/19951201/Press Contact: Emma Tarring, Mercury Press
Office, tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
12/04/95
TELECOM
Belgacom Announces Major European Network Expansion

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00002)
Belgacom Announces Major European Network Expansion 12/04/95
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1995 DEC 4 (NB) -- Belgacom has announced a series
of major upgrades to its international voice and data network.
According to officials with the company, the network expansion will
allow much faster and greater numbers of interconnects between most
European countries into the home Belgian network, as well as enhancing
service to other countries.

The node installation and expansion program, which is scheduled to be
completed early in the new year, will allow Belgacom's international
network to handle both voice and data transmissions, as well as voice
and data across virtual private network (VPN) and leased line links.

Central to the expansion of the Belgacom network is the company's
BiLAN service, an umbrella service that offers various managed private
data networking "solutions" within Belgium using the Belgacom packet
data network (PDN), integrated with Belgacom's international network.

Plans call for the enhanced international network to be administered
by Belgacom's Network Management Center in Brussels, which the company
claims will ensure that customers get a high reliability of service.

Unusually for what used to be a state telco, Belgacom claims that,
once its enhanced international network is in place, its Global
Service prices will be highly competitive.

This perhaps explains why the company has committed to opening
commercial offices across Europe in the coming 12 months. Plans call
for new offices to open in France, Germany, Luxembourg, the
Netherlands, and Switzerland in the next year.

In parallel with the changes in Belgacom's national and European
international networks, Belgacom USA has been renamed Belgacom NA (for
North America). The name change paves the way for the company offering
its telecoms services to other North American countries, including
Canada.

Susan Mirbach, Belgacom NA's president, said, "I'm confident that
multinational companies in Canada and Mexico will recognize the
benefits of Belgacom's services, as have hundreds of US firms."

The changes taking place within Belgacom are enormous, Newsbytes
notes. As well as preparing the way for foreign investment in the
former state telco, the Belgian Government decreed at the beginning of
this year that Belgacom must make a serious transition from being a
near monopoly telecoms service provider in Belgium, to being an
international telecoms player.

In April of this year, the first stages of those changes started
playing out, when Belgacom announced a series of major discounts for
its larger customers. At the same time, the company has upgraded its
virtual private network (VPN) services for data customers.

Under the April 1995 volume purchase agreements (VPAs) from Belgacom,
companies with annual combined gross billings of around $625,000 using
national and international telephone lines, leased lines, VPNs, toll-
free circuits, telex and Inmarsat links, qualify for significant
discounts.

Discounts under VPAs now range from 21.5 to 36 percent depending on
volume and destination. What was also interesting at the time was that
Belgacom streamlined its world zones to just three: Western Europe,
the US and Canada, and the rest of the world.

As well as competing in terms of pricing, Belgacom's network now has a
fully redundant status. This means that if, for any reason, a link
should go down on the VPN servicing the customer, a backup route will
kick in, no matter where on the virtual net the failure is.

Coupled with support for variable length dialing codes (useful for
international switching connections), Belgacom claims its VPN services
are now the best in the business.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951201/Press Contact: Amy Rasner, Belgacom NA,
203-221-5280; Reader Contact: Belgacom Europe, [phone];
Belgacom NA, tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
12/04/95
TRENDS
Digital Mobile Phones Taking Off In France

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00003)
Digital Mobile Phones Taking Off In France 12/04/95
PARIS, FRANCE, 1995 DEC 4 (NB) -- Despite the relatively high cost of
using a mobile phone in France, the French Ministry of Information
Technology and Posts has revealed that the number of mobile phone
users in France rose by a healthy 4.7 percent in October, pushing the
number of subscriptions to more than 1,160,000.

This represents a 29 percent year-on-year increase in mobile phones,
mainly thanks to the efforts of the digital mobile networks -- France
Telecom and SFR -- which operate GSM (global system for mobile
communications) networks covering almost 85 percent of France.

Delving deeper into the Ministry's figures show that analog
connections are actually reducing, as the total number of digital
mobiles rose to 857,500, an increase of seven percent in monthly
terms to October, and a whopping 49 percent in year-on-year terms.

Interestingly, despite a massive marketing budget, France Telecom (the
former state network) only increased its monthly subscription levels
by 4.5 percent in October, while Generale des Eaux' SFR (Societe
Francaise de Radiotelephone) division rose by 14 percent on the back
of some innovative pricing.

In fact, innovative pricing has been a feature of the French mobile
phone networks ever since the summer of 1994, when the threat of a
third cellular operator was bandied around by the French Government of
the day.

That threat, Newsbytes notes, caused SFR to cut its rates in the
summer of 1994, to be closely followed by France Telecom, as well as
slashing monthly line rentals from $45 to $35. At the time, France
Telecom estimated that around 400,000 digital phone subscribers --
less than half the October 1995 figure -- would be online by the end
of this year.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951201/Press & Reader Contact: France Telecom
Direction de l'International, tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
12/04/95
BROADCAST
110 Channels On Single Laser For Cable TV

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(LAX)(00004)
110 Channels On Single Laser For Cable TV 12/04/95
ALHAMBRA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 4 (NB) -- Ortel Corp.
(NASDAQ:ORTL), a manufacturer of high-performance lasers for cable
television networks, has announced, what the company claims is, the
industry's first high-performance 110-channel laser. The Model 3630C
laser enables the transmission of 30 additional television channels
with no increase in distortion, providing cable operators with the
capacity for more revenue-generating programming, such as near
video-on-demand (NVOD) and pay-per-view (PPV).

Lasers over fiber optics can transmit an unlimited amount of analog
channels, but distortion goes up as the amount of channels increases.

Theresa Hanlon, a spokesperson for Ortel, told Newsbytes, " Ortel's
110-channel laser gives the most channels over one laser with acceptable
levels of noise. Today, the average laser outputs no more than 80
channels on one laser within acceptable distortion levels."

The effect of the 110-channel laser is to provide what amount to
more compression. The more channels over one laser means a higher
number of total channels that can be sent over the network. It also
leaves more bandwidth for digital, two-way transmissions, telephony,
and videoconferencing.

"Cable operators are investing heavily in building 750 megahertz (MHz)
networks for digital services, and we understand their eagerness to
begin generating revenue from their 'ramped-up' networks even if the
digital solution isn't here yet," said Larry Stark, vice president and
business manager, broadband communications, Ortel.

"Ortel's 110-channel laser allows cable operators to use their increased
bandwidth for more analog video services that will bring in additional
revenue in the interim."

Ortel's Model 3630C 110-channel laser has a distributed feedback
(DFB) laser chip with a thermo-electric cooler and an optical isolator.
It offers a frequency range of 50-750 MHz. The new Model 3630C
110-channel laser is immediately available to cable television
equipment manufacturers with the following specifications: 110
channels carrier-to-noise ratio (CNR) 51dB (decibel), Composite
Second Order (CSO) 63dB, and Composite Triple Beat (CTB) 65dB.

(Richard Bowers/19951201/Press Contact: Theresa Hanlon, Ortel,
213-782-6600 )




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
12/04/95
TRENDS
Windows 95 Will Lure CD-ROM Publishers - Study

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TOR)(00005)
Windows 95 Will Lure CD-ROM Publishers - Study 12/04/95
WOODSTOCK, VERMONT, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 4 (NB) -- Windows 95, with its
32-bit technology and a design that pays more attention to the needs
of games and multimedia software, will lure many CD-ROM publishers away
from DOS. However, says a recent study by research firm InfoTech Inc.,
this will not happen overnight.

"There was quite a lot of overhead associated with Windows 3.1," said Ted
Pine, chairman of InfoTech. That, he told Newsbytes, led many publishers
of entertainment and games CD-ROMs to stick with the DOS platform and
their own proprietary technology. However, Microsoft has addressed many
of those developers' concerns in the new release. "When they sat down and
did Windows 95," Pine said, "one of the areas that they definitely
targeted was the gaming community."

InfoTech's survey of major institutional, consumer, and in-house CD-ROM
producers found that consumer CD-ROM publishers are embracing the new
platform most eagerly. Those moving fastest are the smaller and newer
publishers that do not already have large investments in high-performance
software for DOS, the research firm said.

By the end of this year, though, CD-ROMs meant for Windows 95 will remain
a small minority. Only 1.2 percent of all CD-ROM titles in print will
be "Windows 95-native" at the end of 1995, InfoTech forecast. About 55
percent of these will be entirely new CD-ROMs containing information
that has not previously been offered in another format.

Pine said it will take about two years for Windows 95 games CD-ROMs to
take off, simply because that is the typical development cycle for games.

Titles aimed at novice users will migrate fastest to Windows 95, InfoTech
said. Pine added that CD-ROMs containing large databases will probably be
among the last to make the switch, since they have relatively little to
gain from the new platform.

(Grant Buckler/19951201/Press Contact: Ted Pine, InfoTech,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
12/04/95
TELECOM
Kentucky Gas & Electric Firm Joins AT&T Utility Program

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(WAS)(00006)
Kentucky Gas & Electric Firm Joins AT&T Utility Program 12/04/95
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 4 (NB) -- Louisville Gas
& Electric has joined the team developing the AT&T Integrated
Broadband Utility Solution -- a two-way customer communications
system for the utility business.

LG&E will evaluate the economic benefit of distribution
automation applications using the AT&T system. The Kentucky
utility will also assist in developing deployment strategies
and marketing programs targeted to end-users.

"We've built a powerful platform with the AT&T Integrated
Broadband Utility Solution," said Frank Magnotti, general
manager of the AT&T program. "Now we want to explore features
that can broaden its value."

LG&E is the second utility to join the AT&T project. New
Jersey-based Public Service Electric & Gas is AT&T's development
partner for the project. Other members of the team included
American Meter, Andersen Consulting, General Electric, Honeywell,
and Intellon.

"We believe the Integrated Broadband Utility Solution will
quickly become the standard for two-way communications and
distribution automation," said David Carey, LG&E senior vice
president of operations. "We're eager to play a role in
determining how that standard evolves."

LG&E is looking to develop a state-of-the-art interactive
customer communications system. Last month, LG&E announced it
is working with TKR Cable of Greater Louisville, a subsidiary of
TCI, to build the fiber optic network necessary for a two-way
system. The utility recently signed similar agreements with two
alternative access providers for additional bandwidth.

"Through our involvement with the AT&T team," said Carey, "LG&E
customers will gain access to new services and benefits. Our
company will realize greater efficiency and increase value in
return for its investment."

LG&E, the regulated utility subsidiary of LG&E Energy Corp.
(NYSE:LGE), provides service to some 345,000 electric customers
and 270,000 natural gas customers in Louisville and 16
surrounding Kentucky counties.

(Kennedy Maize/19951130/Press Contacts: Linda Edgerton, AT&T,
910-279-3024; Kathy Campbell, LG&E, 502-627-2505)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
12/04/95
GOVT
Australian Govt Pays IBM $75Mil For Computer Services

(NEWS)(GOVT)(SYD)(00007)
Australian Govt Pays IBM $75Mil For Computer Services 12/04/95
CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA 1995 DEC 4 (NB) -- A list tabled in the Australian
Senate shows just where the AUS$74,759,551.30 that the Federal Government
paid out on the computer bounty in the financial year to June 30, 1995,
went.

Most of the big winners were multinationals. The biggest winner was Big
Blue. IBM collected a total of $8,955,275.85. Of this, the New South
Wales operation collected $4,049,221.17 and the Victorian operation
$4,906,054.67. The next best was $3,056,908 to Philips Mobile Communication
Systems. The only other single payment more than $2 million was to Digital
Equipment Corporation (Australia) which received $2,993,957.

Fifteen companies were in the $1 million plus bracket, including: Alcatel,
Aristocrat Leisure Industries, Hewlett Packard, Datacraft, Ericsson,
Bosch, various parts of AWA, Cochlear, Exicom, Ferranti, JNA, Telstra,
Wormald, even Osborne. Some groups may have aggregated more through
separate payments made to group companies.

The smallest handout was $18 for Computer Sciences of Australia. At least
CSA did better than Sagem Australasia. Its payout was listed as minus
$1,600. The list of bountees go on and on - 29 pages of them.

On November 23, the Government decided to extend the bounty. Industries
Minister Senator Peter Cook said he will introduce legislation to keep
the money flowing until December 31, 2000.

The opposition will support the Government's extension of the computer
bounty, but says it is worried that the Government's approach to
information technology (IT) policies is ad hoc and piece-meal.

The Opposition's shadow minister for science and technology, Senator
Robert Hill, and shadow industry minister, John Moore, said the Coalition
was committed to support the industry, but would comprehensively overhaul
the existing strategy.

It might be better to "harmonize" the different assistance measures. Most
software development and related services got little or no assistance.
They also said the Coalition was concerned that the decision to exclude
research and development costs from bounty payments did not disadvantage
companies which were not eligible under alternative support programs.

(Computer Daily News/19951201)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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12/04/95
GENERAL
Gateway Australia Lowers PC Prices

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00008)
Gateway Australia Lowers PC Prices 12/04/95
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 1995 DEC 4 (NB) -- Revitalized Gateway-Osborne (G-O)
has fired its first shot in the small office/home office (SOHO) PC
Christmas season war in Australia. The key to G-O's offer is price.

Highly-speced 486 and Pentium (75 megahertz) models, with lashings of
software, multimedia and modem-equipped, are priced at AUS$2,749 and
$3,449, respectively. To sweeten the offer, G-O is also offering a
"fantastic Epson" color printer for an extra $450.

G-O also has a Pentium 133MHz model with bundled software, a 15-inch
monitor and one gigabyte hard disk drive for $3,999. The announcement
does not mention a CD-ROM.

Marking another return to the old days of Osborne, the company has also
announced that its main showroom has reopened.

The competition hasn't been sitting on its hands. Acer, for example,
has started advertising a "sale," which extends to December 31. It's
hard to compare, but a similar desktop, only with a 100MHz Pentium, and
less software, is advertised for AUS$3,195. A salesman at one of the
outlets quoted $300 extra for a quad-speed CD-ROM.

PC dealers will be watching how the "war" develops. Recently they have
faced pressure on prices because -- trade sources say -- major PC vendors
have been trying to shave margins, narrowing the spread for deals.
Gateway-Osborne and Acer may have stymied this trend.

(Computer Daily News/19951201)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
12/04/95
GENERAL
A Plan For Fighting Homogenized Media

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00009)
A Plan For Fighting Homogenized Media 12/04/95
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 4 (NB) -- Lawrence K. Grossman,
former president of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and of NBC
News, explains why the government needs to create an independent public
telecommunications trust fund in "Maintaining Diversity in the
Electronic Republic" (Technology Review, Nov./Dec. 1995, pp. 22-26).

Grossman, who is president of the forthcoming PBS Horizons Cable Network,
argues that much of what the world sees and hears is increasingly under
the control of a few global media conglomerates such as Disney, Time
Warner, Viacom, and News Corp.

To combat this, and to inform the growing number of citizens who now
have the ability to lobby their elected officials through interactive
telecommunications technologies such as e-mail, Grossman proposes that
commercial broadcasters and other telecommunications providers be
required to contribute money to a trust fund that could be used to
"pay for a wide variety of vehicles to disseminate essential civic
information through the public sphere."

He suggests using the fund to strengthen the existing network of public
television and radio stations, develop more effective local public-
access cable channels, and enable organizations such as the Library
of Congress to produce CD-ROMs and other software that could provide
the public with background reports, fact sheets, and other material
on major civic issues.

The article is adapted from Grossman's new book,  "The Electronic Republic."

This story is republished with permission from the December 1995
Cybernautics Digest, a 20-page monthly summary of reports about
converging information technologies.

(Contact: Terry Hansen, Cybernautics Digest, c/o KFH Publications
Inc., 3530 Bagley Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103; 206-547-4950; Fax:
206-547-5355; E-mail: [e-mail]. U.S. rate: $24;
$2 sample issue)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/04/95
TELECOM
Hong Kong - New T&T Intros Int'l Services

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(HKG)(00010)
Hong Kong - New T&T Intros Int'l Services 12/04/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 DEC 4 (NB) -- While Hongkong Telecom battled
management issues within, the new fixed-line competitor -- New T&T --
has rolled out new service aimed at grabbing 15 percent of the
territory's outbound international direct dial (IDD) business.

New T&T introduced its 009 service. Any user can now dial 009, instead
of the usual 001 to make an international call. And, according to the
company, you'll get better rates than Telecom can manage.

The company is particularly keen on getting users to call their top
six IDD destinations -- which reportedly account for over 75% of all
the international call traffic out of Hong Kong.

New T&T claims you can chop down your Hongkong Telecom bill by more than
half in some cases using its service. But savings on standard calls to
most common destinations -- Canada, Japan, Taiwan, the US, the UK, and
China -- are priced just slightly below those established by Telecom.

But, as one analyst pointed out, it would only take Telecom cutting its
rates to popular destinations to force charges through the roof on New
T&T's less popular routes to subsidize continued discounts.

According to Franky Lai, New T&T should still snag a hefty chunk of
Hong Kong's outbound IDD calls next year. Last year that business
was put at HK$13 billion.

New T&T also launched its "personal number" system. According to the
company, "It's the only contact number you will ever need." Essentially,
when someone calls this new number, a hunting system calls up to five
others the owner has specified -- such as home, office, mobile, or pager.
The caller waits while it hunts across the lines for you to answer,
although you can prioritize which it accesses first. In some respects,
it's another version of call forwarding, but users retain their personal
number.

Service features include "Do Not Disturb" and "call screening." One allows
users who don't like the look of incoming calls to funnel them over to
voice-mail. Users can give their special callers passwords to get around
the voice-mail bypass.

(Joel McCormick & I.T. Daily/19951204)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/04/95
GENERAL
Japan Newsbriefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00011)
Japan Newsbriefs 12/04/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 DEC 4 (NB) -- In this roundup of news from Japan:
Battery production to restart at Sony plant; Toshiba proposes DVD
licensing authority; Windows 95 registers strong sales; Osaka Internet
cafes opened; MPEG 2 officially adopted; KDD buy Coherent equipment;
Award software opens Tokyo office.

Battery Production To Restart At Sony Plant

Sony has resumed operations at its Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture,
plant which was closed by a fire last month. Before the fire, which
damaged the ion charging area, monthly output was around 3 million
units, which accounts for 70% of Japan's lithium ion battery output.
Sony is making no details available of the forecast output for
December. The batteries are widely used in devices such as laptop
personal computers.

Toshiba Proposes DVD Licensing Authority

Toshiba Corporation has proposed the establishment of a company to
regulate and collect royalty payments associated with the digital
video disk format. Technologies related to the DVD system are owned by
a consortium of companies that were recently pursuing two separate
paths. The major sticking point over launch of the new DVD system is
said to be the discussions over just how royalties for the system are
divided between the technology owners.

Windows 95 Registers Strong Sales

Microsoft Japan says Windows 95 sold 200,000 copies of the new Japanese
version in the first four days after its November 24th launch. In the
Tokyo area, calls to the Microsoft support center averaged some 3,000
per day said the company. Research company IDC Japan Ltd. says it
predicts over 8 million copies will be sold by the end of 1996.

Osaka Internet Cafes Opened

The growing popularity of the Internet in Japan has resulted in two
major electronics manufacturers opening new Internet Cafes. Both
Matsushita and Fujitsu have opened centers in Osaka's Business Park,
where visitors can enjoy exploring the World Wide Web while drinking
coffee and eating snacks. The Matsushita Ring Ring charges 1,000 yen
per hour plus drinks and is located on the first floor of the Twin 21
National Tower. Fujitsu's Info Web Cafe is opposite the Matsushita
building in its own building and charges 1,000 yen per hour including
drinks.

MPEG 2 Officially Adopted

The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications has officially adopted
MPEG-2 (Motion Picture Experts Group type 2) as the Japanese standard
for digital image compression. The system is already a standard in
most parts of the world and has been endorsed by the International
Standard Organization. It is used in applications such as broadcasting,
videoconferencing, and video recording.

KDD Buy Coherent Equipment

Japan's leading international telephone operator, KDD, has signed a
deal for a customized version of its EC-6000 Series 2 Digital Echo
Canceller. The agreement between the companies involves an ongoing
relationship, with a series of further shipments scheduled for the
coming twelve month period. Coherent reports that additional KDD
EC-6000 cancellers are scheduled for delivery by the end of December.
The cancellers are being deployed at two major KDD gateway switching
sites in Japan to handle international call traffic.

Award Software Opens Tokyo Office

Award Software International Inc., a manufacturer of high-performance
PC system management and PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card
International Association) software, will open a Japanese business
office, its first in that country, this Wednesday. Award's Tokyo
office will handle sales to its Japanese OEM (original equipment
manufacturer) customers and work towards technology alliances with
local companies. The company has named Masanori Yamaguchi as the
office general manager.

(Martyn Williams/19951204)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/04/95
BROADCAST
Japan Group Supports Interactive TV

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(TYO)(00012)
Japan Group Supports Interactive TV 12/04/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 DEC 4 (NB) -- A consortium of twelve Japanese
companies has announced adoption of a format developed by California-
based Wink Communications for the development of interactive
television. The group includes national telecommunications operator
NTT, major television manufacturers, and national broadcaster NHK.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95120412.PCX
Click here for photo

The full list of companies is: Toshiba Corporation, Sony Corporation,
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd., Nippon Telegraph and
Telephone Corporation (NTT), Wink Communications, NHK Enterprises 21
Inc., Samsung Electronics Japan Co. Ltd., Sanyo Electric Co. Ltd.,
Sharp Corporation, Dentsu Inc., NEC Corporation, NEC Home Electronics
Ltd., Victor Company of Japan Ltd., Pioneer Electronic Corporation,
Hitachi Ltd. and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation .

The announcement means the manufacturers in the consortium will build
in adapters that can receive and make use of the special information
stream transmitted alongside each participating television channel in
the Interactive Communicating Applications Protocol (ICAP) standard.

The Wink developed ICAP standard sends the information in the same way
as teletext, and closed captioning in the United States, in the
vertical blanking interval (VBI) of each TV frame.

"It's quite different from teletext though," says Barak Kassar of Wink
Communications, who added, "It's graphical and not text-based, but you
can display text on the system. The graphics are a better resolution
than conventional teletext."

The adapters being built into each set is called a "Wink Engine" and
contains the hardware needed to display the higher resolution graphics
available and interact with the viewer.

Two levels of interaction are available with the system. On the basic
level, users can interact with a one-way data stream coming across the
air to the set and play games against the computer inside the Wink
Engine.

At a more advanced stage, Kassar sees cheap 2,400 bits-per-second (bps)
modems being built into television sets allowing a back channel to the
television station via either telephone or cable TV lines. This would
allow votes and opinions to be expressed on a wide range of issues and
ideas. Such a system could also be used to send orders as part of a
tele-shopping system.

NTT have developed a telephone-based information return path for use
in the Japanese system.

"In Japan we expect to be very successful" said Kassar. Brian
Dougherty, president of Wink Communications, explained the
announcement meant an important hurdle had been overcome in the
country for widespread use of the system, "Around the world, the Wink
Engine and the ICAP standard are breaking the chicken-and-egg problem
that has prevented widescale deployment of Interactive TV."

Wink's open Interactive Communicating Applications Protocol (ICAP) has
been adopted by leading set-top, television, and cable modem
manufacturers as a worldwide standard for distributing applications.

In the United States, the system is already integrated into many cable
set-top-boxes produced by General Instrument and Scientific Atlanta.

The announcement coincides with the tenth anniversary of teletext in
Japan although the system has achieved much less success when compared
to its use in Europe where almost all television sets include teletext
receivers and TV stations broadcast a teletext service. Most
manufacturers in Japan have restricted teletext decoders to only the
top models in the range.

At its ten year anniversary, teletext counts just 1.3 million homes in
Japan, but the future looks brighter. Predictions call for 4.5 million
homes using the system within two years thanks mainly to increased
promotion by the television manufacturers.

Sharp, Toshiba, and Sony began selling sets with text decoders last
year, and Matsushita's National and Panasonic brands, plus Hitachi,
are considering entering the market.

(Martyn Williams/19951204/Press contact: Barak Kassar, Wink
Communications, 510-337-6308, Internet e-mail [e-mail];
Reader contact: Wink Communications, 510-337-2950, Internet
e-mail [e-mail])


(ADVISORY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00013)

NewsPix Images For Newsbytes Publishers 12/04/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A.,1995 DEC 4 (NB) -- Photos are now
posted as they arrive. This means quicker access to the story
pictures. The bulletin will continue on Mondays, with updates
Wednesdays and Fridays as needed.

These photos correspond to recent Newsbytes stories. They are online
in the Newsbytes menu on America Online, NiftyServe, and the Newsbytes
private bulletin board system in Minneapolis. Some selections are
also available from the Newsbytes Pacifica Website at
http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) files are larger in size,
PICT files are designed as thumbnails for onscreen viewing.
The photos are titled with name/year/month/day.

PICT/thumbnail pictures are black and white (gray scale). File
message will indicate color if the JPEG image is color.

Some of the "for use" images, may be PICT files. To distinguish
these files from the thumbnail preview PICT images, the tag for the
color "for use" image will have PICT, all caps. The thumbnail will
remain noted as "pct."

To become a licensed Newsbytes publisher, call Newsbytes at
612-430-1100 (US) or write to [e-mail] on the
Internet. Licensing applies to any medium.

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

Week of DECEMBER 4 - DECEMBER 8,1995

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

- NEW THIS WEEK -

GOTV951130 - color / US West Launches Interactive Cable TV:
screenshot from GOtv, with the animated host Uncle Frank (resembles
Albert Einstein).

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

- PARTIAL LISTING OF PREVIOUS ITEMS -

COURT951129 - color / Utah Public Kiosks - Touch A Screen, Go To
Court!: screenshot from Infonorths Web site, NOT Utah specific.

6X86_951120 - color / Compaq Denies Plans for Under-$1500 PC In 1996:
the Cyrix processors.

JUNGLE951120 - color / Humongous Ships "Lets Explore the Jungle" :
screenshot.

A6_951122 - b&w / Fuji Intros More Printers: A6-size digital printer.

SIRIUS951128 - color / Sirius Promises CD 10-Pack For Mac: artful
look at product package.

NUMERA951122 - color / Computer-Aided Design Software Under $600:
screenshot. (no jpg file, large gif only)

EZOFFICE951122 - color / Willowbrook's Multifunction Office Equip
Is Different: hardware and software packaging.

PHOTOPAD951120 - color / Polaroid Intros Photo Scanner For Home PCs:
shot of the scanner and packaging.

SPSS951121 - color / SPSS To Ship Windows 95 Statistical Software:
screenshot. (no Pict or Gif files)

CDROM951117 - color / Comdex - Higher-Density CDs Late Next Year:
shot of a multi-media PC with the mini-tower cd tray open. CD-ROM
in tray is accented via lighting.

FUJI951116 - b&w / Comdex - Fuji's Digital Camera, Color Printer:
the Fujix DS-220 digital camera.

TREKKER951116 - color / Comdex - And Now For Something Completely
Different:  Rockwell's Trekker; a hands free PC. User at work.

VIRTUAL951116 - b&w / Comdex - Virtual Reality Has Commercial
Possibilities: user wearing the i-glasses.

UPKE951117 - color / Comdex - Upke Claims "Ultimate" Home PC: shot
of the Upke 2617 (in white).

VISIONINTERACTIVE951115 - color / Comdex - 1996 Is The Year For
MPEG?: product shot of the Orion MPEG Movie Pack bundle from the
Vision Interactive MPEG kit.

AIDSDAY951114 - color / Don't Surf The Net - Safe The Net: Ribbon
art by Annie Lennox (the Eurythmics) from the ribbon gallery
from the UK Health Education Authority World AIDS Day Web Site.

RACAL951107 - color / Racal's Low-Cost Audio Surveillance System:
chart/diagram of system linkage.(No gif of this one.)

CRYSTALS951106 - color / Out Of This World Research For
Next-Generation Chips: PHOTO INFO NOW IN - NASA astronauts Marc
Garneau, left, and Andrew Thomas observe gallium antimonide crystals
grown at the University of Florida College of Engineering.

ZINCAIR951109 - color / All-day Zinc Air Batteries Intro'd: shot of
the battery next to PC.

MINIDISC951108 - color / MiniDisk As Floppy Successor?: hand holds
Sharp MiniDisc, with nice blue skys background.

(Newsbytes/19951204)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/04/95
TELECOM
 ****Caller ID Goes Nationwide

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEN)(00014)
 ****Caller ID Goes Nationwide 12/04/95
DENVER, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 4 (NB) -- You probably won't see
"Out of Area" on your Caller ID display screen anymore, even if the
incoming call originates from the other side of the country. That's
because, effective immediately, Caller ID is now available nationwide
to anyone with phone service that currently has or subsequently
subscribes to Caller ID.

The additional service is the result of an Federal Communications
Commission order, and there is no charge for the enhancement.

According to Gwen Law, Caller ID product manager at US West
Communications, Caller ID has received the most enthusiastic
consumer response of any new product the telecommunications company
has ever introduced. "The FCC's decision to extend the service to
long-distance calls is especially noteworthy because customers have
told us repeatedly that the one thing we could do to improve Caller
ID would be to have it cover more calls,"said Law.

Caller ID is an optional service that lets the phone user know
who's calling before they answer the phone or who called while they
were out. The Caller ID unit displays the telephone number, date and
time of each call. The information is stored even if the call is not
answered so you can tell who called while you were out.

You can also get a Caller ID display that shows the name of the
caller for an additional charge. That's possible because the display
comes from the database of the phone company servicing the caller.
It's still not possible to get a similar display if the call you are
getting originates from a cellular phone, and a US West corporate
spokesperson couldn't say if cellular phone Caller ID is in the
foreseeable future.

If you don't want your call identified to the calling party, most
telephone service providers make a blocking service available at no
charge. You can block the transmission of the information for any
individual call by pressing *67 before dialing the number. If you
have a rotary phone, you need to dial 1167. The Caller ID information
will not be sent for that one call. There is no charge for the service.

You can also have Line Blocking, a permanent block that keeps the
identification data from being sent on every call. If you have Line
Blocking and want to let the person you are calling know who is on
the line before they answer, you can press *82 (or dial 1182 from a
rotary dial phone) to transmit the Caller ID for that one call.
Banks said that service is free in the US West Communications
service area. In other areas of the country check with your local
service provider for information about Line Blocking and Per Call
Blocking cost.

(Jim Mallory/19951204/Press contact: Dave Banks, US West
Communications, 303-896-2721)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/04/95
BUSINESS
Artisoft Pays $1.3Mil For Modem Sharing Software

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00015)
Artisoft Pays $1.3Mil For Modem Sharing Software 12/04/95
TUCSON, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 4 (NB) -- Artisoft Inc. (NASDAQ:ASFT),
the publisher of the LANtastic network operating software, said it has
paid $1.3 million in cash for substantially all of the assets of
Synergy Solutions Inc.

Chandler, Arizona-based Synergy Solutions Inc. was formed in October,
1992, and merged with Softwarehouse Corp. of California, the
developer of a software package called Modem Assist Plus, in
January of this year. By acquiring Synergy Solutions Artisoft gets
that technology.

Modem Assist Plus is software that allows phone lines and modems to
be shared across a local area network (LAN). It can be set up as a
dedicated or non-dedicated communication server by using existing
PCs, modems, and phone lines. It is claimed by the company to be a
"productivity increaser," because it allows network users to use
communications and fax software right from their desktop, but without
the need for a separate modem for each PC.

An Artisoft spokesperson said Artisoft has been licensing Synergy's
modem sharing software for use in its own product, called
PowerSuite. That's a suite of communications products that includes
Lotus cc:mail, Lotus Personal Organizer, Cheyenne Software's modem
and fax sharing technology, and an Internet browser called Netcom.
He said a acquisition of Synergy gives Artisoft complete control over
the code. "We can develop it further, we can use it in more products
and we can enhance it," the spokesperson stated.

William Keiper, chairman and chief executive officer of Artisoft,
calls the ability of people in a workgroup to access one or a
limited number of modems or phone lines important to their
productivity. "The technology and products we have acquired from
Synergy provides an immediate foundation for delivering this
capacity through the Artisoft channels of distribution."

The current version of Modem Assist Plus is release 4, which
includes a Windows DDL client, the ability to redirect any Windows
fax or data communication software, Windows and DOS modem menus,
Netware and NetBios/NetBEUI support, a communication management
console, in-bound password protection, activity logging,
conference calling, and automatic time-out.

Synergy introduced a line of multi-port serial cards in 1994 based
on the 16C554 UART chip. Artisoft spokesperson Robert Knox told
Newsbytes Artisoft will continue to market that product line. The
four-inch by four-inch boards are available in four and eight
channel models that support connections at speeds up to 115,2000
bits-per-second.

Knox said Synergy's operations will be relocated from Chandler to
Tucson as soon as possible.

(Jim Mallory/19951204/Press contact: Curtis Scheel, Artisoft,
520-670-7160; Public contact: Artisoft, tel [phone],
fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/04/95
LEGAL
 ****Compromise Coming On Online Smut

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(WAS)(00016)
 ****Compromise Coming On Online Smut 12/04/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 DEC 4 (NB) -- Rep. Rick White
(R-Wash.) today will unveil a compromise on online smut that
online service providers and digital libertarians are reluctantly
backing, in order to prevent more extreme legislation when the
House-Senate conference committee on telecommunications reform
deals with the issue, which could be as early as tomorrow.

The White compromise would continue provisions in the Senate
telecommunications bill imposing fines and prison time for
purveyors of digital pornography. But the deal would weaken the
Senate language about making "indecent" material available to
children, substituting the phrase "harmful to children."

The Senate bill contained tough language, proposed by Sen. James
Exon (D-Neb.), to deal with net smut, but the House measure
specifically rejected that approach, instead offering support
for online smut filters that parents can control.

House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) was openly scornful of the
Exon approach, saying it was unconstitutional and not in accord
with the speaker's libertarian tendencies.

But in recent weeks, because of an assault mounted by social
conservatives and the Christian right, the politics of the issue
changed dramatically to favor the Exon legislation, or something
like it. "I don't think there was ever any question, at least in
the case of obscenity, there would be restrictions," said White,
a freshman who represents a Seattle district heavy with software
and computer firms clustered around Microsoft.

The purpose of the language change is to bring the bill into
line with existing law on pornography. "While (the compromise)
does embody much of the original Exon proposal," says Jerry
Berman, director of the Center for Democracy and Technology, "it
does so in a way that tried to embody a constitutionally
recognized standard."

"I don't think we need any legislation at all," said Berman, a
veteran civil libertarian who formerly worked with the American
Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
"But the Senate passed a bill that went one way and the House
passed a bill that went another way, and we have to deal with
that."

"It is preferable to the Exon bill," said Marc Rotenberg, head
of the Electronic Privacy and Information Center, "but
ultimately this issue will be resolved in the courts, which is
where it should be resolved."

The White compromise would also give greater protection to
online services that make a good-faith effort to keep
sex-related material away from children. The services would not
be liable for the illegal conduct of others if they make such
efforts.

Exon supports the White compromise, calling it a "major
breakthrough." But White has yet to reach an agreement with
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry Hyde (R-Ill.), who
plans an amendment backed by the Christian Coalition that is
similar to the Exon language, but more in line with court
rulings on obscenity.

According to Exon, the first order of business will be the Hyde
amendment, with White then offering his amendment as a
substitute. The winner will then negotiate with Exon on the
final language.

(Kennedy Maize/19951204/Press Contact: Connie Correll of Rep. White's
office, tel [phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/04/95
APPLE
Internet Expo - Lotus Previews Updated cc:Mail For Mac

(NEWS)(APPLE)(BOS)(00017)
Internet Expo - Lotus Previews Updated cc:Mail For Mac 12/04/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 4 (NB) -- Lotus
cc:Mail for Macintosh, Release 3, a long anticipated update to
cc:Mail's Mac client, adds new rules and "droplets" for
automating messaging tasks, new assistants for preparing
Internet and other "complex" addresses, and 150 new viewers
for reading and printing cross-platform files, revealed Lotus'
Karen J. Horwitz and Amy E. Shaw, during a sneak preview for
Newsbytes at Internet Expo/E-Mail World in Boston.

Also during the meeting, Horwitz, a product manager at Lotus,
and Shaw, who is senior product manager, noted that in its
latest survey of the e-mail installed base, the newsletter
Electronic Mail and Messaging Systems found that the number
of Lotus Notes and cc:Mail mailboxes rose to more than 10
million in the third quarter, and that Lotus and IBM messaging
products can now be found on more than 25 percent of all
private e-mail boxes globally. "This means that we're now
number one over Microsoft," Horwitz maintained.

While Lotus is in the midst of introducing a new cc:Mail
client for the Mac, with plans to ship product within the
next 30 days, Microsoft has sold off the Macintosh client for
Microsoft Mail to StarNine, Shaw pointed out.

During a demo of the new Mac client for cc:Mail in the Lotus
suite at a Boston hotel, the two Lotus execs said that although
Lotus tries to take advantage of the particular capabilities
of each cc:Mail operating environment, advancements debuted in
one environment are adapted to other cc:Mail environments
wherever possible.

As previously reported in Newsbytes, the cross-platform file
viewers for cc:Mail were first rolled into cc:Mail Desktop for
Windows and cc:Mail Mobile for Windows Release 2.2.

Shaw and Horwitz told Newsbytes at Internet Expo that the file
viewers are designed to permit cross-platform viewing and
printing of attached files originating in Mac, Windows, DOS or
OS/2 formats in 150 different spreadsheet, word processing,
and presentation graphics programs. Rich text, tables, and
other original formatting features unchanged, according to the
duo of product managers.

Also in cc:Mail for the Mac, Release 3, Lotus is making it
easier for users to define rules for performing repetitive
tasks such as deleting, forwarding, or placing mail in folders
based on criteria like author, "send time," and the inclusion
of specified keywords, Newsbytes was told.

Users construct rules through context-sensitive pick lists
that let them select multiple "conditions and actions." For
complicated procedures, users can now "nest rules within
each other," with one rule governing another rule. The user
might set a rule that will operate during a specified period
of time only, such as a rule to send back mail, but only
during the user's scheduled vacation days, for example,
illustrated Horwitz.

In another new twist, the user can now designate one rule to
be automatically accessible on the desktop through a new
"target" icon. "And for other rules, we now have a set of
`cc:Mail droplets,'" Horwitz said. The drag-and-drop
"droplets," or applets, can be used for frequently used
addresses or mailing lists, replacing the chore of repeatedly
typing in the address or list each time around. Users
can also send pre-written outbound mail from the desktop in
virtually the same way.

Also in Release 3, you can enable a rule with a "sound" alert.
Newsbytes heard how the new auditory capability can be applied
to inbound "messages from the boss."

Additionally, Mac users can now pre-test their rules, to simulate
how their messages will actually be impacted if envisioned
changes are implemented. Through this process of "verification,"
the user might find out that he does not really want to
automatically delete all messages that are sent by a particular
individual, or that contain a certain keyword, for example, the
Lotus execs suggested.

The new release also contains two safeguards for message
preparation. Users can opt to "periodically save" their
emerging message compositions, much as you would in a word
processing program, Alternatively, messages can be stored as
"drafts" at any point during the composition process.

Newsbytes also saw how the new addressing assistants in Release
3 help users to correctly enter Internet and other complex
addresses by providing a template that shows the right format.
Users can then store the addresses in a private mailing list
for point-and-click access later.

The Lotus officials told Newsbytes that the new "droplets" in
cc:Mail for Macintosh, which are enabled through AppleScript,
have a strong parallel in the current version of cc:Mail for
OS/2.

Lotus has not migrated this feature to cc:Mail for Windows,
since the Windows environment lacks a similar scripting
capability, "But we will soon be introducing a cc:Mail client
for Windows 95," Shaw divulged.

Lotus cc:Mail for Macintosh Release 3 is slated to be
available for both PowerPC- and 68K-based Macs within the next
30 days. Estimated retail pricing is $95 for the media pack,
plus $495 for a 10-user workgroup license. Lotus maintenance
customers can obtain upgrades from earlier editions free of
charge. For other customers, the estimated retail price for
upgrades is $55 for the media pack, plus $130 for a 10-user
workgroup upgrade license.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951204/Reader Contact: Lotus, 800-343-
5414; Press Contacts: Mark McHarry, Lotus, 415-335-6786;
Coleen Byrne, Lois Paul & Partners for Lotus, 415-286-3990)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/04/95
ONLINE
Internet Expo - AT&T Services For Different Markets

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(BOS)(00018)
Internet Expo - AT&T Services For Different Markets 12/04/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 4 (NB) -- With the
introduction of AT&T Personal Online Services, AT&T Easy Commerce
Services, and two AT&T WorldNet services, plus the commercial
rollout of AT&T Network Connect Service (ANCS), all within the
past six months, AT&T is following a "disaggregated" model
similar to that of America Online (AOL), Compuserve, Prodigy, and
other online leaders, said Robert F. Jones and George F. Cunningham,
two AT&T VPs, in a briefing for Newsbytes at Internet Expo in Boston.

Jones, who is VP of Global Portfolio Management for AT&T, and
Cunningham, AT&T's VP of Business Planning and Development for
AT&T EasyLink Services, credited John Petrillo, president of AT&T
Business Services, for creating and implementing AT&T's
"disaggregated model."

Each of AT&T's new online services is being individually managed,
so as to meet the needs of different markets, according to
Cunningham. "We intend to become very strong in each market," he
asserted.

Jones used AOL's new Global Network Navigator (GNN), and
recent forays of other commercial online service providers onto
the Internet, as additional examples of how the online service
industry is becoming increasingly disaggregated.

Jones also pointed out that WorldNet, a service jointly
unveiled by AT&T and BBN in June, actually consists of two
separate service offerings on the AT&T side.

AT&T WorldNet Service Dial-Up Access is a dial-up service,
currently in beta, meant to "make it easy to use the Internet,"
according to the two VPs. Announced during a teleconference
attended by Newsbytes in August, the upcoming service will offer
Harley Hahn Internet Exploration Station, with content taken from
the database used by Hahn's The Internet Yellow Pages, together
with "edited Web navigation" through Verity Inc.'s Topics
search-and-retrieval engine, agent technology, and the McKinley
"rated directory" and Web site review service.

AT&T WorldNet Managed Internet Service, on the other hand, is
designed to provide "managed Internet access" for businesses.
Services include: access at speeds ranging from 56
kilobits-per-second (Kbps) to T3; network management;
implementation services such as support site planning,
registration, provisioning, testing, and training; and "customer
care" services like 24-by-seven telephone support, fault
isolation, and security.

Cunningham told Newsbytes at Internet Expo that AT&T chose BBN
as its partner on the WorldNet Managed Internet Service due to
BBN's long-time "professional involvement with the Internet."

Currently, all of the Internet points-of-present (POPs) being
used on the Internet service for businesses are BBN's, but
AT&T POPs will later join the mix, according to the VP.

AT&T's two WorldNet services, together with ANCS, make up
AT&T's Gateway Services, a division headed by AT&T's Tom
Evslin, Jones noted. AT&T announced the commercial
availability of the ANCS "secure" internetworking outsourcing
services during a teleconference attended by Newsbytes last week.

Jones added that AT&T Personal Online Service constitutes
AT&T's new "content aggregation business." Headed by Caroline
Vanderlip, Personal Online Services was announced at a press
conference attended by Newsbytes at MecklerMedia's Internet
World/Boston in October. As previously reported in Newsbytes, the
new group's initial content offering is an online health and
fitness service to be produced by IVI, a company that owns
digital publishing rights from the Mayo Clinic, Time-Life, and
the Mass. Medical Society.

Cunningham told Newsbytes at Internet Expo that AT&T is
interested in content "aggregation" only, preferring to leave
content creation to specialists in that field.

"We want to stick to what we do best. We are a telephone
company. We don't plan to try to become Walt Disney," the AT&T
executive maintained.

Other components of AT&T Personal Online Services include the
ImagiNation Network, an interactive games service acquired by
AT&T; and AT&T PersonaLink Services. Announced at a press
conference attended by Newsbytes in New York City in September,
1994, PersonaLink is a personal communications service initially
combining telecommunications infrastructure and services from
AT&T with Sony's Magic Cap personal communications device,
General Magic's Magic Cap software, and Skytel paging.

Jones noted that AT&T Easy Commerce Services, headed by AT&T VP
Kathleen Earley, is made up of: AT&T EasyLink Services for
electronic messaging; AT&T Network Notes; AT&T's Imaging
Network Services; and AT&T Easy World Wide Web Service.

Easy Commerce and the Easy World Wide Web Service were both
unveiled at Fall Comdex 1995 in Las Vegas. During a press
conference attended by Newsbytes in Las Vegas, Earley said that
Easy World Wide Web is aimed at making it simpler for smaller and
mid-sized businesses to obtain and maintain a presence on the
Web.

AT&T's Imaging Network Services is designed to use AT&T's
network for the transmission, storage, retrieval and
processing of multimedia images. The first application for the
service, now being tested, is AT&T Network Demand Printing
Service, for network-based print-on-demand.

Also at Internet Expo in Boston last week, AT&T introduced
AccessPlus 3.0 for Windows, a new edition of its software for
EasyLink subscribers, and AT&T Easy Archiving, a new service
on EasyLink that uses technology from Aegis Star Corp. to
provide network-based storage and retrieval, with access to
documents "regardless of size in approximately 15 seconds."

Enhancements to AccessPlus include unlimited file folders; the
ability to search, filter, sort and find messages based on
user-defined criteria; new directory functions aimed at easing
message addressing, including Internet addresses; a new
"autopopulation" feature that automatically updates the
directory when reply messages are created; and "word-
processor-like" features such as integrated spell-checking,
text justification, and choice of font and point size,
according to the two VPs.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951204/Reader Contact: AT&T, 800-309-3349;
Press Contact: Diane Nakamura, AT&T, 201-331-4061)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/04/95
TELECOM
Internet Expo - RadioMail's Remote Mgt

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(BOS)(00019)
Internet Expo - RadioMail's Remote Mgt 12/04/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 4 (NB) -- RadioMail's
newly rolled out RadioMail Remote Management is meant to
bring money-saving Internet, fax and paging "message
management" on either a wired or wireless basis, maintained
Steven Rand, VP of marketing and sales, in an interview with
Newsbytes at Internet Expo.

"A key advantage of RadioMail is that it integrates
`seamlessly' with other wireless environments," Rand told
Newsbytes. But users do not need to employ RadioMail's two-way
wireless messaging services on RAM, Ardis, and CDPD (cellular
digital packet data) wireless networks to utilize RadioMail
Remote Management or its new personal "RadioMailBox," according
to the VP.

The new RadioMailBox, which comes with a "mobile Internet
address," is designed to supply connectivity through either a
pager or a landline, cellular, or RF (radio frequency) modem
hooked up to a notebook PC.

The user will be able to send or receive an e-mail, fax, or
pager message over phone lines or wirelessly, merely by
launching the RadioMailBox application, saving on costly
wireless airtime by avoiding "complicated log-on procedures,"
Newsbytes was told.

Additional capabilities of the new RadioMailBox include
message/fax forwarding and broadcasting, fax delivery
notification, and the ability to view incoming messages by
header only, before deciding whether to download a message
immediately or to store the message for future use, according
to Rand.

Pricing for the new RadioMail Remote Control Service will
start at $9.95 per month, plus connect-time charges of 20
cents per minute. The RadioMail two-way wireless messaging
systems on RAM, Ardis and CDPD networks will integrate the new
RadioMail Remote Control Service in the first quarter of next
year. The RadioMail service on RAM will continue to be priced
at $39 for up to 100 wireless messages, with dial-up
connect-time charges of 20 cents per minute, said Rand.

RadioMail's new "message management" service will be provided
through an upgrade to a new release of RadioMail Connection
for Windows. Beyond Windows, RadioMail supports DOS,
Macintosh, and HP95LX and HP100LX palmtops. Developers can
"RadioMail-enable" their applications by purchasing a C
language API (application programming interface) toolkit from
RadioMail. RadioMail also provides users with NewsFactory, an
online service featuring news headlines and summaries and Dow
Jones stock information.

Also at Internet Expo, RadioMail announced new services for
cellular and paging service providers. The new RadioMail
Remote Control Service will be available at discount pricing
to cellular and paging providers wishing to resell the
service, according to Rand.

RadioMail also unveiled the RadioMail Message Center services,
a turnkey system for cellular and paging carriers that want
add two-way wireless messaging and communications management
services such as account activation; support and maintenance;
and connectivity to other wireless carriers, at "minimal
investment" on their part, he reported. The new suite of
services will be provided through "communications control
centers" run by RadioMail.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951204/Reader Contact: RadioMail, 415-286-
7600; Press Contact: Mark Smotroff or Robin Rootenberg, Access
Public Relations for RadioMail, 415-904-7070)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/04/95
ONLINE
Softcop Claims Better Way To Try Before You Buy

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TOR)(00020)
Softcop Claims Better Way To Try Before You Buy 12/04/95
BURLINGTON, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 DEC 4 (NB) -- The Internet offers an
easy way for software publishers to let potential customers try out
their wares before they buy, provided they can make sure the customers
can do no more than try the software until they pay for it. SoftCop
International Inc. claims to have a better way of doing this.

Try-before-you-buy software samplers are not a new idea. Several
companies have produced CD-ROM disks containing limited versions of
software for users to test, then unlock using a key obtained by making a
telephone call and supplying a credit card number. The idea has not taken
off, though.

Tony Moran, vice-president of marketing and sales at SoftCop,told
Newsbytes that this is largely because previous ways of limiting use
of the software have been "very easy to end-run," and have not offered
vendors enough control of the registration process.

Moran said SoftCop's Purchase Preview software can ensure that every
copy of the software is paid for, and if desired can even authorize the
software for use on just one personal computer, requiring the customer to
re-register if he or she wants to move the package to a different machine.

Moran noted that many vendors opt not to take advantage of this, preferring
to keep things simple for customers who may want to transfer software from
an old PC to a newer one or from a desktop to a notebook. If they wish, he
added, publishers can specify that a single user can receive authorization
for a certain number of different PCs before paying an additional fee.

Besides being used with software distributed over the Internet or other
online services, Purchase Preview can be used with preview software
supplied on a CD-ROM or on a diskette inserted in a publication.

Moran said SoftCop recommends that publishers limit use of their software
by turning off selected functions such as printing. However, they also
have the option of allowing the software to be loaded a certain number
of times before it stops working, he said.

If a customer decides to buy a piece of the software, he or she has to
make a telephone call to arrange payment and obtain a code to unlock
the software's full function. It will soon be possible to do this with
a modem connection, SoftCop said.

SoftCop was founded in 1993 to develop software protection tools.

(Grant Buckler/19951204/Press Contact: Tony Moran, SoftCop,
905-681-3269)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/04/95
WINDOWS
Internet Expo - Pronto Mobile & "Secure" E-Mail

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(BOS)(00021)
Internet Expo - Pronto Mobile & "Secure" E-Mail 12/04/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 4 (NB) -- CommTouch
Software's new Pronto Mobile, an e-mail client for portable PC
users, provides the same mail synchronization and rules-based
filters as the company's flagship Pronto Mail 2.0, together
with time-saving new "scenarios" for environments like
airplanes and hotel rooms, said Robert Novak, VP of sales and
marketing, at a meeting with Newsbytes at E-Mail World/Internet
Expo in Boston.

During a demo in the CommTouch booth, the VP showed Newsbytes how
the "scenario" templates let the user quickly implement special
sets of rules for screening e-mail when retrieving mail over
airline phones, out of airline clubs, and from hotel rooms.

"If you're downloading mail to your PC laptop from a hotel
room, a map to the company Christmas party may not be a high
priority item, since you're dealing with limited disk space.
If you're connecting your modem over an airplane phone, you
may want to screen out all but very short recent messages,
because rates for those phones are so expensive," Novak told
Newsbytes.

Like Pronto Mail 2.0 and the recently unveiled Pronto Secure,
the new Pronto Mobile also permits users to create custom
filters establishing which messages will be received and in
what order, reported the CommTouch exec.

CommTouch first introduced the shrink-wrapped Pronto Mail 2.0 in
conjunction with a deal to integrate Pronto Mail into Sun
Microsystems' SolarNet, according to Novak.

By now, he added, more than three million copies of Pronto have
been distributed on an OEM (original equipment manufacturer)
basis, to vendors that include AttachMate, TGV, and WRQ, in
addition to Sun. More OEM deals are currently in the works.

Unlike most competing products, he contended, the Pronto
software also provides mail synchronization, a capability that
allows "sometimes connected" users to update their messages
when going online.

Other software products equipped with synchronization, such as
Lotus Notes, cannot generally be classified in the same
product category, since they tend to extend beyond e-mail with
much broader functionality, Novak maintained. Pronto 2.0, he
pointed out, is list priced at only $69 in single quantities,
with discounts offered for volume purchases.

But Pronto software is not for every e-mail user, Novak
acknowledged. "Pronto is designed to automate messaging for
`serious business users' of e-mail -- those who receive 20 or
more messages per day."

During the demo at Internet Expo, Newsbytes saw how the new
Pronto Mobile permits the user to view message headers in the
inbox with fields for the name/address of sender, date,
subject, file size, and message priority.

Users can set download filters based on "to and from fields,"
message date, subject, file size, and priority. They can
choose to receive: headers only; "marked messages," selected
from a list of headers; or "new mail," consisting of headers
and messages that pass the filters, according to Novak.

You can have "junk e-mail" automatically relayed to the
"wastebasket" for deletion, and you can set other rules for
automatically sending, filing, forwarding, and replying to
e-mail. "You might want to postpone transmission of your lower
priority messages, for example," he illustrated.

The new Pronto Secure, he asserted, is the only "secure"
e-mail package on the market to offer "uniform key ring
management," a capability that provides "the same GUI
(graphical user interface) independent of encryption method."

With so many encryption methods in use today, it is
important for the vendor to support as many of them as
possible so that users can "unlock" all their messages,
according to the CommTouch VP.

Pronto Secure's "pluggable" security architecture will
initially support the following encryption standards: POTP
(Power One-Time Pad); PGP (Pretty Good Privacy); PEM (Privacy
Enhanced Mail); MOSS (Mime Object Security Services); and
S/MIME (Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions).

Aside from encryption and decryption, additional security
capabilities include: signature authentication; automatic
registration of receipt; Certificate Authority (CA) and PGP
certification; automatic exchange of locks and certificates; and
"automatic intruder detection with detailed explanations."

Pronto 2.0, a package that is currently shipping, runs on
Windows 3.1 and Windows 95. The product supports TCP/IP
(Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol); SLIP (Serial
Line Interface Protocol), PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) "and
related protocols;" MIME and Sun attachments: UUencode/Decode;
Simple MAPI (Mail Application Programming Interface); and export
and import to FRC822, POP, SMTP (Simple Mail Transport Protocol),
and Winsock.

Support for POP2, POP3, and Extended MAPI will become
available with the shipment of Pronto Mobile and Pronto Secure
in the first quarter of next year, according to Novak. The two
new Pronto packages will also incorporate "multilingual
spelling-checkers." French and German versions of the Pronto software
are now in beta. Italian, Japanese, Korean and Chinese editions
will enter beta in the first quarter.

Pronto Secure will run on Windows 95. The "secure" e-mail
package will be priced at $299 in single quantities, with
discounts available for volume purchases. Pronto Mobile will
operate on Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows NT, and Windows
for Workgroups 3.11. Starting in December, a "30-day full-
feature evaluation copy" of Pronto Mobile can be downloaded
from the CommTouch Web page at http://www.commtouch.com .
An evaluation copy can also be obtained by sending an e-mail
message to [e-mail].

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951205/Reader Contact: CommTouch,
415-578-6580; Press Contact: Michele Becker or Valdis
Hellevik, CommTouch, 415-703-0400)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/04/95
TELECOM
Internet Expo - Bell Atlantic/Nynex CDPD Deployment

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(BOS)(00022)
Internet Expo - Bell Atlantic/Nynex CDPD Deployment 12/04/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 4 (NB) -- Through a
new deployment of AirBridge Packet cellular digital packet
data service (CDPD), Bell Atlantic Nynex Mobile (BANM) and
Hughes Network Systems (HNS) have brought the first "secure"
cellular services to Boston and the surrounding Route 128
"high tech belt," asserted executives of the two CDPD partner
companies, during a meeting with Newsbytes at Internet
Expo/E-Mail World in Boston.

BANM's Raymond P. Dolan, executive VP for marketing, and
Michael D. Franklin, director of wireless data marketing, told
Newsbytes that, with the implementation in eastern
Massachusetts, BANM has now met its stated goal of deploying
CDPD services "from the Carolinas to Boston" by the end of
1995. BANM was formed in July of this year through a joining of
the cellular arms of Bell Atlantic and Nynex.

CDPD will be especially useful to the countless computer
hardware and software vendors in eastern Massachusetts, as
well as other varies of manufacturing firms, the officials
predicted.

But due to encryption capabilities that are unavailable
through other wireless technologies such as RAM and Ardis,
CDPD is also proving to be particularly popular for
applications in law enforcement, government, and even in
"electronic commerce."

Franklin, Dolan, and Jake MacLeod, assistant VP for digital
cellular networks at HNS, told Newsbytes that the police
department of Groton, Connecticut is now using BANM's CDPD
service to file reports and perform database look-ups directly
from their PC laptops.

The police in Groton are receiving requested information on
criminal suspects in far less time than was previously the
case with a traditional two-way voice radio system, Franklin
contended. The police departments of Bridgewater, New Jersey and
Alexandria, Virginia are now using Airbridge in similar types
of applications, he added.

In the realm of electronic commerce, retail stores are now
using AirBridge Packet together with FirstNet Corp.'s
AireTrans Air Connect System to conduct "secure wireless
credit card verification" much more quickly than through
conventional landline methods, Newsbytes was told.

And in an upcoming application, over 750 mobile workers at New
Jersey's PSE&G (Public Service Electric & Gas) will be using
AirBridge Packet, in conjunction with pen-based PCs, to send and
receive data concerning customer orders for utility service and
repairs.

In addition, noted Dolan, the Bell Atlantic/Nynex cellular
team has now opened up its "Greenhouse" laboratory to partners,
hardware manufacturers, software writers, and potential customers
for creating and testing further applications for "live" circuit-
and packet-switched wireless technologies.

Since Bell Atlantic rolled out the nation's first large CDPD
networks in April, 1994, CDPD pricing to users has dropped
only "somewhat," the BANM executive VP acknowledged. But as
BANM and other carriers to continue to deploy CDPD in more
areas of the US, prices are bound to drop considerably, he
asserted.

CDPD services were initially introduced into the Washington,
DC/Baltimore and Pittsburgh areas, according to Dolan. Between
now and then, the AirBridge Packet CDPD services have also
made their way into Philadelphia, New Jersey, North Carolina,
and Phoenix, Arizona.

Also during the meeting at Internet Expo, HNS's MacLeod
reported that HNS supplied the network infrastructure for the
CDPD service in Pittsburgh, Connecticut, North Carolina, and
Arizona.

In addition, BANM is partnering with US AirTouch and US West
in a CDPD consortium with almost five million customers and
100 million points-of-presence (POPs).

Meanwhile, Ameritech has implemented CDPD in cities that
include Chicago, Detroit, and St. Louis. Other phone companies
that are deploying the new cellular technology include GTE and
Southwestco Wireless, Dolan said.

BANM's new AirBridge Packet Service, which uses CDPD for
high-speed transmission of packets of data, is designed to
complement three other wireless data services from BANM:
AirBridge Fax Service; AirBridge Circuit-Switched Solutions,
which uses the existing cellular network for applications such
as remote e-mail, package tracking, and telemetry between two
cellular modems; and AirBridge Gateway Service and AirBridge
Wireless Modem Access Service, a cellular switch-based modem
pool for circuit-switched data transmission. Pricing for
AirBridge Packet Service is based on volume of data
transmission. Pricing starts at $15 per month.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19941204/Reader Contact: Bell Atlantic Nynex
Mobile, 908-306-7527; Press Contacts: Kristen Holmes or
Pauline O'Keeffe, The Weber Group for BANM, 617-520-7058, 520-
7085; Maggie Aloia Rohr, BANM, 908-306-7757; Julie Blake,
Hughes, 301-428-7113; Alice Ducq, Hughes, 301-428-7111)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/04/95
ONLINE
Internet Expo - Silicon Graphics/EBT Web Software Deal

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(BOS)(00023)
Internet Expo - Silicon Graphics/EBT Web Software Deal 12/04/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 4 (NB) -- "Silicon Graphics
Inc. (SGI) isn't just bundling our software. They're actually
using it on their World Wide Web site," said Paul Lamoureux of
Electronic Book Technologies (EBT), in an interview with
Newsbytes at Internet Expo about new moves by SGI to package
EBT's DynaWeb with its workstations, and to use DynaWeb 2.0 to
translate its product manuals into HTML (hypertext markup
language) for Web browser access on the SGI home page.

The newly unveiled bundling deal between EBT and SGI
represents for first such arrangement for DynaWeb, although SGI
and other vendors have been bundling DynaText, EBT's SGML
(standard generalized markup language) authoring package, for
several years now, Lamoureux reported.

SGI has given the name "Iris Insight" to its version of EBT's
DynaText. Phoenix Technologies, on the other hand, refers to
its OEM (original equipment manufacturer) edition as "Verdox,"
he noted.

But even more significant, in Lamoureux's eyes, is SGI's decision
to employ DynaWeb 2.0 for translating SGML-authored documentation
to the SGI Web site for navigation and search by end users. "I
can't think of a better recommendation," he told Newsbytes.

Lamoureux pointed out that EBT's DynaWeb is designed to assist
publishers of product manuals and other large documents by
allowing them to start publishing to the Web, while at the
same time continuing to work in SGML, for "insulation" against
changes in the rapidly evolving HTML standard.

When equipped with HTML-compliant browsers, he continued,
visitors to DynaWeb-enabled Web sites can make full use of the
DynaText search engine, which supports full-text and Boolean
as well as wildcard, proximity, context, and complex searches.

The number of search hits is shown beside an interactive table
of contents (TOC). To speed searches of lengthy or multiple
documents, users are shown only those TOC entries that are
accompanied by search hits.

Starting last week, SGI began to use DynaWeb 2.0 to publish
its own product manuals to the Web, noted the EBT official. In
version 2.0, the SGML-to-HTML translation software has been
enhanced with "FreeFrames," he added.

In a demo, Lamoureux showed Newsbytes how the new
"FreeFrames" capability allows users of "frame-enabled"
browsers such as Netscape 2.0 to view the Web page as
multiple, scrollable frames.

The new FreeFrames capability is based on templates that are
used by authors to manipulate how information will be
displayed on the Web, according to Lamoureux. Authors can
change the interface by modifying elements in the template
such as icons, text, and search feedback. Templates are
included for the TOC as well as for a query form.

To see what the "FreeFrames" feature in DynaWeb 2.0 looks
like, you can access either the SGI Web site
(http://www.sgi.com ) or the EBT home page
(http://www/ebt.com:8080 ) with a frame-enabled Web browser.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951205/Reader Contact: Electronic Book
Technologies, 401-421-9550; Press Contact: Craig Librett or
Alys Reynders, Miller Communications/Shandwick Technologies
for EBT, 617-536-0470)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/04/95
ONLINE
 ****Internet Update

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00024)
 ****Internet Update 12/04/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 DEC 4 (NB) -- In this roundup of new services and
resources on the global Internet: MSN beta Web page; Jordan Star
online; Australia pick of the day; Texas.net museum of art; Guide to
Hamamatsu; Quick access to the weather; Pleiades network for women;
Campaign 96 mailing lists; CNNfn Knight Ridder news; Science news;
NBC 4 seismo cam; Friday's Child International.

MSN Beta Web Page

Microsoft has unveiled the beta version of its new home page with new
additions and features. This page was recommended to us as "the best
home page concept I've seen yet." Users are also able to customize the
page to offer just what they want.
World Wide Web: http://www.beta.home.msn.com/

Jordan Star Online

The Star newspaper from Jordan has placed its weekly magazine online.
Editions include the latest financial and business news, culture,
features, news from Jordan, a technology section and opinions on the
news.
World Wide Web: http://arabia.com/star/

Australia Pick Of The Day

The Australian Internet Directory has added a "pick of the day" link
that takes the user to a different, diverse range of Web sites each
day. Also available via the page is a subject based index of the
Australian Internet and e-mail directory plus more. When we visited,
"The Australian Beer Page" was selected as pick of the day.
World Wide Web: http://www.sofcom.com.au/WWW.AU/POTD.html

Texas.net Museum Of Art

Over 900 images including reviews of recent art exhibits, themed
collections from the archive online and direct access to the scans
which include artists from Bacon to Vermeer. Other attractions include
the fine art coloring book and reviews of art related CD-ROMs.
World Wide Web: http://www.texas.net/~mharden/index.html

Guide To Hamamatsu

A new online guide to the city of Hamamatsu in Shizuoka, Japan, has
debuted with details of the best the city has to offer in tourism,
business, culture and information on the city's location, access,
hotels, and events.
World Wide Web: http://www.cti.co.jp/HAMAMATSU/

Quick Access To The Weather

This new Web page was written to provide a means of quick access to
information on the weather in North America. The latest forecasts,
satellite and radar images, weather data, warnings and more are
available just a few quick clicks away. The service is promised to
extend globally in the future.
World Wide Web: http://www.comet.net/weather/

Pleiades Network For Women

The Pleiades Networks has established a Web site for women with a
variety of features including an illustrated guide to the Internet,
directories of women's organizations, resources, and businesses, a
calendar of events and details of Internet discussion lists.
World Wide Web: http://www.pleiades-net.com/

Campaign 96 Mailing Lists

Three new mailing lists have been set up to follow the Democrat,
Republican and Independent candidates in next year's US presidential
elections. The lists are intended to serve as platforms for the
discussion of the candidates and not the issues. To subscribe send
a message to the e-mail address with the applicable text.
Email: [e-mail]
Message Body: sub independents96 firstname lastname
Message Body: sub republicans96 firstname lastname
Message Body: sub democrats96 firstname lastname

CNNfn Knight Ridder News

The new CNN Financial Network has already launched its own Web pages
ahead of a December launch. A section of the server includes a
searchable database of the latest global financial and business news
from the Knight Ridder news service.
World Wide Web: http://www.cnnfn.com/news/knight_ridder/index.html

Science News

Scienceweb has a page of the latest news from the world of Science on
its Web site. Current headlines include news from the Space Shuttle,
the launch of Radarsat, a new way to calculate pi, International day
for the preservation of Ozone, and more. Daily updates are
promised soon.
World Wide Web: http://scienceweb.dao.nrc.ca/nlist.html

NBC 4 Seismo Cam

NBC's Los Angeles affiliate, KNBC, has a camera pointed at its
newsroom earthquake detector linked to a sensor in Griffith Park, near
the famous Hollywood sign. The picture is updated every five minutes
and allows Internet users to watch the chart recorder register moves
of the earth. Several pictures of previous major quakes are also
archived.
World Wide Web: http://www.knbc4la.com/seismo/index.html

Friday's Child International

Sponsored by the United Nations and UNICEF, Friday's Child
International has a Web site that provides access to its "Full scream
ahead" and "World's biggest party" scavenger hunts for global youth.
Thousands of dollars are available in prizes so all kids should point
their browsers towards this site!
World Wide Web: http://www.fridayschildintl.com/

(Martyn Williams/19951204)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/04/95
BUSINESS
Hayes Microcomputer Says Financing Package Finalized

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00025)
Hayes Microcomputer Says Financing Package Finalized 12/04/95
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 4 (NB) -- Hayes Microcomputer
Products Inc. said it has wrapped up the financing package it
needed to complete its emergence from bankruptcy, and has the
necessary funds to pay its creditors in full, plus interest, as
promised.

The company also released its unaudited fiscal year 1995 results
that show an operating profit of $6.5 million before a one-time
restructuring charge of $5.8 million against net sales of $265.9
million. There was also a $10.2 million charge related to the
Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings and expenses such as attorneys
and accountants. In FY 94 Hayes reported an operating loss of $30.3
million on $246.3 million in revenue. The company said it cut its
operating expenses by more than $26 million over the previous year
by instituting a number of operational changes.

The necessary $85 million came from several sources. Hayes said it
has signed final agreements with Northern Telecom Inc. (Nortel) and
ACMA Limited for a $35 million equity investment. That will give
the two companies a 49 percent stake in Hayes Microcomputer. Dennis
Hayes, president and chief executive officer of Hayes and its
founder, and the Hayes Profit Sharing, Saving and Stock Plan retain
control of the company with ownership of 51 percent of the stock.

The Northern Telecom and ACMA participation includes an agreement
that Northern Telecom's technologies and products or Hayes and
Nortel-co-developed technologies and products can be sold through
Hayes distribution channels under the Hayes brand name.

The company also executed a commitment letter with The CIT
Group/Credit Finance for a secure line of credit of up to $65
million, with at least $38 million of that available immediately
upon closing. The company also sold a parcel of land located in
Gwinnett County, Georgia, of about 230 acres, which resulted in a
net gain to Hayes of $12.8 million. The name of the buyer of the
majority of the property was not disclosed. The deal included the
purchase of 8.2 acres by the Georgia Department of Transportation
for $700,000.

Dennis Hayes, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the
company, said the financing lets the company go into its confirmation
hearing, scheduled for December 18th, "with all our ducks in a row
and with full faith in the system and Judge Hugh Robinson." The
company filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy
code in November 1994. The reorganization plan was filed on May 15,
1995.

Hayes will remain as chairman and chief executive officer and the
company will continue its search for a new president  and chief
operating officer. Northern Telecom, ACMA and Dennis Hayes each
will appoint two directors to the six member board.

Dennis Hayes said he expects to launch an initial public offering
of the company's stock within two years.

(Jim Mallory/19951204/Press contact: Andrew Dod, Hayes
Microcomputer, 770-840-9200)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/04/95
TRENDS
Software Sales Up In 3rd Qtr, Mac Sales Down

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TOR)(00026)
Software Sales Up In 3rd Qtr, Mac Sales Down 12/04/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A, 1995 DEC 4 (NB) -- Over-all sales of personal
computer applications software in the United States and Canada in
the third quarter were up 48 percent over the third quarter of last year,
the Software Publishers Association reported this morning. However,
sales of software for Apple Computer Inc.'s (NASDAQ:AAPL) Macintosh
slipped for the second consecutive quarter.

The SPA said total sales of desktop application software reached $2.2
billion, up from $1.5 billion in the same quarter of 1994. This brought
the first nine months' sales to $5.5 billion in 1995, up 25 percent
from 1994's $4.4 billion.

Anne Griffith, a research analyst at the SPA, told Newsbytes that the
release of Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) Windows 95 operating system in
August was probably the major factor in third-quarter growth. Having
waited for the release of Windows 95 before purchasing or upgrading
applications, computer users are now making up for lost time.

Griffith said the effect of Windows 95 may last for a year or so, since
corporate computer buyers prefer to take their time about moving to new
platforms and many will put off buying new applications for Windows 95
until well into 1996.

The arrival of Windows 95 may also have contributed to the decline in
Macintosh software sales, Griffith said. In the third quarter of 1995,
sales of Macintosh applications were down 26 percent from the third
quarter 1994 figure, at $242.5 million. Griffith said this was the
second quarter of decline for Mac software sales, which dropped seven
percent in the second quarter. Macintosh software sales rose 10 percent
year-over-year in the first quarter of this year, she said, and 23
percent in the fourth quarter of 1994.

Although Windows 95 probably played a role in the decline of Mac software
sales, Griffith said a shift in hardware platforms may be involved too.
"The growth in actual boxes has been in Windows-capable machines," she
said, "and people are going to Windows from that." New games software is
more likely to be released for Windows today than for the Macintosh,
she added.

Strength in the home computer market has also contributed to strong
software sales, the SPA noted. Although the growth in consumer software
has slowed from its peak in late 1994, it was up 23 percent year-over-
year in the third quarter of this year, and sales for the first nine
months are up nearly 40 percent and have passed the $1 billion mark.
The third quarter is traditionally quite strong in consumer software,
though not as good as the fourth quarter, which gets the bulk of
holiday-season buying.

(Grant Buckler/19951204/Press Contact: Anne Griffith, SPA, 202-452-1600
ext 360, Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Loni Singer, SPA, 202-452-
1600 ext 353, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/04/95
GENERAL
Wireless Announcement System Tested In New York Subway

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00027)
Wireless Announcement System Tested In New York Subway 12/04/95
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 4 (NB) -- Digital, wireless audio,
and text technology got a tryout in one of the New York City subway's
busier stations this morning. Madah-Com Inc., of Central Valley, New York,
demonstrated its Waves wireless public address system to officials of MTA
New York City Transit at the 59th Street and Columbus Circle station.

Because the Waves system is digital, company spokesman Robin Brecker
told Newsbytes, it is not subject to interference, which can be a serious
problem with subway public address systems. Because it is wireless, it is
easier to put equipment right on the subway cars.

Brecker said another advantage of the Waves system is that it makes
possible to direct specific messages to specific parts of the subway system,
so that for instance an announcement that only affects passengers traveling
through one station need only be heard at that station.

The system can simultaneously transmit spoken announcements and display
the same information in text form. However, it does not use speech
synthesis to do this today. Brecker said the most common use would involve
pre-recorded messages, which could be stored in both text and audio form
and played in both forms at the same time. However, operators can also
type in text messages and broadcast them simultaneously with voice
messages, he said.

The demonstration today was only that, Brecker said, and the New York
subway authorities have yet to decide whether to proceed with a full-
scale trial of the technology. If the subway officials are impressed,
he added, Waves could be integrated with the existing public-address
system as stations are upgraded or could eventually replace it altogether.

Madah-Com currently has one test installation of the Waves system, at a
McDonnell-Douglas facility in St. Louis, according to Brecker. That is
slated to become a permanent installation soon, he said. He added that
the company is talking with other potential customers but is not free
to name them.

(Grant Buckler/19951204/Press Contact: Robin Brecker, Doff Meyer
Corporate Communications for Madah-Com, 914-928-8012)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/04/95
IBM
Wladawsky-Berger To Head IBM Internet Unit

(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00028)
Wladawsky-Berger To Head IBM Internet Unit 12/04/95
SOMERS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 4 (NB) -- As expected, IBM (NYSE:IBM)
has set up a new Internet division within its software group. The company
named Irving Wladawsky-Berger, former head of its RS/6000 division, to
head the operation.

Wladawsky-Berger will report to John M. Thompson, senior vice-president
and group executive for the software group. Reporting to Irving in turn
will be: Pat Sueltz, who will take charge of product development and
packaging in the new unit; Susan Fairty, who will be responsible for
sales and marketing; and Karl Salnoske, who will be the Internet
division's vice-president of networked applications.

IBM spokeswoman Judy Radlinsky told Newsbytes that Wladawsky-Berger
has enjoyed a successful tenure as head of the company's parallel
processing and supercomputing business. He will be replaced there by
Mark Bregman, currently technical assistant to IBM Chairman Louis Gerstner.

In a memo to IBM employees, Gerstner described the creation of the new
Internet division as part of an emphasis on network-centric computing. He
said this and some other decisions have resulted from a review of the
company's strategies by a task force headed by Dennie Welsh, general
manager of global services, and a special analysis of Internet
opportunities by John Landry of Lotus Development Corp., which IBM
acquired earlier this year.

Besides creating the new Internet unit, IBM has appointed Fernand Sarrat
general manager of network-centric computing marketing and services
initiatives. Reporting to Ned Lautenbach, senior vice-president and group
executive of worldwide sales and services, Sarrat will have the job of
integrating IBM's strategies on network-centric computing across its
worldwide marketing and services organization.

In his memo, Gerstner told employees IBM will not set up a network-centric
computing unit per se, because this emphasis will be enterprise-wide and
every division will take part in its own way.

In his first-day keynote address at the Comdex/Fall trade show in November,
Gerstner described network-centric computing as a new phase in which the
network, rather than the microprocessor or the mainframe computer, will be
the basis of information architecture. Through widespread, high-bandwidth
networks, he predicted, users will be able to get at "more memory, more
storage, more processing power than you would ever be able to justify in
a personal computer or maybe even put in a personal computer."

Gerstner said this new phase will not arrive overnight, and will never
entirely supplant the personal computers of today. But he maintained that
his company, which was the industry's unquestioned giant in the mainframe-
centric period of computing but lost its dominance when the microprocessor
took the lead, hopes it can step back into the forefront in the new era.
Network-centric computing will call for a knowledge of complex network
management, systems management, systems integration, and large server
systems, Gerstner said. "Now let me think, what company knows how to do
all that?"

Radlinsky said earlier that the new Internet division will have about
100 employees initially. Gerstner's memo to employees said the unit will
control and allocate network-centric funding to software development
labs and be responsible for branding, product integration, and marketing.

(Grant Buckler/19951204/Press Contact: Judy Radlinsky, IBM, tel 914-766-
1697, fax [phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/04/95
ONLINE
Bill Gates Sees Multilingual Internet

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(DEN)(00029)
Bill Gates Sees Multilingual Internet 12/04/95
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 4 (NB) --  Bill Gates, chairman
of Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) said that the president of France was
wrong when he said English would drive the French language off the
information superhighway.

President Jacques Chirac warned French-speaking nations Saturday
that their language must be seen and heard on the Internet or future
generations of French speakers would be economically and culturally
marginalized. He made his comments while attending the sixth
Francophone summit in the West African state of Benin.

"That's certainly not right, although the Internet did catch on
first in the United States, so almost 80 percent of users are in
the United States right now," Gates told French television viewers.

He said other languages would make their way onto the Internet. "As
it spreads around the world every country will be using its own
language, so there's no double there will be a lot of French," said
Gates through an interpreter during a TF1 television interview. He
was in Europe as part of a worldwide tour to promote his new book
"The Road Ahead."

While in London this weekend Gates operated a model of Charles
Babbage's mid-1800s computing machine and told visitors at the
London Science Museum that computers will be so small in 50 years
that the machine itself won't even be noticed. "Today, you don't
think about electricity, and what a wonderful thing that is. It's
just there," said Gates.

The software company chief also talked about Microsoft software that
combines voice, text, moving pictures, still images, and graphics and
lets computer users compose their own fictional movies using cartoon
characters and settings. When a museum visitor asked about virtual
reality, Gates said, "The ability to pretend you're somewhere is
something I'm very excited about." However, he cautioned that more
work needs to be done to improve the helmet technology which he
called "a little slow" and said causes "some people to get seasick."

On the topic of computer use for a wide range of applications, Gates
said, "We need to get better movie capability. We need to get better
music capability," He pointed out that PC makers have been adding
features, while holding prices steady, rather than offering cheaper
machines.

Gates predicted that, by the year 2000, there will be PCs that are
better than those available today, but at a lower price, perhaps in
the $800 to $900 price range.

Everyone in the industry doesn't agree. Oracle Corp. and Sun
Microsystems predict $500 stripped-down machines that will get the
software they need to perform a particular task from a network,
do the job, then discard the application software.

(Jim Mallory/19951204/Press and public contact: Microsoft,
206-882-8080 or 800-426-9400)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/04/95
ONLINE
Compuserve Asks For Free Candidate Accts Ruling

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00030)
Compuserve Asks For Free Candidate Accts Ruling 12/04/95
COLUMBUS, OHIO, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 4 (NB) -- In response to news stories
questioning a plan by Compuserve to allow federal candidates to have
free access to its online service and the Internet, Compuserve
officials said they are asking the Federal Election Commission (FEC)
to advise Compuserve on its plan.

Compuserve already has announced its "Election Connection '96" online
area which will provide election information and discussion from
a variety of sources, including links to candidate sites on the
Internet's World Wide Web, discussions and debates in message areas,
polls of Compuserve members, and press coverage.

Under the plan submitted to the FEC, Compuserve would offer free access
to its online service, the Internet, and the World Wide Web, with the
ability to build Web pages.

William Giles, Compuserve spokesperson, told Newsbytes some stories
appearing in the news had wondered about whether Compuserve's offering
would violate FEC rules regarding "in-kind corporate contributions to
candidates." Compuserve's position is that its offer to candidates
"furthers the process of public discourse by opening up cyberspace to
all candidates."

"According to these (news) reports, it could be interpreted that by
giving them free access to the service, it could be seen as an in-kind
contribution," he said. "We see it as helping members to be more informed.
(The offer) is also open to all candidates. It's kind of like TV doing a
debate, in that members get access to the candidates," he said.

Giles told Newsbytes it's not illegal for Compuserve to make the
offer to candidates, but it might not be legal for those seeking office
to take up the online service on its proposition, and "that's why we're
asking for the ruling," he said.

"The whole idea behind the Election Connection area is to try to make
our members better educated when they cast their vote," Giles added.

The free offer is also being made to state political candidates,
Compuserve officials said, but those candidates will not be affected
by the FEC's ruling.

Giles said he didn't know when the FEC would make a final ruling, but
he did say he hoped it would come soon.

(Bob Woods/19951204/Press Contacts: William Giles, 614-538-4388, or
Daphne Kent, 614-538-3582 both of Compuserve)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
12/04/95
ONLINE
 ****Netscape & Sun Announce JavaScript

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00031)
 ****Netscape & Sun Announce JavaScript 12/04/95
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 4 (NB) -- Sun
Microsystems (NASDAQ:SUNW) and Netscape Communications (NASDAQ:NSCP)
have announced a new programming language for creating and customizing
computer network and Internet software applications, called JavaScript.
The new language is designed to work with both Sun's Java and the
hypertext markup language (HTML) to create interactive content for
the Internet and other networks, officials said.

The initial version of JavaScript is available as part of Netscape's
Navigator 2.0 beta Internet World Wide Web program, officials said.
The browser can be downloaded from Netscape's World Wide Web site,
which is at http://home.netscape.com/ .

JavaScript is being developed as an open-standard, freely licensed
product, Sun officials said, encouraging its adoption as a standard
in a wide variety of products. "JavaScript and Java represent an
open-standards based approach to create compelling, interactive content
and applications for the Internet and enterprise networks," said
Marc Andreessen, vice president of technology at Netscape. "This broad
industry support for JavaScript will fuel the rapid development of a
whole new class of live online applications."

Sun and Netscape also said 28 companies have agreed to adopt JavaScript
as their standard, and provide it in future products. Some of those
companies include America Online, Apple, AT&T, Digital Equipment Corp.
(DEC), Macromedia, Silicon Graphics, Novell, and Toshiba.

In addition, the draft specification for JavaScript, and the final
draft specification for Java, will be submitted to the appropriate
standards bodies for industry review and comment later this month.

Sun officials said JavaScript is designed for use by HTML page authors
and enterprise application developers to control the behavior of
objects running on either the server or the user's computer, so the
range of applications that dynamically present information to, and
interact with, users over the Internet are virtually unlimited.
With programs called "applets," the Java language allows the multimedia
features normally found on a CD-ROM to be transmitted over networks
like the Internet.

Shares of both Sun and Netscape jumped on Wall Street today, following
the announcement. At 12 Noon EST, Netscape was up $5.25 at $142.50,
while Sun was up $4.875 at $89.25. Internet-related stocks have been
on a tear in general in recent weeks.

Additional information about both companies is available via the Web.
Sun's Java site is at http://java.sun.com/ , while Netscape's page is
located at http://home.netscape.com/ .

Sun also announced a contest to promote Java applets, which are
small, platform-independent Java applications.  The "Java Cup," as
the contest is called, will judge applets in several categories.
Those divisions include productivity tools, Internet/Web agents,
education, developer tools, and entertainment and games.

Criteria that will determine which applet wins each category will
include graphic quality, system friendliness, coding style, security,
reliability, interactivity, and innovation.

Prizes will be awarded from a $1 million pool of Sun equipment and
software, officials said.  Three winners per category will be chosen,
and within each category two individuals and one group will win prizes.
There will also be an overall grand prize winner, who will be awarded a
credit of up to $200,000 towards Sun Ultra and Sparc systems and
peripherals.

(Bob Woods/19951204/Press Contacts: Rosanne Siino, Netscape, 415-528-
2619, Internet e-mail [e-mail]; George Paolini, Sun
Microsystems, 415-786-8199, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/04/95
ONLINE
 ****Netscape Shockwave Plug-In Makes Video Easier

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SFO)(00032)
 ****Netscape Shockwave Plug-In Makes Video Easier 12/04/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 4 (NB) -- Macromedia
(NASDAQ:MACR), a leading developer of design and authoring software
for multimedia presentations, has announced the availability of a
Netscape Navigator Plug-in for Shockwave content. Introduced at a
recent Macromedia user conference, Shockwave was developed to bring
full multimedia content to the World Wide Web.

Bud Colligan, president and chief executive officer, spoke to the press
saying, "With Shockwave, the Web will never be the same. This product
will shock the Internet to a new level of animation, sound, and graphics."

Formally called Shockwave for Director, the program has two main
components. One is an "Afterburner" which compresses content developed
with Macromedia's Director software. Afterburner compresses Director-
created content, called Director Movies, by about 60% and optimizes it
for downloading. This addresses the often stated problem of the time it
takes to download rich, multimedia presentations on the Web. Future
versions of Shockwave will focus on high-speed streaming multimedia
data.

The second part compliments Afterburner with a player needed by users
to play Shockwave content. Today's announcement offers the first
Shockwave player as a free plug-in to Netscape's Navigator 2.0 browser.
Once Shockwave's plug-in is downloaded to the browser, users will be
able to immediately view sample Shockwave movies from the Macromedia
Web site at http://www.macromedia.com . This site contains the free,
downloadable plug-in.

Macromedia suggests Web users who want to be on the cutting-edge of
the World Wide Web experience integrate Shockwave's player into their
browsers. The list of companies planning to introduce Shockwave
movies on Web sites include CNN Online, MTV Online, 20th Century Fox,
CondeNet Online, Turner Online, Apple Computer, Disney's Toy Store,
Intel, USA Today Info, Advertising Age, Sony Music Entertainment,
and Melrose Place.

In a press release, developer of Mosaic and now founder and vice
president of technology for Netscape Communications, Mark Andreesen,
stated, "By working with Macromedia's Shockwave for Director, we are
greatly expanding the capabilities for communicating over the Internet
by providing users with richer media and more compelling means of
expression. We chose to partner with Macromedia because of its
leadership position as well as Director's market acceptance as a
standard tool for creating multimedia. "

(Patrick McKenna/19951204/Press Contact: Jane Chuey, Macromedia,
415-252-2268)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/04/95
BUSINESS
 ****Justice Dept Continues Microsoft Probe

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00033)
 ****Justice Dept Continues Microsoft Probe 12/04/95
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 4 (NB) -- The US Department
of Justice is reportedly trying to determine if Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ: MSFT) intentionally caused Windows 95 to disable rival
companies' Internet access programs, but a Microsoft spokesperson
called the allegations "absolute nonsense."

The Wall Street Journal reported today that the Justice Department
has issued subpoenas to Netscape Communications Corp., the Compuserve
online service and Netcom Online Communications Services Inc.

Compuserve, like most online subscription-based services, also
offers an Internet gateway. Netscape publishes a popular World Wide
Web browser program, and some industry observers estimate that about
80 percent of the Web crawlers use Netscape software.

Windows 95, launched in August of this year, includes software that
connects to Microsoft Network (MSN), the software company's own
online service and a competitor to Compuserve and other similar
services. MSN has a gateway to the Internet.

"One of Microsoft's central goals for Windows 95 was to insure that
the applications that were written for earlier versions of Windows
would run properly on the new operating system," said Microsoft
spokesperson Greg Shaw. "That goal was achieved. Windows 95 runs
virtually every application developed for earlier versions of Windows
including the Internet access software Web browsers developed by
competitors," said Shaw.

He did acknowledge that there were a few Web browsers, which may
have included Netscape's product for Windows 3.1, that required, what
he called, "some minor reconfiguration" in order to run properly
under Windows 95.

The problem, according to Shaw, is that the DLL (dynamic link
library) file in Windows 95 wouldn't recognize the old version of a
competitors DLL file, and that could affect the dial-up feature of
the competitor's browser. He said that issue has been resolved, and
also noted that all Web browsers written specifically for Windows 95
work well with Microsoft's new operating system.

The Justice Department declined comment on the Wall Street Journal
report, saying only that, "Our investigation is ongoing,"

(Jim Mallory/19951204/Press contact: Microsoft, 206-882-8080)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00034)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 12/04/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 4 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|            Monday, December 4, 1995            |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network's on the Web! Check out http://www.nbnn.com for
free daily top stories from Newsbytes and its affiliate publications, and
from PC Week, MacWeek, and other Ziff news magazines. A subscription
gives you all the news, full-text, plus the most comprehensive database
of past computer stories online. The keyword-searchable database dates
from today back through 1983. Subscriptions are $24.95 for three months.
Questions? Send to '[e-mail]'  For Japanese Newsbytes
and additional services, see the Newsbytes Pacifica Website at
http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

APPLE     Internet Expo - Lotus Previews Updated cc:Mail For Mac..... 17

BROADCAST 110 Channels On Single Laser For Cable TV.................. 04

BROADCAST Japan Group Supports Interactive TV........................ 12

BUSINESS  Artisoft Pays $1.3Mil For Modem Sharing Software........... 15

BUSINESS  Hayes Microcomputer Says Financing Package Finalized....... 25

BUSINESS   ****Justice Dept Continues Microsoft Probe................ 33

GENERAL   Gateway Australia Lowers PC Prices......................... 08

GENERAL   A Plan For Fighting Homogenized Media...................... 09

GENERAL   Japan Newsbriefs........................................... 11

GENERAL   NewsPix Images For Newsbytes Publishers.................... 13

GENERAL   Wireless Announcement System Tested In New York Subway..... 27

GOVT      Australian Govt Pays IBM $75Mil For Computer Services...... 07

IBM       Wladawsky-Berger To Head IBM Internet Unit................. 28

LEGAL      ****Compromise Coming On Online Smut...................... 16

ONLINE    Internet Expo - AT&T Services For Different Markets........ 18

ONLINE    Softcop Claims Better Way To Try Before You Buy............ 20

ONLINE    Internet Expo - Silicon Graphics/EBT Web Software Deal..... 23

ONLINE     ****Internet Update....................................... 24

ONLINE    Bill Gates Sees Multilingual Internet...................... 29

ONLINE    Compuserve Asks For Free Candidate Accts Ruling............ 30

ONLINE     ****Netscape & Sun Announce JavaScript.................... 31

ONLINE     ****Netscape Shockwave Plug-In Makes Video Easier......... 32

TELECOM   UK - Mercury To Offer Business Internet Services........... 01

TELECOM   Belgacom Announces Major European Network Expansion........ 02

TELECOM   Kentucky Gas & Electric Firm Joins AT&T Utility Program.... 06

TELECOM   Hong Kong - New T&T Intros Int'l Services.................. 10

TELECOM    ****Caller ID Goes Nationwide............................. 14

TELECOM   Internet Expo - RadioMail's Remote Mgt..................... 19

TELECOM   Internet Expo - Bell Atlantic/Nynex CDPD Deployment........ 22

TRENDS    Digital Mobile Phones Taking Off In France................. 03

TRENDS    Windows 95 Will Lure CD-ROM Publishers - Study............. 05

TRENDS    Software Sales Up In 3rd Qtr, Mac Sales Down............... 26

WINDOWS   Internet Expo - Pronto Mobile & "Secure" E-Mail............ 21

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 -> UK - Mercury To Offer Business Internet Services -- Mercury
Communications, the UK operations division of Cable & Wireless, has
announced the creation of a managed Internet service for business users.
According to Steve Powers, a spokesman for the company, the telco is
investing UKP35 million in the new project division.

2 -> Belgacom Announces Major European Network Expansion -- Belgacom has
announced a series of major upgrades to its international voice and data
network. According to officials with the company, the network expansion
will allow much faster and greater numbers of interconnects between most
European countries into the home Belgian network, as well as enhancing
service to other countries.

3 -> Digital Mobile Phones Taking Off In France -- Despite the relatively
high cost of using a mobile phone in France, the French Ministry of
Information Technology and Posts has revealed that the number of mobile
phone users in France rose by a healthy 4.7 percent in October, pushing
the number of subscriptions to more than 1,160,000.

4 -> 110 Channels On Single Laser For Cable TV -- Ortel Corp.
(NASDAQ:ORTL), a manufacturer of high-performance lasers for cable
television networks, has announced, what the company claims is, the
industry's first high-performance 110-channel laser. The Model 3630C
laser enables the transmission of 30 additional television channels with
no increase in distortion, providing cable operators with the capacity
for more revenue-generating programming, such as near video-on-demand
(NVOD) and pay-per-view (PPV).

5 -> Windows 95 Will Lure CD-ROM Publishers - Study -- Windows 95, with
its 32-bit technology and a design that pays more attention to the needs
of games and multimedia software, will lure many CD-ROM publishers away
from DOS. However, says a recent study by research firm InfoTech Inc.,
this will not happen overnight.

6 -> Kentucky Gas & Electric Firm Joins AT&T Utility Program --
Louisville Gas & Electric has joined the team developing the AT&T
Integrated Broadband Utility Solution

7 -> Australian Govt Pays IBM $75Mil For Computer Services -- A list
tabled in the Australian Senate shows just where the AUS$74,759,551.30
that the Federal Government paid out on the computer bounty in the
financial year to June 30, 1995, went.

8 -> Gateway Australia Lowers PC Prices -- Revitalized Gateway-Osborne
(G-O) has fired its first shot in the small office/home office (SOHO) PC
Christmas season war in Australia. The key to G-O's offer is price.

9 -> A Plan For Fighting Homogenized Media -- Lawrence K. Grossman,
former president of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and of NBC
News, explains why the government needs to create an independent public
telecommunications trust fund in "Maintaining Diversity in the Electronic
Republic" (Technology Review, Nov./Dec. 1995, pp. 22-26).

10 -> Hong Kong - New T&T Intros Int'l Services -- While Hongkong Telecom
battled management issues within, the new fixed-line competitor

11 -> Japan Newsbriefs -- In this roundup of news from Japan: Battery
production to restart at Sony plant; Toshiba proposes DVD licensing
authority; Windows 95 registers strong sales; Osaka Internet cafes
opened; MPEG 2 officially adopted; KDD buy Coherent equipment; Award
software opens Tokyo office.

12 -> Japan Group Supports Interactive TV -- A consortium of twelve
Japanese companies has announced adoption of a format developed by
California- based Wink Communications for the development of interactive
television. The group includes national telecommunications operator NTT,
major television manufacturers, and national broadcaster NHK.

13 -> NewsPix Images For Newsbytes Publishers -- Photos are now posted as
they arrive. This means quicker access to the story pictures. The
bulletin will continue on Mondays, with updates Wednesdays and Fridays as
needed.

14 ->  ****Caller ID Goes Nationwide -- You probably won't see "Out of
Area" on your Caller ID display screen anymore, even if the incoming call
originates from the other side of the country. That's because, effective
immediately, Caller ID is now available nationwide to anyone with phone
service that currently has or subsequently subscribes to Caller ID.

15 -> Artisoft Pays $1.3Mil For Modem Sharing Software -- Artisoft Inc.
(NASDAQ:ASFT), the publisher of the LANtastic network operating software,
said it has paid $1.3 million in cash for substantially all of the assets
of Synergy Solutions Inc.

16 ->  ****Compromise Coming On Online Smut -- Rep. Rick White (R-Wash.)
today will unveil a compromise on online smut that online service
providers and digital libertarians are reluctantly backing, in order to
prevent more extreme legislation when the House-Senate conference
committee on telecommunications reform deals with the issue, which could
be as early as tomorrow.

17 -> Internet Expo - Lotus Previews Updated cc:Mail For Mac -- Lotus
cc:Mail for Macintosh, Release 3, a long anticipated update to cc:Mail's
Mac client, adds new rules and "droplets" for automating messaging tasks,
new assistants for preparing Internet and other "complex" addresses, and
150 new viewers for reading and printing cross-platform files, revealed
Lotus' Karen J. Horwitz and Amy E. Shaw, during a sneak preview for
Newsbytes at Internet Expo/E-Mail World in Boston.

18 -> Internet Expo - AT&T Services For Different Markets -- With the
introduction of AT&T Personal Online Services, AT&T Easy Commerce
Services, and two AT&T WorldNet services, plus the commercial rollout of
AT&T Network Connect Service (ANCS), all within the past six months, AT&T
is following a "disaggregated" model similar to that of America Online
(AOL), Compuserve, Prodigy, and other online leaders, said Robert F.
Jones and George F. Cunningham, two AT&T VPs, in a briefing for Newsbytes
at Internet Expo in Boston.

19 -> Internet Expo - RadioMail's Remote Mgt -- RadioMail's newly rolled
out RadioMail Remote Management is meant to bring money-saving Internet,
fax and paging "message management" on either a wired or wireless basis,
maintained Steven Rand, VP of marketing and sales, in an interview with
Newsbytes at Internet Expo.

20 -> Softcop Claims Better Way To Try Before You Buy -- The Internet
offers an easy way for software publishers to let potential customers try
out their wares before they buy, provided they can make sure the
customers can do no more than try the software until they pay for it.
SoftCop International Inc. claims to have a better way of doing this.

21 -> Internet Expo - Pronto Mobile & "Secure" E-Mail -- CommTouch
Software's new Pronto Mobile, an e-mail client for portable PC users,
provides the same mail synchronization and rules-based filters as the
company's flagship Pronto Mail 2.0, together with time-saving new
"scenarios" for environments like airplanes and hotel rooms, said Robert
Novak, VP of sales and marketing, at a meeting with Newsbytes at E-Mail
World/Internet Expo in Boston.

22 -> Internet Expo - Bell Atlantic/Nynex CDPD Deployment -- Through a
new deployment of AirBridge Packet cellular digital packet data service
(CDPD), Bell Atlantic Nynex Mobile (BANM) and Hughes Network Systems
(HNS) have brought the first "secure" cellular services to Boston and the
surrounding Route 128 "high tech belt," asserted executives of the two
CDPD partner companies, during a meeting with Newsbytes at Internet
Expo/E-Mail World in Boston.

23 -> Internet Expo - Silicon Graphics/EBT Web Software Deal -- "Silicon
Graphics Inc. (SGI) isn't just bundling our software. They're actually
using it on their World Wide Web site," said Paul Lamoureux of Electronic
Book Technologies (EBT), in an interview with Newsbytes at Internet Expo
about new moves by SGI to package EBT's DynaWeb with its workstations,
and to use DynaWeb 2.0 to translate its product manuals into HTML
(hypertext markup language) for Web browser access on the SGI home page.

24 ->  ****Internet Update -- In this roundup of new services and
resources on the global Internet: MSN beta Web page; Jordan Star online;
Australia pick of the day; Texas.net museum of art; Guide to Hamamatsu;
Quick access to the weather; Pleiades network for women; Campaign 96
mailing lists; CNNfn Knight Ridder news; Science news; NBC 4 seismo cam;
Friday's Child International.

25 -> Hayes Microcomputer Says Financing Package Finalized -- Hayes
Microcomputer Products Inc. said it has wrapped up the financing package
it needed to complete its emergence from bankruptcy, and has the
necessary funds to pay its creditors in full, plus interest, as promised.

26 -> Software Sales Up In 3rd Qtr, Mac Sales Down -- Over-all sales of
personal computer applications software in the United States and Canada
in the third quarter were up 48 percent over the third quarter of last
year, the Software Publishers Association reported this morning. However,
sales of software for Apple Computer Inc.'s (NASDAQ:AAPL) Macintosh
slipped for the second consecutive quarter.

27 -> Wireless Announcement System Tested In New York Subway -- Digital,
wireless audio, and text technology got a tryout in one of the New York
City subway's busier stations this morning. Madah-Com Inc., of Central
Valley, New York, demonstrated its Waves wireless public address system
to officials of MTA New York City Transit at the 59th Street and Columbus
Circle station.

28 -> Wladawsky-Berger To Head IBM Internet Unit -- As expected, IBM
(NYSE:IBM) has set up a new Internet division within its software group.
The company named Irving Wladawsky-Berger, former head of its RS/6000
division, to head the operation.

29 -> Bill Gates Sees Multilingual Internet --  Bill Gates, chairman of
Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) said that the president of France was
wrong when he said English would drive the French language off the
information superhighway.

30 -> Compuserve Asks For Free Candidate Accts Ruling -- In response to
news stories questioning a plan by Compuserve to allow federal candidates
to have free access to its online service and the Internet, Compuserve
officials said they are asking the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to
advise Compuserve on its plan.

31 ->  ****Netscape & Sun Announce JavaScript -- Sun Microsystems
(NASDAQ:SUNW) and Netscape Communications (NASDAQ:NSCP) have announced a
new programming language for creating and customizing computer network
and Internet software applications, called JavaScript. The new language
is designed to work with both Sun's Java and the hypertext markup
language (HTML) to create interactive content for the Internet and other
networks, officials said.

32 ->  ****Netscape Shockwave Plug-In Makes Video Easier -- Macromedia
(NASDAQ:MACR), a leading developer of design and authoring software for
multimedia presentations, has announced the availability of a Netscape
Navigator Plug-in for Shockwave content. Introduced at a recent
Macromedia user conference, Shockwave was developed to bring full
multimedia content to the World Wide Web.

33 ->  ****Justice Dept Continues Microsoft Probe -- The US Department of
Justice is reportedly trying to determine if Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:
MSFT) intentionally caused Windows 95 to disable rival companies'
Internet access programs, but a Microsoft spokesperson called the
allegations "absolute nonsense."

(Ian Stokell/19951204)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD



Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/01/95
LEGAL
 ****US Warns China On Piracy

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(WAS)(00001)
 ****US Warns China On Piracy 12/01/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 DEC 1 (NB) -- A top US trade
official says Washington will take "decisive action" unless China
dramatically improves its performance on protecting against
piracy of computer software, movies and recordings.
Charlene Barshefsky, deputy US trade representative, told the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee that China is falling "far
short" of its February 26 agreement with the US to crack down on
piracy.

"We expect that China will be well on the way to sharply
improved implementation of the agreement by the February 26
anniversary date of its signing," Barshefsky said. "If China
does not satisfactorily implement the agreement, the
administration will take decisive action."

The Business Software Alliance says piracy rates in China for
software are 98 percent. The trade office estimates US
companies will lose $866 million in sales in China this year to
pirates, down slightly from the $1 billion in losses before
China agreed to reforms.

"While China has taken steps to clean up retail markets," said
Barshefsky, "it has done little effectively so far to attack
the heart of the problem -- continuing, massive reduction,
distribution and export of pirated products."

She said that Chinese authorities have taken little action
against some 29 factories pumping out pirated CD-ROMs. Of seven
factories closed last spring, Barshefsky said, "all but one have
been reopened." She said authorities believe that one of the
reopened factories is operating under the law, "we have much
less confidence that the other five are clean."

Asked why China has targeted retailers and left manufacturers
alone, Barshefsky said the Peoples Liberation Army and
politically connected officials may own the factories,
insulating them from attack.

According to Barshefsky, a team of US officials will visit
Beijing next month to review compliance with the intellectual
property agreement. The US will also review the agreement again
in February.

Barshefsky said she discussed the agreement with the Chinese
government in a trip to Beijing earlier this month. She said
she told them that how they enforce the copyright agreement will
reflect on China's bid to join the World Trade Organization.

(Kennedy Maize/19951130)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/01/95
TRENDS
Where Did My Game Go?

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00002)
Where Did My Game Go? 12/01/95
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 1 (NB) -- DVD Software
released a Windows version of its game elimination utility, UnGame. If
you sign on to your network and find your favorite game missing,
chances are good that is was one of 3,100 games UnGame can delete.
DVD has built a business around improving computer productivity by
monitoring and eliminating games employees spend time playing.

Company President Dana Hollander says the annual cost of games at
work in terms of lost productivity in the United States alone is
estimated to be $50 billion. Beyond the time spent playing games,
Hollander says one must also consider decreased network performance
which some games cause and the amount of disk space required by
some of the newer games. "Some of these new games are multiplayer
network games which easily affect network performance," says
Hollander.

The company started with a DOS version of UnGame, but with the
broad acceptance of Windows, customers were quick to ask for a
product to help solve the same problem on the Windows platforms
where most of the games are played.

UnGame installs on a network server where it allows a network
manager to determine whether games files are being accessed and
whether the game should be deleted or left on the hard disk. UnGame
has a long reach. It can eliminate games on any Personal Computer on
a network where the program is installed on the server.

Who is playing the role of big brother? Hollander says a lot of her
customers come from the government sector. "We have universities,
public utilities and a lot of government offices. We also have customers
from the private sector such as Monsanto, Walt Disney Films and
Amoco," commented Hollander. Her government customers include the
US Postal Service, Southern California Edison, The Port of Seattle
and the San Francisco Municipal Railway system.

This does not mean all is well at DVD Software. "We also get our share
of hate mail," said Hollander.

UnGame can detect games under Windows 3.1, 3.11, 95 and NT, OS/2
and DOS. This $59.95 program supports major network systems
including Novell, Windows NT, Banyan, Lan Server and others.

(Patrick McKenna/19951130)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/01/95
WINDOWS
Microsoft Shipping New Programming Tools, TechNet Sampler

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(DEN)(00003)
Microsoft Shipping New Programming Tools, TechNet Sampler 12/01/95
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 1 (NB) -- Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ: MSFT) has announced availability of some new tools for
programmers, including an upgrade to Visual C++, an OpenGL 3D API
(application programming interface) and a CD that contains a sample
issue of the company's TechNet information resource for supporting
business products.

Microsoft said it is now shipping version 4.0 of Visual C++ for
Windows 95 and Windows NT. The new version reportedly provides a
new approach to code reuse, always a subject of interest to busy
applications developers. Re-use of code modules to perform
standard functions can save developers weeks or even months of work
on each new application.

In Visual C++ 4.0 you get a component gallery that stores OLE
(object linking and embedding) controls and Visual C++ components,
custom AppWizards that provide an application template based on
existing projects or third-party components, and MFC extension that
Microsoft said makes it easier to use third-party technologies in
applications.

If you buy the Subscription version of Visual C++ 4.0, with its
estimated selling price of $499, you get three additional releases
as they become available during the subscription year at no extra
cost. That includes major releases, said Microsoft.

Current subscribers of Visual C++ will automatically receive version
4.0 as part of their subscription. Users of all earlier versions of
Visual C++ can upgrade to version 4.0 for about $199 or to the
subscription version for under $300. If you use a competitive product
and want to switch to Visual C++ it will cost you about $249 or $349
for the regular and subscription versions respectively.

Microsoft has also announced availability of the OpenGL 3-D graphics
application programming interface (API) for Windows 95. OpenGL
3-D is a high-end three-dimensional graphics API that provides a
set of interfaces for specifying, rendering and viewing complex
three-dimensional graphics.

The new API supports software-based rendering for graphics cards
supported by Windows 95 and hardware acceleration with drivers for
high-end OpenGL hardware.

OpenGL for Windows 95 is available through the Microsoft Developer
Network Level 2. The release package includes run-time graphics
libraries, header files and sample code, including 3-D screen-saver
demo programs. The run-time graphics libraries can be distributed
with the developer's application without having to pay licensing or
royalty fees.

Also shipping is a single-issue CD sampler of TechNet, Microsoft's
information resource for business product evaluation,implementation
and support. The sampler previews most of the content available
through an annual subscription to TechNet, but at about one-tenth
of the usual subscription price.

The CD contains product facts, white papers and technical notes on
all Microsoft products, as well as the resource kits for the
Windows 95 operating system and Microsoft Office for Windows 95.

You also get information about the products in the Microsoft
BackOffice family of server software like Windows NT and Microsoft
Exchange Server.

The sampler is available from Microsoft for $29.95. Buyers
receive a $30 rebate coupon toward an annual subscription to Technet
if it's purchased through an authorized Microsoft reseller. A single
user license for TechNet has an estimated selling price of $299
while the single server unlimited user license is $699.

TechNet is designed specifically for technical professionals who
evaluate and select new products, administer databases or networks,
integrate products and platforms, or support and train users.
Microsoft cites a study by Burke Marketing Research that claims
a TechNet subscription saves an average of $12,000 in support costs
annually.

(Jim Mallory/19951201/Press contact: Waggener Edstrom for
Microsoft, 503-245-0905; Public contact: Microsoft general
information: 206-882-8080 or 800-726-9400; 800-344-2121 to order
the TechNet sampler CD)nna/19951129/Press Contact: Dana Hollander, DVD
Software, tel [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/01/95
ONLINE
Internet Update

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00004)
Internet Update 12/01/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 DEC 1 (NB) -- This is a roundup of new resources and
services on the global Internet: Site Of The Day: World Wide Music,
The Online Column, Push-Pull Animation, Chicago Tribune Digital
Coffee, Cyberspace Society Mailing List, The Civil War Letters Of
Galutia York, Need Computer Parts?, Bug Net.

Site Of The Day: World Wide Music

This is something every music fan should check out. On the home page
they describe a situation we have all been in: "A friend recommends a
new album to you, tells you that you'll love it. How do you know if
they are right? You hear a great song on the radio, but how can you
tell if the rest of the album is any good?" This great Web site has 30
second sound clips from over 40,000 albums online, 200,000 clips in
all. The even better service available to regular users is that the
computer will start to make recommendations once it knows your taste!
World Wide Web: http://www.worldwidemusic.com/

The Online Column

Steve Kelley writes a weekly online column for York County Star
newspaper and puts each edition on the Web so more can share the
writing. Visitors to the Web site will find the current column plus an
archive to past issues as well as a calendar of current events on the
Internet and a section given over the readers. The guide can also
be subscribed to via email by sending a message to the author
requesting copies each week.
Email: [e-mail]
World Wide Web: http://www.cybertours.com/yccs/online.htm

Push-Pull Animation

This kept us amused for five minutes which, as the editor will tell
you, isn't a bad thing! KMR Media have put up a selection of four
pages using the push-pull animation technique to make a man run, a
house puff smoke, a mail truck drive and the world spin. To get these
your browser must support push-pull animation which rules out most
non-Netscape users.
World Wide Web: http://www.kmrmedia.com/

Chicago Tribune Digital Coffee

Just what the Doctor ordered! The Chicago Tribune's Digital Coffee
pages are on the Internet offering users a weekly guide to news and
events in cyberspace and the ever popular "hot links" to new Web
sites. There is also computing news, software reviews and user message
areas.
World Wide Web: http://www.chicago.tribune.com/coffee/

Cyberspace Society Mailing List

This is the discussion list of the Cyberspace Society and open to all
society members. The society was "established to sustain the
democratic mission and the universal right of the people to govern
their own affairs, which are now being overrun by multinational
corporations and leadership groups with whom the global people no
longer closely identify." Users can find out more about the society by
subscribing to the list.
Email: [e-mail]
Message Body: subscribe CYBER-SOC firstname lastname

The Civil War Letters Of Galutia York

York, the 19-year old son of a farm family from Hubbardsville in
Madison County, NY, was a soldier in the US Civil War and, until now,
48 of his letters have been stored at Colgate University, never having
been cataloged or transcribed. For the first time, these are available
on the World Wide Web and being supplemented with illustrations of
local interest and the sights Galutia saw and wrote home about. This
is a great example of how the Internet can be used to its fullest.
World Wide Web: http://exlibris.colgate.edu/gyork/gyork1st.html

Need Computer Parts?

The Infoguide is now the place to go for add-ons and parts for your
computer after it opened the Computer Parts Network. The pages offer
free for-sale ads to anyone trying to sell computer parts and people
looking to buy can search a database of ads to find what they need.
World Wide Web: http://infoGuide.com/classifieds\computer\Network.htm

Bug Net

Not a database of insect types but a comprehensive list of computer
bugs, glitches, incompatibilities and any fixes available. Windows95
users will be interested in a new section of found bugs for the new
operating system. You can also report a bug and check the latest bug
alerts.
World Wide Web: http://www.pacificrim.net/~bugnet/

(Martyn Williams/19951201)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/01/95
ONLINE
Australia - NetComm Sells Internet Stake

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SYD)(00005)
Australia - NetComm Sells Internet Stake 12/01/95
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 1995 DEC 1 (NB) -- In a move which may be a pointer
to stronger alliances to come, Australian publicly listed modem maker
NetComm has sold a 50 percent stake in its Internet service provider
subsidiary Connect.com to long-distance phone operator AAP
Telecommunications (AAPT).

News of the deal comes six months after NetComm acquired Connect.com,
and just days after approval of a previously announced $2 million
investment in NetComm by US high-tech communications group ADC
Telecommunications. NetComm and ADC plan to jointly develop and
market cable modems for the world market.

NetComm's shares, which earlier this year were selling as low as 49c,
rose 10 percent to a year's high of $1.10 on Wednesday, as reports
of the latest deal spread. They edged up another cent yesterday
to close at $1.11. A press statement, issued to reporters wassailing
at NetComm's annual Christmas lunch for the press yesterday, said
the AAPT deal was part of a strategic agreement which would see
AAPT provide Connect.com with long-term access to bandwidth.
AAPT, owned by news wire service AAP (51pc), Singapore Telecom
(24.5pc) and Todd Corp of NZ (24.5pc), claims to be Australia's third
biggest long-distance carrier after Telstra and Optus.

According to NetComm MD Chris Howells, currently in the US to detail the
ADC-NetComm cable modem plans at the Western Cable Show at Anaheim,
the deal is a key strategic initiative which will enhance NetComm's
ability to put together bundled modem-and-service deals. NetComm-ADC
face formidable competition in the coming cable modem market for
delivering high-speed data services to personal computers through
cable television networks. At yesterday's Anaheim show, AT&T,
Hewlett-Packard and Intel announced an alliance to develop cable
modem standards.

(Computer Daily News/19951201)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/01/95
TRENDS
On the Internet, No One Knows You're a Machine

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(MSP)(00006)
On the Internet, No One Knows You're a Machine 12/01/95
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 1 (NB) -- Multiple-user
domains (MUDs) are computer programs which allow a number
of networked people to play roles and communicate with each other.
Those who play MUDs on the Internet often pretend to be someone else,
even someone of another gender. Computer scientists have taken
this concept to its logical conclusion by writing programs
called "bots" that mimic the behavior of a human MUD role-player.

MIT sociology professor Sherry Turkle ponders the
implications of this development in "Ghosts in the Machine" (The
Sciences, Nov./Dec. 1995, pp. 36-39).

"One of the most accomplished bots resides on a computer in
Pittsburgh," Turkle writes. "Her creator, the computer scientist
Michael L. Mauldin of Carnegie Mellon University, calls her Julia.
Players talk to Julia (via typing) and she talks to them; they gesture
to Julia (again via typing) and she gestures back. Julia looks for
particular strings of characters in messages typed to her, then
matches the input with a set of outputs she presents in random,
nonrepeating sequences. Julia's conversational skills rely for the
most part on the clever enumeration and grouping of those matching
patterns and on her use of humor."

Some users flirt with Julia, a phenomenon which might be taken either
as evidence of machine intelligence or as proof of human stupidity.
Either way, the boundaries of reality are becoming ever more blurred.

This story is republished with permission from the December 1995
Cybernautics Digest, a 20-page monthly summary of reports about
converging information technologies.

(Contact: Terry Hansen, Cybernautics Digest, c/o KFH Publications
Inc., 3530 Bagley Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103; 206-547-4950; Fax:
206-547-5355; E-mail: [e-mail]. U.S. rate: $24;
$2 sample issue)


(ADVISORY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00007)

NewsPix Update For Newsbytes Publishers 12/01/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A.,1995 DEC 1 (NB) -- This update
will be posted each Wednesday and Friday to reflect the daily
picture additions. The updates will in turn become part of the
main NewsPix Bulletin issued on Monday.

These photos correspond to recent Newsbytes stories. They are online
in the Newsbytes menu on America Online, NiftyServe, the Newsbytes
Pacifica Website at http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/ and the
Newsbytes private bulletin board system in Minneapolis.

To become a licensed Newsbytes publisher, call Newsbytes at
612-430-1100 (US) or write to [e-mail] on the
Internet. Licensing applies to any medium.

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

DECEMBER 1, 1995

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

COURT951129 - color / Utah Public Kiosks - Touch A Screen, Go To
Court!: screenshot from Infonorths Web site, NOT Utah specific.

6X86_951120 - color / Compaq Denies Plans for Under-$1500 PC In 1996:
the Cyrix processors.

JUNGLE951120 - color / Humongous Ships "Lets Explore the Jungle" :
screenshot.

A6_951122 - b&w / Fuji Intros More Printers: A6-size digital printer.

SIRIUS951128 - color / Sirius Promises CD 10-Pack For Mac: artful
look at product package.

(Newsbytes/19951201)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
12/01/94
APPLE
Apple Cuts Performa and Power Mac Prices

(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00008)
Apple Cuts Performa and Power Mac Prices 12/01/94
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 1 (NB) -- In
preparation for the holiday buying season, Apple Computer
(NASDAQ:AAPL) announced price cuts as high a 25%. Averaging
$325, the cuts apply to certain Performas and Power Mac models.

Following its statement to concentrate on key markets where Apple
computers are well represented, Apple's president of Apple Americas,
Jim Buckley said, "Our aim is to drive leading-edge technology into
more homes, schools, and businesses with aggressively priced products.

Apple's largest price reduction goes to the Macintosh Performa 640CD,
DOS compatible with 12 megabytes (MB) of RAM, 500 MB hard disk
and 15-inch monitor. Previously starting at $1999, the new expected
street price is $1499.

Two Power Mac systems are cut by $300. The Power Mac 6100/66, a
DOS compatible system with 16MB of RAM, 500MB hard disk and a
2xCD is now $1999. Apple's Power Mac 7100/80 with 8 MB of RAM,
a 2xCD and 700MB of storage is priced at $1499.

The company cut $200 off the price of the Performa 5215 with 8 MB of
RAM, 1 gigabyte (GB) of storage, a 4xCD and a 15-inch monitor and
the Power Mac 7200/90 with 8 MB of RAM, 500 MB of storage and a
4xCD.

Apple's Power Mac 7200/75 with 8 MB of RAM, 500 MB hard drive
and a 4xCD is reduced by $150 to $1549.

Price cuts are expected to go into effect December 2, 1995 and Apple
reminds customers actual street prices may vary among its different
retailers.

(Patrick McKenna/19951201/Press Contact: Linda Gonslaves, Apple,
tel [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/01/95
GENERAL
Personnel Roundup

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00009)
Personnel Roundup 12/01/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 1 (NB) -- In today's
roundup of personnel changes in the computing and telecommunications
industries: Harris Corp., Digital Equipment Corp., PureSpeech Inc.,
CompUSA, Symantec Corp., Spectrum HoloByte Inc., Pyramid Technology,
The Titan Corp., PageNet, Computervision Corp., Creative Technology
Ltd.

Harris Corp. named Joseph Tsui managing director (telecoms) for its
Greater China region. Harris, a US company with global revenues of
over US$3 billion, said the move signals more expansion in its China
operation, now 20 years old. Tsui was a co-founder of Hong Kong's
Tricom where he was president of its telecoms unit. He also worked with
US-based Stromberg Carlson, Canada's Northern Telecom and Mitel Asia.

Digital Equipment Corp appointed Yang Shaw-gang as managing director
of its Greater China territory -- China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Based in
Hong Kong, Yang is responsible for all Digital products and services
and reports to Bobby Choonavala, president, Digital Asia-Pacific. He
was with Microsoft as regional general manager, Greater China, and
before that, with Hewlett-Packard. Elsewhere in Digital, Ashok Shah,
manager of systems integration (SI), was appointed VP and director
of SI for Asia.

In other Digital Equipment (508-486-2024) news, Robert Iannucci
was named Cambridge Research Lab director. At this facility in
Cambridge, Massachusetts, Digital conducts research on human-computer
interaction technologies and strategic technologies critical to the
development of new information systems. He reports to Dr. Samuel H.
Fuller, vice president of Corporate Research. Iannucci joined Digital
from Exa Corporation, where he was a founder and vice president of
Product Marketing. Prior to that, Iannucci was at IBM for fourteen
years, where he was a Research Staff Member/Manager, in the T.J.
Watson Research Center, and led hardware development of the MIT
Multiprocessor Emulation Facility at the MIT Laboratory for Computer
Science.

Robin Rohlicek, formerly vice president of research and development
for BBN Hark, will join the senior management team at PureSpeech Inc.
(617-441-0000) as vice president of engineering. Rohlicek will
lead research and development efforts for the speech recognition
company. Prior to BBN Hark, Rohlicek led government funded research
and development projects at BBN in the areas of word spotting and
information extraction. Rohlicek obtained a Ph.D. in Electrical
Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is
currently a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic
Engineers (IEEE) Speech Processing Technical Committee.

Clinton T. "Clint" Newby, Jr., a veteran of more than 25 years in
government computer sales with some of the biggest names in the
business, has joined CompUSA (NYSE: CPU) as senior director,
Government and Education Sales. Newby takes over a growing business
that is projected to do $150 million this year in sales of personal
computer hardware, software, peripherals, accessories, training, and
related services to federal agencies, state and local governments,
and educational institutions.

Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC - 408-446-7142) announced the
appointment of several current executives to new positions within
the software company, reporting to Gordon E. Eubanks, Jr., president
and chief executive officer (CEO). John C. Laing, currently executive
vice president of worldwide sales, is assuming responsibility for all
of Symantec's desktop utilities software products. Ted Schlein, vice
president, enterprise solutions, continues to be responsible for
Symantec's Norton series of utilities designed for networks of computers.
Dana Siebert, Symantec's current vice president, services, will now
direct and lead the Symantec sales effort worldwide, assuming all of Mr.
Laing's former responsibilities. He will manage Symantec's sales and
distribution activities, with responsibility to develop and expand
business opportunities domestically and internationally. In separate
news, Joseph Shepela, 50, has joined Symantec as vice president, human
resources. Shepela's previous appointments include top human-resource
management positions with First Pacific Networks, Quantum, Apple, and
Hewlett-Packard.

Interactive entertainment software publisher Spectrum HoloByte Inc.
(Nasdaq: SBYT - 510-814-6336) announced the appointment of William
E. Meyer, C.P.A. as corporate controller. Meyer, 33, will oversee the
corporate accounting function for the company. Meyer was most recently
vice president of Finance for SBT Accounting Systems. Meyer is a
Certified Public Accountant and holds a B.S. in Business Administration,
Accounting from California State University, Sacramento.

Pyramid Technology (408-428-9000) announced the addition of several
new executives to its management team, including two newcomers to
Pyramid, Dennis Wolf and Mike Munro, who will be taking the roles of
vice president, chief financial officer and vice president, assistant
to the president, respectively. In his role as chief financial officer,
Wolf will head corporate finance and play a key role in expanding
Pyramid's global sales organization while reporting directly to John
Chen, Pyramid's president and chief executive officer. As vice
president and assistant to the president, Munro will assist Chen with
a variety of business issues including coordination of sales activities
between Pyramid and Siemens affiliates. In addition, the firm announced
the promotion of four current Pyramid employees to positions of vice
president: Steve Capelli, formerly assistant to the president, has been
promoted to vice president of intercontinental sales where he will be
responsible for direct sales in the United Kingdom and indirect sales
channels in Europe; Everett Dyer, formerly regional sales manager, has
been promoted to regional vice president of America's sales in charge
of both commercial sales in the South Central and Mid-Atlantic regions
and federal sales; Tom Leitzke, formerly senior director of manufacturing
operations, has been promoted to vice president of manufacturing
responsible for all manufacturing initiatives; Nita White-Ivy, formerly
senior director of human resources, has been promoted to vice president
of human resources and will be responsible for worldwide human resources
operations.

The board of directors of The Titan Corp. (NYSE: TTN - 619-552-9400)
says it has accepted the resignation of Dr. John E. Koehler as executive
vice president, chief operating officer and a director of the company.
Koehler will be starting his own consulting company. Koehler joined the
company in April. Prior to Titan, Koehler was president of Hughes Asia
Pacific, the marketing and entrepreneurial arm of Hughes Electronics
in that region.

PageNet (Nasdaq: PAGE - 214-985-6749) has named Glenn W. Marschel
president and chief executive officer effective Dec. 1. Marschel will
also be elected to the board of directors. Marschel, 49, most recently
was vice chairman and chief operating officer for First Financial
Management Corporation's financial and health care businesses.

Computervision Corp. (NYSE: CVN) announced that Kathleen A. Cote,
has been named president and chief operating officer. Cote will report
directly to Russell E. Planitzer, Computervision's chairman and chief
executive officer. Cote, 46, joined Computervision in 1986 as vice
president of manufacturing and in November, 1987, she was made a
corporate officer. In August, 1989, she was appointed vice president
of worldwide services, heading up Computervision's Services Business
Unit. In February, 1994, her role expanded to include marketing and
corporate communications, in addition to heading up the company's
operating committee.

Creative Technology Ltd. (Nasdaq: CREAF - 65-870-0449) announced
the resignation of Mr. Ng Kai Wa as a director of the company and
vice-chairman of the board of directors with effect from December 1.

(Newsbytes/19951201)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/01/95
LEGAL
Conferees Clear Securities Legislation

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(WAS)(00010)
Conferees Clear Securities Legislation 12/01/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 DEC 1 (NB) -- A House-Senate
conference committee has finished work on legislation to limit
the ability of investors to bring securities fraud lawsuits.
The conference report is expected to be approved by both
chambers and the final legislation should be on President
Clinton's desk next week.

He is expected to sign it.

The legislation has been a major goal of high-tech lobbyists in
Washington. Bill Archey, president and chief executive officer
of the American Electronics Association, praised Congress for its
actions. The bill, he said, "has told a handful of trial
lawyers that they can no longer engage in legal extortion and
make millions of dollars by falsely alleging fraudulent activity
that just did not take place."

The new law, Archey told Newsbytes, will be "a step toward
removing an unjustifiable and unnecessary albatross around the
next of high-tech companies." An AEA survey, that should that
more than half of the top 150 high-tech companies in Silicon
Valley have been hit with class action securities suits, was an
important element in persuading Congress to pass the legislation
over the opposition of the powerful trial lawyers.

Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), a key author of the Senate bill, said
the measure "creates a balanced bipartisan bill that restores
fairness and integrity to our securities litigation system by
protecting both innocent companies and the rights of
legitimately defrauded investors."

The most controversial element of the legislation is a
safe-harbor provision that would shield officers of a company
from liability when making earnings forecasts and other
financial projections. Under current law, a bad prediction of
earnings, for example, can trigger a suit by investors claiming
fraud.

The House passed its version of the legislation by a 325-99 vote
and the senate bill passed 69-29. Working out differences
between the two bodies proved relatively easy.

The AEA has been working for more than three years to change the
law and protect high-tech companies. "Our campaign will
culminate in a presidential signature in the next few weeks,"
said Archey.

(Kennedy Maize/19951201/Press Contact: Beneva Schulte, AEA,
202-682-4443)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/01/95
LEGAL
Business Software Alliance Picks Up Adobe

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(WAS)(00011)
Business Software Alliance Picks Up Adobe 12/01/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 DEC 1 (NB) -- Adobe Systems Inc.
has joined the Business Software Alliance's campaign to
eradicate computer software piracy. Adobe has been a regional
BSA member, participating in activities in Europe for several
years, but now becomes a worldwide member, according to BSA
spokeswoman Kim Willard.

Based in Mountain View, Calif., Adobe markets a variety of
document creation software, including the PostScript programming
and page description language and the Adobe Acrobat page
description and reading software.

"Software piracy is a major problem for Adobe and our industry,"
says Steve MacDonald, Adobe's senior vice president and chief
operating officer. "We believe the best way to solve the problem
is to work with the BSA and other software companies to
encourage governments to establish and enforce effective
copyright laws, and to educate end users about the rules for
using software."

BSA promotes its anti-piracy agenda in the US and 60 other
countries in North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Other worldwide BSA members are Autodesk, Bentley Systems,
Intergraph, Lotus Development, Microsoft, Novell and its
soon-to-be spun off Wordperfect group, the Santa Cruz Operation
and Symantec.

Since it began in 1988 as a spin-off from the Software
Publishers Association, BSA has filed more than 600 lawsuits
worldwide against suspected software pirates.

(Kennedy Maize/19951201/Press Contact: Kim Willard, 202-872-5500)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/01/95
ONLINE
Internet Expo - VisualWave For "Live" Web Apps

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(BOS)(00012)
Internet Expo - VisualWave For "Live" Web Apps 12/01/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 1 (NB) -- ParcPlace-
Digitalk's new object-oriented (OO) VisualWave will let Web
developers move beyond the "brochureware" and forms-based
"application wannabes" of most home pages today into "live Web
applications that `listen' and `respond' to users," contended
Nick Copping, VP of worldwide strategic customer relations,
during a press conference attended by Newsbytes at E-Mail
World/Internet Expo in Boston.

"Objects and the Web are inextricably linked," said Bill Lyons,
president and CEO (chief executive officer), also during the
press event. "That's why we need a powerful accompaniment to the
Web -- which, at the end of the day, is based on change."

IDC (International Data Corporation) research shows that 93
percent of corporations today are moving to object-oriented
development, an even higher percentage than those that are
migrating to the Web, reported Lyons.

"And Forrester Research believes that the Web is the `killer app'
for object technology," the ParcPlace-Digitalk CEO asserted.

But most Web applications today are still being built through
scripting methods such as CGI (Common Gateway Interface) that
make it difficult to include the application logic and database
access needed for "intelligence and interactivity," and even more
time consuming to change an application after it's been written,
according to the two execs.

Slated to ship in December, ParcPlace-Digitalk's object-oriented
VisualWave introduces a new concept called "intelligent session
management" for "two-way dialogues" between the user and the Web
application, the journalists were told.

The capability is aimed at letting developers "navigate" users
through the application and exploit the application's logic to
provide feedback that is customized to the individual user's
input. Users are not required to "visit pages in a preset
sequence."

Also new, Lyons maintained, is the ability to "hotload"
components, adding and removing parts of an application, without
recoding or recompiling, "even when the user is online." In
describing component hotloading, Lyons used two analogies: Legos,
and "patches in a patchwork quilt." Hotloading, he said, is akin
to replacing one "patch in the quilt" with a new patch.

Also during the press event, developers from Pennsylvania State
University, The Vanguard Group, Dun & Bradstreet Information
Services (DBIS), and Integral Development Corp., talked about
their plans for VisualWave.

Penn State, for instance, is building a "student advising"
application known as CAAIS (Comprehensive Academic Advising
Information System), said the university's Polly Spangler.

CAAIS is targeted at allowing students to make and enter
decisions about academic majors and minors and courseloads in
ways related to their "academic progress," according to Spangler.

DBIS has already used ParcPlace-Digitalk's Smalltalk-based
VisualWorks to build an online application that uses "secure
transaction services" in delivering business information on US
companies, according to Tom Thornbury. The firm is now starting
to incorporate the use of the new VisualWave into its Web site.

ParcPlace-Digitalk's Lyons told the press that VisualWave adds
new components to VisualWorks that include "a GUI (graphical user
interface) builder and access to RDBMS (relational database
management systems.)"

Web developers create and test applications in VisualWave's
Personal Web Server, according to the execs. A Reusable
Application Framework is used as an application "scaffold," while
an Image Editor is employed for building Web interfaces that can
include "dynamically generated graphics."

VisualWave also incorporates conversion engines for the HTML
(HyperText Mark-Up Language), CGI, and GIF protocols that will
permit the applications to run on the Web. Other tools that come
with the product include a Canvas Editor, Layout Editor, Symbolic
Debugger, Change List Manager, Resource Finder, and Workspaces.

Access to the DB2, Oracle7, and Sybase RDBMS is provided through
an optional add-on called Database Connect. Through another
option, VisualWave Server, developers can equip their
applications with "authentication and security," and deploy the
applications to HTTP Web servers. Applications created with
VisualWave are designed to be accessible with any HTML-compliant
browser, according to the execs.

During a Q&A session at the close of the press conference,
Copping told the reporters and analysts that the steepest section
of the Smalltalk "learning curve" concerns knowledge of object
classes.

Since the Smalltalk language is "easier" than C++, any
accomplished C++ programmer can learn to use Smalltalk within a
few days, he asserted. But learning times for programmers without
experience in object-oriented development will be longer.

An analyst in the audience volunteered that developers she has
spoken with have found ParcPlace-Digitalk's VisualWorks to be
"more interactive" than other environments, and that the
"feedback" received from the ADE (application development
environment) has been useful to them.

Also during the press conference, Copping said that, in the
future, the company plans to incorporate other OO languages into
VisualWave, including Sun Microsystems' Java, Microsoft's OLE
(object-linking-and-embedding), and the OMG (Object Management
Group)'s CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture).

During a meeting with Newsbytes at the close of the press
conference, Copping revealed that the OSF (Open Software
Foundation)'s DCE (Distributed Computing Environment) is another
OO language that will be added to VisualWave. The VP also noted
that, although VisualWave will support OBXes (Object Extensions)
through OLE, ParcPlace-Digitalk has no plans to support the VBXes
(Visual Basic Extensions) that are specific to Microsoft's
Visual Basics ADE.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951201/Reader Contact: ParcPlace-Digitalk,
408-481-9090; Press Contacts: Ellie Victor, ParcPlace-Digitalk,
408-773-7479; Amanda McPherson, Cunningham Communications for
ParcPlace-Digitalk, 408-764-0763)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/01/95
HEALTH
New Web Site Offers Daily Health Info

(NEWS)(HEALTH)(MSP)(00013)
New Web Site Offers Daily Health Info 12/01/95
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 1 (NB) -- Daily updated
information on health and medical topics are now being provided on
the Internet's World Wide Web from The New York Times Syndicated.
The new site, called "Your Health Daily," is written so it can be
easily understood by the general reader as well as health pros,
officials said.

"We don't see many health-related Web sites that are constantly
updating health news and reader-friendly health news," Patrick Vance,
director of projects for The New York Times Syndicate, told Newsbytes.
"We're trying to be a little more reader-friendly and a little more
timely than what we perceive the usual health site to be."

The Web site includes news, features, analysis, and columns from a
variety of news sources in the US, Asia, and Europe. Many of the
content comes from Medical Tribune, which is published in 14 countries
and in five languages. Information at the site ranges from articles
about the latest research into heart disease, and new reports on
asthma, cancer, and depression. Also included is coverage of AIDS
conferences, and feature articles about weight loss, nutrition, and
men's and women's health. The articles can be searched by topic or
keyword. Users can also electronically "talk" about the stories in the
Web pages in a discussion forum.

Vance said he's already received enthusiastic reactions from the
medical community, but he wants to hear more from his target audience,
the consumer market.

In the news release announcing the site, officials said Your Health
Daily is "initially being offered free to all Internet users." Vance
told Newsbytes no plans are in the works to make the site a
subscription-based one, but the company "wanted to leave its options
open" in case it has to start charging for access down the road. The
site will also include advertising.

Your Health Daily is located at URL (uniform resource locator)
http://nytsyn.com/medic/ . The site is produced by New York City-
based interactive media concern Interactive Connection.

A future Web site Vance wants to start is a religion-based one that
would provide non-denominational news and values "without getting into
the Bill Bennett stuff," he told Newsbytes. The site would contain
hyperlinks to other pages containing specifics about religions or
ideologies, he added.

(Bob Woods/19951130/Press Contacts: Patrick Vance, 212-499-3331, or
John Brewer, 212-499-3333, both of The New York Times Syndicate;
William Adler, 212-499-3313, of The New York Times Information
Services Group, Jack Angel, 212-274-7180, or Dan B. Zurich, 212-274-
7127, of Medical Tribune; Alan S. Ellman, Interactive Connection,
212-741-6333)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/01/95
WINDOWS
SoftRAM95 Test Results Clarified

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(SFO)(00014)
SoftRAM95 Test Results Clarified 12/01/95
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 1 (NB) -- Well-
known independent testing group, XXCAL Testing Laboratories issued
a clarification about its testing data of Syncronys' SoftRAM95.
After an avalanche of publicity claiming the company's product
does not double RAM as advertised, XXCAL released clarification
of its published test conclusions.

"We did say within the context of our test results conclusions that
'Under the Windows 3.1 and 3.11 environments, SoftRAM95
effectively doubles system RAM.' We want to make sure people
understand the conclusion was reached under specific test
configurations as proffered by Syncronys for use in testing," said
XXCAL spokesperson, Troy Sukert.

XXCAL has been an independent and highly recognized testing
company for the computer industry since 1982. From hardware to
software and high-end networks to desktops, the company has
performed extensive tests and reported results for companies such as
Gateway, Hewlett-Packard, Apple Computer, Intel, Microsoft and many
others.

Concerning its role in the SoftRAM95 case, XXCAL says it tested the
product under a specific benchmark, but that no technical analysis
of any kind was commissioned or performed.

Secondly, the company states testing was only performed with version
2.00I under Microsoft Windows 3.1 and 3.11. No testing was
performed by XXCAL under Microsoft Windows 95 and XXCAL did
not test version 2.00. XXCAL verified the major components of version
2.00 and 2.00I are of different dates and sizes.

Further, XXCAL says in its statement, "Syncronys specified the desired
8 megabyte (MB) physical RAM and 4MB temporary swap file
configurations under which observed results let to a conclusion of
substantial utility. Specifically, when the SoftRAM95 product was
enabled (on a platform with a specific RAM and swap file
configuration), XXCAL engineers were able to load and utilize more
applications than when SoftRAM95 was not loaded."

The company also stated the results were based upon automated and
repeatable Microsoft Test scripts, which function within XXCAL's final
report. Standing behind its reputation, XXCAL reaffirms its results
saying, "Within the configuration tested and indicated therein. All
measured test results are thus demonstrable by XXCAL. It is not
XXCAL's policy to analyze or endorse the technology of software or
hardware products on the course of performing relatively simple
benchmark tests. In the case of SoftRAM95, XXCAL's conclusion of
utility is valid only within the context of the observed test results
upon specific test configurations."

Sukert added, "We are not saying Syncronys misrepresented our
conclusions. Some people could take the conclusions out of sequence
and we want to make sure the computer industry understands our
conclusions were based on very specific data."

(Patrick McKenna/19951130/Press Contact: Troy Sukert, XXCAL, tel
310-477-2902)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/01/95
ONLINE
 ****Silicon Graphics In China Internet Deal

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(HKG)(00015)
 ****Silicon Graphics In China Internet Deal 12/01/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 DEC 1 (NB) -- An indication of how the new
information age might evolve in China came with the recent
announcement by China Internet Corporation (CIC) of a US$1.5 million
deal with Silicon Graphics for kit to set up its new Internet service.
James Chu, the chief executive officer of the Xinhua unit, said the
service won't actually provide access to the Internet for its mainland
users, although it will for Hong Kong subscribers.

CIC's unique definition of the global information service limits
activities, so far as mainland China is concerned, to trading
commercial product information among manufacturers.

"We'll also selectively put information related to trade and commerce
onto the `net," he said. The policy, in fact, is in keeping with Xinhua's
vetting of stories from international wire services, like Reuters,
before releasing them to the Chinese media.

The CIC gateway really offers what one insider called an Internet
"turnstile." Foreign firms will be able to access commercial
information on companies and their products, send e-mail requesting
samples or meetings, and later will be able set up their own Web sites
in Beijing, but firms in China will not have access to any
information held outside CIC's server.

CIC justifies this by saying, "We can't enforce foreign countries' laws
but we can deny access."

For Silicon Graphics, ironically US President Bill Clinton's and VP
Al Gore's favorite example of a firm speeding down the information
superhighway, the contract could be worth much more down the line.
The initial $1.5 million contract is to supply two Challenge DM
servers and two Indy workstations, with software, to be split
between Beijing and Hong Kong. By next year CIC intends to have
sites in 31 major Chinese cities. One insider told Newsbytes these
contracts could worth as much as US$22 million at official list price.

When Chu was asked if would CIC continue buying from SGI he said "At
this moment I'd say so but it's very difficult to predict the future.
I'd not preclude working with other companies." He added everything
was going well with the relationship.

Should SGI manage to keep CIC sweet with attractive contract deals, the
sums involved could be even higher. Xinhua's own communication's network
which CIC uses goes to 300 cities and Chu says he's looking at putting
server sites in each of them in the future.

(Joel McCormick & I.T. Daily/19951130)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/01/95
CHIPS
We Botched Asia Market, Intel Cries

(NEWS)(CHIPS)(HKG)(00016)
We Botched Asia Market, Intel Cries 12/01/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 DEC 1 (NB) -- In a stunning admission,
Intel reported that it completely fouled up Asia sales of
its "OverDrive" chips for retrofitting 486 machines, having drawn
up a plan that had PC dealers forsaking PC sales to sell only
chips instead.

Forget the big picture, and just make money for us, Intel effectively
told Asia's manufacturers and distributors. To only Intel's surprise,
many told the King of CPUs to, in effect, go where the sun don't
shine -- and sales never got off the ground.

The news came in its latest OverDrive announcement, this one for later
model 486 chip conversion to Pentium. In announcing its Pentium
OverDrive processors, Intel conceded sales in Asia had been abysmal.

The OverDrive concept launched two years ago. Intel published standards
which gave computer manufacturers a design allowing users to replace
their CPUs with higher performance chips without having to buy new PCs.
The plan was devised around replacing older 486 chips with faster and
faster clock speeds. The latest launch announcement now gives later
generation 486 users access to Pentium technology.

"I must admit with the 486 SX/DX series of OverDrive products we haven't
really promoted it," said Asia marketing manager for OverDrives, Robert Lo.

Admitting manufacturers were disinclined to implement a plan that would
lose them sales, Lo said the company all but forgot about trying to sell
dealers on the bizarre sales reduction scheme. "We hadn't really trained
dealers or store owners in the concept and there was no concerted effort
in Asia into doing that."

To date, OverDrive sales in Asia are negligible, Lo admitted. In the US,
he said "OverDrivers" make up 8 to 10% of the 486 user population -- people
who didn't junk their machines and buy whole new Pentium PCs.

But the figures tell him Asia ought to be big time for overdriven Intel.
Globally, Pentium sales have topped 65 million, and now account for most
of Intel revenues. Not so in Asia, where crusty old 486 technology
predominates -- largely thanks to budget-conscious China and India.

While not all 486 computers can use OverDrive upgrades, most machines
post-dating 486 SX-22 and DX-33 series chips can. "We reckon there are
500,000 Intel 486 computers in Hong Kong and we're seeking 3% of that
market over the next year," Lo said.

Now everyone's so hyped on Pentium, people who can't afford new PCs won't
wait till they can, he reasons. "What's really likely to accelerate the
adoption of this product is the pull that the Pentium name now has, the
advent of Windows 95 and the increasing use of CD-ROMs," he said, adding
that Intel has been holding seminars and training sales people in the art
of retrofitting.

While Pentium technology has a 64-bit internal technology, with internal
cache memory, it can improve performance of older PCs with slower buses --
the cart tracks over which bits and bytes are transmitted. While the
Pentium OverDrive 83Mhz chip will not give an old 486 computer that
performance, Intel said, it will give a compatible 486 SX-33Mhz PC
performance equivalent to a Pentium 66MHz system.

Intel is now selling a box with guidelines on how to refit your computer,
a socket tool to take out and replace the new chip and the Pentium chip
itself -- for US$280. If the PC blows up in your face in OverDrive,
Intel's warranty only applies if the fault can be traced to its chip.

(Joel McCormick & I.T. Daily/19951130)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/01/95
TRENDS
China - University Students' Anti-Smut Drive

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(PEK)(00017)
China - University Students' Anti-Smut Drive 12/01/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 DEC 1 (NB) -- Student organizations of Tsinghua
and Beijing Universities and the China Software Federation recently
called on the public to help stop the production, duplication, sales,
and use of pornographic electronic publications.

As computers are widely used on college campuses and in many Chinese
families, electronic pornographic materials are also spreading among
young people, especially among college students. The main
forms of the pornographic materials are computer games, and image
files, and they are quickly spreading through computer networks.

Student organizations of Tsinghua and Beijing Universities are
calling for "clean computer screens." Their letter points out that
compact discs loaded with pirated software, especially pornographic
materials, are frequently reported and this is not only harmful
for software production and the protection of intellectual property
rights, but also detrimental to the morals of society.

As computers become more common, investigation and prosecution of
illegal producers and marketers of obscene software must be stressed,
and everyone must help in the effort, the students say. The
university students expressed their concern about the harmful
influence of the pornographic materials within schools, families,
scientific organizations, and society as a whole.

They called on student fellows to reject illegal and pornographic
software and to support the government's anti-pornographic movement.

The student letter is also an echo of the country's ongoing campaign
launched recently to tighten control over audio/video marketing,
particularly the sales and use of obscene software and videos.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951130)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/01/95
LEGAL
 ****Church of Scientology Responds To Judges Ruling

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(LAX)(00018)
 ****Church of Scientology Responds To Judges Ruling 12/01/95
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 1 (NB) -- The Church of
Scientology has issued a statement about the recent ruling by a judge
in California that threw out large portions of its copyright suit
against Netcom. The judge did not throw out the entire case, and the
rest will be settled at trial in the first half of 1996.

The lawsuit was brought last year by the Church of Scientology
alleging copyright infringement against Netcom and an ex-member
who had posted copyrighted material on the Internet.

On the central issue of direct copyright infringement, the Court held
that Netcom is not liable for direct infringement when an individual
uses its system to post copyrighted material onto the Internet without
its knowledge. The Court noted that holding an access provider liable
for direct infringement under those circumstances "would ... result in
liability for every single Usenet server in the worldwide link of
computers transmitting a message to every other computer."

With respect to contributory copyright infringement, the Court was
nowhere as definitive. The court did not issue either a summary
judgment in Netcom's favor, nor a preliminary injunction in favor of the
plaintiffs. The courts conclusion said, "Plaintiffs have not shown a
likelihood of success on the merits of their copyright claims nor
irreparable harm absent an injunction against defendants Netcom and
Klemesurd. Accordingly, plaintiffs are not entitled to a preliminary
injunction."

Further in the Courts order it said, "The court denies Netcom's motion
for summary judgment and Klemesrud's motion for judgment on the
pleadings, as a triable issue of fact exists on the claim of contributory
infringement."

The Church of Scientology in their statement emphasized the
importance of the remaining charges "Earlier this week, US District
Judge Ronald Whyte got the attention of Internet access providers by
ruling that Netcom On-line Communication Services, Inc., may be liable
for 'contributory copyright infringement.' The case was brought by
the Religious Technology Center (RTC), holder of copyrights for the
Scientology religion, in an effort to protect its sacred scriptures and
make it safe for the Internet to be used for creative endeavors."

Wendy Beccaccini, a spokesperson for The Church of Scientology, told
Newsbytes, "According to court papers Netcom admitted that 'it did
not even look at the postings once given notice and that had it looked
at the copyright notice and statements regarding authorship, it would
have triggered an investigation into whether there was infringement.'
Yet we cite evidence in our pleadings that Netcom has acted to
suspend subscribers' accounts on over 1,000 other instances."

The statement issued by the The Church of Scientology went on to
quote a Wall Street Journal interview where Sheri Steel, staff counsel
for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said that "the only time they'll
even consider holding the system operators liable is if they know
about the copyright infringement. That's perfectly reasonable." When
asked if this statement by Steel represents the Church of Scientology,
Beccaccini said, "We do not expect every provider of information over
the Internet to have to screen everything."

(Richard Bowers/19951201/Press Contact: Leisa Goodman, Church of
Scientology, 213-960-3500)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/01/95
EDUCATION
MIT Ranked Tops For Technology Careers - Survey

(NEWS)(EDUCATION)(TOR)(00019)
MIT Ranked Tops For Technology Careers - Survey 12/01/95
FRAMINGHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 1 (NB) -- The
Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT) has come out on top in the first Computerworld ranking of "techno-
MBA" programs at American universities. Second place went to Carnegie-
Mellon University, and third to the University of Texas at Austin.

Computerworld, a weekly information management newspaper, conducted
the survey for the first time this year. Bob Fink, director of
research for the paper, told Newsbytes Computerworld expects to do it
again, but is not sure if it will be a regular annual project.

Fink said Computerworld asked more than 3,000 corporate recruiters to
rank roughly 300 schools with accredited Master of Business Administration
(MBA) programs with computer technology specializations. The deans of
the schools in question were also asked to rank the programs. Each
respondent was asked for a single ranking taking into account factors such
as the program's ability to produce information systems leaders, managers,
and entrepreneurs, and their reputations for information systems scholarship,
curriculum, faculty, and students. Computerworld averaged the recruiters'
responses separately from those of the deans, then gave each group equal
weight in determining the final rankings, Fink said.

Computerworld also looked at the average salaries that graduates of the
techno-MBA programs receive when they take their first jobs after
graduation. The over-all average for graduates of the top 25 programs is
$53,375, which Computerworld said is equal to or higher than the starting
salaries that graduates in many other MBA specialties receive. Average
starting pay for graduates of the top-rated Sloan School is $89,000,
Computerworld said. The next-highest earners are graduates of the
University of Pennsylvania's, whose program was ranked seventh, followed
by those from University of Texas at Austin and Carnegie-Mellon.

The top 10 programs, according to Computerworld's rankings, are: MIT,
Carnegie-Mellon, University of Texas at Austin, University of Minnesota,
University of Arizona, University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania,
Purdue, University of Pittsburgh, and New York University.

Computerworld said it will publish an in-depth look at techno-MBA
programs in its December 4 issue.

(Grant Buckler/19951201/Press Contact: Meg O'Sullivan, Creamer Dickson
Basford for Computerworld, 617-467-1558; Don Goncalves, Creamer
Dickson Basford for Computerworld, 617-467-1519)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/01/95
TRENDS
British Midland Airways To Offer Internet Booking

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00020)
British Midland Airways To Offer Internet Booking 12/01/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 DEC 1 (NB) -- British Midland Airways has
announced plans to open the airline industry's first Internet seat
booking services, Cyberseat, on December 11. From that date,
customers Webbing in to http://www.iflybritishmidland.com will be able
to book their tickets across the Internet, opting for delivery via a
travel agent, or to their homes and offices.

Alternatively, spokesman Dave Shipley told Newsbytes, they can collect
the tickets at the airport.

Shipley told Newsbytes that, while customers have been able to book
tickets online through various services, this is the first time that
an airline has allowed its tickets to be booked across the Internet.

"We've been talking to the airline publishing industry and discovered
that, while several airlines have announced their intention to offer a
seat booking service, they're almost all scheduled to start next year.
Launching on December 11 means we will be ahead of them," he said.

So how does the travel agency trade feel about the Cyberseat project?

Shipley replied that, although the travel agencies were less than
enthusiastic about the service when they first heard about it, they
have gradually come to appreciate what the service can do for them.

"Agents can hook into the system and offer their customers an improved
service," he said, adding that while the home UK industry for British
Midland has a high density of travel agents for people to visit, in
the US and Canada, business users are becoming accustomed to the idea
of booking tickets by phone.

"Using Cyberseat, they can book and pay for their tickets across the
Internet, and opt for delivery or collection of the tickets," he said,
adding that the Netscape SSL secure transaction system will ensure
that credit cards and other personal information sent across the
Internet cannot be compromised because of the encryption system used.

According to British Midland, using CyberSeat, airline customers can
reserve a seat on any of the carrier's scheduled services, worldwide.
Users will be asked to specify their route, the dates they wish to
travel and the number of seats required.

The system will then display a choice of schedules and the price of
each. To confirm the booking, the customer simply provides personal
details, including a credit card number. The computer will then
confirm the reservation and provide the user with a booking reference.

As well as the Netscape SSL encrypted data system, British Midland is
using three more levels of security, including ID and password data,
to prevent any security mishaps.

Newsbytes surfed into the BMA Web site and can report that, although
bookings are not currently available, the service information is well
laid out, and that the service can easily be used by Internet novices.

(Steve Gold/19951201/Press Contact: David Shipley, British Midland
Airways 803-944-6416)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/01/95
BUSINESS
SoftKey To Acquire Compton's From Tribune Co.

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00021)
SoftKey To Acquire Compton's From Tribune Co. 12/01/95
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 1 (NB) --
Continuing its aggressive push into the educational computing market,
SoftKey International Inc. (NASDAQ:SKEY) has announced a stock-swap
deal that will give it control of Compton's NewMedia Inc. and Compton's
Learning Co.

The agreement with Chicago-based Tribune Co. (NYSE:TRB), which is a
"done deal" according to SoftKey Chief Financial Officer Scott Murray, will
also give Tribune Co. a stake of something less than 10 percent in SoftKey.

There are two parts to the deal, Murray told Newsbytes. SoftKey will
exchange about $106.5 million worth of its stock, amounting to roughly 3.5
million shares, for Compton's NewMedia and Compton's Learning. As part
of this transaction, SoftKey will also assume up to $17 million in debt.

The second part of the deal is conditional on SoftKey emerging victorious
in the takeover battle for California-based Learning Co. (NASDAQ:LRNG). If
SoftKey is able to beat out rival bidder Broderbund Software Inc. and buy a
majority interest in Learning Co., Tribune has agreed to invest another $150
million in SoftKey. This would bring Tribune about another 2.8 million
SoftKey shares.

Murray said the total of nearly 6.5 million shares that Tribune would
receive if both parts of the deal are completed would give it about
10 percent of the company given the number of shares currently
outstanding. However, he added that SoftKey is likely to issue some
new shares in connection with its acquisitions -- which also include a
takeover of Minnesota Educational Computing Corp. (NASDAQ:MECC)
announced in late October -- and this will dilute the shares somewhat
and reduce Tribune's stake in the end.

Murray said SoftKey plans to integrate the Compton's operations into
SoftKey rather than maintaining them as separate subsidiaries, and he gave
no definitive information about the future of Compton's employees' jobs.
SoftKey's policy is to keep the "best of breed," he said.

The deal is the third this fall in the consumer software firm's effort to
become a major force in educational software. The company is best known
for consumer titles sold through SoftKey-specific racks in a number of retail
outlets and through other channels.

(Grant Buckler/19951201/Press Contact: Scott Murray, SoftKey,
617-494-5861)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/01/95
BUSINESS
Spyglass Shares Way Up After Stock Split

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(MSP)(00022)
Spyglass Shares Way Up After Stock Split 12/01/95
NAPERVILLE, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 1 (NB) -- Just days after it
announced a two-for-one stock split, the price Spyglass Inc.
(NASDAQ:SPYG) shares on Wall Street have jumped at least $20.

Reacting to the rise in share prices, Marcus C. Miller, Spyglass
executive vice president for marketing and business development, told
Newsbytes the excitement in his company centers around what he called
the "story" of Spyglass. "Our partner-based business model is a
successful one. With our 45 partners incorporating our technology
into 120 products, we think we're a real player in this market."

On Tuesday, November 28, Spyglass announced its board of directors
approved the split of its common stock to be effected in the form of
a 100 percent stock dividend payable on December 20 to stockholders
of record on December 6. "The stock split will provide greater
liquidity in the market for our common stock, which will allow more
people to be a part of this dynamic industry," Spyglass president and
chief executive officer, Douglas Colbeth, said at the time.

Spyglass' ascent up the stock ladder started in early November, which
Newsbytes previously reported. After the company released record
financial results for its fiscal year 1995, Spyglass stock jumped
more than $7 in the first few hours of trading on November 1. On that
day, Spyglass said its net revenue was up 185 percent for the fiscal
year at $10.35 million, and net income was up 64 percent at $2.18
million.

The company licenses its Internet World Wide Web client and server
technologies to third-party companies, who then add value to Spyglass'
products and resell them to other companies. Spyglass' partner list
includes AT&T, Digital Equipment Corp. (DEC), IBM, Microsoft, and
Oracle.

Spyglass and other firms doing Internet-related business have
benefitted on Wall Street, thanks in part to a report from Goldman
Sachs and Co. about Netscape (NASDAQ:NSCP) Communications Corp. That
report said Netscape, which makes the Netscape Navigator Web browser
and a Web server product, could see its share price double over the
next two years.

After the report was published earlier this week, Netscape, Netcom, and
UUNET shares all went up significantly, mimicking Spyglass' trend.

(Bob Woods/19951201/Press Contact: Randy Pitzer, Spyglass, 708-505-
1010, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/01/95
APPLE
New Year's Eve Present From Apple

(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00023)
New Year's Eve Present From Apple 12/01/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 1 (NB) -- Using its
newest QuickTime tool, Apple QuickTime Live!, Apple Computer
(NASDAQ:AAPL) will provide a live, free Internet broadcast of Bill
Graham Presents' gala San Francisco New Year's Eve event. Legendary
rock group Santana and others will keep the waterfront evening going
while Apple broadcasts the event on a special Web site.

Apple QuickTime Live! is a new Web site which features multimedia
broadcasts of live entertainment with images, videos, sound and virtual
experiences. To accomplish the feat, Apple combines a number of its
leading technologies including its QuickTake digital camera,
QuickTime VR to bring images together in a full presentation and
Apple Workgroup Servers to connect the event to the Internet.

Along with the San Francisco event, Apple says QuickTime Live! will
also present live New Year's Eve celebrating from New York's Times
Square.

Satjiv S. Chahil, vice president of Apple's Entertainment Industry and
New Media group, says, "Using Apple technologies, we are able to
deliver a new consumer entertainment experience online and launch the
era of Web-casting. We are also able to build important relationships
with our music industry partners, such as Bill Graham Presents, by
giving them a new way to bring entertainment to more people all over
the world."

This morning from San Francisco, Apple and Bill Graham Presents are
making the formal announcement of QuickTime Live! with a brief
debut of the combined technologies. The QuickTime Live! site is
accessed by either Mac or Windows-based computers.

An Apple spokesperson told Newsbytes, "We are really excited about
this event as a historic moment on the Web. Anyone from around the
world who can get on the World Wide Web will be able to participate
in their own way with New Year's celebrations in San Francisco and
New York. This kind of presentation shows the value and excitement of
the Internet."

Newsbytes will have a full report on Monday after the news event, which
takes place Friday afternoon. That report will also have Web site
addresses.

(Patrick McKenna/19951201/Press Contact: Mary Devincenzi, Big
Sky Communications, tel [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/01/95
BUSINESS
Macromedia Acquires Music Software Maker OSC

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00024)
Macromedia Acquires Music Software Maker OSC 12/01/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 1 (NB) -- Macromedia
(NASDAQ: MACR), producer of multimedia and digital arts software,
and OSC, Inc., a developer of digital audio production software,
announced that they have reached an agreement whereby
Macromedia will acquire OSC. Based in San Francisco, OSC is the
developer of Deck II, software for high-quality multi-track music and
sound production.

Miles Walsh, vice president of world wide marketing for Macromedia,
told Newsbytes, "Macromedia currently offers SoundEdit 16, a
tool primarily used for editing sound in multimedia productions.
This acquisition adds Deck II's strengths in recording, editing and
mixing. Deck II is used by professional musicians and recording
studios to create a sound. Before this acquisition Macromedia has
concentrated on the editing not the creation of professional-quality
sound tracks. Together, Deck II and SoundEdit 16 provide a complete
product for audio production and post-production on the desktop."

In the transaction, Macromedia will exchange approximately 62,000
shares of common stock for all outstanding shares of OSC. The value at
the time of signing will be approximately $2.8 million. It is intended
that OSC will be merged into Macromedia as of December 2, 1995.

"OSC's development team, recognized leaders among musicians and
digital audio professionals, will extend Macromedia's capabilities in
sound, as well as video and interactive authoring," said Macromedia's
president, John Colligan. "The OSC acquisition is a natural extension
of Macromedia's strategy to give creative professionals everything
they need for digital media production and delivery."

OSC will relocate to the San Francisco offices of Macromedia. Josh
Rosen, president of OSC, will be manager of sound products at
Macromedia and Mats Myrberg, vice president of engineering at OSC
will become principal engineer.

"OSC and Macromedia complement each other perfectly," said Josh
Rosen, president of OSC. "For the last five years, OSC has been
showing that top-quality audio work can be created on standard
personal computers. By linking our technologies with Macromedia's
industry leading products, we are delivering powerful audio software
to the broadest possible base of users."

(Richard Bowers/19951201/Press Contact: Jane Chuey, Macromedia,
415-252-2268)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/01/95
TRENDS
 ****Elonex Seeks Partners On Breakthrough Display Tech

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00025)
 ****Elonex Seeks Partners On Breakthrough Display Tech 12/01/95
SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 1 (NB) -- Sunnyvale,
California-based Elonex Technologies, the research and development arm
of UK direct PC sales manufacturer Elonex, has revealed it is talking
to potential production and marketing partners about joint-development
of a revolutionary display for which it has recently been awarded
patents.

According to Elonex Technologies president Dan Kikinis, the company's
new design for high-efficiency, low-voltage (under 20 volts) electro-
luminescent displays will be up to five times more efficient than
current technologies but only ten percent of the cost.

"Given the right manufacturing facilities, a display cost as low as
UKP 20 per square foot could be possible for thick film displays. Dot
densities would be around 100 color dots per inch, but with very large
screens feasible," Kikinis explained.

According to Kikinis, a thin film variation of the technology could
produce up to 2,000 color dots per inch for extremely high
resolutions.

"With our focus on PC systems, we're not set up to develop this
technology alone, but we re talking to a number of large display
manufacturers right now with a view to forming a manufacturing and
marketing partnership. While there has been a lot of interest in the
Far East, the need to develop display technologies is now seen as
strategically important in the US, so the chances are high that we'll
strike a deal here," he said.

According to Kikinis, Elonex Technologies is now busy filing
additional patents relating to display technologies. The company
claims that one of the most notable of these is a holographic display
that can be used with a standard white light source, enabling 3D
images to be viewed without the need for special glasses or other
viewing equipment.

The same technology can be used in another configuration to project
images of several million pixels inexpensively onto screens or walls.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951201/Press Contact: David Bridson, Bridson &
Bridson PR [phone]; Fax [phone]; Internet Email:
[e-mail]; Reader Contact: Elonex [phone];
Fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/01/95
BUSINESS
Games Sales Predicted Strong For Holiday Season

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00026)
Games Sales Predicted Strong For Holiday Season 12/01/95
BOULDER, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 1 (NB) -- According to industry
observers the 1995 holiday season should be a good one for
companies that manufacture educational and entertainment
software as well as electronic games. Companies like The
Edutainment Company (TEC) in Boulder, Colorado hope so.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95120126.PCX
Click here for photo

As it approaches its second anniversary TEC has grown from four
employees to 20 and has just cranked out its new 48-page
Holiday 1995 buyer's catalog that lists over 350 "Edutainment"
titles for Windows, DOS and Macintosh platforms. The word refers to
software that while providing entertainment also educates.

Each catalog listing includes symbols to indicate what platform
the software runs on, whether it comes on floppy disk and/or CD-ROM,
if the program has ever received an award from a non-profit
association and/or media reviewers, and if it's available in a
version especially for schools.

TEC's quarterly catalog is divided into various section that include
special promotions, various age brackets, products for the entire
family, products specifically for the Internet, hobbies and leisure
and fun and games. The back page of the catalog lists best buys.
The book also contains an index that lists the software
alphabetically by title, the publisher and the catalog page where
it's found.

The TEC catalog includes a section called "Awards & Ratings" where
the company lists FamilyPC magazine's award picks, Newsweek editors'
choice awards and HomePC magazine's top selections.

Jenni Cooper, TEC marketing manager, told Newsbytes the company will
release an interactive CD-ROM with the title "Home Computing's
Know-it-all CD-ROM" in January 1996. The on-disc software catalog
will be released semi-annually and will contain an expanded
version of TEC's paper catalog, a demo section, some editorial
content from a computing magazine, and interactive games.

Cooper said the company's home page on the World Wide Web is
operational but is still under construction. It can be reached at
the URL http://www.edutainco.com . In mid to late December a demo
section will open on the Web page where users will be able to
download software demos to try the software before they order it.

Martin Grosjean, president and founder of TEC, said the company
wants to be considered more than just another mail order catalog
house. "It's our job to give consumers a place where they get more
information than a price point and ad copy," said Grosjean. He said
a study recently conducted by TEC indicates that consumers are more
likely to purchase a product that has received an award or been
reviewed favorably. The company executive said that's why the award
listings are included in the catalog.

On the video game front Nintendo said recently it is expecting a
banner year. The company predicts strong sales for 16-bit games.
It cites a study by research firm Gerard Klauer Mattison & Co that
says parents are shifting their spending from toys to more
long-lasting interactive products such as video games, with most
dollars aimed at new games for machines already in the home. A
recent Wall Street Journal article reported that 16-bit games and
systems will account for about 70 percent of this year's expected
$3.85 billion in US video game retail sales.

Nintendo hopes that survey is right. A competitor has released a
32-bit system for games on CD-ROM in time for the holidays while
Nintendo leap-frogged from its 16-bit game system to a 64-bit
system called Ultra 64 that won't ship in the US until April 1996.
Nintendo also elected to stick with a cartridge-based system
instead of adopting the CD-ROM.

Nintendo will have at least one new offering on store shelves in
time for the 1995 holiday season. The company said it will release
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest on December 4.

You can reach Nintendo on the Web at http://www.nintendo.com .

(Jim Mallory/19951201/Press contact: Jenni Cooper, The Edutainment
Company, 303-444-3700 or Alison Holt, Golin/Harris for Nintendo,
818-286-2067; Public contact: The Edutainment Company,
tel [phone], fax [phone] or Nintendo, tel [phone],
fax [phone]/TEC951201/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/01/95
ONLINE
 ****Internet Expo - NetCarta "Roadmaps" To The Web

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(BOS)(00027)
 ****Internet Expo - NetCarta "Roadmaps" To The Web 12/01/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 1 (NB) -- "Finding what
you're looking for" on a Web site is a headache encountered by
WebMasters, site analyzers, and end users alike, but all these
groups will find relief through NetCarta's upcoming WebMapper and
CyberPilot, two software products designed for creating and
viewing "roadmaps" of the Web, predicted Thomas Tansy, VP of
marketing and sales, in a meeting with Newsbytes at Internet Expo
in Boston.

Tansy told Newsbytes that the Web server-based WebMapper lets
WebMasters and developers build maps of sites that are based on
various object types (text, graphics, audio, video, and other
files), as well as about 50 different object "attributes," and
the relationships, or links, between them.

WebMasters can use WebMapper to reorganize information on the Web
in ways that are easier for end users to navigate, according to
the NetCarta VP. Alternatively, WebMapper can be employed to search
the Web (for all information on "cartography," for example), or
to analyze the Web sites of competing firms, a task that is becoming
an increasing part of some marketing professionals' jobs.

The forthcoming CyberPilot, he continued, can then be used by PC
users to "read" the roadmaps produced in WebMapper. The maps will
let the user navigate the Web "by reference," a much faster
process than the current method of page-by-page movement through
hyperlinks.

The Scotts Valley-based start-up also plans to offer an optional
"TrueLinks" Server that will use Web cataloging technology from
Lycos to provide WebMaster users with reports on all sites on the
Web that have hypertext links pointing to their own sites.
"Initially, we'll issue these reports once a month, and after
that, we'll do so periodically, based on user demand," Tansy
observed.

Just as you can create a virtually limitless variety of "regular"
maps -- such as population maps, topological maps, and relief
maps, for example -- you can enjoy the same flexibility in
building a Web map, according to the NetCarta VP.

In a demo, Newsbytes saw how WebMapper can be used to create maps
built on structure ("conceptualization);" presentation
("visualization"), and content ("annotation"). The object
attributes relied upon in organizing the map can include criteria
like "titles," as well as the less conventional "file size" or
"color."

In version 1.0 of the two products, the maps follow a tree
diagram model. But in version 2.0, NetCarta plans to progress to
a "2-D" (two-dimensional) schematic. "And after that, we'll move
to a 3-D (three-dimensional) VRML (virtual reality mark-up
language) view."

Also in the future, he added, NetCarta will expand the number of
platforms available on both the Web server and end user sides.

And the future for the Web mapping software looks bright,
according to Tansy. NetCarta, he noted, was established in 1994
as Nice Technologies. After researching the document management
arena for hot application areas, the principals of Nice came up
with the idea of using available document management technologies
to help users cope with Web-based documents.

In July of this year, the company was acquired by CMG Ventures,
and renamed NetCarta Corp. Other recent acquisitions by CMG
include Lycos, Point Communications, Black Sun, CyberVillage, and
Ikonic, Tansy pointed out.

Already, he reported, there are more than 200,000 Web servers in
existence, although about 150,000 of these are being used
internally by companies.

Many of today's internal Web servers originated in engineering
departments for concurrent engineering projects, and were later
expanded by IS (information systems) departments, Newsbytes was
told.

WebMapper and CyberPilot are targeted at these "corporate Web"
environments, as well as at "Web broadcasting and cybermall"
applications on the Internet, and at use with online catalogs,
directories and online indices.

WebMapper 1.0 and CyperPilot 1.0 are slated to enter beta in
December, and to ship in February. WebMapper will initially be
offered for Windows NT, Windows 95, and as a "bridge" Unix server
module. CyberPilot will be available for Windows NT, Windows 95,
and Windows 3.1.

In version 2.0 of the two products, scheduled for release in
June, NetCarta will add "native" Unix user interfaces for both
WebMapper and CyberPilot, along with a Macintosh edition of
CyberPilot. The forthcoming updates will also feature the "2-D"
schematic view.

WebMapper 1.0 will be list priced at $499. Users will be able to
download CyberPilot 1.0 for evaluation purposes from NetCarta's
Web site at http://www.netcarta.com . The new TrueLinks service
is also expected to be available in February.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951201/Reader Contact: NetCarta Corp.,
408-461-8920; Press Contact: Kathy Keenan or Dan Carvin, Oak
Ridge Public Relations for NetCarta, 408-253-5042)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/01/95
GENERAL
CD-ROM Drive Sales Up, Pirates Nabbed, Says China

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(PEK)(00028)
CD-ROM Drive Sales Up, Pirates Nabbed, Says China 12/01/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 DEC 1 (NB) -- More and more PC users in China are
interested in CD-ROM drives, a survey conducted by China InfoWorld
Market Research says. Although the existence of pirated titles does
stimulate the market for CD-ROM drives, only 20 percent of the people in
the survey said they will buy pirated titles.

CD-ROM drive sales are on the upswing in China. Estimates are that about
100,000 CD-ROM drives were sold in 1994 and the figure is expected to be
more than 250,000 in 1995.

China InfoWorld Market Research reports that among 1128 PC users
surveyed, 69 percent said they plan to purchase a CD-ROM drive and
20 percent said they had not made a decision to buy a CD-ROM drive yet.
Only 11 percent said they were not interested in buying a CD-ROM
drive. About 37 percent among the 11 percent (not buying) said that
the price was the main obstacle to their purchase of a CD-ROM drive.

Among the group planning to purchase CD-ROM drives, 39 percent said
they will buy for their own (individual) PCs, 46 percent will buy for
their organizations, 14 percent buy for selling, and 1 percent
will use the CD-ROM for other (not specified) purposes.

Although pirated CD-ROM titles take money directly from CD-ROM title
developers, their existence stimulates the CD-ROM drive market, the
survey concluded. 54 percent of the respondents said that the existence
of pirated CD-ROM titles is a good reason for them to purchase a CD-ROM
drive. 46 percent denied pirated CD-ROMs play a role in their purchase
decisions.

Meanwhile, China claims to have cracked down on a Nanjing-based
China-US joint venture accused of producing unauthorized compact
discs. The State Press and Publication Administration has ordered
the company, name Dali, to stop producing pirated compact discs,
and as punishment, the firm's application to produce video and
audio products had been rejected.

The company produced 857,800 compact discs in the past two years, and
most were sold on the domestic market, according to the report.

The company is a cooperative project launched in 1993 by two Chinese
firms and one from the United States. According to their contract, the
US company was responsible for providing copyright authorizations,
selling the products abroad, and dealing with intellectual property
rights issues, authorities said.

Meanwhile, in contrast to recent concerns voiced by the US, China has
made substantial achievements of eliminating violations of IPR
(Intellectual Property Rights), said Duan Ruichun, director of the State
IPR Office.

According to incomplete statistics from China's 24 provinces and
municipalities, the country conducted more than 3,000 inspections on IPR
protection in the first half of this year and government departments
confiscated 750,000 tapes, 1.9 million CDs, more than 37,000 units of
computer software, and 458,000 copies of books involving illegal
production or copyright infringement.

The IPR office under the State Council has recently also decided to
select 50-100 enterprises or nonprofit institutions in the next two or
three years to experiment with a more efficient systems for protecting
IPR. The move aims to mobilize more units to establish and improve
management and protection systems of IPR.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951124)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/01/95
BROADCAST
India - Wipro BT Launches VSAT Network Services

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(DEL)(00029)
India - Wipro BT Launches VSAT Network Services 12/01/95
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1995 DEC 1 (NB) -- Wipro BT Ltd., owned equally by
British Telecommunications Plc. (BT) and Wipro Ltd., formally launched
its value added network services (VANS) and very small aperture terminal
(VSAT) services in India.

Within four months of setting up the Rs 40 crore joint venture by
the third largest global telecom company and India's leading
diversified and integrated player in information technology
services, the new company has made rapid strides and has already
roped in prestigious corporates such as Cadbury India, Exide
Industries, the Oberoi chain of hotels and VCK Industries as
customers for VANS as well as VSAT services.

Anand Talwai, chief executive, Wipro BT, claimed that Wipro BT was
the only company in India to offer total end-to-end communications
services to suit the customer's specific requirements by offering a
choice of both terrestrial and satellite-based systems.

Headquartered in Bangalore with its satellite earth station in
Whitefield, the services are backed by a 24-hour help desk and the
network management center is located in Bangalore.

As part of its VANS offering in the first phase, the company will
provide e-mail, file transfer and protocol conversion services.

Arun Seth, managing director, South Asia region, BT, said that the VSAT
service is a 64 Kbps point-to-multipoint managed data network service
that provides two-way data, closed-user-group voice, fax and virtual
private hub services. The virtual private hub service offers all the
advantages of a private network with the cost effectiveness of a
shared hub service. Both the partners have invested Rs 9 crore
each and raised the remaining Rs 22 crore through debt instruments.
Wipro BT is expecting to post about Rs 10 crore in the first year of
operations ending March 31, 1996. (US$ = Rs 34)

(C. T. Mahabharat/19951130)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/01/95
ONLINE
Australia's Odyssey Hits With New Products

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SYD)(00030)
Australia's Odyssey Hits With New Products 12/01/95
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 1995 DEC 1 (NB) -- Ring, ring. It's Netscape on the
line. "Hey, guys we really love your software and we'd like to put it
on our home page. You can expect around 17 million hits a day."
That little scenario is the fantasy of every software developer, but it
appears to be coming true for Australian text retrieval specialist
Odyssey Development.

Last month Odyssey hit the major league at Comdex in Las Vegas,
where its new Isys Hindsite for Netscape took out a Byte Magazine "Best of
Comdex" award. It was named as one of three finalists in the Best Internet
Product" category. Now Odyssey has been contacted by Netscape with a view
to put the product on one of its Web pages, R&D director Ian Davies
has announced.

Hindsite is a small program that remembers everywhere a Net surfer has been,
and indexes every word on every page. Months later, the user can find a page
by searching for words or phrases. If Netscape does take it up, Odyssey will
not reap immediate rewards. For the moment it is giving Hindsite away.

Those who can't wait for Netscape can download it free of charge at
http://www/rmii.com/isys_dev .

Odyssey hopes it will draw attention to its commercial Isys text
retrieval program, and to a new Isys Image document management system
also launched.

Comdex success is not a new experience for the Odyssey team. Last
year Isys was one of three finalists in the Best Application Software
category. The Sydney-based company has a $3 million turnover, 20 staff
and offices in New York, San Francisco and Denver as well as Australia.
Some 40,000 global licensees include the US Internal Revenue Service,
Sterling Software, the Hong Kong Government, and the current Royal
Commission into police corruption in Sydney.

Second new product Isys Image is a document scanning and management package
built around its Isys text retrieval software. The package is designed to be
used by legal offices, government agencies and others who need to process
large numbers of paper documents but have little technical expertise. As
demonstrated to the press yesterday in the salubrious surroundings of The
Oaks, a noted Sydney pub, all a user has to do is place a bundle of
documents into the scanner feeder. They're automatically scanned, OCR-ed,
named, organized into sub-directories and indexed. Isys "plain English"
queries can then be used to search full text and bring up images.

Isys Image street price is around US$995 per scanner workstation. It
currently works only with Windows 3.1, but a native Win95 version is due
in January or February, R&D director Ian Davies said.

(Computer Daily News/19951130/Press and user contact: Odyssey Development
[phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/01/95
ONLINE
China - US Sprint To Increase ChinaNet's Capacity

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(PEK)(00031)
China - US Sprint To Increase ChinaNet's Capacity 12/01/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 DEC 1 (NB) -- Beijing Telegraph Bureau recently
signed a contract with US Sprint to supply equipment to increase the
access capacity of ChinaNet three-fold in Beijing. Although Chinese
professionals at some research and high educational institutes
linked to the Internet several years ago, the general pubic had
no means to access the worldwide network until ChinaNet started its
network services last July.

At present, there are more than 1,000 institutional and individual
subscribers to ChinaNet in Beijing, said Zhang Guangtong, deputy
director of Beijing Telegraph Bureau. The number of customers is
expected to grow rapidly in the coming years as more and more people
realize the convenience and advantages of the information superhighway
services, he said.

The new equipment from Sprint will allow the bureau to increase ChinaNet
ports from the present 96 to nearly 400, giving the city the largest
service capacity in China, Zhang said.

ChinaNet services at all provincial capitals and the cities directly
under the central government such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Tianjin are
expected to be linked next year, speeding the information flow all over
the country.

In the signing ceremony on November 15, John Savageau, director of
Sprint's Asia Pacific Operations, said that Sprint will intensify
efforts to expand its market share in China. And Zhang affirmed that his
bureau will continue to expand ChinaNet's service capacity to meet
rising demands in the coming years.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951124/http://www.bta.net.cn )




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
12/01/95
GENERAL
Newsbytes Week In Review

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00032)
Newsbytes Week In Review 12/01/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 1 (NB) -- This is a
look at the top stories this week, listing with their category
code: Credit Card Users Beware Of Shadow Authorizations; Nintendo
Ultra 64 Game System Intro'd; Symantec Completes Delrina Acquisition;
Novell Cuts 400 Jobs, No buyer For Business Apps; Creative Technology
Drops Reveal Acquisition; Cray Computer To Liquidate Assets; Taiwan
Firm To Build $1.2Bil Chip Plant In US; Ameritech Invests in Educational
Software Firm; IBM To Form Internet Software Business Unit; Yahoo
Sells 12% Of Company; Intel's Dominance Will Grow - Study; FCC
Panel Backs Digital HDTV; Rogers Cable TV Offers Commercial Internet
Access; US West  Launches Interactive Cable TV; Banks Face Major
Competition On  Internet; Silicon Valley CEOs Highlight Marketing
Needs; AlphaWorld - 3-D On The Internet; US Warns China On Piracy;
Silicon Graphics In China Internet Deal; Church of Scientology
Responds To Judges Ruling; Elonex Seeks Partners On Breakthrough Display
Tech; Internet Expo - NetCarta "Roadmaps" To The Web.

Credit Card Users Beware Of Shadow Authorizations (LEGAL)

SHEFFIELD, SOUTH YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 NOV 27 (NB) -- On returning
from Comdex Fall, Newsbytes bureau was saddened to learn that our
Mastercard account had been "maxed" out and that further charges were
not possible. In fact, when the bill arrived, we became worried about
possible fraudulent charges, as we calculated there was still
"headroom" on the account -- we soon learned about foreign shadow
authorizations that can remain on your card account for up to 28 days.

Nintendo Ultra 64 Game System Intro'd (TRENDS)

MAKUHARI, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 27 (NB) -- Nintendo Co. Ltd. has introduced
its Nintendo Ultra 64 home video game to the world at the company's
annual video game exhibition, called Shoshinkai, that was held over
the past weekend.

Symantec Completes Delrina Acquisition (BUSINESS)

CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 27 (NB) -- Less than
five months after announcing its intention to acquire forms and
communications software specialist, Delrina (TOR:DC) of Toronto,
Canada, Symantec (NASDAQ:SYMC) says the deal is complete and Delrina
is now a Symantec subsidiary. Early estimates valued the deal at
$415 million.

Novell Cuts 400 Jobs, No buyer For Business Apps (BUSINESS)

OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 27 (NB) -- Almost hidden during the
usual hoopla that surrounds the Comdex trade show last week was the
announcement by Novell Inc. (NASDAQ:NOVL) that it had sent pink slips
to about 420 people in its Business Applications Division.

Creative Technology Drops Reveal Acquisition (BUSINESS)

SINGAPORE, 1995 NOV 27 (NB) -- Audio giant, Creative Technology
(NASDAQ:CREAF) says it is terminating its efforts to acquire Reveal
Computer Products. Official statements from both companies failed to
reveal what went wrong.

Cray Computer To Liquidate Assets (BUSINESS)

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 28 (NB) -- Cray
Computer Corp. apparently will not rise from its own ashes to be
reborn like the mythical Phoenix bird. Instead the supercomputer
company will liquidate its assets in an effort to repay creditors,
according to a plan filed in the US bankruptcy Court.

Taiwan Firm To Build $1.2Bil Chip Plant In US (CHIPS)

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 28 (NB) -- Taiwan
Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd.(TSMC)  has announced plans
to build its first United States foundry in a joint venture with
Altera and several other long-standing customers. The new $1.2 billion
US operation will break ground in mid-1996 at a location "yet to be
determined," and is expected to be in production by the first half of
1998.

Ameritech Invests in Educational Software Firm (BUSINESS)

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 28 (NB) -- A financial marriage
between two unlikely parties is being held in the board rooms of
Ameritech (NYSE:AIT) and KidSoft, LLC. The Chicago-based regional Bell
operating company (RBOC) has announced it is making a $10 million
equity investment in KidSoft, which distributes educational software
for kids through retail and online channels.

IBM To Form Internet Software Business Unit (IBM)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 28 (NB) -- IBM (NYSE:IBM) has
plans to set up a new business unit that will develop software products
for the Internet. Although details are sketchy, the new operation is
expected to begin operation by the end of this year.

Yahoo Sells 12% Of Company (BUSINESS)

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 28 (NB) -- Yahoo, the
popular World Wide Web guide, has sold a 12% equity stake to some of
the big players in the communications and online industry. The sale
represents both an infusion of capital, and the development of
strategic alliances for Yahoo.

Intel's Dominance Will Grow - Study (TRENDS)

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 29 (NB) -- Market research firm
In-Stat has issued a gloomy forecast for competitors to microprocessor
giant Intel. In-Stat predicts for the foreseeable future Intel's dominance
will be unchallenged and competition within the industry will be even
more limited that it has been.

FCC Panel Backs Digital HDTV (GOVT)

WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 NOV 29 (NB) -- A Federal
Communications Commission advisory committee has endorsed
digital high definition television (HDTV) as the technology of
choice for the future.

Rogers Cable TV Offers Commercial Internet Access (ONLINE)

NEWMARKET, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- Rogers Cablesystems
Ltd., one of Canada's major cable television operators, has begun
offering access to the Internet and other online services over its
cable network. Newmarket, a suburban community north of Toronto and
the site of an earlier technical trial, will be the first to get
the service on a commercial basis.

US West Launches Interactive Cable TV (BROADCAST)

ORLANDO, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- US West has launched
its interactive television system in about 4,000 Orlando, Florida
homes this week, delivering the service via Time Warner Cable's cable
television network.

Banks Face Major Competition On Internet (TRENDS)

PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- After just issuing
a report predicting that all banks will be on Internet by the year 2000,
Killen & Associates has thrown cold water on the banking industry by
predicting there will be lots of non-bank competition already there.
Killen said, in a soon-to-be-released report, that within five years
non-banks and high tech companies will capture more than 25% of the
$800 billion in global electronic commerce (EC) and electronic
payments (EP) revenue created by Internet merchants.

Silicon Valley CEOs Highlight Marketing Needs (TRENDS)

PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- High-tech companies
have been performing well on Wall Street, but a survey of Silicon Valley
chief executive officers (CEOs) reveals an average to poor rating for
marketing effectiveness. To improve their marketing effectiveness, these
industry leaders look to strategic alliances and acquisitions, new
interactive technologies and Internet/World Wide Web opportunities.

AlphaWorld - 3-D On The Internet (TRENDS)

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- Known for its
three-dimensional (3-D), virtual reality chat environment on the
Internet, Worlds Inc., has made a formal announcement and beta launch
of AlphaWorld. Any Internet user can download AlphaWorld software,
enter the virtual environment, chat with other users, and build
houses, storefronts, and gardens.

US Warns China On Piracy (LEGAL)

WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 DEC 1 (NB) -- A top US trade
official says Washington will take "decisive action" unless China
dramatically improves its performance on protecting against
piracy of computer software, movies and recordings.
Charlene Barshefsky, deputy US trade representative, told the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee that China is falling "far
short" of its February 26 agreement with the US to crack down on
piracy.

Silicon Graphics In China Internet Deal (ONLINE)

CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 DEC 1 (NB) -- An indication of how the new
information age might evolve in China came with the recent
announcement by China Internet Corporation (CIC) of a US$1.5 million
deal with Silicon Graphics for kit to set up its new Internet service.
James Chu, the chief executive officer of the Xinhua unit, said the
service won't actually provide access to the Internet for its mainland
users, although it will for Hong Kong subscribers.

Church of Scientology Responds To Judges Ruling (LEGAL)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 1 (NB) -- The Church of
Scientology has issued a statement about the recent ruling by a judge
in California that threw out large portions of its copyright suit
against Netcom. The judge did not throw out the entire case, and the
rest will be settled at trial in the first half of 1996.

Elonex Seeks Partners On Breakthrough Display Tech (TRENDS)

SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 1 (NB) -- Sunnyvale,
California-based Elonex Technologies, the research and development arm
of UK direct PC sales manufacturer Elonex, has revealed it is talking
to potential production and marketing partners about joint-development
of a revolutionary display for which it has recently been awarded
patents.

Internet Expo - NetCarta "Roadmaps" To The Web (ONLINE)

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 1 (NB) -- "Finding what
you're looking for" on a Web site is a headache encountered by
WebMasters, site analyzers, and end users alike, but all these
groups will find relief through NetCarta's upcoming WebMapper and
CyberPilot, two software products designed for creating and
viewing "roadmaps" of the Web, predicted Thomas Tansy, VP of
marketing and sales, in a meeting with Newsbytes at Internet Expo
in Boston.

(Ian Stokell/19951201)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00033)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 12/01/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 DEC 1 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|            Friday, December 1, 1995            |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network's on the Web! Check out http://www.nbnn.com for
free daily top stories from Newsbytes and its affiliate publications,
and from PC Week, MacWeek, and other Ziff news magazines. A subscription
gives you all the news, full-text, plus the most comprehensive database
of past computer stories online. The keyword-searchable database dates
from today back through 1983. Subscriptions are $24.95 for three months.
Questions? Send to '[e-mail]'  For Japanese Newsbytes
and additional services, see the Newsbytes Pacifica Website at
http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

APPLE     Apple Cuts Performa and Power Mac Prices................... 08

APPLE     New Year's Eve Present From Apple.......................... 23

BROADCAST India - Wipro BT Launches VSAT Network Services............ 29

BUSINESS  SoftKey To Acquire Compton's From Tribune Co............... 21

BUSINESS  Spyglass Shares Way Up After Stock Split................... 22

BUSINESS  Macromedia Acquires Music Software Maker OSC............... 24

BUSINESS  Games Sales Predicted Strong For Holiday Season............ 26

CHIPS     We Botched Asia Market, Intel Cries........................ 16

EDUCATION MIT Ranked Tops For Technology Careers - Survey............ 19

GENERAL   NewsPix Update For Newsbytes Publishers.................... 07

GENERAL   Personnel Roundup.......................................... 09

GENERAL   CD-ROM Drive Sales Up, Pirates Nabbed, Says China.......... 28

GENERAL   Newsbytes Week In Review................................... 32

HEALTH    New Web Site Offers Daily Health Info...................... 13

LEGAL      ****US Warns China On Piracy.............................. 01

LEGAL     Conferees Clear Securities Legislation..................... 10

LEGAL     Business Software Alliance Picks Up Adobe.................. 11

LEGAL      ****Church of Scientology Responds To Judges Ruling....... 18

ONLINE    Internet Update............................................ 04

ONLINE    Australia - NetComm Sells Internet Stake................... 05

ONLINE    Internet Expo - VisualWave For "Live" Web Apps............. 12

ONLINE     ****Silicon Graphics In China Internet Deal............... 15

ONLINE     ****Internet Expo - NetCarta "Roadmaps" To The Web........ 27

ONLINE    Australia's Odyssey Hits With New Products................. 30

ONLINE    China - US Sprint To Increase ChinaNet's Capacity.......... 31

TRENDS    Where Did My Game Go....................................... 02

TRENDS    On the Internet, No One Knows You're a Machine............. 06

TRENDS    China - University Students' Anti-Smut Drive............... 17

TRENDS    British Midland Airways To Offer Internet Booking.......... 20

TRENDS     ****Elonex Seeks Partners On Breakthrough Display Tech.... 25

WINDOWS   Microsoft Shipping New Programming Tools, TechNet Sampler.. 03

WINDOWS   SoftRAM95 Test Results Clarified........................... 14

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 ->  ****US Warns China On Piracy -- A top US trade official says
Washington will take "decisive action" unless China dramatically
improves its performance on protecting against piracy of computer
software, movies and recordings. Charlene Barshefsky, deputy US trade
representative, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that China
is falling "far short" of its February 26 agreement with the US to crack
down on piracy.

2 -> Where Did My Game Go -- DVD Software released a Windows version of
its game elimination utility, UnGame. If you sign on to your network and
find your favorite game missing, chances are good that is was one of
3,100 games UnGame can delete. DVD has built a business around improving
computer productivity by monitoring and eliminating games employees
spend time playing.

3 -> Microsoft Shipping New Programming Tools, TechNet Sampler --
Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) has announced availability of some new
tools for programmers, including an upgrade to Visual C++, an OpenGL 3D
API (application programming interface) and a CD that contains a sample
issue of the company's TechNet information resource for supporting
business products.

4 -> Internet Update -- This is a roundup of new resources and services
on the global Internet: Site Of The Day: World Wide Music, The Online
Column, Push-Pull Animation, Chicago Tribune Digital Coffee, Cyberspace
Society Mailing List, The Civil War Letters Of Galutia York, Need
Computer Parts?, Bug Net.

5 -> Australia - NetComm Sells Internet Stake -- In a move which may be
a pointer to stronger alliances to come, Australian publicly listed
modem maker NetComm has sold a 50 percent stake in its Internet service
provider subsidiary Connect.com to long-distance phone operator AAP
Telecommunications (AAPT).

6 -> On the Internet, No One Knows You're a Machine -- Multiple-user
domains (MUDs) are computer programs which allow a number of networked
people to play roles and communicate with each other. Those who play
MUDs on the Internet often pretend to be someone else, even someone of
another gender. Computer scientists have taken this concept to its
logical conclusion by writing programs called "bots" that mimic the
behavior of a human MUD role-player.

7 -> NewsPix Update For Newsbytes Publishers -- This update will be
posted each Wednesday and Friday to reflect the daily picture additions.
The updates will in turn become part of the main NewsPix Bulletin issued
on Monday.

8 -> Apple Cuts Performa and Power Mac Prices -- In preparation for the
holiday buying season, Apple Computer (NASDAQ:AAPL) announced price cuts
as high a 25%. Averaging $325, the cuts apply to certain Performas and
Power Mac models.

9 -> Personnel Roundup -- In today's roundup of personnel changes in the
computing and telecommunications industries: Harris Corp., Digital
Equipment Corp., PureSpeech Inc., CompUSA, Symantec Corp., Spectrum
HoloByte Inc., Pyramid Technology, The Titan Corp., PageNet,
Computervision Corp., Creative Technology Ltd.

10 -> Conferees Clear Securities Legislation -- A House-Senate
conference committee has finished work on legislation to limit the
ability of investors to bring securities fraud lawsuits. The conference
report is expected to be approved by both chambers and the final
legislation should be on President Clinton's desk next week.

11 -> Business Software Alliance Picks Up Adobe -- Adobe Systems Inc.
has joined the Business Software Alliance's campaign to eradicate
computer software piracy. Adobe has been a regional BSA member,
participating in activities in Europe for several years, but now becomes
a worldwide member, according to BSA spokeswoman Kim Willard.

12 -> Internet Expo - VisualWave For "Live" Web Apps -- ParcPlace-
Digitalk's new object-oriented (OO) VisualWave will let Web developers
move beyond the "brochureware" and forms-based "application wannabes" of
most home pages today into "live Web applications that `listen' and
`respond' to users," contended Nick Copping, VP of worldwide strategic
customer relations, during a press conference attended by Newsbytes at
E-Mail World/Internet Expo in Boston.

13 -> New Web Site Offers Daily Health Info -- Daily updated information
on health and medical topics are now being provided on the Internet's
World Wide Web from The New York Times Syndicated. The new site, called
"Your Health Daily," is written so it can be easily understood by the
general reader as well as health pros, officials said.

14 -> SoftRAM95 Test Results Clarified -- Well- known independent
testing group, XXCAL Testing Laboratories issued a clarification about
its testing data of Syncronys' SoftRAM95. After an avalanche of
publicity claiming the company's product does not double RAM as
advertised, XXCAL released clarification of its published test
conclusions.

15 ->  ****Silicon Graphics In China Internet Deal -- An indication of
how the new information age might evolve in China came with the recent
announcement by China Internet Corporation (CIC) of a US$1.5 million
deal with Silicon Graphics for kit to set up its new Internet service.
James Chu, the chief executive officer of the Xinhua unit, said the
service won't actually provide access to the Internet for its mainland
users, although it will for Hong Kong subscribers.

16 -> We Botched Asia Market, Intel Cries -- In a stunning admission,
Intel reported that it completely fouled up Asia sales of its
"OverDrive" chips for retrofitting 486 machines, having drawn up a plan
that had PC dealers forsaking PC sales to sell only chips instead.

17 -> China - University Students' Anti-Smut Drive -- Student
organizations of Tsinghua and Beijing Universities and the China
Software Federation recently called on the public to help stop the
production, duplication, sales, and use of pornographic electronic
publications.

18 ->  ****Church of Scientology Responds To Judges Ruling -- The Church
of Scientology has issued a statement about the recent ruling by a judge
in California that threw out large portions of its copyright suit
against Netcom. The judge did not throw out the entire case, and the
rest will be settled at trial in the first half of 1996.

19 -> MIT Ranked Tops For Technology Careers - Survey -- The Sloan
School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
has come out on top in the first Computerworld ranking of "techno- MBA"
programs at American universities. Second place went to Carnegie- Mellon
University, and third to the University of Texas at Austin.

20 -> British Midland Airways To Offer Internet Booking -- British
Midland Airways has announced plans to open the airline industry's first
Internet seat booking services, Cyberseat, on December 11. From that
date, customers Webbing in to http://www.iflybritishmidland.com will be
able to book their tickets across the Internet, opting for delivery via
a travel agent, or to their homes and offices.

21 -> SoftKey To Acquire Compton's From Tribune Co --Continuing its
aggressive push into the educational computing market, SoftKey
International Inc. (NASDAQ:SKEY) has announced a stock-swap deal that
will give it control of Compton's NewMedia Inc. and Compton's Learning
Co.

22 -> Spyglass Shares Way Up After Stock Split -- Just days after it
announced a two-for-one stock split, the price Spyglass Inc.
(NASDAQ:SPYG) shares on Wall Street have jumped at least $20.

23 -> New Year's Eve Present From Apple -- Using its newest QuickTime
tool, Apple QuickTime Live!, Apple Computer (NASDAQ:AAPL) will provide a
live, free Internet broadcast of Bill Graham Presents' gala San
Francisco New Year's Eve event. Legendary rock group Santana and others
will keep the waterfront evening going while Apple broadcasts the event
on a special Web site.

24 -> Macromedia Acquires Music Software Maker OSC -- Macromedia
(NASDAQ: MACR), producer of multimedia and digital arts software, and
OSC, Inc., a developer of digital audio production software, announced
that they have reached an agreement whereby Macromedia will acquire OSC.
Based in San Francisco, OSC is the developer of Deck II, software for
high-quality multi-track music and sound production.

25 ->  ****Elonex Seeks Partners On Breakthrough Display Tech --
Sunnyvale, California-based Elonex Technologies, the research and
development arm of UK direct PC sales manufacturer Elonex, has revealed
it is talking to potential production and marketing partners about
joint-development of a revolutionary display for which it has recently
been awarded patents.

26 -> Games Sales Predicted Strong For Holiday Season -- According to
industry observers the 1995 holiday season should be a good one for
companies that manufacture educational and entertainment software as
well as electronic games. Companies like The Edutainment Company (TEC)
in Boulder, Colorado hope so.

27 ->  ****Internet Expo - NetCarta "Roadmaps" To The Web -- "Finding
what you're looking for" on a Web site is a headache encountered by
WebMasters, site analyzers, and end users alike, but all these groups
will find relief through NetCarta's upcoming WebMapper and CyberPilot,
two software products designed for creating and viewing "roadmaps" of
the Web, predicted Thomas Tansy, VP of marketing and sales, in a meeting
with Newsbytes at Internet Expo in Boston.

28 -> CD-ROM Drive Sales Up, Pirates Nabbed, Says China -- More and more
PC users in China are interested in CD-ROM drives, a survey conducted by
China InfoWorld Market Research says. Although the existence of pirated
titles does stimulate the market for CD-ROM drives, only 20 percent of
the people in the survey said they will buy pirated titles.

29 -> India - Wipro BT Launches VSAT Network Services -- Wipro BT Ltd.,
owned equally by British Telecommunications Plc. (BT) and Wipro Ltd.,
formally launched its value added network services (VANS) and very small
aperture terminal (VSAT) services in India.

30 -> Australia's Odyssey Hits With New Products -- Ring, ring. It's
Netscape on the line. "Hey, guys we really love your software and we'd
like to put it on our home page. You can expect around 17 million hits a
day." That little scenario is the fantasy of every software developer,
but it appears to be coming true for Australian text retrieval
specialist Odyssey Development.

31 -> China - US Sprint To Increase ChinaNet's Capacity -- Beijing
Telegraph Bureau recently signed a contract with US Sprint to supply
equipment to increase the access capacity of ChinaNet three-fold in
Beijing. Although Chinese professionals at some research and high
educational institutes linked to the Internet several years ago, the
general pubic had no means to access the worldwide network until
ChinaNet started its network services last July.

32 -> Newsbytes Week In Review -- This is a look at the top stories this
week, listing with their category code: Credit Card Users Beware Of
Shadow Authorizations; Nintendo  Ultra 64 Game System Intro'd; Symantec
Completes Delrina Acquisition; Novell Cuts 400 Jobs, No buyer For
Business Apps; Creative Technology  Drops Reveal Acquisition; Cray
Computer To Liquidate Assets; Taiwan  Firm To Build $1.2Bil Chip Plant
In US; Ameritech Invests in Educational  Software Firm; IBM To Form
Internet Software Business Unit; Yahoo  Sells 12% Of Company; Intel's
Dominance Will Grow - Study; FCC  Panel Backs Digital HDTV; Rogers Cable
TV Offers Commercial Internet  Access; US West  Launches Interactive
Cable TV; Banks Face Major  Competition On  Internet; Silicon Valley
CEOs Highlight Marketing  Needs; AlphaWorld - 3-D On The Internet; US
Warns China On Piracy; Silicon Graphics In China Internet Deal; Church
of Scientology  Responds To Judges Ruling; Elonex Seeks Partners On
Breakthrough Display  Tech; Internet Expo - NetCarta "Roadmaps" To The
Web.

(Wendy Woods/19951201)



Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD



Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/30/95
ONLINE
AOL, Cable & Wireless Enter Japanese Online Market

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00001)
AOL, Cable & Wireless Enter Japanese Online Market 11/30/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- Britain's Cable & Wireless has
announced a new Internet connection service for business and personal
users in Japan, while America Online, fresh from launching its new
European service, has said it will begin a Japanese online service
next year.

The new Cable & Wireless (C&W) service, named Majic, is aimed at
companies and corporations seeking a permanent connection to the
Internet and those wanting an occasional link via dial up access.
C&W say the dial up services will also appeal to serious individual
Internet users.

In addition to the access services, Majic is also offering extra
services such as World Wide Web site management and consultancy
regarding aspects of the Internet. Security, a worry of many
companies, is also addressed with "the highest level of security
services."

"At present, we are aiming at the high end, primarily corporate users,"
said Peter Butterworth, senior general manager for new products at
Cable & Wireless Japan Communications Services. He added, "We will be
addressing the consumer market early next year and will review our
tariffs at that time."

Majic is positioning itself as a major player in the Japanese Internet
access market as illustrated when Butterworth said, "The longest
established big three -- AT&T Spin, IIJ, and Tokyo Internet," after
being asked by Newsbytes which companies he considered to be Majic's
biggest competitors.

He claimed that the company has several advantages over its competition:
"A commitment to a content-rich service, good bandwidth management
giving easy access with no delays (that's a C&W strength) and, coming,
worldwide access."

A Majic press release describes the Internet bandwidth as "virtually
unlimited" and will be provided by way of two major links from Japan.
The first will connect straight into the main Internet backbone in the
United States and a second line will run to Hong Kong, where Cable &
Wireless has a major stake in the territory's communications
infrastructure.

To help promote an Internet community around its service, Majic is
offering two services: Art Net and TELL Net. The Art Net site is
already running and offers a digital forum where Japanese and non-
Japanese artists can show their work. TELL Net is an online service
from the Tokyo English Language Lifeline (TELL), a service set up to
help English speakers in the capital with particular problems faced
with interfacing with Japanese life and language.

First news of a Japanese venture from America Online came in June when
Lennert Leader, the company's chief financial officer, told a reporter
for the Reuter news service that AOL was hoping to have one or more
Japanese partners by the end of this year.

Last week, Jack Davies, president of AOL International, visited the
Multimedia'95 exhibition at Tokyo's Makuhari Messe and said the
company was in talks with possible partners currently and should be
finalized by the end of the year.

Speaking to Newsbytes, Pam McGraw, a spokeswoman for America Online,
confirmed that, saying, "We are looking at partners to deliver the
services, although we have not chosen a partner yet." She added the
service is expected to begin next year.

Currently, access to AOL is offered in Japan via the AOL Global Net,
explained McGraw, making it one of the few countries in the world
that has local access. Despite this, the service is currently not
advertised in Japan.

Readers with access to the World Wide Web can find Majic and the Art
Net service at http://www.majic.co.jp/ .

(Martyn Williams/19951130/Press contacts: Peter Butterworth, Cable
& Wireless Japan Communications Services, tel [phone], fax
[phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Pam
McGraw, America Online, 703-556-3746)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/30/95
BROADCAST
Asiasat 2 Satellite Launched Successfully

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(TYO)(00002)
Asiasat 2 Satellite Launched Successfully 11/30/95
XICHANG, CHINA, 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- A Chinese Long March rocket has
successfully taken the Asiasat 2 satellite into orbit from where it
will provide many new broadcast services to satellite and cable TV
viewers across the region. The Long March 2E rocket began its journey
from China's Xichang launch facility in Sichuan province early on
Wednesday morning.

The satellite joins its sister craft, Asiasat 1, in providing
television broadcasting capacity to programmers across the region.

Among those to benefit most is Rupert Murdoch's Star Television, a
Hong Kong based broadcaster that currently sends two packages of
channels to viewers in Eastern Asia, in English and Chinese, and to
the Indian sub-continent, in English and Hindi.

Until now, the company has sent around six channels in each package to
viewers, marking itself as the region's leader, but has wanted to send
more but been held back by a lack of transponder capacity.

A solution is to use digital television systems in which several
channels are sent in a digital form to special receivers. This system,
already in use in the US and Europe, allows between 4 and 8 channels
to be broadcast in place of one analog channel. The emerging world
standard is MPEG-2 (Motion Picture Experts Group type 2).

The new satellite provides the extra capacity needed by Star and a
host of other broadcasters in the region.

In addition to Star TV, other programmers include the Associated
Press's APTV, Worldwide Television News, Hong Kong Telecom, Germany's
public service Deutsche Welle TV, Portugal's Marconi Global
Communications, the Pacific Century Group, and Malaysia's Time
Telecommunications.

Around a third of the capacity on the satellite will be used for more
traditional telecommunications purposes, such as telephony and data
transmission.

The successful launch of the satellite was a great relief to the
rocket's operators, the Great Wall Industry Corporation, which had
delayed the launch originally scheduled for April. The delay was
caused after a Long March rocket exploded on take off in January last
year, halting all launches until the cause was determined.

The rocket's owners and Hughes, builders of the Apstar satellite that
was on board, determined the cause of the explosion was windshear, a
freak weather situation that results in very strong downward winds.

The failed launch was a cause of great embarrassment to the Chinese
who were gaining marketshare in a typically competitive market by
offering the lowest satellite launch fees. Sources suggest to
Newsbytes the company charges between $50 million and $100 million for
a launch compared to the $100 to $200 million charged by competing US
and European launchers.

Reports from China suggest the Asiasat 2 launch was not broadcast live
on television for fear the launch may end in failure. Not only would
this insure against domestic embarrassment, but also against the
pictures from Chinese TV being flashed around the world as they are
picked up via satellite from outside the country.

(Martyn Williams/19951130)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/30/95
ONLINE
Internet Update

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00003)
Internet Update 11/30/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- In this roundup of new resources
and services on the global Internet: Northcoast Digital News; WAIS
search interface; Countdown to Jupiter; Dictionary of scientific
quotations; Trade information resources; AI at ISU; Las Vegas Computer
Journal; Java-Mac mailing list; Philadelphia Inquirer online; Where
virtual becomes real.

Northcoast Digital News

From a California-based Internet company, Northcoast Internet, a roundup
of local news associated with the network and online communications
is offered via the World Wide Web and e-mail. The latest edition we saw
covered articles on California state on the net, ISDN (integrated
services digital network) lines, company news and the ever popular
"kewl" sites.
E-mail: [e-mail]
Message Body: subscribe
World Wide Web: http://www.northcoast.com/ndn/ndn.html

WAIS Search Interface

Sometimes Newsbytes comes across a service so useful that this bureau
adds it to our own personal bookmarks file. This is one of them. It's
a World Wide Web interface to a search engine covering all public WAIS
databases. If you're not familiar with the WAIS tool this is a great
place to start exploring the numerous information sources available.
World Wide Web: http://sunsite.unc.edu/cgi-bin/fwais.pl

Countdown To Jupiter

The Galileo spacecraft is currently enroute to Jupiter, with arrival
scheduled for December 7, 1995. From the mission's Web page you can
see daily updated images being transmitted back from space and will
also feature further images gathered over the next two years as the
craft orbits Jupiter. When the craft begins its encounter with the
planet, updates will be increased to once every five minutes.
World Wide Web: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/countdown/

Dictionary Of Scientific Quotations

Network users are invited to submit their favorite scientific
quotations to the editor of this online dictionary. You can also
browse contributions that currently include those of Francis Bacon,
Winston Churchill, Isaac Newton, Louis Pasteur, and Mark Twain.
World Wide Web: http://pinc.com/home/hp/dsqhome.html

Trade Information Resources

You won't find a list of "kewl" sites here. Rexco, an Irish
information brokerage firm, has produced a comprehensive collection of
international trade resources following its own mission, "to provide
value-added information services for individuals and commercial
organizations who wish to take advantage of trading opportunities
globally via the Internet." A monthly updated best five list is also
offered.
World Wide Web: http://www.rexco.com/rexco/index.html

Artificial Intelligence At Iowa State Univ

Iowa State University's artificial intelligence group has created a
home page. Visitors can find information about the group, its members,
publications and the research it carries out. If you are interested
in artificial intelligence there are also several links to other
resources.
World Wide Web: http://www.cs.iastate.edu/~honavar/aigroup.html

Las Vegas Computer Journal

The electronic version of Las Vegas's free-of-charge computing
newsletter is now available by e-mail, in addition to the World Wide
Web. Users can request an HTML (hypertext markup language) or ASCII
format file. The former can be loaded into a browser and the hyperlinks
can be used while online. The magazines covers all aspects of computing
in Las Vegas and reports on the recent Comdex show are available from
the Web site.
E-mail: [e-mail]
Message Body: Specify which format you would like to receive
World Wide Web: http://www.accessnv.com/compjour

Java-Mac Mailing List

This mailing list has recently been formed to facilitate discussion of
tools, techniques, solutions, tech notes, and any other items of
relevant interest to Macintosh Java developers. The mailing list is
open to anyone interested in finding out more about the development
of applets for Sun's Java system on Macintosh computers.
E-mail: [e-mail]
Message Body: subscribe JAVA-MAC [e-mail]

Philadelphia Inquirer Online

Joining the growing ranks of newspapers with online services,
Philadelphia Online, a service of The Philadelphia Inquirer and the
Philadelphia Daily News began this week. Users are offered a complete,
electronic version of both local newspapers, as well as additional
background information on topics in the news.
World Wide Web: http://www.phillynews.com/

Where Virtual Becomes Real

Virtual travel turns real for one lucky visitor to the Virtual
Antarctica site later this year, as the result of competition being
run. Users can register to win a free trip on an Antarctic cruise,
including round-trip airfare, while they learn all about the world's
least-known region. "Virtual Antarctica" is the first in a series of
Terraquest's online adventures to exotic destinations around the
world.
World Wide Web: http://www.terraquest.com/

(Martyn Williams/19951130)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/30/95
TRENDS
Swiss Electronic Stock Exchange Gears Up

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00004)
Swiss Electronic Stock Exchange Gears Up 11/30/95
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND, 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- The Swiss Bourse, the
operators of the Swiss Stock Exchange, have announced that
Switzerland's electronic stock exchange system, which has been beset
by delays, will almost certainly start operations some time during the
coming month, following a successful "dry run" earlier this month.

According to officials, the trials, which involved 53 banks and
financial institutions, went without a hitch. According to an official
statement from the Bourse, on the basis of the trial, the progressive
implementation of electronic trading can now go ahead in Switzerland.

Plans now call for the Bourse to begin foreign trading only on
December 8, a task which officials say represents a relatively light
workload, approximately five percent of the normal transaction loading
for the exchange. Trading of shares and bonds, which will increase the
load to 100 percent, is then expected to follow on in the first
quarter of 1996.

Assuming all goes to plan, then the Swiss Bourse will be the first
electronic stock exchange system in the world to offer clearing and
settlement functions integrally to its share exchange functions,
Newsbytes notes.

Like many exchanges, the Swiss Bourse is still operating on an open
floor basis, with brokers shouting deals to each other, and paper
documents collated on a regular basis, for inter-broker settlement
each day and/or accounting period. The much delayed electronic system,
which has cost the Bourse almost SF100 million, centers around the
use of computers from branch and broker offices, rather than a central
office to which brokers and other parties must travel.

When the system was originally announced back in 1989, the projected
cost price was around half that of the SF100 million, and was
expected to begin operations in 1991. That start date was abandoned in
1990, Newsbytes notes, following technical difficulties, since when
the system implementation date has been put back several times.

(Steve Gold/19951129)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/30/95
TRENDS
Fujitsu's Low-Cost 3-D Graphics Accelerator Card

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00005)
Fujitsu's Low-Cost 3-D Graphics Accelerator Card 11/30/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- Fujitsu has unveiled a budget
version of its three-dimensional (3-D) accelerator card, known as the
Sapphire 3D Designer. According to officials with the company, the card,
which will ship internationally next month, will sell for under the
$1,000 mark, yet still be capable of delivering "workstation-level
precision" and "professional performance" with a "significantly lower"
price tag.

Jim Evert, vice president for FMI Graphics Products business with
Fujitsu, claims that the card is being targeted at high-end PC users,
who need higher speeds and extra features for creating their 3-D
graphics. The card is also being aimed at CAD (computer-aided design)
and DTP (desktop publishing) professionals as a tool for creating more
realistic images.

According to Evert, many specialists in medical imaging, visual
simulation, graphic arts, virtual reality, and animations are moving
towards PC-based 3-D accelerator boards, which are not only lower in
cost, but also very sophisticated. Fujitsu claims that the components
used in the Sapphire 3D Designer card have an established record and
are highly effective in other high-end products.

"The Sapphire family of 3-D cards enables users to perform complex
graphics tasks on their desktop that previously were limited to
workstations for substantially lower costs," he explained.

The new card features 3D-Labs' high-performance 300SX GLINT chip,
which is billed as providing true, hardware-based, 64-bit 3-D imaging
for the PC desktop. The card comes with two megabytes (MB) of VRAM and
4MB of DRAM, and supports resolutions up to 1,600 by 1,200 pixels.

According to Fujitsu, the card is compatible with Windows NT, Windows
95, OpenGL, AutoCAD, 3D Studio, MicroStation, Animator Pro and many
other operating system/applications. On the hardware front, the card
is claimed to be compatible with Intel PC, Digital AlphaStation and
Alpha XL workstations, as well as MIPS and PowerPC system.

Worldwide pricing on the card has been set at $995, including a five-
year, limited warranty.

According to Evert, the 3-D accelerator board market will reach the
$1.4 billion mark before the end of the decade. Voting figures from
Joe Peddie Associates, Fujitsu claims that sales in terms of units
sold will rise by up to a million cards annually by the year 2000.

"As this emerging market grows, we are well positioned to be a leader
by developing partnerships with 3-D industry influences, such as
software programmers, chip makers and API (application programming
interface) designers, and are working to fulfill our goal of developing
a complete family of accelerator cards -- from the Sapphire family for
the high end, to consumer-oriented products that we plan to develop
in 1996" Evert said.

(Sylvia Dennis/11951129/Press Contact: Dave Anderson, A&R Partners US,
415-363-0982)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/30/95
TELECOM
Ericsson Working On Micro, Pico PCS Cellular Technology

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00006)
Ericsson Working On Micro, Pico PCS Cellular Technology 11/30/95
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- Now that PCS (personal
communications system) digital mobile telephony is beginning to take
off in the US in the 1,900 megahertz (MHz) waveband, cellular hardware
manufacturers are starting to look at ways to maximize the available
bandwidth to squeeze a higher density of subscribers for city areas,
to avoid a congested network.

Now Ericsson, the Swedish telco, is working on a new range of base
stations with lower and/or polarized power emissions, which it calls
Micro and Pico base stations, in order to ensure that PCS can be used
by a significant number of users in a city or metro environment.

Ericsson's Micro and Pico base stations are expected to become
commercially available early next year and, according to Caroline
Freudenthal, Ericsson Business Area Radio Comms' press officer,
are the smallest on the market.

Known as the Micro RBS, the weatherproof Micro base stations
have a footprint of 50 by 40 centimeters (cm) and a case height of
15cm, and can be located below the roofline. Thanks to the use of a
hierarchical cellular structure (i.e. base stations joined in a
pyramid-style chain), each Micro cell is designed to have a 100- to
300-meter radius when used in city areas.

Although the Micro RBS is aimed at PCS 1900 systems in the US or PCN
1800 networks in Europe, the base stations are also available in a GSM
(global system for mobile communications) 900 (MHz) version for use
in so-called metro GSM configurations.

Metro GSM is being supported by some GSM networks, such as Vodafone,
since it is widely recognized that frequency allocations on GSM are
much more limited than PCS or PCN ever will be. By using a Micro GSM
base station, the GSM networks can maximize their coverage, even in
city/metro areas.

The Pico RBS, meanwhile, is even smaller than the Micro RBS, with a
footprint of 25cm by 30cm and a case height of 10cm. Typical
applications for the Pico RBS cellular base stations include hotels,
subway stations, restaurants, convention centers, office buildings,
sports centers, and shopping malls.

According to Ericsson, the use of a hierarchical cellular structure
with Micro and Pico base stations, as against a standard digital base
station, is that capacity for a given area can be massively increased.

Furthermore, because the Micro and Pico base stations are much more
limited in power and effective radius than a standard base station, a
given set of frequencies can be reused several times over in a given
area. In a typical city implementation, Ericsson says it envisages a
few normal base stations covering the whole of the city, with Micro
and Pico cells, with, respectively 100/300 meters and 10/30 meters,
covering the center of the city area, as well as shopping malls and
transport interchange areas.

Further details of the Micro and Pico RBS base stations can be found
on Ericsson's new Web pages, which are at http://www.ericsson.se .

(Steve Gold/19951129/Press Contact: Per Bengtsson, Ericsson,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/30/95
TELECOM
First GSM Net For North Africa Begins Construction

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00007)
First GSM Net For North Africa Begins Construction 11/30/95
TRIPOLI, LIBYA, 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- The march of GSM (global system
for mobile communications) digital telephony continues, with Libya
becoming the first North African country to sign up for the
installation of a GSM network.

As previously reported by Newsbytes, GSM 900 (megahertz) is fast
becoming a world standard thanks to its ability to offer roaming
between networks which link their HLRs (Home Location Registers)
together by a data circuit.

GSM 900 should not, Newsbytes notes, be confused with GSM 1800/1900
technology, often referred to as PCN (personal communications network)
or PCS (personal communications system) digital phone technology,
since GSM 900 systems are not compatible with PCN/PCS systems
operating at the higher frequencies.

According to Ericsson, the Swedish telco with whom the Orbit
Telephone Company has signed a contract for installation of a GSM
network, the Libyan deal is worth $42.5 million and calls for the
installation of a cellular net covering from RadJadir near the border
with Tunisia, ranging down to the coast to Tripoli and on to Sirte.

The order itself is for phase one of the Libyan GSM network and
includes a single EMX (electronic mobile exchange), base stations,
and several Ericsson Mini-Links and 140 megabits-per-second (Mbps)
radio links.

Newsbytes notes that there are no cellular networks in Libya and,
according to Per Bengtsson of Ericsson, GSM takeup as a result is
expected to be quite high.

The order is the first GSM network for North Africa and, curiously
enough, the contract was negotiated by LM Ericsson Ireland, the
division of Ericsson that covers Libya. Plans call for Orbit GSM
network to launch in the second quarter of 1996 and Ericsson will have
continuing responsibility for technical support for the new network.

Although GSM 1900 is still in its infancy in the US, elsewhere in the
world it has become a de facto digital standard. Earlier this week,
Apple's President Mike Spindler, speaking at a European information
technology conference, acknowledged the importance of GSM in the
digital phone market, saying that he expects the technology to take
off very soon in the US marketplace.

According to Spindler, GSM is a model of technological development
since consumer applications of the technology are being developed
rapidly, without fuss and, perhaps more importantly, economically. In
addition, he said, GSM has been adopted swiftly by Europe's telecoms
authorities.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951129/Press Contact: Mick Brown, General Manager, LM
Ericsson Ireland, [phone]; Reader Contact: Ericsson Africa &
Latin America, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/30/95
ONLINE
 ****Free Newsbytes E-Mail Trial Subscriptions

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00008)
 ****Free Newsbytes E-Mail Trial Subscriptions 11/30/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- Newsbytes News
Network, a comprehensive source of daily telecom, computer, and
interactive services news since 1983, along with Island Telecommunications
Corp. is offering free one-month trial subscriptions to its Newsbytes
E-Mail Subscription Service through the month of December.

The service offers the complete text of Newsbytes News Network's
award-winning newswire delivered directly to a subscribers' Internet
mailbox each business day.

The first month's fee is waived under this trial offer, and there
is no renewal obligation. An application form is available at
Island Telecom's Newsbytes Pacifica Website at
http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/freetrial.html or apply by sending
an e-mail message to [e-mail], with your First
Virtual account ID in the body of the message. A First Virtual account
is required; accounts on First Virtual's secure Internet transaction
system can be obtained at the URL http://www.fv.com/newacct/ , or by
sending e-mail to [e-mail].

Newsbytes, a pioneering electronic publication offering both text and
images, has provided daily coverage of the dynamic and complex computer
and telecommunications industries since 1983. More than 150 media
outlets, including print publications, online services, and database
companies, are licensed to publish Newsbytes wire material. The wire
service reports at least stories each day, filed by 19 staff
correspondents worldwide. All reporting is first-hand, original, and
objective. News is gathered from independent sources, trade shows, and
interviews with top industry professionals.

Headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, in the United States, Newsbytes News
Network has bureaus in San Francisco, Denver, Washington DC, Boston, Los
Angeles, Toronto, London, Tokyo, Hongkong, Sydney, Beijing, Manila, and
New Delhi.

The Newsbytes Pacifica Website is one of two World Wide Web servers
Newsbytes maintains. The other is located at http://www.nbnn.com

(Newsbytes Staff/19951130)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/30/95
ONLINE
WorldsAway Ready To Animate Compuserve Chat

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SFO)(00009)
WorldsAway Ready To Animate Compuserve Chat 11/30/95
COLUMBUS, OHIO, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- Compuserve and
Fujitsu Cultural Technologies are ready to release an animated chat
world, called WorldsAway. Compuserve subscribers will be able to
choose an animated persona which can dance, reach out, and show
emotion through facial expressions while they converse through
displayed text.

Starting December 12, Compuserve says it will celebrate the launch of
WorldsAway with Christmas virtual world, which includes Santa, elves,
reindeer, a Christmas tree, and tracks in the snow.

As a larger Christmas present to its members, Compuserve says the
service will be billed at standard connect rates and the cost of the
WorldsAway CD will be off-set by a usage credit.

A Fujitsu spokesperson told Newsbytes, "We have worked very hard
with Compuserve to bring WorldsAway to its members. It works on
standard phone lines connected by users' regular modems. To be able to
deliver this level of technology without high-speed data lines has
been one of our major goals."

A competitive product, Worlds Chat, has been available as a beta on
the World Wide Web for more than six months. Developed by Worlds Inc.,
Worlds Chat is a demonstration of three-dimensional (3-D) virtual
environments displayed online and has attracted thousands of users
from around the world.

"WorldsAway is a rich, animated graphic environment which is
available for almost all desktop systems. We found 3-D environments
required high-powered Pentium systems to properly handle the constantly
changing, complex video display. Our goal has always been to deliver
a virtual world which all of our users can access," continued the
company spokesperson.

With the introduction of WorldsAway, Compuserve becomes the first
major online provider to offer a virtual chat environment. America
Online and Prodigy have not commented on any possible plans they
may have to develop a competitive product.

WorldsAway can be accessed in 450 North American cities, 33 European
cities, and from 140 countries through gateway networks.

(Patrick McKenna/19951130/Press Contact: Jane Torbica, Compuserve,
614-538-3347; Diane Bancroft, Fujitsu, 408-456-7923)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/30/95
PC
Fuji Offers Zip Disks, Flash Memory

(NEWS)(PC)(DEN)(00010)
Fuji Offers Zip Disks, Flash Memory 11/30/95
ELMSFORD, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- The computer
products division of Fuji Photo Film USA Inc. has introduced a
high-capacity storage disk for the popular Zip drive and a line of
flash memory cards for personal computers.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95113010.PCX
Click here for photo

Fuji Computer Products is offering the 100 megabyte (MB) Fujifilm
ATOMM Zip Disk 100 in a 3.7-inch format with a data transfer rate
of 1.4 MB-per-second.

Fuji spokesperson Allison Colucci told Newsbytes ATOMM is an acronym
for advanced super thin-layer and high output metal media. The disk
consists of an extremely thin (0.1 to 0.5 micron) layer of metal
particles coated over a non-magnetic layer of titanium compound. Fuji
said the particles in the lower layer are about one-sixth the size of
metal magnetic particles.

The company also said it will sell a Fuji-branded Iomega Zip drive
that has a seek time of 29 milliseconds and gives the user a choice
of SCSI (small computer system interface) or PC interface. Zip drives
were introduced by Iomega in March of this year. Fuji supplies the
magnetic media used in Zip disks.

The Fujifilm ATOMM Zip disk 100 has a suggested retail price of
$19.95 per disk. Colucci said the disks will be available in the
first quarter of 1996. The suggested retail price for the
Fuji-branded Zip drive is $199.95.

The new flash cards, called PC Cards Flash Memory, come in a
2MB version called the Fuji RD3001 for use in laptop computers and
electronic imaging products and the RD4001 Direct Bus Flash Card
with capacities from 1MB to 16MB for customized devices such as
delivery information acquisition devices. That's technospeak for
the handheld device your parcel delivery company uses to track the
progress of a package from shipment to delivery. Fuji recently
introduced the RD3001 ATA memory flash card in 5MB, 15MB, and 20MB
versions, for use in applications such as digital cameras.

PC Cards, formerly known as PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory
Card International Association) cards, resemble a thick credit
card and are inserted in a slot on the computing device. A PC Card
can add a data/fax modem to your computer, increase its memory,
connect you to a network, or provide a host of other services.
Pricing and availability of the flash cards was not available at
press time.

While the average consumer may think of film when hearing the name
Fuji, the company's computer products division markets floppy disks,
four millimeter (mm) and 8mm backup data tapes, one-quarter-inch data
cartridges, rewriteable magneto-optical disks, CD-Recordable optical
disks and a range of computer accessories.

(Jim Mallory/19951130/Press contact: Allison Colucci, Fujifilm,
914-789-8148/FUJI951130/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/30/95
BUSINESS
Business As Usual At Packard Bell?

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00011)
Business As Usual At Packard Bell? 11/30/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- A recent
Securities and Exchange Commission filing by Intel showed the chip giant
had converted part of a $470 million receivable into a customer loan.
Intel did not reveal the customer, but speculation by the media has
centered around Packard Bell.

Could a half billion dollar receivable indicate a trend of slow growth
for the PC market? Most analysts say the market is stronger than ever
and consumers are quick to demand the latest and fastest Intel
processor.

Some sources suggest Packard Bell is caught with a large inventory of,
what is now a slow Pentium processor, the 75 megahertz (MHz). Ninety MHz,
100MHz, and 120MHz Pentium processors quickly followed the 75. A 133MHz
model barely made it to the market before Intel announced a new
generation of its Pentium line with Pentium Pro processors operating
as high as 200MHz.

Hewlett-Packard and Compaq figured hungry consumers would go for
the 100MHz chip and stocked accordingly. In spite of the cost
difference, experts say consumers showed an appetite for the 100MHz
model and left the 75MHz processor on the retail shelf. If the experts
are right, Packard Bell is trying to move its personal computer systems
powered by the 75MHz processor with heavy discounts.

Packard Bell says any rumors about it having financial difficulties are
incorrect and both its third and fourth quarter results have been very
healthy. In a report from Reuters, Lim Huat Seng, Packard Bell's vice
president and managing director for Asia-Pacific, said the company's
sales in Europe and the Middle East would be close to $1.0 billion
this, year which almost doubles the $500 million figure of last year.

Packard Bell declined to comment on Intel's partial conversion of the
almost half a billion receivable into a customer loan and the drop in
Intel stock when the loan information hit Wall Street.

Third quarter marketshare for Packard Bell was up over the previous
quarter by 2.6% at 12.4%, and the company says it expects continued
growth in the fourth quarter.

Behind closed doors, the players know who owes who, but no-one is
ready to comment on a half billion dollar receivable, which is causing
concern on Wall Street .

(Patrick McKenna/19951130)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/30/95
ONLINE
Private Jet Travel Arrangements On The Web

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SFO)(00012)
Private Jet Travel Arrangements On The Web 11/30/95
SAN RAMON, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- If all of the online
and Internet air travel information and reservations systems seem too
complicated and time-consuming, Jet Express says its World Wide Web page
is the place to go. Fill-in a simple e-mail form with destination, desired
departure, cuisine preference and bank references, and Jet Express sends
back the cost of your custom trip in a private jet.

Randy Lynch, president of Jet Express, says his World Wide Web site is
the perfect alternative to fluctuating schedules, long lines, delayed
flights, crowded airports, stale food, and lost baggage. "People can
charter flights for business or personal use and plan everything from
the time of departure to their favorite food. By going through our Web
site, an Internet user can plan a trip anytime of day and receive a very
quick response from us."

The Jet Express Web page contains the e-mail quote form and a
frequently asked questions (FAQ) page. All trips are based on round-
trip travel and can be scheduled from one to 14 people. The company
supplies corporate jets and turboprops which customarily use smaller
local airports.

Lynch says the cost is offset by flexibility, control, first class
amenities and onboard privacy in luxurious surroundings. From a
business point of view, chartered flights also provide extensive
security provisions which are not possible through commercial flights.

Jet Express says many of its business customers consider the ability to
set their own schedule and eliminate wasted time spent in long lines,
waiting for connecting flights and navigating baggage claim areas,
more than makes-up for the added cost.

On the World Wide Web, Jet Express can be located at
http://www.jetexpress.com .

(Patrick McKenna/19951130/Press Contact: Cliff Kurtzman, The
Tenagra Corporation, 713-480-6300)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/30/95
TRENDS
Quarterdeck Software To Open Africa To Internet

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00013)
Quarterdeck Software To Open Africa To Internet 11/30/95
MARINA DEL REY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- Quarterdeck has
announced an agreement with Internetworking Africa to license its
Internet Suite. The automatic register, configure, and connect package
will allow customers throughout the southern part of Africa to access
the Internet.

When Gaston Bastiaens, Quarterdeck's president and chief executive
officer, signed-on last year, he said the company would expand its
traditional memory management business with new Internet tools and
increased attention to International markets. His success with
Quarterdeck Internet products was highlighted this year by a jump in
the company's stock from $3 per share to more than $28 per share.

"There is a tremendous potential for dial-up access in Africa, especially
South Africa, and we are now very well-positioned to participate in this
growth. Internetworking Africa is a strategically important partner for
us and we are pleased to be working with them," said Bastiaens in a
released statement.

Quarterdeck's Internet Suite contains: Quarterdeck Mosaic; Quarterdeck
Message Center; QTERM, for Telnet; QFTP, for file transfer protocol
(FTP) file transfers; and Quarterdeck Location Manager; along with
integrated SLIP/PPP support. The company's Connect and Play feature has
been customized to allow first-time customers to contact Internetworking
Africa and reportedly get online in minutes.

The software has also been adapted to the African environment with a
special list of African URLs (uniform resource locators) which
make it easier for users to find African companies and individuals on
the World Wide Web.

Internetworking Africa is the largest Internet service provider (ISP)
on the continent with a presence in seven South African cities and
additional locations in Zimbabwe, Swaziland, and Zambia. Currently
growing at a rate of 20% per month, Internetworking Africa is
constantly expanding its African service.

A spokesperson for the company told Newsbytes, "This announcement
with Internetworking Africa is an important step in our international
business plan. At this time, we are not able to release more information,
but the goal here at Quarterdeck is to establish a global presence for
this company."

(Patrick McKenna/19951130/Press Contact: Ellen Spooren,
Quarterdeck, 310-309-4261)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/30/95
ONLINE
Compuserve's Moneyline For Hong Kong Business

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(HKG)(00014)
Compuserve's Moneyline For Hong Kong Business 11/30/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- Compuserve is offering
an online financial service, called the Money personal finance
center. Aimed at Hong Kong entrepreneurs who hold investments in
the US market, the service is provided by Money, a US financial
publication.

The service gives users access to magazine articles, electronic-mail
contact with the magazine's editors, updates on funds and stock
prices, and even allows trading through brokerage accounts. It also
has details of banking loan rates and other more personal financial
services.

Money magazine is the third largest financial title in the US
with a circulation of 1.9 million.

(Joel McCormick & I.T. Daily/19951130)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/30/95
WINDOWS
Internet Expo - HP Takes On Microsoft With Win NT Mail Port

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(BOS)(00015)
Internet Expo - HP Takes On Microsoft With Win NT Mail Port 11/30/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- Hewlett-
Packard's OpenMail, a long-time competitor to IBM's Profs, will
now take on Microsoft Exchange in earnest, with a port of HP's
messaging server to Windows NT that will support the Microsoft
Exchange client plus Lotus Notes and cc:Mail clients and a new
update to Corporate Software & Technologies' (CS&T)'s OpenTime
group scheduler, officials said at a press conference attended by
Newsbytes at E-Mail World/Internet Expo in Boston.

Although previously available for Unix environments only, HP's
OpenMail has always competed with Microsoft Exchange to a certain
degree, asserted Korek Mitra, general manager of HP's Enterprise
Messaging Operation.

But with the port next year to Windows NT, HP will now "take the
Microsoft concept and implement it on an enterprise scale," Mitra
told reporters and analysts at the press luncheon.

Also at the press event, Mitra announced plans by HP to integrate
OpenMail with HP OpenView Solution Framework for centralized
messaging and network systems management.

Nigel Upton, worldwide marketing manager for the Enterprise
Messaging Operation, said that OpenMail for Windows NT is slated
for a beta launch in February, with general availability in June.

The new NT edition of the HP messaging server will support
"popular messaging clients" that will include Microsoft Mail and
Lotus Notes and cc:Mail, according to Upton. OpenMail on Windows
NT will comply with MAPI (Microsoft Application Programming
Interface) 1.0. Support will also be provided for CS&T's
OpenTime.

Meanwhile, CS&T's OpenTime group scheduler for Windows, Windows
95, Motif, Macintosh, and ASCII terminals, first introduced last
spring, has been updated with a new user interface, said CS&T's
Eric Melka, during a demo at the press conference. CS&T plans a
"Web client" for the future, according to Melka.

HP's new OpenMail on Windows NT will represent a "complete
rewrite" of the back-end messaging server for the 32-bit
Microsoft environment, Upton noted during the press event.

"Our belief is that Windows NT isn't (an) enterprise-wide
(platform) yet, but that it will be in the future," said Mitra,
elaborating on HP's intentions during a Q&A session that
followed. Today, he added, NT is best suited to departmental
applications.

Although benchmark results will not be available until beta
testing begins, the NT edition of OpenMail might not offer the
same "performance or scalability" as existing versions of the
messaging server for HP-UX, Sun Solaris, IBM AIX, and SCO (Santa
Cruz Operation) Unix, Mitra acknowledged.

But, unlike Microsoft Exchange, which only supports Microsoft
Windows environments, OpenMail will be "a server for various
groupware platforms," according to the HP general manager.

In addition to "accommodating (these) clients" and "harnessing
processing power," OpenMail on Windows NT will also provide
better support for "process reengineering," Mitra contended. "We
will compete (with Microsoft Exchange) head on," he told the
group.

The integration of OpenMail into the HP OpenView Solution
Framework calls for the use of "intelligent agents" to detect
problems on remote servers, according to Melka. Pre-defined
actions will be triggered for problem resolution.

The administrator will be able to transfer a user to a new
OpenMail server by dragging and dropping an icon. Underlying
directory and mailbox information will then be changed
automatically.

In the demo of CS&T's OpenTime, Melka showed the journalists
capabilities that included "worldwide time zone support" and
real-time scheduling over multiple servers.

Other calendaring and scheduling capabilities include: the ability
to search for "best times," as well as for people for "free
time;" a "person finder;" a personal agenda; an appointment
status tracker; a meeting organizer; personal and group notes;
to-do and task lists; designation of proxy and calendar access
rights; and notification of all-day events, company holidays, and
recurring group meetings, according to Melka.

OpenTime supports HP-UX, Sun Solaris, IBM AIX, and UnixWare
servers. CS&T, formerly known as Dexotek, also produces
CorporateTime for users of Enterprise Solutions Limited (ESL)'s
X.400-based EXM/Mail.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951130/Reader Contact: HP Direct,
800-637-7740; Press Contact: Jeannette Tollstrup, HP,
408-447-5333; Reader and Press Contact: CS&T, 514-694-7070)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/30/95
TRENDS
IBM Software Retrieves Voice Messages On The Web

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TOR)(00016)
IBM Software Retrieves Voice Messages On The Web 11/30/95
TRIANGLE PARK, NORTH CAROLINA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- IBM
(NYSE:IBM) has added to its DirectTalk/6000 software the ability to
retrieve voice messages over the Internet and play them on any personal
computer equipped with a sound card.

DirectTalk/6000 is a voice-mail software package that runs on IBM's RISC
System/6000 systems. A new release, due for delivery in early February,
includes DirectTalkMail, which will make it possible to check messages
via the Internet's World Wide Web, the company said. The software will
store the messages as audio files that can be downloaded to a remote PC.

Rob Woods, manager of architectures and strategy in the Call Center
Solutions Group at IBM Canada Ltd. in Markham, Ontario, told Newsbytes
no special hardware or software is needed on the remote PC other than a
standard sound card and, of course, a modem and Internet access software.

IBM officials said the new feature will let travelers check their e-mail
and voice-mail with a single connection to the Internet from wherever
they are. It will also make it possible to have DirectTalkMail take a
voice message while you are on the phone, then check to see who called
while still on the first call. Also, the company said, users will be
able to check their messages without tying up their phone lines.

DirectTalkMail will also let users send messages to people using any
other voice messaging system that supports the Audio Messaging
Interface Standard (AMIS).

The latest release of DirectTalk/6000 also has speech recognition
technology that lets users identify themselves by speaking their names.
The software runs on RS/6000 systems under the AIX operating system,
and costs US$750 per port, Woods said.

(Grant Buckler/19951130/Press Contact: Anne Hay, IBM Canada,
905-316-2251, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/30/95
ONLINE
 ****Rogers Cable TV Offers Commercial Internet Access

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TOR)(00017)
 ****Rogers Cable TV Offers Commercial Internet Access 11/30/95
NEWMARKET, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- Rogers Cablesystems
Ltd., one of Canada's major cable television operators, has begun offering
access to the Internet and other online services over its cable network.
Newmarket, a suburban community north of Toronto and the site of an
earlier technical trial, will be the first to get the service on a
commercial basis.

In its trial stage the service was called CableLink - Home, but Rogers
has renamed it Rogers Wave. It uses a 500,000 bits-per-second cable
modem, offering a major speed advantage over telephone-line modems.

In answer to the question TV addicts may be asking, Rudy Engel,
executive vice-president of sales, marketing, and programming at Rogers
Cablesystems, told Newsbytes it will be possible to watch television
while using Rogers Wave on the same cable connection. The cable modem
uses frequencies not used for TV signals, he explained.

Rogers will provide its own package of Internet access software,
including a World Wide Web browser and other utilities. However, Engel
told Newsbytes that any software designed for use with the Internet will
work over Rogers Wave, as long as one software component designed to
manage the cable modem is present.

Rogers chose Newmarket for the service's launch because its cable system
there is fully duplexed, allowing two-way communication between
subscribers and the cable company. Rogers is in the process of upgrading
its other cable installations, Engel said, and hopes to offer Rogers Wave
throughout Metropolitan Toronto by this time next year. Other cities
served by the company, including Vancouver, Ottawa, and various smaller
centers in southwestern Ontario, will follow.

Rogers will charge C$39.95 per month for unlimited Internet access plus
some special services. At an additional cost, the company will also provide
cable-modem access to commercial online services such as Compuserve and
America Online. Engel said agreements with the major commercial online
services are close to completion. Customers would purchase subscriptions
from the online services in the usual way, but connect via Rogers Wave
rather than over a phone line, he said.

(Grant Buckler/19951130/Press Contact: Rudy Engel, Rogers Cablesystems,
416-864-2369)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/30/95
ONLINE
Internet Expo - How To Make Money From The Internet

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(BOS)(00018)
Internet Expo - How To Make Money From The Internet 11/30/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- Although the
World Wide Web seems to be at the top of almost every organization's
priorities these days, making money off the Internet is a process
that will take another three to eight years to complete, predicted
John McCarthy, an analyst at Forrester Research, during a meeting for
press, analysts, and customers presented by Aurum, Microsoft, and
Cambridge Technology Partners, and attended by Newsbytes at E-Mail
World/Internet Expo in Boston.

From now through the year 2003, users will undergo a three-stage
process of "commit, connect, and capitalize," according to the
Forrester analyst. And over the same eight-year period, vendors
will experience a reshuffling act with room at the top for some
"old guard" leaders as well as some hot new players.

At the "commit" phase, from now through 1997, less than five percent
of corporate advertising budgets will be devoted to the Web,
McCarthy said. But by the end of this stage, about half of a
company's internal users should have access to the Web, and about
25 percent of a company's software development efforts will be
aimed at the Internet. During the process of change, corporate IT
(information technology) departments will weed out those staffers
who are unable or unwilling to transition to the Web.

At the "connect" stage, from 1995 to 2000, organizations will
start to leave the days of "deb Web" applications behind, the
Forrester analyst continued. Rather, applications for the
Internet will begin to receive a new "interactivity."

By the year 2000, 75 percent of internal users should by Web-
savvy, 50 percent of a company's partners should be connected
over the Internet, and 60 percent of the organization's
information should be accessible through cyberspace, McCarthy
recommended.

But the "capitalize" phase, from 1995 through the year 2003, is
when corporations will really begin to profit from the Web,
according to the analyst. For this to happen, though, application
"interactivity" must evolve into "proactivity," characterized by
establishing and reinforcing a "continuing information `loop'
between you and your customers."

Instead of merely listing their product offerings on the home
page, for example, the successful company will use the Web to
keep track of customers' buying patterns, and to alert customers
with information that suits their individual tastes and needs.

By the year 2003, 30 to 40 percent of a company's IT budget
should be devoted to the Web, and 90 percent of corporate
information should be available there. "The CIO (chief
information officer) will either `get with it' or get fired,"
McCarthy noted.

Online service providers, outsourcers, content creators, and
software makers can all benefit from this turn of events, almost
regardless of company size, McCarthy reported. Early Web pioneers
on the online service side, for instance, include giants like
AT&T and MCI, in addition to smaller players like UUnet who are
taking a stab at "going big time."

In the outsourcing arena, initial activities include Web hosting,
in the manner of AT&T/BBN, along with development of "source
software." CBT, he pointed out, is now focusing on outsourcing
object component software for Web development, with an eye toward
content creation later on.

Other opportunities in the software industry include object-
oriented (OO) development tools for the Web, middleware,
shrink-wrapped applications, and Web browsers. Vendors such as
Aurum are already venturing into the Web-related area of sales
force automation, he observed.

Netscape's astounding success with browsers might yet be equaled
by other start-ups, McCarthy suggested, drawing an analogy with
the way vendors like 3Com, Cisco, Wellfleet, and SynOptics were
all able to recognize and benefit from earlier openings that
cropped up in the industry with the earlier move to distributed
computing.

"And my question is, how long will it be before Microsoft's
Visual Basic is used (for Web development)?" McCarthy asked the
audience, in closing.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951130/Reader And Press Contact: Blanc &
Otus, 415-512-0500)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/30/95
BROADCAST
 ****US West Launches Interactive Cable TV

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(DEN)(00019)
 ****US West Launches Interactive Cable TV 11/30/95
ORLANDO, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- US West has launched
its interactive television system in about 4,000 Orlando, Florida
homes this week, delivering the service via Time Warner Cable's cable
television network.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95113019.PCX
Click here for photo

The service, called GOtv, is being produced and marketed jointly by
US West Interactive Services and the Orlando Sentinel newspaper.
It is free and offers viewers on-screen menus of services that
include previewing a first-run movie, taking an electronic tour of
a local restaurant or selecting an area entertainment event or
attraction. Full-motion video and sound are used in the tours
while the movie clips are provided by the film studios.

GOtv is advertiser-supported so users can surf through ads from
various national companies such as Lexus, Visa, or Chili's
restaurant. Viewers choose the ad they want to watch by clicking
on the company's icon.

In addition to providing service to the consumer, GOtv lets
advertisers know what viewers watch the most. In Orlando,
Time Warner subscribers voluntarily provide demographic information
to the company. Subscriber viewing choices made using their set-top
box can be collected to generate reports on what type of consumer
chooses what services.

According to John O'Farrell, president of US West's Interactive
Services Group, the system has privacy safeguards to preclude GOtv
from tracking the viewing choices of individual households. However,
viewers can elect to be recognized by advertisers. For example, a
printer could be connected to the set-top box to print discount
coupons. Other interactive services allow the user to make choices
like telling an auto dealer they want to take a test drive.

GOtv also offers local movie theater schedules and users can even buy
movie tickets in advance through MovieFone, a provider of show
time information. GOtv announced a strategic alliance with MovieFone
last year. The service lets the viewer call a local phone number to
purchase tickets. GOtv also has an agreement with several major
movie studios that lets them provide the first-run movie previews
usually seen only in movie theaters.

The host of GOtv is Uncle Frank, an animated character that offers
help in planning viewer's activities. US west describes Uncle Frank as
"a self-styled gastronome, movie critic, raconteur and general bon
vivant."

US West said Uncle Frank was created by transferring the movements
of a live actor to a computer, then using those recorded movements to
create the animated character with more life-like qualities.

Online service is nothing new to the Orlando Sentinel. The newspaper
already has its weekly calendar section online on America Online and
John Haile, Sentinel vice president, said providing the listings via
GOtv is the natural next step. "The newspaper of the future will be a
multimedia operation and the GOtv test will help us learn what
consumers will be looking for," said the newspaper executive.

In an interview with Newsbytes, US West spokesperson Carolyne
Kennedy declined to state specifically what other broadband and
narrowband services the company will introduce or exactly when the
next product will be available. "Stay tuned," said Kennedy.

Asked where GOtv will be introduced next, Kennedy said it would
probably be in Omaha, Nebraska, where US West already operates a
broadband network. Broadband service is a requirement for the
interactive service. Atlanta, Georgia is also apparently high on
the list, once the digitized network becomes available in that
city.

(Jim Mallory/19951130/Press contact: Carolyne Kennedy, US West,
303-784-2572/GOTV951130/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/30/95
TRENDS
 ****Banks Face Major Competition On Internet

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00020)
 ****Banks Face Major Competition On Internet 11/30/95
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- After just issuing
a report predicting that all banks will be on Internet by the year 2000,
Killen & Associates has thrown cold water on the banking industry by
predicting there will be lots of non-bank competition already there.
Killen said, in a soon-to-be-released report, that within five years
non-banks and high tech companies will capture more than 25% of the
$800 billion in global electronic commerce (EC) and electronic
payments (EP) revenue created by Internet merchants.

Speaking to Newsbytes, Jules Street, vice president of Killen &
Associates, said, "The banks are not going to start off with all the
bells and whistles that Quicken might offer, but before the banks are
done, they will be offering a full menu over the Internet. The battle
over the transaction, payment, banking, and investment dollar should
be fierce.

"Banks are looking at the Internet as a means to capture the entire
financial transaction market from consumers," said Street, "displacing
companies like Intuit and even Merrill Lynch. Non-banks, likewise,
see the Internet as a method of getting into banking, stepping in
between the bank and their customers."

"The recent announcement by Intuit and America Online underscores
the aggressiveness of these high-tech non-banks," said Michael Killen,
president of Killen & Associates. "Companies such as AT&T, MCI,
Checkfree, EDS, Equifax, First Data Corp., CyberCash, and Microsoft are
the leaders in this market explosion. These companies are absolutely
essential to the banks' success, and the banks recognize the risks of
allowing them to get between themselves and their customers."

The Killen & Associates study, called "Non-Banks and High Tech
Companies' Electronic Payment Strategies," forecasts a better than
16% average annual revenue growth rate in EC/EP services for the next
five years.

Killen continued, "Non-banks and high tech companies see the
emergence of the Internet merchant as a significant business
opportunity."

The study highlights some of the leading EC/EP companies which will
be poised to grab the huge market, including: Intuit, Netscape, First
Virtual Holding, VeriFone, CyberCash, CUC, Deluxe Checks, GE Capital,
Mondex, Open Market, Transaction Network Services Inc. (TNSI), and
Charles Schwab.

(Richard Bowers/19951130/Press Contact: Jules Street, Killen &
Associates, 415-617-6140)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/30/95
TRENDS
 ****Silicon Valley CEOs Highlight Marketing Needs

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00021)
 ****Silicon Valley CEOs Highlight Marketing Needs 11/30/95
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- High-tech companies
have been performing well on Wall Street, but a survey of Silicon Valley
chief executive officers (CEOs) reveals an average to poor rating for
marketing effectiveness. To improve their marketing effectiveness, these
industry leaders look to strategic alliances and acquisitions, new
interactive technologies and Internet/World Wide Web opportunities.

Entitled, "Rating the State of High Technology Marketing in Silicon
Valley," the survey was performed by Neale-May & Partners in
cooperation with The Business Journal and the American Marketing
Association. Results were tabulated by Nichols Research. The survey's
main finding indicates 96% of the CEOs view marketing as critical to a
company's success, while 75% view their own company as average to
poor in its marketing effectiveness.

In admitting a lack of effective marketing, the CEOs say they have no
one to blame but themselves. Personal backgrounds and the history of
the computer industry may play a role in this phenomena. Eighty
percent of the respondents say they came to their present position
through a technical background, and only 14% said they had marketing
backgrounds. This is not surprising for an industry which started with
many small companies which would simply call on another company
for an extra 500 hard drives or floppy drives. The leaders of these
companies were commonly the same ones who directed the technical
growth and achievements.

"This study reflects the growth of this industry and the changes
which accompany such rapid growth," said Susan Walker of Neale-May &
Partners. Northern California now lists more than 2,100 technology
firms across 17 industry sectors. Combined, the companies account
for a workforce of more than a half million workers generating
approximately $1.2 trillion.

Neale-May president, Donovan Neale-May, said, "High technology
companies face a unique set of marketing dynamics. They have
increasingly complex messages and products and have to address larger
and more fragmented markets served by multiple channels of distribution.
This is challenging some of the conventional industry thinking and
putting more pressure on CEOs to innovate in the way their companies
interact with the market as competition heats-up and product parity
pervades."

The survey found 60% of the companies do not have a formal marketing
plan in place. According to the survey, this is about to change, as
84% of the top-level respondents described their primary contribution
as developing marketing strategy and corporate positioning.

Walker said the survey covers business-to-business and standard
business-to-consumer relationships. Customer loyalty and satisfaction
is the number one marketing goal outlined by 81% of the respondents.
Surprisingly, they did not feel advertising was the best way to reach
that goal.

Marketing priorities were considered important as follows: customer
support/service, 49%; direct marketing, 33%; channel communications, 31%;
sales support programs, 23%; public relations, 21.5%, trade shows, 16%;
and product design and styling, 16%. The percentages reflected the number
of respondents considering the topic important. Advertising was rated an
important priority by only 14%.

Topping the list of new technologies being explored to extend marketing
efforts, the Internet/Web registered a 74% interest. More information is
available through Neale-May at the Internet e-mail address of
[e-mail].

(Patrick McKenna/19951129/Press Contact: Susan Walker, Neale-May
& Partners, 415-328-5555)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/30/95
TELECOM
New Man In At Hong Kong Telecom

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(HKG)(00022)
New Man In At Hong Kong Telecom 11/30/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- After London directors gave the
bullet to battle-scared Cablers recently, Hongkong Telecom chief executive
Linus Cheung announced that Brian Smith, chairman of the British Airports
Authority, would become chairman of both London-based Cable & Wireless plc
and its Far East unit, Hongkong Telecom.

Smith's appointment to head up both Cable and Wireless and HK Telecom came
after a public row between Lord Young, the chairman, and James Ross, the
deputy chairman, ended in tears for both. The surprise move by Cable and
Wireless's board to dump both was compounded by the appointment of Smith.

Smith, currently chairman of the British Airports Authority, had been a
non-executive director of Cable and Wireless up until June this year. The
official word was that he retired, the unofficial word was that other
board members felt he was getting too long in the tooth.

And there-in lies the irony. Industry analysts say that, one thing Young
and Ross rowed about was that Young, at 63, wouldn't leave and make space
for Ross. He wanted to stick it out for another two years.

Retirement policy wasn't the only thing that had the pair feuding, of
course. Ross wanted to pursue his "federation of companies" concept,
which Young disagreed with.

In the event, it seems the board decided both were expendable and Smith,
aged 66, was given the job. The position may involve, among other things,
fighting off buy-out bidders.

Cellular king Craig McCaw, who sold his business to AT&T for the pleasure
of sitting on AT&T's board for a few months, denied he had any interest in
C&W. "We have never had any conversations with the company," he said in a
prepared statement.

However, a source at Cable and Wireless GHQ in London told Newsbytes that
age was not an issue. No more shake-ups were on the cards, he said, adding
that everyone at GHQ was getting down to business as usual.

There was no word on how Cheung voted in the Mercury House's night of the
long pencils in London. But he should take courage in the thought that
Smith was appointed as a non-executive chairman at Telecom, suggesting
he should be able to go about his business with a minimum of fretting
and fussing from London.

(Joel McCormick & I.T. Daily/19951130)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/30/95
BUSINESS
Hong Kong - CSSL Loses DST Distributorship

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00023)
Hong Kong - CSSL Loses DST Distributorship 11/30/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- Hong Kong's CSSL has lost the
distributorship for DST International's well-known software targeted at
the asset management industry. Announcing the opening of its Hong Kong
office, which will act as the region's hub, DST Asia Managing Director
John Booth said the company had told CSSL it was taking back the
distribution of its products.

"CSSL was still distributing the products until the middle of this year,
but back in January, we told them we'd take direct control of our
products," Booth said.

He added that he expected some sort of relationship with CSSL would
continue, in servicing existing clients, if nothing else. Group Managing
Director Mike Winn said: "CSSL also have a great deal of expertise in
systems integration and I've little doubt we'll be working together
using those skills."

Considering the growth of the asset management business in Asia over the
past decade, DST's arrival in Hong Kong could be considered tardy, a
contention Winn disputes. "You must remember that only three years back,
we had only one office in London. Then in 1993, we acquired Clarke and
Tilley, which made us big in Europe in the industry. This year we bought
HiPortfolio -- so really we believe it's timely."

CSSL's loss seems to be DST's gain. The company expects to be serving 200
clients by 1998 and build its staff complement to 100. The company is
looking to have 30 staffers in Hong Kong by the beginning of next year.
It has already established offices in Thailand and Singapore. It is also
looking at Malaysia and Indonesia.

"By 1998 we expect to be dominant in the asset management software arena
and our biggest competition remains in-house developed systems," Booth
said.

As the financial industry grows throughout Asia, DTE expects to generate
new first-time business and ride on the coat-tails of existing clients as
they expand into other regional markets. "The potential is huge -- in the
early 1990s, only 3% of US money was invested outside the country. It's
now expected to grow to 18%," Winn said. Add to that legislative moves in
countries like Indonesia, which will require software of the kind DST
sells, and the market growth is there, he said.

(Joel McCormick & I.T. Daily/19951130)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/30/95
TELECOM
India - Top Telecom Bids Accepted

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEL)(00024)
India - Top Telecom Bids Accepted 11/30/95
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- The Government has accepted the
highest bids for 10 telecom circles for basic services, while inviting
fresh financial bids for 10 other telecom circles.

The circles for which the bids have been accepted for award of licenses
are Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa,
Punjab, Uttar Pradesh (West), and West Bengal. In all the ten other
circles -- namely Assam, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bihar, Himachal
Pradesh, North East, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh (East) -- the
bids have been "unreasonable" as the levy quoted was found to be "far
below reasonable level" and hence the Department of Telecommunications
(DOT) will invite fresh bids.

With the announcement, the Government has only accepted the nine bids of
the HFCL-Bezeq combine, along with that in Maharashtra, and rejected all
others. It has also put a cap of three for award of licenses, but gave
the option to the company affected by the new rule. This will enable the
HFCL-Bezeq combine to choose any three of its nine bids.

A visibly relieved Mahendra Nahata, vice chairman of the HFCL Group, who
has clearly emerged the major winner in the exercise with all his nine
bids making the new grade, said, "I am happy at the outcome and totally
accept the DOT's decision. We'll shortly decide on the licenses
and at this point we are looking at Delhi, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh (West),
and Haryana."

Meanwhile, the introduction of fresh criteria for evaluating the bids is
bound to invite criticism from the bidders and the industry in general.
The losers include Reliance-Nynex, Shyam-Guangdond PTT, Usha-Moscow Tel,
and US West-BPL. In Maharashtra, the contest is between Hughes-Ispat,
which made the highest bid, and Tata-Bell Canada, which came up top in
evaluation.

(C. T. Mahabharat/19951130)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/30/95
BUSINESS
Cisco To Open Indian Subsidiary

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEL)(00025)
Cisco To Open Indian Subsidiary 11/30/95
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- Cisco Systems Inc., a leading
supplier of internetworking products worldwide, will soon set up a
fully-owned subsidiary in India. The $2.04 billion company had opened
a liaison office early this year.

The initial investment in the company will be around $1 million, and the
company plans to invest at least the same amount in each subsequent year.
According to JT Yeo, managing director of Cisco for South-east Asia,
India ranks fourth in the fastest growing markets in Asia, after China,
South Korea, and Hong Kong, and the company is therefore looking at a 50
percent growth in the country.

In order to achieve the target, Cisco will be investing heavily in people
and offices, and plans to increase its staff by two-and-a-half times and
will soon be opening offices in Bangalore and Bombay.

Next on the list is a series of seminars aimed at briefing clients as
well as resellers on the Internet and networking technologies and solutions.
Says Anil Batra, country manager India and South Asia-Cisco Systems, the
idea will be to gauge a client's needs and then advise him on which routers
and switches will fill them.

Cisco also plans to launch a new product line for the SOHO (small
office/home office) segment, Ciscopro. This will include a set of routing
and switching products that are specifically aimed at meeting the needs of
small offices and businesses, such as Internet access, telecommuting,
distributed databases, and high speed document transfer. It will also be
appointing Cisco Certified Internetworking Experts (CCIEs), a certification
given to organizations distributing the company's range of products.

(C. T. Mahabharat/19951130)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/30/95
BUSINESS
Silicon Graphics Opens Technology Center In China

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00026)
Silicon Graphics Opens Technology Center In China 11/30/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- Silicon Graphics Inc. has opened
its first wholly-owned unit center in China, a technology transfer center
aimed at developing supercomputing and visualization applications for
the aerospace and petroleum sectors, among others.

The opening apparently keeps a promise Silicon Graphics Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) Ed McCracken made last year, when he said the company would
help China develop supercomputing expertise.

The venture will be called Beijing Silicon Graphics Computer Technology
& Engineering Ltd.

The firm opens with three local engineers, working under Goh Eng Lim,
director of the East Asia Technology Center. It has two supercomputers,
along with a clutch of workstations. The supercomputers are a Silicon
Graphics Power Challenge and an Onyx graphics supercomputer. Everything
is connected on a high-speed local area network (LAN) with links to
Silicon Graphics' Mountain View, California headquarters, as well as
to other centers.

(Joel McCormick & I.T. Daily/19951130)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/30/95
LEGAL
China - Forged Printer Ribbons Confiscated

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(PEK)(00027)
China - Forged Printer Ribbons Confiscated 11/30/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- A large number of forged Fullmark
printer ribbons were found and confiscated in a raid on a store called
"Ribbon World" in the Zhongguancun area of Beijing, the Beijing Evening
News has reported.

Various kinds of ribbons for printers are the main products of the
Singapore-based Fullmark. Through its representatives and distributors
on the mainland of China, the sales volume of Fullmark ribbons in the
country's market used to be more than 200,000 units per month, said
company officials.

However, in recent months, Fullmark found its sales volume in China
was declining significantly, with the monthly sales volume dropping to
50,000, about a quarter of previous sales.

Beijing Kehai Group, Fullmark's representative agency in Beijing, also
found that there were some "cheap" Fullmark ribbons on the market. For
example, a kind of "Fullmark" ribbon with the regular price of RMB8
(US$0.95) at Kehai, is sold for only RMB3 (US$0.36) in other stores.
Without knowledge about the forged products, some customers even
complained about the higher price at Fullmark's real distributors.

The raid on "Ribbon World" discovered a source of forged Fullmark
ribbons. A large number of ribbons, marked "Fullmark," but actually
produced somewhere in the Zhejiang province, were found in the store's
storage room, government officials said. Although the store owners, a
couple, refused to provide the source of the ribbons, the offending
products were "obviously forgeries," claimed officials of Fullmark.

The quality of the forged Fullmark ribbons is very bad, said a Fullmark
official. A real Fullmark ribbon can be used for printing more than
two million characters. However, using the forged ribbon, after only
100,000 characters, the printout is almost unreadable, said the company
official. Also, using a printer ribbon of low quality may damage the
user's printer, the company said.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951130)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/30/95
GOVT
China - Computer Smuggling Lowers Govt Revenue

(NEWS)(GOVT)(PEK)(00028)
China - Computer Smuggling Lowers Govt Revenue 11/30/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- It is estimated that the state
lost more than RMB5 billion (US$595 million) in 1994 due to computer
smuggling, and that loss could reach RMB7 billion (US$833 million) in
1995.

According to statistics from Chinese government departments, about
718,000 PCs were sold last year in the mainland market of China.
However, a simple calculation shows that more than 60 percent of
those PCs were smuggled ones.

In 1994, 104,000 PCs were imported through formal channels, including
imported PC components which could be used to assemble 36,750 PCs.
Almost the same number of PCs, about 100,000, were domestically
produced in 1994. As a result, non-smuggled PCs accounted for only
28.4 percent of the total sold in the country's computer market.

In 1995, government reports also show that there is still a big
difference between the total PCs sold in the market and the number of
PCs coming into the country legally. Experts estimate that about 50
percent of PCs in the market are "water merchandise," a Chinese
name for smuggled goods.

Computer smuggling is destroying the domestic computer industry,
experts say. During the first half of 1994, the market share of
domestic PCs was 15.8 percent. That figure dropped to 14 percent
by the end of 1994. Experts estimated that the market share of
domestic PCs will be less than 10 percent in 1995.

In 1994, China's production value of the computer/information
industry was about RMB39.5 billion (US$4.7 billion). The production
value is expected to be RMB50 billion (US$5.95 billion) in 1995.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951130)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/30/95
APPLE
Time Online Licenses Apple's QuickTime Virtual Reality

(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00029)
Time Online Licenses Apple's QuickTime Virtual Reality 11/30/95
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- Apple Computer Inc.
(NASDAQ:AAPL) has announced it is licensing QuickTime VR Run-Time
Technology for use on the World Wide Web. The virtual reality (VR)
software allows Web surfers to sit in the press box and watch the
1995 World Series through Time Online's Web site.

Apple claims its QuickTime VR Run-Time Technology is a "breakthrough"
product because it delivers a "true virtual reality experience" without
a high development cost and without complicated hardware required by
other VR systems. Because QuickTime VR files are small, a VR
environment can be delivered quickly over conventional telephone
lines. Apple says an entire panoramic scene can be stored in less
than 200 kilobytes.

QuickTime VR was introduced in January, 1995. "In the earlier
version, the run-time player was either downloaded separately or
included on a CD or site through an icon. Now, the player is embedded
in the product so the developer does not have to worry whether or not
users of the product or site will have the necessary player or spend
time opening the player through an icon," said an Apple spokesperson.

Describing Time Online's World Series event, Janice Castro, senior
editor for Time Online, said, "With this new interactive technology,
millions of fans can now sit in the press box to watch and participate
as the Atlanta Braves and Cleveland Indians battle it out for the title.
Consumers can make the call on whether a runner beats the throw to
first base and you will hear either a 'Safe' or 'You're out of here!'
call."

The World Series event is set-up as a game. When a viewer finds all of
the hidden "hot spots," the screen shows the winning moments of the
final game. The game can be found on the Web at
http://pathfinder.com/time/special/baseball .

Another example of Apple's success with QuickTime VR is a display of
Mongolian art currently on exhibition at the Asian Art Museum of San
Francisco. The exhibit contains 115 pieces of art never before seen
in the US. The site, designed by Apple, can be found at
http://sfasian.apple.com.

QuickTime VR requires a Macintosh computer for authoring content.
Finished content can be played on Macs or Windows-based systems.

(Patrick McKenna/19951130/Press Contact: Mary Devincenzi, Big Sky
Communications, 408-974-4562; Public Contact: Apple, 512-919-2645,
Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/30/95
ONLINE
Motorola Inks Hi-Speed Cable Deals

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00030)
Motorola Inks Hi-Speed Cable Deals 11/30/95
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- Motorola's
(NYSE:MOT) Multimedia Group has signed "cooperative marketing
agreements" with online service providers, including America Online
(NASDAQ:AMER) (AOL), Compuserve, and Prodigy, to faster deploy and
implement Motorola's CableComm high-speed data products with the
providers. A Motorola official said the agreement reinforces the
company's commitment to bring about high-speed online access in 1996.

The CableComm line delivers voice, video, and high-speed data over
coaxial cable, similar to the one wired into most cable TV households.

The Motorola line specifically includes the CyberSurfr modem, which
provides the various types of data transmissions at speeds up to 10
megabits-per-second (Mbps), while a typical modem used with POTS (plain
old telephone service) lines generally runs at 14.4 Kbps or 28.8 Kbps.
Motorola officials said the CyberSurfr modem "eliminates the bandwidth
bottleneck to the home, and enables the next-generation of online
multimedia services."

"This high-speed access will enable revolutionary online multimedia
services that aren't available today because of the bandwidth
bottleneck to the home," said James M. Phillips, corporate vice
president and general manger of Motorola's Worldwide Multimedia
Distribution and Marketing Division.

The agreements specifically provide a framework for joint marketing and
educational campaigns in forums like print advertising, online links,
trade show exhibits, and direct-mail programs, officials said. Also
provided by the pacts are future technical evaluations to "ensure
product compatibility."

Also announced was the formation of Motorola's Broadband Applications
Forum, which the company said will bring together leaders in content
development, content packaging, and broadband equipment manufacturing,
to design next-generation data and video applications over high-speed
cable networks. Led by Motorola, the group will include leaders from
the online, interactive game, electronic commerce, videoconferencing,
and entertainment industries.

(Bob Woods/19951130/Press Contacts: Douglas M. Robertson, Motorola
Multimedia Group, 708-632-6634; Scott Phillips, Phillips and
Associates, 312-943-8858)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/30/95
ONLINE
Harbinger Develops Internet EDI Exchange

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00031)
Harbinger Develops Internet EDI Exchange 11/30/95
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- Harbinger Corporation
(NASDAQ:HRBC) said its new Internet product, called TrustedLink,
will provide businesses of all sizes with the "most open and reliable
software product available" for sending electronic data interchange
(EDI) documents via the Internet, with encryption and transaction
tracking capability. Officials said the company will develop
TrustedLink as a "seamless addition" to its award-winning translation
software.

In addition, TrustedLink will be implemented as a gateway to
Harbinger's own value-added network (VAN) for trading partners not
using the Internet.

Harbinger developed the new product in response to customer requests
for using the Internet as a transport medium for electronic commerce
documents in addition to conventional EDI networks. TrustedLink will
be available in both the translation software and the VAN products
in the second quarter of 1996.

"Harbinger's TrustedLink will give organizations a greater level of
security and confidence for doing business over the Internet by
guaranteeing the delivery of business documents, while also ensuring
accurate encryption and tracking of transactions," said Tycho Howle,
chairman and chief executive officer of Harbinger.

Howle also released the company's "vision for the future of electronic
commerce and the Internet." In a statement, he said the growth of
electronic networking is transforming commerce in "ways that are more
profound than any technology change since the advent of the telephone."

He said the company sees opportunities to accelerate the adoption of
electronic commerce by capitalizing on the Internet, and expanding
on what he called "Harbinger's industry-leading strengths in mass
deployment, trading partner management, end-user solutions, and
accountability."

He also stated the six components of Harbinger's Internet commerce
strategy, which include: adding cross-platform electronic commerce
compatibility; developing new Internet products and services; and
providing "one-stop" electronic commerce shopping for the company's
customers. The components are a part of a corporate "vision" that
resulted from nearly two years of research and investigation in
conjunction with customers and strategic partners, officials said.

For additional information, Harbinger maintains an Internet World
Wide Web site at http://www.harbinger.com/ .

(Bob Woods/19951130/Press Contact: Mike Cannon, Harbinger Corp.,
404-841-4334, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/30/95
TRENDS
 ****AlphaWorld - 3-D On The Internet

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00032)
 ****AlphaWorld - 3-D On The Internet 11/30/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- Known for its
three-dimensional (3-D), virtual reality chat environment on the
Internet, Worlds Inc., has made a formal announcement and beta launch
of AlphaWorld. Any Internet user can download AlphaWorld software,
enter the virtual environment, chat with other users, and build
houses, storefronts, and gardens.

While AlphaWorld is in its beta stage, the 3-D, virtual reality
environment is open to all users. Once the free software is downloaded
a user may enter AlphaWorld through any browser which supports ".dll"
extension applications. The software contains embedded tools which
allow a user to build virtual structures such as a house, storefront,
or garden. Other AlphaWorld citizens, traveling through this virtual
world can stop and chat, enter a structure and interact with room
contents such as links to the World Wide Web.

Early AlphaWorld participants have already created structures for an
art museum, a newspaper stand, and other types of entertainment. Once
inside the newspaper stand, a Alpha Citizen can get a copy of the New
Worlds Times which is now in its fourth edition.

Each citizen has a common, modeled virtual body which articulates as
it moves and shows a users' nickname. Like Worlds Chat, citizens can
just wonder around, visit and have text-based chats with other
citizens.

"AlphaWorld is a real place which is here now," said Rob Schmults,
Worlds' designated spokesperson. "Right now, anyone can participate in
exploring and colonizing this world. But AlphaWorld goes way beyond a 3-D
virtual reality environment. By having access to virtual real estate, a
company can set-up an entire store. For example, a record/CD store can
open its doors in AlphaWorld -- our citizens can come in browse, look
at products, listen to new songs, interact with a citizen/salesperson
in real-time, and make a purchase. This can work for any type of retail
store or service."

Schmults also said the sophistication of a structure depends on a user's
ability to work with the supplied tools. If a user does not have the
necessary technical skills, he or she can download a finished model.
Users can create additional objects with programs such as 3D Studio.

To access AlphaWorld, users must register at http://www.worlds.net ,
and receive an immigration number. They then choose a user name and
download the software. There are no charges during the beta phase.
AlphaWorld requires a 486 or faster processor. The experience of
AlphaWorld gets better with more memory and faster processors.

Schmults says the experience is slow for a 25 megahertz (MHz) 486-
based machine, but from a 486/66 and faster systems, users are able
to "move easily" through AlphaWorld. A Macintosh version is planned
for early 1996.

Worlds' president and chief executive officer, Dave Gobel said,
"AlphaWorld is unlike anything else you have ever seen. It offers
dynamic control over a 3-D virtual environment. That means that you're
not just looking at text and pictures, like most Web sites. You have
unlimited options for creative authoring, and you can chat with real
people in a real community at the same time. People have dreamt about
this sort of thing for ages. Now it is reality."

(Patrick McKenna/19951130/Press Contact: Lydia Trettis, Connors
Communications, 212-807-7500/WORLDS951130/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/30/95
ONLINE
Microsoft Network Adds Multimedia Chat Service

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(DEN)(00033)
Microsoft Network Adds Multimedia Chat Service 11/30/95
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ: MSFT) said it has added a new multimedia chat service to
its Microsoft Network (MSN) online service.

Called V-chat, the service lets the more than 525,000 currently
enrolled MSN subscribers use graphical representations called
"avatars" to communicate within either two-dimensional (2-D) or
three-dimensional (3-D) environments. Microsoft said MSN users can
use existing avatars or create their own to communicate with other
subscribers, explore the chat areas, or connect to the Internet or
other parts of MSN.

"V-Chat communications allows our members to express themselves in a
fun and engaging way within a variety of social spaces that add mood,
context and personality to online conversations," according to Bill
Miller, marketing director at MSN.

The company said users can create their own personalized avatar by
scanning a photograph or using a paint/draw program to create an image.
MSN members can publish their custom avatars for use by others or keep
them privately held.

What's unique about avatars is that members can express themselves
by controlling their avatar's gestures. The image can smile, shrug,
appear sad, act silly, or express anger. Each avatar comes with four
random "silly behaviors." A Microsoft spokesperson told Newsbytes that
users see a V-Chat toolbar that contains faces expressing different
emotions (smiling, frowning, puzzled) that can be clicked on to
show other online users the desired emotion.

The V-Chat screen has the toolbar at the top, text appears in a
dialog box below the tool bar, and the scene, with its moving avatar
"people," occupies the central part of the screen. Text you type
appears in a dialog box at the bottom of the screen, and a list of
people currently present is at the right side of the screen. Your
avatar is at the bottom of the participant list box.

Think of an avatar as a very sophisticated emoticon, the crude
little text images used to express emotion. For example, the
emoticon for smiling is ":-)" (look at it side ways). Avatars,
which resemble little people, take the expression of emotion
beyond emoticons.

Microsoft said avatars have several ways of communicating using
text. You can "say" a message, which results in a quoted string
of text. You can "think" a message, which puts the message in a
"thought bubble" like the balloons used in cartoons, or you can
"emote" your message, which allows you to describe what your avatar
is doing or feeling.

V-Chat supports shortcuts to locations on MSN or on the Internet.
Microsoft said that lets the user jump to contextually relevant
information from a V-chat online space and also provides a vehicle
for content providers and online advertisers to link V-Chat users to
their offerings on MSN or on the Word Wide Web.

Microsoft will offer several V-Chat spaces online initially. You
can visit the Cinemania Connection, an interactive movie guide area
that includes a three-dimensional art-deco theater and lobby. Users
see movie posters in the lobby, which are themselves shortcuts to
connect the user to the movie studio's Internet site.

In the Music Central Connection, you will be able to check out the
Lava Love Lounge, based on a 1970's theme, by the end of the year.
The hard-core alternative music club, the jazz-oriented speakeasy
cafe, and the street scene, will all open in early 1996.

In the Microsoft Kids area, there will be special events for kids
that let them explore different environments and learn how to
create their own custom avatars. The Comedy Connection forum is
designed for people with an interest in comedy. Microsoft said the
personalities and rooms that have been developed are based on
text-based chat sessions out of the past.

PlanetOut is a meeting place where the gay and lesbian community
can discuss politics, entertainment, education, and the world in
general. To create the C-Chat Cafe PlanetOut developers worked with
Allison Bechdel, author of the nationally syndicated comic strip
Dykes to Watch Out For.

Microsoft offers a software developers kit for use by V-Chat space
content developers. You can order it by sending e-mail to
[e-mail]. Templates are provided to "get the
developer off to a quick start." You can also create a new space by
using graphics tools like Microsoft's SoftImage 3D, Autodesk 3D
Studio, or any 3-D modeling tool that can output VRML. The software
development kit includes an avatar template set.

The beta version of V-Chat communications is scheduled to begin in
early December, with the final release expected in mid-January, 1996.

The spokesperson told Newsbytes that Microsoft has also launched an
enhanced version of its World Wide Web site. The new site, located at
http://www.msn.com , makes it easier to navigate the Web and also
allows the user to create a customized Web startup page. There are
links to other popular Web sites and services, including search tools
like Lycos and Infoseek, and searchable directories, like Yahoo.
There is an online tutorial for first-time Internet users.

Your customized start page might include quotes for your favorite
stocks, news from various sources, sports scores, movie show times,
television listing, and even links to comic strips. You can access
Microsoft's home page using any Internet browser that supports
tables. MSN.com users can also view inline video and hear background
music if they are using Microsoft Internet Explorer 2.0. Explorer is
available online for downloading at no cost.

(Jim Mallory/19951130/Press contact: June Mclaren Peters, Waggener
Edstrom for Microsoft, 206-637-9097; Public contact: Microsoft,
206-882-800 or 800-426-9400/AVATAR951130/PHOTO)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00034)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 11/30/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 30 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|          Thursday, November 30, 1995           |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network's on the Web! Check out http://www.nbnn.com for
free daily top stories from Newsbytes and its affiliate publications, and
from PC Week, MacWeek, and other Ziff news magazines. A subscription
gives you all the news, full-text, plus the most comprehensive database
of past computer stories online. The keyword-searchable database dates
from today back through 1983. Subscriptions are $24.95 for three months.
Questions? Send to '[e-mail]'  For Japanese Newsbytes
and additional services, see the Newsbytes Pacifica Website at
http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

APPLE     Time Online Licenses Apple's QuickTime Virtual Reality..... 29

BROADCAST Asiasat 2 Satellite Launched Successfully.................. 02

BROADCAST  ****US West Launches Interactive Cable TV................. 19

BUSINESS  Business As Usual At Packard Bell.......................... 11

BUSINESS  Hong Kong - CSSL Loses DST Distributorship................. 23

BUSINESS  Cisco To Open Indian Subsidiary............................ 25

BUSINESS  Silicon Graphics Opens Technology Center In China.......... 26

GOVT      China - Computer Smuggling Lowers Govt Revenue............. 28

LEGAL     China - Forged Printer Ribbons Confiscated................. 27

ONLINE    AOL, Cable & Wireless Enter Japanese Online Market......... 01

ONLINE    Internet Update............................................ 03

ONLINE     ****Free Newsbytes E-Mail Trial Subscriptions............. 08

ONLINE    WorldsAway Ready To Animate Compuserve Chat................ 09

ONLINE    Private Jet Travel Arrangements On The Web................. 12

ONLINE    Compuserve's Moneyline For Hong Kong Business.............. 14

ONLINE     ****Rogers Cable TV Offers Commercial Internet Access..... 17

ONLINE    Internet Expo - How To Make Money From The Internet........ 18

ONLINE    Motorola Inks Hi-Speed Cable Deals......................... 30

ONLINE    Harbinger Develops Internet EDI Exchange................... 31

ONLINE    Microsoft Network Adds Multimedia Chat Service............. 33

PC        Fuji Offers Zip Disks, Flash Memory........................ 10

TELECOM   Ericsson Working On Micro, Pico PCS Cellular Technology.... 06

TELECOM   First GSM Net For North Africa Begins Construction......... 07

TELECOM   New Man In At Hong Kong Telecom............................ 22

TELECOM   India - Top Telecom Bids Accepted.......................... 24

TRENDS    Swiss Electronic Stock Exchange Gears Up................... 04

TRENDS    Fujitsu's Low-Cost 3-D Graphics Accelerator Card........... 05

TRENDS    Quarterdeck Software To Open Africa To Internet............ 13

TRENDS    IBM Software Retrieves Voice Messages On The Web........... 16

TRENDS     ****Banks Face Major Competition On Internet.............. 20

TRENDS     ****Silicon Valley CEOs Highlight Marketing Needs......... 21

TRENDS     ****AlphaWorld - 3-D On The Internet...................... 32

WINDOWS   Internet Expo - HP Takes On Microsoft With Win NT Mail Port 15

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 -> AOL, Cable & Wireless Enter Japanese Online Market -- Britain's
Cable & Wireless has announced a new Internet connection service for
business and personal users in Japan, while America Online, fresh from
launching its new European service, has said it will begin a Japanese
online service next year.

2 -> Asiasat 2 Satellite Launched Successfully -- A Chinese Long March
rocket has successfully taken the Asiasat 2 satellite into orbit from
where it will provide many new broadcast services to satellite and cable
TV viewers across the region. The Long March 2E rocket began its journey
from China's Xichang launch facility in Sichuan province early on
Wednesday morning.

3 -> Internet Update -- In this roundup of new resources and services on
the global Internet: Northcoast Digital News; WAIS search interface;
Countdown to Jupiter; Dictionary of scientific quotations; Trade
information resources; AI at ISU; Las Vegas Computer Journal; Java-Mac
mailing list; Philadelphia Inquirer online; Where virtual becomes real.

4 -> Swiss Electronic Stock Exchange Gears Up -- The Swiss Bourse, the
operators of the Swiss Stock Exchange, have announced that Switzerland's
electronic stock exchange system, which has been beset by delays, will
almost certainly start operations some time during the coming month,
following a successful "dry run" earlier this month.

5 -> Fujitsu's Low-Cost 3-D Graphics Accelerator Card -- Fujitsu has
unveiled a budget version of its three-dimensional (3-D) accelerator
card, known as the Sapphire 3D Designer. According to officials with the
company, the card, which will ship internationally next month, will sell
for under the $1,000 mark, yet still be capable of delivering
"workstation-level precision" and "professional performance" with a
"significantly lower" price tag.

6 -> Ericsson Working On Micro, Pico PCS Cellular Technology -- Now that
PCS (personal communications system) digital mobile telephony is
beginning to take off in the US in the 1,900 megahertz (MHz) waveband,
cellular hardware manufacturers are starting to look at ways to maximize
the available bandwidth to squeeze a higher density of subscribers for
city areas, to avoid a congested network.

7 -> First GSM Net For North Africa Begins Construction -- The march of
GSM (global system for mobile communications) digital telephony
continues, with Libya becoming the first North African country to sign up
for the installation of a GSM network.

8 ->  ****Free Newsbytes E-Mail Trial Subscriptions -- Newsbytes News
Network, a comprehensive source of daily telecom, computer, and
interactive services news since 1983, along with Island
Telecommunications Corp. is offering free one-month trial subscriptions
to its Newsbytes E-Mail Subscription Service through the month of
December.

9 -> WorldsAway Ready To Animate Compuserve Chat -- Compuserve and
Fujitsu Cultural Technologies are ready to release an animated chat
world, called WorldsAway. Compuserve subscribers will be able to choose
an animated persona which can dance, reach out, and show emotion through
facial expressions while they converse through displayed text.

10 -> Fuji Offers Zip Disks, Flash Memory -- The computer products
division of Fuji Photo Film USA Inc. has introduced a high-capacity
storage disk for the popular Zip drive and a line of flash memory cards
for personal computers.

11 -> Business As Usual At Packard Bell -- A recent Securities and
Exchange Commission filing by Intel showed the chip giant had converted
part of a $470 million receivable into a customer loan. Intel did not
reveal the customer, but speculation by the media has centered around
Packard Bell.

12 -> Private Jet Travel Arrangements On The Web -- If all of the online
and Internet air travel information and reservations systems seem too
complicated and time-consuming, Jet Express says its World Wide Web page
is the place to go. Fill-in a simple e-mail form with destination,
desired departure, cuisine preference and bank references, and Jet
Express sends back the cost of your custom trip in a private jet.

13 -> Quarterdeck Software To Open Africa To Internet -- Quarterdeck has
announced an agreement with Internetworking Africa to license its
Internet Suite. The automatic register, configure, and connect package
will allow customers throughout the southern part of Africa to access the
Internet.

14 -> Compuserve's Moneyline For Hong Kong Business -- Compuserve is
offering an online financial service, called the Money personal finance
center. Aimed at Hong Kong entrepreneurs who hold investments in the US
market, the service is provided by Money, a US financial publication.

15 -> Internet Expo - HP Takes On Microsoft With Win NT Mail Port --
Hewlett- Packard's OpenMail, a long-time competitor to IBM's Profs, will
now take on Microsoft Exchange in earnest, with a port of HP's messaging
server to Windows NT that will support the Microsoft Exchange client plus
Lotus Notes and cc:Mail clients and a new update to Corporate Software &
Technologies' (CS&T)'s OpenTime group scheduler, officials said at a
press conference attended by Newsbytes at E-Mail World/Internet Expo in
Boston.

16 -> IBM Software Retrieves Voice Messages On The Web -- IBM (NYSE:IBM)
has added to its DirectTalk/6000 software the ability to retrieve voice
messages over the Internet and play them on any personal computer
equipped with a sound card.

17 ->  ****Rogers Cable TV Offers Commercial Internet Access -- Rogers
Cablesystems Ltd., one of Canada's major cable television operators, has
begun offering access to the Internet and other online services over its
cable network. Newmarket, a suburban community north of Toronto and the
site of an earlier technical trial, will be the first to get the service
on a commercial basis.

18 -> Internet Expo - How To Make Money From The Internet -- Although the
World Wide Web seems to be at the top of almost every organization's
priorities these days, making money off the Internet is a process that
will take another three to eight years to complete, predicted John
McCarthy, an analyst at Forrester Research, during a meeting for press,
analysts, and customers presented by Aurum, Microsoft, and Cambridge
Technology Partners, and attended by Newsbytes at E-Mail World/Internet
Expo in Boston.

19 ->  ****US West Launches Interactive Cable TV -- US West has launched
its interactive television system in about 4,000 Orlando, Florida homes
this week, delivering the service via Time Warner Cable's cable
television network.

20 ->  ****Banks Face Major Competition On Internet -- After just issuing
a report predicting that all banks will be on Internet by the year 2000,
Killen & Associates has thrown cold water on the banking industry by
predicting there will be lots of non-bank competition already there.
Killen said, in a soon-to-be-released report, that within five years
non-banks and high tech companies will capture more than 25% of the $800
billion in global electronic commerce (EC) and electronic payments (EP)
revenue created by Internet merchants.

21 ->  ****Silicon Valley CEOs Highlight Marketing Needs -- High-tech
companies have been performing well on Wall Street, but a survey of
Silicon Valley chief executive officers (CEOs) reveals an average to poor
rating for marketing effectiveness. To improve their marketing
effectiveness, these industry leaders look to strategic alliances and
acquisitions, new interactive technologies and Internet/World Wide Web
opportunities.

22 -> New Man In At Hong Kong Telecom -- After London directors gave the
bullet to battle-scared Cablers recently, Hongkong Telecom chief
executive Linus Cheung announced that Brian Smith, chairman of the
British Airports Authority, would become chairman of both London-based
Cable & Wireless plc and its Far East unit, Hongkong Telecom.

23 -> Hong Kong - CSSL Loses DST Distributorship -- Hong Kong's CSSL has
lost the distributorship for DST International's well-known software
targeted at the asset management industry. Announcing the opening of its
Hong Kong office, which will act as the region's hub, DST Asia Managing
Director John Booth said the company had told CSSL it was taking back the
distribution of its products.

24 -> India - Top Telecom Bids Accepted -- The Government has accepted
the highest bids for 10 telecom circles for basic services, while
inviting fresh financial bids for 10 other telecom circles.

25 -> Cisco To Open Indian Subsidiary -- Cisco Systems Inc., a leading
supplier of internetworking products worldwide, will soon set up a
fully-owned subsidiary in India. The $2.04 billion company had opened a
liaison office early this year.

26 -> Silicon Graphics Opens Technology Center In China -- Silicon
Graphics Inc. has opened its first wholly-owned unit center in China, a
technology transfer center aimed at developing supercomputing and
visualization applications for the aerospace and petroleum sectors, among
others.

27 -> China - Forged Printer Ribbons Confiscated -- A large number of
forged Fullmark printer ribbons were found and confiscated in a raid on a
store called "Ribbon World" in the Zhongguancun area of Beijing, the
Beijing Evening News has reported.

28 -> China - Computer Smuggling Lowers Govt Revenue -- It is estimated
that the state lost more than RMB5 billion (US$595 million) in 1994 due
to computer smuggling, and that loss could reach RMB7 billion (US$833
million) in 1995.

29 -> Time Online Licenses Apple's QuickTime Virtual Reality -- Apple
Computer Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has announced it is licensing QuickTime VR
Run-Time Technology for use on the World Wide Web. The virtual reality
(VR) software allows Web surfers to sit in the press box and watch the
1995 World Series through Time Online's Web site.

30 -> Motorola Inks Hi-Speed Cable Deals -- Motorola's (NYSE:MOT)
Multimedia Group has signed "cooperative marketing agreements" with
online service providers, including America Online (NASDAQ:AMER) (AOL),
Compuserve, and Prodigy, to faster deploy and implement Motorola's
CableComm high-speed data products with the providers. A Motorola
official said the agreement reinforces the company's commitment to bring
about high-speed online access in 1996.

31 -> Harbinger Develops Internet EDI Exchange -- Harbinger Corporation
(NASDAQ:HRBC) said its new Internet product, called TrustedLink, will
provide businesses of all sizes with the "most open and reliable software
product available" for sending electronic data interchange (EDI)
documents via the Internet, with encryption and transaction tracking
capability. Officials said the company will develop TrustedLink as a
"seamless addition" to its award-winning translation software.

32 ->  ****AlphaWorld - 3-D On The Internet -- Known for its
three-dimensional (3-D), virtual reality chat environment on the
Internet, Worlds Inc., has made a formal announcement and beta launch of
AlphaWorld. Any Internet user can download AlphaWorld software, enter the
virtual environment, chat with other users, and build houses,
storefronts, and gardens.

33 -> Microsoft Network Adds Multimedia Chat Service -- Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ: MSFT) said it has added a new multimedia chat service to its
Microsoft Network (MSN) online service.

(Ian Stokell/19951130)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD



Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/29/95
NETWORK
Seagate Europe's Centralized Storage System Software

(NEWS)(NETWORK)(LON)(00001)
Seagate Europe's Centralized Storage System Software 11/29/95
BOULOGNE-BILLANCOURT CEDEX, FRANCE, 1995 NOV 29 (NB) -- Seagate
Software, the European network/software division of the storage
systems company, has unveiled the Palindrome Visual Storage
Administrator (VISTA), a centralized management application for
administering multiple Palindrome Backup Director and Storage Manager
Systems across an enterprise network from a single console running PC
Windows.

According to Paul Schlackman, a spokesman for the company, VISTA
allows network administrators to manage the issues of complex storage
management, network management costs and policy implementation in
client-server environments.

"Since Palindrome was acquired last year, the old Palindrome products
are now being marketed across Europe, and the talents of David
Harris-Evans (Palindrome's managing director) are being put to
good use within Seagate Software," Schlackman told Newsbytes.

When used in conjunction with Palindrome's recently-announced Backup
Director 4.0 and Storage Manager 4.0 packages, VISTA is billed as
enhancing administrator productivity and reducing costs by enabling
what the company calls its highly reliable, real-time, centralized
protection and management of distributed data on a 24 by 7 basis.

In use, VISTA is claimed to manage any number of Palindrome Backup
Director or Storage Manager installations, supporting real-time
monitoring, centralized control of any installation, on-demand global
reports, and integration with existing network management systems. The
result, the company claims, is an easily managed, reliable and cost-
effective storage management system.

How cost effective? European pricing for VISTA has been set at
UKP1,395 for the starter kit, which includes a single console package
and support for up to five Palindrome Backup Director or Storage
Manager installations. Agent packs with support for 5, 20, 100 and
500 installations are available, with pricing starting at UKP995.
Additional VISTA consoles costs UKP595 each.

So what differentiates VISTA from the competition? According to
Seagate Software Europe, because the package distributes processing
to individual Backup Director and Storage Manager installations,
the highest performance backup and recovery can be achieved while
minimizing network traffic. According to the company, this flexible
architecture is scalable to meet growth requirements of users.

VISTA does not mandate the use of continuous polling across the
network. Instead, the package uses what is billed as a unique "alert
on demand" system to minimize the network bandwidth required, which
is a cost saving feature, especially on dial-up links.

(Steve Gold/19951128/Press Contact: Emmanuel Vitrac, [phone];
Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Reader Contact:
Seagate Software Europe, tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/29/95
GENERAL
UK - Fax-On-Demand System For Lotus Notes Users

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00002)
UK - Fax-On-Demand System For Lotus Notes Users 11/29/95
TWICKENHAM, MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND, 1995 NOV 29 (NB) -- Connaught
FactsLine has unveiled FactsLine for Notes, an integration package for
companies using Lotus Notes, allowing them to offer fax-on-demand
services for external callers.

Mickel Bak, a company spokesman, told Newsbytes that the system allows
Notes users to use their existing Notes documents as fax-on-demand
documents without having to print or manually fax them.

"Fax-on-demand systems have been around for some time, but most are
relatively simple affairs, or they cost a lot of money and center
around dedicated hardware. What FactsLine for Notes does is to
interface with the Notes database, allowing fax callers to download,
using fax, the index of what documents are available, and then to
request the documents via fax," Bak explained.

From the administrator's perspective, Bak went on to say, each
document can be given a priority, allowing the administrator or owner
of the document to restrict or allow the document to be accessible via
fax by external people.

"Many corporations are coming round to the idea that customers need to
have instant access to information, but presenting that information to
the customer instantly is another matter. If an organization uses
Notes internally, the FactsLine for Notes will allow easy integration
of a fax-on-demand system with their Notes database," he said.

According to Bak, Connaught FactsLine is the UK distributor for the
FactsLine range of fax-on-demand systems, which are sold in the US
through the developer, Ibex Technologies.

In use, FactsLine allows callers to dial into a Notes database front-
end and, using a touch-tone keypad, follow voice menus and select
documents, then input a fax number for documents to be sent to. The
software also supports checked input of credit card numbers for
charging purposes, as well as account systems for companies. Call
accounting and complete reporting facilities are available from within
the software.

How much does all this cost? Bak told Newsbytes that the actual price
of a FactsLine installation varies, depending on the hardware and
software requirements of users. "Generally speaking, you're looking
at between UKP10,000 and UKP12,000," he told Newsbytes.

(Steve Gold/19951128/Press Contact: Mike Gray, Gray Associations,
[phone]; Reader Contact: Connaught FactsLine,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




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11/29/95
ONLINE
Europe - Unipalm Pipex Cuts High Bandwidth Internet Costs

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LON)(00003)
Europe - Unipalm Pipex Cuts High Bandwidth Internet Costs 11/29/95
CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND, 1995 NOV 29 (NB) -- Even though Bill Clinton has
taken a leaf out of Newt Gingridge's book, and cut US Government
funding for the Internet, Unipalm Pipex, which now claims to be the
biggest Internet service provider in the UK, claims that it has
still achieved economies of scale for its Internet high bandwidth
services and is actually cutting subscriber charges accordingly.

David Barrett, head of corporate comms with Pipex, told Newsbytes that
the price cuts have been made as a result of economies of scale, plus
the fact that many customers are upgrading their low-speed connections
into the Internet.

"The time of 'toe dipping' by companies is starting to draw to a close.
Companies are starting to realize that, if they're not hooked into the
Internet, and at high speeds, they're going to be ex-directory. That's
how we've managed to cut pricing," he explained.

According to Barrett, the new pricing, which kicks in this month for
Pipex's customers, both recognizes and encourages the trend away from
"entry level" to higher bandwidth Internet services among corporate
customers.

"We're seeing an increased demand for high bandwidth as corporations
begin to use the Internet as a serious business tool. They are no
longer content to use the Internet on an ad-hoc basis to send a few
e-mail messages data. Instead, customers are using it as one of their
key forms of communication, which can mean literally thousands of
messages, files and attachments being sent via the Internet every
single day from just one organization," he said.

Example pricing on Pipex's new Internet leased line connections are:
UKP10,500, down from UKP11,500, for a year's sub to the 64,000 bits-
per-second (bps) links; ranging to UKP33,000, down from UKP40,000
for a 256,000 bps link, per year.

"The only exception is the two megabits-per-second (Mbps) link, which
has risen slightly," Barrett went on to say, noting that the cost of
maintaining a high bandwidth circuit at 2 Mbps is still quite costly.
The 2Mbps annual cost rises from UKP35,000 to UKP42,000.

Full details of the new Internet pricing can be found on Pipex's
World WIde Web pages at http://worldserver.pipex.com .

(Steve Gold/19951128/Press Contact: Amanda Hassall, GBC, [phone]-
7022, Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Reader Contact: Unipalm Pipex,
[phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/29/95
TRENDS
German Stock Exchanges To Computerize Operations?

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00004)
German Stock Exchanges To Computerize Operations? 11/29/95
BERLIN, GERMANY, 1995 NOV 29 (NB) -- According to a leaked report in
Handelsblatt, the daily financial newspaper, the four German stock
exchanges, known as the German bourses, are planning to integrate
their operations next spring, as part of a general overhaul of
operations.

Newsbytes notes that while there are four bourses -- in Berlin,
Dusseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich -- some stocks are only traded on
one or two exchanges, plus some brokers only deal on some of the
exchanges. This tends to make buying and selling shares in German
companies an expensive business, especially if you buy through a
German broker.

However, foreign investments in German companies tend to be
relatively simple and cheap, since the costs of using brokers with
offices on all four bourses are avoided.

According to Handelsblatt, the spring 1996 overhaul of the bourses will
involve the full computerization of the exchanges by the holding
company, Deutsche Boerse, making the exchanges operate as one by 1997.
It is not yet clear whether the changes will involve the partial or
full closure of one or more of the exchanges, Newsbytes notes.

Deutsche Boerse has refused to comment on the paper's findings, which
note that the draft outline, which was marked as confidential, yet
leaked to and by the paper, sees the company taking over specific
management tasks, such as accounting, controlling and public relations
for the four bourses by April of next year.

The master plan also plans the establishment of a super-exchange,
probably in Frankfurt, which will act as a central point for the
multiple exchanges, as well as control point for new listings on the
German exchanges.

Newsbytes notes that the changes being planned are part of a planned
shift from paper to electronic trading, a task that has already begun
in earnest in the UK. Like the Taurus system in the UK, the Zeus
system in Germany will be all electronic, and is planned to enter
operations by the end of the decade, at which point all European
exchanges should be interconnected and shares traded Europe-wise in
the European Commission's planned international currency, the
EuroMark.

While a questionmark has been thrown over the future of the three
other German bourses than Frankfurt, Handselblatt reports that the
regional exchanges in Bremen, Hamburg, Hanover, and Stuttgart are
equally up in the air, although the document suggests that the smaller
bourses will be invited to joint the new German exchange operation.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951128)




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#CARD
11/29/95
TELECOM
Ericsson Sells Personal Digiphone Net To Japan

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00005)
Ericsson Sells Personal Digiphone Net To Japan 11/29/95
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, 1995 NOV 29 (NB) -- Sweden's Ericsson has announced
it has signed a contract with Digital Tu-Ka Hokkaido, the new telecoms
operator company in Japan, for the provision of a personal digiphone
cellular (PDC) phone network in Hokkaido, the northern region of Japan.

The deal is a major step for Ericsson, since it is the first time the
personal digiphone system has been sold into Japan. The deal is worth
four billion yen, and calls for the network to be up an running by the
end of July, 1997.

Digital Tu-Ka Hokkaido is a joint venture operation between Nissan
Motors and Japan Telecom. The telco is part of the Digital Tu-Ka
Group.

The PDC network to be deployed in Hokkaido is one of the most advanced
in the world, dynamically allocating bandwidth according to the needs
of the mobile. The PDC system operates at either 800 megahertz (MHz)
or 1,500 MHz.

Ericsson's PDC system is known as CMS 30 and the Digital order from
Japan calls for the company to supply mobile switching centers and
radio base stations, as well as operations support systems.

According to Per Bengtsson, a spokesman for Ericsson, Japan is the
second largest and fastest growing market for the company. So far,
Ericsson has sold four PDC systems into Japan, to Tokyo Digital Phone,
Central Japan Digital Phone, Kansai Digital Phone, and Digital Tu-Ka
Kyusha.

This fifth network sale will push the total number of PDC subscribers
in Japan operating on Ericsson-supplied networks to 600,000. According
to the Swedish telco, this is the fastest growth the company has
experienced, especially considering that PDC has only been available
commercially for just 14 months.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951128/Press & Reader Contact: Hans Jarne, Ericsson
Radio Systems, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/29/95
TRENDS
British Telecom Predicts Massive Growth In Visual Comms

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00006)
British Telecom Predicts Massive Growth In Visual Comms 11/29/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 NOV 29 (NB) -- British Telecom (BT) has
predicted that, within the next three years, visual communications
will become as commonplace as mobile phone or fax usage. This
prediction, made by Adrian Butcher, BT's general manager of visual
solutions, is being backed by a major impetus within BT as a whole to
service the anticipated demand.

"Visual communications is one of BT's six major national business
themes and is a critical part of the company's future. It forms a
significant part of our corporate marketing activity as evidenced in
our recent ad campaigns," he explained.

Butcher claims that BT is already changing the way in which businesses
work. "For example, visual solutions are changing the way in which
personal finances are serviced and how the health system operates," he
explained.

According to Butcher, however, these application are only the tip of
the iceberg. "In the near future, visual communication will become as
prevalent in everyday life as the fax of mobile phone are today," he
said. He added that BT is committed to being at the forefront of the
visual revolution, "much as it has been at the forefront of audio and
data communication."

To launch itself into the visual age, BT has announced VS3, a new
boardroom videoconferencing system. Developed in conjunction with
PictureTel, the system has a graphical user interface (GUI)-driven PC
front-end.

According to Butcher, BT has announced a strategic partnership with
PictureTel. As part of the deal, BT will market Venue and Concorde,
two of PictureTel's videoconferencing systems through its business
sales outlets, in conjunction with BT's ISDN (integrated services
digital network) and leased line services.

(Steve Gold/19951128/Press Contact: Scope Communications,
tel [phone], fax [phone], Internet e-mail
[e-mail]; Reader Contact: BT Visual Solutions,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/29/95
TRENDS
Hong Kong - Missing Tradelink Found

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(HKG)(00007)
Hong Kong - Missing Tradelink Found 11/29/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 NOV 29 (NB) -- After years of research,
organizing and then junking tenders, and mostly trumpeting the urgent
need for electronic data interchange (EDI), Tradelink, eight years after
it was created to speed Hong Kong to EDI glory, could actually be firing
off its first test electronic forms for traders to fill out in five
months' time.

Newsbytes has learned that by "about March," Tradelink will go online with
a "restrained textile export license" form textile exporters must complete
in compliance with World Trade Organization rules.

The system will first test online with a "control group" of 50 companies.
"These have been chosen to be representative of the industry so we can
check the systems capability fully" said Simon Clennell, a spokesman for
Tradelink, a consortium of leading conglomerates and government, which
holds 48%. The control group will be tested for six months before license
service is offered commercially.

Tradelink was established in 1988, the same year a government report
prepared by Coopers and Lybrand said the EDI industry could be worth HK$10
billion in a trade center of Hong Kong's size by the turn of the century.
But between difficulties in implementing local language services and slow
technology take up by local industry, the more realistic figure would
likely be HK$1.5 billion by then, Coopers added.

But with just over four years between commercial availability of only one
portion of the service and the year 2000, Tradelink's contribution to even
that promises to be modest.

Tradelink had originally argued that, if government were speedy in awarding
it a franchise, it could have some sort of system ready by 1991. Half a
decade later, Hong Kong still waits, abacus in hand.

In 1992, Tradelink was awarded the Community Electronic Trading Services
(CETS) agreement. This gave it the exclusive franchise to provide the EDI
link with government, primarily the Trade Department. But since 1992 a
hush has fallen over Tradelink.

The silence was only broken after IBM and Tradelink parted company.
That was some six months after IBM had won the contract to supply both
hardware and software components of the system. At the time, the excuse
was that IBM was only interested in putting together a proprietary
system using a mainframe base.

Newsbytes has since learned that, as part of the agreement between the
two, IBM was to bring on board part of its customer base to use
Tradelink's systems. The figure of some 40,000 users was bandied around,
something IBM later balked at.

The next contract was awarded to Hewlett-Packard. Even this decision
raised eyebrows. Unisys had been second in the running for the original
bid. No tender was put out after IBM's departure.

When the export license service becomes commercially available, Tradelink
will reportedly have applications for handling Trade Declarations and
Certificates of Origin ready. "We're looking to get the three essential
sets running as soon as possible" Clennell said.

(Joel McCormick & I.T. Daily/19951129)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/29/95
LEGAL
Hong Kong - BSA Targets More Software Pirates

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(HKG)(00008)
Hong Kong - BSA Targets More Software Pirates 11/29/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 NOV 29 (NB) -- Stepping up its campaign to
eradicate software theft in Hong Kong, the Business Software Alliance
(BSA) has announced that it has targeted 17 of the 18 shops at Wanchai
district's notorious 298 Hennessy Road arcade.

BSA officials have long suspected shops of selling illegal software and
succeeded in having court injunctions served on them. According to the
BSA, 298 is Hong Kong Island's largest distribution center for illegal
software.

Like its recent action on the Golden Arcade at Shampshuipo in Kowloon,
the BSA returned to court to have the injunctions made permanent, giving
defendants the opportunity to appeal against them. Like the Golden Arcade
incident too, no-one from 298 turned up in court to fight the order.

The watchdog group also stepped up its campaign to embarrass government
agencies into taking broader action against shops. It has commissioned an
independent Hazard Assessment on the potential fire hazard posed by illegal
traders in the Golden Shopping Arcade in Shamshuipo. It concluded that the
basement of the Center "is dangerous to the public" as well as employees.

The study also cites poor maintenance and failure to improve facilities
to accommodate the increased volume of shoppers, among other things. The
BSA has since asked Fire Services to investigate the arcade.

"The fact that some of the operators of shops selling illegal software
also blithely ignore the law in public safety is typical of the complete
lack of respect for the law on the part of many of these people," said
Valerie Colbourn, vice president of the BSA.

(Joel McCormick & I.T. Daily/19951129)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/29/95
TRENDS
China - Shanghai Bell At Top Of Hi-Tech Firms List

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(PEK)(00009)
China - Shanghai Bell At Top Of Hi-Tech Firms List 11/29/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 NOV 29 (NB) -- Shanghai Bell Telephone Equipment
Manufacturing is listed as number one on the 1995 Top 100 High
Technology Firms, followed by Beijing Stone Group, according to the
China Development and Assessment Center of High Technology Enterprises.

The list is based on a survey conducted by the center with support from
a number of government departments, including the State Statistics
Bureau, the State Science and Technology Commission, the State Science
and Technology Commission for Defense, the Chinese Academy of Sciences,
the State Education Commission, and the Chinese Association of Science
and Technology.

A high-tech firm must grow at least RMB200 million (US$23.8 million) in
business turnover to be eligible for selection by the center as one of
the 100 top firms, said Luo Ruming, director-general of the center.

Firms on the list each saw their per capita income reach RMB200,000
(US$23,800) last year. The figure is also a pre-requirement for
consideration on the list. Another indicator to assess the firms
are tax levies, Luo said.

Most of the hi-tech firms selected by the center are engaged in
electronics production and development, Luo said. Other fields
include pharmaceuticals, chemicals, machinery, aerospace, and
beverages.

The 100 enterprises saw their gross business turnover reach
RMB63.6 billion (US$7.57 billion) last year, accounting for 34 percent
of the country's total in terms of the hi-tech business sector.
Thirteen of the firms on the list saw their business turnover surpass
RMB1 billion (US$119 million) last year.

China now has 13,000 enterprises engaged in the development and
production of high-tech products. Five provinces and municipalities
are home to almost three fourth of the 100 top firms with 20 in
Shanghai, 17 in Guangdong, 14 in Shangdong, 12 in Jiangsu, and 10
in Beijing.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951127)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/29/95
PC
 ****China - Motorola Plans Power PC-Based PCs

(NEWS)(PC)(PEK)(00010)
 ****China - Motorola Plans Power PC-Based PCs 11/29/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 NOV 29 (NB) -- Motorola recently announced a joint
venture with Nanjing Panda Electronics to produce multimedia computers
based on Power PC technology in China. The new joint venture, called
Nanjing Power Computer Ltd., will need a a gross investment of more
than RMB100 million (US$12 million), with Motorola holding 60 percent
of the investment, and Nanjing Panda the remaining 40 percent.

It is expected that Nanjing Power Computer will be in operation by
the first quarter of 1996. The venture will produce about 20,000
multimedia computers next year, said Lu Rongchang with Nanjing Panda.

Initially, Motorola will supply the venture with its Power PC
motherboards based on the Power PC 603, 603e, and 604 microprocessors
for integration into the new RISC (reduced instruction set computer)
PC multimedia computer systems. However, Nanjing Power Computer will
develop complete multimedia computer systems based on its own
technology after several years of operation.

The first batch of Power PC computers to be manufactured by the venture
during its initial years of operation will run Microsoft's Windows NT
3.51 operating system.

According to the agreement, the products to be manufactured by the
joint venture will be sold through Panda Electronics, Motorola Computer
Group, and other channels. The firms also plan to jointly produce
pagers.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951127)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/29/95
LEGAL
Can Vice President Gore Stall Telecom Bill?

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(WAS)(00011)
Can Vice President Gore Stall Telecom Bill? 11/29/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 NOV 29 (NB) -- Can Vice President
Al Gore stall House-Senate negotiations over telecommunications
legislation until next year and turn the subject into an
election issue?

Gore has made it clear that he does not like either bill before
the conference committee. As Congress returns from its
Thanksgiving break, the White House is working to slow the
conference committee deliberations, according to administration
and industry sources.

"Gore is the administration's guru on these issues and he is
calling the shots for the White House," a utility lobbyist
working on telecommunications issues told Newsbytes. "If Gore
can push the conference into the 1996 election year, it becomes
much more difficult to pass any legislation."

Gore objects to several aspects of the legislation, including
the relaxation of regulation on cable television, the eased
limits on media ownership, and the absence of antitrust scrutiny
by the Justice Department. When he was a senator from
Tennessee, Gore was a leader in cable reregulation, after an
earlier deregulation resulted in soaring prices, .

The White House has threatened to veto the legislation unless
changes that Gore advocates are made. The veto threat is the
mechanism the administration is using to slow the conference.

There is also a personal dimension to the policy dispute over
telecommunications reform. Gore is clashing with House Speaker
Newt Gingrich over the legislation, with Gingrich accusing Gore
of being mired in metaphors of the past, including the Gore
coinage of the phrase "information superhighway."

Gingrich says the phrase conjures up an image of concrete and
steel, not the modern paradigm of the information age.

"This has become personal and nasty," says a lobbyist for a
high-tech trade group. "It's Gore verses Gingrich in 12 rounds."

Ironically, Gore and Gingrich were allies on technology issues
when they served together in the House. The Tennessee Democrat
and the Georgia Republican were soul mates on the need for
policies to encourage the growth of technology and worked
together to create a House caucus on technology issues in the
late 1970s.

(Kennedy Maize/19951128)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/29/95
ONLINE
Internet Expo - Verity Deals For Web, First!, Lotus

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(BOS)(00012)
Internet Expo - Verity Deals For Web, First!, Lotus 11/29/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 29 (NB) -- Through newly
inked deals with Individual Inc., Lotus, Frontier and Tandem,
Verity has extended the penetration of Topic within "Internet/agents,
groupware, and online/news," three of the six target markets for
the company's search-and-retrieval engine, said Sue Barsamian, VP
of marketing, in a meeting with Newsbytes at E-Mail World/Internet
Expo in Boston.

With about 35 other customers already in place by now, ranging
from Adobe and Attachmate to Ziff-Davis and Xyvision, Verity is
also aiming Topic at electronic publishing, document management,
and customer support, Barasamian revealed, during a briefing
conducted in the Verity suite.

Individual Inc. plans to integrate Topic with its "First! for the
Web" news service, starting early next month for Windows NT, and
early next year for Solaris, SunOS (operating system) and HP-UX,
according to the Verity VP.

Frontier and Tandem will each embed Topic into their Web servers:
Frontier's SuperWeb Server for Windows NT and Tandem's Himalaya
CyberWeb servers, respectively. The "broad technology agreement"
with Frontier also calls for the use of Verity's agent
technology, and encompasses plans to integrate Verity technology
into Frontier's client products, such as SuperHighway Access
CyberSearch, a CD-ROM product that combines an Internet resource
database with a Web browser to let users "search" the Web before
actually going online.

Barsamian maintained that Tandem is leveraging its advantages in
"fault tolerance and 24 by seven availability," along with
company ties to the banking and finance industries, in CyberWeb,
a recently introduced line-up of specialized "secure servers" for
Web-based applications like ATM (automated teller machines)
transactions, electronic funds transfer, credit card
authorization, and online stock exchanges.

Lotus, which has already embedded an earlier version of Topic
into the Notes Release 3 server, will now integrate the faster
search capabilities and other enhancements into Notes Release 4,
another product slated for availability next month, she added.

The boost in speed will be especially evident in searches of
Notes fields and CD-ROM information, according to the VP. To
simplify the search-and-retrieval process, Notes users will now
be able to enter portions of free text directly into the Notes
query bar. Other advancements will include the ability to search
for information over encrypted fields, document attachments, and
unindexed Notes databases.

Barsamian told Newsbytes that the Topic search-and-retrieval
engine combines "ubiquitous delivery of information" with the
option of "personalized points of view" through Verity's agent
technology.

Topic supports technologies ranging from HTML (hypertext markup
language), SGML (standard generalized markup language) and CD-ROM
to RDBMS (relational database management systems) and Adobe's PDF
(portable document format), she continued. Ultimately, Verity
would like to see Topic become the "de facto industry standard"
for search-and-retrieval, she revealed.

At present, she reported, Verity's competitors vary by market
segment, running the gamut from PLS in the "online/news" market
to Fulcrum for document management.

Aside from Individual Inc., Verity's customers in the
"online/news" market include Ziff-Davis, Knight Ridder New Media,
AT&T World Net, MCI Delphi Internet, Network News, Dow Jones,
Mainstream, and Network News, Newsbytes was told.

Customers in the "Internet/agents" category include Netscape,
General Magic, Quarterdeck, Netmanage, and Process Software,
along with Frontier and Tandem.

In the groupware market, Verity's products are integrated into
products from Attachmate, Collabra, Novell, and Softarc, in
addition to Lotus. Other Verity customers include Adobe, Frame,
Common Ground and Tumbleweed, in the publishing category; Answer,
Ready, and Emerald Intelligence, for customer support; and
Xyvision, PC Docs, Saros, Documentum, and Odesta, in the document
management arena.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951129/Reader Contact: Verity, 415-960-7600;
Press Contact: Marguerite Padovani, Verity, 415-960-7724)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/29/95
ONLINE
 ****Internet Expo - Sprint Intros InfoXchange Service

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(BOS)(00013)
 ****Internet Expo - Sprint Intros InfoXchange Service 11/29/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 29 (NB) -- Sprint
has announced InfoXchange, telling journalists that
the service for interconnecting multivendor corporate electronic
mail systems is the first in a series of new services from Sprint
that will also include a "public commercial service for small and
medium-sized businesses," to be unveiled in 1996.

InfoXchange, which is being offered by Sprint in partnership with
Control Data, will "fulfill the promise of electronic-mail,"
asserted Robba Benjamin, president of Sprint's Multimedia
services in a press conference attended by Newsbytes at E-Mail
World/Internet Expo in Boston.

InfoXchange will use the Sprint public network, together with
X.500-based directory services and SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer
Protocol) gateways, said Upendra K. Gupta, manager, Multimedia &
Strategic Services, for Control Data.

The new service will allow users to receive messages in one e-
mail system, such as Lotus cc:Mail or IBM PROFS, for example,
that have been sent out over Microsoft Mail, SprintMail, Lotus
Notes, or any other messaging system that also complies with the
X.500 and SMTP standards, maintained James E. Ousley, president
and CEO (chief executive officer) of Control Data.

InfoXchange will be set apart from the Internet, as well as from
competing commercial services, by providing "guaranteed" message
delivery, the officials contended. The guarantee will apply to
users of multivendor e-mail systems within a subscribing
corporation, as well as within all other organizations
subscribing to the Sprint service, but it will not apply to
messages sent out over the Internet or through commercial e-mail
systems to non-subscribers.

Additional points of differentiation with commercial competitors
will include message encryption, a centralized directory of all
registered users, and service "management" and customization,
Benjamin said.

Benjamin also told journalists at the press conference that
Sprint decided to introduce InfoXchange after conducting a series
of focus groups with users.

Sprint and Control Data are initially providing SprintXchange
services to a "core group" of 500 Control Data customers. Control
Data is providing systems integration for the new service.

Users of Sprint's new InfoXchange will receive the multivendor
mail messages under their customary user interfaces, reported
Ousley. Additional features will include X.500-based "electronic
white and yellow pages."

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951129/Reader Contact: Sprint, 202-828-7410;
Press Contact: Robin Carlson, Sprint, 913-624-6303)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/29/95
GENERAL
Japan Newsbriefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00014)
Japan Newsbriefs 11/29/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 29 (NB) -- In this roundup of news from Japan:
Fujitsu boost FMV production; Sega to link with NEC network;
Multimedia study group established; More Internet services planned;
First hands free car phone to ship.

Fujitsu Boost FMV Production

Fujitsu is increasing production of its best-selling FMV range of
personal computers to two million units a year. The increase, which will
take effect in the coming fiscal year from April, is in response to
sharply higher PC use in Japan and improving sales. The Tokyo-based
company predicts sales next year will top 2 million compared to
estimated sales this year of 1.5 million units.

Sega To Link With NEC Network

Just a few weeks after announcing it would begin production of a
system to allow users of its Saturn games system to connect to
Fujitsu's NiftyServe online service, Sega has announced owners of its
line of home karaoke system will soon be able to connect to NEC's
PC-VAN online service. Using the system, information from the network
will be displayed on the user's screen. Sega say they hope to increase
sales of the terminals with the added information access system.

Multimedia Study Group Established

A group of sixteen Japanese companies have formed a group to study the
progress of multimedia communications and predict the future of such
systems and how they can be put to use by the member companies. The
group brings together companies such as Nippon Telegraph and
Telephone, Toshiba and Sony.

More Internet Services Planned

Several new services have been announced recently for the Internet. A
new video retail store will soon open online and offer information
about the latest video releases and the ability to buy the tapes
online. The new service will initially allow users to order videos
seen on the web by telephone or fax although the Internet ordering
service will debut next year. In the financial world, the Tokyo Grain
Exchange is to launch a page on the Internet with prices and contract
details. The site is scheduled to debut next year.

First Handless Car Phone To Ship

Japan's first hands-free car phone will be shipped shortly by the
Tu-Ka Cellular group. The mobile network is providing the units to
Nissan for installation in new models of its Cedric model. The entire
package, which includes the telephone, will add less than 100,000 yen
($1,000) onto the price of the car.

(Martyn Williams/19951129)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/29/95
BUSINESS
 ****Softbank Continues Investment, Buys Into Internet

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00015)
 ****Softbank Continues Investment, Buys Into Internet 11/29/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 29 (NB) -- Further enhancing his reputation as
"Japan's Bill Gates," Mayoshi Son, president of Softbank Corporation,
has been on another shopping trip and, this time, returned with a
stake in the Internet's Yahoo database, plans to offer Internet access
in China, and a company that will target investment in the US.

The company said in Tokyo that it paid $2 million for its 5%
stake in the Yahoo service that was announced this week. Yahoo, a
database and index of the World Wide Web, is one of the most popular
Internet locations. The investment was made through Softbank Holdings
Inc., a US subsidiary, and Ziff Davis Publishing, which Softbank
recently paid $1.8 billion for.

Late last week the company announced two other new ventures, including
a Tokyo-based investment company that will study and analyze ventures
and businesses using information gathered from its US units and Ziff
Davis Publishing. Financial news service reports suggest the company
will have around $5.7 billion available for investment.

Shortly before buying Ziff Davis, the company paid $30 million for a
30% stake in Unitech Telecom, a California-based telecommunications
company with particular expertise in the Chinese market.

At the time, Softbank said it will use the company for further
development in China and announced last week it will set up an
Internet access provider in China in association with Unitech and
Jitong Communications Company, a local Chinese telecommunications
company. The three will offer Internet connections in 24 cities
becoming the country's first nationwide Internet access provider.

As the company expands, the Tokyo Stock Market has become worried that
it may be over extending itself. Stocks in the company dropped below
the 20,000 yen mark for the first time this fiscal year hitting a low
of 19,800 yen.

The company has just issued 2.8 million new shares to help finance its
acquisition of Ziff Davis Publishing and a 1.4-for-one stock split has
resulted in a supply glut. Kiyoshi Kimura, an analyst at Societe
General, was quoted recently as rating Softbank as a "strong sell."

Softbank is Japan's largest publisher of computer magazines and books
and distributor of computer systems, software, and peripherals.

This year it has also announced an entry into the Internet service
provider business in Japan with NTT Data through its jointly owned
Mediabank subsidiary. It is also involved in a joint venture, Gamebank
Corp., with Microsoft Corporation to produce and distribute games
software for the Windows 95 operating system.

(Martyn Williams/19951129)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/29/95
ONLINE
Internet Update - Asia Special

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00016)
Internet Update - Asia Special 11/29/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 29 (NB) -- In this roundup of new resources and
services on the Asian parts of the global Internet: Zip FM AIDS
questionnaire; Delhi Institute of Technology; Real-time stock prices;
Malaysia online; National University Hospital of Singapore; Hug Kuo
Elephants home page; Business contacts page; Hong Kong tourist
organization; Hiroshima travel guide; Kansai airport home page; Online
guide to Bangladesh; Hong Kong Internet directory.

Zip FM AIDS Questionnaire

Just ahead of Worlds AIDS Day, from Zip FM 77.8 in Nagoya, Japan, a
questionnaire on AIDS. The radio station says it would like responses
from around the world and all respondents can enter a draw to win a
Zip FM pin.
World Wide Web: http://cjn.meitetsu.co.jp/zip-fm/aids.html

Delhi Institute of Technology

The home page of The Delhi Institute of Technology, an engineering
college in Delhi, India, offers information on the center which
specializes in electronics, computers, and related disciplines.
World Wide Web: http://www.eng.ua.edu/college/people/bdilbagh/dit.html

Real-time Stock Prices

Anyone with an eye on the Asian markets will know the Business Times
of Singapore, one of Asia's leading business newspapers. In addition
to an online edition of the newspaper, the journal is also making real
time stock prices from the Singapore Stock Exchange available.
World Wide Web: http://snoopy.asia1.com.sg/cgi-bin/realstk/start.pl

Malaysia Online

This set of pages offers complete information about Malaysia and its
travel, games, shopping, entertainment, and more. The service is
provided by Malaysia Online, the first commercial Internet service
provider in Malaysia.
World Wide Web: http://www.mol.net.my/

National University Hospital of Singapore

Just to prove this country is really wired, even the hospitals have
Internet home pages! Here you are invited to take a cybertour of the
hospital. An information database currently includes articles entitled
"Vitamins and Minerals," and "Is there life after Gynaecological
Cancer?"
World Wide Web: http://www.imedia.com.sg/nuh/home.htm

Hug Kuo Elephants Home Page

When you hear the word "Elephant" you don't always think of basketball,
unless you are a Taiwanese sports fan. If you are, you'd know the Hug
Kuo Elephants are one of the continent's top basketball teams and
members of the Chinese Basketball Alliance.
World Wide Web: http://www.tradewatch.com.tw/elephants/index.html

Business Contacts Page

Anyone wanting to do business with Singapore, but not sure of which
company to contact, can now post a message within Asia One's Web site.
A special page is set aside for foreign companies looking for business
in Singapore. The site also contains a searchable database of
Singapore companies.
World Wide Web: http://www.asia1.com.sg/bizdir/

Hong Kong Tourist Organization

If you are planning to visit Hong Kong, you should check these pages
first. The local tourist organization pages include "a comprehensive
guide and planning tool for vacation and business travel, featuring
information on tours, hotels, transportation, food and restaurants,
shopping, nightlife, culture, festivals, and events."
World Wide Web: http://www.hkta.org/

Hiroshima Travel Guide

Once you've finished your virtual tour of Singapore's hospitals and
Hong Kong, as mentioned earlier, a hop across the ocean will land you
in the city of Hiroshima in western Japan. There, a Hiroshima
University student has written a travel guide for the city.
World Wide Web: http://www.ipc.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/~arima/hiroshima.html

Kansai Airport Home Page

A little over a year ago, the Kansai International Airport opened in
Osaka Bay, Japan. The airport is built on an artificial island five
kilometers offshore and won several international design awards. The
Internet pages offer information about the airport.
World Wide Web: http://www.kiis.or.jp/kixinfo/kix.html

Online Guide to Bangladesh

This site is not physically located in Bangladesh but New York!
However, it offers information on resorts, archaeological sites,
short-term tours, visas, and currency.
World Wide Web: http://www.servtech.com/public/rajib/tour/

Hong Kong Internet Directory

This bilingual site brings together and indexes all Web sites,
personal home pages and e-mail address it knows in Hong Kong and
offers a directory to them, in both English and Chinese.
World Wide Web: http://www.internet-directory.com/

(Martyn Williams/19951129)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/29/95
BUSINESS
Cabletron Plans To Buy SMC's Switching Division

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00017)
Cabletron Plans To Buy SMC's Switching Division 11/29/95
ROCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 29 (NB) -- Cabletron Systems
(NYSE:CS) has announced plans to buy Standard Microsystems Corp.'s
(NASDAQ:SMSC) switching business. Cabletron said it has signed a letter
of intent to pay $77.5 million and assume certain specified liabilities
in exchange for the assets and technology of Hauppauge, New York-based
SMC's Enterprise Networks Business Unit.

In a conference call with reporters and industry analysts, Robert
Levine, president and chief executive of Cabletron, said his company is
buying the SMC operation largely to get a fast start in the high-speed
Ethernet switching market. The deal includes 10/100 megabits-per-second
(Mbps) Fast Ethernet switches. Levine added that Cabletron is still
developing its own Ethernet switching technology.

Levine said his company will pay cash for the business, in "a totally
non-dilutive transaction for Cabletron." He said he was happy about the
purchase price. "We think we are very prudent about this investment.
We think we paid a very fair price -- in comparison to what some others
have paid we think we paid a darn good price," Levine said.

Cabletron and SMC hope to complete the sale within 60 days. It is
subject to various conditions, including completion and delivery of a
definitive purchase agreement and approval under the Hart-Scott-Rodino
Antitrust Act.

Cabletron plans to keep the bulk of the SMC unit at its present location in
Andover, Massachusetts, Levine said. He added that his firm is primarily
buying the technology, and those employees of the operation who can
contribute to that technology will keep their jobs with Cabletron. Without
ruling out the possibility of layoffs, he said that will include quite a
few of the present staff, who number less than 100.

In a slight shift away from its historic reliance on direct sales,
Cabletron plans to maintain relationships with "committed" resellers of
the Standard Microsystems products, Levine said, but he indicated the
company plans to continue relying mainly on direct sales. "The reason we
bought this company was to put the product into the Cabletron marketing
machine," he said.

Levine also said Cabletron will integrate the Standard Microsystems
products into its own product line. "It will look and feel like a
Cabletron product," he said.

(Grant Buckler/19951129/Press Contact: Ed Cortes, Cabletron,
603-337-4225, Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Michael Deshaies,
Cabletron, 603-337-1402, Internet e-mail [e-mail];
Public Contact: Cabletron, 603-332-9400)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/29/95
TRENDS
Entertainment Software Most Popular In Home - Study

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TOR)(00018)
Entertainment Software Most Popular In Home - Study 11/29/95
PORT WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 29 (NB) -- Households with
more people, but not necessarily more money, are more likely to buy
software, and entertainment software is the most popular category in
American homes, according to a recent study by SofTrends, a unit of
market research firm The NPD Group.

SofTrends surveyed 1,000 households with personal computers, chosen from
among those on NPD's master list of 300,000 households who responded
positively to a questionnaire asking if they owned personal computers.
SofTrends' first Consumer Purchase Study asked about software purchased
in the second quarter of 1995.

Among those who responded, adventure and role playing games were the
most popular software category, followed by arcade and action games, file
and disk management software, personal finance software, and sports games.

SofTrends Manager Cecile Yulo told Newsbytes the company did not
compile data on how much software was purchased for home-office as
opposed to purely home use.

Consumers named price as the most important factor influencing their
software purchases, followed in order of importance by the blurbs on the
backs of the boxes, advertising, company reputation, and magazine reviews.
Seventy-one percent said they plan their software purchases. Fifty-eight
percent said they go shopping with a particular type of software in mind,
while 40 percent said they set out looking for a specific title.

SofTrends found that larger households tend to buy more software. On the
other hand, households with annual incomes between $50,000 and $74,000
tend to buy more software than those with incomes of $75,000 and up -- a
finding SofTrends suggested might be due to the fact that software buyers
tend to be younger and thus have lower incomes than older consumers.

While 57 percent of software buyers are male, SofTrends said, households
where the female head of the household is employed are more than three
times as likely to buy software as those where she is not. Heads of
households with post-college education are about twice as likely to buy
software as those with only some college education, the study also
reported.

Over all, SofTrends said, 20 percent of all households with PCS bought
software in the second quarter of 1995, and the average consumer bought
2.2 units in that period. Yulo said the firm collected price data, but
was not confident enough about the validity of the data to release it.
SofTrends hopes to include price data in future editions of the survey,
which the company plans to conduct twice a year, she said.

(Grant Buckler/19951129/Press Contact: Leslie Singer, NPD Group,
516-625-2302; Ed Roth, SofTrends, 516-625-2294)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/29/95
TELECOM
Alliance Aims To Represent Ordinary Canadians On Info Highway

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00019)
Alliance Aims To Represent Ordinary Canadians On Info Highway 11/29/95
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 NOV 29 (NB) -- The cost of local telephone
service will be among the first items on the agenda of a new alliance of
consumer organizations, labor unions, and lobby groups. Organizers said
the Alliance for a Connected Canada will present the views of ordinary
Canadians on that and a number of other communications policy issues.

"Over the last few years there have been several groups created" to address
issues to do with the so-called information highway, regulatory changes
affecting telephone service, and other communications issues, said Stan
Skrzeszewski, director of the Coalition for Public Information in London,
Ontario. "They more or less all know one another." He told Newsbytes that
the Alliance for a Connected Canada is meant to let these groups work
together in a slightly more formal way, though the alliance is a loose
structure that will not have its own staff or offices.

The alliance's first effort will focus on regulatory hearings dealing
with local telephone rates, Marita Moll, co-founder of the Public
Information Highway Advisory Council in Ottawa, told Newsbytes. The
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has
announced that it will hold hearings starting in April on the possible
restructuring of local telephone rates. Moll said the alliance wants to
make sure there is a clear definition of what are essential communications
services, so that affordable access to those services can be protected.

The trend in telecommunications regulation in Canada -- as elsewhere -- in
recent years has been toward relying on market forces rather than regulation.
The Alliance for a Connected Canada is clearly skeptical of this direction,
though representatives do not rule out reliance on competition entirely.

On the issue of local phone bills, for instance, Skrzeszewski said "we can
give a gut reaction of saying no prices shouldn't be going up, but I think
it's a more complicated issue than that." On the other hand "there's no
question we have to retain some sort of cross-subsidy" of local service
from long-distance revenue. The reason, Skrzeszewski argued, is that
"large parts of Canada are uneconomic" for local service otherwise.

Another issue that interests Skrzeszewski is the idea of discounted
telecommunications charges for educational and health-care institutions, a
move he said is necessary if there is to be universal access to the Internet.

The coalition also has some doubts about the largely pro-market report of
the Canadian government's Information Highway Advisory Council. "Over
all, the approach we think is wrong," Skrzeszewski said, though he
acknowledged "some strengths" in the report. Moll said her Public
Information Highway Advisory Council was set up in reaction to the
formation of the largely business-dominated government committee, which
reported earlier this year.

The members of the Alliance for a Connected Canada include the Public
Interest Advocacy Centre, the Telecommunications Workers Union, the
Coalition for Public Information, the Public Information Highway Advisory
Council, the Telecommunities Canada alliance of Free-Net and community
net groups, La Federation Nationale des Associations de Consommateurs du
Quebec (National Federation of Consumer Associations of Quebec), the
Information Policy Research Group and the McLuhan Program in Culture
and Technology at the University of Toronto, the Information Highway
Working Group, and the Council of Canadians.

(Grant Buckler/19951129/Press Contact: Andrew Reddick, Public Interest
Advocacy Centre, 613-562-4002, fax [phone], Internet e-mail
[e-mail]; Sid Shniad, Telecommunications Workers
Union, 604-437-4822, fax [phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail];
Stan Skrzeszewski, Coalition for Public Information, 519-473-7651, fax
416-941-9581, Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Marita Moll,
Public Information Highway Advisory Council, 613-232-1505, fax
613-232-1886; Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Garth Graham,
Telecommunities Canada, 613-253-3497, fax [phone]; Internet e-mail
[e-mail]; Marie Valle, La Federation Nationale des
Associations de Consommateurs du Quebec, 514-521-6820, fax [phone];
Andrew Clement, Information Policy Research Group, 416-978-3111,
fax [phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Dave Robinson,
Council of Canadians, 613-233-2773, fax [phone], Internet e-mail
[e-mail]; Mark Surman, Information Highway Working Group,
416-596-0212 ext. 15, fax [phone], Internet e-mail
[e-mail]; Liss Jeffrey, McLuhan Program in Culture and
Technology, 416-978-7026, fax [phone], Internet e-mail
[e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/29/95
TRENDS
 ****Intel's Dominance Will Grow - Study

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00020)
 ****Intel's Dominance Will Grow - Study 11/29/95
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 29 (NB) -- Market research firm
In-Stat has issued a gloomy forecast for competitors to microprocessor
giant Intel. In-Stat predicts for the foreseeable future Intel's dominance
will be unchallenged and competition within the industry will be even
more limited that it has been.

Mike Griffith, senior analyst with In-Stat, told Newsbytes, "After
having the opportunity to meet with several of Intel's competitors at
Comdex, I came away with the impression that Intel's position in the
market is stronger than ever. This is not to say that its main
competitors, including the PowerPC consortium of Apple, Motorola and
IBM as well as AMD, Texas Instruments and Cyrix, won't continue to
build successful businesses. They all probably will, but not one of
these companies are either ready to seriously challenge Intel head-on
in the Desktop PC segment."

The Instat report dismisses the PowerPC as a serious challenge. To
really challenge Intel, the PowerPC must penetrate and take share
away from Intel on the desktop. This means clearly penetrating the
IBM-compatible PC segment, and Instat does not see this happening in
the foreseeable future.

Cyrix and Texas Instruments (TI), according to the report, are content
with a moderate growth without directly challenging Intel's aggressive
leading-edge technology. "Cyrix doesn't have the resources to compete
with Intel and it knows it, while TI is going after other niche markets
without confronting Intel directly," said Griffith.

"This leaves AMD as the only possible competitor to Intel. Given the
almost fatal problems there, I am very skeptical if they can do it at
all. If the company can recover the competitive form it had in the 486
market, then Intel will again have a major competitor. If not, then
PowerPC will be closest challenge to Intel's dominance and that could
well remain a distant one at best," said Griffith.

As previously reported in Newsbytes, AMD had canceled its next-
generation K-6 program. In order to stay in the game, AMD bought
NexGen, a company with $21 million in revenue, for $860 million.
AMD did this because NexGen does have next-generation processor
technology.

(Richard Bowers/19951129/Press Contact: John Cerelli, In-Stat,
602-483-4440)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/29/95
EDUCATION
Gates To Donate Book Proceeds To Education

(NEWS)(EDUCATION)(WAS)(00021)
Gates To Donate Book Proceeds To Education 11/29/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 NOV 29 (NB) -- Microsoft chief Bill
Gates said he will donate the proceeds from his new book, "The Road
Ahead," to fund school technology programs in 22 communities around
the United States.

The communities, identified through the National Foundation for
the Improvement of Education, will participate in a two-year
program to give all students access to computers and connections
to the Internet.

Speaking at Georgetown University, Gates said, "The most
important use for information technology is to improve
education. We have a tremendous opportunity to enhance the ways
we think and learn by taking advantage of technology."

Gates said Microsoft is developing a set of software tools to
help home-school communications and make it easier for schools
to operate modern computer networks. The Microsoft Parent-Teacher
Connection Server, an extension to Windows NT, will be available
for free to schools this spring.

Microsoft is also working with hardware and telecommunications
companies to wire schools and provide schools with
telecommunications connections, support and training.

Gates spoke at a form that also featured Deputy Education
Secretary Madeleine Kunin. She said, "Bringing the full fruits
of new technologies to our schools depends on expanding access
to the information highway, developing better tools and
educational software, and building new alliances with the
private sector."

In a whirlwind day in the nation's capital, Gates also met with
editors and reporters at the Washington Post, where he denounced
immigration reform legislation sponsored by Sen. Alan Simpson
(R-Wyo.) that would restrict the ability of US businesses to
hire foreign workers.

Gates called the Simpson bill "an absolute disaster." He said,
"If you want to prevent companies like ours from doing work in
the United States, this is a masterpiece."

High-tech companies have launched an assault on the Simpson
bill, which was scheduled for a Senate Judiciary committee vote
yesterday. But later in the day, Simpson said he would make
changes in the legislation to accommodate the needs of business.

"All the things that Bill Gates was concerned about are no
longer there," Simpson told the newspaper. "After two weeks of
watching the reaction of the business community, I knew pretty
well where we were headed."

(Kennedy Maize/19951129)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/29/95
GOVT
 ****FCC Panel Backs Digital HDTV

(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00022)
 ****FCC Panel Backs Digital HDTV 11/29/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 NOV 29 (NB) -- A Federal
Communications Commission advisory committee has endorsed
digital high definition television (HDTV) as the technology of
choice for the future.

After more than a year of testing, the committee recommended
that the FCC select the system developed by a group of companies
known as the Grand Alliance as the technical standard for
advanced television service.

The alliance includes General Instrument, Zenith Electronics,
AT&T, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a
consortium of Philips Electronics, NBC, and the David Sarnoff
Research Center.

The digital technology can transmit pictures with twice the
resolution of conventional television, or can carry three or
four signals with standard resolution.

Japan was pursuing analog high definition TV in a technology
race with the US in the late 1980s, but dropped the technology
when it appeared that digital signals would be a clear winner.

The FCC has proposed to give existing broadcast licensees a
free license to carry the high definition signals, but many
broadcasters had hoped to use the spectrum for multiple
conventional broadcast.

The free license has come under attack both in Congress and in
the FCC. Congressional budget balancers have wanted to put the
broadcast licenses up for auction, believing they could raise
billions of dollars that way.

FCC Chairman Reed Hundt has also been skeptical about the
giveaway. In a speech last week, Hundt raised questions about
whether it made sense for the government to push a technology
that will cost consumers billions of dollars and that they may
not want. "Viewers paid about $75 billion" for their existing
televisions, Hundt said. "Should we assume they welcome the
extinction of analog broadcast?"

According to industry officials, new digital televisions will
cost $1,000 to $2,000 more than conventional sets.

The FCC is expected to adopt the advisory committee
recommendations early in 1996, but the issue of allocation of
new channels is still up in the air.

(Kennedy Maize/19951129/Press Contact: Susan Lewis Sallet, FCC,
202-418-1500)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/29/95
TRENDS
Mecklermedia's Internet Strategic Advisory Services

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00023)
Mecklermedia's Internet Strategic Advisory Services 11/29/95
WESTPORT, CONNECTICUT, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 29 (NB) -- Mecklermedia Corp.
(NSADAQ:MECK), publisher of three popular Internet/World Wide Web
publications and producer of Internet World tradeshows, announced
an agreement with Hershel Sarbin Associates to create a Web consulting
service. The collaboration leverages Mecklermedia's Internet savvy
and Sarbin's database and integrated marketing strengths.

The Internet Strategic Advisory Services will target Fortune 1000
companies looking to integrate Internet/Web technology.

Jeffrey Dearth, president and chief operations officer of magazine/iWorld
at Mecklermedia, told Newsbytes, "We are offering a high-level service
which focuses on strategic thinking about how their business processes
can be brought into the World Wide Web."

He continued, "When you have people like (Microsoft's) Bill Gates and
Larry Ellison (Oracle's chief executive officer) talking about a
revolutionary way of doing business which will effect the entire world
of commerce, it is no longer a question of whether a large company
should or should-not integrate this technology into its strategy.
The time is now -- and we, being a 100% pure Internet company, have
in-house expertise and access to other leading experts which puts us
in an excellent position to provide this consulting service."

Dearth also said the partnership with Hershel Sarbin Associates brings
great marketing strength to this new Web consulting service, along with
the authority and credibility of Sarbin himself who is a senior advisor
to Cowles Business Media and a former president of Ziff-Davis
Publishing Company.

In a released statement, Sarbin is quoted as saying, "The Internet
marketing imperative in not just a part of future planning, it is here
and now. Any major company that has a database development and customer
retention strategy must know that this is the time to have a real grasp
of what the Internet means for marketing and how they plan to act upon
it. We think we have a unique, user-friendly consulting service to
assist senior executives in identifying, articulating, and achieving
strategic goals related to the Internet."

Mecklermedia has named Bill Washburn, senior vice president of
Internet Business Development, as the executive in charge of Internet
Strategic Advisory Services. Mecklermedia's Web site, iWorld, can be
reached at http://www.iworld.com .

(Patrick McKenna/19951129/Press Contact: Tanya Mazarowski,
Mecklermedia, 203-341-2842)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/29/95
EDUCATION
The Electronic School House Gets A Boost

(NEWS)(EDUCATION)(DEN)(00024)
The Electronic School House Gets A Boost 11/29/95
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 29 (NB) -- "The most important
use for information technology is to improve education." That was the
message Bill Gates, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of
Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) brought to more than 700 national
educators and students at Georgetown University this week as Gates
described how technology can improve education.

In a presentation titled "The Connected Learning Community" Gates
announced a set of new initiatives designed to help educators make
the best use of information technology.

US Deputy Secretary of Education Madeleine Kunin joined Gates at
the university to emphasize the importance of technology. "Bringing
the full fruits of new technologies to our schools depends on
expanding access to the information highway, developing better
tools and educational software, and building new alliances with the
private sector," said Kunin.

Kunin added that the use of technology presents a unique
opportunity to improve both teaching and learning. She also
stressed the importance of developing professional skills in using
the high-tech tools.

"The Connected Learning Community" of Gates' vision is a world in
which all students have access to the world's information through
personal computers. He also sees a world in which students,
educators, parents, and the extended community are connected to one
another. Gates said students will collaborate in an environment
that provides access to information, supports problem solving, and
accommodates individualized learning. Teachers will become
facilitators and coaches with easy access to students' records and
portfolios in order to provide immediate feedback.

Gates said Microsoft is "committed" to using its expertise in
software development to deliver technologies that will help build
The Connected Learning Community and will also work with partners
who will provide other needed components.

Specifically, Microsoft will focus on facilitating three-way
connections that bring together the schools, homes and the world,
and will also help teachers find value and educational content on
the Internet. Gates said Microsoft is already working on a set of
software to facilitate home-school communications and to make it
easy for schools to use networks. The tool, called the Microsoft
Parent-Teacher Connection Server, is an extension of the Microsoft
Windows NT Server. Microsoft said it will be available to schools in
the US at no cost in the Spring of 1996.

Once the server is installed, schools can provide teachers and
parents with e-mail and bulletin board service, publish their own
home pages, and provide access to the Internet. According to the
Children's Partnership, a non-profit group based in Santa Monica,
California, about 30 percent of elementary schools and 49 percent
of secondary schools already have Internet access, while about
1,000 schools already have home pages on the Web. The group said
that number is growing by about 100 a month.

Microsoft said it is also working with the Global Schoolnet
Foundation to expand The Global Schoolhouse, an education resource
area on the Internet. The company said it and GSH will work with
experts in various curriculum areas to develop resources, including a
curriculum repository for lesson plans and other classroom tools, a
teacher resource center for information on teaching standards, and
information about in-service training and conferences. There will
also be a library of classroom projects.

Microsoft has produced a 30-minute video that shows how technology
is enhancing learning at all grade levels among diverse student
populations in five schools across the country. School
administrators can obtain a copy of the video by contacting
Microsoft. A spokesperson told Newsbytes the video is expected
to be available after the first of the year.

The complete text of Gates' speech and program fact sheets on
available on the Microsoft World Wide Web home page at
http://www.microsoft.com/k-12/vision .

Recently Newsbytes reported that Gates will donate the proceeds
from the sale of his new book "The Road Ahead" to fund school
technology programs in 22 communities.

In a separate program announced recently, Microsoft said it had
partnered with the American Library Association to launch "Libraries
Online!" -- a one-year, $3 million initiative to research and develop
innovative approaches for extending information technologies to what
the two organizations described as "underserved populations."

The program will provide cash grants, staff training, computer
hardware, Microsoft software and technical support to nine
libraries. The central focus of the program is to reach out to
families, small business owners, students and others who may not
otherwise have access to information technologies.

(Jim Mallory/19951129/Press contact: Wendy Lienhart, Marcy Monyek
and Associates, 312-263-2135; Public contact: Microsoft,
206-882-8080 or 800-426-9400)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/29/95
ONLINE
AT&T & Novell Launch ANCS, Link To Compuserve

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(BOS)(00025)
AT&T & Novell Launch ANCS, Link To Compuserve 11/29/95
BRIDGEWATER, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 29 (NB) -- In a
teleconference, AT&T and Novell announced the commercial
availability of AT&T NetWare Connect Service (ANCS), plus plans
to provide customers with access to content from CompuServe and
the AT&T Business Network through the "secure" internetworking
outsourcing service. When ANCS is used together with AT&T
WorldNet, users will receive both business internetworking and
"managed Internet connectivity," according to the officials.

"We read about `corporations without walls.' But what customers
really want are walls that are semi-permeable," said Tom Evslin,
VP of AT&T Gateway Services, speaking during the teleconference,
which was attended by Newsbytes.

"It's getting increasingly complex to interconnect LANs (local
area networks)," Evslin noted. Through "economies of scale," ANCS
will give customers "packet-switched service without the costs,"
he asserted.

In addition to letting businesses link together their own LANs,
and those of their partners and customers, into "secure" and
managed wide area networks (WANs), ANCS will help to extend LAN
resources to remote and mobile dial-in users, according to the
AT&T exec.

By preventing the need to invest in, maintain, and upgrade an
internetworking infrastructure, ANCS will prove useful to
organizations that are downsizing and upsizing alike, Evslin
predicted. "Not all businesses are growing," he pointed out.

ANCS supports both IPX (Internet Packet Exchange) and IP
(Internet Protocol), he added. ANCS and AT&T WorldNet Internet
Managed Service can be provided to customers over the same
physical connection.

Steve Markman, executive MP and general manager of Novell's
Information Access and Management Group, reported that the new
ANCS combines AT&T's "intelligent network" with a set of
technologies from Novell that includes: NetWare 4.0's NetWare
Directory Service (NDS) for single log-in and user authentication;
NetWare Connect Server, for remote access; ManageWise, for
cross-platform network management; and multiprotocol routers.

ANCS will be distributed through AT&T's direct sales force as
well as through Novell gold and platinum VARs (value-added
resellers), according to the execs. Markman characterized ANCS as
providing the Novell VARs with a "significant new opportunity for
the future."

In another announcement issued during the teleconference, AT&T
and Novell unveiled plans to create a connection to Compuserve
that will allow Compuserve subscribers to access content from
Compuserve directly over their corporate LANs. Compuserve is "the
first online customer" for ANCS, Evslin said.

Robert P. Mainor, Compuserve's VP of corporate marketing and
business development, told the journalists and analysts that the
upcoming connection between ANCS and Compuserve will give
Compuserve a new audience of business users, while providing
businesses with access to the "3,000 products and services" on
Compuserve.

Also during the press event, early users of ANCS from Hallmark
Cards, the McGladrey & Pullen public accounting firm, and
InsurQuote attested to benefits ranging from remote access and
wire area connectivity to network security and financial savings.

Mike Goodwin, telecommunications and network manager for
Hallmark, said that the use of ANCS will provide the 1,000
members of Hallmark's sales force with remote access to the
company's corporate LAN in Missouri from retail stores
throughout the US, for services that will include simulations of
retail marketing scenarios. "The security is consistent with
Novell 4.0," Goodwin remarked.

Ken Thygeson, managing director of McGladrey & Pullen's
Technology Infrastructure Group, explained that ANCS will let the
firm's CPAs (certified public accountants) dial into a central
database for tax information from customer sites, and then
prepare tax returns on-the-spot.

In the past, he contended, obtaining the needed information often
required the CPA to make several trips back and forth to company
headquarters. For the future, the accounting firm would like to
"connect all of our affiliates and clients."

InsurQuote intends to use ANCS to automate traditionally paper-
based communications between insurance agents, insurance
companies, and customers, according to Frank Weinrauch, VP of
sales and marketing. "InsurQuote had the software before, but not
the connectivity," Weinrauch reported.

AT&T and Novell also announced that content from the AT&T
Business Network will become available to ANCS customers in the
first half of next year, and that a newly signed deal with Folio
Corp. will "make it possible for content providers to easily
format and distribute content" via ANCS.

Pricing for ANCS will be based on dial-up and dedicated access
charges, Evslin said. Dial-up pricing has been set at $4.25 per
hour with a local number option and $6 per hour via a single
nationwide access number. The prices include services such as
Novell NDS, basic Internet access, and access to Compuserve and
AT&T Business Network. Users of Compuserve and AT&T Business
Network will also accrue separate charges that will be billed
directly by the content providers.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951128/Reader Contact: AT&T NetWare Connect
Services, 800-243-5288; Press Contacts: Chris Pfaff, AT&T,
908-658-5804; Cheryl Hall, Novell, 408-577-7299; Jeff Shafer,
Compuserve, 614-538-4632)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/29/95
LEGAL
 ****Parts of Netcom Copyright Suit Thrown Out

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(LAX)(00026)
 ****Parts of Netcom Copyright Suit Thrown Out 11/29/95
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 29 (NB) -- Netcom On-Line
Communication Services Inc. (Nasdaq: NETC) and online information
providers dodged a copyright bullet when a judge ruled that an Internet
provider is not liable for direct infringement when a third party
publishes copyrighted material over the system. The judge did not
throw out the entire case, and the rest will be settled at trial
in the first half of 1996.

The lawsuit was brought last year by the Church of Scientology
alleging copyright infringement against Netcom and an ex-member
who had posted copyrighted material on the Internet.

Jeannie Slone, a spokesperson for Netcom, told Newsbytes, "Judge
Whyte's November 21, 1995, ruling was a major victory for Netcom,
and the company is confident that its position will be upheld with
respect to the remaining disputed issue that the court ordered to
trial. Netcom is not a publisher, we do not pre-screen (or) control
information we transmit online."

On the central issue of direct copyright infringement, the Court held
that Netcom is not liable for direct infringement when an individual
uses its system to post copyrighted material onto the Internet without
its knowledge. The Court noted that holding an access provider liable
for direct infringement under those circumstances "would...result in
liability for every single Usenet server in the worldwide link of
computers transmitting a message to every other computer."

With respect to contributory copyright infringement, the Court was
nowhere as definitive. "The court would not issue either a summary
judgment in Netcom's favor, or an injunction in favor of the
plaintiffs," pointed out Slone.

Netcom issued the following statement, "Netcom provides direct access
to the Internet. It is not a content-based service but rather a
communications conduit to the information available on the Internet.
Other than messages to our subscribers about Netcom services, Netcom
does not post content, does not control the content or the destination
of information posted, and does not control where, when or whether
that information may be downloaded.

"Moreover, Netcom does not have the ability to monitor in advance
the content of messages transmitted by the company's subscribers
over the Internet, or to determine whether such content violates or
complies with copyright protections. The company is a passive
transmitter of millions of messages which are created worldwide and
conveyed throughout the Internet everyday."

(Richard Bowers/19951129/Press Contact: Jeannie Slone, Netcom,
408-556-3211)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/29/95
ONLINE
America Online Debuts In Germany

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SFO)(00027)
America Online Debuts In Germany 11/29/95
VIENNA, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 29 (NB) -- America Online
(NASDAQ:AMER), through its European partnership with Bertelsmann AG
has announced its first European appearance with AOL in Germany.
Starting out with 25 German cities, AOL in Germany will offer German
content, US AOL content, and the World Wide Web.

Admitting it faces strong competition for European subscribers, AOL
says it will add access through another 26 German cities in the next
30 days. Additionally, Bertelsmann and AOL are planning to launch
a UK and French AOL service in the next few months.

CompuServe, a long-time service provider to the European market, has
more than 300,000 subscribers connecting to the service through its
European network. AOL also faces competition from Europe Online in
Luxembourg, Planet Internet in the Netherlands, and C. Ing. Olivetti's
Italia Online. Bill Gates' Microsoft Network is also being developed
for the European market.

Much like the US AOL service, AOL in Germany is based on a monthly
charge and an hourly rate. The monthly fee is 9.90 deutsche marks
(US$7) and includes the first two hours of use each month. Each minute
of use beyond the first two hours is charged by the minute at an
hourly rate of $4.25.

Subscribers to the German service will have access to German content
and content of AOL's standard US service. US subscribers will also
be able to access AOL in Germany content. Data delivery across
Germany is accomplished through Deutsche Telekom.

An AOL spokesperson told Newsbytes, "Content on AOL in Germany
will be similar to the content and areas currently available on our US
service. While the competition for subscribers is very strong, we feel
the success we have had in becoming the largest online service provider
in the US will carry-overto the European market. Our interface and
our content make AOL the most attractive service."

(Patrick McKenna/19951129/Press Contact: Margaret Ryan, America
Online, 703-448-8700)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/29/95
WINDOWS
Microsoft Ships Net Explorer 2.

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(DEN)(00028)
Microsoft Ships Net Explorer 2.0 11/29/95
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 29 (NB) -- Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ: MSFT) has released the final version of its Internet
browser software, Internet Explorer 2.0, for Windows 95.

Microsoft said about one-third of the licensed Windows 95 users
who use an Internet browser obtained Explorer within 90 days after
version 1.0 became available.

Microsoft has a logo licensing program that lets Web publishers
display an authorized Microsoft logo on their home page to
indicate that the site works well with Explorer 2.0. The software
features include moving text marquees, inline AVIs so you can run
embedded videos, table colors, watermarks, and background sounds.

Other features include support for hypertext markup language (HTML)
3.0 tables, access to Internet newsgroups, a toolbar for instant
access to various Web search programs, and the ability to run
animations. The program also includes support for current Internet
security standards, including secure sockets layer and RSA
encryption, private communication technology, and upgrade to the
SSL protocol.

There is also an electronic payment technology called secure
transaction technology (STT) that was developed jointly by Microsoft
and Visa International to allow online merchants to conduct sales
electronically and assure the security of information like credit
card numbers.

Microsoft said it is working with developers to provide an
automated process that will enable visitors to automatically
download the most current version of Explorer directly from the
developer's Web site.

Explorer will also be one of the tools in the Internet Toolbox, an
online Internet software development kit (SDK) that is scheduled
to be available to developers in December.

You can download Internet Explorer 2.0 from the Microsoft site on
the Internet at http://www.microsoft.com/windows .

(Jim Mallory/19951129/Press contact: Kathy Gill, Waggener Edstrom
for Microsoft, 503-245-0905; Public contact: Microsoft,
206-882-8080 or 800-426-9400/EXPLORER951129/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/29/95
ONLINE
Utah Public Kiosks - Touch A Screen, Go To Court!

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(DEN)(00029)
Utah Public Kiosks - Touch A Screen, Go To Court! 11/29/95
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 29 (NB) -- Utah residents
can now go to court to resolve issues like divorce and
landlord-tenant problems, as well as get information about a host
of programs, just by touching a computer screen installed in a
public kiosk.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95112929.PCX
Click here for photo

The system is called Utah Quickcourt and it is a product of a
contract between the Utah Administrative Office of the Courts and
Marina del Rey, California-based North Communications designed to
allow citizens to learn more about how the courts work and to file
and an automated interview. Users can even prepare and print forms
right at the kiosk for a fee of $10 per form.

The kiosks use full-motion video, stereo sound and text to help the
user understand the usually complex legal system and to streamline
the process of filing various legal actions. North Communications
spokesperson Miki Burke said the user can elect to have the
instructions displayed in Spanish or English.

Burke told Newsbytes the first five kiosks will be installed at the
Salt Lake Public Library, Weber County Library, Fourth District Court
offices, Washington County Public Library, and the Hunter Library.

When the user starts the program Chief Justice Michael Zimmerman
gives an on-screen introduction to the program and tells the user
how to proceed. Zimmerman said all the information needed to file
court actions is available on computers. "The challenge is to find
a way to deliver that information direct to the people who need it,
and to bring their responses efficiently back into the courts in
the form we need it," he said.

Zimmerman said some court actions are unnecessarily mystifying,
expensive and intimidating for people, and Quickcourt was designed
to allow people to enter their own actions in certain types of
cases.

Michael North, president of North Systems, said everyone benefits
from the system. Use of the kiosks helps reduce the number of
cases clogging an overcrowded legal system and the public benefits
because routine actions move more quickly. The courts get
professionally prepared documents with all the information entered
correctly so they save on clerk time.

North said many court actions still require the services of an
attorney, but Quickcourt helps clear routine actions and should
reduce court congestion.

When a person accesses the kiosk to initiate an action, the
software makes sure all the questions get answered, does any
necessary calculations, and prints the required legal documents on
a built-in laser printer. The user also receives a printed list of
which documents they should keep, which should be served on other
parties and what to bring to court.

The program provides definitions of legal terms and answers to
commonly asked questions. Any part of the program can be repeated,
checked and changed until the user is satisfied the action is
correct and complete.

The Utah program is similar to one in place in Arizona and
California recently passed enabling legislation to install
Quickcourt touchscreens statewide.

(Jim Mallory/19951129/Press contact: Miki Burke, North
Communications, 310-577-7700/COURT951129/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/29/95
TELECOM
Europe's First Int'l Virtual Private Network

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00030)
Europe's First Int'l Virtual Private Network 11/29/95
AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS, 1995 NOV 29 (NB) -- Unisource, the joint
venture company between the Dutch state telecoms company, PTT Telecom,
Telia and Televerket of Sweden, and Swiss Telecom, together with its
international partner, AT&T, has taken "delivery" of its international
virtual private network (VPN) from Ericsson, just under a year from
when the contract was signed.

According to Unisource, the VPN covers 14 European countries, but
plans are in hand to expand the network progressively to other
countries around the world in the near future. Countries covered by
phase one of the VPN include the Netherlands, the UK, Germany, and
France.

Ron Dikhoff, the project manager with Ericsson who had overall
responsibility for creating and nursing the VPN before handover to
Unisource, claims that the project is a masterpiece by anyone's
standards. The project, he said, involved the creation of wideband
VPNs spanning Europe and beyond, as well the installation of hardware
and associated telecoms systems, in most European countries.

"We were awarded this contract because of the feature levels we
proposed and the realistic time path we offered in the summer of
1994," he explained, adding that the extremely short time that that
the VPN was commissioned in was thanks to the use of IN (intelligent
network) technology.

The VPN project now calls for Unisource to liaise with AT&T, its US
partner, in the second phase of the VPN, Uniworld. Uniworld is a joint
venture between Unisource and AT&T, and will extend the VPN into the
global arena.

According to Viesturs Vucins, a spokesman for the fledgling Uniworld
organization, the creation of the European VPN is a vital step in the
creation of the Uniworld global VPN.

"To Unisource, it's vital to serve our customers according to the
commitments we've made. In this case, we were dependent on Ericsson
in order to fulfill the apparent need for IVPN," he explained

At the Cebit Computer Faire in Germany in March of this year, AT&T,
along with Unisource, its global partner, revealed to the public their
ambitious plans to extend the reach of the AT&T voice and data
communications network to a global presence.

That original announcement called for AT&T and Unisource to pitch hard
into single country and regional telecoms market on a Europe-wide
basis. According to AT&T staffers at Cebit, the aim was to establish a
solid presence on a country basis throughout Europe -- and beyond --
ready for when the European telecoms market is totally liberalized on
January 1, 1998.

Speaking to journalists, Pier Carlo Falotti, AT&T's European managing
director, said that both AT&T and Unisource want to take full
advantage of the deregulation of the European telco markets. Europe
would then become, he said, a foothold for other non-US markets around
the globe. "We don't have an extensive network in Europe and are
preparing in the next five years to become the second largest network
in every European country we choose to enter," he said.

Despite a publicly modest approach at the press conference, staff on
the AT&T stand at Cebit were highly ebullient about the company's
track record and future in the European telecoms market. Staff on the
stand told Newsbytes that the company is already one of the largest
companies in Europe, and has more than 27,000 staff dotted throughout
the region.

The staffing levels will increase steadily as a result of the company's
expansion plans for Europe and revenue from the region -- which currently
accounts for around 10 percent of AT&T's $75 billion annual revenue
worldwide -- will increase as well.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951129/Press Contact: Ron Dikhoff, Ericsson
Telecommunicatie BV - Nederlande, [phone]; AT&T Deutschland,
[phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/29/95
TELECOM
UK - Telehouse Demos Telecoms Integration Technology

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00031)
UK - Telehouse Demos Telecoms Integration Technology 11/29/95
BRIGHTON, SUSSEX, ENGLAND, 1995 NOV 29 (NB) -- Telehouse Europe,
the company behind the UKP30 million "intelligent" computer and
telecommunications data center in London's Docklands, is busy
demonstrating its integrated telecoms services at the Telecom
Managers Association (TMA) exhibition in Brighton this week.

Telehouse launched its telecoms facilities management service in
London in 1990, for the installation of telecoms equipment and
minicomputers. According to officials with the company, it offers
specific services for clients using the center from the basic
supervision of leased lines and associated comms equipment, first
line management such as routine checking of modems and circuits,
as well as "fault management," to the provision of private
leased international circuits.

Kevin Still, senior manager with Telehouse's sales and customer
support operations, explained that the company offers a one-stop
telecoms facility management (FM) service.

"Establishing a UK communications hub center is often a costly and
lengthy process, requiring negotiations with telecoms suppliers and
hardware vendors. In contrast, Telehouse is a neutral point of
interconnect in the increasingly competitive world of
telecommunications, arranging fiber routings and hardware as
required," he said.

According to Still, Telehouse's telecoms FM center is designed to
house networking equipment such as remote front-end processors, packet
switches, private branch exchanges, multiplexers, and modems, as well
as network bridges and routers.

Links to and from the center are based around diversely routed high
capacity fiber optic networks from British Telecom, Mercury, COLT, and
other service providers, at various bit rates up to two megabits-per-
second, as well as via dial-up and leased lines.

Telehouse is now the main points-of-presence (POP) for many Internet
providers in the UK. The company also claims it is the first neutral
point of interconnect, codenamed LINX (London Internet Exchange), for
the Internet in the UK. According to the company, 15 Internet access
providers are now based at Telehouse, including Netkonect, Eunet and
Cable Online.

(Steve Gold/19951129/Press Contact: Alex Laity, Spreckley Pittham,
tel [phone], fax [phone], Internet e-mail
[e-mail]; Reader Contact: Barney Bannington,
Telehouse Europe, tel [phone], fax [phone])



(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00032)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 11/29/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 29 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|          Wednesday, November 29, 1995          |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network's on the Web! Check out http://www.nbnn.com for
free daily top stories from Newsbytes and its affiliate publications, and
from PC Week, MacWeek, and other Ziff news magazines. A subscription
gives you all the news, full-text, plus the most comprehensive database
of past computer stories online. The keyword-searchable database dates
from today back through 1983. Subscriptions are $24.95 for three months.
Questions? Send to '[e-mail]'  For Japanese Newsbytes
and additional services, see the Newsbytes Pacifica Website at
http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

BUSINESS  Softbank Continues Investment, Buys Into Internet.......... 15

BUSINESS  Cabletron Plans To Buy SMC's Switching Division............ 17

EDUCATION Gates To Donate Book Proceeds To Education................. 21

EDUCATION The Electronic School House Gets A Boost................... 24

GENERAL   UK - Fax-On-Demand System For Lotus Notes Users............ 02

GENERAL   Japan Newsbriefs........................................... 14

GOVT       ****FCC Panel Backs Digital HDTV.......................... 22

LEGAL     Hong Kong - BSA Targets More Software Pirates.............. 08

LEGAL     Can Vice President Gore Stall Telecom Bill................. 11

LEGAL     Parts of Netcom Copyright Suit Thrown Out.................. 26

NETWORK   Seagate Europe's Centralized Storage System Software....... 01

ONLINE    Europe - Unipalm Pipex Cuts High Bandwidth Internet Costs.. 03

ONLINE    Internet Expo - Verity Deals For Web, First!, Lotus........ 12

ONLINE    Internet Expo - Sprint Intros InfoXchange Service.......... 13

ONLINE    Internet Update - Asia Special............................. 16

ONLINE    AT&T & Novell Launch ANCS, Link To Compuserve.............. 25

ONLINE    America Online Debuts In Germany........................... 27

ONLINE    Utah Public Kiosks - Touch A Screen, Go To Court........... 29

PC        China - Motorola Plans Power PC-Based PCs.................. 10

TELECOM   Ericsson Sells Personal Digiphone Net To Japan............. 05

TELECOM   Alliance Aims To Represent Ordinary Canadians On Info Highw 19

TELECOM   Europe's First Int'l Virtual Private Network............... 30

TELECOM   UK - Telehouse Demos Telecoms Integration Technology....... 31

TRENDS    German Stock Exchanges To Computerize Operations........... 04

TRENDS    British Telecom Predicts Massive Growth In Visual Comms.... 06

TRENDS    Hong Kong - Missing Tradelink Found........................ 07

TRENDS    China - Shanghai Bell At Top Of Hi-Tech Firms List......... 09

TRENDS    Entertainment Software Most Popular In Home - Study........ 18

TRENDS     ****Intel's Dominance Will Grow - Study................... 20

TRENDS    Mecklermedia's Internet Strategic Advisory Services........ 23

WINDOWS   Microsoft Ships Net Explorer 2.0........................... 28

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 -> Seagate Europe's Centralized Storage System Software -- Seagate
Software, the European network/software division of the storage systems
company, has unveiled the Palindrome Visual Storage Administrator
(VISTA), a centralized management application for administering multiple
Palindrome Backup Director and Storage Manager Systems across an
enterprise network from a single console running PC Windows.

2 -> UK - Fax-On-Demand System For Lotus Notes Users -- Connaught
FactsLine has unveiled FactsLine for Notes, an integration package for
companies using Lotus Notes, allowing them to offer fax-on-demand
services for external callers.

3 -> Europe - Unipalm Pipex Cuts High Bandwidth Internet Costs -- Even
though Bill Clinton has taken a leaf out of Newt Gingridge's book, and
cut US Government funding for the Internet, Unipalm Pipex, which now
claims to be the biggest Internet service provider in the UK, claims that
it has still achieved economies of scale for its Internet high bandwidth
services and is actually cutting subscriber charges accordingly.

4 -> German Stock Exchanges To Computerize Operations -- According to a
leaked report in Handelsblatt, the daily financial newspaper, the four
German stock exchanges, known as the German bourses, are planning to
integrate their operations next spring, as part of a general overhaul of
operations.

5 -> Ericsson Sells Personal Digiphone Net To Japan -- Sweden's Ericsson
has announced it has signed a contract with Digital Tu-Ka Hokkaido, the
new telecoms operator company in Japan, for the provision of a personal
digiphone cellular (PDC) phone network in Hokkaido, the northern region
of Japan.

6 -> British Telecom Predicts Massive Growth In Visual Comms -- British
Telecom (BT) has predicted that, within the next three years, visual
communications will become as commonplace as mobile phone or fax usage.
This prediction, made by Adrian Butcher, BT's general manager of visual
solutions, is being backed by a major impetus within BT as a whole to
service the anticipated demand.

7 -> Hong Kong - Missing Tradelink Found -- After years of research,
organizing and then junking tenders, and mostly trumpeting the urgent
need for electronic data interchange (EDI), Tradelink, eight years after
it was created to speed Hong Kong to EDI glory, could actually be firing
off its first test electronic forms for traders to fill out in five
months' time.

8 -> Hong Kong - BSA Targets More Software Pirates -- Stepping up its
campaign to  eradicate software theft in Hong Kong, the Business Software
Alliance  (BSA) has announced that it has targeted 17 of the 18 shops at
Wanchai  district's notorious 298 Hennessy Road arcade.

9 -> China - Shanghai Bell At Top Of Hi-Tech Firms List -- Shanghai Bell
Telephone Equipment Manufacturing is listed as number one on the 1995 Top
100 High  Technology Firms, followed by Beijing Stone Group, according to
the  China Development and Assessment Center of High Technology
Enterprises.

10 -> China - Motorola Plans Power PC-Based PCs -- Motorola recently
announced a joint venture with Nanjing Panda Electronics to produce
multimedia computers based on Power PC technology in China.

11 -> Can Vice President Gore Stall Telecom Bill -- Can Vice President Al
Gore stall House-Senate negotiations over telecommunications legislation
until next year and turn the subject into an election issue?

12 -> Internet Expo - Verity Deals For Web, First!, Lotus -- Through
newly inked deals with Individual Inc., Lotus, Frontier and Tandem,
Verity has extended the penetration of Topic within "Internet/agents,
groupware, and online/news," three of the six target markets for  the
company's search-and-retrieval engine, said Sue Barsamian, VP  of
marketing, in a meeting with Newsbytes at E-Mail World/Internet  Expo in
Boston.

13 -> Internet Expo - Sprint Intros InfoXchange Service -- In a press
conference attended by Newsbytes at E-Mail World/Internet Expo in Boston,
Sprint announced InfoXchange, telling journalists that the service for
interconnecting multivendor corporate electronic mail systems is the
first in a series of new services from Sprint that will also include a
"public commercial service for small and medium-sized businesses," to be
unveiled in 1996.

14 -> Japan Newsbriefs -- In this roundup of news from Japan:  Fujitsu
boost FMV production; Sega to link with NEC network;  Multimedia study
group established; More Internet services planned;  First hands free car
phone to ship.

15 -> Softbank Continues Investment, Buys Into Internet -- Further
enhancing his reputation as  "Japan's Bill Gates," Mayoshi Son, president
of Softbank Corporation,  has been on another shopping trip and, this
time, returned with a  stake in the Internet's Yahoo database, plans to
offer Internet access  in China, and a company that will target
investment in the US.

16 -> Internet Update - Asia Special -- In this roundup of new resources
and  services on the Asian parts of the global Internet: Zip FM AIDS
questionnaire; Delhi Institute of Technology; Real-time stock prices;
Malaysia online; National University Hospital of Singapore; Hug Kuo
Elephants home page; Business contacts page; Hong Kong tourist
organization; Hiroshima travel guide; Kansai airport home page; Online
guide to Bangladesh; Hong Kong Internet directory.

17 -> Cabletron Plans To Buy SMC's Switching Division -- Cabletron
Systems  (NYSE:CS) has announced plans to buy Standard Microsystems
Corp.'s  (NASDAQ:SMSC) switching business. Cabletron said it has signed a
letter  of intent to pay $77.5 million and assume certain specified
liabilities  in exchange for the assets and technology of Hauppauge, New
York-based  SMC's Enterprise Networks Business Unit.

18 -> Entertainment Software Most Popular In Home - Study -- Households
with  more people but not necessarily more money, are more likely to buy
software, and entertainment software is the most popular category in
American homes, according to a recent study by SofTrends, a unit of
market research firm The NPD Group.

19 -> Alliance Aims To Represent Ordinary Canadians On Info Highway --
The cost of local telephone  service will be among the first items on the
agenda of a new alliance of  consumer organizations, labor unions, and
lobby groups. Organizers said  the Alliance for a Connected Canada will
present the views of ordinary  Canadians on that and a number of other
communications policy issues.

20 ->  ****Intel's Dominance Will Grow - Study -- Market research firm
In-Stat has issued a gloomy forecast for competitors to microprocessor
giant Intel. In-Stat predicts for the foreseeable future Intel's
dominance  will be unchallenged and competition within the industry will
be even  more limited that it has been.

21 -> Gates To Donate Book Proceeds To Education -- Microsoft chief Bill
Gates said he will donate the proceeds from his new book, "The Road
Ahead," to fund school technology programs in 22 communities around  the
United States.

22 ->  ****FCC Panel Backs Digital HDTV -- A Federal Communications
Commission advisory committee has endorsed digital high definition
television (HDTV) as the technology of choice for the future.

23 -> Mecklermedia's Internet Strategic Advisory Services -- Mecklermedia
Corp. (NSADAQ:MECK), publisher of three popular Internet/World Wide Web
publications and producer of Internet World tradeshows, announced  an
agreement with Hershel Sarbin Associates to create a Web consulting
service. The collaboration leverages Mecklermedia's Internet savvy  and
Sarbin's database and integrated marketing strengths.

24 -> The Electronic School House Gets A Boost -- "The most important
use for information technology is to improve education." That was the
message Bill Gates, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of
Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) brought to more than 700 national
educators and students at Georgetown University this week as Gates
described how technology can improve education.

25 -> AT&T & Novell Launch ANCS, Link To Compuserve -- In a
teleconference, AT&T and Novell announced the commercial availability of
AT&T NetWare Connect Service (ANCS), plus plans to provide customers with
access to content from CompuServe and the AT&T Business Network through
the "secure" internetworking outsourcing service. When ANCS is used
together with AT&T WorldNet, users will receive both business
internetworking and "managed Internet connectivity," according to the
officials.

26 -> Parts of Netcom Copyright Suit Thrown Out -- Netcom On-Line
Communication Services Inc. (Nasdaq: NETC) and online information
providers dodged a copyright bullet when a judge ruled that an Internet
provider is not liable for direct infringement when a third party
publishes copyrighted material over the system. The judge did not  throw
out the entire case, and the rest will be settled at trial  in the first
half of 1996.

27 -> America Online Debuts In Germany -- America Online  (NASDAQ:AMER),
through its European partnership with Bertelsmann AG  has announced its
first European appearance with AOL in Germany.  Starting out with 25
German cities, AOL in Germany will offer German  content, US AOL content,
and the World Wide Web.

28 -> Microsoft Ships Net Explorer 2.0 -- Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT)
has released the final version of its Internet browser software, Internet
Explorer 2.0, for Windows 95.

29 -> Utah Public Kiosks - Touch A Screen, Go To Court -- Utah residents
can now go to court to resolve issues like divorce and landlord-tenant
problems, as well as get information about a host of programs, just by
touching a computer screen installed in a public kiosk.

30 -> Europe's First Int'l Virtual Private Network -- Unisource, the
joint venture company between the Dutch state telecoms company, PTT
Telecom, Telia and Televerket of Sweden, and Swiss Telecom, together with
its international partner, AT&T, has taken "delivery" of its
international virtual private network (VPN) from Ericsson, just under a
year from when the contract was signed.

31 -> UK - Telehouse Demos Telecoms Integration Technology -- Telehouse
Europe,  the company behind the UKP30 million "intelligent" computer and
telecommunications data center in London's Docklands, is busy
demonstrating its integrated telecoms services at the Telecom  Managers
Association (TMA) exhibition in Brighton this week.

(Ian Stokell/19951129)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD



Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/27/95
PC
UK Low-Cost Phone Directory CD-ROM

(NEWS)(PC)(LON)(00001)
UK Low-Cost Phone Directory CD-ROM 11/27/95
HEMPSTEAD, HERTFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 NOV 27 (NB) -- TDS
Marketing has unveiled a UKP39.99 CD-ROM disk that contains the 2.4
million fax and phone numbers of businesses in the UK which are registered
with British Telecom (BT), along with most cable and cellular network
subscribers. According to Edward Sanderson, a spokesman for the company,
the disk is a licensed subset of the BT Phonedisk that sells
for UKP200.

"Because TelePower Pro has only business numbers, it's an ideal
facility for anyone who wants directory access to business phone
numbers in the UK," he told Newsbytes, adding that a networked version
of the disk, with suitable driver software, will be launched in
January. Pricing of the lower user versions of the disk have yet to be
confirmed, but an unlimited user license will sell for around the
UKP1,100 per annum price point.

According to TDS, around 1.5 million directory assistance calls are
made in the UK each day, and around 80 percent of these calls are for
business numbers. Because the Windows software allows full string
searches of the disk to be carried out, the disk can be interrogated
like any other database, which TDS claims means that users do not need
the postal town of the business in order to complete the search --
something that normal directory assistance calls require.

TDS claims that the search engine on the TelePower Pro disk is so
sophisticated, it can handle fuzzy logic search techniques, allowing
it to support "near miss" name hits where the user is unsure about the
name of the business being searched for.

According to TDS, the most frequent requirement that small businesses
have for directory assistance means that an organization need only
made a few hundred calls to the directory assistance operator each
year for TelePower Pro to pay for itself.

The supplied Windows software on the package is claimed to be Windows
95-compatible and requires a Windows-capable PC with a CD-ROM drive to
run. The software has UK and international code lookups, along with
fuzzy and phonetic matching. The package pricing includes UK sales tax
(value-added tax) which is currently 17.5 percent.

(Steve Gold/19951122/Press Contact: Lindsell PR, tel [phone],
fax [phone]; Reader Contact: TDS Marketing, tel [phone],
fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/27/95
IBM
IBM Europe's OS/2 Warp Vouchers For Aptiva PC Users

(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00002)
IBM Europe's OS/2 Warp Vouchers For Aptiva PC Users 11/27/95
PARIS, FRANCE, 1995 NOV 27 (NB) -- IBM Europe has announced it is
offering vouchers to any buyer of an Aptiva PC system, with the aim
of allowing buyers to obtain a copy of OS/2 Warp free of charge.
Customers buying an Aptiva have now started seeing a CD-ROM demo
version of the operating system (OS) with their machines, and can send
in a voucher for a CD-ROM or floppy-based version of the OS.

So why not simply bundle the operating system with the machines? Big
Blue claims that, as well as not knowing whether users want a CD-ROM
or disk-based version of the package, there are 11 language versions
available in Europe. Also, not all Aptiva customers will want the
package, even if it is free. IBM claims that a mail-in voucher system
is the best option for everyone.

As part of the deal, customers sending in their voucher will also
receive two free bonus CDs containing games software and a popular
shareware application designed to exploit OS/2's multitasking memory
management and 32-bit computing features. The CDs include the Classic
Games CD and the Gadgets for OS/2 Warp disk, a collection of shareware
and freeware applications.

Announcing the deal, Nigel Freeman, the IBM PC Company's Preload
manager, said that, by offering Aptiva customers the choice of
upgrading their machines with IBM software, "We are not only offering
them a full and valuable service, but also fulfilling a promise of
making OS/2 Warp available across the Aptiva range."

(Sylvia Dennis/19951122/Press Contact: Tim Keeley, IBM Europe,
[phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/27/95
PC
Dell UK Opens Automated Tech Support Lines

(NEWS)(PC)(LON)(00003)
Dell UK Opens Automated Tech Support Lines 11/27/95
BRACKNELL, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 NOV 27 (NB) -- Dell Computer UK
has announced the availability of AutoTech, an automated technical
support line, for its UK customers.

AutoTech is billed as a voice-response system that allows callers to
step through a series of audiotext menus, until their specific
questions can be answered.

According to Adrian Barry, product support manager with Dell Direct,
the system offers a rapid response to customer queries. "The advantage
of AutoTech is that it offers a very speedy response for customers
with simple problems. Customers often queue for less than 10 seconds
before beginning an AutoTech session and finish up less than give
minutes later," he explained.

The UK AutoTech system operates on 12 dedicated lines which are
available from 8am to 8pm, five days a week, giving Dell the facility
to handle up to 500 calls a day. Plans call for the service to be made
available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by the end of the year.

The idea behind AutoTech is that callers with routine queries can go
through a series of audiotext menus and answers and receive a rapid
response to their questions. In the case of more complex queries,
users are referred automatically to a human operative.

A pilot scheme operated by Dell was launched in October of this year,
since when it has been attracting up to 70 calls per day, with calls
generally lasting no longer than five minutes.

The AutoTech system also supports a faxback service with more than
150 Windows 95 documents available on demand, as well as documents
describing many of, what Dell describes as, the most popular
technical queries which have been resolved previously by the service.

"None of Dell's competitors in the UK has a system to rival AutoTech.
On average, 1,000 of Dell's North American, customers call AutoTech
every day and we're sure it will prove to be just as popular in the
UK," Barry said.

AutoTech is available on 01344-723723 in the UK. Plans call for Dell's
other online systems to continue to be made available. The Dell World
Wide Web site is at http://www.dell.com , while the file transfer
protocol (FTP) site is at ftp/dell.com.

Dell's CompuServe forum is also available (GO DELL), while the Dellfax
and Dell bulletin board system services are on 01344-723178 and
01344-723858.

(Steve Gold/19951122/Press Contact: Dell Computer,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/27/95
ONLINE
New York Times Redesigned For America Online

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00004)
New York Times Redesigned For America Online 11/27/95
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 27 (NB) -- Responding to
reader requests, and a need to "stand out," New York Times officials
said they have redesigned their "@times" online news and information
service on America Online (NASDAQ:AMER). The new version is the
site's first redesign since appearing in cyberspace 18 months ago.

The area, called "one of the most popular on AOL," has both a new look
and new features, officials said. The organization of the site has
been reconfigured, and search functions have been expanded so the area
can be "easily used."

The main reason for the redesign is because of suggestions and requests
from @times readers, Elliott Rebhun, editor of @times, told Newsbytes.
"We went live with our service in June of 1994, and it was a good first
step," he said. "But AOL has a very vocal audience, and they tell you
quite explicitly what they do and don't like." He said it was
gratifying to hear likes and dislikes from AOL readers, and the staff
took their suggestions seriously. "We heard what people wanted, and
we tried to give it to them."

Another reason for the change is the graphics, design advances, and
technological leaps AOL has made in recent months, Rebhun said. "We
felt we can give a lot better presentation of the Times now than we
could with what was available before," he said. "We very much wanted
to give this (@times) the look, the feel, and the sophistication of the
Times newspaper." For example, Rebhun said @times uses photo icons for
readers to click on, instead of what he called "cartoon icons." He
said he thinks @times is the only area on AOL that uses photos for
icons.

Specifically, the news area now has a separate Page One section that's
updated each evening at about 11:30pm EST, with articles for the next
day's Times. National/Metro and International news stories are now
separate from the day's top stories. In addition, content from
"Science Times" and "Computers & Technology" is now included in the
AOL site, and both sections are fully searchable.

Also, restaurants in New York City that have been reviewed by the Times
are now searchable by rating, cuisine, and neighborhood. Also improved
and searchable is the paper's classified ad section, which includes
real estate, help wanted, and automotive listings.

Rebhun said @times is moving to real newsroom staffing, so the news can
be updated on a regular basis. He added some original content might
be forthcoming soon, not only from the AOL site, but from an Internet
World Wide Web page that's currently under construction.

The @times area on AOL can be reached at Keyword @times or Times.

(Bob Woods/19951121/Press Contacts: Michael Kaminer or Shelly Bates
of Michael Kaminer Pubic Relations, 212-627-8098, Internet e-mail
[e-mail]; Judy Tashbook, America Online, 703-918-1452, Internet
e-mail [e-mail]; Public Contact: America Online, 800-827-6364)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/27/95
WINDOWS
New Corel CD Home Titles

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(TOR)(00005)
New Corel CD Home Titles 11/27/95
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 NOV 27 (NB) -- Corel Corp. has announced
it will ship four major additions to its CD Home software line this month.
The offerings include: Internet Mania, for home Net surfers; the Complete
Herman Collection; World's Greatest Classic Books; and Corel Chess.

Internet Mania is described as a "complete home surfer's kit." Among the
notable features in this package, according to the company are: a Home
Page Author, for creating your own World Wide Web pages; an FTP (file
transfer protocol) utility for downloading files from the Internet; an
Internet Directory; a "personal stock ticker;" and scanning features
that can automatically notify the user of updates to their favorite Web
pages.

Jim Unger's long-running cartoon series is now available as a complete
collection on CD-ROM. The Herman cartoon series contains more than 5,000
cartoons in an encyclopedia-like data structure which, the company says,
includes "extensive" search and retrieval capabilities, bookmarks, a
screensaver, and a wallpaper utility.

World's Greatest Classic Books contains not only "3,500 literary
masterpieces from the greatest writers of all time," it also includes
the basic reference books and tools you'll need to access these vast
resources. Corel suggests this package as "ideal for book reports,
research projects, reference or just personal enjoyment."

Among the support utilities included are: a full-text search and retrieval
engine; many illustrations and full-motion video clips; detailed author
profiles; and a copy of the American Heritage Dictionary. There's even a
comprehensive print control feature for generating custom-formatted hard
copies of your favorite stories and pictures.

Finally, industry observers have long noted that Corel's ever-expanding
Home line was missing what many computer enthusiasts consider an
essential: A computer Chess game. Now, that "oversight" has been
corrected. Corel Chess is, in fact, a "full three-dimensional (3-D)"
Chess game for Windows 3.1 and Windows 95.

Corel says you can rotate the "table" on which the Chess board is set up
in three dimensions and all the chess pieces (there are several sets
to choose from) are rendered in 3D as well. The CD includes a library of
more than 4,000 classic chess matches for you to replay. Or, you can play
against another person or the computer on any of five difficulty levels.
Corel Chess, like the foregoing new additions to the CD Home line, is
available immediately at a suggested retail price of (US)$24.95.

(Glenn Lisle/19951127/ Media Contact: Tim Magwood,
Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/27/95
LEGAL
 ****Credit Card Users Beware Of Shadow Authorizations

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(LON)(00006)
 ****Credit Card Users Beware Of Shadow Authorizations 11/27/95
SHEFFIELD, SOUTH YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 NOV 27 (NB) -- On returning
from Comdex Fall, Newsbytes bureau was saddened to learn that our
Mastercard account had been "maxed" out and that further charges were
not possible. In fact, when the bill arrived, we became worried about
possible fraudulent charges, as we calculated there was still
"headroom" on the account -- we soon learned about foreign shadow
authorizations that can remain on your card account for up to 28 days.

In a restaurant, or when you check in to a hotel or rent a car, an
authorization is requested by a member of the company's staff. In the
case of a restaurant, once a gratuity is added, the full charge is run
through the EFTPOS (electronic funds transfer at point of sale)
machine.

In the case of a car rental or hotel booking, a similar authorization
request is made, and only later is the full charge processed. Because
of the nature of these transactions, card transaction processors work
in tandem with the card issuers to marry the transactions together,
usually by merchant ID matching, to prevent the authorization request
from tying up the cardholder's account, while the actual transaction
(for a different amount) has actually been charged to the account
already. Cynics might note that this then frees the cardholder to
continue spending their credit limit, so generating more commission
for MasterCard and Visa.

However, authorization matching to transactions is only available
provided the transactions are generated on the cardholder's home
network. Where, for example, a US cardholder visits a UK restaurant
and an authorization request is processed for, say, UKP80, when the
actual transaction is entered into the EFTPOS terminal with, say, a 10
percent gratuity, the UKP88 is processed into dollars, leaving the
UKP80 authorization request -- also in dollars -- hanging in the
system, unmatched.

According to Access, a major MasterCard and Visa card issuer, this
is because the authorization transactions are converted into the
cardholder's home currency using MasterCard and VisaNet exchange
rates, which change hourly, but no details of the originating foreign
merchant is maintained on the card issuer's computer system. In the
case of foreign transactions, the only match information available is
the cost of the transaction, and its country and card transaction
processor.

In the case of restaurants, unless the cardholder pays the gratuity in
cash, there can be no authorization/transaction match on international
transaction. In the case of car rentals and hotel checkins, because
the exchange rates change hourly, even for a one-day booking, the
authorization and actual transaction amounts will almost certainly
never match.

International MasterCard and VisaNet authorization transactions are
automatically deducted from the cardholder's available credit limit
for up to 28 days, to allow for manual processing. The only way to
clear these foreign shadow authorizations is to phone your card issuer
and discuss the matter -- as this bureau did -- on your return from a
foreign trip.

The problem is a known one and one that the card issuers "work to
avoid," usually requiring a phone call from the card holder. It's worth
noting that Diners Club and American Express, which do not issue
charge account customers with details of their hidden credit limits,
also work on the same system.

The result is that you could be left creditless in a foreign country
if you make several large car or hotel transactions.

(Steve Gold/19951127)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/27/95
LEGAL
China - Tougher Punishments Against Phone Number Theft

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(PEK)(00007)
China - Tougher Punishments Against Phone Number Theft 11/27/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 NOV 27 (NB) -- Chinese authorities are vowing to
crack down on mobile phone number theft. In addition, duplicating or
scalping other people's mobile telephone numbers is a "criminal
activity," according to a recent government circular.

Mobile phone number theft is running rampant in many Chinese areas,
such as Guangdong and Beijing. A growing number of cellular phone users
complain that they are receiving unexpectedly, and often astronomically,
high phone bills. Phone number theft has also left many unresolved
disputes between subscribers and the phone companies.

A number of newspapers have reported cases concerning phone number
theft, and many individual businessmen, companies, and even some
high-level government leaders, such as the vice-mayor of Shenzhen City
of Guangdong province, have been victims of such crime. There are also
cases where phone numbers were taken to Hong Kong and re-programmed
into new mobile phones that were then sold back in the mainland.

Currently, there are around three million mobile telephone subscribers
in China. According to a sample investigation in Guangdong, about 80,000
mobile phones, or 15 percent of the province's total mobile phones in
service, have been violated by phone number theft. In Beijing, the rate
is estimated at 14 percent.

The recent government circular suggests that those people found guilty
of the offense must be "punished severely," while those who help police
uncover the illegal activities will be rewarded. The circular also called
on telecommunications departments to take preventative measures to
enhance the security of phone numbers and strengthen the supervision
of mobile phone maintenance and sales.

The government circular was issued jointly by the Central Comprehensive
Management Office for Social Security and Order, the Supreme People's
Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the Ministry of Public Security,
the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, and the State Administration
for Industry and Commerce.

The crackdown against this kind of theft is not new. It is reported that
over the past several years, police in 22 provinces, autonomous regions,
and municipalities have uncovered 876 cases of mobile phone number
stealing, arrested 1,128 people, and closed down 96 stores where numbers
were stolen and sold.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951127)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/27/95
BUSINESS
 ****Creative Technology Drops Reveal Acquisition

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00008)
 ****Creative Technology Drops Reveal Acquisition 11/27/95
SINGAPORE, 1995 NOV 27 (NB) -- Audio giant, Creative Technology
(NASDAQ:CREAF) says it is terminating its efforts to acquire Reveal
Computer Products. Official statements from both companies failed to
reveal what went wrong.

Newsbytes learned Reveal, a privately held company, received a letter
from Creative just before Thanksgiving stating it would exercise its
right to terminate the agreement "at its own discretion." Caught by
surprise, Reveal released a statement saying it had entered the deal
on good faith and was disappointed to receive the letter.

Insisting he knew of no reason for the termination, Reveal's president
and chief executive officer, John Barzilay, said, "It appears to us
that Creative Labs has internal issues which did not allow them to
consummate the merger."

In a statement from Creative, the company said, "The reasons for this
election (termination of the agreement) include the negative reaction
of the financial markets and certain major shareholders to the merger --
which, in turn, were based on the substantial additional debt required
for the merger entity, the perceived results of operations, and the
perceived demands on management resources it would create. These
concerns and others arose subsequent to the execution of the merger
agreement and convinced management the potential short term
disruptions caused by the proposed merger would be greater than
anticipated and would not be adequately off-set by anticipated
long-term strategic gains."

A spokesperson wishing to remain anonymous, told Newsbytes, "Reveal
was taken completely by surprise and has no reasons to explain the
actions of Creative. Reveal's position at this time is to let the
computer industry know that there are no conditions within Reveal
which would generate the termination and the company can only assume
the cause rests within internal matters at Creative."

Creative says its press release covers the termination and no further
comments are necessary.

Reveal markets a broad range of personal computer peripherals such as
sound cards, multimedia upgrade kits, graphic accelerators, high-end
video editing boards, telephony products, and mass storage devices to
the retail market.

(Patrick McKenna/19951127/Press Contact: Pat Verderico, Creative
Labs, 408-428-6600)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/27/95
TRENDS
China - Domestic High Quality PCs Used For Outer Space

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(PEK)(00009)
China - Domestic High Quality PCs Used For Outer Space 11/27/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 NOV 27 (NB) -- China has reached the forefront
of outer-space computer and integrated circuit technology over the
past 30 years, a government newspaper claims.

Chinese-made space computers are very reliable, the newspaper said.
In 70 major launch tests involving the domestic space computers, no
errors have found. These computers and integrated circuits are
developed at a research institute of the Chinese Academy of Science.
The institute, in Xi'an of Shaanxi province with a code name of
"771," built China's first integrated circuit in October, 1965.

In 1966, scientists worked out China's first integrated circuit
computer at the research institute, the newspaper said. Over the
following years, the technology became more sophisticated and
16-digit microcomputers with large-scale integrated circuits were
developed for missile and carrier rocket developments.

According to officials at the 771 institute of the China Space Industry
Corporation, there are more than 30 computers and integrated circuits,
which are used in the "Long March" carrier rocket, the newspaper said.

China has built a production line for space integrated circuits,
microcomputers, and various auxiliary facilities, including computer-
aided design (CAD) design, precision photography, and reliability
tests, said the newspaper.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951127)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/27/95
ONLINE
Washington GOP Delegation Has Balanced Budget Web Home Page

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(WAS)(00010)
Washington GOP Delegation Has Balanced Budget Web Home Page 11/27/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 NOV 27 (NB) -- The Washington
state Republican congressional delegation has created a World
Wide Web page dedicated to pushing a balanced federal budget.
The address is http:// www.house.gov/white/budget/budget.html .

"The status quo has spent millions of dollars to defeat our
reform efforts," says Rep. Rick White, who represents a
high-tech Seattle district. "Our budget Web page is just one
more way for us to give the American people the real facts on
why it is imperative that we balance the budget in seven years."

According to Connie Correll, White's press secretary, the idea
for the home page came from Sen. Slade Gorton's office. She
told Newsbytes that the page was created by the systems manager
in White's office.

The home page, Correll said, "has been lots of fun. It has good
links to other areas." According to the counter on the home
page, it has had 435 hits since it went into operation November 14.

Indeed, in addition to a large number of text files, including
the text of HR 2491, the Balanced Budget Act of 1995, the site
has numerous links to other interesting sites. Among them are
the "unofficial, itemized 1995 budget at
http://colossus.net/civix/civix.html , and the University of
California at Berkeley's "balance the budget" game at
http://garnet.berkeley.edu:3333/budget/budget.html .

But be warned: the Washington Web page is slow. "Yes," admits
Correll, "it's kind of slow." The site's lethargy is because of
the need to display color portraits of each of the eight
Republicans in the delegation. Politicians will be politicians,
and each insisted on a photograph on the Web page.

What will happen to the Web page when the heat of the moment is
over? "I don't know," said Correll. "I guess we will play it
by ear."

Freshman White, 42, was a Seattle lawyer before winning his
first race for elective office, defeating incumbent Democrat
Maria Cantwell in the 1994 election. Congressional Quarterly has
described him as "appealing and aggressive, a clean-cut family
man with a gleaming resume who nevertheless was prepared to
exploit public dissatisfaction with politicians and the nation's
direction."

(Kennedy Maize/19951127/Press Contact: Connie Correll,
202-225-1201, Internet e-mail [e-mail])


(ADVISORY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00011)

NewsPix Images For Newsbytes Publishers 11/27/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A.,1995 NOV 27 (NB) -- Photos are now
posted as they arrive. This means quicker access to the story
pictures. The bulletin will continue on Mondays, with updates
Wednesdays and Fridays as needed.

These photos correspond to recent Newsbytes stories. They are online
in the Newsbytes menu on America Online, NiftyServe, and the Newsbytes
private bulletin board system in Minneapolis. Some selections are
also available from the Newsbytes Pacifica Website at
http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) files are larger in size,
PICT files are designed as thumbnails for onscreen viewing.
The photos are titled with name/year/month/day.

PICT/thumbnail pictures are black and white (gray scale). File
message will indicate color if the JPEG image is color.

Some of the "for use" images, may be PICT files. To distinguish
these files from the thumbnail preview PICT images, the tag for the
color "for use" image will have PICT, all caps. The thumbnail will
remain noted as "pct."

To become a licensed Newsbytes publisher, call Newsbytes at
612-430-1100 (US) or write to [e-mail] on the
Internet. Licensing applies to any medium.

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

Week of NOVEMBER 27 - DECEMBER 1,1995

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

- NEW THIS WEEK -

NUMERA951122 - color / Computer-Aided Design Software Under $600:
screenshot. (no JPEG file, large GIF only)

EZOFFICE951122 - color / Willowbrook's Multifunction Office Equip
Is Different: hardware and software packaging.

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

- PARTIAL LISTING OF PREVIOUS ITEMS -

PHOTOPAD951120 - color / Polaroid Intros Photo Scanner For Home PCs:
shot of the scanner and packaging.

SPSS951121 - color / SPSS To Ship Windows 95 Statistical Software:
screenshot. (no PICT or GIF files)

CDROM951117 - color / Comdex - Higher-Density CDs Late Next Year:
shot of a multi-media PC with the mini-tower CD tray open. CD-ROM
in tray is accented via lighting.

FUJI951116 - b&w / Comdex - Fuji's Digital Camera, Color Printer:
the Fujix DS-220 digital camera.

TREKKER951116 - color / Comdex - And Now For Something Completely
Different:  Rockwell's Trekker; a hands free PC. User at work.

VIRTUAL951116 - b&w / Comdex - Virtual Reality Has Commercial
Possibilities: user wearing the i-glasses.

UPKE951117 - color / Comdex - Upke Claims "Ultimate" Home PC: shot
of the Upke 2617 (in white).

VISIONINTERACTIVE951115 - color / Comdex - 1996 Is The Year For
MPEG?: product shot of the Orion MPEG Movie Pack bundle from the
Vision Interactive MPEG kit.

AIDSDAY951114 - color / Don't Surf The Net - Safe The Net: Ribbon
art by Annie Lennox (the Euryhtmics, etc) from the ribbon gallery
from the UK Health Education Authority World AIDS Day Web Site.

RACAL951107 - color / Racal's Low-Cost Audio Surveillance System:
chart/diagram of system linkage.(No GIF of this one.)

CRYSTALS951106 - color / Out Of This World Research For
Next-Generation Chips: PHOTO INFO NOW IN - NASA astronauts Marc
Garneau, left, and Andrew Thomas observe gallium antimonide crystals
grown at the University of Florida College of Engineering.

ZINCAIR951109 - color / All-day Zinc Air Batteries Intro'd: shot of
the battery next to PC.

MINIDISC951108 - color / MiniDisk As Floppy Successor?: hand holds
Sharp MiniDisk, with nice blue skies background.

VIEWER951102 - color / Accent Software Intros Free Multi-Language
Web Browser: screenshot.

SBANK951108 - color / Softbank To Announce Ziff Purchase Tomorrow:
screenshot of PCWeek/Softbank homepage.

DRUGSTOR951108 - color / Pharmacist On A Disk: screenshot of the
over-the-counter pain killer screen.

POWERDSK951106 - color / Microhelp Intros Windows 95 Desktop Utility:
the PowerDesk Toolbar. (There is no GIF version)

JPOSTA951106 - color / Internet Users Gather In Shock At
Assassination: screenshot of Jerusalem Post homepage with news
of the Rabin assassination.

WALES19951101 - color / Wales Tourist Board Plugs Into The Web:
homepage screenshot.

WINTNG951103 - color / Microsoft Press Offers Windows 95 Interactive
Training:  bookcover.

HOMEREC951102 - b&w / US West Puts Receptionist In Your Home: shot
of the phone unit.

(Newsbytes/19951127)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/27/95
TELECOM
UK - Warning Over "Christmas Present Phones"

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00012)
UK - Warning Over "Christmas Present Phones" 11/27/95
BOREHAMWOOD, HERTFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 NOV 27 (NB) -- Mercury
One-2-One, one of the UK's two PCN (personal communications network)
digital phone networks, has warned that many mobile phones sold this
Christmas may prove to be a financial burden to either the giver or,
perhaps worse still, the recipient.

Paul Donovan, sales and marketing director with the company, explained
that, while mobiles can make an ideal Christmas present, "as the
saying goes, it's the thought that counts. A little thought at the
point of purchase can make all the difference between a cherished and
much-used gift, and an expensive long-term financial commitment," he
explained.

Donovan is referring, Newsbytes notes, to the price-warping subsidy
effect of the airtime contract on the price of the mobile. Many analog
phones, as well as GSM (global system for mobile communications)
digital mobiles, are being almost given away, with the sign-up
commission paid by the network serving to subsidize the real cost
of the phone.

This effect does not just apply to the UK, but also to the US. In the
run-up to the Comdex Fall computer show in Las Vegas earlier this
month, Newsbytes noted that Radio Shack and Cellular One were giving
phones away for a penny, provided the subscriber sign up for a year
or more of service.

Just a few months ago, Mercury One-2-One "unbundled" its handsets from
its SIMs (subscriber identity modules). Since the SIMs are linked to
the subscriber account details, this effectively decoupled the
hardware from the subscription, allowing users of older One-2-One
phones to purchase a new mobile and simply slot their SIM into the new
phone to make full use of it.

Despite this approach, One-2-One phones are still locked to the
network, rather than a subscription account. So, even though a subsidy
on the handset exists, the phone will still be used on the One-2-One
network, although the user has maximum flexibility.

According to Donovan, while handsets can be bought for a matter of a
few pennies, it is factors such as the choice of network, tariff, and
minimum contract terms that will have the maximum impact on the total
true cost of owning a mobile.

To highlight this fact, One-2-One is offering 30 free minutes of
calls a month for a year to anyone signing up to the PCN service until
January 5, 1996. The telco claims that, while this is worth UKP18 to
new subscribers of One-2-One, the equivalent calls would cost UKP23
on Orange's Talk 15 tariff, UKP54 on Vodafone's PersonalWorld, and
UKP61 on Cellnet's Occasional Caller rates.

In parallel with the freebie calls, One-2-One is also offering a
"check back" promotion on several of its phones, including the
Motorola M301 and M400 series, where new subscribers get a UKP50
check. The Amstrad M600, meanwhile, will generate a check for UKP40
for a new subscriber.

"Our Christmas promotion reduces the cost becoming a One-2-One
customer and also vividly demonstrates the extent to which the cost
of calls varies between different mobile tariffs. The extra free 30
minutes of off-peak calls is yet another reason why, on average,
One-2-One customers make savings every month compared with equivalent
tariffs on all other mobile phone networks," Donovan claimed.

In parallel with the One-2-One promotions, Newsbytes notes that,
effective January 1, Hutchison Orange is revamping its dealer
commission contracts. Currently, Orange PCN phones are being sold at
a blanket discount by many dealers, regardless of which tariff the
customer signs up for.

The new dealer packages will allow Orange dealers to continue to offer
healthy discounts on retail prices, provided the subscriber signs up
for a high usage tariff. For lower usage users, however, it seems
likely that such discounts will not be available.

With One-2-One's Christmas promotion, Newsbytes notes that the
advantages of Orange over Mercury One-2-One are rapidly being eroded.
Coupled with One-2-One's progressive "softly softly" rollout of
service in areas such as the North East and the Western Home
Counties -- areas which One-2-One is not officially available yet --
One-2-One is fast becoming a real threat to Orange's claimed dominance
of the PCN market in the UK.

Details of One-2-One can now be found on the company's new World Wide
Web pages, which are located at http://www.one2one.co.uk .

(Steve Gold/19951127/Press Contact: Larkspur Communications, +44-171-
439-1300; Reader Contact: One-2-One, 0500-500121)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/27/95
GENERAL
Novell UK's DeveloperNet For Software Developers

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00013)
Novell UK's DeveloperNet For Software Developers 11/27/95
BRACKNELL, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 NOV 27 (NB) -- Novell UK has
announced the creation of DeveloperNet, a developer relations program
that it claims will serve as the primary communications channel for
delivering the company's corporate technology to software and
associated hardware developers.

According to Kay Richardson, Novell UK's program marketing manager,
the program centers around that ISVs (independent service vendors),
commercial and other developers are now being treated as valued
customers, effectively placing them and their needs first.

"We have worked to put ourselves in the role of developers in order to
better understand their customer requirements. This will help us to
give developers the best opportunity to take advantage of Novell's
leading network technologies, platforms and products, in order to
build successful solutions," she explained.

Andy Baldin, developer relations manager with Novell's Europe,
Middle East and Africa (EMEA) division, echoed Richardson's comments,
noting that a key strategy in establishing an open dialog with
developers is to give those developers a chance to offer their own
input into the developer relations program.

"Our subscription service has the built-in flexibility to respond to
changing developer needs, driven by the goal to continually improve
our processes, products and efficiencies," he claimed.

According to Baldin, the new developer relations program, which is
being rolled out across the entire EMEA region, as well as the US
division, will serve as a "new voice" for developers inside the
Novell organization.

DeveloperNet costs $345 per year to subscribe, with an advance
subscription deal available at $995 per year. Both the base and
advanced subscriptions include the DeveloperNet Kit, a software
development kit (SDK) CD-ROM with quarterly updates and Novell
Developer Notes.

In addition, base subscribers receive one standard incident under the
developer support subscription services and a choice of one Novell
product from a specified list. Subscribers with an advanced
subscription receive three standard developer support incidents and
their choice of three Novell products.

Novell has created a new developer set of World Wide Web pages to
support the new program, located at http://developer.novell.com . Other
new services include: Pro-Active, a private online forum to exchange
daily information on Novell software development; Infoshare, Novell's
faxback service; and a private bulletin board system for developers.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951127/Press Contact: Vivienne Wilson,
Novell Press Operations, [phone], Internet e-mail
[e-mail]; Reader Contact: Novell UK,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/27/95
TELECOM
British Telecom Criticized On Fair Trading

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00014)
British Telecom Criticized On Fair Trading 11/27/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 NOV 27 (NB) -- British Telecom (BT) has
been roundly criticized by Don Cruikshank, the head of Oftel, the
Government-appointed telecoms watchdog in the UK. Cruikshank is
reported to be annoyed at BT's apparent failure to implement fair
trading throughout its business, suggesting that BT felt there was
no harm in carrying out anti-competitive practices "unless and
until the regulator intervenes."

Cruikshank made his comments known at a meeting held last week to
discuss Oftel's plans to introduce a new telecoms license condition
allowing it more discretion as to how it supervises the telecoms
industry.

Although neither BT nor Oftel is making any comment on Cruikshank's
comments to BT, the Financial Times in London claims that Cruikshank
thinks that BT may be stepping out of line on its approach to
consumers.

"I have found repeatedly the only way I can seek to control anti-
competitive practices in relation to individual complaints has been to
seek to change the rules rather than apply them," Cruikshank is
quoted as saying, the Financial Times reports.

The London paper reports that Cruikshank's comments and proposals have
not gone down well at BT. The paper quotes BT's chairman, Sir Iain
Vallance, as telling another meeting at the British Policy Studies
Institute that Oftel's proposals "presage a highly dangerous new form
of regulation, with broad and undefined discretionary, or absolute,
powers vested in a single individual."

Vallance is quoted as accusing Cruikshank of trying to cut BT's market
share "by any and all means that come to hand."

The apparently deteriorating relationship between Cruikshank and
Vallance comes at a time when Oftel has been criticized itself for
being a toothless tiger when it comes to dealing with BT. Over the
last few months, Newsbytes notes, Cruikshank has been raising how own
profile, as well as that of Oftel, by talking at length to the media.

It appears that this new strategy may not be going down too well with
BT's board and, in particular, Sir Iain Vallance.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951127/Press & Reader Contact: Oftel,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/27/95
BROADCAST
Fuji's Film Image Capture Device, Digital Cameras

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(DEN)(00015)
Fuji's Film Image Capture Device, Digital Cameras 11/27/95
ELMSFORD, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 27 (NB) -- Fuji Photo Film USA
Inc. has introduced an image capture device that can input images
from slides, negatives, or prints into a personal computer, and two
digital card cameras designed for professional photographers.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95112715.PCX
Click here for photo

Fuji said the image capture device can also capture images of small
products and three-dimensional (3-D) objects to see how they will
look on-screen before putting them on film.

The Fujix Photo-video Imager FV-7 operates like a combination low
resolution scanner and camera. It uses a 410,000 pixel image
sensor that Fuji said provides video resolution at about 450 dots-
per-inch (dpi) from a 35 millimeter (mm) film original. Output is
available in S-video and composite video to make the FV-7 compatible
with video capture boards, televisions, video recorders, video
printers, and presentation projectors.

The FV-7 measures four-inches by 2.5-inches by 8.5-inches. Two legs
unfold so it can stand upright, and the unit weighs just under two
pounds. It uses a Fujinon 2x zoom lens and has both automatic and
manual color balance controls. The system has a suggested retail
price of $895.

Fuji's new filmless digital card cameras, the DS-505 and DS-515,
use CCD (charge coupled device) and digital imaging processing
technology. The company claims the new cameras are the first
digital single-lens-reflex systems to capture the entire viewfinder
image on CCD. Fuji said the light concentration relayed to the CCD
has an effective film speed rating of ISO 800. A selector lets the
user switch to the equivalent of ISO 1600 when shooting in low-light
conditions.

The standard model DS-505 can take continuous pictures at one frame-
per-second (fps). The continuous exposure model DS-515 has an internal
memory that can store up to seven continuous shots at 3fps. Both
cameras include auto focus, auto exposure, and automatic white balance.

Images are stored on a high-speed PC card that meets the PCMCIA
(Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) standard.
A single 15 megabyte (MB) card can store up to 84 compressed
images. The stored images can be transferred as digital images to
a IBM-compatible or Macintosh computer equipped with a PC card
reader.

The DS-505 has a suggested retail price of $12,780, while the
DS-515, with its internal memory, sells for $16,020. Suggested
prices do not include lenses.

(Jim Mallory/19951127/Press contact: Thomas Shay, Edelman Public
Relations for Fuji Photo Film, 914-789-8145; Public contact:
Fuji, 800-378-3854/IMAGER951127 or FUJICAM951127/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/27/95
TELECOM
Call-Net & Unitel Spar Over AT&T Stake

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00016)
Call-Net & Unitel Spar Over AT&T Stake 11/27/95
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 NOV 27 (NB) -- Call-Net Enterprises Inc.
(TSE,ME:CN; NASDAQ:CNEBF), whose subsidiary Sprint Canada Inc. competes
in the Canadian long-distance market, is challenging AT&T's (NYSE:T)
purchase of a larger stake in rival long-distance carrier Unitel
Communications Inc.

Call-Net has gone to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications
Commission (CRTC) with a complaint that a deal announced in late
September contravenes legal restrictions on foreign ownership of a
Canadian telecommunications carrier. The deal would give AT&T 20 percent
direct ownership of Unitel plus one third of a holding company that in
turn owns the other 80 percent of Unitel stock.

Juri Koor, chairman, president, and chief executive of Call-Net, told
Newsbytes there are two issues involved. First is a dispute about whether
two allowable forms of foreign ownership are mutually exclusive. The
second issue -- and the more important, Koor said -- concerns the more
subjective question of "control in fact."

Canadian law says a foreign shareholder cannot hold more than 20 percent
of a telecommunications carrier directly. However, the remaining 80
percent may be owned by a "qualified corporation" and the definition of
a qualified corporation says foreign interests may have as much 33-1/3
percent control.

Speaking at a seminar on the Canadian telecommunications market in
Toronto in September, lawyer Jack Quinn, a partner in Blake, Cassels &
Graydon of Toronto, described this as a loophole that allows a foreign
interest to control as much as 46.6 percent of a Canadian carrier. It is
this loophole that AT&T exploited in increasing its Unitel stake.

However, Koor said his company understands the 20 percent direct ownership
and 33-1/3 percent ownership of a holding company to be mutually exclusive.
He added that Call-Net itself has been limited by this interpretation of
the rule. Sprint Communications Co. of Kansas City, an American
long-distance carrier, owns 25 percent of Call-Net.

Regardless how the rules on ownership of actual shares are interpreted,
though, Koor said the more telling issue is that of "control in fact." The
law says that a foreign interest may not have effective control of a
Canadian carrier, and Koor maintained that AT&T now has that. The other
shareholders in Unitel are banks and venture capitalists. The CRTC has the
authority to decide whether a foreign shareholder has de facto control of
a carrier.

Carleen Carroll, a spokeswoman for Unitel, told Newsbytes that Call-Net's
protest is premature because details of the deal increasing AT&T's stake
are still to be worked out and presented to the CRTC and the federal
government for approval. She said Call-Net is "worried about a
revitalized Unitel."

AT&T increased its stake in Unitel after two other major shareholders
walked away from their interests in the money-losing carrier.

(Grant Buckler/19951127/Press Contact: Juri Koor, Call-Net,
416-496-4922; Patrick Pichette, 416-496-4925; Carleen Carroll, Unitel,
416-345-2114)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/27/95
ONLINE
ATM Technology Boosts Canada's Internet Backbone

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TOR)(00017)
ATM Technology Boosts Canada's Internet Backbone 11/27/95
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 NOV 27 (NB) -- The use of asynchronous
transfer mode (ATM) technology to run Canada's commercial Internet
backbone and the National Test Network (NTN) as virtual networks on
the same set of optical fibers will increase Internet capacity across
the country, officials said.

The Canadian Network for the Advancement of Research, Industry and
Education (CANARIE), which operates the NTN, announced an agreement
with CA*net, which runs the commercial Internet backbone in Canada, to
combine the two networks on a single set of fiber.

Bill St. Arnaud, director of network projects for CANARIE in Ottawa,
told Newsbytes that CA*net and the NTN will run as separate virtual
networks over the same optical fiber infrastructure. This will be
possible thanks to ATM technology, which will also allow other virtual
networks to run over the same fiber in the future, St. Arnaud said.

As a result, the National Test Network will be beefed up from T3 speeds
of 45 megabits-per-second (Mbps) to OC3 speeds of 155 Mbps and will
later be upgraded to even higher speeds, spokeswoman Lynn O'Keefe of
CANARIE told Newsbytes.

Meanwhile, CA*net has gone from 1.5 Mbps to 10 Mbps on connections
within Canada, said Ken Fockler, president of CA*net Networking Inc.
in Toronto. CA*net's connections across the border to the United States
at Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver have been upgraded from multiple
1.5 megabit connections to 45 megabit T3 links, Fockler told Newsbytes.

St. Arnaud said the arrangement makes Canada the first country in the
world to put its national commercial and research networks on a single
ATM-based fiber network. The NTN links 12 provincial and municipal
research networks, while CA*net ties together 13 Internet service
providers.

Officials said the design and implementation of the combined network
was completed in less than four months.

(Grant Buckler/19951127/Press Contact: Lynn O'Keefe, CANARIE,
613-660-3507; Ken Fockler, CA*net, 905-405-6212; Bill Milliken,
Industry Canada, 613-995-9001)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/27/95
BUSINESS
Canada's IStar Internet Goes Public, Buys 3 Companies

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00018)
Canada's IStar Internet Goes Public, Buys 3 Companies 11/27/95
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 NOV 27 (NB) -- Istar Internet Inc., which
claims to be the largest Internet access provider in Canada, has announced
an initial public offering. The company also said it has acquired three
more companies over the past three months and will continue with an
"aggressive" growth strategy.

"We are growing very quickly and require capital to do that," explained
Mike Martineau, vice-president of engineering at IStar and a founder of
NSTN Inc., one of the companies that merged earlier this year to form the
present IStar. Besides the acquisitions already announced, Martineau told
Newsbytes, IStar has several more "in active discussions." The company
hopes to close those deals over the next month to six weeks.

For the time being, IStar is concentrating on buying other access providers
to build a "comprehensive national access service," but Martineau said the
firm also plans to move further into the content side of the Internet
business.

Recently, the company took over access providers InfoRamp in Toronto,
ARNet in Alberta, and Mind Link! Communications Corp. in Vancouver.
IStar currently claims to have about 35 percent of the Canadian access
provider market.

The final prospectus for the initial public offering has been filed and
IStar hopes its stock will begin trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange in
December, company officials said.

Martineau said customers of IStar and the companies it is acquiring will
not have to change their Internet addresses as a result of the takeovers.
Customers whose addresses use domain names such as "nstn" and "inforamp"
will keep the old addresses, he said, although new customers will be
assigned to a new domain.

He added that IStar is working on upgrading its infrastructure. One current
project is replacing the 14,400 bits-per-second (bps) modems used in former
NSTN points-of-presence with 28,800 bps modems, he said. This is expected
to be completed over the next six to eight weeks. The company is also
adding bandwidth to its network, aiming for a "no busy signal" policy,
said Martineau.

IStar Internet Inc. was created in July through the merger of NSTN with
I*Internet Inc. of Ottawa. Martineau said the merged company is
maintaining operations at NSTN's former headquarters in Dartmouth, Nova
Scotia, and in fact has been increasing staff there since the merger.

IStar Internet has a World Wide Web site at http://www.istar.ca .

(Grant Buckler/19951124/Press Contact: Betty Alexander, Hill & Knowlton
for IStar Internet, 416-480-7336; Public Contact: IStar Internet,
613-780-2200, fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/27/95
GENERAL
Canadian Product Launch Update

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00019)
Canadian Product Launch Update 11/27/95
KINGSTON, ONTARIO, CANADA 1995 NOV 27 (NB) -- This regular feature,
appearing on the first day Newsbytes publishes each week, provides
further details for the Canadian market on announcements by international
companies that Newsbytes has already covered. This week: Computer
Associates adds AgentWorks and other technologies to its Unicenter
system management software.

Computer Associates Canada Ltd. followed the lead of its US parent in
announcing that the AgentWorks technology acquired in the recent
takeover of Legent Corp., as well as new Single Sign-On and System Alert
Management features, will be added to CA-Unicenter at no additional cost
(Newsbytes, Nov. 8).

In fact, CA Canada said it is reducing the entry-level price of Unicenter,
systems management software for a variety of Unix and other platforms, by
43 percent in an effort to build market share. Entry-level prices go from
C$700 per power unit to C$400 per power unit, the company said.

(Grant Buckler/19951127/Press Contact: John Schoutsen, Computer
Associates Canada, tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/27/95
GENERAL
Japan Newsbriefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00020)
Japan Newsbriefs 11/27/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 27 (NB) -- In this roundup of news from Japan:
US demands more deregulation; HDTV receivers pass 100,000; Netscape,
Sun, IIJ most popular in corporate Japan; Kodak, Canon join in digital
camera production; New cable venture planned; Asian Internet venture
gets name.

US Demands More Deregulation

The United States government formally requested to the Japanese
government deregulation and access to several areas of the Japanese
marketplace late last week. Among the demands, which covered
industries from distribution to construction, were several in the
telecommunications field. The US is demanding a lifting of
restrictions on foreign investment on basic telecommunications
services, the publishing of regulations on requirements for getting a
cable TV license with details of the part local authorities play, and
the disclosure by Nippon Telegraph and Telephone of its network
interface protocols so foreign telecommunications equipment can more
easily interface with Japanese systems.

HDTV Receivers Pass 100,000

Over 100,000 televisions and video recorders with the capability to
handle and display high definition television in the Hi-Vision format
have now been sold in Japan. When the system was launched in 1992, just
10,000 sets were sold, with 1993 registering just 11,000. Sales began
to rise slowly in 1994 when 23,000 sets were sold. Several new and
lower priced sets from manufacturers, and the beginning of regular
Hi-Vision broadcasts, now 12 hours a day via satellite, has resulted
in strong consumer demand this year. The cheapest sets can now be
bought for around 300,000 yen ($3,000). In addition, a further 180,000
Hi-Vision to NTSC (North American Television Standards Committee)
converters have been sold enabling people to receive and view the
special broadcasts, albeit in 525 line mode rather than the full
1,125 lines.

Netscape, Sun, IIJ Most Popular In Corporate Japan

A survey by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper and associated Nikkei
Research Inc. has revealed the products corporate Japan favors in
building and establishing Internet services. Of the 368 companies that
responded, 91.5% are using Netscape software with NCSA Mosaic coming
in second. On the hardware side, Sun Microsystems ranks top with 58.2%
of companies using Sun boxes. Second was Digital, followed by Fujitsu,
IBM, Silicon Graphics, and NEC. Sony ranked tenth. When asked where
they got Internet access from, IIJ (Internet Initiative Japan) was the
most popular provider, with Fujitsu's Info Web, and AT&T Jens Corp.'s
Spin services ranking second, and third.

Kodak, Canon Join In Digital Camera Production

Kodak Japan and Canon are to produce a new digital still camera. The
EOS-DCS-1 camera will be based on Canon's EOS-1N and go on retail sale
in late December. It will feature a CCD (charge coupled device) camera
pickup with a resolution of six million pixels said the two companies.
The 32-bit color camera will record images on removable memory modules
and retail for 3.6 million yen ($35,294) in Japan. Digital cameras are
becoming more popular at all ends of the market with the cheapest,
from Konica, now available for around 30,000 yen ($300).

New Cable Venture Planned

Another experiment in the expanding world of cable television has been
announced. Marubeni Corporation, a major trading company, will team
with IBM Japan and Tokyo Cable Network to offer software to PC owners
across the network. Tokyo Cable says around half of its 60 channels
are currently unoccupied allowing enough bandwidth to offer services
at speeds between 4 and 10 megabits per second.

Asian Internet Venture Gets Name

The joint venture company between Sumitomo Corporation, IIJ (Internet
Initiative Japan), Singapore Pacific Internet and Hong Kong Super Net
now has a name. A-bone was incorporated in Japan last week and will
now begin working towards its goal of a pan Asian Internet backbone.
A-bone is capitalized at 600 million yen ($5.9 million).

(Martyn Williams/19951127)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/27/95
ONLINE
Internet Update

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00021)
Internet Update 11/27/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 27 (NB) -- In this roundup of new resources and
services on the global Internet: Free concert this week; The interview
online; The best of Japan; UK budget day approaches ...; Ken Saro Wiwa
condolence book; New on Usenet; Court TV law center; Iowa local index;
Guide to good dining.

Free Concert This Week

Mitsubishi Electric is sponsoring the feed of a live performance by
the world-famous Japanese musician, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and sensational
visual artist Daizaburo Harada, on the Internet later this week. The
concert will be relayed live from Tokyo's Budokan Hall, at 1830 on
Thursday November 30 (Tokyo time), or 0430 EST and 1:30 PST. More
information can be found on the World Wide Web.
World Wide Web: http://www.sdw.com/DandL/

The Interview Online

The text of the BBC's interview with Princess Diana last week is now
available online from the Press Association, the UK's leading domestic
news agency. The PA has also loaded pictures and articles covering the
reaction of the TV interview onto its Web site.
World Wide Web: http://www.pa.press.net/

The Best Of Japan

Island Telecommunications has begun offering an easy way to the best
that the Japanese Internet has to offer. Its J-links site includes
site reviews, information about cool and interesting Web servers
and a meta-index of other Japanese Web indicies.
World Wide Web: http://www.islandtel.com/j-links.html

UK Budget Day Approaches ...

On Tuesday, the UK's Chancellor of the Exchequer delivers his budget
for the coming year. The full text of the speech will be available
immediately after it ends via the British government's Web server. The
folks at Synchro-Net, the UK Business Resource Site, will also make
available the full text of a commentary on the budget.
World Wide Web: http://www.open.gov.uk/
World Wide Web: http://www.demon.co.uk/eismp/

Ken Saro Wiwa Condolence Book

An online book of condolences has been opened for the executed
Nigerian environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa. The book is being run
by nigeria.com, an organization that focuses Nigerian affairs from a
Nigerian perspective.
World Wide Web: http://www.nigeria.com/hy-nigeria/get/boards/ken.html

New On Usenet

Several groups have passed the Usenet voting process recently. Among
new groups that should begin appearing on news servers soon are
rec.crafts.dollhouses, comp.graphics.apps.freehand, soc.history.medieval,
and rec.travel.africa. The soc.religion.vaishnava has also passed as a
moderated group, while talk.politics.sex-work failed the vote.
Usenet: news:comp.graphics.apps.freehand
Usenet: news:rec.crafts.dollhouses
Usenet: news:rec.travel.africa
Usenet: news:soc.history.medieval
Usenet: news:soc.religion.vaishnava

Court TV Law Center

The latest of a long list of TV network Web sites belongs to Court TV,
a US cable network dedicated to coverage of cases from the nation's
court system. The Web server includes updates and documents from
current cases, resources for legal problems, and inside news from
Court TV.
World Wide Web: http://www.courttv.com/

Iowa Local Index

The State of Iowa now has its own Web page. Run by the Iowa Department
of General Services form the state capital Des Moines, it provides
links to public and private resources statewide, including educational
resources from K-12 to colleges, universities and libraries. A section
is also included on the coming elections next year.
World Wide Web: http://www.state.ia.us/index.html

Guide To Good Dining

When you're feeling hungry and the Pizza Hut Web server just won't
do...The Digital Dining Directory and Guide offers reviews and menus
from over 300,000 restaurants across the United States. Also, just
online, is The Diner's Grapevine. Billed as "the premier online guide
to restaurants." You can search the database by location, cuisine,
price range, atmosphere, features, and entertainment, then see a
sample menu, and a location map.
World Wide Web: http://www.menu-net.com/ddd/
World Wide Web: http://www.dinersgrapevine.com/

(Martyn Williams/19951127)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/27/95
TELECOM
Telephone Over Cable Made Easier

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LAX)(00022)
Telephone Over Cable Made Easier 11/27/95
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 27 (NB) -- First Pacific Networks
Inc. (NASDAQ: FPNX) has announced an enhancement to its hybrid
fiber/coax (HFC) products which the company claims will improve the
quality of telephony over cable. The company's new Digital Transmission
Unit (DTU) is claimed to reduce the noise or interference that builds
up on a HFC network.

Hybrid fiber/coax is a network of fiber optic lines running from
either a telephone company or a cable television provider, to a nodule
serving around 200 homes. The nodule has fiber running to it, and
coaxial cable from it to the homes. When up and running, such a
network would provide the equivalent of a T1 line into every home.

HFC will provide enough broadband capability to offer, on the same
line, full telephony and cable television services. The telephone
company will be able to offer cable television, and the cable
companies will be able to offer full telephone services. Virtually
every telephone company and cable operation is planning and
implementing HFC networks. Some observers say that, nearly every
day, a new HFC trial is being announced.

First, Pacific Networks concentrates on providing cable operators
with the technology to offer telephone services over a HFC network.

Gregg Ioffe, an engineer with First Pacific Networks, told Newsbytes,
"The big problem facing an integrated telephony cable television
network is the noise created on the reverse path from the home
to the head-end. Forward path (from head-end to home) is somewhat
controlled by their being only one transmission source. The reverse
path, however, accumulates noise from hundreds of transmissions
(from the home to the head-end). It is this reverse path accumulated
noise that is the big technological hurdle for an integrated HFC
network."

The company says the DTU will reduce noise on the reverse path. The
DTU will reportedly support multiple transmission paths between the
service provider's trunk facilities and standard remote intelligent
access multiplexers. Only active circuits are transmitted, thus
conserving the use of precious channel capacity. If a single voice
circuit is in use on a connection, only that circuit will be
transmitted over the cable plant instead of the entire frame, said
the company.

"The DTU provides a transparent interface between a digital central
office switch and remote access multiplexers over a hybrid fiber/coax
network, helping service providers match the deployment of
telephony-on-cable equipment against their competition," said Ioffe.

"The flexibility and expandability of the First Pacific Network
product family allows service providers to select a deployment
strategy that balances equipment costs with subscriber revenues,"
said Peter Thomas, president of First Pacific Networks. "Utilizing
the DTU, a service provider can increase the number of telephone-on-
cable subscribers in high density environments, while reducing
equipment and capital investment requirements."

(Richard Bowers/19951127/Press Contact: James J. Dougherty,
First Pacific Networks, 408-943-7600)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/27/95
SUPERCOMPUTER
Maui Supercomputer Tests Sybase Database

(NEWS)(SUPERCOMPUTER)(LAX)(00023)
Maui Supercomputer Tests Sybase Database 11/27/95
EMERYVILLE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 27 (NB) -- Sybase Inc.
(NASDAQ: SYBS), has announced results of a test conducted at the Maui
High Performance Computing Center (MHPCC). Sybase MPP (previously
called Sybase Navigation Server) was tested on an IBM RS/6000 scalable
POWERparallel system using 128 high performance reduced instruction
set computer (RISC) processors.

Sybase MPP is the firm's scalable, open parallel database for large
decision support applications.

The MHPCC was developed and is managed by a consortium led by the
University of New Mexico under a cooperative agreement administered by
Phillips Laboratory, United States Air Force. It houses the world's
second largest installation of the IBM RS/6000 SP systems, with a
total of 480 processors, offering a capacity of 125 billion
calculations per second (125 gigaflops).

The demonstration consisted of a credit-card database containing a
100 million-row table distributed across all of the processors. A
graphical interface displayed 12 different queries running against
the 100 million-row database. A variety of database queries were
performed, including a variety of complex queries and traditional
credit card queries for gathering information on account balances,
summaries by customer, and summaries by region.

The results compiled by the Maui test center showed that the Sybase
MPP demonstrated near-linear scalability from one to 16, 64, and 128
nodes, and scalability of over 99 percent across the range of 128
processors, said the company.

"The MHPCC is a test bed for scalable parallel technologies," said
Margaret Lewis, associate director of marketing for MHPCC. "This
demonstration allowed us to showcase the outstanding scalability of
Sybase MPP on 128 processors of our IBM RS/6000 SP system. Not
only did Sybase MPP scale well, it balanced the workload efficiently
over the processors. Customers who need to solve large-scale data
mining and data warehousing problems will be very interested in
Sybase MPP."

Michael Bremmer, vice president of production for Sybase Enterprise,
told Newsbytes, "Sybase MPP is the first and only production open
systems data base management system which provides near-linear
scalability and parallelism on all database operations. Unlike
other parallel products on the market, Sybase MPP has been designed
for a no-contention parallel environment and near-perfect scalability
to support terabytes of data on hundreds of processors. This
demonstration on the IBM RS/6000 SP demonstrates the stability and
portability of Sybase MPP."

Sybase MPP is  a member of the Sybase System 11 family of database
products. Bremmer claims, "It is the only portable parallel database
product with a "shared-nothing" architecture for solving the largest
database problems in decision support, data mining, and data
warehousing. It is uniquely architected to distribute large databases
across dozens to hundreds of independent processors, allowing all
database operations to be performed in parallel. Sybase MPP includes
parallel database queries, stored procedures, inserts, deletes, and
complex table joins. These capabilities enable Sybase MPP to scale
with near-linear performance on a variety of computing platforms."

Sybase MPP is in production today on the AT&T 3000 series of
systems. A beta version for the IBM RS/6000 SP is available today,
and beta versions for Hewlett-Packard's HP 9000 family of business
servers, and clusters of Sun Microsystems' SPARCcluster 1000/2000
PDB (parallel database), are currently scheduled to be available
this quarter.

Pricing for Sybase MPP, which is based on the processor
configuration supported, starts at $110,000.

(Richard Bowers/19951127/Press Contact: Vallee Hubbard, Sybase,
415-512-0500)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/27/95
TRENDS
 ****Nintendo Ultra 64 Game System Intro'd

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(DEN)(00024)
 ****Nintendo Ultra 64 Game System Intro'd 11/27/95
MAKUHARI, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 27 (NB) -- Nintendo Co. Ltd. has introduced
its Nintendo Ultra 64 home video game to the world at the company's
annual video game exhibition, called Shoshinkai, that was held over
the past weekend.

Nintendo is leapfrogging competitors Sega, Sony, and 3DO with the
64-bit Ultra, which a spokesperson told Newsbytes will be sold as
the Nintendo 64 in Japan. Those companies have already introduced
machines with 32-bit processors, referring to the speed the data is
processed. Nintendo elected to skip the 32-bit step and, instead, be
the first to bring a 64-bit game to market. Faster chips allow
games to offer more realistic video and respond more quickly.

Nintendo did stick with plug-in cartridge games rather than
switching to compact disks like its competitors. When the company
made that decision in 1994, it said CD-ROMs, despite their higher
storage capacity, take more time to access data.

The new machine has a feature called a "memory pack," a
microcassette-size memory storage unit that can be plugged into
the back of the controller. That allows players to save their
current position in the game, turn it off, and later pick up where
they left off.

Dallas, Texas-based Paradigm Simulation is one of the first
developers to announced a game for the Ultra 64. The company
unveiled its flight simulation game Pilotwings 64 at Shoshinkai.

Pilotwings 64 is a sequel to Pilotwings, which sold over two million
copies for the Super NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) machine.
Paradigm said it developed the game with Vega Ultravision, a
software tool for the development of three-dimensional (3-D) games.

Pilotwings 64 includes first and third person views, several
different aircraft and multiple roles to choose from, realistic
landscapes, special effects and animation and several playing
levels to accommodate players' various skill levels.

A Paradigm spokesperson told Newsbytes Pilotwings 64 will ship
in April, 1996. Pricing hasn't been announced yet, she said.

Ultra 64 uses a Silicon Graphics Reality coprocessor and a MIPS
RISC (reduced instruction set computing) chip to smooth jagged
edges (jaggies) from objects, and maintain the "natural texture"
of objects independent of how close the player is to the object.

A feature called real-time depth buffering removes hidden surfaces
during the real-time rendering process of a scene, which allows
developers to "create 3-D environments more efficiently," claims
the company.

Automatic load management enables the objects in each scene to
"move smoothly and realistically" by automatically tuning the
graphics processing, according to Silicon Graphics.

Nintendo said Ultra 64 is scheduled to ship in the US in April,
1996, with a price tag of about $250.

The game will be displayed at the Consumer Electronics Show that
opens January 5, 1996 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

(Jim Mallory/19951127/Press contact: Melinda Conkling, Springbok
Technologies for Paradigm, 214-480-9458 or Alison Holt
Brummelkamp, Golin/Harris for Nintendo, 213-623-4200)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/27/95
TRENDS
PC Data's October Best-Seller List

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(WAS)(00025)
PC Data's October Best-Seller List 11/27/95
RESTON, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 27 (NB) -- Few changes show
up in the October list of hot-selling software from PC Data.
The top spot in the software hit parade remains remarkably
stable in the dozen categories the Virginia market research
company tracks.

In the PC games category for DOS and Windows, Microsoft Flight
Simulator moved up from second to first place, and Broderbund's
Myst moved up from fourth to second.

In the home education category for DOS and Windows, Disney's
Winnie the Pooh jumped from fifth to first, and Mavis Beacon
Teaches Typing from Mindscape soared to second from off the
charts in September.

And in the business software category for the Macintosh
operating system, Ram Doubler from Connectix edged upward from
second to first place, and Symantec's Norton Utilities leapt
from sixth to second.

In the other nine categories the first place leader in September
duplicated the feat in October. In Macintosh games, GT
Interactive's Doom II held down first, while Mavis Beacon
Teaches Typing continued in first for Macintosh home education.
In the CD-ROM category, the Microsoft Windows 95 upgrade
continued a dominance that dates back to August.

In the DOS business software category, Microsoft's DOS 6.2
upgrade continued to hold down first place, while the Windows
95 upgrade continued to dominate the Windows business software
category. In the DOS/Windows personal productivity category,
Intuit's Quicken continued a long ride in first place, as well
as holding down the top slot on the Macintosh personal
productivity list.

For reference software, Microsoft's Encarta continued in first,
and in the Windows 95 category the Microsoft upgrade continued
on top.

Demonstrating its software muscle, Microsoft held down first
place in six of PC Data's 12 categories.

(Kennedy Maize/19951127/Press Contact: Nicole Field,
703-435-1025)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/27/95
GOVT
Electronic Engineers Back High-Tech Immigration Limits

(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00026)
Electronic Engineers Back High-Tech Immigration Limits 11/27/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 NOV 27 (NB) -- The US arm of the
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers this week will
announce its support for a law that would limit immigration of
high-tech professionals into the US.

The IEEE-USA will pledge its support to S 1394, the Immigration
Reform Act of 1995, at a Washington press conference on
Wednesday, when the bill is scheduled for markup by the Senate
immigration subcommittee.

The legislation, introduced by Sen. Alan Simpson (R-Wyo.), is
opposed by the high-tech industries, which claim that they face
a shortage of domestic workers in fields such as programming and
system engineering.

The supporters of the Simpson bill argue that employers are
using immigration to undercut high-paying US jobs in the
computer and electronics industries.

Joel Snyder, chairman of the IEEE-USA board, will deliver a
joint statement along with representatives of other high-tech
professional groups, backing the Simpson bill. The high-tech
workers argue that the Simpson bill will safeguard wages and
working conditions for US labor and help protect foreign workers
from exploitation.

Snyder says the Simpson bill is "a reasonable, balanced approach
to immigration reform that accommodates US industry's legitimate
needs for certain specialized foreign potential."

The IEEE-USA represents some 230,000 US electrical, electronics,
and computer engineers, and is best known for its participation
in professional and technical issues, including publishing the
magazine IEEE Spectrum.

(Kennedy Maize/19951127/Press Contact: Christopher Currie,
202-785-0017)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/27/95
BUSINESS
 ****Symantec Completes Delrina Acquisition

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00027)
 ****Symantec Completes Delrina Acquisition 11/27/95
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 27 (NB) -- Less than
five months after announcing its intention to acquire forms and
communications software specialist, Delrina (TOR:DC) of Toronto,
Canada, Symantec (NASDAQ:SYMC) says the deal is complete and Delrina
is now a Symantec subsidiary. Early estimates valued the deal at
$415 million.

Best known for its WinFax software, Delrina recently added Cyberjack,
an Internet/Windows 95 communications software to its line of
products and services which also includes electronic forms, various
consumer software products, and a Canadian bulletin board service,
CRS Online.

Following the trend to incorporate Internet, Windows 95 and network
technology into many software applications, the deal brings added
Internet access tools into the Symantec stable and also makes it
one of the largest communications and electronic forms suppliers
in the world.

Delrina spokesperson, Joseph Zankowicz, told Newsbytes, "Cyberjack
has created a lot of excitement among veteran Internet users. It is the
first 32-bit Internet access software incorporating object-oriented
technology. Cyberjack is the next-generation Internet access and
application software. To call it a browser would not do it justice. It
makes all the Internet applications such as FTP, Gopher and others, as
easy to use as the World Wide Web." Cyberjack is expected to ship in
the next two weeks.

Zankowicz continued, "Now that the deal is complete, we are the
world's largest personal computer communications software company."

As mentioned in previous Newsbytes' coverage, the deal is based on
converting Delrina's common shares to an exchangeable share of
Delrina stock at a rate of 0.61 for each common share. Holders of
Delrina exchangeable shares can trade for Symantec shares anytime
within the next seven years. Common shares of Delrina will no
longer be traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange, but activity of the
exchangeable shares will be listed.

Delrina co-founders, Mark Skapinker and Bert Amato will remain with
the new subsidiary. Delrina's chairman and chief executive officer,
Dennis Bennie, is now an executive vice president and Symantec board
member. He will manage Delrina's communication group, which is
expanded to include Symantec's PCanywhere product group. A 32-bit
Windows 95 and Windows NT version of PCanywhere was introduced at
Comdex recently. The remote control software allows mobile users to
access desktop systems and won Byte magazine's Best of Comdex award
in the communications software category.

Expect to see Delrina products brought into Symantec, much like the
Peter Norton acquisition brought Norton products into Symantec.

The disposition of Canada's largest bulletin board, CRS Online,
remains a mystery. When asked what would happen to the service as a
result of the acquisition, Delrina politely offered a "no comment
at this time" response.

Symantec products and services reach from the desktop of the average
consumer user to the enterprise. Mike Sweeny, spokesperson for
Symantec, told Newsbytes, "This deal greatly expands both our
communications and our forms strengths. Combined, the companies are
introducing a number of important new products, and during 1996, we
expect to announce and deliver more 32-bit communications
applications which will leverage the programming features of
Windows 95 and NT."

(Patrick McKenna/19951127/Press Contact: Josef Zankowicz, Delrina,
416-441-4658; Michael Sweeny, Symantec, 408-446-7142)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/27/95
BUSINESS
 ****Novell Cuts 400 Jobs, No buyer For Business Apps

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00028)
 ****Novell Cuts 400 Jobs, No buyer For Business Apps 11/27/95
OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 27 (NB) -- Almost hidden during the
usual hoopla that surrounds the Comdex trade show last week was the
announcement by Novell Inc. (NASDAQ:NOVL) that it had sent pink slips
to about 420 people in its Business Applications Division.

The cuts are related to Novell's decision to rid itself of its
business applications and concentrate on its core business,
networking software for personal computers. The employees affected
work in the business applications division and in related support
functions worldwide in jobs like technical support, engineering,
and marketing.

About 350 workers getting their layoff notices work in Orem, Utah,
the site of Novell's corporate headquarters. The rest work at
various sites throughout the United States and around the world.

A company spokesperson told Newsbytes the cuts represent about 20
percent of the Business Application Division's total strength. All
the employees affected in the current round of cuts have been
notified.

Novell still isn't revealing the names of the potential suitors
for the Business Applications Division's products, which include
the Quattro Pro spreadsheet, Presentations, Wordperfect,
InfoCentral and Envoy, and the PerfectOffice software suite that
includes several of those products.

There are reportedly at least three companies that have expressed
interest in all or some of those applications, and Novell said it
expects to complete the sale by the end of its first fiscal quarter,
which ends January 27, 1995. A company spokesperson told Newsbytes
it's just a matter of seeing who will offer the most money.

Novell paid about $145 million for Quattro Pro in March, 1994, and
$855 million for WordPerfect in June, 1994. The Wordperfect deal
was believed to be the biggest software merger in history, and
presented Novell the opportunity to mount a serious challenge to
Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT).

Novell said it will conduct an outplacement job fair in the Provo,
Utah area this week that will see more than 20 Utah employers on
hand to conduct interviews.

Departing workers will get the standard Novell severance package,
which includes at least six weeks pay and is based on the number of
years with the company. Novell is also making outplacement services
available in an attempt to help find the workers new jobs.

(Jim Mallory/19951127/Press contact: Melanie King, Novell,
408-577-8975)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
95 11/27/95
WINDOWS
Lotus Intros SmartSuite 96 For Windows

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(BOS)(00029)
Lotus Intros SmartSuite 96 For Windows 95 11/27/95
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 27 (NB) -- Lotus used
input from a study by International Techvantage Group in creating
the newly released SmartSuite 96 Edition for Windows 95, said Lotus's
Kathleen Hayner, in a briefing for Newsbytes. The product adds
LotusScript, a new SmartCenter, and OLE (object linking and embedding)
2.0 for all Lotus desktop applications, plus new World Wide Web and
team computing capabilities across Word Pro, Freelance, and Approach.

"SmartSuite 96 is for Notes as well as non-Notes users," Hayner
told Newsbytes. Starting with SmartSuite 96, LotusScript, the
same scripting language used in the upcoming Lotus Notes Release
4, will be available as a shared component across all of Lotus's
Windows 95 products.

But newly updated, 32-bit versions of Lotus's Word Pro, Freelance
Graphics, and Approach also bring new Web access/authoring and
collaborative computing tools, plus other new features, such as
simplified database querying capabilities in Approach, that are
geared to both personal and group productivity, according to the
Lotus group marketing manager.

Within the US through March of next year, Lotus will bundle
America Online (AOL)'s new Global Network Navigator (GNN) for Web
browsing and access with both SmartSuite 96 for Windows 95 and
SmartSuite 4.0 for Windows 3.1, Hayner reported.

Also, in the new SmartSuite 96, "You can publish documents
directly to the Web from directly inside either Word Pro or
Freelance," she noted. Outside of Word Pro-to-HTML (hypertext
markup language) document conversion and live Web browsing, the
new Word Pro 96 Edition for Windows 95 is designed to allow
automatic WebCrawler searching on highlighted text, along with
the ability to open and save files from FTP (File Transfer
Protocol) servers. Other new capabilities in Word Pro include
Divider Tabs and Ask the Expert.

Aside from "Publish to the Internet," which provides the ability
to publish presentations to the Web in HTML (hypertext markup language)
format, Freelance Graphics 96 Edition for Windows 95 adds new Content
SmartMasters and Smart Diagramming, Newsbytes was told. For viewing
presentations in Freelance format, Lotus is providing free
downloads of its Freelance Graphics Mobile Screen Show player
directly from its home page at http://www.lotus.com .

SmartSuite 96 also encompasses a searchable, indexed Approach
database of top Web sites. New features in Approach 96 Edition
for Windows 95 that are tailored to end users include Find
Assistant, for creating complex database searches, and SQL
(structured query language) assistant, a guide to selecting the
SQL tables, rows and columns to be accessed.

Like 1-2-3, Organizer, ScreenCam, and the other applications in
SmartSuite 96, Approach can now be programmed through
LotusScript, Lotus's "object-oriented Basic programming
language," according to Hayner. Also for programmability,
SmartSuite 96 includes "enhanced support" for OLE 2.0, including
OCXes.

The product's new SmartCenter 96, which is organized around a
"file cabinet" interface, is intended to provide a central place
for launching, accessing, and storing information from all
products in the suite, according to Hayner.

Also in SmartSuite 96, Lotus has expanded on team computing
features in the previously released SmartSuite 4.0 for Windows
3.1 such as TeamMail, TeamReview, TeamConsolidate, and TeamShow,
she asserted. A new TeamSecurity feature, for example, is
designed to provide customized access privileges to entire groups
as well as individual users.

Lotus began its movement toward team computing even before
SmartSuite 4.0, with features like the version manager in Lotus
1-2-3, Hayner pointed out, adding that a new 32-bit edition of
Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows 95 is now in beta.

The Lotus exec also revealed that Lotus used the results a study
by International Techvantage, conducted among 302 randomly
selected US line-of-business (LOB) managers, in developing the
collaborative computing functionality.

An overwhelming 91 percent of the managers said that they
"require input or feedback from others when creating documents,"
according to the report. The study also determined that managers
spend 47 percent of their document preparation time "gathering
input from others (and) reviewing and consolidating information."

As previously reported in Newsbytes, the new Windows 95 edition
of SmartSuite is targeted not only at current SmartSuite
customers, but also at converts from PerfectOffice, an office
suite that Novell intends to put up for sale.

Under a new initiative called "PerfectTime for Lotus SmartSuite,"
Lotus is providing WordPerfect and PerfectOffice users with
discount pricing of $199 and a 90-day money-back guarantee on
either SmartSuite 96 for Windows 95 or SmartSuite 4.0 for Windows
3.1 through December 31.

The promotion also includes elements aimed at a "smooth
transition from WordPerfect to Word Pro," including free
downloads of "self- paced" WordPerfect-to-Word Pro courseware,
and a "dedicated support line," according to Hayner. "Many
WordPerfect users are already users of Lotus 1-2-3, anyway," the
group marketing manager pointed out.

Under another new promotion, called "Team Up with Lotus and Win,"
Lotus is offering prizes that include T-shirts, sports bags,
leather jackets and "a big-screen TV" to end users as well as
resellers. Scratch tickets for the prizes are being packaged with
SmartSuite in addition to Lotus applications through the start of
next year.

Analysts applauded the team computing and personal productivity
features in SmartSuite 96, as well as the integration with Notes
and the Web. "Anyone who's ever had to work with a document that
has been reviewed and edited by five different people knows that
TeamConsolidate is a very useful feature," observed Chris Le
Tocq, president of SoftTracks.

Amy Wohl, president of Wohl Associates, said that Lotus made a
good move in "sticking to its schedule," shipping SmartSuite 96
at a time when some Lotus desktop applications have already been
optimized for Windows 95, while others, such as 1-2-3, are still
being optimized. By neither rushing to ship product immediately
upon the release of Windows 95, nor "delaying the whole suite,"
Lotus is pursuing "the middle ground," the analyst told
Newsbytes.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951127/Reader Contact: Lotus, 800-343-5414;
Press Contact: Laura Beck or Doug Broad, Lois Paul & Partners for
Lotus, 617-862-4514)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00030)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 11/27/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 27 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|           Monday, November 27, 1995            |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network's on the Web! Check out http://www.nbnn.com for
free daily top stories from Newsbytes and its affiliate publications, and
from PC Week, MacWeek, and other Ziff news magazines. A subscription gives
you all the news, full-text, plus the most comprehensive database of past
computer stories online. The keyword-searchable database dates from today
back through 1983. Subscriptions are $24.95 for three months. Questions?
Send to '[e-mail]'  For Japanese Newsbytes and
additional services, see the Newsbytes Pacifica Website at
http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

BROADCAST Fuji's Film Image Capture Device, Digital Cameras.......... 15

BUSINESS   ****Creative Technology Drops Reveal Acquisition.......... 08

BUSINESS  Canada's IStar Internet Goes Public, Buys 3 Companies...... 18

BUSINESS   ****Symantec Completes Delrina Acquisition................ 27

BUSINESS   ****Novell Cuts 400 Jobs, No buyer For Business Apps...... 28

GENERAL   NewsPix Images For Newsbytes Publishers.................... 11

GENERAL   Novell UK's DeveloperNet For Software Developers........... 13

GENERAL   Canadian Product Launch Update............................. 19

GENERAL   Japan Newsbriefs........................................... 20

GOVT      Electronic Engineers Back High-Tech Immigration Limits..... 26

IBM       IBM Europe's OS/2 Warp Vouchers For Aptiva PC Users........ 02

LEGAL      ****Credit Card Users Beware Of Shadow Authorizations..... 06

LEGAL     China - Tougher Punishments Against Phone Number Theft..... 07

ONLINE    New York Times Redesigned For America Online............... 04

ONLINE    Washington GOP Delegation Has Balanced Budget Web Home Page 10

ONLINE    ATM Technology Boosts Canada's Internet Backbone........... 17

ONLINE    Internet Update............................................ 21

PC        UK Low-Cost Phone Directory CD-ROM......................... 01

PC        Dell UK Opens Automated Tech Support Lines................. 03

SUPERCOMP Maui Supercomputer Tests Sybase Database................... 23

TELECOM   UK - Warning Over "Christmas Present Phones................ 12

TELECOM   British Telecom Criticized On Fair Trading................. 14

TELECOM   Call-Net & Unitel Spar Over AT&T Stake..................... 16

TELECOM   Telephone Over Cable Made Easier........................... 22

TRENDS    China - Domestic High Quality PCs Used For Outer Space..... 09

TRENDS     ****Nintendo Ultra 64 Game System Intro'd................. 24

TRENDS    PC Data's October Best-Seller List......................... 25

WINDOWS   New Corel CD Home Titles................................... 05

WINDOWS   Lotus Intros SmartSuite 96 For Windows 95.................. 29

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 -> UK Low-Cost Phone Directory CD-ROM -- TDS Marketing has unveiled a
UKP39.99 CD-ROM disk that contains the 2.4 million fax and phone numbers
of businesses in the UK which are registered with British Telecom (BT),
along with most cable and cellular network  subscribers. According to
Edward Sanderson, a spokesman for the company,  the disk is a licensed
subset of the BT Phonedisk that sells for UKP200.

2 -> IBM Europe's OS/2 Warp Vouchers For Aptiva PC Users -- IBM Europe has
announced it is offering vouchers to any buyer of an Aptiva PC system,
with the aim  of allowing buyers to obtain a copy of OS/2 Warp free of
charge. Customers buying an Aptiva have now started seeing a CD-ROM demo
version of the operating system (OS) with their machines, and can send  in
a voucher for a CD-ROM or floppy-based version of the OS.

3 -> Dell UK Opens Automated Tech Support Lines -- Dell Computer UK has
announced the availability of AutoTech, an automated technical support
line, for its UK customers.

4 -> New York Times Redesigned For America Online -- Responding to reader
requests, and a need to "stand out," New York Times officials said they
have redesigned their "@times" online news and information service on
America Online (NASDAQ:AMER). The new version is the site's first redesign
since appearing in cyberspace 18 months ago.

5 -> New Corel CD Home Titles -- Corel Corp. has announced  it will ship
four major additions to its CD Home software line this month.  The
offerings include: Internet Mania, for home Net surfers; the Complete
Herman Collection; World's Greatest Classic Books; and Corel Chess.

6 ->  ****Credit Card Users Beware Of Shadow Authorizations -- On
returning from Comdex Fall, Newsbytes bureau was saddened to learn that
our Mastercard account had been "maxed" out and that further charges were
not possible. In fact, when the bill arrived, we became worried about
possible fraudulent charges, as we calculated there was still "headroom"
on the account

7 -> China - Tougher Punishments Against Phone Number Theft -- Chinese
authorities are vowing to  crack down on mobile phone number theft. In
addition, duplicating or  scalping other people's mobile telephone numbers
is a "criminal  activity," according to a recent government circular.

8 ->  ****Creative Technology Drops Reveal Acquisition -- Audio giant,
Creative Technology  (NASDAQ:CREAF) says it is terminating its efforts to
acquire Reveal  Computer Products. Official statements from both companies
failed to  reveal what went wrong.

9 -> China - Domestic High Quality PCs Used For Outer Space -- China has
reached the forefront of outer-space computer and integrated circuit
technology over the  past 30 years, a government newspaper claims.

10 -> Washington GOP Delegation Has Balanced Budget Web Home Page -- The
Washington state Republican congressional delegation has created a World
Wide Web page dedicated to pushing a balanced federal budget.  The address
is http:// www.house.gov/white/budget/budget.html .

11 -> NewsPix Images For Newsbytes Publishers -- Photos are now posted as
they arrive. This means quicker access to the story pictures. The bulletin
will continue on Mondays, with updates Wednesdays and Fridays as needed.

12 -> UK - Warning Over "Christmas Present Phones -- Mercury  One-2-One,
one of the UK's two PCN (personal communications network) digital phone
networks, has warned that many mobile phones sold this Christmas may prove
to be a financial burden to either the giver or, perhaps worse still, the
recipient.

13 -> Novell UK's DeveloperNet For Software Developers -- Novell UK has
announced the creation of DeveloperNet, a developer relations program that
it claims will serve as the primary communications channel for delivering
the company's corporate technology to software and associated hardware
developers.

14 -> British Telecom Criticized On Fair Trading -- British Telecom (BT)
has  been roundly criticized by Don Cruikshank, the head of Oftel, the
Government-appointed telecoms watchdog in the UK. Cruikshank is  reported
to be annoyed at BT's apparent failure to implement fair  trading
throughout its business, suggesting that BT felt there was  no harm in
carrying out anti-competitive practices "unless and  until the regulator
intervenes."

15 -> Fuji's Film Image Capture Device, Digital Cameras -- Fuji Photo Film
USA Inc. has introduced an image capture device that can input images from
slides, negatives, or prints into a personal computer, and two digital
card cameras designed for professional photographers.

16 -> Call-Net & Unitel Spar Over AT&T Stake -- Call-Net Enterprises Inc.
(TSE,ME:CN; NASDAQ:CNEBF), whose subsidiary Sprint Canada Inc. competes
in the Canadian long-distance market, is challenging AT&T's (NYSE:T)
purchase of a larger stake in rival long-distance carrier Unitel
Communications Inc.

17 -> ATM Technology Boosts Canada's Internet Backbone -- The use of
asynchronous  transfer mode (ATM) technology to run Canada's commercial
Internet  backbone and the National Test Network (NTN) as virtual networks
on  the same set of optical fibers will increase Internet capacity across
the country, officials said.

18 -> Canada's IStar Internet Goes Public, Buys 3 Companies -- Istar
Internet Inc., which  claims to be the largest Internet access provider in
Canada, has announced  an initial public offering. The company also said
it has acquired three  more companies over the past three months and will
continue with an "aggressive" growth strategy.

19 -> Canadian Product Launch Update -- This regular feature,  appearing
on the first day Newsbytes publishes each week, provides further details
for the Canadian market on announcements by international companies that
Newsbytes has already covered. This week: Computer Associates adds
AgentWorks and other technologies to its Unicenter system management
software.

20 -> Japan Newsbriefs -- In this roundup of news from Japan:  US demands
more deregulation; HDTV receivers pass 100,000; Netscape,  Sun, IIJ most
popular in corporate Japan; Kodak, Canon join in digital  camera
production; New cable venture planned; Asian Internet venture  gets name.

21 -> Internet Update -- In this roundup of new resources and  services on
the global Internet: Free concert this week; The interview  online; The
best of Japan; UK budget day approaches ...; Ken Saro Wiwa  condolence
book; New on Usenet; Court TV law center; Iowa local index;  Guide to good
dining.

22 -> Telephone Over Cable Made Easier -- First Pacific Networks  Inc.
(NASDAQ: FPNX) has announced an enhancement to its hybrid  fiber/coax
(HFC) products which the company claims will improve the  quality of
telephony over cable. The company's new Digital Transmission  Unit (DTU)
is claimed to reduce the noise or interference that builds  up on a HFC
network.

23 -> Maui Supercomputer Tests Sybase Database -- Sybase Inc.  (NASDAQ:
SYBS), has announced results of a test conducted at the Maui  High
Performance Computing Center (MHPCC). Sybase MPP (previously  called
Sybase Navigation Server) was tested on an IBM RS/6000 scalable
POWERparallel system using 128 high performance reduced instruction  set
computer (RISC) processors.

24 ->  ****Nintendo Ultra 64 Game System Intro'd -- Nintendo Co. Ltd. has
introduced its Nintendo Ultra 64 home video game to the world at the
company's annual video game exhibition, called Shoshinkai, that was held
over the past weekend.

25 -> PC Data's October Best-Seller List -- Few changes show up in the
October list of hot-selling software from PC Data.  The top spot in the
software hit parade remains remarkably stable in the dozen categories the
Virginia market research company tracks.

26 -> Electronic Engineers Back High-Tech Immigration Limits -- The US arm
of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers this week will
announce its support for a law that would limit immigration of high-tech
professionals into the US.

27 ->  ****Symantec Completes Delrina Acquisition -- Less than  five
months after announcing its intention to acquire forms and  communications
software specialist, Delrina (TOR:DC) of Toronto,  Canada, Symantec
(NASDAQ:SYMC) says the deal is complete and Delrina  is now a Symantec
subsidiary. Early estimates valued the deal at  $415 million.

28 ->  ****Novell Cuts 400 Jobs, No buyer For Business Apps -- Almost
hidden during the usual hoopla that surrounds the Comdex trade show last
week was the announcement by Novell Inc. (NASDAQ:NOVL) that it had sent
pink slips to about 420 people in its Business Applications Division.

29 -> Lotus Intros SmartSuite 96 For Windows 95 -- Lotus used input from a
study by International Techvantage Group in creating the newly released
SmartSuite 96 Edition for Windows 95, said Lotus's  Kathleen Hayner, in a
briefing for Newsbytes. The product adds  LotusScript, a new SmartCenter,
and OLE (object linking and embedding)  2.0 for all Lotus desktop
applications, plus new World Wide Web and  team computing capabilities
across Word Pro, Freelance, and Approach.

(Ian Stokell/19951127)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/22/95
ONLINE
Industry.Net Launches 26 New Internet Services

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00001)
Industry.Net Launches 26 New Internet Services 11/22/95
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 22 (NB) -- Already having
developed what it calls "the world's largest online marketplace for
business and industry," Industry.Net said it has launched 26 new
online services inside its Internet World Wide Web site.

Industry.Net's Online Marketplace already hosts more than 4,000
companies and is used by more than 180,000 buyers and specifiers,
officials said.

The announcement adds on to a "marketplace floor" concept which
divided industries by category, Autumn Katarincic, Industry.Net
spokesperson, told Newsbytes. Some of the new services include:
"Consulting Online;" "Control Products Online;" "Engineering
Software Online;" "Networks Online;" and "Power Transmission
Online."

"These floors had been getting so large, we decided to spin them
off to their own online services," Katarincic said. "Each one
is dedicated to a different industry."

Don Jones, founder and chief executive officer of Industry.Net,
said the Online Marketplace is only the beginning of industry's
expansion on the Web. "These new, segment-specific services should
help make the whole interaction even more productive for everyone,"
he said. "They're just one more logical step in our ongoing
evolution toward full-blown electronic commerce."

Katarincic told Newsbytes the online services only provide information
for now, but future plans call for Internet users to have the ability
to perform transactions online.

Industry.Net is also helping people gain access to the Web, Katarincic
said. The company has an agreement with Netcom to provide Web access
for its clients. "People had seen our site through other people's
connections, but they didn't know how to get Web access themselves,"
she said. "They kept asking 'Can you please get us on the Web,' and
we said we're not access providers. But we decided we had to do
something, so that's where our deal with Netcom came from."

Industry.Net is located on the Web at http://www.industry.net .
Newsbytes first covered Industry.Net when it opened its Online
Marketplace last March. Before the Web site opened, Industry.Net
members had direct dial-up access to the service, an Industry.Net
official told Newsbytes at the time.

(Bob Woods/19951121/Press Contacts: Autumn J. Katarincic,
Industry.Net, 412-967-1700, Internet e-mail [e-mail];
Jane Mazur, Niehaus Ryan Haller Public Relations, 415-827-7079,
Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/22/95
TRENDS
Canadian Software Productivity High, Quality Low - Study

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TOR)(00002)
Canadian Software Productivity High, Quality Low - Study 11/22/95
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 NOV 22 (NB) -- A recent study of software
development in Canada says that, compared to their counterparts in other
countries, Canadians turn out software faster and with more mistakes.
To be competitive internationally in the software field, the study
conducted for the Canadian government said, Canada needs to boost the
quality of its software.

The study was conducted for the federal department Industry Canada by
well-known industry analysts Dr. Howard Rubin and Ed Yourdon. They
collected data through questionnaires and follow-up interviews and
telephone audits, from 227 companies in India, the Far East, Europe,
South Africa, South America, and the United States.

Rubin and Yourdon found that Canadian software developers were more
productive than the worldwide average. The study, of which Newsbytes
has obtained a copy, rated average Canadian development productivity
at 111 function points per professional versus a worldwide average of
92.5 function points per professional. The figure for the United
States was 88 function points per professional.

However, the study also reported that Canada had the highest defect
rate, at 5.12 defects per thousand lines of code. The worldwide average
defect rate is 3.79 per thousand lines of code, while the United States
made the best showing in this respect with only 2.3 defects per
thousand lines of code.

These numbers seem to support the unsurprising conclusion that the faster
you write software, the more mistakes you make. However, they might also
reflect the fact that -- according to the Rubin-Yourdon study -- Canadian
companies tend to provide less training for their staff than the
international average, while American companies tend to provide the most
training.

The study also noted that a small percentage of Canadian companies have
taken part in a process assessment such as that needed for ISO 9000
certification. Only 29 percent of Canadian participants in the study had
taken part in such an assessment, Yourdon and Rubin said, while 35
percent of all participants worldwide had done so.

Another finding of the study is that Canadian companies are moving more
slowly toward client/server computing than their counterparts in other
countries. "In all areas except Canada," the researchers reported, "the
client/server focus is about to overtake the mainframe orientation."

Rubin and Yourdon recommended to Industry Canada that the Canadian
government use national certification programs and awards to drive up
quality, and provide Canadian industry with tools for assessing their
competitiveness and sharing information about best practices in the
software field. They also suggested encouraging universities to focus
on software engineering, and encouraging start-up companies to attract
outside investment.

Canada has a chance to be a global force in information technology, the
study reports, but must act now to correct its weaknesses before it is
too late.

(Grant Buckler/19951121)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/22/95
WINDOWS
Microsoft 3-D Movie Maker Ready To Debut

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(DEN)(00003)
Microsoft 3-D Movie Maker Ready To Debut 11/22/95
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 22 (NB) -- Just in time for the
kickoff of the year's biggest selling season, Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ: MSFT) is premiering 3D Movie Maker, a CD-ROM-based software
program that lets you make your own real-time three-dimensional (3-D)
animated movies.

The program comes with dozens of 3-D locations. Up to 30 camera angles
can be used for each scene, and a cast of 40 animated characters is
constantly on call to "act" in your productions.

Microsoft said the program, which is targeted at younger users,
underwent usability testing that showed kids use dreams or more
reality-based dramas from the playground as the basis for
their movies.

Much of the action is accomplished with the click of a mouse or by
dragging objects. Microsoft said the kids can add and animate new
characters and attach sound effects or musical tracks while the
action they have already created runs simultaneously.

Instead of having to create animation in the traditional
cell-by-cell method, kids can create live-action sequences then
combine them into a movie that can be as long as 17 hours on a
floppy disk, although recorded dialog will take up more disk
space and keep the maximum length of the movie shorter.

Microsoft said 3D Movie Maker differs from competitive products that
are either two-dimensional (2-D) or are multimedia slide-show creation
programs. In addition to the 3-D ability, movie making wannabees can
add their own recorded dialogue or narration.

This is the third title in Microsoft's creativity series.
Previous Newsbytes stories have reported on the release of Creative
Writer and Fine Artist. The opening sequences of 3-D Movie Maker
welcome the young user to the imaginary world of Imaginopolis
where every building is a potential movie set. Kids can go behind
the screen of the movie theater to a creative studio where they
can bring their ideas to life.

An area of the program called "The Idea Room" is where the would-be
directors can find inspiration for various ideas. "Project Room" is
the home of Melanie, an assistant who helps the children create
their movie projects. "Studio" is where the animation tools are
available, and "Theater" is a private screening room where you view
your movie masterpiece.

A layered user interface guides the user through the four primary
decisions all movie makers face as they choose: the location; the
actors, movements and props; the sounds and dialogue; and the
written words that are the credits or captions. To provide more
help, 3-D Movie Maker includes roll-over tool tips that provide
both audio and text online help.

More help is available in the form of McZee. A Talent Book features
character outlines and prompts story ideas, and there is also a
manual for parents.

3-D Movie Maker has an estimated selling price of $44.95. To run
the program you need a multimedia PC running at least a 486SX 50
megahertz chip or better, Windows 95, at least eight megabytes
(MB) of system memory, 12MB of available hard disk space, a
double-speed or faster CD-ROM, a 16-bit sound card with headphones
or speakers, and a mouse or comparable pointing device.

(Jim Mallory/19951121/press contact: Deborah Caldwell, Waggener
Edstrom for Microsoft, 206-637-9097; Public contact: Microsoft,
206-882-8080 or 800-426-9400)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/22/95
ONLINE
Price Club To Sell Online

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LAX)(00004)
Price Club To Sell Online 11/22/95
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 22 (NB) -- Price Quest, a
subsidiary of Price Enterprises Inc. (NASDAQ: PREN) and Price/Costco
Inc. (NASDAQ: PCCW), has announced that it will begin offering over
9,000 brand name items online through America Online Market Place in
time  for the 1995 holiday season. The shopping service will be
called "Price Online" and will be available to America Online
subscribers on November 27.

With Price Online, members will be able to browse through 30
departments, which encompass 280 categories of products, including
jewelry, cameras, sporting goods, electronics, and homewares.

Speaking to Newsbytes, Steven A. Velazquez, president of Price Quest,
said, "We will offer over 9,000 products at the same discount levels
found in our warehouse centers. We think we can have the same impact
on the online marketplace that we had on the mass merchandise retail
market. We already have the database of products that we developed
for our in-store kiosks, and moving those products online is not
very difficult."

Purchases can be made by using major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard,
or Discover). Orders are placed directly through America Online, and
the goods are delivered anywhere in the continental United States.
Deliveries are generally completed within ten working days.

"Expansion of the Price Quest interactive electronic business by
launching Price Online is a logical progression for our company," said
Robert E. Price, chief executive officer for Price Quest. "We feel
that, with the proper use of technology and merchandising skills,
Price Online can drive costs out of the distribution system."

"As a result of this agreement with America Online, we will leverage
over three years of kiosk technology experience and our extensive
supplier network by making products even more conveniently available
in customers' homes and businesses. We are very excited about
establishing our initial entry into online shopping through America
Online and envision that other strategic alliances are likely as
Price Online pursues its business objectives," said Price.

Ted Leonsis, president of AOL Services Company, added, "We are
pleased to join with Price Quest to bring our members extensive
shopping services in time for the holiday season. Through shopping
online, AOL members will find a hassle-free alternative to crowded
malls without forfeiting quality and selection."

Created by Sol and Robert Price, founders of the Price Club
membership warehouse club business in 1976, Price Quest claims it
"represents a continuation of the Price tradition of offering brand
name merchandise at prices significantly below those available from
other retail outlets." Price Quest had already developed an
interactive electronic shopping service which has been available
at 36 kiosk centers located in PriceCostco warehouses.

Price Quest is owned 51% by Price Enterprises Inc. and 49% by
Price/Costco Inc. Price Enterprises became a separate publicly held
company in December, 1994, following its spin-off from PriceCostco.

(Richard Bowers/19951121/Press Contact: Steven A. Velazquez, Price
Quest, 619-581-4808)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/22/95
GOVT
Chinese Premier Wants Motorola To Be "More Open"

(NEWS)(GOVT)(PEK)(00005)
Chinese Premier Wants Motorola To Be "More Open" 11/22/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 NOV 22 (NB) -- Premier Li Peng wants Motorola
to be "more open" about its technology when selling its products in
China. Co-manufacturing will help Motorola capture a bigger share of
the Chinese market, Li reportedly told Motorola President Christopher
Galvin recently.

In a recent meeting with Galvin, Chinese Premier Li said that business
cooperation with China in electronics and telecommunications enjoys a
bright future.

Galvin said that China is a reliable partner. He told Li that 10 years
ago, after a three-week study tour in China, Motorola decided to enter
the market, and the company's business in the country has grown ever
since.

Motorola launched its first representative office in Beijing in 1987.
In 1992, Motorola China Ltd. was established in Tianjin, producing
pagers, cellular phones, and semiconductors.

Li said that Motorola's decision to enter the Chinese market at
such an early stage was very foresighted.

Motorola has put about US$ billion into China, and by the year 2000,
its investment is expected to total $1.2 billion. The company has
nearly 6,000 Chinese employees.

Motorola recently announced a joint venture with Nanjing Panda
Electronics to produce multimedia computers. With Motorola's solely-
owned semiconductor factory in Tianjin, the company will increase
its total investment in China to over $1 billion.

Motorola also has plans to jointly set up a manufacturing plant with
the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications Industry for a digital
cellular infrastructure and subscriber equipment and to jointly
produce pagers with Shanghai Radio Communication Equipment
Manufacturing.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951122)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/22/95
NETWORK
China - Novell Dominates Network Software Market

(NEWS)(NETWORK)(PEK)(00006)
China - Novell Dominates Network Software Market 11/22/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 NOV 22 (NB) -- Novell currently has 80 percent
of the network software market in China, and its sales volume in the
country this year is expected to triple last year's figure.

Novell started to sell its products to China in the 1980s. According
to Chairman Robert Frankenberg, Novell's sales volume in China will
keep the same high growth rate in the coming years.

The fast development of computer networking in China means great
opportunities for foreign companies. China plays an important role in
the company's strategic plan as the country is making considerable
efforts to develop networking technologies and network applications,
he said.

Novell opened its first office in Beijing earlier this year and expects
to open another in Shanghai in the near future. The company is planning
to expand its sales network across the country by appointing more
authorized retailers. The number of retailers will be increased to
120 this year from two resellers last year, the company said.

The company pays considerable attention to education in order to train
more Chinese networking professionals. In the networking center
of Tsinghua University, people come from all over China to be trained
to use Novell's software.

The company also recently launched a technical networking conference,
called Brainshare. The three-day conference in Beijing brought together
many of the leading authorities and technical experts in the computer
network world.

The large technical network conference is also a mark of Novell's
determination to intensify its presence in the Chinese market. During
the conference, Novell's senior officials, engineers, and architects
introduced the company's latest technology. More than a thousand
Chinese government officials, company bosses, and technical experts
attended the conference.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951122)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/22/95
EDUCATION
China - School Pager Services Criticized

(NEWS)(EDUCATION)(PEK)(00007)
China - School Pager Services Criticized 11/22/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 NOV 22 (NB) -- Some Chinese cities have special
pager services for middle school students. Although some parents
like the service, saying it provides for convenient communications
between the student and parents, many teachers criticize the service
for disturbing the "calm studying atmosphere" in school.

Pager services are the only "open" business in China's telecommunications
sector, allowing private enterprises to get a share in the huge market.
In 1994, there were about 10.27 million pager users in the country, and
that number is expected to be more than 13 million this year.

While attracting more adult subscribers, a number of pager firms also
noticed the potential market for student users. Some cities opened
so-called "student special pager services" to attract students to
use their services. The student discount price of a pager is about
RMB500 (US$60) and the service fee is about RMB15 (US$1.8) per month.

Some families of middle school students like the service, saying that
the service brings more convenience to the parents since the connection
allows the parents to know where the student is and what they are doing.
Also, the parents can also inform the student of their schedule, for
example, that they may be home late.

However, many families and most school teachers criticize the promotion
of school pager services. Pager services disturb the calm of school
campus, and students carrying pagers often check messages during class,
they claim.

A survey showed that most middle school students are curious about
pagers. Although pager services may be okay for college students, most
middle school students are too young to carry a pager, middle school
teachers suggest. They also request the government to issue
regulations to stop the commercial promotion of pager services in
middle schools.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951122)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/22/95
TRENDS
Australia - Retail Computer Sellers Experience Slowdown

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SYD)(00008)
Australia - Retail Computer Sellers Experience Slowdown 11/22/95
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, 1995 NOV 22 (NB) -- Despite a drop off in retail
computer sales up until the past two weeks, Myer-Grace Bros (a large
Australian retail/department store group) national computer and home office
buyer, Frank Kavanagh, says the stores are gearing up for "Christmas sales
that will be a better year than ever".

"Up until two weeks ago, there was a bit of a slow down, but we are gearing
up for a big Christmas," Kavanagh said. "This year will be better than any
other year and we are ready to go."

Kavanagh tips the top five sellers in software to be the recently released
Hexcen, plus Rebel Assault II, The Rolling Stones CD-ROM, Windows '95, and
Encarta '96. Battling it out at the top of the list in hardware will be the
Compaq 7150 which will retail at AUS$3,299 and IBM's Aptiva Pentium 75,
retailing at $3,999. The biggest seller in the printer market for Myer-GB
would be the Canon BJ200ex at $349.

Harvey Norman Superstore chairman, Gerry Harvey, also predicts a bumper
Christmas, but says retail sales have been decidedly "ordinary" over the
last six weeks. "Every retailer I've spoken to says there has been a drop
off but there is no real reason for it," he told Newsbytes. "I think this
is just a hiccup. We are looking forward to a good Christmas and I expect
January to be excellent."

Australian retailers are reporting a marked slowdown in sales of Windows
95. Gerry Harvey says that, when the product was launched in August, sales
in the first four days were up to 30,000 units. "Three to four weeks ago
we were selling only about 1,000 a week."

Harvey attributes the slow-down to the over-the-top marketing hype at the
time of the release. "It was the best promotion I've ever seen," he said.
"We are still selling it, but sales have dropped mightily." Kavanagh said
he expected a drop-off following, what he perceived to be, a lot of
negative publicity. However, he said he expected sales to pick up over
Christmas.

Apple Computer shipped more PCs in Australia during the third quarter than
any other vendor. According to IDC's Bruce McCabe, the supply problems
which have vexed the company in recent times seem to have been overcome.
"The supply of Power PCs seems to have been executed very well and there
seems to be considerable pent-up demand," said McCabe.

He could not supply exact shipment figures. McCabe also says IDC estimates
confirm the overall slowing of computer retail sales reported by Harvey
Norman and Myer Grace Bros. "The third quarter was fairly flat and below
early expectations," he said, adding that October has been particularly
slow. "Traditionally, it's a slower part of the year, but it's more
pronounced than usual," he said.

According to McCabe, the reasons for the trend are not clear, but he
confidently predicts strong pre-Christmas sales for the industry.

(Computer Daily News/19951122)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/22/95
TELECOM
India - Motorola To Focus On Private Paging

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEL)(00009)
India - Motorola To Focus On Private Paging 11/22/95
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1995 NOV 22 (NB) -- Motorola Inc., which recently
unveiled plans to invest over R500 crore (about $150 million) in
India in major areas -- such as new manufacturing units, new technologies,
and technical support -- has now decided to focus its attention on private
paging in India. For this, it has formed a new division, the Derivative
Technologies Division (DTD), a business unit of the Paging Products Group
of Motorola.

Announcing the move, Ron Seng, director of operations, DTD, Asia Pacific,
Motorola Electronics Pte. Ltd., said, "Public paging has already made its
presence felt in the Indian market and private paging, though has been
around for quite some time now, offers immense potential, and a focused
approach is called for tapping this sector. And the setting up of a DTD
is in this direction."

Already, Motorola has installed private paging systems in King Edward
Memorial Hospital, the Oberoi Group, the Sheraton Group, Delhi Police,
ONGC, IOC, IPCL, and several others.

Percy Batlivala, executive director, India Paging, Motorola, said that,
going by the prospects of private paging in India, his company would get
20 percent of its turnover from this business segment in five years. The
comparable figure for other countries, he added, was 10 percent.

Meanwhile, the new division has come out with a wide range of pagers and
paging systems for the Indian market, which include the desktop voice
paging Sitemate system and People Finder desktop system which provides
tone-only, numeric, alphanumeric, and voice capability.

The pager portfolio includes 1-line Memo Express, 2-line Scriptor, and
the 4-line Advisor. The Memo Express, Advisor, and Bravo Plus are locally
manufactured in the Motorola Bangalore factory, while the other models
are mainly supplied from the factories in Singapore and the United States.

(C. T. Mahabharat/19951121)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/22/95
GENERAL
India - Dun & Bradstreet Expands Software Devt Center

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEL)(00010)
India - Dun & Bradstreet Expands Software Devt Center 11/22/95
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1995 NOV 22 (NB) -- Dun & Bradstreet Satyam Software
(DBSS), the joint venture company of the US-based Dun & Bradstreet Corp.,
and Satyam Computer Services Ltd., Hyderabad, has drawn up a major
expansion plan involving the setting up of a new software development
center (SDC) at Elnet Software City at Madras.

According to the DBSS Chief Technical Officer Lakshmi Narayan, the
new software center will have 64 kilobits-per-second satellite links
with US for communication with other centers. The existing software
center in Madras will also be connected to the new SDC through a
high bandwidth radio link.

DBSS Chairman Kumar Mahadeva, who is also chairman of Dun & Bradstreet
India, said the company is planning to set up a divisional office in
Calcutta by next year. Further, it will also open an office in the US
early next year, and one each in Hong Kong and Singapore to increase
the company's market presence in the Asia Pacific region.

DBSS has posted a turnover of R25 crore in software exports and plans
to increase it to R50 crore by the end of next year. The company will
also develop tools, such as gateways, to access property information
from D&B's huge database, which provides information on the medical,
pharmaceutical, manufacturing, media, and financial sectors.

DBSS has already been making huge investments in hardware and new
technologies like very large database management (VLDM) and data
visualization. It has also become the designated center for object-
oriented technology for D&B divisions worldwide.

(C. T. Mahabharat/19951121)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/22/95
TRENDS
India - Cyber Cafes In 5-Star Hotels

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(DEL)(00011)
India - Cyber Cafes In 5-Star Hotels 11/22/95
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1995 NOV 22 (NB) -- There will be more to sipping
coffee in the coming months in almost all the major five-star deluxe
hotels in the country with the introduction of Cybercafes. The first
one to be opened formally was at Hotel Leela Kempinski in Bombay.

In the next two months, three Taj hotels -- in Bangalore, Madras,
and Calcutta -- will have their own coffee shops hooked to the Internet,
as will the Maurya Sheraton of the Welcome Group in New Delhi.

The cybercafe in Leela, Bombay, will have six or more computers
permanently connected to the Internet via Apple's eWorld, a service
provided by British Telecommunications plc. Surfing the Net for an
hour in the cybercafe could cost anything between R500 to R700.
Cyberscape India, the company which is introducing the Cybercafe
in Leela plans to franchise the concept in future.

The Hotel Maurya Sheraton, in New Delhi, on the other hand, plans to
deliver sound, image, and animation from the Internet through the Indy
Webforce workstations of Silicon Graphics.

The infrastructure, which costs about R1.3 crore, has been installed
at the communications center of the hotel. The user can make a reservation
at the Surf Bowl and navigate the Web using browsers like Netscape and
virtual reality browsers. The network, which includes the World Wide Web
will also provide electronic-mail service to those staying at the hotel,
with each of the 440 rooms having a separate electronic post box. The
entire system is being put together by the Welcome Group task force
along with T-Net (India) Ltd., which will finally integrate the system.

T-Net on its part, has roped in Onetics (Asia), Silicon Graphics, the
Department of Electronics (DOE), and Escape Velocity Software, to make
the hotel a regular Web site in the Internet.

(C. T. Mahabharat/19951121)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/22/95
LEGAL
 ****Notorious Software Pirate Arrested

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(DEN)(00012)
 ****Notorious Software Pirate Arrested 11/22/95
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 22 (NB) -- Los Angeles
County District Attorney's investigators recently arrested a man
they said is known as "Captain Blood" in the software industry, and
seized an estimated $1 million worth of allegedly illegally copied
software from his residence in the upscale Wilshire district of Los
Angeles.

Authorities said they arrested Thomas Nick Alefantes, 45, who
Deputy District Attorney Lawrence Morrison said is known as Captain
Blood. Alefantes allegedly sells software through advertisements in
trade publications. He was booked on suspicion of counterfeiting a
registered trademark and was being held on $1 million bail,
according to the LA County DA's office.

Morrison, who accompanied investigators as they served a search
warrant at the residence, said the seized software was copies of
hundreds of software manufacturers' products.

In addition to the software, investigators said they also seized
three computers, high-speed duplicating equipment, two handguns,
handcuffs, and $15,000 in cash. The Business Software Alliance, a
trade group devoted to fighting software piracy, said a shredder,
printers, and a CD-ROM-write machine were also seized.

BSA said the seizure is the largest to date of cases involving
illegal mail-order operations. Alefantes is believed to have been
illegally copying and selling software for about five years. BSA said
Alefantes has no visible source of income, but a Mercedes Benz was
parked in his driveway. A BSA spokesperson told Newsbytes the
software industry loses $12 billion a year to software pirates.

BSA said copies of specialized software, such as computer-aided
design and networking programs that cost several thousand dollars,
were being sold by Alefantes for as little as $79, Other software,
such as word processing, spreadsheet, and electronic-mail
programs, were allegedly being sold for as little as $5.

BSA said its member companies -- which include Autodesk, Microsoft,
Bentley, Intergraph, Lotus Development, Novell and the Wordperfect
Applications Group, The Santa Cruz Operation and Symantec -- have
been working with the LA County DA's Major Crime Squad for several
years to track down Captain Blood. Representatives of BSA, Autodesk,
and Microsoft accompanied law enforcement officers on the raid.

(Jim Mallory/19951122/Press contact: Sandi Gibbons, LA County
District Attorney's Office, 213-974-3525 or Diane Smiroldo, BSA,
202-872-5500)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/22/95
GENERAL
Japan Newsbriefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00013)
Japan Newsbriefs 11/22/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 22 (NB) -- In this roundup of news from Japan:
NTT to encourage ISDN use; Satellite laser communications success;
Japan's Ricoh wins best of Comdex; Seiko Epson increases LCD
production; Nintendo attracts new producers.

NTT To Encourage ISDN Use

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone will begin selling a low-cost ISDN
(integrated services digital network) adapter from December 8th. The
new unit will sell for 50,000 yen ($500) and be suitable for use on
the INSnet 64 service, an ISDN line. NTT is aiming the unit at
households with a computer and telephone, by emphasizing the ability
to use both the telephone and computer at once. Currently, users
must pay a total of around 100,000 yen ($1,000) for the service
adapters.

Satellite Laser Communications Success

The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications has succeeded in
receiving a laser beam transmitted by NASA from California and
reflected back to earth via a mirror on the Kiku-6 satellite. The
1.2-meter telescope picked up the signal from the NASA research
station in California.

Japan's Ricoh Wins Best Of Comdex

Tokyo's Ricoh walked away with the "Best Of Comdex" award for its
RDC-1 digital camera. The camera is the world's first camera capable
of recording and playing back still images, full-motion video, and
audio, and was selected by editors of Byte magazine as the best input
device from among an estimated 7,000 products making their debut at
Comdex. The camera can either record 492 still images, four video
sequences of five seconds length each, or 100 minutes of audio.

Seiko Epson Increases LCD Production

Seiko Epson will increase production of TFT (thin film transistor)
liquid crystal displays (LCD) displays used in projectors. The company
said it will build a new factory in Nagano prefecture to turn out
50,000 examples of the 1.3-inch screens a month. The new plant will
cost around 10 billion yen ($100 million). When production begins in
July, the company will raise its total output by 20,000 units a month
from the current 30,000.

Nintendo Attracts New Producers

Just ahead of the launch of the Nintendo Ultra 64 game system later
this month, Nintendo has announced major games producers Electronic
Arts will make games for the system beginning with a soccer game. At
the announcement, Nintendo said, "The Ultra 64 version of FIFA Soccer
is expected to be one of the most realistic video game soccer
simulations ever, featuring hundreds of international teams, amazingly
fast gameplay, never-before-seen characters, gorgeous life-like
graphics, and game control functions only possible on the Nintendo
Ultra 64."

(Martyn Williams/19951122)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/22/95
TELECOM
Japan - Profits Surge At Telecom Firms

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00014)
Japan - Profits Surge At Telecom Firms 11/22/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 22 (NB) -- The big three telecom operators in
Japan's domestic market all reported big increases in profits and
revenues for the first six months of the current fiscal year which
ended September 30. The companies were Nippon Telegraph and
Telephone, the world's largest telecommunications company, and its
two competitors in the long distance market, DDI and Japan Telecom.

NTT (TSE:9432) announced an increase in pretax profits of 257% to
126.77 billion yen ($1.26 billion). In the first six months of the
year, revenues rose to a massive 3.03 trillion yen ($30 billion)
representing a 6% rise on the same period last year.

Despite the good start to the year, a series of market opening
measures and concessions to the two competitors have resulted in the
company marking down its annual profits forecast from 320 billion yen
($3.17 billion) to 299 billion yen ($2.96 billion). Revenues are
expected to climb slightly, 6.16 trillion yen ($61 billion), up from
6.14 trillion yen ($61 billion).

At DDI (TSE:9433) company executives reported a rise of 105% in pretax
profits to 30.46 billion yen ($302 million) on revenues of 223.65
billion yen ($2.21 billion), a jump of 24% against last year.

Japan Telecom (TSE:9434) followed the trend by announcing a 51% rise
in pretax profits to 24.65 billion yen ($244 million). Revenues at the
company jumped 9% to reach 164.00 billion yen ($1.62 billion).

For the full fiscal year, Japan Telecom revised its predictions with
projected sales up 10.5% from last year to 336.80 billion yen ($3.33
billion) with accompanying pretax profits expected to be 43 billion
yen ($426 million), a 136% rise from 18.22 billion yen ($180 million)
last year.

The two long distance operators said the profits rises were their
largest ever in percentage terms. A major contributor to the rise is a
cut in the charges each company pays for access to the NTT network. A
reduction of around 15% was recently agreed but backdated to April
1st, the beginning of the financial year.

Ironically, the rise in profits at NTT may actually hurt the company
at a time when the government is reviewing whether to break it up
into smaller pieces to promote more competition in the Japanese
marketplace. NTT's enemies say the company is too big to compete with
and today's profits figures will add fuel to the fire, despite the
downgrading in profits, which was widely predicted.

That downgrading is due to the measures the company has taken to open
the market, including allowing more access to NTT's local network,
and a reduction in the charges it levies on DDI and Japan Telecom.

Skeptics say the reason profits were marked down is the same as why
NTT agreed to the market opening measures -- to stave off a government
enforced break-up -- although many experts agree the company will be
making less money in the coming years.

As part of the first half figures, the operator also announced 850,000
new subscriptions had been signed for its service in the first six
months of the year, taking the total number of subscriber lines in
Japan to 60.43 million, a tenth of the world's total.

(Martyn Williams/19951122)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/22/95
WINDOWS
 ****Japanese Windows 95 Debuts

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(TYO)(00015)
 ****Japanese Windows 95 Debuts 11/22/95
AKIHABARA, TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 22 (NB) -- Any American or European
tourists would get a tremendous sense of deja-vous on the streets of
Akihabara, Tokyo's electronics and computer mecca, tonight. Akihabara
is where all of the major electronics companies test-market products
before nationwide and, eventually, international launches.

This is also the place to come to for the very best prices in Japan
and the place to come if you want to pick up a copy of Windows 95,
the Japanese edition, when it goes on sale at midnight tonight.

If you remember the hype and hoopla that surrounded the Windows 95
launch in the United States and Europe, and you won't easily forget,
then transport that memory to Tokyo, replace a few of the posters with
Japanese language versions and the sales staff with busy "welcome"
shouting Japanese staff, and you have the same thing.

We're not just talking packs of new computer software though. Sixteen
computer manufacturers have announced new models, complete with
Windows 95 pre-installed, that will be launched today, topped by NEC
Corporation.

The market leader will begin selling an entire range of new
machines -- 36 in all -- at 150 stores across Japan from midnight.
The range includes an improved version of the popular "CanBe"
multimedia PC.

NEC said earlier that 300 key personnel from the company, from
engineers right up to senior managers, will visit Akihabara in
the early hours to see how the computers are selling and what users
think of the new operating system. Determined not to be outdone,
Fujitsu is to launch a new range of FMV Desk Power machines.

For many computer junkies awake in the early hours tonight, the
nearest copy of Windows 95 is a lot closer than the local computer
store. Microsoft Japan and leading supermarket operator Daiei Inc.
reached an agreement in late October which has resulted in the new
operating system being sold in "Lawson" convenience stores nationwide.

With such high levels of interest, and hoped-for demand, it is
hardly surprising that price wars have already broken out. Microsoft
Japan has set a retail price of 13,800 yen ($138), although electronics
retailer Kojima has priced the CD-ROM upgrade version at 11,800 yen.

At Daiei, the group said it would match Kojima's prices at its
supermarkets, although not at the Lawson convenience store chain.

Sales are predicted to reach over a million by Christmas, with sales of
five million forecast for next year, led mainly by sales to home users.

Douglas Fowler, sales manager at Linc Computer Inc., a company that
bills itself as "The Complete Solution For Multinationals in Asia,"
told Newsbytes he expects Windows 95 to be a big hit with end-users,
but thinks multi-nationals and foreign companies in Japan will be
"slow to adopt it, if they adopt it at all."

He said that most multi-nationals and foreign companies will be, and
are, switching to Windows NT since "that's what it's all going to
be in two years anyway."

Microsoft itself has lined up a big program of special events and
sales promotions under the "Windows 95 Start Festa" banner. The event
is based around "Start Stations" across Japan and the range of
activities occupied a seven-page fax that Newsbytes received from
Microsoft earlier this evening.

Start Stations are located in the northern city of Sapporo, on the
concourse at Sendai railway station, at two locations in Tokyo
(including Sony Square), at Annex Plaza in Nagoya, another two
locations in Osaka, and one in Fukuoka City in Japan's west.

Tokyo visitors also have the opportunity to visit "Start City" to
watch a selection of activities and talks with famous people from the
Japanese computer world on "Start Stage."

If you need advice on whether Windows 95 is for you, a group of
Microsoft experts will advise that it is, if you visit Expo 95 and the
cutely Japanese named "On The Job Corner," "In The Home Corner," "Do
It Yourself Corner," and "Get On Line Corner."

And just as you thought the country could take no more, this weekend
Microsoft Japan has hired a channel on a CS satellite so the Tokyo
Start Station can be linked with all the other Start Cities across the
country.

Only on Sunday evening do the special events begin to wind down, just
as the marketing and advertising machines of Microsoft and the major
computer companies are winding up in time for a Windows 95 Christmas
and New Year season.

Windows 95 has also featured heavily in the media thanks to a
successful campaign launched by Microsoft Japan. Wednesday's Nihon
Keizai Shimbun, the country's top business daily newspaper, carried
one two-page, eleven single-page, and several smaller advertisements.

Full details of the Windows 95 Start Festa are available on the
Microsoft Japan fax board, 03-5454-8100, access number 023500.

(Martyn Williams/19951122)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/22/95
ONLINE
Internet Update - Thanksgiving Special

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00016)
Internet Update - Thanksgiving Special 11/22/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 22 (NB) -- In this holiday edition of Internet
Update, a focus on Thanksgiving related Internet sites including:
Thanksgiving horn of plenty; An American Thanksgiving on the
Internet; Thanksgiving cooking links; A Fresno Thanksgiving; and
The Plymouth Thanksgiving pages.

Thanksgiving Horn Of Plenty

This is Newsbytes' favorite site because it holds and links together so
much diverse information. From the usual recipes to games to play with
the kids during those long holiday drives and the best of TV this
holiday weekend, plus kitchen safety. You'll find a lot here!
World Wide Web: http://family.starwave.com/holiday/tgiving/index.htm

An American Thanksgiving On The Internet

What do you mean, what's Thanksgiving? The Internet is a world wide
network and for the rest of the world, Thursday and Friday are regular
working days. If you are not enjoying a holiday, these pages will help
unlock the mystery of what exactly Thanksgiving is, and how it all
started. It also features a great guide for parents, and even a guide
to what to give your pet - our second favorite page!
World Wide Web: http://www.night.net/kthanks.html

Thanksgiving Cooking Links

This is the page that forced an early lunch in the Newsbytes office.
So many things to do with Turkey and many other holiday favorites,
including a selection of vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes, we just
couldn't hold out until lunchtime after this!
World Wide Web: http://perry.gulfnet.com/turkey/

A Fresno Thanksgiving

The Hello Fresno Web service has created a series of Thanksgiving
links including stories and jokes about the festival, recipes, the
history of the holiday, and local information about things going on
over the period.
World Wide Web: http://www.valleynet.com/~deb/tg/index.html

The Plymouth Thanksgiving Pages

From Plymouth in New England, the site of the first permanent European
settlement, you'll find the true story of Thanksgiving, Plymouth's
first annual Thanksgiving stroll through the ages, holiday recipes and
links to other sites. Visit this site and you'll find out that the
pilgrims never actually had a regular thanksgiving feast plus other
interesting information.
World Wide Web: http://media3.com/plymouth/

More To Share?

It's worth remembering that for many in America, Thanksgiving will be
just another day as life on the streets becomes more difficult as
winter approaches. More To Share is a charity that helps feed the
homeless and organize dinners during Thanksgiving. To get involved,
or to find out about local meals, visit the Web site.
World Wide Web: http://www.magibox.net/~hsw/moretoshare.html

More Links ...

Even more Thanksgiving links, in case you're still looking for
something to do on Thursday morning.
World Wide Web: http://www.zia.com/thanks

The First Thanksgivng Declaration is on the Web. World Wide Web:
http://www.polarnet.fnsb.ak.us/End_of_Road/library.dir.thanksgiving.htm

Movie Mom has taken the guess work out of a trip to the video store
with a guide to the best videos for children. World Wide Web:
http://pages.prodigy.com/VA/rcpj55a/moviemom.html

They said it couldn't be done but the best in University of Michigan
computer technology brings the Internet a picture of a Turkey -- in
ASCII! World Wide Web: http://www.umich.edu/~guibert/ascii/turkey

(Martyn Williams/19951122)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/22/95
PC
Willowbrook's Multifunction Office Equip Is Different

(NEWS)(PC)(TOR)(00017)
Willowbrook's Multifunction Office Equip Is Different 11/22/95
CONCORD, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 NOV 22 (NB) -- Multifunction office
devices, such as combination printer-fax-copier machines, are more
and more in demand as home offices proliferate. Willowbrook Technologies
Inc., a startup, maintains its approach is a little different from that
of other vendors in this field.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95112217.PCX
Click here for photo

Michael Garbe, chief executive officer at Willowbrook, told Newsbytes
that most multifunction products do not include voice-mail, a capability
virtually all offices need. So Willowbrook has included that function
both in its existing E-Z Office package and in its newly announced E-Z
Office Professional.

What Willowbrook has left out is the printer. "It was our feeling that
most small offices already had a printer" Garbe said, "and likely a
better printer than a low-end ink-jet." So E-Z Office and E-Z Office
Professional work with an existing printer.

E-Z Office, launched in June, is a software package that comes with a fax,
data, and voice modem and a device that connects an existing fax machine
to this modem so that it can be used as a grey-scale scanner. The software
receives faxes and data calls and answers the phone, taking messages in
any number of voice mailboxes.

E-Z Office Professional is essentially the same package, but ships with
a full-page scanner, Garbe said. It is available with a 14,400
bits-per-second (bps) or 28,800 bps modem. Adam Griff, president of
Willowbrook, added that the 28,800 bps modem can act as a full-duplex
speakerphone using a microphone shipped with the package. E-Z Office
Professional also includes optical character recognition (OCR).

Both E-Z Office and E-Z Office Professional are built to work with a
single telephone line, Garbe said. Automatic detection lets them handle
voice and fax calls on a single line. Garbe said Willowbrook is currently
evaluating software that might be added to the product to let it work
with two or more modems, thus accommodating offices with separate phone
lines for voice, fax, and possibly data.

To date, Willowbrook has been selling the E-Z Office package only in
Canada, Griff said. The company is hoping to build on its relationships
with distributors in Canada to move into the United States market and
possibly elsewhere.

The company expects E-Z Office Professional to sell for about C$550 or
US$400 in the 14,400 bps version and about C$700 or US$530 in the
28,800 bps version.

(Grant Buckler/19951122/Press Contact: Michael Garbe, Willowbrook
Technologies, tel [phone] or 800-736-8212, fax [phone];
Stephen McKeogh, The Cohen Group for Willowbrook, 905-886-8086 or
800-465-2059; Public Contact: Willowbrook Technologies, tel 905-660-
8796 or 800-736-8212, fax [phone]/EZOFFICE951122/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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4 11/22/95
GENERAL
Newsbytes Will Not Be Published Nov 23-

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00018)
Newsbytes Will Not Be Published Nov 23-24 11/22/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 22 (NB) -- Newsbytes
will not be published on November 23-24, 1995, due to the
Thanksgiving holiday in the US. All offices will be closed.

The regular publishing schedule resumes Monday, November 27.

(Newsbytes Staff/19951122)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/22/95
NETWORK
Gradient Plans "Web Application Server" With DCE

(NEWS)(NETWORK)(BOS)(00019)
Gradient Plans "Web Application Server" With DCE 11/22/95
MARLBORO, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 22 (NB) -- Gradient
Technology is now creating a new "Web application server," to be
accessible by standard Web browsers, that will combine the
capabilities of a Web server with the security and directory
services and database access of DCE (Distributed Computing
Environment) for "customer-centered computing," said Gradient VP
David Fowler, during a briefing for Newsbytes.

Growing numbers of corporations, universities, and other
"enterprise environments" are finding that Web servers can
simplify both application access and network administration when
used on either an internal or external basis, Fowler told
Newsbytes. The Web allows for "one to many" as well as "any to
any" communications, the VP contended. "Application deployment is
very quick," he continued.

Because applications are run on the HTML (hypertext markup
language) server and accessed through browsers, administrators
are spared the difficulty and expense of tailoring applications
to each individual platform within a multivendor environment, and
of then distributing and maintaining those applications,
sometimes on a global basis. "And TCP/IP (Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol) is easy to use," the Gradient exec
added.

But despite these benefits, the Web is not without its problems,
according to Fowler. "Security is limited, and reliability is
variable. (Web servers) crash on a regular basis." In addition,
although database gateways are now becoming available for the
Internet, this is being done one database at a time, he asserted.

In response, he said, Gradient is developing a new "Web
client/server computing" architecture that calls for the use of a
Web browser as "client," along with a "Web applications server"
that offers the functionality of both a Web server and an
application server with "direct access to any combination of
(DCE-compliant) database and legacy servers."

Gradient plans to supply the technology through a set of "Web DCE
extensions" to it PC-DCE for Windows platforms and SysV-DCE for
Unix, with volume distribution targeted at early next year.
Partners in the plan include IBM, AT&T GIS, Hewlett-Packard,
Spyglass, Open Horizon, Frontier Technologies, Open Market, and
DynaSoft. Beta testers include EDS and Penn State University.
Right now, Gradient is employing Spyglass and Netscape browsers,
but any HTML-complaint browser can be used with the middleware,
according to Fowler.

Under the new approach, DCE will serve as the "missing link" for
security and database access, as well as for directory and time
synchronization, Newsbytes was told. DCE's directory services
provide "logical" rather than "physical" addressing, allowing the
administrator to designate several server addresses, for network
rerouting in case of server failure, or a roving end-user to
designate multiple options for document delivery, such as two
different workstations, a printer, and a fax machine, for example.

By offering easy access to applications now restricted to users
on specific platforms or network segments, the "Web application
server" will harken an era of "customer-centered computing," he
contended. For instance, corporate users with the appropriate
permissions will be able to access their own HR (human resources)
files to obtain information on their benefits or remaining
vacation days for the year, he illustrated. University students
will be able to register for classes from their dorm rooms, with
any disagreements over "who signed up first" resolved via the
time synchronization capabilities of DCE.

Analysts predicted that Gradient's Web application server will
prove very useful, especially for organizations that have already
invested in DCE. "This is an attractive combination for large
companies that have implemented DCE," said Robert Scheier, senior
analyst at Hurwitz Consulting Group Inc., Newton, Massachusetts.

"On the other hand, DCE is still seen by many as expensive and
hard to implement. But anything Gradient can do to shorten the
adoption cycle for DCE will be a good move on their part,"
Scheier told Newsbytes.

The OSF (Open Software Foundation) is also working on
transferring DCE technology to the Web, the analyst pointed out.
"But I'm not aware of any other companies that are doing so,"
Scheier added.

The new middleware from Gradient will carry advantages in the
areas of security, software distribution, and end user access, as
well as providing greater interoperability between the Web and
legacy and relational databases, agreed Glenn Gabriel Ben-Yosef,
president of Clear Thinking Research, Boston, Massachusetts.
"Gateways can slow things down a bit," Ben-Yosef told Newsbytes.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951123/Reader Contact: Gradient Technologies,
508-624-9600; Press Contacts: Dan Chmielewski or Martha Schaefer,
Gradient, 508-624-9600)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/22/95
PC
Fuji Intros More Printers

(NEWS)(PC)(DEN)(00020)
Fuji Intros More Printers 11/22/95
ELMSFORD, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 22 (NB) -- Fuji Photo Film USA
Inc., usually thought of as a film company, has introduced two new
digital color printers that use a heat transfer process instead of
chemicals to produce their output.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95112220.PCX
Click here for photo

Fuji said the new Fujix NC-500, which the company rolled out at the
recent Comdex/Fall 95 computer trade show in Las Vegas, uses the
multi-layer coated Fujifilm Thermo-Autochrome Paper to generate
images. Color is synthesized in response to heat applied to the
paper and does not use ink cartridges or other disposable supplies.

Fuji said the printing process takes about two minutes for each
copy and produces a print with a resolution of 300 dots-per-inch (dpi).
The company said the color reproduction is almost as accurate as
silver halide solutions, the traditional chemical process used to
develop film.

According to the company the gradation of 256 RGB (red-green-blue)
steps per color is good enough to make the NC-500 suitable for
medical imaging, scientific research, image analysis, scenic
simulations and design work requiring subtle differentiation of
tonal scales.

The NC-500 consists of a paper supply and transport system, a
thermal head and a fixing lamp. The special paper consists of a
base material coated with cyan, magenta and yellow color-synthesizing
layers covered with a protective, heat-resistant coating.

To produce a color image, the layers react to heat from the thermal
head. Each layer is exposed in turn, with the yellow and magenta
layers being fixed by the UV lamp. The cyan layer reacts to high
levels of heat to generate that portion of the image.

The NC-500 can handle conventional letter-size (A4) as well as
half-size (A5) sheets. You can produce prints as large as 8- by 11-
inches. The NC-500 is scheduled to ship in the Spring of 1996. Fuji
spokesperson Korey Halsch told Newsbytes the NC-500 is expected to
sell for about $7,500.

Fuji will also ship its new A6-size digital image printer in the
Spring of next year. The A6 system also uses heat to produce its
150 dpi color images without needing ink cartridges. Fuji said the
unique features of the process allow the printer to outperform
traditional color printing methods such as dye sublimation thermal
transfer system.

The A6 system takes about two minutes to produce its 3.3-inch by 5-
inch output. It comes with a parallel interface and software for
the computer. Halsch said the estimated selling price will be about
$700.

(Jim Mallory/19951122/Press contact: Thomas Shay for Fuji, 914-789-8145;
Public contact: Fuji, 800-378-3854/NC500_951122 or A6_951122/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/22/95
GENERAL
Paper Christmas Ornaments On CD-ROM

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00021)
Paper Christmas Ornaments On CD-ROM 11/22/95
LA PALMA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 22 (NB) -- "Christmas
Ornament Workshop" from Strategic Alliance Partners Inc. puts on a
CD-ROM step by step instructions on folding paper into 12 different
Christmas ornaments. It is distributed by Strategic for its developer,
Kitty Hawk Software Inc., maker of "The Greatest Paper Airplanes"
software that shows users how to build 50 paper airplanes by folding
paper.

Brenda Jaecke, a director of consumer relations at Strategic Alliance
Partners, told Newsbytes, "The Greatest Paper Airplaneswas one of
the biggest CD-ROM sellers ever, and its shareware version has been
reported as the number one shareware product in the world. As a
special bonus, Christmas Ornament Workshop includes a shareware
edition of The Greatest Paper Airplanes, which enables users to build
five airplanes."

Christmas Ornament Workshop features the three-dimensional (3-D)
animations adapted from the same computer-aided design software
that is used in The Greatest Paper Airplanes.

"The software gathers users round the hearth of an on-screen living
room, complete with a crackling fire and a Christmas tree. Ornaments
decorate the mantle and tree. Users need only click with a mouse to
see step-by-step instructions. Christmas Ornament Workshop uses
shading and shadows to help guide users visually as they make folds.
The folding action and speed are controlled with VCR-style buttons
that permit replays of complex steps. Users may also zoom and rotate
the image of the folding paper for a better look," said Jaecke.

Christmas Ornament Workshop features designs for all skill levels
and ages. "Simple" designs include a church, cross, pinwheel, and Santa
Claus. "Moderate" designs include a toy boat, gift box, package, star, and
poinsettia. "Challenging" designs include a candle, toy car, and reindeer.

A soundtrack entertains with six holiday hits played by the
Philadelphia Brass. When making an ornament to be given as a
surprise gift, users can turn off the soundtrack to avoid alerting
other family members.

Christmas Ornament Workshop supports color and dual-sided printing.
For example, options enable users to print the top- or bottom-side of
a design, complete with lines to guide folds.

Priced at $19.95, suggested retail, Christmas Ornament Workshop is
available immediately from MicroWarehouse, PC Connection, and Tiger
Software. Users may also order the software direct from Strategic at
800-946-4277.

The software requires Windows 3.1, Windows for Workgroups 3.11 or
Windows 95, a CD-ROM drive, and a 256-color display. Macintosh
users require System 7 and a CD-ROM drive. Sound and color printing
require a sound board and color printer, respectively.

(Richard Bowers/19951122/Press Contact: Chip Hilts, Strategic
Alliance Partners Inc., 800-946-4277)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/22/95
ONLINE
WebChat With 105 channels & 20 Million Hits

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LAX)(00022)
WebChat With 105 channels & 20 Million Hits 11/22/95
MENLO PARK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 22 (NB) -- WebChat
Broadcasting System (WBS), with over 105 channels for live
conversation on topics from dating to entertainment, claims over 21
million hits per month. The company claims it is the largest chatting
hub on the World Wide Web.

WBS's real niche might be its "unique" advertising methods, which it
claims feature over 10 million separate advertising views per month.
Banner advertising across each page changes with every new page a user
sees. WBS reports that each viewer will use sixteen separate pages
per session, with sixteen different advertisements.

Wendie Lash, a spokesperson for WBS, told Newsbytes, "We are very
different from other Web sites. Our adds cycle as each page changes.
Other sites, such as on Netscape or Yahoo, do rotate, but at best once
every few hours. WBS cycles every time a page is used, and this gives
advertisers a lot more exposure."

The current add rate sheet from WBS offers advertisers a one month
banner for $6,000. The company claims that such an add will receive
over 500,000 advertising views.

WBS Director Michael J. Fremont, said, "With over 10 million
advertising views a month, sponsors of WBS are tapping into one of
the most traveled sites on the Web today."

Anyone using an ordinary Web browser can access the WBS channels
WebChat allows users to incorporate images, video, and audio
clips -- as well as "hotlinks" to other World-Wide-Web sites -- into
a live conversation over the Internet.

"Most Web pages are only information sites: files, hotlists,
databases," said Fremont. "These are 'hit and run' sites, because once
visitors have 'hit' the information they came for, they usually 'run.'
At WBS, however, our visitors come to meet, socialize, and become part
of an ongoing community."

Recent Society clients include Hewlett-Packard, Mercury Center Online,
NASA, Graff Pay-Per-View, Saatchi and Saatchi Advertising, and
Eastman Kodak.

(Richard Bowers/19951100/Press Contact: Wendie Lash,
WBS, 415-327-4386)


(ADVISORY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00023)

NewsPix Update For Newsbytes Publishers 11/22/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A.,1995 NOV 22 (NB) -- This update
will be posted each Wednesday and Friday to reflect the daily
picture additions. The updates will in turn become part of the
main NewsPix Bulletin issued on Monday.

These photos correspond to recent Newsbytes stories. They are online
in the Newsbytes menu on America Online, NiftyServe, the Newsbytes
Pacifica Website at http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/ and the
Newsbytes private bulletin board system in Minneapolis.

To become a licensed Newsbytes publisher, call Newsbytes at
612-430-1100 (US) or write to [e-mail] on the
Internet. Licensing applies to any medium.

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

NOVEMBER 22, 1995

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

PHOTOPAD951120 - color / Polaroid Intros Photo Scanner For Home
PCs: shot of the scanner and packaging.

SPSS951121 - color / SPSS To Ship Windows 95 Statistical Software:
screenshot. (no PICT or GIF files)

(Newsbytes/19951122)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/22/95
TRENDS
Dataquest Lowers Windows 95 Sales Numbers

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00024)
Dataquest Lowers Windows 95 Sales Numbers 11/22/95
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 22 (NB) -- Dataquest has
reduced its 1995 sales numbers for Microsoft Corp.'s (NASDAQ: MSFT)
Windows 95, by 3.6 million shipments. Dataquest had originally
predicted sales of 30 million shipments in 1995, and now has lowered
the total to 26.4 million.

Of the 30 million shipped, according to Reuters, Dataquest estimates
only 16.4 million copies will actually be sold to consumers by the
end of 1995. The original prediction was 20 million copies sold to
consumers. This represents a decline of 23% in the forecast of actual
sold units to consumers in 1995. The remaining 10 million from the
shipped amount will remain unsold, but in the distribution network.

These new numbers seem not to reflect slower Windows 95 sales,
rather problems with Dataquest's own methodology, say some sources.

Dataquest said that the primary reason for the revision was a change
in total Christmas sales forecasts.

Dataquest was unavailable for comment as to why they changed their
Christmas numbers by Newsbytes deadline.

As previously reported in Newsbytes, a Roper Starch Worldwide Inc.
survey of 1,005 home computer users reveals that current computer
owners want new computers more than any other single gift for
Christmas. Among items wished for Christmas, 35 percent want a new
computer. This survey indicates that, while overall numbers for
Christmas might be down, computers (most with Windows 95 installed)
will get an increasing market share.

In addition, Reuters reports that Dataquest said the original
forecast was made before the exact shipping date of Windows 95 was
known, implying that the actual date was slightly later than expected.
Why Dataquest made the estimates before knowing the shipping date is
also unexplained. The shipping date of Windows 95 was not exactly
a secret, note industry observers.

Newsbytes made repeated attempts to contact Dataquest, without
success.

A just released survey by Odyssey research suggests that, in spite
of Windows 95's high marks for awareness, only six percent of computer
households have adopted the new operating system. The survey was
based on a random sample of 1,201 United States households with
personal computers.

According to Odyssey President Nick Donatiello, Microsoft has done
an excellent job of making people aware of the new Windows 95
operating system. "Their well-orchestrated launch got them awareness
in 92 percent of PC households," he said. "But 53 percent say they
are not at all likely to upgrade in the next six months."

(Richard Bowers/19951122/Press Contact: Marivi Lerdo, Odyssey,
415-968-4033; Dataquest, 408-468-8000)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/22/95
ONLINE
Desktop Data Adds Languages, Content

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TOR)(00025)
Desktop Data Adds Languages, Content 11/22/95
WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 22 (NB) -- Users of NewsEdge,
the news filtering service from Desktop Data Inc., soon will be able to
search news published in French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Portuguese.
Desktop Data said it will add content and searching capabilities in those
languages with the release of NewsEdge 3.0 around the end of this year.

NewsEdge makes it possible to search material from a variety of
publications and to build profiles that let the user receive just items
that contain selected words or phrases. To date, these capabilities worked
only in English, since they did not have the extended character set
support necessary to deal with such things as accents in other languages.

Along with multilingual search capabilities, Desktop Data said it is
adding content in various languages. The Montreal daily newspaper La
Presse and other French-language publications from Canada will become
available, as will the Reuters news wire's Spanish Language Service and
Latin American Business Report.

Hilary MacPhail, manager of information licensing and marketing at
Desktop Data, told Newsbytes that other foreign-language news sources
will be added over the coming year.

Desktop Data also plans to add support for more languages, MacPhail
added, but is not announcing what those will be at present.

The company expects the new capabilities will appeal to existing customers
in the United States, most of which are large companies with international
operations and a need for international news, MacPhail said. They will
also help the company's effort to penetrate the European market, where it
opened an office last year, and be an asset in Canada, where Desktop Data
has been marketing NewsEdge for some time. MacPhail added that there are
also NewsEdge customers, though not a major marketing effort at present,
in Latin America.

Four new English-language information services have also been added to
NewsEdge: Asia Intelligence Wire, a collection of news and analysis from
Asian publications; the Canadian Press news wire; the Financial Times
Business Reports, a collection of more than 40 weekly and monthly
newsletters from the London-based Financial Times; and the Deutsche Press
Agentur news wire.

(Grant Buckler/19951122/Press Contact: Marni Hoyle, Desktop Data,
617-672-2421, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
00 11/22/95
WINDOWS
Computer-Aided Design Software Under $

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(DEN)(00026)
Computer-Aided Design Software Under $600 11/22/95
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 22 (NB) -- Numera Software
has introduced Visual CADD version 2.0, its 32-bit computer-aided
design (CAD) package for Windows 95 and Windows NT. A company
spokesperson told Newsbytes the package, which has a suggested
retail price of $595, will perform 90 percent of the functions
found in much more expensive CAD programs.

The company said it designed Visual CADD to be an open architecture
system so it could be customized by users and could use third-party
applications. According to Numera, any popular Windows programming
language or the built-in scripting language can be used to customize
the software.

Numera said version 2 loads drawings, redraws and performs standard
CAD operations an average 300 percent faster than the earlier 16-bit
version. It also has a feature, called Task Aware Environment, that
keeps track of where you are in the design process and predicts your
next step.

Several output options are available, including laser printers via
Windows printer drivers, and most popular plotters. The Direct Plot
command allows pen mapping and direct support for Hewlett Packard
HP-GL/2 and Houston Instrument DM/PL systems. A Direct Send command
automatically send the file via e-mail.

Boolean operations are supported to allow the user to add,
subtract or intersect multiple entities in order to create new
objects in a single step. A feature called Multiple Viewports
lets you work simultaneously with several view of the same drawing
file, and Dynamic Reference Freames provides support for AutoCAD
xrefs and paperspace. You can reference multiple drawing on your
output sheet.

A fact sheet provided by Numera indicates what Visual CADD 2.0
can't do. Included in that list are poly entities, assignment of
line defaults to a layer, and movement of objects between layers.
The data sheet also enumerated features of the software that aren't
available in AutoCAD Release 12 and AutoCAD LT 2.0. Those include:
drawing true ellipses; text blocks; the grouping and ungrouping of
entities; Boolean add, subtract and union; creating parallel snaps;
on-the-fly dimension changes; display scrolling; support for OLE
(object linking and embedding) 2.0 and TrueType fonts; scroll
bars; and support for dynamic data exchange (DDE).

Visual CADD 2.0 has a suggested retail price of $595. Numera
spokesperson, Ed Petersen, told Newsbytes that users of the earlier
version can purchase an upgrade for $249. The company said it will
continue to market and support Visual CADD 1.2 for users who continue
to use Windows 3.1.

(Jim Mallory/19951122/Press contact: Ed Petersen, Numera Software,
206-622-2233; Public contact: Numera Software, tel [phone] or
fax [phone]/NUMERA951122/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/22/95
NETWORK
 ****Novell UK Unveils NetWare Web Server Package

(NEWS)(NETWORK)(LON)(00027)
 ****Novell UK Unveils NetWare Web Server Package 11/22/95
BRACKNELL, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 NOV 22 (NB) -- Novell UK has
unveiled NetWare Web Server, a UKP660 package that the company claims
is a "realistic" way for NetWare users to publish information on the
World Wide Web, for both internal and external users.

Simon Palmer, brand marketing manager with Novell's Information Access
and Management Group, told Newsbytes that the package will sell
through the company's dealers and value-added resellers (VAR) alike,
since the nature of the package allows it to be sold as a shrink-wrapped
product, as well as a vehicle for value-added profits in the VAR
marketplace.

Palmer claims that NetWare Web Server supports symmetric
multiprocessing and scales to meet the Internet publishing and access
needs of businesses and workgroups of all sizes. The idea is that
businesses can easily plug NetWare Web Server into their existing
NetWare products and allow them to use a simple Internet publishing
server system on their network.

Despite the fact that Web Server is a Unix-based application, Novell
claims that no custom development or knowledge of the Unix operating
system is required. Beta test customers who have been running the
package are claimed to have successfully installed and configured a
Web server, creating a Web page, and viewing it, all within a
10-minute time-frame.

"Accessing information on Web servers is quickly becoming a standard
method for gathering information within the business community.
Companies that set up Web servers are able to communicate more easily
and effectively with customers, employees, resellers, partners,
manufacturers, investors and other individuals, and to offer company
information more efficiently than through traditional communication
methods," he explained.

According to Palmer, the NetWare Web Server technology gives NetWare
users a powerful method by which public information can be published,
both within their company and to the Internet community at large.

NetWare Web Server is designed to interface directly with NetWare 4.1
on an "out of the box" basis. The idea behind the package is that
users can plug the software into their existing NetWare network system
and allow them to publish information across the NetWare network for
internal users, as well as via an Internet gateway, for external users.

In use, the package takes advantage of NetWare Directory Services by
providing security through authentication of the user to directory
services, and access control to the data through Novell's secure file
system. In addition, Web Server will also run with the NetWare SFT
(System Fault Tolerant) III fault tolerant system from Novell, which
adds a high degree of fault tolerance to the Web server.

According to Novell, Web Server takes advantage of NetWare's symmetric
multiprocessing (SMP) facilities, allowing users who expect a large
number of "hits" on their Web server to choose an appropriate hardware
system to meet their performance needs. As their Internet traffic
increases, so users can expand their system to meet their needs.

Extra features of Web Server include the WordPerfect Internet
Publisher with integral Netscape Navigator, as well as Basic and Perl
interpreters. Other features include support for secure access
controls, the Remote Common Gateway Interface (R-CGI), and a Windows-
based graphical user interface for administration. Using these
facilities, Novell claims that its customers can publish high impact
and dynamic Web pages in a "secure, easy to administer fashion."

NetWare Web Server will be available globally through the company's
outlets from December 21. UK pricing has been set at UKP660, although
US pricing has not been confirmed. US pricing is expected to be
around the $995, however.

Further details of Web Server can be found on Novell's home page,
which is located at http://www.novell.com .

(Steve Gold/19951122/Press Contact: Viv Wilson, Novell UK, +44-1344-
724460, Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Reader Contact:
Novell UK, tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/22/95
GOVT
 ****Digital Equipment Europe Offices Raided

(NEWS)(GOVT)(LON)(00028)
 ****Digital Equipment Europe Offices Raided 11/22/95
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1995 NOV 22 (NB) -- European Commission (EC)
investigators have raided the offices of Digital Equipment in the UK,
Germany, and the Netherlands. EC officials and the company itself have
refused to comment on the raids, except to confirm that they have
taken place.

The Wall Street Journal and CNN report that raids were in response to
complaints that Digital Equipment were allegedly involved in anti-
competitive practices in the software maintenance marketplace.

Alistair Kelman, a lawyer specializing in software and information
technology (IT) legal matters, said he not surprised at the raids,
since Digital Equipment was warned about its actions in the network
software marketplace in the mid-1980s.

"Questions were asked in (the British) Parliament about the actions of
Digital Equipment and other companies, including Systime, who charged
large sums of money for their networking operating systems. Systime
eventually went out of business, such was the level of antipathy over
its aggressive marketing," he told Newsbytes.

According to Kelman, if the EC raids against Digital Equipment are for
the same thing in the software maintenance business, then "this proves
that the company has not changed its practices, despite the affair in
the 1980s."

In the US, Digital Equipment, which is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts,
has issued a statement saying that it will cooperate in the investigation
by EC officials, but claimed that it believes its business practices
are in line with relevant competition rules.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951122/Press Contact: European Commission,
[phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/22/95
TRENDS
 ****Windows 95 Users Outperform Mac & OS/2 - Study

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00029)
 ****Windows 95 Users Outperform Mac & OS/2 - Study 11/22/95
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 22 (NB) -- International Data
Corp. (IDC) has released results of a productivity test which compares
tasks performed on the Windows 95, Macintosh, and OS/2 operating systems.
Overall test results claim to show Windows 95 users performing 19%
faster than Mac users, and 50% faster than OS/2 users.

Additionally, the results show 76% of Windows 95 users completed
eight or more of the tests successfully, while only 58% of Mac users
achieved the same success level, followed by 31% of OS/2 users.

Working with Andre Associates of Oakland, California, IDC says it
developed 10 families of tasks which included: managing and printing
local and networked files; managing documents and applications;
checking system resources; creating an alias or shortcut; customizing
the desktop; and attaching an external CD-ROM drive.

The tests were administered to a focus group of 54 Windows 95
Preview Program participants, 55 Mac users, and 52 OS/2 users. Unlike
many studies which compare performance on applications, IDC says this
study focused on tasks which identified operating system performance.
IDC says "minimal interaction" with applications was controlled through
identical applications in each environment.

IDC also found the Windows 95 group was able to finish the assembled
tasks much faster than the other two groups. Eighty-five percent of
Windows 95 users performed the test in less than one hour, while 47%
of Mac users completed the test in the first hour.

Responding to the results, Jeff Price, a product manager at Microsoft,
told Newsbytes, "A lot of people will be surprised with the results of
this test. Apple's OS (operating system) has long been positioned as
the leader in ease-of-use and best performance, but now there is hard
evidence that the mantle has changed to Microsoft. These results show
Windows 95 is now the productivity benchmark for operating systems."

IDC is an independent consulting and testing organization which has
been commissioned to survey and test products and services of many
large computer hardware and software companies, including Apple
Computer.

Newsbytes learned this test began with a large pool of users with
general computing skills. To evenly weight the sampling groups,
IDC used three matched users, one for each OS. This means, for example,
if a user in one OS test group had two years experience using a
word processor and a spreadsheet on a local area network, matched users
for the other two operating systems were used to balance the study.

"This study shows the tens of thousands of focus groups we tested to
develop Windows 95 has paid-off as planned," continued Price. "Our
major goal was to make Windows 95 easy to use and these results are
the hard evidence which shows we accomplished our goal," he said.

(Patrick McKenna/19951122/Press Contact: Kathy Gill, Waggener
Edstrom, 503-245-0905)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/22/95
GENERAL
 ****Companies Join Hands On Holiday Benefit For Kids

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00030)
 ****Companies Join Hands On Holiday Benefit For Kids 11/22/95
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 22 (NB) -- Last year's
holiday benefit party for children was such a hit that Lois Paul
& Partners (LP&P), Lotus, and other computer industry partners
are going to hold the event again, this time with a few
enhancements added for extra fun, said LP&P's Lois Paul and
Marcia Hertz of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Children (MSPCC), in an interview with Newsbytes.

"This is our opportunity to `give back' to the community," Paul
told Newsbytes. This year's MSPCC benefit, to be given December
11 at the Westin Hotel at Copley Place in Boston, will feature
local TV anchor Jack Williams as host, the addition of a new
"balloon raffle," and partnership with companies that include
Lotus, Shiva, Computerworld, Sentry Market Research (SMR), and
Hurwitz Consulting, plus J.R. Schuman Associates and the Westin
Hotel, the two event co-sponsors.

Just as last year, guests at "GoodStart for the Holidays" will
bring toys for kids. Also this year, Look & Feel, a rock band
comprised of high tech execs, will make a return engagement. And
for the 1995 event, "greater visibility" will be given to the
"silent auction" that helped to raise $20,000 for needy children
last year, according to Paul.

Hertz reported that the 1994 event also brought in about 400
toys, which were then distributed by the MSPCC as holiday
presents to clients enrolled in the organization's GoodStart.

GoodStart, she noted, is an early intervention program that works
with parents to help them raise "safe and healthy" children.

"The looks on the kids' faces when they received their gifts last
December was phenomenal," recalled Hertz, who is director of
marketing and public relations for the social service agency.
"And we are incredibly grateful to LP&P. The staff has amazing
energy."

The idea of raising funds and toys for needy kids was "a natural"
for LP&P, added Paul. When the high tech PR firm was first
founded, staff members collectively had "only a couple of kids,"
she observed. Today, that number has climbed to about 40, and
many of those children came "trick or treating" to LP&P on
Halloween.

LP&P and its partners in the event expect to attract at least 500
guests this year, and to produce more contributions in terms of
toys and dollars, according to the LP&P chief. This year's silent
auction has "a number of `big ticket' items." In the newly added
"balloon raffle," guests will "buy" balloons, with contents that
will remain a mystery until the balloons are popped at the event,
Newsbytes was told.

Members of the Look & Feel band that will entertain the guests at
"GoodStart for the Holidays" include: Bryan Simmons, manager of
corporate public relations at Lotus; David Blohm, chief executive
officer (CEO) of Virtual Entertainment; Frank Ingari, president
and CEO of Shiva; Allen Razdow, chairman of MathSoft; and Drew
Hannah, president and CEO of Softbridge.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951122/Reader Contact: Lois Paul & Partners,
617-862-4514; Press Contacts: Brenda Nashawaty or Bill
McLaughlin, LP&P, 617-862-4514; Marcia Hertz, MSPCC,
617-227-2280)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/22/95
ONLINE
 ****New Trojan Horse On America Online

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(WAS)(00031)
 ****New Trojan Horse On America Online 11/22/95
VIENNA, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 22 (NB) -- A new Trojan horse
has shown up on America Online, and may also be lurking on other
online services.

The culprit is a file called, variously, "AOLGOLD," and
"install.exe." it is sent as a file attached to e-mail, and must
be downloaded and executed before it causes harm.

Once the program is downloaded and the computer is rebooted, the
program creates a virus.bat batch file that deletes all the
files on the hard drive.

AOL spokeswoman Pam McGraw told Newsbytes that a look at the
system found "that it is not in any of the public areas." But
she said that it could be spread by e-mail.

McGraw said AOL "doesn't have a good feel for how widespread"
the program is, and that the online service was warned about the
Trojan horse by a member. "We have had a few customer inquiries,"
she said.

In a posting in its virus area (keyword: virus), AOL notes, "Due
to private nature of electronic-mail, we cannot scan files in
e-mail for viruses as we do with files in public areas of the
service."

AOL says it is "advisable never to download attached files from
an unknown sender."

The online service also advises its members, "In addition, if
you ever received a file in e-mail you believe could cause
problems, please forward it immediately to TOSEMAIL1, and
explain your concerns to our terms of service staff."

(Kennedy Maize/19951122/Press Contact: Pam McGraw, 703-556-3746)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/22/95
ONLINE
Bertlesmann-America Online Alliance Gets German Partners

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(WAS)(00032)
Bertlesmann-America Online Alliance Gets German Partners 11/22/95
VIENNA, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 22 (NB) -- Bertelsmann AG
and America Online (NASDAQ: AMER) have formed an international
alliance with Deutsche Telekom. Also, Axel Springer, a leading
publishing company in Germany, said it will take a minority stake
in the German operations of the online services of both Deutsche
Telekom and the Bertelsmann/AOL joint venture.

The alliances strengthen the Bertelsmann-AOL operations in Europe
as they compete with the rival Europe Online Alliance.

AOL says the agreement won't alter the planned launch of the AOL
Online Service in Germany later this year, and in France and the
United Kingdom in 1996.

As part of the Deutsche Telekom/Bertelsmann/AOL alliance, the
parties will swap equity positions in their respective European
online ventures. Deutsche Telekom will take a minority stake in
the Bertelsmann/America Online European joint venture, formed in
March, 1995. America Online and Bertelsmann will obtain a
minority stake in Deutsche Telekom's German-based T-Online
(formerly BTX).

Also, Deutsche Telekom is expected to make a minority investment
in America Online Inc.

The Bertelsmann/AOL joint venture will focus principally on the
home/consumer market in Europe through the AOL Online Service,
set for launch in Germany next month, and in France and the
United Kingdom after that.

The alliance partners also will participate in T-Online,
formerly BTX, principally focused on the professional and
business markets. Axel Springer, based in Hamburg, will take
a minority stake in both T Online and the German operations of
the Bertelsmann/AOL joint venture. Axel Springer withdrew from
the Europe Online Alliance last October.

AOL did not divulge financial details. The deal must be reviewed
by the Cartels Office in Berlin, EU Competition Commission in
Brussels, and the supervisory boards of each company.

(Kennedy Maize/19951122/Press Contact: Pam McGraw, America
Online, 703-556-3746)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00033)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 11/22/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 22 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|          Wednesday, November 22, 1995          |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

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Questions? Send to '[e-mail]'  For Japanese Newsbytes
and additional services, see the Newsbytes Pacifica Website at
http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

EDUCATION China - School Pager Services Criticized................... 07

GENERAL   India - Dun & Bradstreet Expands Software Devt Center...... 10

GENERAL   Japan Newsbriefs........................................... 13

GENERAL   Newsbytes Will Not Be Published Nov 23-24.................. 18

GENERAL   Paper Christmas Ornaments On CD-ROM........................ 21

GENERAL   NewsPix Update For Newsbytes Publishers.................... 23

GENERAL    ****Companies Join Hands On Holiday Benefit For Kids...... 30

GOVT      Chinese Premier Wants Motorola To Be "More Open............ 05

GOVT       ****Digital Equipment Europe Offices Raided............... 28

LEGAL      ****Notorious Software Pirate Arrested.................... 12

NETWORK   China - Novell Dominates Network Software Market........... 06

NETWORK   Gradient Plans "Web Application Server" With DCE........... 19

NETWORK    ****Novell UK Unveils NetWare Web Server Package.......... 27

ONLINE    Industry.Net Launches 26 New Internet Services............. 01

ONLINE    Price Club To Sell Online.................................. 04

ONLINE    Internet Update - Thanksgiving Special..................... 16

ONLINE    WebChat With 105 channels & 20 Million Hits................ 22

ONLINE    Desktop Data Adds Languages, Content....................... 25

ONLINE     ****New Trojan Horse On America Online.................... 31

ONLINE    Bertlesmann-America Online Alliance Gets German Partners... 32

PC        Willowbrook's Multifunction Office Equip Is Different...... 17

PC        Fuji Intros More Printers.................................. 20

TELECOM   India - Motorola To Focus On Private Paging................ 09

TELECOM   Japan - Profits Surge At Telecom Firms..................... 14

TRENDS    Canadian Software Productivity High, Quality Low - Study... 02

TRENDS    Australia - Retail Computer Sellers Experience Slowdown.... 08

TRENDS    India - Cyber Cafes In 5-Star Hotels....................... 11

TRENDS    Dataquest Lowers Windows 95 Sales Numbers.................. 24

TRENDS     ****Windows 95 Users Outperform Mac & OS/2 - Study........ 29

WINDOWS   Microsoft 3-D Movie Maker Ready To Debut................... 03

WINDOWS    ****Japanese Windows 95 Debuts............................ 15

WINDOWS   Computer-Aided Design Software Under $600.................. 26

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 -> Industry.Net Launches 26 New Internet Services -- Already having
developed what it calls "the world's largest online marketplace for
business and industry," Industry.Net said it has launched 26 new online
services inside its Internet World Wide Web site.

2 -> Canadian Software Productivity High, Quality Low - Study -- A recent
study of software  development in Canada says that, compared to their
counterparts in other  countries, Canadians turn out software faster and
with more mistakes. To be competitive internationally in the software
field, the study  conducted for the Canadian government said, Canada
needs to boost the  quality of its software.

3 -> Microsoft 3-D Movie Maker Ready To Debut -- Just in time for the
kickoff of the year's biggest selling season, Microsoft Corp.  (NASDAQ:
MSFT) is premiering 3D Movie Maker, a CD-ROM-based software  program that
lets you make your own real-time three-dimensional (3-D)  animated
movies.

4 -> Price Club To Sell Online -- Price Quest, a  subsidiary of Price
Enterprises Inc. (NASDAQ: PREN) and Price/Costco  Inc. (NASDAQ: PCCW),
has announced that it will begin offering over  9,000 brand name items
online through America Online Market Place in  time  for the 1995 holiday
season. The shopping service will be  called "Price Online" and will be
available to America Online  subscribers on November 27.

5 -> Chinese Premier Wants Motorola To Be "More Open -- Premier Li Peng
wants Motorola to be "more open" about its technology when selling its
products in  China. Co-manufacturing will help Motorola capture a bigger
share of  the Chinese market, Li reportedly told Motorola President
Christopher  Galvin recently.

6 -> China - Novell Dominates Network Software Market -- Novell currently
has 80 percent of the network software market in China, and its sales
volume in the country this year is expected to triple last year's figure.

7 -> China - School Pager Services Criticized -- Some Chinese cities have
special pager services for middle school students. Although some parents
like the service, saying it provides for convenient communications
between the student and parents, many teachers criticize the service  for
disturbing the "calm studying atmosphere" in school.

8 -> Australia - Retail Computer Sellers Experience Slowdown -- Despite a
drop off in retail computer sales up until the past two weeks, Myer-Grace
Bros (a large Australian retail/department store group) national computer
and home office buyer, Frank Kavanagh, says the stores are gearing up for
"Christmas sales that will be a better year than ever".

9 -> India - Motorola To Focus On Private Paging -- Motorola Inc., which
recently  unveiled plans to invest over R500 crore (about $150 million)
in India in major areas

10 -> India - Dun & Bradstreet Expands Software Devt Center -- Dun &
Bradstreet Satyam Software  (DBSS), the joint venture company of the
US-based Dun & Bradstreet Corp.,  and Satyam Computer Services Ltd.,
Hyderabad, has drawn up a major  expansion plan involving the setting up
of a new software development  center (SDC) at Elnet Software City at
Madras.

11 -> India - Cyber Cafes In 5-Star Hotels -- There will be more to
sipping  coffee in the coming months in almost all the major five-star
deluxe  hotels in the country with the introduction of Cybercafes. The
first  one to be opened formally was at Hotel Leela Kempinski in Bombay.

12 ->  ****Notorious Software Pirate Arrested -- Los Angeles County
District Attorney's investigators recently arrested a man they said is
known as "Captain Blood" in the software industry, and seized an
estimated $1 million worth of allegedly illegally copied software from
his residence in the upscale Wilshire district of Los Angeles.

13 -> Japan Newsbriefs -- In this roundup of news from Japan:  NTT to
encourage ISDN use; Satellite laser communications success;  Japan's
Ricoh wins best of Comdex; Seiko Epson increases LCD  production;
Nintendo attracts new producers.

14 -> Japan - Profits Surge At Telecom Firms -- The big three telecom
operators in  Japan's domestic market all reported big increases in
profits and  revenues for the first six months of the current fiscal year
which  ended September 30. The companies were Nippon Telegraph and
Telephone, the world's largest telecommunications company, and its  two
competitors in the long distance market, DDI and Japan Telecom.

15 ->  ****Japanese Windows 95 Debuts -- Any American or European
tourists would get a tremendous sense of deja-vous on the streets of
Akihabara, Tokyo's electronics and computer mecca, tonight. Akihabara  is
where all of the major electronics companies test-market products  before
nationwide and, eventually, international launches.

16 -> Internet Update - Thanksgiving Special -- In this holiday edition
of Internet  Update, a focus on Thanksgiving related Internet sites
including:  Thanksgiving horn of plenty; An American Thanksgiving on the
Internet; Thanksgiving cooking links; A Fresno Thanksgiving; and  The
Plymouth Thanksgiving pages.

17 -> Willowbrook's Multifunction Office Equip Is Different --
Multifunction office devices, such as combination printer-fax-copier
machines, are more and more in demand as home offices proliferate.
Willowbrook Technologies Inc., a startup, maintains its approach is a
little different from that of other vendors in this field.

18 -> Newsbytes Will Not Be Published Nov 23-24 -- Newsbytes will not be
published on November 23-24, 1995, due to the Thanksgiving holiday in the
US. All offices will be closed.

19 -> Gradient Plans "Web Application Server" With DCE -- Gradient
Technology is now creating a new "Web application server," to be
accessible by standard Web browsers, that will combine the capabilities
of a Web server with the security and directory services and database
access of DCE (Distributed Computing Environment) for "customer-centered
computing," said Gradient VP David Fowler, during a briefing for
Newsbytes.

20 -> Fuji Intros More Printers -- Fuji Photo Film USA Inc., usually
thought of as a film company, has introduced two new digital color
printers that use a heat transfer process instead of chemicals to produce
their output.

21 -> Paper Christmas Ornaments On CD-ROM -- "Christmas Ornament
Workshop" from Strategic Alliance Partners Inc. puts on a CD-ROM step by
step instructions on folding paper into 12 different Christmas ornaments.
It is distributed by Strategic for its developer, Kitty Hawk Software
Inc., maker of "The Greatest Paper Airplanes" software that shows users
how to build 50 paper airplanes by folding paper.

22 -> WebChat With 105 channels & 20 Million Hits -- WebChat Broadcasting
System (WBS), with over 105 channels for live conversation on topics from
dating to entertainment, claims over 21 million hits per month. The
company claims it is the largest chatting hub on the World Wide Web.

23 -> NewsPix Update For Newsbytes Publishers -- This update will be
posted each Wednesday and Friday to reflect the daily picture additions.
The updates will in turn become part of the main NewsPix Bulletin issued
on Monday.

24 -> Dataquest Lowers Windows 95 Sales Numbers -- Dataquest has reduced
its 1995 sales numbers for Microsoft Corp.'s (NASDAQ: MSFT) Windows 95,
by 3.6 million shipments. Dataquest had originally predicted sales of 30
million shipments in 1995, and now has lowered the total to 26.4 million.

25 -> Desktop Data Adds Languages, Content -- Users of NewsEdge, the news
filtering service from Desktop Data Inc., soon will be able to search
news published in French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Portuguese.
Desktop Data said it will add content and searching capabilities in those
languages with the release of NewsEdge 3.0 around the end of this year.

26 -> Computer-Aided Design Software Under $600 -- Numera Software has
introduced Visual CADD version 2.0, its 32-bit computer-aided design
(CAD) package for Windows 95 and Windows NT. A company spokesperson told
Newsbytes the package, which has a suggested retail price of $595, will
perform 90 percent of the functions found in much more expensive CAD
programs.

27 ->  ****Novell UK Unveils NetWare Web Server Package -- Novell UK has
unveiled NetWare Web Server, a UKP660 package that the company claims is
a "realistic" way for NetWare users to publish information on the World
Wide Web, for both internal and external users.

28 ->  ****Digital Equipment Europe Offices Raided -- European Commission
(EC) investigators have raided the offices of Digital Equipment in the
UK, Germany, and the Netherlands. EC officials and the company itself
have refused to comment on the raids, except to confirm that they have
taken place.

29 ->  ****Windows 95 Users Outperform Mac & OS/2 - Study --
International Data Corp. (IDC) has released results of a productivity
test which compares tasks performed on the Windows 95, Macintosh, and
OS/2 operating systems. Overall test results claim to show Windows 95
users performing 19% faster than Mac users, and 50% faster than OS/2
users.

30 ->  ****Companies Join Hands On Holiday Benefit For Kids -- Last
year's holiday benefit party for children was such a hit that Lois Paul &
Partners (LP&P), Lotus, and other computer industry partners are going to
hold the event again, this time with a few enhancements added for extra
fun, said LP&P's Lois Paul and Marcia Hertz of the Massachusetts Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC), in an interview with
Newsbytes.

31 ->  ****New Trojan Horse On America Online -- A new Trojan horse has
shown up on America Online, and may also be lurking on other online
services.

32 -> Bertlesmann-America Online Alliance Gets German Partners --
Bertelsmann AG and America Online (NASDAQ: AMER) have formed an
international alliance with Deutsche Telekom. Also, Axel Springer, a
leading publishing company in Germany, said it will take a minority stake
in the German operations of the online services of both Deutsche Telekom
and the Bertelsmann/AOL joint venture.

(Ian Stokell/19951122)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD



Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/20/95
WINDOWS
Bill Gates Officially Heads For Hong Kong

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(HKG)(00001)
Bill Gates Officially Heads For Hong Kong 11/20/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 NOV 20 (NB) -- Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates
will be making his "first official visit" to Hong Kong in
mid-December, company sources in Hong Kong said. Whether or not
he's been unofficially in the territory before, his handlers
didn't say.

But his 24-hour-plus stopover promises to be packed with
vision. There will be visions passed out at the Hong Kong University
of Science and Technology, more visions passed out at the Hong Kong
Convention Center, to 3,000 invited guests, and still more visions
passed out in between. His visit, in fact, marks the launch of his
book of visions, "The Road Ahead."

Proceeds from the Convention Center gathering will go to establish
multimedia projects in selected Hong Kong universities. Chinese
cadres will be watching from the wings. The Microsoft chairman's
first official step on the mainland involved rolling out a standard
Chinese version of Windows, instead of the correct but undeveloped,
simplified version -- a stunningly ill-conceived vision where China
was concerned. Another doubtful move was locating Microsoft's first
Greater China headquarters in Taipei, which made handing out calling
cards in Beijing such a nerve-racking experience the project was
scrapped.

News of the Gates visit came on the heels of Microsoft's announced plan
to introduce an aggressive licensing scheme in China. Under the
so-called Delivery Service Partner Program, Microsoft has certified
10 distributors on the mainland and in Hong Kong to sell
Chinese versions of MS-DOS 6.22, Windows 3.2 -- and the upcoming
Chinese Windows 95.

According to Microsoft China's general manager, Duh Jai-bin, the
proliferation of illegal software has made servicing difficult. He
also says OEMs still face enormous difficulties securing genuine
software when they do seek it out -- a problem the new program
aims to cure.

As it happens, the announcement comes the same week that China was
again hauled into the dock -- this time, at Comdex/Fall in Las Vegas --
accused by the Business Software Alliance of being the global leader
in software theft. As if that weren't enough, US deputy trade
representative, Charlene Barshefsky, again warned China it had
to accelerate anti-piracy activity or face trade sanctions.

Microsoft said it expects its new program to reach over half of China's
OEMs -- or at least, 5,000 companies. "It is essential that effective
distribution channels exist to make Microsoft's products and services
accessible to everyone," Duh says.

To participate, OEMs need only buy five sets of operating system software
from Microsoft, or one of its named distributors under the program, to
bundle with their hardware. The named DSP partners are, in Beijing, China
Great Wall Computer Group, Legend, SIS-Everbright; in Shanghai, Changjiang
Computer Union Corporate; in Jinan, Lanchao Electronic Information
Industrial Group; in Shenzhen, Quantum Designs; and in Hong Kong, ACA
Pacific, SIS International, Tech Pacific and Vtech Computers.

(Joel McCormick & I.T. Daily/19951116)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/20/95
ONLINE
 ****China All At Sea Over Internet

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(HKG)(00002)
 ****China All At Sea Over Internet 11/20/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 NOV 20 (NB) -- The Chinese government has no
firm ideas for the Internet. That was the startling message from
Qu Zhinqiang, division chief of information technology at
China's State Information Centre, speaking at last week's Internet
conference, Executives in Cyberspace, here.

But he said Internet regulations are in the pipeline.

When questioned on the state's view of censorship and the Internet, Qu
claimed the government has no idea how to control it. Little wonder --
figures on Internet usage over the past year show phenomenal growth,
suggesting authorities will move quickly in putting the issue at the
top of the information policy agenda.

Qu said that in March there were 400 hosts offering Internet access. By
July, their number had jumped to 6,000. Now the number is 12,000. User
growth figures are phenomenal. In March, there were only 3,000, Qu
said. Three months later, there were 40,000.

"Up until now there have been no controls over accessing the World
Wide Web," he said. "The government has no [firm] ideas on the
Internet -- but they're worried about its effects."

As it stands now, the main organ of control is an interdepartmental
committee made up of the Economic and Information ministries. It's this
committee that will marshaling proposals on a range of issues concerning
electronic information.

Qu said he wasn't concerned about censorship. Only people with
technical expertise really grasp its full power for information
dissemination.

"These experts support the promotion of Internet -- they see its
potential and they want it all over China."

He said many people outside government hoped authorities would
loosen up a little in their attitude. "I can get a lot of
information from the United States, like military facts -- but in
China there remains very little government information. Of course,
it's not traditional for government to provide information --
we haven't had a market economy [till recently]."

Others attending the conference worried not for China, but about
how Hong Kong should do more to prevent compromising Internet in
the future. David Shannon, a partner with law firm Baker McKenzie,
pointed out that, under Section 33 of the telecommunications
Ordinance, government had a permanent tap on the telephone system.
"The Hong Kong government has wide powers but it's used them
responsibly," he said. Neither Shannon nor Alex Arena, the
head of the Office of the Telecommunications Authority , would
be drawn on the potential for state censorship under the present
rules when Hong Kong returns to China in 1997.

(Joel McCormick & I.T. Daily/19951117)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/20/95
ONLINE
China Contract Speeds Web's Advance

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(HKG)(00003)
China Contract Speeds Web's Advance 11/20/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 NOV 20 (NB) -- China's massive Internet-building
project took another step last week, when ChinaNet architecture and
switching contracts were awarded to US-based Cisco. At the same
time Legend Holdings won six of the 48 contracts for the
State Economic Information Network (SEIN) of China's State
Information Centre -- this Internet project worth some US$21 million.

ChinaNet is expected to come online as soon as June 1996. Work
only began last May.

Funded by China's Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (MPT) and
designed by affiliate CTC Communications Development Co, together with
US-based Asianinfo Computer Network, ChinaNet will have three high-speed
E1 (2 Mb per second) international links making it the fastest and most
advanced Internet network in China.

While the central government has yet to enunciate policy on how the
Internet will be policed, an interdepartmental committee of the
Economic and Information ministries is expected to rush through a
policy draft by next week -- a reflection of Beijing's growing
concern over fast proliferating access to information.

Everything has moved with startling speed: the first permanent
Internet connection established was only in April 1994 -- implemented
by the National Computing and Networking Facility of China (NCFC).
By July, two more connections were made by the educational
establishment.

Linking with the Global Village was a logical extension of internal
networking. In 1988, X.25 lines were installed, linking China's leading
teaching and research centers. CNET, as it was known, for China Academic
Network, has since been joined by two other academic networks, Cernet and
Casnet. Authorities aim to have every one of the country's 1,075
universities hooked up by the turn of the century. Cisco-supported
Cernet already links over 100.

ChinaNet is the largest and most advanced of the three major commercial
projects offering Internet access. The Golden Bridge project run by the
Jitong (largely controlled by the Electronics Ministry) is expanding;
SEIN is at the point of awarding contracts for systems integration.
SEIN, like the others, offers Internet but also security for financial
transaction data. In all, 55 cities should Internet-linked by year-end.

(Joel McCormick & I.T. Daily/19951120)


(ADVISORY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00004)

NewsPix Images For Newsbytes Publishers 11/20/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A.,1995 NOV 20 (NB) -- Photos are now
posted as they arrive. This means quicker access to the story
pictures. The bulletin will continue on Mondays, with updates
Wednesdays and Fridays as needed.

These photos correspond to recent Newsbytes stories. They are online
in the Newsbytes menu on America Online, NiftyServe, and the Newsbytes
private bulletin board system in Minneapolis. Some selections are
also available from the Newsbytes Pacifica Website at
http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) files are larger in size,
PICT files are designed as thumbnails for onscreen viewing.
The photos are titled with name/year/month/day.

PICT/thumbnail pictures are black and white (gray scale). File
message will indicate color if the JPEG image is color.

Some of the "for use" images, may be PICT files. To distinguish
these files from the thumbnail preview PICT images, the tag for the
color "for use" image will have PICT, all caps. The thumbnail will
remain noted as "pct."

To become a licensed Newsbytes publisher, call Newsbytes at
612-430-1100 (US) or write to [e-mail] on the
Internet. Licensing applies to any medium.

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

Week of NOVEMBER 20 - NOVEMBER 24,1995

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

- NEW THIS WEEK -

CDROM951117 - color / Comdex - Higher-Density CDs Late Next Year:
shot of a multi-media PC with the mini-tower cd tray open. CD-ROM
in tray is accented via lighting.

FUJI951116 - b&w / Comdex - Fuji's Digital Camera, Color Printer:
the Fujix DS-220 digital camera.

TREKKER951116 - color / Comdex - And Now For Something Completely
Different:  Rockwell's Trekker; a hands free PC. User at work.

VIRTUAL951116 - b&w / Comdex - Virtual Reality Has Commercial
Possibilities: user wearing the i-glasses.

UPKE951117 - color / Comdex - Upke Claims "Ultimate" Home PC: shot
of the Upke 2617 (in white).

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

- PARTIAL LISTING OF PREVIOUS ITEMS -

VISIONINTERACTIVE951115 - color / Comdex - 1996 Is The Year For
MPEG?: product shot of the Orion MPEG Movie Pack bundle from the
Vision Interactive MPEG kit.

AIDSDAY951114 - color / Don't Surf The Net - Safe The Net: Ribbon
art by Annie Lennox (the Euryhtmics, etc) from the ribbon gallery
from the UK Health Education Authority World AIDS Day Web Site.

RACAL951107 - color / Racal's Low-Cost Audio Surveillance System:
chart/diagram of system linkage.(No gif of this one.)

CRYSTALS951106 - color / Out Of This World Research For
Next-Generation Chips: PHOTO INFO NOW IN - NASA astronauts Marc
Garneau, left, and Andrew Thomas observe gallium antimonide crystals
grown at the University of Florida College of Engineering.

ZINCAIR951109 - color / All-day Zinc Air Batteries Intro'd: shot of
the battery next to PC.

MINIDISC951108 - color / MiniDisk As Floppy Successor?: hand holds
Sharp MiniDisc, with nice blue skys background.

VIEWER951102 - color / Accent Software Intros Free Multi-Language
Web Browser: screenshot.

SBANK951108 - color / Softbank To Announce Ziff Purchase Tomorrow:
screenshot of PCWeek/Softbank homepage.

DRUGSTOR951108 - color / Pharmacist On A Disk: screenshot of the
over-the-counter pain killer screen.

POWERDSK951106 - color / Microhelp Intros Windows 95 Desktop Utility:
the PowerDesk Toolbar. (There is no gif version)

JPOSTA951106 - color / Internet Users Gather In Shock At
Assassination: screenshot of Jerusalem Post homepage with news
of the Rabin assassination.

WALES19951101 - color / Wales Tourist Board Plugs Into The Web:
homepage screenshot.

WINTNG951103 - color / Microsoft Press Offers Windows 95 Interactive
Training:  bookcover.

HOMEREC951102 - b&w / US West Puts Receptionist In Your Home: shot
of the phone unit.

AIRGO951027 - color / PC Card Combines Modem, Cellular Radio:
card with antenna.

POWER951027 - color / Fastest Mac Ever To Be Unveiled Monday:
shots of the new Power Computing configuration.

STEREOGRAPHIC951031 - color / 3-D Glasses By StereoGraphics:
graphic of the acaellerator chip and SimulEyes 3D glasses.

PREMIERE951101 - color / Adobe Ships Premiere 4.2 Video Editor
For Mac: screenshot of special processing window.

DRAW4-951026 - color / Micrografx Shipping Windows Draw 4.0:
screenshot of award art.

KEYTRONIC951023 - color / Key Tronic Shipping More Windows Keyboards:
shot of the KB101, with mottled lighting.

CS-UTIL951024 - color / Coloradans Talk To Utility Firm Via The
Internet: nice Web page graphics.

WIN4-951025 - color / TI Intros MicroLaser Printer For SOHO Market:
the printer on a reddish surface and black background.

(Newsbytes/19951120)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/20/95
IBM
Comdex - IBM Plans Notes-Based "Programmable Server"

(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00005)
Comdex - IBM Plans Notes-Based "Programmable Server" 11/20/95
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 20 (NB) -- IBM plans to
achieve its vision of "network-centric computing" through a Lotus
Notes-based "programmable server" that can be tailored in terms
of messaging, information, policies, and transactions to meet the
varying needs of "task-oriented, collaborative, and mobile"
users, revealed Tim Negris, VP of marketing and sales for IBM
Software Solutions, in a briefing for Newsbytes at Fall Comdex
'95.

During a meeting with Newsbytes in the IBM press suite at the Las
Vegas Convention Center, Negris pointed to IBM Chairman Louis
Gerstner's observation in the opening Comdex keynote that, due to
the difficulties of implementing "decentralized" client-server
computing, the industry is now heading toward a "network-centric"
model in which applications, data, storage, and some processing
will be migrated to the network.

Negris told Newsbytes that IBM's upcoming, Notes-based
"programmable server" will support the new computing model by
providing server-based message, information, policy, and
transaction services that are customizable to various groups of
"service subscribers," characterized by different sets of
activities and requirements.

On the messaging side, for example, IBM's future "programmable
server" will support synchronous messaging for applications like
videoconferencing and "real-time Notes," as well as asynchronous
messaging for transaction processing, illustrated the IBM VP.

The server, he added, will be programmable to "simple transaction
services," like electronic commerce over the Web, as well as
"long-running transactions" such as insurance claims processing,
which require "rollback" capabilities.

Customizable services to be provided in the "policies" area will
include "business policies, business logic, resource policies,
and directory services," according to Negris.

Users will access the forthcoming "network-centric" services
through OpenDoc-based crossplatform graphical user interfaces
(GUIs) that will constitute "the browsers of tomorrow," the VP
predicted.

As previously reported in Newsbytes, during another briefing at
Comdex, Steven Mills, general manager for IBM Software Solutions,
told Newsbytes that IBM intends to integrate Lotus Notes with
its own MQSeries middleware for asynchronous messaging, CICS
transaction processor, IMS "flat file" database, and Office
Vision office automation software. In addition, IBM and Lotus
have recently announced plans to use Notes as a front end to IBM
back office imaging software as well as to new DB2 and CICS
Internet gateways.

Negris informed Newsbytes that plans also call for integrating
Notes with IBM's FlowMark workflow management software in "the
February-ish time frame." Both MQSeries and FlowMark, a package
designed to search for information and route work among users,
were formerly components of IBM Workgroup, a strategy announced
at Fall Comdex '94.

Negris added that, of the three general groups of "service
subscribers" for IBM's upcoming "programmable server" -- task-
oriented, collaborative, and mobile -- the "task-oriented" users
represent much of IBM's traditional customer base, while many of
the "collaborative" users will tend to come from the Lotus Notes
installed base.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951120/Reader Contact: IBM, 914-765-1900;
Press Contact: Parna Sarkar-Basu, Brodeur & Partners for IBM,
617-622-2833)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/20/95
GENERAL
Japan Newsbriefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00006)
Japan Newsbriefs 11/20/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 20 (NB) -- In this roundup of news from Japan,
Fujitsu to invest $1 billion in new plant, Apple to connect schools to
Internet, DVD agreement due next month, NTT hits ISDN milestone, FM
teletext for cars developed.

Fujitsu To Invest $1 billion In New Plant

Fujitsu Electric will invest around 100 billion yen ($1 billion) in a
new plant to produce computer chips according to Saturday's Nihon
Keizai Shimbun newspaper. The factory will be built in Aizuwakamatsu,
Fukushima Prefecture, which is also the site of two existing Fujitsu
plants, both of which will be sold. Construction of the new facility
will begin in 1997 with completion expected by March 1999 when it will
begin operations. Fujitsu said the current plants are too outdated for
the new lines which will turn out chips etched using state-of-the-art
0.35 micron technology.

Apple To Connect Schools To Internet

Apple Japan is extending its Media Kids project, that has connected a
14 Japanese schools to the Internet, to more than 200 schools. The
initial project allowed the schools to communicate and then jointly
produce newspapers and presentations across the network using
multimedia technology. The project culminated in the Media Kids Camp
held outside Tokyo during the summer, as Newsbytes featured at the
time. The enlargement of the scheme will enable 200 schools to connect
to the Internet and work with each other on national projects and
presentations.

DVD Agreement Due Next Month

The two sides of the DVD standards battle will reach agreement on a
single system next month according to officials of Toshiba and Sony
quoted by the Kyodo news agency. The report said current sticking
points included payment of licence fees between the two companies. The
two sides had been championing their own systems until recently when a
unified system was announced as a way of avoiding a possibly costly
standards war.

NTT Hits ISDN Milestone

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone has announced it has installed 500,000
ISDN lines in Japan. The fastest growing sector of the market is for
personal customers where subscriptions rose to three times the 1994
levels. NTT's INSnet service is available to 98% of Japan.

FM Teletext For Cars Developed

Osaka-based Matsushita Electric has developed a receiver system for
cars that receives the "Mieru Radio" broadcasts transmitted by Tokyo
FM and its affiliates on the JFN network. The service sends news,
weather, traffic reports and details of current music and programming
to special receivers with large LCD display panels. The new Matsushita
system integrates with existing car radios and display panels to
provide up to 15 lines of text on the screen normally used by the car
navigation system. The product will retail of just under 40,000 yen
($400) and the company expects to sell around 500 a month.

(Martyn Williams/19951120)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/20/95
ONLINE
 ****Internet Update - RealAudio Special

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00007)
 ****Internet Update - RealAudio Special 11/20/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 20 (NB) -- In this special edition we focus on
the RealAudio software and programming available on the global
Internet. RealAudio enables users to hear audio on demand across the
network on connections from speeds of 14,400bps. To automatically
launch programs from your Web client, it must be configured beforehand
to run the RealAudio software when it encounters a file.

Software - Clients And Servers

The RealAudio player is available for the Windows and Macintosh
platforms and an accompanying server is also now available to allow
Web site owners to provide audio on demand to visitors.
World Wide Web: http://www.realaudio.com/products/player.html
World Wide Web: http://www.realaudio.com/products/server.html

ABC Radio Network

The ABC Radio Network offers Internet users access to hourly updated
news, sports and weather bulletins and audio of other ABC Radio and
Television network programming such as World News Tonight, This Week
With David Brinkley. A clickable map of the United States also allows
users to get local news from American cities.
World Wide Web: http://www.abcradionet.com/

National Public Radio

The best of NPR's public radio programming, including All Things
Considered, Morning Edition, Talk of the Nation and Science Friday,
are available on the network. The entire programs are online or you
can browse a menu and select just the features that interest you.
World Wide Web: http://www.realaudio.com/contentp/npr.html

CBC Radio Network

Canada's CBC Radio Network is making around ten of its radio programs
across the Internet in RealAudio format including As It Happens, the
evening current affairs program from the English language network.
Some programming from the CBC Stereo network is also online.
World Wide Web: http://www.radio.cbc.ca/realaudio.html

Computer And Technology News

As you would expect, there are several services offering computer and
technology news. The c:net radio network is an audio network of the
c:net online service and provides the latest computer news. From
Canada's CFAX radio, the weekly "Online" radio program is available
every Monday. Ken Rutkowski's weekly Tech Talk is also posted online
in RealAudio format as it programming from the Tech Talk Radio Network
Cyber Geek Gateway, a non-profit service "run by geeks like yourself
for the sheer enjoyment of helping others enjoy and learn about
technical hobbies."
World Wide Web: http://www.cnet.com/index.html
World Wide Web: http://www.islandnet.com/~online/ol1.html
World Wide Web: http://www.ttalk.com/
World Wide Web: http://ttn.nai.net/

Sports And Business News

For the latest in sports news many Internet users have headed to the
ESPN Web site and they are now also a source of RealAudio sports news.
For the latest in business news from headlines to interviews and
features, The Dow Jones Investor Network is also online.
World Wide Web: http://espnet.sportszone.com/
World Wide Web: http://djin.com/mmhome.html

European Radio Online

Norwegian commercial network, P4 Hele Norge, has an Internet home page
where it is experimenting with services for its listeners including
audio services. The Postcard from Mokum offers the latest news on
dance music and culture from the Benelux countries and Mokum, which is
the local name for Amsterdam. The continent's first non stop news
radio, France Info, has a web server offering access to the station's
flash info news broadcasts. Ireland's RTE is also experimenting with
Internet services and has some programs available online.
World Wide Web: http://www.p4.no/
World Wide Web: http://www.riv.nl/yuliana/postcard/
World Wide Web: http://www.publicis.fr/rf/
World Wide Web: http://www.bess.tcd.ie/ireland/rte.htm

Sounds Of The Pacific

Tokyo's J-Wave radio is offering some RealAudio files from its Web
server as is one of Japan's biggest computer magazine publishers,
Impress. Across the ocean, Radio Television Hong Kong, RTHK, has
RealAudio programming and files available to net surfers from its Web
site and Australia's first commercial radio, Fox FM in Melbourne, also
offers a similar service.
World Wide Web: http://www.infojapan.com/JWAVE/
World Wide Web: http://www.impress.co.jp/resource/raudio/
World Wide Web: http://www.cuhk.hk/rthk/
World Wide Web: http://www.fox.com.au/

World Radio Network

WRN brings together the world's public international broadcasters such
as Radio Netherlands, the BBC World Service, Swiss Radio International
and Radio Australia, into a 24 hour channel of non-stop English
language public service programming. WRN's satellite service is now on
the Internet in RealAudio.
World Wide Web:
http://town.hall.org/Archives/radio/Mirrors/WRN/audio.html

The Mother Of All Lists

As you'd expect, RealAudio maintain a very comprehensive listing of
all sites that carry programs in the format. This is the place to go
for all other sites:
http://www.realaudio.com/othersites/categories/complete.html

(Martyn Williams/19951120)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/20/95
BROADCAST
Comdex - Avid Previews "Real Impact" Update

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(BOS)(00008)
Comdex - Avid Previews "Real Impact" Update 11/20/95
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 20 (NB) -- A forthcoming
update to Avid's Real Impact new software for Windows NT-based
desktop video creation and editing will add support for Windows
95, Miro's "low-cost" DC-20 video board, and MPEG (Motion Picture
Experts Group)-1 export, revealed Dana White, senior product
manager, in a product demo and company update for Newsbytes at
Comdex.

White told Newsbytes that the product line-up of the Tewksbury,
Massachusetts-based digital video vendor is now organized into
four divisions: Desktop, Broadcast, Post-Production, and Audio, a
product category that came about through Avid's acquisition of
Digidesign late last year.

Like other products in Avid's Desktop Division, she said, the new
Real Impact is aimed at two markets: SOHO (Small Office/Home
Office), and an audience of "multimedia creators" made up of
professionals ranging from teachers and corporate communicators
to authors of multimedia CD-ROM titles.

Real Impact, a product that started shipping about a month ago,
and other offerings within Avid's Desktop Division are designed
to "complement" one another, according to the senior product
manager. Additional members of the family include Avid's
Apple QuickTime-based VideoShop video creation and editing
package; Transjammer 2-D (two-dimensional) and 3-D
(three-dimensional) special effects software for Macintosh, Power
Macintosh, and Windows; and Elastic Reality warping and morphing
packages for Windows, Mac, Power Mac, and Silicon Graphics
workstations.

During a demo of the initial, Windows NT-only edition of Real
Impact, White showed Newsbytes how the software lets you search a
video database, obtain clips through random access, organize the
clips in a media library, and digitally "cut-and-paste" video
shots on to a video timeline on the screen, much like you might
move paragraphs into different arrangements within word
processing software when creating or editing a text document.

Prior to the development of desktop video techniques like these,
she pointed out, the process of creating video content required
professionals and amateurs alike to painstakingly view and log
entire rolls of analog tape, and, after that, to manually cut and
splice together video sequences for the "final cut."

Much valuable video footage ended up "on the cutting room floor"
under the older analog method, since video producers often
decided to compromise on the content side in favor of technical
convenience, according to the Avid exec.

In contrast, digital video will bring the efficiencies of "video
repurposing," in which the same stored video can be adapted to
use in a variety of projects, White predicted, citing a sales
video and a video ad as a couple of examples.

Also during the demo in the Avid press room at the Sands
Convention Center, Newsbytes saw how Real Impact lets you preview
and add special effects -- as well as generate anti-aliased
titles with TrueType fonts, drop shadows, transparency, and color
blends -- all with a few clicks of the proverbial button.

Real Impact comes with transition effects such as wipes,
dissolves, zooms, pushes and squeezes, as well as layered
effects, including picture-in-a-picture, chroma key, and luma
key, according to White.

In addition, the package supports Avid Transjammer Volume 2 or
later. You can also import OMF (Open Media Framework) and Windows
AVI video files; FLC animation files; WAV audio files; and BMP
(Windows bitmap); JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group); TIFF
(tagged image file format) and TGA graphics files.

Real Impact also allows you to edit up to four tracks of 44.1
kilohertz (KHz), 16-bit CD quality audio, Newsbytes was told.
Specific audio editing features include waveform, digital audio
scrub, and real-time pan and volume adjustments.

Another capability in Real Impact, "Dial-A-Quality," is aimed at
letting the user adjust "image quality" to match a variety of
different system, storage, and delivery requirements.

Digital video is achieving a high profile these days, with the
rise of the camcorder and video delivery via the Web, White
acknowledged. "But people are realizing that these technologies
alone don't create (video) content," she asserted.

Real Impact accepts input not just from camcorders and computer
video, but also from VCRs (videocassette recorders), professional
tape decks, and Sony serial and VLAN deck control protocols,
according to White. Support is provided for both NTSC (National
Television Standards Committee) 30-frame-per-second and PAL
25-frame-per-second video, as well as for SMPTE (Society of
Motion Picture and Television Engineers) timecode.

In the next edition of Real Impact, she continued, Avid will
support Windows 95 and Miro's new DC-20 video board, for an
extended range of content creation and editing platforms.

Similarly, Avid plans to provide MPEG-1 export, so as to add
another option to AVI for networked video distribution. Xing
Technology, Sigma Designs, and Optibase have all agreed to
interface to Avid's new AMI (Avid MPEG Interface) API
(application programming interface) for MPEG encoding, according
to White.

Real Impact will not initially support MPEG-2, since the new
update to the MPEG video compression standard is only now
starting to take hold at the very high end of the broadcast video
market. "But our new API is certainly flexible enough to be
easily adapted to future changes to MPEG," the Avid senior
product manager told Newsbytes.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951117/Reader Contact: Avid, 508-640-6789;
Press Contacts: Julie Miller, Avid, 508-640-5454; Kerry Bard,
Schwartz Communications for Avid, 617-431-0770)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/20/95
PC
Comdex - Toshiba Lengthens Portable PC Lead

(NEWS)(PC)(BOS)(00009)
Comdex - Toshiba Lengthens Portable PC Lead 11/20/95
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 20 (NB) -- Statistics from
top market research analysts show that Toshiba is lengthening its
lead in the portable PC market, asserted Tom Scott, VP and
general manager of the Computer Systems Division, in a press
conference at Comdex that also featured testimonies from two
large Toshiba customers, Unisys and Ryder Systems, as to how and
why thousands of users at those organizations are turning to
mobile computing.

In opening remarks at the press conference, an event attended by
Newsbytes at a Las Vegas hotel, Scott estimated Toshiba's market
share at about 20 percent, as opposed to roughly 10 percent
apiece for the two runners-up, Compaq and IBM.

Figures from International Data Corp. (IDC), Dataquest, and
the Audits & Surveys Channel Tracking Program of PCs, distributed
by Toshiba at the press conference, all grant Toshiba a strong
lead in the portable PC market, but differ with regard to whether
IBM or Compaq holds the second-place slot.

IDC gives Toshiba 21.4 percent of the total US portable market
for second quarter 1995, with 185,000 units shipped, for an
increase of 42,000 units, or 29 percent, over second quarter
1994. Toshiba is followed in the IDC rankings by IBM at 12.1
percent; Compaq at 10.9 percent; Apple at 7.9 percent; and NEC at
4 percent.

Dataquest, on the other hand, breaks out portable PC market share
for second quarter 1995 like this: Toshiba, 19.5 percent; Compaq,
11.8 percent; IBM, 11.2 percent; Apple, 6.9 percent; and NEC, 4
percent.

According to the latest statistics from Audits & Survey, Toshiba
has now regained the top spot from IBM in the dealer distribution
channel, to become the number one vendor in the portable PC
category on all four measures tracked by the program: dealer
sales, computer superstore sales, "all retail" sales, and
combined sales.

The channel tracking research group's year-to-date figures for
January to September, 1995 give Toshiba 26.2 percent of the
dealer channel, in contrast to 26.1 percent for IBM; 21 percent
for Compaq; 9.7 percent for Apple; and 7.2 percent for NEC.

At the Comdex press conference, Scott credited Toshiba's
"advanced technologies and relationship with the channel" for the
sales success, along with a vertical integration strategy that
calls for Toshiba to manufacture its own components.

Toshiba's latest technological advancements include
implementations of double density CD, peripheral component
interconnect (PCI) bus, and ZD Port video technology, the Toshiba
VP added.

John Cooch, director, end user computing services at Unisys, and
Dan Bailey, manager of personal computer support systems (PCSS)
for the Ryder Systems trucking firm, each noted a desire by users
at their companies to keep pace with the latest portable PC
technologies.

Unisys has already deployed Toshiba PC notebooks among all 6,000
members of its US sales force, and is currently expanding the
program to cover 30,000 employees in its US sales and service
divisions and European sales arm, reported Cooch.

Unisys started out by deploying the mobile PCs in conjunction
with Toshiba Desk Stations, or docking stations, at company
headquarters, he recalled. "That way, salespeople could still go
out on the road, and return to headquarters to do their
`paperwork.'"

Later on, to make electronic communications more geographically
convenient for sales staff, Unisys added docking stations at its
regional sales offices.

The US sales force is using a program called Unisys
Sales Support Workbench which is aimed at allowing access to
legacy and standalone as well as new client-server applications
under a graphical user interface (GUI) through dial-up to the
company's wide area network (WAN).

"Everything looks and feels just as it would on the desktop,"
Cooch told the press conference attendees. Although the Toshiba
notebooks now in use are only two years old, salespeople are
requesting updated models, he contended.

Bailey informed the journalists that Ryder Systems is rolling out
a new program called RyderLinc, slated for completion in the
first quarter of 1996, that will connect 50,000 Toshiba PC users
working out of 90 district Ryder locations and 200 local Ryder
units over local area networks (LANs) and the corporate WAN.
"Toshiba is giving us a uniform environment," maintained the
Ryder exec.

Most of the 50,000 employees affected by the launch are being
given Toshiba notebooks, with the exception of some "users of
large systems," who are receiving Toshiba desktop systems
instead. End users will be able to access AS/400-based systems
and new client-server applications, plus a new electronic mail
system.

Toshiba has already replaced the eight- to 12-pound notebooks
employed by early Toshiba users at Ryder with lighter-weight
models, Bailey remarked. The notebooks also feature PCMCIA slots.
As time goes by, users will be upgraded to more disk space
and memory. "We're already putting pressure on Toshiba for 2
gigabyte (GB) hard drives," added the PCSS manager, only half in
jest.

Speaking with Newsbytes at the close of the press conference,
Gary Elsasser, director of product planning for Toshiba's
Computer Systems Division, and John Carson, customer marketing
manager, said that Toshiba's new ZD Port technology is aimed at
improving video capture for applications such as
videoconferencing by channeling video directly on to the 32-bit
PCI bus, thereby preventing central processor unit (CPU)
bottlenecks.

Toshiba will use PCI with ZD Port in its recently announced 120
megahertz (MHz) Pentium-based Tecra notebooks, the Toshiba
officials told Newsbytes. The Tecras will also come with 1.13GB
hard drives. Both Tecra and Toshiba's upcoming 90 MHz
Pentium-based Toshiba Satellite Pro notebook PCs will feature
11.3-inch color liquid crystal displays (LCDs), with a choice of
active or passive matrix display, plus a new SelectBay slot
designed to accommodate either a quad-speed CD-ROM or floppy
drive.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951120/Reader Contact: Toshiba, 714-583-3000;
Press Contacts: Michaela Brehm, Brehm & Partners for Toshiba,
714-252-5377; Howard Emerson, Toshiba, 714-253-8737; Randy Guisto
or Eric Lewis, IDC, 415-962-6467; Carl Ravich, Audits & Surveys,
212-627-9700; Kim Brown, Joel Myers or Mike Myer, Dataquest,
408-468-8323)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/20/95
ONLINE
Australia - Microsoft Network Progress

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SYD)(00010)
Australia - Microsoft Network Progress 11/20/95
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 1995 NOV 20 (NB) -- On Australia's (Microsoft
Network in Australia) timetable for full 28.8kbps Internet access
via Microsoft Network has been put back from December to January
1996 for Melbourne and Sydney. The rest of the country should have
access as planned in April.

Tim Pethick, On Australia's marketing manager, says beta Internet
access will be available in December. On Australia's MD Gerry Davis
says 183 local content providers are now live on the network
with 30-40 waiting in the wings. The current strategy is to keep
around 200 providers on deck. "We're not going to mass recruiting,"
he adds.

Subscription figures are not so easy to wrestle from the MSN boss.
"Better than forecast," is the official Davis word. He says
100 subscribers a day are signing on to the service, but adds,
"The real figure is how many stay on as long-term subscribers."

In a dramatic turnaround from the heady days when Bill Gates
looked to MSN as a proprietary alternative to the Internet,
the network is now being marketed as a net gateway and mustering area
for local content.

"We're looking to make ourselves the premium channel," says Davis.
Davis says he is not aware of any Telstra plan to employ IBM as
the retail arm for its Internet services - a possibility reported
in Monday's Australian Financial Review - but adds, "Either partner
has always had the right to go out and form other joint ventures."

(Dorothy Kennedy and Computer Daily News/19951117)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/20/95
WINDOWS
Humongous Ships "Lets Explore the Jungle"

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(DEN)(00011)
Humongous Ships "Lets Explore the Jungle" 11/20/95
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 20 (NB) -- Humongous
Entertainment announced this week the availability of "Lets Explore
the Jungle" a CD-ROM based interactive program for children.
"Jungle" lets the kids explore the plants, animals and
environments of the world's three major jungles in Asia, Africa and
the Amazon respectively.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95112011.PCX
Click here for photo

They can learn facts like where chocolate comes from, why the
giant anteater walks on its knuckles and how the flying snake flies.

The company describes "Jungle" as "a virtual safari through the
world's rain forests, where children will discover some of the
Earth's most fascinating and exotic plants, animals, sights and
sounds."

The child's guide on the safari is Buzzy the Knowledge bug, who
is always available to fly in and dispense information . An
alphabetical index is hyperlinked to background information and
illustrations. When the user clicks on the "What is it" icon and
places the pointer over an item of interest, the word appears by the
cursor and Buzzy speaks the word aloud. A click on the item takes
you to an illustrated page about the topic.

If you click on the blue speaker icon Buzzy will read the text for
you as it is highlighted. Click on any word within the definition
and Buzzy will say it. Some of the text is colored blue, indicating
it is hyperlinked to reference information.

"Jungle" includes five games: Anteater Feeder, Jungle Jumble,
Trivia, Find It and a Jungle coloring book. Each game has three
levels of play from easy to hard.

In the anteater game the user is the anteater, and has to suck up
its prey as it raids the picnic. Jungle Jumble has you trying to
unscramble jumbled words. When you are successful you are shown a
picture of the item. In Trivia Buzzy asks multiple-choice questions
about things you can find or that happen in the jungle. Find It
challenges the user to remember and find things from all around each
of the Jungles, and the coloring book offers 15 different jungle
scenes for the user to color. The finished picture can be printed in
color or in black and white.

To run "Let's Explore the Jungle" Mac users need at least a 25
megahertz (MHz) 68040-powered PC or a Power PC, eight megabytes (MB)
of memory, a double speed CD-ROM and System 7.0 or higher. Windows
users need Windows or Windows 95, a PC equipped with at least a
33MHz 386 chip, 4MB of memory, a Super VGA color monitor, a sound
card and a double speed or faster CD-ROM drive.

"Jungle" is the latest in Humongous Entertainment's Junior Field
Trips series, and has an estimated street price of $29.95. It's
available for both Macintosh and Windows platforms.

(Jim Mallory/19951120/Press contact: John Uppendahl, Humongous
Entertainment, 206-486-9258; Public contact: Humongous
Entertainment, tel [phone] or fax
206-486-9494/JUNGLE951120/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/20/95
BUSINESS
Compaq Slashes HK Prices

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00012)
Compaq Slashes HK Prices 11/20/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 NOV 20 (NB) --Compaq Computer Hong Kong has
slashed 20% on server drive options in a bid to drive up year-end
numbers. Only weeks ago, International Data Corp put Compaq as
the leading server supplier for the year's first quarter.

According to IDC, the vendor had gobbled up a 37% share of the
market. One of Compaq's more bizarre marketing ploys is to offer
warranties against drive failures that the company knows --
before handing the product over -- are predestined to occur.
Its "Pre-Failure Warranty" covers users for three years and warns
buyers of the probability of failure when the "Compaq Insight
Manager" is used.

In announcing the price cuts, the company also said it will have
desktops with Pentium Pro chips on the market by the first quarter
of next year.

Working with Intel, Compaq has 30 third party software developers
already testing and enhancing products to run on the new servers
and desktop machines.

(Joel McCormick & I.T. Daily/19951110)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/20/95
IBM
Big Blue Joins Telstra In $100M Sydney Olympics Splurge

(NEWS)(IBM)(SYD)(00013)
Big Blue Joins Telstra In $100M Sydney Olympics Splurge 11/20/95
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 1995 NOV 20 (NB) -- IBM Australia has announced an
investment of about AUS$50 million in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games
and the Australian Olympic Team. Along with Telstra, Big Blue
has signed up as the first corporate partner of the Games, and
has gained exclusive rights to supply the event's IT systems.

Telstra has gained exclusive rights to telecommunications carriage.

The combined commitment of the two companies amounts to over $100
million.

Frank Blount, CEO of Telstra Corporation, would not divulge the exact
split between the two companies' investments. "We're not going to
divulge that information. It's substantial on both parties' sides,
and is over $100 million," he said yesterday. "I couldn't have
said it better myself," chimed a beaming Doug Elix, managing
director of IBM Australia.

It is understood the bill is being equally shared between the two
companies.

Gathered for the signing of the sponsorship agreements at Sydney's
National Maritime Museum were executives from the Sydney
Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG), Telstra and
IBM, along with the Lord Mayor and Michael Knight, Minister for the
Olympics.

IBM is planning to set up what Elix calls a "vast, multi-tiered
client/server network" with 5,000 PCs, multiple midrange computers,
multimedia kiosks and central processors. "Once the exclusive domain
of media and officials, by 2000, hundreds of millions of Internet
users will have easy, instant access to a vast smorgasbord of
information on practically any topic they care to explore," he
enthused.

According to Elix, IBM's sponsorship is in the form of equipment
and expertise, not cash. However, SOCOG isn't complaining. "It's
cash to us," said chief executive, Mal Hemmerling.

(Dorothy Kennedy and Computer Daily News/19951116)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/20/95
BUSINESS
Dun & Bradstreet Enters Philippine Market

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00014)
Dun & Bradstreet Enters Philippine Market 11/20/95
MANILA, PHILIPPINES, 1995 NOV 20 (NB) -- Dun & Bradstreet
Software, an affiliate of Dun and Bradstreet Corporation where
former US President Abraham Lincoln once worked as a business
and credit analyst, has formally announced its entry to the
Philippine market.

Top appointments include Duncan Watson, worldwide product
marketing director of Dun and Bradstreet Software (D&B Software),
Vincent Ho, managing director of D&B Software Asean/South Asia
and Danilo Camit, country manager of D&B Software Philippines
office.

The amount of investment made remains undisclosed but Ho hinted
they've spent over half a million dollars even before the Philippine
operations formally started, and a multi-million dollar contract has
also been closed with the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company
(PLDT) for the latter's acquisition of D&B's flagship client/server
product, Smartstream.

D&B is the fourth enterprise-wide services provider to play in the
Philippine software market, the other three being Oracle Systems
Philippines, Inc. (es, being represented by distributors
Systems Standards Inc., for BPCS, Right Computer Systems for PRISM
and MAPICS, and Ayala Systems Technology, Inc., (ASTI) for JD
Edwards.

Asia Pacific, according to Watson, represents 12 percent of D&B
Corporation's recorded worldwide revenue of US$4.9 billion in the
fourth quarter of fiscal year 95 ending November 30, 1995 (compared
to 6 percent of last year). Watson said they're closing 2 to 3 Philippine
accounts shortly, the two prospects being government agencies. Once
completed, the deals would have made for a hundred percent business
growth in the region.

As for B&D Software, it currently has 25 customers in the Asean region
bringing in a total revenue of US$476 million.

Ho, who was responsible for the PLDT deal, said their old mainframe-
based financial systems have been installed in big companies like the
Bank of the Philippine Islands, Far East Bank, Shell Filipinas and the
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). These companies
invested heavily on their host-based systems, and D&B Philippines is
expecting 50 percent of its revenue to come from new customers who
are most likely to adapt D&B's client/server technology, the
Smartstream.

Smartstream, a client-server system which integrates transaction
processing, decision support, and a robust platform into a single
environment, is built around an engine called "workflow technology."
First released in 1992, Smartstream used to be merely a decision
support system without any applications.

In 1993, the second release came with the first set of applications
which is on Finances. The third release made last year contains
human resources applications and the most recent release (November
15, 1995) now integrates manufacturing.

"While traditional solutions are highly modular, the Smartstream is
integrated as much as it is also modular," explained Ho. The problem
with traditional, modular systems is that they tend to divide the work
according to functions thus a vertical flow of integrated data, added Ho.

With workflow technology which is the engine behind Smartstream,
the system focuses on the transactions and processes, integrating the
horizontal transportation of data while maintaining independence of
departmental operations.

This process apparently gets the people together to see the objectives
of the enterprise and not just the their respective departments, although
the boundaries are still there.

On the other hand Watson made it clear that D&B will not do the re-
engineering but will provide the technology to enable an
enterprise to re-engineer.

With price stretching from US$100,000 to several million dollars
depending on the number of end-users (minimum of 5) for
Smartstream, the Atlanta, Georgia-based D&B Software brings to
the Philippines 25 years of being entrenched in the biggest financial
and manufacturing companies worldwide.

(Jenny Malapitan and Metropolitan Computer
Times/19951114/Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/20/95
GENERAL
China - Newsbriefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(PEK)(00015)
China - Newsbriefs 11/20/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 NOV 20 (NB) -- In this news roundup from China,
computer graphics major offered by Shanghai college;
Microsoft is bringing its multimedia technology to Shanghai; the
longest microwave transmission at high elevation works smoothly; and
exports of Hong Kong computers to the Chinese mainland increase
rapidly, IPC in China Venture.

Computer Graphics Major Offered By Shanghai College

A group of Chinese students recently started a four-year course of
study in computer graphics at the Shanghai Arts and Crafts
School. With the idea of developing traditional design systems, China
has made much effort in using advanced computer design systems in recent
years, the head of the school said. This is the first time this
major has been offered in any Chinese institutions of higher education.

Information Group Is Importing Microsoft Multimedia Technology

Under a contract signed recently in Shanghai, a Shanghai-based
information group will have technical guidance from Microsoft to develop
software and provide multimedia services to its clients. The group plans
to invest RMB10 million (US$1.1 million) to import technology and
equipment, and set up a library. By exporting its multimedia technology
to Shanghai, Microsoft started the largest cooperative program yet
in China.

Longest Microwave Transmission At High Elevation Works Smoothly

China's 474 kilometer (283 miles) microwave transmission at
high elevation has operated smoothly since it went into service
in December 1992. This is the country's longest digital microwave
transmission system connecting Gansu and Qinghai provinces. The
microwave system is also at the country's highest elevation, 2,800
meters (8,400 feet) on average. The highest point is 4,081 meters
(12,234 feet) above sea level. This microwave route is a
telecommunications trunk line of the Qinghai Petroleum Management
Bureau, and has 15 relay stations.

More HOng Kong Computers Exported To Chinese Mainland

Exports of Hong Kong's computers and parts to the Chinese mainland,
the biggest computer market for Hong Kong, increased 49 percent in the
first seven months of 1995 over the same period last year, according to
statistics from Hong Kong Trade Development Council, a semi-official
trade organization. Hong Kong's exports of computers and parts increased
rapidly and the total export value has reached 32.5 billion HK dollars
(about US$ 4.2 billion) in the first seven months of 1995, a 47 percent
increase over the same period last year.

IPC In China Venture

Singapore's IPC Corporation has signed a joint venture in Shanghai to
develop electronic commerce systems and value added networks in China.
The move puts 51% of the new firm, Shanghai Shared Data Network Co, in IPC
hands. The other partner is Shanghai Commercial Advanced Technology
Development Company, a part of Shanghai's Finance and Trade Office. It has
a US$6 million capital base. IPC says it expects Shanghai Post and
Telecommunications Bureau to become a partner later.

Operations are supposed to begin by the second quarter of next year.
IPC officials said the venture aims to develop systems for China's
banking and commercial industries, all priorities under the country's
Golden Card series of projects. Golden Card is a nationwide
development plan to create a electronic credit card and debit system
for 300 million city users within 10 years.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang & Joel McCormick & I.T. Daily/19951105)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/20/95
GENERAL
Comdex - DEC Showcases Storage Products

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00016)
Comdex - DEC Showcases Storage Products 11/20/95
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 20 (NB) -- In one part of
Digital Equipment Corp.'s ultra large presence at Comdex,
StorageWorks execs Penny Scharfman and Bruce Baird briefed
Newsbytes on Digital's latest storage products for multivendor
environments, showing off the recently sold "one millionth
StorageWorks building block," painted gold for Comdex. Also at
the expo in Las Vegas, Digital's Systems Business Unit (SBU),
components, PC, semiconductor, and Internet divisions all
highlighted their wares.

Digital's storage business first took a turn toward multivendor
environments about five years ago, noted Baird, at a meeting
with Newsbytes conducted in Digital's extensive press suite at
the Las Vegas Convention Center.

But even before that, Digital had been producing storage
products for many years. "The important thing is that we have
the experience," according to Baird, who is StorageWorks' PC
networks marketing manager.

StorageWorks' RAID (redundant array of inexpensive disks) and
DLT (digital linear tape), and CD-ROM subsystems are now
offered across Digital, Microsoft Windows NT, Sun, Novell,
Hewlett-Packard, and IBM AIX environments, added Scharfman, who
is marketing manager for StorageWorks.

Later on, in a tour of the StorageWorks booth at Comdex,
Scharfman and Baird showed Newsbytes the business unit's newly
introduced RAID Array 230 for Intel PCI (peripheral component
interconnect)-based systems, as well as new "stackable" storage
enclosures, an enhanced RAID Array 410, and new DLT (digital
linear tape) drives, CD-ROM subsystems, and solid state disks.

At center stage in the booth was the resplendent gold trophy for
StorageWorks' "one millionth building block." Scharfman told
Newsbytes that StorageWorks decided to "go with gold" because
"everything else in Las Vegas is painted in gold."

Also in honor of Comdex, StorageWorks put paintbrushes to work
on the division's RAID Arrays, adorning the products with
multi-colored paisley exteriors.

Baird kidded that the Comdex attendees found StorageWorks'
temporary "new look" so compelling that customers were asking for
the devices to be delivered in the same color scheme.

On a serious note, Baird told Newsbytes during the briefing that
the RAID Array 230 for Intel PCI-based systems is designed to
offer similar functionality to Digital's existing RAID Array 230
for EISA-SCSI (extended industry standard architecture-small
computer systems interface) systems. The RAID Array 230 operates
on Intel systems running either Windows NT 3.5 or NetWare 3.12 or
4.1.

Scharfman said that, starting in January, enhanced version 2.7
firmware will give a 67 percent performance boost to the RAID
Array 410, a storage subsystem that now supports HP-UX, SunOS
(operating system), Sun Solaris, and IBM AIX. Also in January,
the 410 will add Windows NT to its list of supported platforms,
she elaborated.

In the StorageWorks booth, Newsbytes saw the 410 and 230,
together with new quad-speed CD-ROM drives, "second-generation"
DLT tape drives, and 5.25- and 3.5-inch solid state disks.

The new DLT SCSI-2 tape drives debuting at Comdex provide up to
40GB capacity per cartridge, plus a data transfer rate of up to
2.5 megabytes-per-second (MBs), Newsbytes was told. The drives
are aimed at unattended back-up, archival storage, and HSM
(hierarchical storage management) on midrange systems as well as
on network servers and high-end workstations.

Digital's new solid state disks run at 2,200 I/Os (input/output)
per second, and supply access times of under 100usec, up to 30
times higher than those of magnetic disks, according to the two
execs.

But of all the products on display in the StorageWorks booth,
the new enclosures were the most visually distinctive. Baird and
Scharfman showed Newsbytes how you can stack the new enclosures
on a desktop beside a monitor, on a bookcase, or even on the
floor.

The two new enclosures also bring flexibility of a different
kind, Newsbytes was told. The smaller enclosure is able to
accommodate two 3.5-inch devices. But the larger enclosure can
hold either four 3.5-inch devices and one 5.25-inch fixed
CD-ROM. or one 3.5-inch device, one 5.25-inch device, and a
fixed CD-ROM.

But StorageWorks' new enclosures, gold "building block" trophy,
and temporarily multi-colored RAID subsystems were not the only
things adding visual impact to the StorageWorks booth. Baird,
Scharfman and the other StorageWorks staffers were dressed in
identical white tennis sweaters.

Next door to the StorageWorks booth, Digital was showing its
newly announced, Pentium-based Multia client for "bridging the
gap" between Windows NT and legacy applications. Also nearby,
the Printing Business Unit exhibited its new Colorwriter 2000
LSR color laser printer.

Meanwhile, the PC Business Unit spotlighted its new Pentium Pro-
based Celebris XL line. Digital Semiconductor demonstrated
systems powered by the new Alpha 21164-333 megahertz (MHz)
processor with FX!32 software. And across the way at the
Hilton, the Internet Business Group displayed Digital's
Internet Tunnel and Workgroup Web Forum, along with a Web page
called "A Very Vermont Store." The Digital employees from all
these business units wore the same white tennis sweaters as
Scharfman and Baird.

But non-Digital neighbors were not to outdone. Cirrus
Logic, for example, chose evening get-up as its dress code this
year. The women staffers for Cirrus wore evening gowns, while
the men were attired in tuxes.

Scharfman joked that the evening clothes helped to differentiate
Cirrus in the "sea of Digital white" that consumed such a large
part of the exhibition floor space at Fall Comdex '95.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951117/Reader Contact: Digital Equipment
Corp., 508-493-5111; Press Contact: Kathleen Wilson, The Weber
Group for Digital Equipment Corp., 617-520-7060)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/20/95
BUSINESS
JetForm Acquires Eclipse

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00017)
JetForm Acquires Eclipse 11/20/95
FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 20 (NB) -- JetForm
Corp. (NASDAQ:FORMF) has announced plans to buy Norcross, Georgia-
based Eclipse Corp. for a little more than $3 million. Both
companies sell electronic forms software, and Eclipse will
become a division of JetForm.

Mark Demers, a spokesman for JetForm told Newsbytes that the deal
is signed and the remaining pre-closing formalities are unlikely
to raise any obstacles. JetForm expects to close the acquisition
by the end of January, he said.

JetForm's acquisition offer is to exchange 251,619 of its own
common shares for all outstanding Eclipse shares. At current
stock prices, Demers said, the JetForm shares are worth a
little more than $3 million.

Eclipse will remain in Norcross, and co-founders Steve Luke and
Nathan Clodfelter will continue to run the operation after it is
integrated into JetForm as a division. Demers said JetForm does
not expect any employees to lose their jobs as a result of the
takeover. JetForm is buying Eclipse because of its technology,
its people, and its market position, he said.

Eclipse's forms software is designed for IBM's midrange AS/400
computer systems, while JetForm currently offers client/server
software that works  with Microsoft's various versions of Windows,
IBM's OS/2, Apple's  Macintosh operating system, DOS, and systems
from Digital Equipment Corp., Hewlett-Packard Co., Sun Microsystems
Inc., and Data General  Corp. JetForm officials said the Eclipse
acquisition will fill out their company's product line.

According to officials of Eclipse, the AS/400 market has significant
potential for electronic forms, with more than 300,000
installations around the world.

JetForm plans to continue selling and supporting all of Eclipse's
products, Demers told Newsbytes.

(Grant Buckler/19951120/Press Contact: Mark Demers, JetForm,
703-448-9544, fax [phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail];
Heather Oliver, Alexander Communications, 404-897-2300, fax [phone],
Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Public Contact: Eclipse,
800-550-0815 or 770-242-0815)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/20/95
TRENDS
Comdex - Large Color Plasma Displays Previewed

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TOR)(00018)
Comdex - Large Color Plasma Displays Previewed 11/20/95
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 20 (NB) -- They will not be
commercial products until some time in late 1996, but color
plasma displays were shown at several booths at Comdex/Fall.
The displays, which can be made larger than any cathode ray tube
developed to date, are being touted as a way of providing large,
space-saving color displays for both television and computer use.

Tom Paterniti, senior manager of display products marketing at
Mitsubishi Electric America in Cypress, California, said he expects
plasma screens to replace CRTs eventually, though not in the next
couple of years.

Stewart Hough, plasma displays marketing manager for Fujitsu
Microelectronics, Inc., of San Jose, California, told Newsbytes that
CRTs do not come in sizes larger than 40 inches today. At its Comdex
booth, Fujitsu was showing a prototype 42-inch, wide-screen plasma
display.

Hough said Fujitsu is taking orders now for engineering samples of the
42-inch display. The production line will starting turning out about
1,000 a month next October, he said, and Fujitsu hopes to increase
the output to 10,000 per month by 1998.

Mitsubishi, meanwhile, expects to be marketing its 20-inch plasma
display panel in North America late in 1996, while Sony Corp. has
a 25-inch unit, called the Plasmatron, that will be on the Japanese
market late in 1996 and in the United States early in 1997.

Spokesman Manny Vara of Sony told Newsbytes that the Plasmatron is
aimed primarily at television. Sony expects to sell plasma screens
into the computer market as well, he added, but that is "probably
still a couple of years away."

Paterniti said there has been a resurgence of interest in plasma
display technology in the past three years. He attributed this
partly to improvements in plasma technology, and partly to a
growing desire to replace CRTs with a space-saving alternative.

Demand for larger screens is exacerbating the problem of monitors
taking up too much space on the desktop, Paterniti told
Newsbytes, since a larger screen means a deeper as well as a wider
enclosure. In contrast to CRTs, plasma panels are shallow -- those
on display at Comdex were three or four inches deep -- and can be
designed to hang on a wall.

One stumbling block for plasma today is cost, however. Paterniti noted
that today, a CRT costs about $100 per inch of screen size, while
a plasma screen is about $400 per inch. As the price comes down,
he said, plasma will become attractive for a wider range of uses.

Plasma displays were used in a few early, high-priced laptop computers,
such as those from Grid Systems Inc. They give a sharper display than
liquid-crystal displays, and unlike LCDs have a wide viewing angle,
making them more suitable for use in televisions or for large displays
meant to be viewed by several people at a time.

(Grant Buckler/19951120/Press Contact: Kristin Callaghan, Mitsubishi,
714-236-6135, fax [phone]; Manny Vara, Sony, 408-955-5142,
fax [phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail],sony.com; Stewart
Hough, Fujitsu, 408-922-8996, fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/20/95
CORRECTION UNIX
Correction - HP's Survey About Windows NT And Unix

(CORRECTION)(UNIX)(SFO)(00019)
Correction - HP's Survey About Windows NT And Unix 11/20/95
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 20 (NB) -- Due to a
Newsbytes copy editing error, a headline reading 'Windows NT
To Replace Unix - Survey' on Nov. 9 was incorrect. The survey
of 200 senior technology managers suggested that Unix system-based
environments and Microsoft Windows NT operating environments
will co-exist, and that IT managers had concerns about integrating
Windows NT into their existing environments.

(Patrick McKenna/19951120/Press Contact: Susan Baldwin, The
Hoffman Agency, tel [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/20/95
PC
Polaroid Intros Photo Scanner For Home PCs

(NEWS)(PC)(DEN)(00020)
Polaroid Intros Photo Scanner For Home PCs 11/20/95
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 20 (NB) -- Polaroid
Corp. (NYSE: PRD) has introduced a digital photo scanner for home
and office use that takes 60 seconds or less to scan a black and
white or color image up to four inches by six inches.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95112020.PCX
Click here for photo

The company said Photopad lets you scan 35mm prints or Polaroid
instant pictures. Once the image has been scanned into your PC it
can be incorporated into most word processing programs and
presentation programs including Microsoft Word, Wordperfect,
Microsoft Works and Microsoft Powerpoint, usually by dragging and
dropping. Photopad works with any TWAIN-compliant application, and
images can be e-mailed or published on the Internet. The images are
saved in the JPEG (Joint Picture Experts Group) format.

To scan a photo all you do is place the picture on the scanner bed,
launch the included software and click on the Capture button.
Captured images can be cropped, the colors brightened, and over-
and under-exposure corrected by clicking on the appropriate icon.
Polaroid said images can be scanned at up to 400 dots per inch.

Polaroid said the Photopad is plug-and-play compatible. That means
when it is connected to the parallel port of a PC that is
plug-and-play capable the computer will automatically recognize the
Photopad and configure itself without any action on the part of the
user. Polaroid spokesperson Scott Wicker told Newsbytes Photopad
has a pass-thru connection that allows the user to connect Photopad
to the PC then connect a printer to a special port on the
Photopad. That eliminates the need to swap plugs if you want to use
different peripherals.

Photopad weighs less than one pound and measures six inches by five
inches by 3.5 inches. It has a suggested retail price of $299.

(Jim Mallory/19951120/Press contact: Arlene Henry, Polaroid,
617-386-6546; Public contact: Polaroid,
800-343-5000/PHOTOPAD951120/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/20/95
GOVT
Nuclear Agency Taps Internet For Rulemaking

(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00021)
Nuclear Agency Taps Internet For Rulemaking 11/20/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 NOV 20 (NB) --The US Nuclear
Regulatory Commission has become the first federal agency to use
the interactive capabilities of the Internet in a rulemaking.
The NRC is using a program on the World Wide Web, called
RuleNet, to collect information and opinion prior to launching a
formal rulemaking on fire protection at nuclear power plants.

The interactive rulemaking began today with registration of
interested parties. Registration will continue until January 2,
at which point the pilot project will get underway.

In the first phase of the project, participants will discuss
critical issues through Internet e-mail. A five-day period for
caucusing, clarification and further issue identification will
follow.

In the second phase, lasting 10 days, the NRC will offer
solutions to the issues posed in the first phase and
participants can react to those suggestions.

To help participants in the project, the NRC is currently
scanning basic fire protection documents, including Appendix R,
which is the current fire protection rule, adopted some 20 years
ago as a result of pressure from the Union of Concerned
Scientists, following the fire at the Tennessee Valley
Authority's Browns Ferry plant. Appendix R will be searchable
in full text form.

In a "vision statement" posted on the RuleNet site
(http://nssc.llnl.gov/RuleNet ), the NRC says, "The capacity of
computer technology to improve the current rulemaking process
can be readily illustrated. In a traditional rulemaking, if a
particular matter raises questions in the minds of participants,
they have no recourse other than to point out the issue in their
written comments. If the rulemaking is on a proposed rule, the
commentor may not learn the answer until the final rule is
issued."

"The computer," the NRC says, "allows the agency staff to
analyze the comments and questions received, ascertain which
questions arise most often, and then post electronically a list
of 'frequently asked questions' and their answers. In this way,
doubtful points can be clarified before, not after, comments are
filed."

Fire protection, one of the most controversial issues in nuclear
safety, has been on the NRC's mind for some time. The agency
has been trying to move to performance-based rules and earlier
determine that fire protection was appropriate for that new
focus.

Last February, the Nuclear Energy Institute, the trade group for
the nuclear power industry, petitioned the commission to shift
to performance-based fire protection requirements. The NRC says
the RuleNet program will "not supersede the NEI petition, which
will continue to be considered on its own merits."

One important player will not be participating in RuleNet. Bob
Pollard, nuclear safety engineer at UCS and a leading figure in
the original fire protection rules, says he has no interest in
RuleNet. "I see this has just a more effective way to ignore
public input," Pollard told Newsbytes, calling the pilot project
"high-tech games."

"I suggest that the commission simply review the original
rulemaking that led to the current fire protection rule," says
Pollard. He says he will file written comments during the
formal rulemaking.

The NRC has contracted with Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory for the RuleNet pilot project. If the project is
successful, the NRC says it will use interactive technology in
other rulemaking proceedings.

(Kennedy Maize/19951120)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/20/95
ONLINE
UUNET To Pick Up 40% Interest In German Firm

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(WAS)(00022)
UUNET To Pick Up 40% Interest In German Firm 11/20/95
FAIRFAX, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 20 (NB) -- UUNET
Technologies has signed a deal to acquire 40 percent of EUnet
Germany, a leading Internet access provider in Germany. The
price, and the form of payment, will depend upon negotiations
over how much control UUNET will have in the management of the
German firm.

UUNET said the price will be in the range of $1.6 million to
$5.4 million and the sale should closed by the end of the year.

EUnet Germany is currently owned by three shareholders: a
group controlled by the company's management, the German Unix
users group, and Communications Network International. EUnet
Germany has 30 points of presence throughout Germany and had
about $6.1 million in revenues during the first 10 months of
1995.

UUNET recently said it is acquiring Unipalm Group Plc, the
largest Internet service provider in Europe, in a stock swap
worth about $154 million. The acquisition is expected to close
by November 30.

"Establishing our operations in Germany through this investment
in EUnet Germany provides an opportunity to further accelerate
our international expansion following our recent acquisition of
Unipalm Group Plc in the United Kingdom," said John Sidgmore,
UUNET president and chief executive officer.

Founded in 1987, UUNET was the first commercial Internet service
provider. The company provides Internet access to the Microsoft
Network. UUNET as 118 points of presence in the US and plans to
expand to 230, including 20 outside the US, by the end of the
year.

UUNET had a successful initial public stock offering earlier
this year, and the company is flush with cash and looking for
acquisitions.

(Kennedy Maize/19951120/Press Contact: Paula Jagemann,
703-206-5960)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
1996 11/20/95
PC
 ****Compaq Denies Plans for Under-$1500 PC In

(NEWS)(PC)(DEN)(00023)
 ****Compaq Denies Plans for Under-$1500 PC In 1996 11/20/95
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 20 (NB) -- Compaq Computer Corp.
(NYSE: CPQ) denied a report this week by the Wall Street Journal
that the computer company will introduce a lower-priced,
fewer-featured PC with a price tag of about $1,500 in 1996.
Presently the company's least expensive personal computer sells for
about $1,699, a Compaq spokesperson told Newsbytes.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95112023.PCX
Click here for photo

The WSJ said its report was based on interviews at last week's
Comdex Fall/95 computer trade show in Las Vegas. Compaq has not
had a booth at Comdex for at least four years, although its
computers were in use in a number of booths to demonstrate other
company's products. Exhibit space in the Las Vegas Convention
Center cost exhibitors $42.95 per square foot this year, and will
increase by $2 per square foot next year. Some exhibitors occupied
in excess of 20,000 square feet of exhibit space this year.

Asked to comment on the WSJ story, Compaq spokesperson Yvonne
Donaldson told Newsbytes comments made during an interview of a
Compaq executive were apparently taken out of context when
the executive was speaking of trends in the industry for 1996.

"Consumers are looking for faster processors, larger hard drives and
extra memory," said Donaldson. In the WSJ interview the Compaq
executive predicted lower prices generally in the industry, said
Donaldson, but did not announce price cuts for Compaq products.
"We're selling everything we make. Why would we be taking cuts
now? It's the Christmas season," said Donaldson.

Numerous Compaq PCs were prominently displayed at last week's Comdex
trade show in the Cyrix Corporation booth, equipped with Cyrix's
recently announced 6X86 microprocessor. Cyrix is one of several
companies that have emerged as challengers to Intel Corporation's
dominance of the PC processor market.

Compaq has relied on Intel and AMD processors in the past. Compaq
spokesperson John Sweney told Newsbytes the company has been
evaluating various microprocessors, including Cyrix. "We've been
pretty pleased so far with (Cyrix's) performance," he said.

Sources close to Compaq told Newsbytes the use of Cyrix chips in
Compaq PCs at Comdex shouldn't be taken as an indication that
Compaq would switch to a new chip supplier in the immediate future.

(Jim Mallory/19951120/Press contact: Compaq Computer,
713-374-0484/6X86_951120/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/20/95
ONLINE
 ****Microsoft Network Passes 500,000-Subscriber Mark

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00024)
 ****Microsoft Network Passes 500,000-Subscriber Mark 11/20/95
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 20 (NB) -- In its first three
months of service, Microsoft Network (MSN) officials said they have
signed up more than 525,000 members. The service, part of
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), also announced it will make several
enhancements to the network in the next 60 days.

When the service launched at the same time Windows 95 launched in
late August, officials told Newsbytes they might put new sign-ups
on hold after membership passed the 500,000 mark, as a part of MSN's
"assured customer satisfaction plan." Today, George Meng, MSN group
product manager, told Newsbytes because aspects like network
availability, data network computers, and other factors are going so
well, member enrollment will not be suspended. "We have done multiple
qualitative and quantitative surveys with our customers," Meng said.
"Based on that feedback, we feel very good about our service today."

Meng said the service has not had any service interruptions since its
launch. He also said the network has been able to handle the growing
membership numbers without any significant problem.

One of the areas where MSN excels, Meng told Newsbytes, is in its
Internet access and integration with the World Wide Web. Web
integration is also important for MSN subscribers, as the surveys
showed, Meng added. Some of the specific areas on MSN that people
are responding to include the MSN News section, and the NBC area,
along with some of the new multimedia areas, like Bookshelf, Encarta,
and Car Source. Meng said the new multimedia areas are like having
CD-ROM like quality over MSN with just a telephone line.

Some of the enhancements coming soon to the service include selective
graphics, caching of multimedia content, improvements in downloading of
files, and a new compact viewer for reading documents. The
improvements will help to speed network performance on the user's end,
officials said.

Increased high-speed access to MSN will also help members, Meng said.
Earlier this month, Newsbytes reported that MSN is planning to bring
ISDN (integrated services digital network) digital service to the
network, along with more high-speed access numbers for traditional
analog modems.

(Bob Woods/19951120/Press Contacts: June McLaren Peters or Anne
Marshall, Waggener Edstrom, 206-637-9097)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/20/95
BUSINESS
Storagetek Restructuring Cuts 1,500 Jobs

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00025)
Storagetek Restructuring Cuts 1,500 Jobs 11/20/95
LOUISVILLE, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 20 (NB) -- A
reorganization plan Storage Technology Corp. (NYSE: STK) said is
designed to save $100 million includes the reduction of about 1,500
jobs and the closing of a half-million square foot manufacturing and
development facility in Longmont, Colorado.

Storagetek spokesperson David Reid told Newsbytes about 800
employees will get their pink slips the week of December 4, with
separation notices for the remainder going out later, The company
said it will take a writedown of about $150 million, mostly in the
current quarter, to cover the expenses associated with the
restructuring.

In addition to the job cuts and the plant closing Storagetek will
eliminate some of its non-core functions and businesses. Reid
declined to discuss specifically what functions and products might
be dropped. Storagetek will also close some leased facilities, in
addition to phasing out the Longmont plant over the next 18
months. The activities currently performed at Longmont will be
consolidated in other Storagetek facilities, predominantly in
Louisville.

Reid said Quantum Corp., which currently occupies space at
Storagetek in a joint venture to produce hard drives with
magnetoresistive heads, will construct its own manufacturing facility
in Louisville, making that space available to Storagetek. Quantum
employs about 500 people at the Louisville site.

The company said the job reductions will be implemented throughout
1996 with the majority falling into the first half of the year.
About 1,000 of the positions being cut are located in Colorado.

The company said the reorganization is designed to "significantly
reshape the operating model of the company and enhance profitability
beginning in 1996." Through the first nine months of 1995 the
company's shareholders have lost $0.25 per share. Reid called the
results so far "disappointing." The fiscal year ends December 31.

Storagetek designs, manufactures and markets storage and retrieval
subsystems for computer systems. The company reported revenue of
$1.87 billion and earnings per share of $0.66 in its fiscal year
ending December 30, 1994. Shareholders lost $2.05 per share in 1993.

(Jim Mallory/19951120/Press contact: David Reid, Storagetek,
303-673-4815)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/20/95
ONLINE
Microsoft, InContext Do Web Authoring Deal

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00026)
Microsoft, InContext Do Web Authoring Deal 11/20/95
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 20 (NB) -- InContext Corporation
of Toronto, Ontario, Canada said its Spider 1.1 Internet World Wide Web
publishing tool will be one of the first to be seamlessly integrated
with Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) Internet Explorer for Windows 95 Web
browser. Also, InContext officials told Newsbytes the company will
license Internet Explorer for bundling in the Spider retail package.

Ian Hembery, InContext vice president of marketing and sales, told
Newsbytes the Microsoft agreement is important because "it attaches
some credibility towards our company. That always helps when you're
a small software company trying to get bigger."

In addition, it allows InContext customers to buy a "very good editor"
in the Spider product, and lets people start authoring and creating
Web pages, Hembery said.

The Spider package lets users develop Web pages with hypertext markup
language (HTML), officials said. Pages developed from Spider can be
read with Internet Explorer, and browsers that use both the Mosaic and
the Netscape technologies. Spider pages can use HTML 2.0 standard
coding, proposed HTML 3.0 language enhancements, and separate Netscape
and Microsoft extensions.

Also, the Spider package also has home page templates, clip art, and
enhanced downloading of non-standard HTML documents. The program can
also convert any Windows word processing document into an HTML page, so
it can be uploaded to the Web for the world to see, officials said.
The ability to validate HTML pages is also included, along with WYSIWYG
(what you see is what you get) viewing of a page that closely resembles
the actual Web page.

InContext's current Spider product will run under both Windows 3.1 and
Windows 95. But officials said the software will be available as a
Windows 95 specific product in the first quarter of 1996.

Both the Internet Explorer and the Spider Web browsers utilize
Enhanced Mosaic technology from Spyglass Inc.

(Bob Woods/19951120/Press Contact: John Robinson, Patrick O'Neill &
Associates, 416-361-3331, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/20/95
TRENDS
 ****The World's Most Wired Community

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(WAS)(00027)
 ****The World's Most Wired Community 11/20/95
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 20 (NB) -- Glasgow, Ky.,
population 13,000 and arguably the world's most wired community,
has added a new electronic service that is available to the
city's residents. Citizens of Glasgow can now get unlimited
Internet access at two megabits per second for a flat fee of $22
per month, through the city's municipally-owned electric
utility.

How fast is that? "Fastern' Hell," says Bill Ray, head of the
city utility department and an evangelist for municipal
broadband communications services.

The Internet offering joins a menu of telecommunications
services the local electric utility offers, including cable
television, local telephone service, a city-wide computer
network, and advanced energy management capabilities.

Ray described Glasgow's system at an American Public Power
Association workshop in Seattle last week. "Internet service is
going to be an attractive new service," Ray said. "Nobody could
anticipate how popular the Internet is." He added that every
new customer on the city's electric system now automatically
gets an Internet e-mail address.

The Internet offering, Ray said, came after the city realized
that its local network, Home LAN, needed to be able to reach
beyond the confines of the city. "We called MCI, because we
needed somebody to show us how to tie to the Internet," he said.
MCI installed a T-1 line from Glasgow to the nearest Internet
backbone connection.

In 1988, in order to provide advanced utility demand-side
management and avoid crippling demand charges from the Tennessee
Valley Authority, Glasgow spent $3 million to install a
120-mile, looped fiber system with coaxial cable from the fiber
node to the individual building. But the additional bandwidth
allowed the city utility to offer cable, competing with the
existing cable supplier, E.W. Scripps.

At the time, Ray noted, Scripps was offering only two-dozen
channels at a monthly cost of about $14. The cable provider
fought the utility, telling the local governing body that "all
manner of evil will befall us" if the city got into the cable
business, Ray said. He noted that the cable company was wildly
unpopular in the city and the opposition from Scripps only made
it easier for the utility to win political support.

The city launched its cable system with more than 40 channels,
at a price just below what Scripps was then charging. Marketing
plans indicated the cable system would quickly take over market
share from Scripps.

But then, the marketplace struck, recalled Ray. "You think you
know about competition, and you don't," said Ray. Scripps
doubled the number of channels it was offering and cut the price
to under $6 per month, a price the city could not match and
still cover costs.

The impact on the brand new municipal cable system was
devastating. "We got my mother and some, but not all," of the
employees of the city electric utility to sign up, Ray said
ruefully.

So Glasgow had to learn how to compete, and they did it without
lowering their price. The key was customer service. "We'd do
anything to get you to hook up," he said, including, literally,
setting the clock on a customer's VCR and teaching them how to
program the device.

"We attacked that lack of knowledge and started picking up
customers," said Ray. "We never had a month that we didn't take
market share away from our competitor, and we have never been
cheaper than our competitor." Today, the city cable system has
58 percent of the market.

About 1991, the city started realizing that it could also offer
telephone service over its broadband fiber network. Working
with First Pacific Networks, the utility began offering POTS,
the telephony acronym meaning "plain old telephone service."
Pretty soon, Ray said, the city was adding PANS, or "pretty
amazing new stuff."

The telephone system led to the local area network business, Ray
said, adding that the city LAN "will be the most important
service" the city offers. He said that when the utility was
wiring up the schools to communicate with each other, the
utility noticed "file servers everywhere and none were attached
to each other. Not knowing anything, we thought it would be
possible to have one server and link the schools together."

With help from Novell, that's just what Glasgow did. "Then
people with PCs in the home wanted on the network so their kids
could talk to the schools," said Ray. And that led to the city
network. The Internet connection grew from that.

Did all this take battalions of geeks and an abundance of the
"vision thing?" Not at all, according to Ray. "When we started
this, did we see the information superhighway? No, we barely
saw ahead of our noses. I never heard of broadband until 1987.
We were not embued with special vision and we didn't invent one
thing. It all came out of catalogs and off UPS truck. This stuff
is not as complication as many make out."

(Kennedy Maize/19951117)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/20/95
PC
Four Microsoft Word Macro Viruses Loose, Says Dr Solomon

(NEWS)(PC)(LON)(00028)
Four Microsoft Word Macro Viruses Loose, Says Dr Solomon 11/20/95
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 20 (NB) -- According to Alan
Solomon, charismatic head of S&S International, the anti-virus
company, barely three months after the first cross-platform macro
virus appeared, there are now four macro viruses floating around the
marketplace. The viruses are capable, the company claims, of infecting
all users of MS-Word 6.x and above, no matter what operating system is
in use.

"That's a serious problem and one that the anti-virus industry is
failing to tackle," explained a spokesman for the company, who added
that the company's updated anti-virus toolkit, unveiled at Comdex Fall
this week, could cope with such viruses.

Perhaps more sinister is the report that a virus author, un-named,
attempted to write an MS-Excel virus. The attempt, the company claims,
failed. There are also two new Trojan horses, including one that
reformats a hard disk, in the PC market.

Toolkit, the company claims, protects against these new virus
programs -- something that the competition, such as McAfee's product
does not. The new version of the Toolkit, the company claims, adds
automatic detection and repair of the damage cause by macro viruses as
a standard feature.

"It's clear that macro viruses are highly infectious," explained
Solomon, who added that the company is now detecting around 150 to 200
new viruses each and every month. The MS-Word viruses, he claims, are
the latest in a long line of problematic virus programs.

"The development of viruses that make use of the WordBasic language
macro language to infect DOC files exploits the fact that computer
users exchange documents, often via e-mail, far more often than they
exchange programs," he explained, adding that these viruses pose a
problem for the computer industry.

Current users of the S&S Toolkit can now update their software using
the CompuServe forum (GO DRSOLOMON) or by Webbing into the company's
Web pages at http://www.drsolomon.com , or by calling the company's
US BBS on 617-229-8804. Further details of the Toolkit, including its
various platform pricing, can also be found by these means.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951117/Press Contact: Pat Bitton, S&S International
310-670-5606; Fax [phone]; Reader Contact: S&S International 800-
701-9648; Fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
2000 11/20/95
BUSINESS
China - Siemens Envisions $10 Billion From China By

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(PEK)(00029)
China - Siemens Envisions $10 Billion From China By 2000 11/20/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 NOV 20 (NB) -- Siemens' annual business volume in
China is expected to be US$10 billion by the end of this century, the
company recently announced at a press conference in Beijing.

In recent years, Siemens' sales volume in China has increased rapidly.
In 1994, the company's sales in China were 10-fold over 1993's sales,
said Gunter Wilhelm, member of the corporate executive committee of
Siemens AG, in a press conference recently held in Beijing. He also
announced the company's goal is to reach an annual business volume of
US$10 billion in China by the year 2000.

In order to achieve the goal, Siemens will establish more joint
ventures in China over the next four years. Siemens will bring its
total investment in China to US$1 billion by the year 2000. To date,
Siemens has invested US$250 million in 30 joint ventures in China.

Siemens also plans to raise its number of employees in China from the
current 6,000 to 30,000 by the turn of this century, said Wilhelm.
The German company will focus its fresh investment mainly in the
fields of telecommunications, energy resources, and transportation,
which are key infrastructure sectors and whose development is encouraged
by the Chinese government.

Siemens recently signed several big contracts with Chinese companies
and government agencies, including the large project with Tianjin
Municipal Economic Information Center to improve China's economic
information network and the telecommunications project to construct
the Beijing-Harbin optical cable line. Siemens' other projects also
include Rizhao Thermal Power Plant in Shandong Province and Hanfeng
Power Plant in Hebei province.

The value of these recent contracts for Siemens hit US$354.6 million,
announced Von Pierer, president and chief executive officer of Siemens
AG, who is a member of German Prime Minister Kohl's delegation to China.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951117)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/20/95
IBM
Comdex - IBM OpenDoc Extends To HTML, Microsoft Env'ts

(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00030)
Comdex - IBM OpenDoc Extends To HTML, Microsoft Env'ts 11/20/95
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 20 (NB) -- By assuming
responsibility from Novell for the Windows NT and Windows 95
editions of OpenDoc, IBM is now working with Microsoft developers
as well as IBM OS/2 and AIX developers, who are building parts in
languages that include C. the HTML (hypertext markup language) of
the Web, and the object-oriented C++ and Visual Smalltalk, said
IBM's Scott Hebner and Valerie D. Olague, during an OpenDoc
update for Newsbytes at Comdex.

Through the newly announced Club OpenDoc home page on the Web,
IBM plans to create a single "community" for component makers
from these diverse environments, providing the developers with
information on OpenDoc products and services, as well as a way to
communicate with IBM, other part builders, and even with
potential beta users, reported Hebner, who is program manager,
Object Implementation, for IBM.

As previously reported in Newsbytes, members of the new Club
OpenDoc will be able to distribute their components as
"shareware" over the Web, for free evaluation by Internet users.
Then, when the components are completed, developers will be able
to put their parts up for commercial sale via another new
Web-based service, known as the Reusable Software Component
Market.

Although membership in Club OpenDoc is free, component makers
taking part in the Reusable Software Component Market will be
charged a $99 fee for each part placed on the Web, according to
Hebner. The "finished parts" distributed over the Web-based
Component Market will be sold at varying prices.

The "new electronic store" for objects is owned and run by
CyberSource Corp., the operator of software.net, but it is being
sponsored by IBM. Component buyers can pay for their purchases
online by credit card, or, alternatively, send payment directly
to the part maker.

Hebner also told Newsbytes that the next release of IBM's OS/2
Warp, which is slated for delivery in mid-1996, will be the first
release of an operating system (OS) to incorporate a built-in
OpenDoc runtime. The inclusion of the runtime directly in the OS
will serve as a "major convenience" to ISVs and systems
integrators, he asserted. The delivery of the updated OS/2 Warp
will be preceded by the availability of an OpenDoc developers kit
for OS/2 Warp in December.

The program manager added that the decision for IBM to take over
responsibility for the Windows NT/Windows 95 edition of OpenDoc
was reached in conjunction with CI Labs after Novell notified the
labs of its plans to discontinue work on the project. Apple, he
reported, is continuing on with a version of OpenDoc for the
Macintosh environment. Meanwhile, a pre-released version of
OpenDoc for AIX is targeted for availability on the Developer
Connection CD (DEVCON) later this month.

IBM has already built an application that includes parts written
in NT, AIX, and OS/2, pointed out Olague, a staffer in
Object-Oriented Strategy and Implementation. Putting together the
OpenDoc Travel Expense Authorization application took "only a few
days," asserted Hebner.

The travel expense application currently runs on OS/2. Component
parts in the new application include a suite of image scanning
and manipulation components from Cirrus Technology; a spreadsheet
from Athena Design; a signature capture component from Peripheral
Vision; a "speech-aware" calendar and speech dictation component
from Voice Pilot Technologies; and a "data enablement" component
from SSG for application access to DB2 Parallel Edition.

Voice Pilot Technologies also wrote a "speech extension" to the
OpenDoc API (application programming interface) that is designed
to let other components in the application accept voice input as
well as keyboard and mouse input, Olague said. In addition, IBM
contributed at "specialized application for integrating the other
components and (for) adding travel expense-related logic to
create overall application flow."

The constituent parts in the travel expense authorization
application will become available to ISVs, systems integrators,
corporate developers, and other prospective parts buyers over
IBM's new Reusable Component Market next month, along with other
OpenDoc new components, according to Olague. SOM (systems object
model) parts are already for sale on the new Web page.

Unlike the OCXes of the Microsoft Windows environment, which
allow for object embedding only, OpenDoc permits the creation of
"dynamic and distributable" objects, Hebner contended.

Developers, he added, can create OpenDoc parts in HTML by mapping
HTML tags -- similar in concept to the tags in SGML (standard
generalized markup language -- to OpenDoc.

The new Club OpenDoc is located at
http://www.software.ibm.com/clubopendoc on the Web. If you're
interested in browsing or buying "finished" parts, you can do so
through the Reusable Software Component Market at
http://components.software.net on the Web.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951120/Reader Contact: IBM, 914-765-1900;
Press Contacts: Keith Mary Rantas-Drew, IBM, 914-766-1211;
Jennifer Surro, Brodeur & Partners for IBM, 617-622-2856)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00031)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 11/20/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 20 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|           Monday, November 20, 1995            |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network's on the Web! Check out http://www.nbnn.com for
free daily top stories from Newsbytes and its affiliate publications,
and from PC Week, MacWeek, and other Ziff news magazines. A subscription
gives you all the news, full-text, plus the most comprehensive database
of past computer stories online. The keyword-searchable database dates
from today back through 1983. Subscriptions are $24.95 for three months.
Questions? Send to '[e-mail]'  For Japanese Newsbytes
and additional services, see the Newsbytes Pacifica Website at
http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

BROADCAST Comdex - Avid Previews "Real Impact" Update................ 08

BUSINESS  Compaq Slashes HK Prices................................... 12

BUSINESS  Dun & Bradstreet Enters Philippine Market.................. 14

BUSINESS  JetForm Acquires Eclipse................................... 17

BUSINESS  Storagetek Restructuring Cuts 1,500 Jobs................... 25

BUSINESS  China - Siemens Envisions $10 Billion From China By 2000... 29

GENERAL   NewsPix Images For Newsbytes Publishers.................... 04

GENERAL   Japan Newsbriefs........................................... 06

GENERAL   China - Newsbriefs......................................... 15

GENERAL   Comdex - DEC Showcases Storage Products.................... 16

GOVT      Nuclear Agency Taps Internet For Rulemaking................ 21

IBM       Comdex - IBM Plans Notes-Based "Programmable Server........ 05

IBM       Big Blue Joins Telstra In $100M Sydney Olympics Splurge.... 13

IBM       Comdex - IBM OpenDoc Extends To HTML, Microsoft Env'ts..... 30

ONLINE     ****China All At Sea Over Internet........................ 02

ONLINE    China Contract Speeds Web's Advance........................ 03

ONLINE     ****Internet Update - RealAudio Special................... 07

ONLINE    Australia - Microsoft Network Progress..................... 10

ONLINE    UUNET To Pick Up 40% Interest In German Firm............... 22

ONLINE     ****Microsoft Network Passes 500,000-Subscriber Mark...... 24

ONLINE    Microsoft, InContext Do Web Authoring Deal................. 26

PC        Comdex - Toshiba Lengthens Portable PC Lead................ 09

PC        Polaroid Intros Photo Scanner For Home PCs................. 20

PC         ****Compaq Denies Plans for Under-$1500 PC In 1996........ 23

PC        Four Microsoft Word Macro Viruses Loose, Says Dr Solomon... 28

TRENDS    Comdex - Large Color Plasma Displays Previewed............. 18

TRENDS     ****The World's Most Wired Community...................... 27

UNIX      Correction - HP's Survey About Windows NT And Unix......... 19

WINDOWS   Bill Gates Officially Heads For Hong Kong.................. 01

WINDOWS   Humongous Ships "Lets Explore the Jungle................... 11

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 -> Bill Gates Officially Heads For Hong Kong -- Microsoft Chairman
Bill Gates will be making his "first official visit" to Hong Kong in
mid-December, company sources in Hong Kong said. Whether or not he's
been unofficially in the territory before, his handlers didn't say.

2 ->  ****China All At Sea Over Internet -- The Chinese government has
no  firm ideas for the Internet. That was the startling message from  Qu
Zhinqiang, division chief of information technology at  China's State
Information Centre, speaking at last week's Internet  conference,
Executives in Cyberspace, here.

3 -> China Contract Speeds Web's Advance -- China's massive
Internet-building  project took another step last week, when ChinaNet
architecture and  switching contracts were awarded to US-based Cisco. At
the same  time Legend Holdings won six of the 48 contracts for the
State Economic Information Network (SEIN) of China's State  Information
Centre

4 -> NewsPix Images For Newsbytes Publishers -- Photos are now posted as
they arrive. This means quicker access to the story pictures. The
bulletin will continue on Mondays, with updates Wednesdays and Fridays
as needed.

5 -> Comdex - IBM Plans Notes-Based "Programmable Server -- IBM plans to
achieve its vision of "network-centric computing" through a Lotus
Notes-based "programmable server" that can be tailored in terms of
messaging, information, policies, and transactions to meet the varying
needs of "task-oriented, collaborative, and mobile" users, revealed Tim
Negris, VP of marketing and sales for IBM Software Solutions, in a
briefing for Newsbytes at Fall Comdex '95.

6 -> Japan Newsbriefs -- In this roundup of news from Japan, Fujitsu to
invest $1 billion in new plant, Apple to connect schools to Internet,
DVD agreement due next month, NTT hits ISDN milestone, FM teletext for
cars developed.

7 ->  ****Internet Update - RealAudio Special -- In this special edition
we focus on the RealAudio software and programming available on the
global Internet. RealAudio enables users to hear audio on demand across
the network on connections from speeds of 14,400bps. To automatically
launch programs from your Web client, it must be configured beforehand
to run the RealAudio software when it encounters a file.

8 -> Comdex - Avid Previews "Real Impact" Update -- A forthcoming update
to Avid's Real Impact new software for Windows NT-based desktop video
creation and editing will add support for Windows 95, Miro's "low-cost"
DC-20 video board, and MPEG (Motion Picture Experts Group)-1 export,
revealed Dana White, senior product manager, in a product demo and
company update for Newsbytes at Comdex.

9 -> Comdex - Toshiba Lengthens Portable PC Lead -- Statistics from top
market research analysts show that Toshiba is lengthening its lead in
the portable PC market, asserted Tom Scott, VP and general manager of
the Computer Systems Division, in a press conference at Comdex that also
featured testimonies from two large Toshiba customers, Unisys and Ryder
Systems, as to how and why thousands of users at those organizations are
turning to mobile computing.

10 -> Australia - Microsoft Network Progress -- On Australia's
(Microsoft  Network in Australia) timetable for full 28.8kbps Internet
access  via Microsoft Network has been put back from December to January
1996 for Melbourne and Sydney. The rest of the country should have
access as planned in April.

11 -> Humongous Ships "Lets Explore the Jungle -- Humongous
Entertainment announced this week the availability of "Lets Explore the
Jungle" a CD-ROM based interactive program for children.  "Jungle" lets
the kids explore the plants, animals and environments of the world's
three major jungles in Asia, Africa and the Amazon respectively.

12 -> Compaq Slashes HK Prices --Compaq Computer Hong Kong has slashed
20% on server drive options in a bid to drive up year-end  numbers. Only
weeks ago, International Data Corp put Compaq as  the leading server
supplier for the year's first quarter.

13 -> Big Blue Joins Telstra In $100M Sydney Olympics Splurge -- IBM
Australia has announced an investment of about AUS$50 million in the
Sydney 2000 Olympic Games  and the Australian Olympic Team. Along with
Telstra, Big Blue  has signed up as the first corporate partner of the
Games, and  has gained exclusive rights to supply the event's IT
systems.

14 -> Dun & Bradstreet Enters Philippine Market -- Dun & Bradstreet
Software, an affiliate of Dun and Bradstreet Corporation where  former
US President Abraham Lincoln once worked as a business  and credit
analyst, has formally announced its entry to the Philippine market.

15 -> China - Newsbriefs -- In this news roundup from China, computer
graphics major offered by Shanghai college; Microsoft is bringing its
multimedia technology to Shanghai; the longest microwave transmission at
high elevation works smoothly; and exports of Hong Kong computers to the
Chinese mainland increase rapidly, IPC in China Venture.

16 -> Comdex - DEC Showcases Storage Products -- In one part of Digital
Equipment Corp.'s ultra large presence at Comdex, StorageWorks execs
Penny Scharfman and Bruce Baird briefed Newsbytes on Digital's latest
storage products for multivendor environments, showing off the recently
sold "one millionth StorageWorks building block," painted gold for
Comdex. Also at the expo in Las Vegas, Digital's Systems Business Unit
(SBU), components, PC, semiconductor, and Internet divisions all
highlighted their wares.

17 -> JetForm Acquires Eclipse -- JetForm Corp. (NASDAQ:FORMF) has
announced plans to buy Norcross, Georgia- based Eclipse Corp. for a
little more than $3 million. Both  companies sell electronic forms
software, and Eclipse will  become a division of JetForm.

18 -> Comdex - Large Color Plasma Displays Previewed -- They will not be
commercial products until some time in late 1996, but color  plasma
displays were shown at several booths at Comdex/Fall. The displays,
which can be made larger than any cathode ray tube  developed to date,
are being touted as a way of providing large,  space-saving color
displays for both television and computer use.

19 -> Correction - HP's Survey About Windows NT And Unix -- Due to a
Newsbytes copy editing error, a headline reading 'Windows NT To Replace
Unix - Survey' on Nov. 9 was incorrect. The survey of 200 senior
technology managers suggested that Unix system-based environments and
Microsoft Windows NT operating environments will co-exist, and that IT
managers had concerns about integrating Windows NT into their existing
environments.

20 -> Polaroid Intros Photo Scanner For Home PCs -- Polaroid Corp.
(NYSE: PRD) has introduced a digital photo scanner for home and office
use that takes 60 seconds or less to scan a black and white or color
image up to four inches by six inches.

21 -> Nuclear Agency Taps Internet For Rulemaking --The US Nuclear
Regulatory Commission has become the first federal agency to use the
interactive capabilities of the Internet in a rulemaking. The NRC is
using a program on the World Wide Web, called RuleNet, to collect
information and opinion prior to launching a formal rulemaking on fire
protection at nuclear power plants.

22 -> UUNET To Pick Up 40% Interest In German Firm -- UUNET Technologies
has signed a deal to acquire 40 percent of EUnet Germany, a leading
Internet access provider in Germany. The price, and the form of payment,
will depend upon negotiations over how much control UUNET will have in
the management of the German firm.

23 ->  ****Compaq Denies Plans for Under-$1500 PC In 1996 -- Compaq
Computer Corp. (NYSE: CPQ) denied a report this week by the Wall Street
Journal that the computer company will introduce a lower-priced,
fewer-featured PC with a price tag of about $1,500 in 1996. Presently
the company's least expensive personal computer sells for about $1,699,
a Compaq spokesperson told Newsbytes.

24 ->  ****Microsoft Network Passes 500,000-Subscriber Mark -- In its
first three months of service, Microsoft Network (MSN) officials said
they have signed up more than 525,000 members. The service, part of
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), also announced it will make several
enhancements to the network in the next 60 days.

25 -> Storagetek Restructuring Cuts 1,500 Jobs -- A reorganization plan
Storage Technology Corp. (NYSE: STK) said is designed to save $100
million includes the reduction of about 1,500 jobs and the closing of a
half-million square foot manufacturing and development facility in
Longmont, Colorado.

26 -> Microsoft, InContext Do Web Authoring Deal -- InContext
Corporation of Toronto, Ontario, Canada said its Spider 1.1 Internet
World Wide Web publishing tool will be one of the first to be seamlessly
integrated with Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) Internet Explorer for Windows
95 Web browser. Also, InContext officials told Newsbytes the company
will license Internet Explorer for bundling in the Spider retail
package.

27 ->  ****The World's Most Wired Community -- Glasgow, Ky., population
13,000 and arguably the world's most wired community, has added a new
electronic service that is available to the city's residents. Citizens
of Glasgow can now get unlimited Internet access at two megabits per
second for a flat fee of $22 per month, through the city's
municipally-owned electric utility.

28 -> Four Microsoft Word Macro Viruses Loose, Says Dr Solomon --
According to Alan Solomon, charismatic head of S&S International, the
anti-virus company, barely three months after the first cross-platform
macro virus appeared, there are now four macro viruses floating around
the marketplace. The viruses are capable, the company claims, of
infecting all users of MS-Word 6.x and above, no matter what operating
system is in use.

29 -> China - Siemens Envisions $10 Billion From China By 2000 --
Siemens' annual business volume in China is expected to be US$10 billion
by the end of this century, the company recently announced at a press
conference in Beijing.

30 -> Comdex - IBM OpenDoc Extends To HTML, Microsoft Env'ts -- By
assuming responsibility from Novell for the Windows NT and Windows 95
editions of OpenDoc, IBM is now working with Microsoft developers as
well as IBM OS/2 and AIX developers, who are building parts in languages
that include C. the HTML (hypertext markup language) of the Web, and the
object-oriented C++ and Visual Smalltalk, said IBM's Scott Hebner and
Valerie D. Olague, during an OpenDoc update for Newsbytes at Comdex.

(Wendy Woods/19951120)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/17/95
GENERAL
Japan Newsbriefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00001)
Japan Newsbriefs 11/17/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 17 (NB) -- In this roundup of news from Japan,
Casio triples camera production, Microsoft gears up for Windows95
launch, communications industry growing - government, Pioneer plans MO
audio system, Sanyo announces new HDTV.

Casio Triples Camera Production

Casio Computer will triple production of its new digital camera to
90,000 units a month on strong sales, the company said today. The
QV-10 is selling well and will account for sales of around 10 billion
yen by the end of the fiscal year forecast Casio. Priced at 65,000 yen
($650), the product is almost half the price of many competing
products. Plans are now on the drawing board for a cheaper model with
less features and a higher end version with more features than the
QV-10.

Microsoft Gears Up For Windows95 Launch

Microsoft Japan is preparing the hype and hoopla for the launch of
the Japanese language version of Windows95 next week. The product will
hit the shelves on November 23rd and Tokyo will be witness to several
midnight store openings as was seen in Europe and the US earlier this
year when the English language version of the operating system
launched.

Communications Industry Growing - Government

The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications has said Japan's
communications sector is growing according to preliminary results of
the organization's annual survey. The MPT said aggregate annual sales
predictions for the industry total 12.3 trillion yen ($123 billion), a
rise of 6.3% on the previous year. The figures also show the sector is
moving ahead faster than the general electronics and
telecommunications industry which has a growth forecast of 1.8%. The
survey takes in cable operators, NHK and commercial broadcasters, type
I carriers, and general and special type II carriers.

Pioneer Plans MO Audio System

Just as the MiniDisc system is now being promoted as a computer
product, in addition to audio, the magneto optical (MO) disk system is
about to be offered for audio usage. Pioneer will begin selling an
MO-based audio system for the professional market in December. Users
will be able to select from 16, 20 and 24-bit audio at sampling rates
of 44.056, 44.1, 47.952, and 48 kilohertz.

Sanyo Announces New HDTV

Sanyo Electric says it will begin selling a new, low-priced, high
definition television set. The HVC-32H5(H), which features a 32-inch
widescreen tube, will retail for 500,000 yen ($5,000). High definition
television is becoming increasingly popular in Japan as manufacturers
begin producing more low-priced sets. Previously such televisions
could not be bought for less than 1 million yen ($10,000) although the
cheapest available today is around 400,000 yen ($4,000). NHK and the
nation's commercial broadcasts jointly produce a satellite program
broadcast in the Hi-Vision format for the televisions.

(Martyn Williams/19951117)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/17/95
ONLINE
Internet Update

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00002)
Internet Update 11/17/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 17 (NB) -- In this roundup of new resources and
services on the global Internet, "And the winner is," "Top secret!"
Spying home page, UK military pattern and information processing,
XFree86 Web-based FAQ, Freeware Internet encyclopedia, Amateur
astronomy page, Eating disorders mailing list, Australian news.

And The Winner Is ...

Two different "Miss Internet" contests have been set up and are
currently running on the network. The first we saw was "Miss Internet
95" and is being run by The Business Arts Group on its Webvote server.
The Web site features pictures, videos and audio of the contestants
and, naturally, allows visitors to vote on their favorites. The second
contest is running from Finland and is similar but without the video
and audio.
World Wide Web: http://www.webvote.com/
World Wide Web: http://www.missinternet.fi/

Top Secret! Spying Home Page

This is probably the only example of a spy super agent with his own
Internet home page. We are, of course, talking about James Bond, AKA
007. The new James Bond movie is now featured on United International
Pictures' home page.
World Wide Web: http://www.uip.com/

UK Military Pattern And Information Processing

The Pattern and Information Processing Group of the Defense Research
Agency (DRA) in the United Kingdom has established a home page. The
page introduces the work of the unit in fields from analog systems
for information processing and data analysis and exploration to neural
network techniques and statistical pattern processing. It's also one
of the few examples of UK Internet services using the .gb rather than .uk
domain.
World Wide Web: http://www.dra.hmg.gb/cis5pip/Welcome.html

XFree86 Web Based FAQ

The frequently asked questions list (FAQ) of the XFree86 Project is
now on the World Wide Web. All of the latest information is featured
including full details of how to configure the software, availability
and status of drivers, bugs and more. If you are having problems
setting up an X Window System server, from the XFree86 Project, on
your 80x86-based Unix system, or if you are wondering about support
for your new video card, this is the place to look.
World Wide Web: http://www.XFree86.org/FAQ/

Freeware Internet Encyclopedia

Network users can now sample a copy of the NBN Soft, an encyclopedia
that features hyperlinks to Internet resources. The freeware version
is made up of around a third of the commercial edition and includes
educational, Internet-related, medical and winter entertainment
sources on the Internet. The file is available from SimTel, the Coast
to Coast Software Repository, and its mirror sites worldwide, and
requires a World Wide Web browser to view.
Anonymous FTP: ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/win3/internet/nbnlite.zip
SimTel Mirrors Directory: /SimTel/win3/internet/nbnlite.zip

Amateur Astronomy Page

An index to pages of interest to amateur astronomers, particularly in
the United Kingdom. Links include the British Astronomical
Association, Society for Popular Astronomy, Astronomy Now and Popular
Astronomy magazines and details of British astronomy bulletin boards
and other indexes across the Internet.
World Wide Web: http://www.ukindex.co.uk/ukastro/index.html

Eating Disorders Mailing List

The newly established Eating-Disorders mailing list is an
international electronic forum for the exchange of ideas, opinions,
and information on clinical and research aspects of anorexia and
bulimia nervosa, obesity, and other atypical eating
behavior. The list is aimed at mental-health professionals and
professionals-to-be in both academic and applied settings, although
participation by individuals in other disciplines is also encouraged
to add diversity and variety.
Email: [e-mail]
Message Body: subscribe eat-dis Firstname Lastname

Australian News

The Australian News Report is a Web-based news report designed to keep
Internet users up to date with news from Australia.
World Wide Web: http://australia-online.com/anr.html

(Martyn Williams/19951117)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/17/95
GENERAL
Australia - Dock Dispute Threatens IT Sales

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00003)
Australia - Dock Dispute Threatens IT Sales 11/17/95
CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA 1995 NOV 17 (NB) -- The Australian IT industry has
its fingers crossed for a speedy resolution to the Australian dockside
industrial dispute which may threaten imports vital to Christmas
retail trade. After a sluggish third quarter, the industry is
relying on a bumper festive season. Michael Buth, purchasing
manager for Epson Australia, says the company could be feeling the
pinch in the next five days if docks remain idle.

"I have containers that come in every few days," he explained,
"We'll really be in a spot of bother if it goes on."

Apple Computer's product manager, Bill Harrington, says the company
has adequate stock for Christmas, but there is still some product
"on the water." He says Apple will feel the pinch only if there is
a complete shut-off of supply for a couple of months.

Harrington predicts a drop-off in the usual post-Christmas sales of
excess stock. "As an industry, we'll probably sell what we bring in
over Christmas," he says. He also points out that Christmas stock
has already been ordered by most vendors and any that has not arrived
is already in transit. If it gets stuck, and air-freighted stock
is required to top up supplies, vendors could be lumbered with
double orders. Companies such as Hewlett-Packard and Dell
already air freight much of their stock.

"If the strike goes on longer than a month, we might feel the
pressure," says Dell's Rob Small. A new line of Dell machines,
due for release next year, are coming to Australia by sea, he adds.

Canon, gearing up for strong printer sales over Christmas, says
its dealers take delivery of festive stock in mid-November and are
covered. "Canon on the whole, is very happy with its stocks,"
says James Fewtrell, corporate communications manager.

Jonar Nader, Acer Computer Australia's marketing manager, says
his company is in the clear. "Our stock will keep us going till
February," he says.

(Dorothy Kennedy and Computer Daily News/19951117)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/17/95
EDITORIAL GENERAL
Comdex - Impressions From A First-Time Point Of View

(EDITORIAL)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00004)
Comdex - Impressions From A First-Time Point Of View 11/17/95
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 17 (NB) -- Walking through doors
of a Comdex show for the first time may remind one of a huge auto
show that's on steroids. Many, many, many companies, more than
2,200, put on their best faces for a viewing "public" comprised of
competitive exhibitors, wide-eyed browsers, and skeptical
journalists.

Each exhibitor is not only trying to attract the most people into
their booths, it seems they're trying to out-shout each other in
a collective duel across aisles filled with people on their way
to other booths. The ways in which they try to attract people
are truly unique, too. The companies involved probably felt
they had to yell, because an estimated 7,000 new products were
introduced this week.

In an attempt to rise above the sea of new products, some companies
used the "pretty hostess" approach. Other companies used
spokespeople while others were hired presenters. Newsbytes also
noted actors playing parts in mini-plays. One company in particular
used a "bickering married couple" to attempt to sell a line of modems.
IBM decided to bring in some "real people," in the form of
former Olympic greats and current Olympians readying to compete in
Atlanta next year.

Just because you leave the proverbial "four walls" of Comdex doesn't
mean the ad blitz ends. On the streets, taxis and busses transport
rolling ads for Epson, Iomega, and other companies. In fact, some
buses were completely "clothed" with a kind of covering that hawked
Epson's colorful printers. What's more, the Yellow, Checker, and Star
cab companies' receipts even have advertising -- from Epson. If an
award were given for having the most ads in Las Vegas, Epson and
Iomega would tie for first place (behind Comdex itself, of course).

If the constant "in your face" form of corporate advertising didn't
reach the first-time Comdexer, the sheer size of the show might have
made an impact. Besides taking up all of the Las Vegas Convention
Center (LVCC), including exhibit halls and meeting rooms, the show
also practically maxed out the Sands Expo and Convention Center
(SECC). The SECC seems to be as big as the LVCC, with the same
number (if not more) appearing to be at the Sands. If two
halls weren't enough, and they didn't appear to be for Comdex,
companies also set up shop in the Las Vegas Hilton, which
adjoins the LVCC.

For a show that thrives on technology, the city around it hasn't had
a chance to prepare what's necessary for the influx of people.
Cellular phone users experienced service that was, at times,
spotty at best, due to so many others using the modern technology
to communicate. Some dialing into online services like Compuserve
couldn't get in to read their e-mail and news services. Even
basic essentials like ground transportation suffered because
of a lack of taxis and heavy traffic.

The only saving grace -- the good humor of many of the workers
charged with getting sometimes-cranky Comdexers to where
they needed to be ten minutes ago.

(Bob Woods/19951116)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/17/95
BROADCAST
Comdex - I/O Magic's Portable Teleconferencing

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(MSP)(00005)
Comdex - I/O Magic's Portable Teleconferencing 11/17/95
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 17 (NB) -- Irvine, California's
I/O Magic Corp. is introducing a PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory
Card Industry Association) teleconferencing system the company calls
a "first" for the computer industry, called MobileVision.
The new system uses a POTS (plain old telephone service) line to hook
together two notebooks using, for now, the MobileVision system.

The system incorporates a mini-camera, which draws its power from a
supplied PCMCIA Type II video capture card, and a voice-over data
28.8Kbps (kilobits per second) Type II PCMCIA modem that uses
simultaneous voice and data transmission and reception. A future
release of MobileVision will integrate the two cards into one, Tony
Andrews, director of engineering for I/O Magic, told Newsbytes.

Besides video, users can share documents and data, talk, and transmit
data with MobileVision. The system can hook up multiple users in a
videoconference, Andrews added.

Newsbytes saw a demonstration of the system at the Comdex Fall '95
show in Las Vegas. Video transmission averaged five to fifteen frames
per second. While full-motion video runs at 30 frames per second, the
quality from MobileVision was not objectionable.

Retail price on the system, including camera, is around $1099. Future
plans for the system include ISDN (integrated services digital network)
compliance, and compliance with the new POTS standard for
teleconferencing, Andrews said, so that MobileVision can be used with
any other teleconferencing system.

"The typical use for mobile users will be to take this to a hotel
room, and make a call," Andrews said. He doesn't see the need to
have a digital videoconferencing system yet for a portable system
like this, because most hotels don't have the capability to complete
digital calls.

Other products in the I/O Magic line include a separate packaging of
the PCMCIA Type II MPEG (Motion Pictures Engineers Group) card that
comes with the MobileVision teleconferencing system, a quad-speed
CD-ROM drive that has a PCMCIA Type I interface card, and an Ethernet
LAN (local area network) Type I card.

(Bob Woods/19951116/Press Contact: Mike Cone, I/O Magic, 714-727-
7466, Internet e-mail [e-mail]. Public Contact: I/O Magic
Corp., 714-27-7466)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/17/95
ONLINE
Comdex - Developing Realistic Web Site Strategies

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00006)
Comdex - Developing Realistic Web Site Strategies 11/17/95
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 17 (NB) -- At the Comdex Fall '95
computer and information technology show, the selling and marketing of
goods and services online highlighted one of the conferences at the
annual gathering. The discussion centered on what Internet World
Wide Web site developers should put on their pages, and how should they
put their information on the Internet.

Two speakers presented their ideas to an estimated audience
of more than 350 people, many of them Web site administrators. Glee
Harrah Cady, manager of information services for San Jose, California-
based Netcom, spoke about content issues on the Web. The job of
explaining the more technical side of matters Web-related fell to Paul
Hoffman, president of Proper Publishing of Santa Cruz, California.
Besides holding high offices in their respective companies, both are
published authors on Internet-related matters.

Cady's message boiled down to a quote by Mannie Jackson, owner of the
Harlem Globetrotters, that Cady dug out of this week's "Sports
Illustrated" issue. "You have to have good people and a good product,
you have to know your market and your customers, and you have to
communicate," Jackson was quoted as saying. Cady said even though
Jackson was talking about basketball, the same can be said of
Web site strategies.

When it comes to Internet content, "marketing is a billboard, while
sales is retail," Cady said. It's easier to market goods and services
on the Web, because you don't need salespeople to market the product,
she said. "It's hard to be a salesperson," she said. It's relatively
easy to be a marketer.

Thought should also be given to a target audience, Cady said. Aspects
like age, geographic location of the Net surfer, and what language they
speak are all important aspects to take into account, she said.
Technical considerations, such as modem speed and graphic capability,
should also be thought about, Cady added.

"Don't just webspin your material," Cady told her audience. She said
to build in as much multimedia features into a site, and not to think
of the Web as linear. "People who don't get this, don't produce
successful Web sites," Cady added.

She gave some tips on how to build a successful Web site. The first
is to keep the design simple and clean. The second is to use graphics
to illustrate, not to inform. Web site developers can't control all
of what the viewer sees because experienced Web users can change
aspects of pages, like backgrounds and text styles. She also
strongly suggested that Web sites be tested many times by both the
company sponsoring the page and by an outsider.

Hoffman then handled the "techie" side of Web site strategies. He urged
the audience to make realistic guesses about their hardware and software
needs, and to generally start small and build on existing connections.

Generally, a small site can get by on a single Pentium server running
with 16MB of RAM, costing around $2000, he said. Hoffman also pointed
out that one machine should be used only for Web service. Servers that
run e-mail are "RAM hogs," he said, and should be kept on second
machines. When it comes time to upgrade, it is better to upgrade RAM
than CPU speed, he said. When more than just a PC is needed, he
suggested Web servers from companies like Sun, Silicon Graphics and
Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC). If a Web site administrator wants
the ability to upgrade a higher-end machine, they should consider a
symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) system, where additional processors
can be added. He also suggested replicating a PC-based servers using
methods like file transfer protocol (FTP).

When it comes to server software, Hoffman said Web administrators will
probably choose a type of server only once, and switching is difficult
due to configuration files, so any decision should be well-researched.

Connecting to the Internet is another concern, he said. Hoffman
suggested to plan for increased speed ahead of time, with at least an
ISDN (integrated services digital network) connection of 128Kbps
(kilobits per second). Costs can vary even within the same city, so
providers and their price lists should also be examined, he added.

(Bob Woods/19951116)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/17/95
PC
 ****Comdex - Upke Claims "Ultimate" Home PC

(NEWS)(PC)(TOR)(00007)
 ****Comdex - Upke Claims "Ultimate" Home PC 11/17/95
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 17 (NB) -- A startup
company showed up at Comdex/Fall this year with what it bills as the
ultimate home personal computer. Upke Systems' PC, which comes in four
models, combines high-end technical specifications such as a
133-megahertz (MHz) Pentium processor with an external design
reminiscent of upmarket consumer electronics products.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95111707.PCX
Click here for photo

According to Patrick Chasques, executive vice-president of Upke, the
company designed its new PCS from the ground up for the home market.
Speaking to Newsbytes at Upke's Comdex booth, he contrasted that
approach with the one he said most PC vendors have taken to the home
market -- they "gave their business machines a makeover and pushed
them into the home market."

The Upke System has the monitor, processor board, and storage
devices in one integrated unit. One compact model, the Upke System
2626, has stereo speakers built into this unit as well. The other
three models -- the 2610, 2615, and 2617 -- have detachable speakers.
All models have the keyboard concealed in a drawer below the screen,
but Chasques said it is detachable and can be lifted out of the
drawer.

Along with the 133-MHz Pentium, the Upke System has a one-gigabyte
hard disk drive, 16 megabytes of memory, a 16-million-color display
card, a quad-speed CD-ROM player, a 28,800-bit-per-second (bps) data
and 14,400-bps fax modem, a telephone answering machine, a television
tuner, MIDI support, a digital signal processor (DSP) wavetable
sound board, a remote control for multimedia and communications
functions, Media Manager software, and Microsoft Windows 95
pre-installed. The cabinets, designed by French designer Yves
Christin, are available in black or white.

Chasques observed that home computer buyers are not interested in
technology. They ask four questions, he said: will the computer
look nice in the house, what are the features, is it easy to use,
and what is the price.

The price, in fact, has not been set yet, but Chasques said it will
not be more than five to seven percent above what you would pay for
another PC with the same technical specifications. Upke expects to
have the system on store shelves by the beginning of February.
The company will grant exclusive distribution rights to resellers
in certain areas, to avoid cut-throat price wars, he said.

Chasques said Upke has been working on the system's design for three
years. The company gathered input from panels of consumers in the
United States and Europe, he said, "and also my wife's opinion."

Upke Systems has dual headquarters in Paris and Boston.

(Grant Buckler/19951116/Press Contact: Dimitri Granovsky, Upke
Systems, 617-928-3035/UPKE951117/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/17/95
TRENDS
Comdex - 1394 Interface Standard Shows Progress

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TOR)(00008)
Comdex - 1394 Interface Standard Shows Progress 11/17/95
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 17 (NB) -- Proponents of the
IEEE 1394 interface standard are showing off new products
compatible with the standard at the Comdex/Fall computer show
here. The 1394 Trade Association also held a press conference to
announce that Yamaha Corp. has added its support to the
specification, which allows for linkages among computer and
consumer electronics devices.

Work on 1394 -- known at Apple Computer Inc. as FireWire -- began
more than five years ago, but products based on it are just
beginning to hit the market. The 1394 Trade Association is
showcasing some of those products in a display area off the main
Comdex show floor and others can be found at various vendors'
booths.

One reason 1394 is interesting is speed. Initially it will run at up
to 200 megabits per second, but a second generation will double
that speed to 400 megabits per second. What makes the interface
interesting for multimedia, though, is the fact that it is
isochronous. The word means equal in time. An isochronous interface
delivers chunks of data of a fixed size at fixed intervals. This
is in contrast to asynchronous interfaces, whose throughput
varies. The difference is important because of multimedia, which
involves video and audio signals that make delays very noticeable.
An isochronous interface avoids jerky motion or awkward pauses
in a video clip while the computer waits for more data to arrive.

Those involved with the 1394 effort today expect it will catch on
first in multimedia applications and in devices such as digital
video cameras, and video capture cards. For instance, the two
1394-compatible products on display at Sony Corp.'s booth were
video cameras -- one designed for videoconferencing, the other
a consumer Handycam. Gary Hoffman, president of the 1394 Trade
Association, said during the group's press conference that he
expects 1394 to become "the digital interface of choice
for consumer electronics."

However, Sony spokesman Manny Vara told Newsbytes that 1394
activity in the computer arena may well take off in 1996. He
said part of the promise of 1394 lies in tying together computer
and consumer electronics products. "There's a lot of talk about
convergence," Vara said, "but this could actually allow you to do
it easily."

In addition to just-signed Yamaha, Hoffman said, the 1394 association
has recently added Ricoh and Sun Microsystems to its membership
roster. The standard itself also got IEEE approval in September,
he noted. The association is now starting work on 1394.1, a
further evolution of the standard.

That evolution will eventually lead to a version of 1394 that
can move data at one gigabit per second, Hoffman said. A working
group has already begun work on that project. Vara said one-gigabit
1394 can be expected next year.

Among the more than 40 members of the 1394 trade association are
Sony, Apple, Adaptec, Texas Instruments, IBM, and Microsoft.

(Grant Buckler/19951116/Press Contact: Cathy Cook, 1394 Trade
Association, 415-328-5666; Dick Davies, Independent Public
Relations Associates for 1394 Trade Association, 415-777-4161;
Manny Vara, Sony, 408-955-5142, fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/17/95
BUSINESS
Lexmark Goes Public

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00009)
Lexmark Goes Public 11/17/95
GREENWICH, CONNECTICUT, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 17 (NB) -- Lexmark
International Group, Inc. (NYSE:LXK) is now a public company. The
move marks the final step to independence for the company that was
spun off from IBM in 1991.

John Shotwell, a spokesman for Lexmark, told Newsbytes the offering
had been part of the company's plan ever since the former printer
manufacturing operations of IBM became a separate company four years
ago. It went ahead at this particular time largely because market
conditions were right, he said.

Shotwell noted that Lexmark has already said it is considering
possible acquisitions. The company is also in the process of building
a new manufacturing plant in Scotland and expanding an existing
one in Lexington, Kentucky. Lexmark is likely to be hiring 1,000
to 1,500 more employees in the near future, Shotwell added.

Shotwell said strong sales of Lexmark's printers are driving a
growing demand for the consumables associated with the printers. He
claimed that even if Lexmark were to stop making printers today,
it would need to manufacture 12 million ink cartridges next year
to meet demand from current customers.

Lexmark offered 17,123,575 shares of its Class A common stock at a
starting price of $20 per share. The stock began trading on the New
York Stock Exchange Wednesday. All shares were offered by current
shareholders of Lexmark, including Clayton Dubilier & Rice, Inc.,
the New York investment firm that acquired Lexmark from IBM in
1991. The proceeds of the offering will go to the shareholders,
not to Lexmark, company officials said.

(Grant Buckler/19951116/Press Contact: Brian Miller, Lexmark,
606-232-5029, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/17/95
TRENDS
 ****Comdex - Artists, Writers Discusse New Media Creativity

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TOR)(00010)
 ****Comdex - Artists, Writers Discusse New Media Creativity 11/17/95
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 17 (NB) -- New communications
media such as the Internet and virtual reality offer some
interesting opportunities for writers and other creative types,
but few people know what to do with them yet. One thing members
of a Comdex/Fall panel on the subject seemed to agree on was that
there still is a role for artists and writers.

"What is really important is emotion and the soul of the artist,"
said comedian Charles Fleischer, who is also a contributor to PC
Computing magazine.

Sean White, president of the Association for Software Design and a
human-computer interaction expert at Interval Research Corp. in
Palo Alto, California, suggested that interactive media can make
possible a return to the oral tradition of storytelling, in which
the audience could ask questions that led to the embellishment
of the story. With interactive media, he said, the audience will
be able to "explore, when you want to explore."

Steven de Souza, screenwriter of the Die Hard movies, Street Fighter,
and 48 Hours, suggested that "interactive" entertainment
programming could rely on feedback from the audience to determine what
would happen in the next episode. There were different viewpoints on what
form interaction should take, though. Fleischer observed that "I don't
want somebody telling Picasso where to put the bull, or Hemingway how
to end the book."

Fleischer did not see new technology as a bad thing. In fact, he argued
that it could be very helpful in areas such as education, where
interactive media could be used to get children interested in
science -- an area where Fleischer is doing some work. He also
observed that resistance to new technology has a long history,
speculating that when primitive people first started using brushes
to paint on cave walls, somebody probably argued that the new
technique was not really art.

Author and multimedia developer Michael Utvich, who moderated the panel,
asked the participants how they expect interactive media to affect
audiences. De Souza said it will empower them. He commented that
children who are used to computers will click on every object
on a screen, because they expect to be able to make things happen.

White added, however, that technology should be used to let people
interact with each other. "You can create the best AI in the real
world, and it's still not going to be as cool as another human
being on the other end," he said.

Andy Marx, Los Angeles bureau chief for Interactive Week magazine and
 a former writer for the entertainment-industry newspaper Daily
Variety, said developing new material to suit the new media will
work better than adapting the old. On the Internet, for instance,
he said original publications are doing better than online
adaptations of existing ones.

De Souza noted that a variety of models are possible for publishing
through the new media. He drew a parallel with the magazine
industry, where there are some magazines such as Atlantic Monthly
that rely mainly on their readers for revenue through
subscriptions and newsstand sales, while others such as Playboy
depend primarily on advertising revenues.

(Grant Buckler/19951116)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/17/95
TRENDS
 ****Comdex - Higher-Density CDs Late Next Year

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TOR)(00011)
 ****Comdex - Higher-Density CDs Late Next Year 11/17/95
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 17 (NB) -- The recent
agreement between two formerly competing camps of vendors to settle on
one unified standard for high-capacity compact disks will be good for
consumers, but will actually delay the introduction of products a
little. Consumer electronics and data storage products based on
the new standard can be expected in the latter half of 1996,
vendors showing prototypes at Comdex/Fall said.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95111711.PCX
Click here for photo

Bruce Arnold, senior marketing manager for video, DVD, DSS,
telecommunications and mobile electronics at Toshiba of Canada
Ltd. in Markham, Ontario, told Newsbytes that consumers will benefit
from a single, unified standard. Manny Vara, a spokesman for Sony
Electronics Inc. of San Jose, California, agreed, even though he
noted that "we would have been able to put out products faster if
there were two formats."

Vara said it will probably take until mid-December to resolve the
remaining details of the unified standard and give it a name. The new
single standard will be an amalgam of the Super Density Disc
standard that Toshiba, Sony, and several others backed, and the
efforts of the MMCD Group, which included Philips Electronics N.V.

Philips is showing the first working prototypes of equipment based on the
MMCD standard at its Comdex booth this week. Steve Feldstein, director of
marketing and communications for Philips Electronics, told Newsbytes his
company expects to deliver products based on the unified standard in the
fourth quarter of next year.

Vara said Sony -- which is also showing products based on the Super
Density Disc standard at its Comdex booth -- will take another year to
deliver commercial products.

Per Larsen, director of worldwide brand management for mobile computing
at the IBM Personal Computer Co., told Newsbytes during Comdex that his
group is looking at high-density CD-ROM technology, but has no definite
product plans yet.

The SD Alliance had its own booth at Comdex to draw attention to and
demonstrate its version of the technology.

The unified standard will use disks that look the same as today's CDS and
CD-ROMs. Single-sided disks will hold 4.7 gigabytes (GB) using single
-layer technology, or 8.5 gigabytes using dual-layer technology. A double-
sided disk -- made by bonding two disks back to back -- will be able to
hold as much as 17 GB using the dual-layer technology.

The dual-layer system lets the laser actually read through the top
substrate on which data is recorded to get at data on a second
substrate underneath.

The super density technology will be used for CD-ROM disks as well as
write-once optical disks. It will also be used to store video, and
that could be good news for computer buyers who want to move to
the new technology.

Use of the disks for entertainment will help drive up production
volumes and thus lead to economies of scale, Arnold said. "Hollywood
tends to be able to generate tons and tons and tons of advertising
and promotion," he said.

The high density CD playback equipment will cost more initially than
even eight-times-density (8X) CD-ROMs, Arnold said, but prices will
come down fairly quickly. The disks themselves will probably cost
just slightly more than today's disks, he said.

(Grant Buckler/19951116/Press Contact: Karen Allen, The Benjamin Group
for Toshiba and the SD Alliance, 714-753-0755, fax [phone],
Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Steve Feldstein, Philips
Electronics, 310-444-6650; Manny Vara, Sony, 408-955-5142, fax
408-943-0740/CDROM951117/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/17/95
GENERAL
The Ins and Outs of Mice And Pens

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00012)
The Ins and Outs of Mice And Pens 11/17/95
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 17 (NB) -- Comdex Fall/95, the
annual gathering of the computer faithful being held in Las Vegas
this week, is packed with wonderful gadgets that provide sound,
motion and voice. But Newsbytes decided to have a look at the
the lowly devices that are so necessary but so often overlooked that
let us input the data for that output.

Of course there are keyboards, and everyone has one in some shape or
other connected to their PC. But what about alternative devices, like
mice and light pens and different types of keyboards and wireless
devices and even multimedia controllers?

All of those and more were on display and being demonstrated at
Comdex. Sejin America Inc. offers various keyboards, both wired and
wireless, as well as what the company calls a "portable" keyboard.
The name may be misleading, as the unit isn't intended for
installation in a portable computer. Instead, it's a smaller unit
that resembles a notebook keyboard that incorporates a J-mouse
pointing device and connects to your PC.

If you're not familiar with the J-mouse, it turns the J key on your
keyboard into a dual function device that not only types the letter
"J" but also pivots on its center to move the cursor. The
keyboard has a suggested retail price (SRP) of $59.95. Asked why this
keyboard is better than the standard unit that comes with a PC, the
sales representative demonstrating it said, "I like the feel a lot
better."

Sejin also has a wireless keyboard with an SRP of $79.95 that has a
full 101 keys including an embedded numeric keypad. You just attach
the infrared receiver unit to the PC's monitor or case and plug it
in. The keyboard has rubber feet to avoid skidding, adjustable-tilt
legs, an inverted-T cursor pad and separate insert and delete keys.

The company's standard keyboards include the three special Windows
95 function keys.

Santa Clara, California-based Sejin's most interesting product may be
its PowerRemote, a futuristic-looking device Roger Urrabazo, a Sejin
account manager, told Newsbytes is designed primarily for the control
of multimedia presentations. It can be programmed to control a host
of multimedia hardware and software, including sound cards, video
capture cards, TV tuners, CD-ROM drives, VCRs and presentation
software.

PowerRemote is a $149 wireless device with a button in the upper
right corner that controls your pointer. While there aren't any
alpha keys shown on the PowerRemote, Urrabazo said the accompanying
software can program the numeric keypad to work as text keys. The
unit runs on two AAA batteries which the spokesperson said are good
for up to 900 hours of operation.

Sejin also makes a $99 keyboard that is like most 101-key models
except that the cursor control pad and numeric key pad are on the
left side. Urrabazo said it's for left-handed people.

IBM was displaying an adjustable keyboard, a unit that splits into
two pieces that remain linked at top center. The user can spread
the two halves apart as far as desired in order to be comfortable
while typing. You can also change the slope and tilt on the $165 SRP
board. A large knurled knob tightens to hold the keyboard in
position.

Since the space bar is separated into two halves, IBM has programmed
it so the right half performs the traditional spacing function
while the left half, which is imprinted with a special symbol, acts
as a backspace key.

NMB Technologies, a Chatsworth, California company, offers what it
calls the Concertmaster Multimedia Keyboard, a standard keyboard that
includes the three special Windows95 function keys as well as two
speakers with 2-watt amplification, a speaker volume control and a
speaker instant-mute switch and a switch to choose between standard
stereo and 3D stereo. At the right side of the $129 keyboard are
jacks for a sub-woofer, microphone and headphone of external
speakers.

NMB also markets its "Right Touch" RT-8200W keyboard with a
thumb-activated split space bar. Like IBM's model the left half of
the RT space bar is a backspace key. NMB took the technology one
step further, allowing the user to switch from backspace to space
function on the left-half of the key with a Control-Alt-spacebar
key combination. A NMB spokesperson said studies indicate using the
thumb to activate the alternative backspace key increases
productivity by seven to eight percent.

If you really want to speed up your work, check out a light pen.
Newsbytes tried light pens from Stanton, California-based FTG Data
Systems, which markets several versions of the device. Some work
when you press the end of the pen against the glass, while others
don't have to make contact with the face of the monitor. An FTG
spokesperson said light pens are very popular in medical
applications where workers have limited deskspace and a large
amount of the input is done by picking from lists of options.
Pricing ranges from $129 to $249.

If all you want to do is stop getting tangled up in your mouse
cord, consider a wireless mouse from Mitsumi Electronics Corp. in
Irvine, Texas. Their Windows 95-compatible wireless mouse has a
suggested retail price of $44 and runs on a lithium battery. It
communicates with the PC via radio frequency (RF) technology and can
typically be used up to one meter from your PC.

Kitsumi also makes floppy disk drives, keyboards and CD-ROM drives.

(Jim Mallory/19951117/Press and Public contact: Sejin America,
408-980-7557, NMB Technologies, tel [phone] or fax
818-341-8207, FTG Data Systems, tel [phone] or 800-962-3900 or
fax [phone], Mitsumi Electronics, tel [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/17/95
BROADCAST
Comdex - TView Adds Features

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(DEN)(00013)
Comdex - TView Adds Features 11/17/95
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 17 (NB) -- TView Inc., formerly
Consumer Technology Northwest until it changed its name in late
September, was at Comdex/Fall 95 to show off the new features of
its flagship product, Presenter TView. Presenter is an external
pocket-sized device that converts a PC or a Macintosh computer
video signal to an NTSC or PAL signal, enabling users to display
their computer presentations on television sets or record them
directly to video cassette using a VCR.

TView Inc. joins a rapidly growing list of companies that are making
their products plug-and-play compatible. Plug-and-play is the
technology that allows a personal computer to recognize that a
peripheral device such as a PC Card, a modem or a printer has been
connected or disconnected and adjusts the system accordingly. The
biggest benefit to the user is that the entire operation is
transparent and eliminates the need to manually reconfigure a
system.

Presenter TView is compatible with just about any PC or Macintosh
monitor including RGB, Multisync and VGA systems. The company said
it produces stable, clear images in both composite and S-Video
signal modes. It lets one take their presentation on the road to any
location that has a television set, eliminating the need for a LCD
panel.

TView includes a feature the company calls Electronic Marker,
software that enables the user to highlight items and write or draw
on computer-generated presentations just like on overhead
transparencies. One use the mouse as a pen. Software features are
controlled by the computer's function keys and are programmable to
fit the user's style. One can select from a palette of colors and
various pen widths.

Other features include a video stabilizer the company said virtually
eliminates screen flicker, the ability to clean up residual smearing
that occurs when video lines are averaged, and the ability to
digitize images one frame at a time. A Freeze Button lets one freeze
an image, such as a company logo, on the screen.

Presenter TView weighs two pounds, five ounces and comes with cables.
It has a suggested retail price of $449.

The company maintains a home page on the World Wide Web at
http://www.tview.com .

(Jim Mallory/19951117/Press contact: Ann Revell-Pechard, Reed,
Revell-Pechar for TView, 206-462-4777; Public contact: TView,
tel [phone] or fax [phone])


(ADVISORY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00014)

NewsPix Update For Newsbytes Publishers 11/17/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A.,1995 NOV 17 (NB) -- This update
will be posted each Wednesday and Friday to reflect the daily
picture additions. The updates will in turn become part of the
main NewsPix Bulletin issued on Monday.

These photos correspond to recent Newsbytes stories. They are online
in the Newsbytes menu on America Online, NiftyServe, the Newsbytes
Pacifica Website at http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/ and the
Newsbytes private bulletin board system in Minneapolis.

To become a licensed Newsbytes publisher, call Newsbytes at
612-430-1100 (US) or write to [e-mail] on the
Internet. Licensing applies to any medium.

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

NOVEMBER 17, 1995

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

VISIONINTERACTIVE951115 - color / Comdex - 1996 Is The Year For
MPEG: product shot of the Orion MPEG Movie Pack bundle from the
Vision Interactive MPEG kit.

AIDSDAY951114 - color / Don't Surf The Net - Safe The Net: Ribbon
art by Annie Lennox (the Eurythmics) from the ribbon gallery
from the UK Health Education Authority World AIDS Day Web Site.

RACAL951107 - color / Racal's Low-Cost Audio Surveillance System:
chart/diagram of system linkage. (No gif of this one.)

CRYSTALS951106 - color / Out Of This World Research For
Next-Generation Chips: PHOTO INFO NOW IN - NASA astronauts Marc
Garneau, left, and Andrew Thomas observe gallium antimonide crystals
grown at the University of Florida College of Engineering.

(Newsbytes/19951117)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/17/95
ONLINE
Comdex - Discovery Channel Discloses Web Additions

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(BOS)(00015)
Comdex - Discovery Channel Discloses Web Additions 11/17/95
LAS VEGAS NEVADA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 17 (NB) -- In coming
months, The Discovery Channel's new Web site for "scientific
exploration" will add a live talkshow hosted by NCR's Derek
McGinty, an agent-based "Knapsack" Internet search capability,
and the ability to "commission a painting" over the Web, along
with branches into history and literature, said Rebecca
Farwell, editorial director, in an meeting with Newsbytes at
Comdex.

Farwell told Newsbytes that the new home page for kids and
adults opened in July, as an offshoot of the TV program by the
same name.

Over the past four months, the Web site's interdisciplinary
staff has been making "discoveries" of its own, as to how to
best utilize the interactive "new medium" of the Web, she
added, referencing the site's Auditorium "chat" program and
Galapagos "collaborative story" as a couple of examples.

Professional writers were employed to "set up the characters and
situations" for Galapagos, an interactive "undersea adventure"
in which users are helping to determine the plot.

The Discovery Channel opened Galapagos on November 1, and will
"close the book" on the collaborative multimedia tale on
November 30. "Now is a good time to join in, because a lot has
happened by now," Farwell advised.

For two weeks in December, the site will conduct another
short-term Web program, this time allowing users to
"commission paintings" over the Web from a "live robot" named
Aaron.

January 1 will mark the debut of McGinty's new talk show on
The Discovery Channel. The new talk show, she reported, will
be more "structured" than "The Auditorium," an online chat
featuring freewheeling discussions on subjects such as "What
is artificial intelligence?" Guests on the upcoming McGinty
show will include science experts including Carl Sagan.

Also in January, the "exploratory" Web site will kick off
Knapsack, a "personal research tool" that will carry out
Internet searches based on up to 20 user-selected keywords.

Information located during the searches will be brought back
by agents to the user's own personal "knapsack" on the Web
page. The knapsack will be continuously updated with new
keyword-related information discovered by the agents until the
user changes or deletes a keyword, Newsbytes was told.

The year 1996 will also bring a movement toward more
interdisciplinary content on The Discovery Channel, with the
addition of offerings related to history and literature,
Farwell concluded. You can explore the new Web page at
http://www.discovery.com .

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951115/Reader Contact: Discovery
Communications, 301-986-0444; Press Contact: Elizabeth Estes,
Alexander Communications for The Discovery Channel, 404-897-
2300)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/17/95
TRENDS
Comdex - Bookstore Opts For Instant Internet Sales

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00016)
Comdex - Bookstore Opts For Instant Internet Sales 11/17/95
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 17 (NB) -- Insights Software,
a developer and marketer of motivational books, is selling a complete
line of titles from its Web site.

Andrew Maltin, co-founder of Insights Software, told Newsbytes, "Our
Web sight is up and running and orders are coming in. In sixty to
ninety days we will be able to process credit cards online and
download one of our books to you in five to ten minutes."

At this time, customers still need to call Insights on the phone
to place an order before they can download any of the books. Once
credit card approval is completed, the download is completed in
minutes.

The Web sight allows users to see the various motivational titles.
InSights' offerings include Chicken Soup for the Soul, The Leader in
You, The Power of Positive Thinking, Awaken the Giant Within and
other well-know titles.

"What is so great about Internet sales is that there is no packaging,
physical distribution, waiting for the book or having to travel to
make a purchase. Once you place the order, you will have the book
at home on your computer in minutes. It is economically and
ecologically a wise choice," said Maltin.

Starting this week, Insights software book titles will also be
available at computer and bookstore retail outlets such as Borders,
Frys, CompUSA, Computer City and others. Called the SuccessWare
line of titles, the software book series includes the necessary
engine to "play" the downloadable books. Once a customer purchases
the boxed version of a title, other books may be downloaded.

Maltin says his software books require Windows 3.1 or higher, but do
not require a CD-ROM drive. The suggested retail price at retail is
$17.95. Additional titles may be downloaded for $14.95. For more
information about Insights and its motivational software books,
go to http://www.successware.com.

(Patrick McKenna/19951116/Press Contact: Jody Broughton, The Terpin
Group, tel [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/17/95
GENERAL
 ****Comdex - The Cool and the Quirky

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00017)
 ****Comdex - The Cool and the Quirky 11/17/95
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 17 (NB) -- There's so many products
at the Comdex Fall '95 computer and information technology show in
Las Vegas, most every one can carry descriptive tags like "cool" or
"quirky." But here's a partial listing of some products that might
not receive much ink, real or electronic, in other forms of media.

8X CD-ROM Drive

In the cool category is an 8X CD-ROM drive from LG Electronics'
Goldstar division. The new drive, which should be out sometime next
year according to Goldstar officials, will compliment a 6X CD-ROM
drive that already provides a data transfer rate of 900 kilobytes
per second. That's 50 percent faster than quad-speed drives, and
almost twice as fast as double-speed drives.

Z-Note GT Notebook

Another thoroughly cool item is a particular model within Zenith Data
System's Z-Note GT notebook line, which Newsbytes reported
this week. It can play full motion video from televisions using the
American or European video standard. It plays full 16-bit stereo sound.
Its PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card Industry Association) card
bays are separate, not on top of each other. It has a quad-speed CD-ROM
built in. And probably most importantly, the Z-Note has an active-color
display that has the same viewing area as a 14-inch monitor. At a price
of $5700, this unit is not for the average user, a Zenith Data Systems
official told Newsbytes.

Sony Future Display

Not all of the cool things at Comdex took the form of hardware or
software. Sony's demonstration of future CD-ROM technology involved
3D (three dimensional) glasses, an enclosed theater, two screens that
combined into one, and lasers. After the demonstration, Newsbytes heard
many people comment on the coolness of the demo.

LED Printer

The quirky category begins with an LED (light-emitting diode) printer
that prints ten pages per minute at either 300x600 or 600x600
resolutions. What's unique about it is the toner the printer uses. The
microfine toner is embedded with ceramic particles that continuously
polish and clean the printer's drum. Because of this, the toner
container has a capacity to print about 10,000 pages. The printer,
made by Somerset, New Jersey's Kyocera, can be connected to PCs, or
with options, to PC and Macintosh networks.

Energizer Chair

In the never-ending battle to keep comfy while in front of a computer,
Grahl Office Ergonomics of Coldwater, Michigan is letting the chair you
sit in relax you. The company's Energizer chair comes with built-in
vibrating motors and seat and back rest to help you get through your
next computer crash. Grahl's other seating products, as well as
footrests, other chairs, and energy-absorbing foam, are designed to
reduce injury and worker's compensation costs.

Executive Desktop

One product that could place in both the cool and quirky category is
Source Innovations, Inc.'s Modula-Executive. The Long Beach,
California company makes a desktop pad that contains a full keyboard,
speakers, microphone, and an active-matrix touch-sensitive color screen.
It's also waterproof. Source Innovations' manager of operations and
logistics told Newsbytes the unit isn't for everyone, especially because
of the membrane keyboard. She said the target market for the Modula-
Executive is the higher end of the money-making spectrum, including
chief executive officers, top-ranking managers, engineers, and doctors.
The unit's list price of $3100 will probably keep the ordinary user
away from this unit. She also said so-called "hunt and peck" typists
have the most success on the membrane keyboard, and she doesn't
recommend it for people who perform data entry or do a lot of typing in
general.

(Bob Woods/19951115)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/17/95
GENERAL
Comdex - Massaging Away The Hype

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00018)
Comdex - Massaging Away The Hype 11/17/95
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 17 (NB) -- Many people get tense
and stressed out at the world's largest computer and technology
information show in Las Vegas. Not to worry, though -- a legitimate
massage is only steps away.

Newsbytes noticed two different companies offering massages to weary
Comdex-goers at the Sands Expo and Convention Center, and at the Las
Vegas Convention Center (LVCC). We decided to check out the "Relaxation
Station" at the LVCC.

Jonathan Mensing, president of On Site Bodyworks told Newsbytes his
male and female employees will perform between 200 and 250 massages
each day of the week-long show. So, in his words, "business is good"
for the San Francisco-based company. Mensing formed On Site Bodyworks
more than four years ago, and he told Newsbytes his services tend to "go
over" better at shows like Comdex, where the clientele is a bit younger
and more receptive to a service like his.

Prices for massages depend on the amount of time a conventioneer wants
to spend in the hands of Mensing's trained masseurs -- from $12 for
10 minutes to $18 for 15 minutes, not including tip. A quick massage
costs $5 for six minutes.

Two types of massages are offered. One concentrates on the upper body,
including the neck, back, shoulders, arms, and hands. The other
focuses on one's lower legs and feet, which do get very sore after a
day of walking around the huge exhibit halls.

In the spirit of researching a story, Newsbytes purchased a 15-minute
upper-body massage. One sits in a specially designed chair that gives
support for the legs, the chest and stomach, the arms, and the face --
putting the body in a position that's similar to a jockey in a horse
race.

Newsbytes attempted to obtain interviews from a few Relaxation Station
customers after their massages, but they were either too relaxed to
talk, or they just smiled.

Incidentally, On Site Bodyworks makes its services available at other
trade shows, including other computer shows, gift shows, and others
dealing with industries "across the board," Mensing said. Companies
with booths at trade shows can sponsor massages with On Site Bodyworks.

(Bob Woods/19951115/Press and Public Contact: Jonathan Mensing,
On Site Bodyworks, 415-648-2021, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/17/95
GENERAL
Comdex - The End At Hand

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00019)
Comdex - The End At Hand 11/17/95
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 17 (NB) -- The crowds have
thinned, the media have finished most of their work and almost all
the chief executive officers and senior management are back home.

This Comdex had no blockbuster announcements. There was no
expectation of a Windows 95, a Microsoft Network, a powerful
PowerPC computer, an OS/2 or even Microsoft Bob. Members of the
media kept asking each other where the hot stories were, but few
had answers.

John Zeisler of Netcom put it this way, "Last year was full of big
announcements, but I think this show is about real products which
are available now. What you are seeing is the outcome of big
announcements. There are Windows 95 applications and Internet
applications, services and products everywhere you go here."

One of the most important parts of Comdex is always hard to judge.
Behind all the extravagant booths, parties and thousands of attendees,
are meetings, many of them secret. Deals are proposed, made and sealed
in tiny cubicles in the back of the convention center or in
the penthouse suites of giant hotels such as the MGM Grand Hotel and
Casino.

Official attendance is not in yet. At the beginning of the week,
Softbank predicted more than 205,000 people would attend. But
whispers began on Wednesday. People seemed to think the crowd
was less than last year's crowd. On Wednesday, the aisles began
to open enough to walk around without being pushed and jostled.

Aside from the numbers, the general consensus was that Softbank
performed well for a rookie. Most events took place where and
when they were scheduled. The big guys, Bill Gates (Microsoft),
Lou Gerstner (IBM) and Frankenberg (Novell) all delivered
their keynotes, and more than 7,000 products were announced,
debuted and demonstrated.

Speaking to a tired exhibitor at the Las Vegas Convention Center,
Newsbytes was told, "I just want to go home. We worked 12 hour
days and attended parties every night. It's time to go home."

(Patrick McKenna/19951117/)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/17/95
TRENDS
 ****Comdex - Small Office Brings Big Opportunities

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(BOS)(00020)
 ****Comdex - Small Office Brings Big Opportunities 11/17/95
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 17 (NB) -- SOHO (small
office/home office) is bringing increasingly big opportunities
to large and small vendors alike, said marketing executives of
Xerox, Compuserve, Intuit, Microsoft, and US West, during a
jointly presented press conference at Fall Comdex in Las Vegas.

A new study by Xerox Desktop Document Systems finds that SOHO
professionals see a strong relationship between investments in
"state-of-the-art" computer technology and "productivity,"
customer service and support, cash flow management, and
development and marketing of new products and services,
according to Laura Cory, VP of marketing, one of five speakers
at the event, attended by Newsbytes at the Sands Convention
Center.

The report also shows that 43 percent of the "SOHO
professionals" currently subscribe to online services, and 23
percent of this group are "early adopters" of advanced office
technology such as CD-ROM players, scanners, and OCR (optical
character recognition). Another four percent of SOHO
professionals have adopted multifunctional devices that combine
print, copy, scan and fax, a proportion twice as high as among
the general business population.

Cory told the group of assembled journalists from throughout the
world that Xerox has responded to the research findings by
developing its own recently unveiled multifunctional device, as
well as through new services from Xerox like "Service While You
Sleep."

Research also indicates that the SOHO market is highly
segmented, containing something along the lines of five
different subgroups, pointed out the Xerox VP.

Robert Perez Mainor, VP of product marketing and business
development for Compuserve, told the group of assembled
journalists from throughout the world that small businesses are
a "key public" within Compuserve, representing about 28 percent
of all subscribers.

Compuserve has long addressed the needs of its large SOHO
constituency by offering publications such as Time and Forbes
electronically, Mainor said.

But the online service provider is now expanding its activities
in this market with new products like new "Internet in a Box"
kits and "home page wizards" for the Web, as well as with
stepped up plans for deploying ISDN (integrated services digital
network) and 28.8 megabit-per-second (Mbps) access.

Microsoft is also carrying out extensive research in the SOHO
market, maintained Alex Loeb, general manager of Microsoft's
Consumer Division. For Microsoft, research among this group
leans heavily toward "contextual inquiry," or "going to where
the user is," according to the exec.

"That is so important in this market," Loeb declared. By
observing SOHO users in their actual working environments,
Microsoft has been able to "solve real problems," she continued.
Findings from the contextual research studies have influenced
products ranging from Windows to Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft
Works, and telephony offerings, the general manager revealed.

Sales revenues from SOHO can be equally significant to smaller
vendors such as Intuit, according to Eric Dunn, VP and general
manager of Intuit's Personal Finance Group. As far back as 1989,
47 percent of all users of Intuit's Quicken software for
financial accounting hailed from the small business world.

As this sales pattern continued over the next few years, Intuit
introduced QuickBook, a package specifically geared to SOHO, in
1992. Intuit is employing different marketing and distribution
strategies for the two software products, Dunn added.

TV is a major advertising outlet for Quicken. Upgrades, product
add-ons, and free trials are emphasized. QuickBook, on the other
hand, is advertised on radio. OEMs (original equipment
manufacturers) and VARs (value-added resellers) are top
distribution channels for QuickBook.

Even today, though, about 33 percent of all Quicken customers
are small business users, pointing to the possibility that other
marketing opportunities remain untapped, noted the Intuit VP.

LuRae Lumpkin said that the work-at-home market is so important
to US West that the RBOC (regional Bell operating company) has
established the US West Home Office Solutions Center, for
bringing together all the telephony-oriented services and
products needed by this group into one central place.

Because relationships with their own customers are so crucial to
the success of work-at-homers, the center emphasizes
"relationship marketing," added Lumpkin. As market manager for
US West Communications. Lumpkin has spent the past 18 months
overseeing the establishment of customer acquisition, retention,
and loyalty programs for this segment of SOHO users.

Speaking with Newsbytes at the close of the press conference,
Compuserve's Mainor said that Compuserve is now looking into the
idea of developing a special home page wizard targeted directly
at small businesses. The prospective product would be aimed at
making it easier for small businesses to design Web pages that
advertise goods and services, and that accept online orders from
small business customers, he elaborated.

Another possibility being explored by Compuserve is a central
phone number that users could call to receive communications
like electronic mail and faxes by telephone touchtone through
whatever technological method is most convenient, including
text-to-speech conversion and fax forwarding, the Compuserve VP
told Newsbytes.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951117/Reader And Press Contacts: Peter
Warren, Xerox Desktop Document Systems, 415-813-7213; Craig
Sutphin, Blanc & Otus, 415-512-0500)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/17/95
HEALTH
Bell Atlantic Sells Teleradiology Network

(NEWS)(HEALTH)(WAS)(00021)
Bell Atlantic Sells Teleradiology Network 11/17/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 NOV 17 (NB) -- In one of the
first commercial telemedicine deals, Bell Atlantic has packaged
and sold a system for a virtual radiology practice in Norfolk,
Va. The teleradiology system, using Integrated Services Digital
Network (ISDN) technology, links seven hospitals, 35 doctors'
homes and a high-resolution central reading station at Medical
Center Radiologists, one of the country's largest radiology
practices.

The system is the first to use off-the-shelf technology,
including PCs and Windows-based software, so that radiologists
can view X-rays, MRIs, CAT scans and ultrasound images on remote
computers at any time.

According to Bell Atlantic, the system will produce lower health
care costs, by reducing the use of X-ray film as an archiving
medium, using digital images instead.

The virtual radiology practice will also offer greater access to
specialists, regardless of where the patient is located. It
makes specialized services, such as neuroradiology, available in
rural areas.

It also offers faster diagnosis. In cases where on-the-spot
diagnosis is needed, such as car accidents, specialists can
render opinions from their homes, at any time of day or night.

The project has no government money and is part of Norfolk-based
MCR's long-term business strategy. "We are one of the first
practices to establish a complete network," said Dr. William
Olsen, a member of the MCR network and chief of radiology for
Southampton Memorial Hospital, "and we believe it will give our
practice a competitive edge by increasing our economies of scale
and extending our services across geographic boundaries."

The network uses Intel's Proshare video conferencing technology
in a Windows environment using software created by Radiology
Telenetwork International. Use of LAN equipment from Gandalph
allows remote access to patient records, scheduling, e-mail, and
the Internet, from any location on the network.

"In the past, a major barrier to widespread telemedicine
implementation was the lack of an adequate low-cost network,"
said Joseph Cascio, Bell Atlantic vice president. "this solution
to a critical industry need can be installed anywhere at a
fraction of the cost of alternative networks."

(Kennedy Maize/19951117/Press Contact: Paul Miller,
804-772-1460, World Wide Web, http://www.ba.com )




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/17/95
LEGAL
SPA Fights Crime With Computer Donation

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(WAS)(00022)
SPA Fights Crime With Computer Donation 11/17/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 NOV 17 (NB) -- Establishing a new
way of dealing with computer piracy, the Software Publishers
Association has taken a seized computer in Mexico City and
donated it to a non-profit childrens' burn center in Mexico. SPA
seized the personal computer from CompuMarket Computers after
finding that the computer dealer was installing illegal software
on the machines it was selling.

SPA donated the computer to the Institute for the Integral
Attention to Burned Children. Sandra Sellers, SPA's legal chief,
said the action "represents the first of its kind settlement in
which property seized is donated to a non-for-profit agency for
its benefit. We have taken equipment that was part of an
infringing act and turned it into a vehicle of assistance to
those most in need."

In the settlement, the computer dealer agreed to donate the
system, pay an undisclosed damage penalty and agreed not to
infringe copyrights in the future. The deal also calls for the
posting of anti-piracy messages in the store as a deterrence.

In a related action, in testimony to Congress, SPA called for
vigorous policing of software piracy on the Internet as part of
the campaign to reduce copyright infringement. Congress is
considering two bills to implement the recommendations of a
Clinton administration task force on copyright and the
information infrastructure.

"Congress should do three things to deter online software
piracy," said SPA counsel Mark Traphagen. "First, recognize that
willful copyright infringement on a commercial scale is a crime,
even if there is no private financial gain or commercial
advantage. Second, provide law enforcement with the necessary
supervision and resources to investigate and prosecute pirate
BBS and Internet site operators. Third, provide practical civil
remedies and effective criminal penalties for the manufacture or
sale of devices or services that interfere with technological
protection."

The bills under consideration would ban "black boxes" used to
circumvent hardware copyright protection schemes.

But SPA's views are not without controversy. A fight is brewing
over the copyright issue between the copyright owners and the
network providers.

The December issue of Wired magazine, for example, has a short
discussion of the Clinton policy plan, complaining that it
"comes down so strongly on the side of publishers." The plan
"would hold content providers such as Prodigy responsible for
any copyright infringement found online," says the article.

The Wired article quotes Pamela Samuelson of Cornell that the
recommendations are "a flagrant giveaway, a legal means by which
the copyright industries can turn the threat of digital
technology into a new opportunity." The magazine says a longer
article will run it the next issue.

(Kennedy Maize/19951117/Press Contacts: Sandra Sellers,
202-452-1600, ext. 322; Mark Traphagen, 202-452-1600, ext. 311)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/17/95
ONLINE
Comdex - Boca Doubles Chances With ISDN And DSVD Modems

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(BOS)(00023)
Comdex - Boca Doubles Chances With ISDN And DSVD Modems 11/17/95
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 17 (NB) -- One way or the
other, computer game players as well as businesses are going to
be running voice simultaneously with data, and, as a result, Boca
Research plans to offer products in both the ISDN (integrated
services digital network) and new DSVD (digital simultaneous
video) markets, said Larry Light, VP of engineering, during a press
event at Fall Comdex.

At the event as well as on the Comdex show floor, Boca showed its
V.34 Boca Office Communicator with DSVD, a new technology for
transmitting voice and data at the same time over standard phone
lines.

But in an interview with Newsbytes during the press event, Light
pointed out that Boca also intends to ship a newly introduced
ISDN modem called the WebGlider-460 by the end of this year.

So far, phone company installation of ISDN is far from
ubiquitous, so Boca is hedging its bets by offering both
technologies. And the Boca Raton, Florida-based vendor is hardly
alone in the new DVSD marketplace, according to Light, who was
previously an exec with the IBM PC Company until that organization
moved its headquarters out-of-state.

It was not until Spring Comdex this year that DSVD came to much
public attention, Light continued. But by now, there are
something like six modem vendors within the new marketplace, he
contended.

US Robotics, one of Boca's DSVD competitors, is using a codec from
AT&T. But Boca Research, Creative Labs, and all other vendors
that have entered the new market are attempting to "standardize" on
the Rockwell's Digitalk codec, he reported.

Computer game enthusiasts are starting to use DVSD to add talk to
action, said the Boca exec. Conversely, travel agents, for
example, could use the new technology for shared viewing of travel
brochures with their customers while discussing travel plans over the
phone, he illustrated.

DSVD or ISDN will not be required for all applications, he
acknowledged. But, with Web use widening all the time, the day
is only about 12 to 18 months away when a data transmission speed
in the 28.8 megabit-per-second (Mbps) range will become the new
industry standard, he asserted.

Accordingly, he noted, also at Fall Comdex, Boca has unveiled a
new internal V.34 fax modem positioned to provide 28.8 Mbps data
communications at a suggested retail price (SRP) of $199,
including free trial offers from America Online (AOL), AOL's new
Global Network Navigator (GNN), Compuserve, Genie, and Internet
Passport.

Meanwhile, the new Boca Office Communicator is an add-on card to
Boca's 28.8SVD internal "multimedia modem," a product equipped
with voicemail, speakerphone, Plug and Play, and SRS Labs' 3-D (three
dimensional) Surround Sound. The Boca Office Communicator and
Boca's new "vanilla" V.34 modem each provide 14.4 Mbps V.32bis
fax modem capabilities.

Boca's new Webglider-460 ISDN external modem will come bundled
with Intel's ProShare Premier Edition Personal Conferencing Software,
as well as PSINet's Instant InterRamp software, with free trials on
browsers such as NetManage's Internet Chameleon, Frontier's
SuperHighway Access, and InterCon Systems' NetShark.

Features of the new ISDN modem include one 25-pin connector for
data; two RJ-11 modular connectors for analog POTS (plain old
telephone service); one RJ-45 connector to the ISDN network; PPP
(point-to-point) protocol support for direct Internet access;
caller ID (identification), call screening/filtering, and call
logging for call security; and flash memory download for software
upgrades.

Light told Newsbytes that Boca will ship WebGlider-460 by the
end of 1995. Plans also call for upgradability to MLPPP (multi-link
PPP) in the first quarter of next year.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951116/Reader Contact: Boca Research,
407-997-6227; Press Contacts: Jami McCarty, Boca, 407-997-8621; Kevin
Allen or Marianne Radwan, Hi-Tech Communications for Boca,
407-361-8150)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/15/95
GENERAL
Personnel Roundup

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00024)
Personnel Roundup 11/15/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 17 (NB) -- These companies
are featured in today's roundup of personnel changes, not covered
elsewhere by Newsbytes: BDM International Inc., Psion PLC, Digital
Equipment Corp., Flash Comm Inc., Virtual Entertainment Inc., Oracle
Corp., Zenith Electronics Corp., Novell Inc., Sun Microsystems Inc.,
Compuserve Inc.

BDM International Inc. (Nasdaq: BDMI - 703-848-5115) has named Donald
J. Hirsch vice president, Corporate Information Systems. Hirsch will
be responsible for the company's enterprise network, applications
development, data and telecommunications operations, and computer help
desk. Hirsch has worked at BDM for 12 years, most recently as program
manager to replace BDM's legacy financial systems with an integrated,
enterprise-wide program and financial management system.

Psion PLC (508-371-0310) has announced the appointment of Frank
Muehleman to the position of president of its U.S. subsidiary, Psion Inc.
Muehleman will replace David Elder, a member of the Psion PLC board of
directors, who will return to the UK. Muehleman joined Psion during
April, 1995 as vice president of Corporate Sales.

Ilene H. Lang, 52, has been named vice president of Digital Equipment
Corporation's (NYSE: DEC - 508-264-6740) newly formed Connectivity
Software Business Unit. Lang, formerly senior vice president of Lotus
Development Corporation's Desktop Business Group, joins Digital on
November 27. She will report to Digital Chairman Robert B. Palmer.
Under Lang's leadership, the Connectivity Software Business Unit
will develop, market and sell software that enables customers to connect
with and exploit the information assets critical to running their
business and satisfying their customers.

Former PageNet chief executive officer (CEO) Terry L. Scott has been
named president and CEO of Flash Comm Inc. (407-722-4548), a privately
held wireless data communications service provider. Scott was the
second executive to join PageNet, prior to the start of that company's
commercial operations in 1982.

Virtual Entertainment Inc. appointed David Blohm president and chief
operating officer. Blohm has assumed responsibility for daily operations
and growth of the company and will also serve on the board of directors.
Blohm was previously president and CEO and co-founder of MathSoft.

Robert Shaw, a 25-year veteran of the information technology industry,
has been named to head Oracle Corp.'s (Nasdaq: ORCL - 415-506-9935)
newly combined worldwide applications and services organization. As
senior vice president, Shaw oversees two of the company's fastest
growing and most synergistic operations: client/server applications
and professional services. As the executive in charge of the combined
worldwide applications and services organization, Shaw manages more
than 5,000 Oracle employees whose responsibilities include consulting,
product planning, marketing, applications alliances and vertical markets.

In other Digital Equipment news, the company announced that Rod Keller
has been appointed vice president of consumer products for its Personal
Computer Business Unit in the Americas. In the newly created post,
Keller will lead Digital's existing retail PC sales and marketing efforts
in the US and drive planned expansion into Canada, Mexico, Central and
South America, and the Caribbean. Before his promotion, Keller was
US director of consumer products for Digital's Personal Computer
Business Unit. Keller joined Digital in October 1994.

Willard C. "Bill" McNitt has been made acting chief financial officer
(CFO) of Zenith Electronics Corporation (708-391-8181). McNitt has been
Zenith's vice president-treasurer since 1989. Richard C. Lueck, who
joined Zenith earlier this year from IBM Corp. as vice president-controller,
was named acting chief accounting officer. Kell B. Benson, senior vice
president-finance and CFO, has left the company. A search for a new
senior finance executive is underway, the company said.

Novell Inc. (Nasdaq: NOVL - 408-577-6842) announced the resignation of
Bruce Bastian from the company's board of directors. Bastian joined the
Novell board of directors as a result of the 1994 acquisition of WordPerfect
Corp., which he founded with Alan Ashton in 1979. Bastian is leaving the
Novell board of directors to pursue other interests. His resignation
follows Novell's recent decision to sell its Business Applications
Division, including several former WordPerfect products.

Sun Microsystems' SPARC Technology Business, a division of Sun
Microsystems Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW - 408-774-8703), announced the
appointment of Bob Lamvik as director of worldwide strategic accounts.
Lamvik joins Sun with 20 years of sales and sales management. He
served as SCO's vice-president-field sales and was responsible for US
and Canadian corporate accounts, resellers, telesales, and field
marketing. He also has had prior positions with the Okidata Corporation
and Tandy Corporation.

CompuServe Inc. (614-538-4553) announced that Barry F. Berkov,
executive vice president of CompuServe's Information Services Division,
is leaving the company to pursue other career interests. An interim
management structure is in place, said the company, and further changes
will be announced as they develop. Berkov joined CompuServe in 1977.
He was appointed executive vice president in December, 1990, having
previously served as senior vice president, product marketing and
business support.

(Ian Stokell/19951117)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/17/95
PC
Comdex - Epson Deliver Cyrix Speed To The Desktop

(NEWS)(PC)(SFO)(00025)
Comdex - Epson Deliver Cyrix Speed To The Desktop 11/17/95
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 17 (NB) -- Epson of Torrance,
California, introduced its ActionTower 9200 multimedia desktop computer
system at Comdex. Using a Cyrix 6x86 processor, the new system
outperforms most 133 megahertz (MHz), 586 systems at a price
below many current 120 MHz 586 systems, Epson contends.

"They say this machine is built for users who just want to power into
multimedia, communications and Internet applications. It is built to
handle Windows 95 apps with ease and speed," said Kellie DiNaro, Epson
spokesperson.

Priced at $2,899, the ActionTower 9200 includes 16 megabytes (MB) of
RAM, 256 kilobytes (KB) of cache, 1MB of video RAM, a 1.6 gigabyte of
hard disk storage, PCI local bus slots, 28.8 kilobit per second modem,
MPEG, 3D sound, speakers, 4x-speed CD drive and an Energy Star
compliant monitor.

"This machine is pure power and designed for users who want the use the
latest software in the way in which it was designed. If people want
to play CD titles with full-screen, full motion video it is right
here. And it is less than $3,000," explained DiNaro.

The 9200 comes loaded with Windows 95 and a total of 30 applications
are included. Contractual agreements with Comdex does not allow
exhibitors to sell products at the trade show, but "if we could
sell these here at the show we would be moving hundreds of them
a day," claimed DiNaro.

For more information on the ActionTower 9200, interested parties may
call Epson at 800-289-3776 ext. 3000 or contact the company's Web
site at: http://www.epson.com .

Patrick McKenna/19951117/Press Contact: Cynthia Lempert, Walt &
Sommerhauser Communications, tel [phone];
/EPSON951117/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/17/95
BUSINESS
Tokyo - High Tech Stock Market Rises On The Week

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00026)
Tokyo - High Tech Stock Market Rises On The Week 11/17/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 17 (NB) -- The Tokyo Stock Market ended the
week on a positive theme after the Nikkei 225 stock index closed above
the 18,000 mark for the first time in a week at 18,151.16, up 211.64
on the day. The jump Friday followed a 256.78 point jump on Thursday
and represents an increase of 307.6 points on the week.

Over the past month Japan's companies have been reporting results for
the first half of the current financial year, which ended September
30th, and today saw more reports than any other day. Most of the
electronics companies had, however, already reported by Casio and NTT
Data were among those announcing figures.

Casio Computer (TSE:6952) announced pretax profits for the period of
3.13 billion yen ($31.3 million), a drop of 32% on the same period
last year. Sales dropped 4.6% to 159.02 billion yen ($1.59 billion).
For the full fiscal year, Casio said pretax profits are expected to
reach 8.00 billion yen, a half billion yen increase from the previous
forecast and a rise of 8.1%, or 600 million yen, on last year's
results.

The Tokyo-based company attributed its forecast to slow sales in
overseas markets in the first six months of the year, a situation
which it expects to continue. In Japan it said new products, such as
its digital camera, should help sales rise. The company announced
earlier this week that it would triple production of the new device to
90,000 units a month. Casio shares closed the week at 851 yen, a drop
of 23 yen on the week.

NTT Data Communications Systems Corporation (TSE:9613) reported
results for the first half of fiscal 1995 Friday. The company, which
debuted on the stock market this year, said it had registered an
unconsolidated pretax profit of $15.24 billion yen ($152 million), a
jump of 61.6% on the same period last year.

Sales in the company, majority owned by Nippon Telegraph and
Telephone, were 219.51 billion yen ($2.20 billion) in the period with
data communications services accounting for 136.91 billion yen ($1.37
billion) of the total. The company's data communications systems
section was responsible for 57 billion yen ($570 million) of the
total.

Confirming predictions made earlier this year, Matsushita Electric
Industrial Co. (TSE:6752) announced a loss of $1.64 billion foreign
currency loss it incurred on the sale of 80% of the MCA entertainment
group to Seagram of Canada. Overall, the company reported a $1.33
billion consolidated net loss for the first half of the fiscal year.
Matsushita ended the week at 1,450 yen.

Among other high tech stocks, Sony Corporation (TSE:6758) ended the
week at 5,040, a rise of 180 yen on the day and 140 yen on the week
after general buying in the sector and an announcement with Visa in
the United States of a new Internet based shopping and payment service
and plans to produce PCs with Intel.

NEC Corporation (TSE:6701) closed Friday at 1,290 yen and Fujitsu
(TSE:6702) ended the week at 1,170 yen. Kyocera (TSE:6971) suffered a
heavy loss on the week of 540 yen to close at 7,740 yen.

(Martyn Williams/19951117)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/17/95
IBM
Comdex - IBM Plans Cross-Marketing Tactics For CD-ROM

(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00027)
Comdex - IBM Plans Cross-Marketing Tactics For CD-ROM 11/17/95
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 17 (NB) -- IBM Multimedia
Studio intends to expand on the industry's current core of two
million "highly enthusiastic" multimedia CD-ROM users with
cross-marketing strategies built around The Jungle Book,
Pinocchio, Quest for Fame, and two new football titles, one of
which is for the Web, said IBM's Cal Morrell and Dan Rogers,
during a briefing for Newsbytes at Fall Comdex.

The already available CD-ROM version of The Jungle Book will be
met with an upcoming TV special for kids, explained Morrell, who
is consumer software brand manager for Multimedia Studio, a
division of IBM that produces CD-ROM titles for users of all
ages in the educational, entertainment, and encyclopedia arenas.

Meanwhile, as Multimedia Studio readies another children's CD-
ROM title, based on the classic tale of Pinocchio, Sony
Entertainment is in the process of preparing a movie edition,
scheduled to hit the theaters next year.

The IBM multimedia arm is also getting set to release three new
CD-ROM games: a "rock-and-roll adventure" called Quest for Fame
that stars the band Aerosmith; NFL Pro League Football, for play
over the Web; and All-American College Football, for use with
modems over standard phone lines, and featuring a "chat"
function.

In a demo for Newsbytes, Rogers presented the CD-ROM versions of
The Jungle Book and Quest for Fame. Newsbytes saw how The Jungle
Book takes kids into a mythical jungle land, where they are
challenged to learn the language of the native creatures, and to
locate and return the crown of King Louie, the "orangutan ruler
of Monkey City."

Along the way, the kids interact with characters like Mowgli, an
orphan child raised by the wolves; Colonel Ilgworm and his
monkey pal La Tee; and Kaa, a snake entrusted with protecting
the "treasure of Monkey City."

Rogers told Newsbytes that children learn the language of the
monkeys by mimicking animal voices on the CD-ROM. On speech-
enabled PCs, kids can actually vocalize the sounds. But since
most PCs are not speech-enabled, IBM has also included a menu of
monkey noises for children to select from and play back.

Quest for Fame, on the other hand, is targeted at teenagers,
according to Rogers, who recently joined the Multimedia Studio
as entertainment segment manager. The teens project themselves
into the roles of players in a rock band that starts its "Quest
for Fame" in one of the player's bedrooms, and then rises to
riches and stardom through a series of venues that includes "The
Polyester Lounge" and an urban blues club.

The players' progress, though, is predicated by their ability to
play guitar, a skill measured through the use of IBM's new
"VPick" interface. Rogers, who is himself a guitar player,
illustrated how "strums" of the purple electronic guitar pick
against a solid surface like a table top, or your own arm, are
translated into "beats" that are then displayed on a graph on
the screen.

As the players strum along to "Dude Looks Like a Lady" and five
other Aerosmith tunes, they get verbal and visual feedback --
either positive or negative -- from a cast of characters that
includes Aerosmith, a veteran blues musician, and Las Vegas
lounge lizards.

Morrell told Newsbytes that the main barrier to CD-ROM use among
consumers is pricing, rather than ease of use. Most people who
buy multimedia PCs are making their second or third computer
purchase, he added. But to then buy CD-ROM titles, they must be
given a good reason.

IBM Multimedia Studio expects that its new cross-marketing
strategy will attract additional customers to CD-ROM software,
according to the consumer software brand manager. But, although
still experimenting to some extent, the studio is being careful
to select appropriate cross-marketing approaches. "Quest for
Fame will be sold in music stores, as well as computer and
software stores. But it will not be sold in bookstores," he
illustrated.

The cross-marketing strategy, he revealed, is part of a new
effort by the IBM multimedia arm to achieve highly targeted
marketing, based on findings from consumer focus groups and
other market research.

Research shows, for example, that most teenage users like to
play games with a "buddy." This finding helped lead to the
creation of the purple Vpick, which encourages interaction
between players.

Small children, in contrast, are usually content to play games
by themselves, interacting with the characters only. And adults
who belong to the upper income segments that are demographically
matched with CD-ROM ownership typically have out-of-state
friends and colleagues who are users of the Web or other online
services. So, the adults can play NFL Pro League Football or
All-American College Football with remote "buddies."

In the future, IBM Multimedia Studio plans to add more bands to
Quest for Fame, according to the IBM execs. Also in the works
are additional CD-ROM sports and games titles for grown-ups,
possibly to include baseball, chess, and Monopoly, Newsbytes was
told.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951117/Reader Contact: IBM Multimedia
Studio, 770-844-4881; Press Contact: Erin Mengert, Alexander
Communications for IBM Multimedia Studio, 404-897-2300)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/17/95
GENERAL
Comdex - Canon Prints T-Shirts

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00028)
Comdex - Canon Prints T-Shirts 11/17/95
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A, 1995 NOV 17 (NB) -- Canon's booth featured
the transferral of custom multi-colored designs onto t-shirts using
Canon Bubble Jet printers and custom transfer paper.

"This is not some kind of gimmick or trade show attention getter," said a
Canon spokesperson. "This technology, combining special software, one of
our Bubble Jet printers and custom transfer paper, allows users to expand
their standard computer use to exciting crafts. The end product is both
fade and run resistant, as good or better than any commercial product
such as a t-shirt you find in a retail store. With this package, the
things you can do with one of our printers now go far beyond memos,
letters, charts and graphs."

Canon Creative software allows users to make greeting cards, among
other things. Canon Creative includes Hallmark Connections Everyday
Greetings, Crayola Art, Stationary Store, Sticker & Label Store
and Pattern Maker, all Windows software on one CD-ROM. The CD is
bundled with Canon's BJC-210, BJC-4100 and BJC-610. Prices range from
$249 to $569.

Canon says the printers and creative software/crafts products are a
new strategy labeled "SOHOME." "This combines the small office,
home office with the home market. We intend to maximize a customer's
investment with creative printing options which reach beyond standard
desktop output," said the company's representative.

Speaking with attendees surrounding the Canon booth, Newsbytes was told,
"These t-shirts look better than anything you see in the stores." The
cost of producing one shirt is less than $2 plus the cost of the
t-shirt. The iron-on media can be reordered in separate packages.

(Patrick McKenna/19951117/Press Contact: Alejandro Hernandez,
Golin/Harris Communications, tel [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/17/95
WINDOWS
COMDEX - SPC's "Super Easy Presentation Package"

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(BOS)(00029)
COMDEX - SPC's "Super Easy Presentation Package" 11/17/95
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 17 (NB) -- During an
Editors' Lunch at Comdex that also featured a live jazz trio and
foot and back massages, Software Publishing Corp. (SPC) gently
debuted a new "super easy presentation package" for Windows
called Type, Click, Present.

While the new presentation software is aimed at offering
simplicity to end users, the Editors' Lunch was meant to give
journalists a temporary reprieve from the noisy, hectic
promotional environment of the show floor, SPC officials
said at the event, attended by Newsbytes at the Nero Room at
Caesar's Palace.

Instead of making a formal spoken announcement, SPC executives
set up an unobtrusive demo in a corner of the room behind two
masseuses.

Under the distinctive "soft sell" approach, the officials spoke
casually with journalists about Type, Click, Present in the demo
areas, and over a pasta, roast beef, and turkey buffet.

SPC developed Type, Click, Present with the aid of professional
graphics designers, said one exec, a tablemate of Newsbytes'
over lunch.

Pointing to the basic instructions for use, which are printed
directly on the back of the box, the exec asserted that end
users can produce "professional-looking" presentations "in a
matter of three clicks."

The first "click" takes place on a layouts template, which gives
the user a choice between "agenda, title, heading, quote,
paragraph," and about 20 more of the most commonly used layouts.

From that panel,the user is led to a designs template -- with
selections such as "pamphlet, caption, boardroom, and newscast"
-- and from there to a choice of clickable "intelligent color
schemes."

Newsbytes was told that the professional designers devised the
package so that the three clickable areas are "tightly
coordinated" with one another.

The first edition of the software is for Windows 3.1, but it is
also compatible with Windows 95, the exec reported. SPC is now
at work on a native edition for Windows 95, he revealed.

For further information, Newsbytes was referred to an SPC press
bag, containing a complementary copy of the presentation
software, together with a press kit on floppy disk, plus socks
and a pair of shorts, both emblazoned with an orange-and-yellow
"ASAP" logo.

Janice Prescott Fishman, product manager, told Newsbytes that
SPC adopted the unique approach to product promotion as a way of
letting the press rest their feet, as well as their
ears.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951115/Reader And Press Contact: Software
Publishing Corp., 408-996-8000)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/17/95
LEGAL
Hong Kong - BSA Rewards First Bounty Hunters

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(HKG)(00030)
Hong Kong - BSA Rewards First Bounty Hunters 11/17/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 NOV 17 (NB) -- The Business Software Alliance
said its informer scheme, successful in other parts of the world,
has snared its first dragnet catch in Hong Kong. In the prize catch
was, among others, Japanese department store giant Yaohan.

The informers, five in all, got $15,000 each in bounty money, the
first pay-outs the BSA has made in Hong Kong. All had been
drawn into the group's hotline reward campaign, and the awards, as it
happened, marked the scheme's first anniversary.

The five rewards all went to former employees of Ronald Lu & Partners,
the Yaohan Department Store chain and First Top. Given Hong Kong's
high employee turnover, the hotline ought to be sizzling. Ex
employees, of course, will do things to ex employers that they
wouldn't do to their current employers.

"The increasing number of calls directed to the BSA hotline during the
reward campaign has clearly demonstrated that a larger number of software
users in Hong Kong are no longer prepared to accept the risks associated
with the high levels of software piracy that occur within many
organizations here," BSA vice president Valerie Colbourn said.

An independent study funded by the Hong Kong Industry Department
had just called on the government to take the lead in cracking
down on software theft in the territory. It warned that local
software companies will miss significant opportunities unless the
piracy problem is solved.

As reported by Newsbytes last month, The Consultancy Study on Hong Kong's
Software Industry by Dataquest and ATC calls on the government to encourage
software development in the territory.

Much of that report, which urged authorities to back Hong Kong becoming a
software development center, focused on piracy. It said local developers
will face insurmountable obstacles if piracy and counterfeiting in Hong Kong
aren't stopped.

The report's call for a concerted government crackdown on the problem
echoed similar warnings by the BSA, which urged the Governor to set up an
interdepartmental task force of Customs. Police, Tax and Fire authorities to
conduct massive, paralyzing strikes on the Golden Shopping Arcade and other
malls.

While she has yet to hear from Government House, Colbourn could take
courage from concerns raised in the the Industry Department-commissioned
study. Instigated at the behest of the Technology Development Council's
Information Technology Committee, the report's authors asserted: "With their
limited resources, there is relatively little that Hong Kong industrialists
can do to combat [piracy]. This is one issue that is truly more appropriate
for government action."

The BSA couldn't agree more. "This report is significant, not only because
it states that the most important factor affecting the software market is
intellectual property protection but it also recommends that the Government
take the lead in attacking software piracy," Colbourn said.

(Joel McCormick & I.T. Daily/19951110)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/17/95
WINDOWS
China - Chinese Windows 95 Available Early Next Year

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(PEK)(00031)
China - Chinese Windows 95 Available Early Next Year 11/17/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 NOV 17 (NB) -- The Chinese version of Microsoft's
Windows 95 will be on market early next year and the company is
holding discussions with several Chinese partners in Shanghai on
manufacturing the Chinese version of Windows 95, said Steven Ballmer,
executive vice-president of Microsoft.

Chinese partners will be chosen and authorized next month and the
production of Chinese Windows 95 will start in January and the software
will in the shops right after the Chinese Spring Festival (in February),
said Ballmer recently in Beijing. The amount of output will be decided
according to the actual market demand, Ballmer said.

Last month, Microsoft agreed to work with Ministry of Electronics
Industry (MEI) and the State Bureau of Technology Supervision to
standardize the Chinese version of the program. The two Chinese
government bodies agreed to endorse the Chinese version of Windows 95
as a preferred product and to recommend it to computer users.

Sales of the English version in China have been limited at several
thousand and many users are waiting for the Chinese version to
upgrade their computers, according to Chinese market analysts.

Windows 95 will have to compete with IBM's OS/2 which has been selling
the Chinese version for the Warp V3.0 system since spring of this year.
IBM's advantage is that it is a major computer supplier in China.
However, the disadvantage is that OS/2 came late at a time when Windows
had already been adopted by PC companies as their primary operating
system. A large number of IBM PCs are equipped with Windows, which
have yet to be upgraded with the Chinese version.

A total of 7 million copies of Windows 95 have been sold since its
launch last August. Besides English, Windows 95 is available in 7
languages including German, Spanish, Swedish, Italian, Norwegian, and
Portuguese and the Japanese version will be on market
in several weeks. The Chinese version will be sold by six
distributors and 300 retailers across China at a retail
price of no more than RMB900 (US$110) per copy, said the company.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951116)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/17/95
GENERAL
Newsbytes Week In Review

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00032)
Newsbytes Week In Review 11/17/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 Nov 17 (NB) -- This
is a look at the top stories this week, listing with their category
code: Senator Pushes FBI On Mammoth
Surveillance Request; Softbank Debuts Its First Las Vegas Comdex;
Comdex - Phone System Problems Once Again; Comdex - PowerPC
CHRP Specification Makes Debut; Comdex - Gerstner Admits Industry
Has To Change; Comdex - $500 PCs Not Likely, Says Dell Chief; 3M
Restructures - 5,000 Jobs To Go; Comdex - Gates Vision Of Office
Computing; Apple/Carl Sagan Code-Name Suit Ends; Comdex - Pentium
Notebooks With CD-ROM Drives; UK Jails Virus Writer For 18 Months;
Artists, Writers Discusse New Media Creativit;  Higher-Density CDs
Late Next Year.

Senator Pushes FBI On Mammoth Surveillance Request (LEGAL)

WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 NOV 13 (NB) -- Sen. Patrick Leahy
(D-Vt.) has asked the FBI to justify its recent request for
unprecedented wiretap authority under the new Communications
Assistance for Law Enforcement Act, or CALEA, also known as the
"digital telephony" law.

Softbank Debuts Its First Las Vegas Comdex (GENERAL)

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 13 (NB) -- Expecting a record
number of more than 205,000 attendees, Softbank is ready to show it
will continue 17 years of Comdex tradition in Las Vegas. At Comdex,
the computer industry presents itself to the world as 2,200 exhibitors
spread out across the convention center, the Hilton, the Sands, and
hotel suites throughout Las Vegas.

Comdex - Phone System Problems Once Again (TELECOM)

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 13 (NB) -- It's another Comdex
Fall -- and another telephone jam-up. Lines to Compuserve, America
Online and other online services are constantly busy, but the real
hassle is trying to get a long distance or international circuit
line out of Las Vegas.

Comdex - PowerPC CHRP Specification Makes Debut (TRENDS)

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 14 (NB) -- In the midst of doubts
about the PowerPC platform's ability to shake the Intel x86 architecture's
dominance, partners IBM (NYSE:IBM), Apple Computer Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL),
and Motorola Inc. (NYSE:MOT), have unveiled the much-anticipated PowerPC
Microprocessor Common Hardware Reference Platform (CHRP) specification at
Comdex/Fall.

Comdex - Gerstner Admits Industry Has To Change (TRENDS)

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 14 (NB) -- Most computer users know
it, but it's unusual to hear an industry executive admit it. The computer
industry does a terrible job of listening to and serving its customers,
and it has to change.

Comdex - $500 PCs Not Likely, Says Dell Chief (TRENDS)

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 14 (NB) -- The $500 PCs that are
currently being talked about as the possible computing tool of the
future aren't likely to become a reality, according Michael Dell,
Dell Computer Corp. (NASDAQ: DELL) chairman and chief executive
officer.

3M Restructures - 5,000 Jobs To Go (BUSINESS)

ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 14 (NB) -- 3M (NYSE: MMM) has
announced that it intends to spin off its data storage and imaging
systems businesses as an independent, publicly owned company. 3M also
said it will discontinue its audio and video tape business during
the next 12 months.

Comdex - Gates Vision Of Office Computing (TRENDS)

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 15 (NB) -- Bill Gates, chairman
of Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) celebrated the year of his
40th birthday and the 10th anniversary of his company yesterday by
sharing his vision of office computing in the next century with an
overflow crowd at the 7,200 seat Aladdin Theater for the Performing
Arts in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Apple/Carl Sagan Code-Name Suit Ends (LEGAL)

CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 15 (NB) -- Carl Sagan, the
controversial astronomer, has announced the settlement of the litigation
brought by him against Apple in the federal district court in Los
Angeles. Sagan had objected to Apple's use of the internal code-name
"Carl Sagan" during the development of Apple's Power Macintosh 7100
computer without his permission, and had also objected to references
to the code-name and to his dispute with Apple in the computer and
national press.

Comdex - Pentium Notebooks With CD-ROM Drives (TRENDS)

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.SA., 1995 NOV 16 (NB) -- Comdex attendees jammed
Epson's booth to stare at a notebook showing Tom Cruise in the movie,
"The Firm." Overnight, it seems there is a new standard in notebook
computing and it is powerful and feature-rich.

UK Jails Virus Writer For 18 Months (LEGAL)

LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 NOV 16 (NB) -- In the first case of its kind in
the United Kingdom, a computer user that wrote and spread viruses has
been jailed for 18 months. The author wrote, not just viruses, but also
a virus masking program that meant many virus checkers could not
detect and clean the infected files.

Comdex - Artists, Writers Discusse New Media Creativity (TRENDS)

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 17 (NB) -- New communications
media such as the Internet and virtual reality offer some
interesting opportunities for writers and other creative types,
but few people know what to do with them yet. One thing members
of a Comdex/Fall panel on the subject seemed to agree on was that
there still is a role for artists and writers.

Comdex - Higher-Density CDs Late Next Year (TRENDS)

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 17 (NB) -- The recent
agreement between two formerly competing camps of vendors to settle on
one unified standard for high-capacity compact disks will be good for
consumers, but will actually delay the introduction of products a
little. Consumer electronics and data storage products based on
the new standard can be expected in the latter half of 1996,
vendors showing prototypes at Comdex/Fall said.

(Ian Stokell/19951117)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00033)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 11/17/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 17 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|           Friday, November 17, 1995            |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network's on the Web! Check out http://www.nbnn.com for
free daily top stories from Newsbytes and its affiliate publications,
and from PC Week, MacWeek, and other Ziff news magazines. A subscription
gives you all the news, full-text, plus the most comprehensive database
of past computer stories online. The keyword-searchable database dates
from today back through 1983. Subscriptions are $24.95 for three months.
Questions? Send to '[e-mail]'  For Japanese Newsbytes
and additional services, see the Newsbytes Pacifica Website at
http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

BROADCAST Comdex - I/O Magic's Portable Teleconferencing............. 05

BROADCAST Comdex - TView Adds Features............................... 13

BUSINESS  Lexmark Goes Public........................................ 09

BUSINESS  Tokyo - High Tech Stock Market Rises On The Week........... 26

GENERAL   Japan Newsbriefs........................................... 01

GENERAL   Australia - Dock Dispute Threatens IT Sales................ 03

GENERAL   Comdex - Impressions From A First-Time Point Of View....... 04

GENERAL   The Ins and Outs of Mice And Pens.......................... 12

GENERAL   NewsPix Update For Newsbytes Publishers.................... 14

GENERAL    ****Comdex - The Cool and the Quirky...................... 17

GENERAL   Comdex - Massaging Away The Hype........................... 18

GENERAL   Comdex - The End At Hand................................... 19

GENERAL   Personnel Roundup.......................................... 24

GENERAL   Comdex - Canon Prints T-Shirts............................. 28

GENERAL   Newsbytes Week In Review................................... 32

HEALTH    Bell Atlantic Sells Teleradiology Network.................. 21

IBM       Comdex - IBM Plans Cross-Marketing Tactics For CD-ROM...... 27

LEGAL     SPA Fights Crime With Computer Donation.................... 22

LEGAL     Hong Kong - BSA Rewards First Bounty Hunters............... 30

ONLINE    Internet Update............................................ 02

ONLINE    Comdex - Developing Realistic Web Site Strategies.......... 06

ONLINE    Comdex - Discovery Channel Discloses Web Additions......... 15

ONLINE    Comdex - Boca Doubles Chances With ISDN And DSVD Modems.... 23

PC         ****Comdex - Upke Claims "Ultimate" Home PC............... 07

PC        Comdex - Epson Deliver Cyrix Speed To The Desktop.......... 25

TRENDS    Comdex - 1394 Interface Standard Shows Progress............ 08

TRENDS     ****Comdex - Artists, Writers Discusse New Media Creativit 10

TRENDS     ****Comdex - Higher-Density CDs Late Next Year............ 11

TRENDS    Comdex - Bookstore Opts For Instant Internet Sales......... 16

TRENDS     ****Comdex - Small Office Brings Big Opportunities........ 20

WINDOWS   COMDEX - SPC's "Super Easy Presentation Package............ 29

WINDOWS   China - Chinese Windows 95 Available Early Next Year....... 31

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 -> Japan Newsbriefs -- In this roundup of news from Japan, Casio
triples camera production, Microsoft gears up for Windows95 launch,
communications industry growing - government, Pioneer plans MO audio
system, Sanyo announces new HDTV.

2 -> Internet Update -- In this roundup of new resources and services on
the global Internet, "And the winner is," "Top secret!" Spying home
page, UK military pattern and information processing, XFree86 Web-based
FAQ, Freeware Internet encyclopedia, Amateur astronomy page, Eating
disorders mailing list, Australian news.

3 -> Australia - Dock Dispute Threatens IT Sales -- The Australian IT
industry has its fingers crossed for a speedy resolution to the
Australian dockside industrial dispute which may threaten imports vital
to Christmas  retail trade. After a sluggish third quarter, the industry
is  relying on a bumper festive season. Michael Buth, purchasing
manager for Epson Australia, says the company could be feeling the
pinch in the next five days if docks remain idle.

4 -> Comdex - Impressions From A First-Time Point Of View -- Walking
through doors of a Comdex show for the first time may remind one of a
huge auto  show that's on steroids. Many, many, many companies, more
than  2,200, put on their best faces for a viewing "public" comprised of
competitive exhibitors, wide-eyed browsers, and skeptical  journalists.

5 -> Comdex - I/O Magic's Portable Teleconferencing -- Irvine,
California's I/O Magic Corp. is introducing a PCMCIA (Personal Computer
Memory Card Industry Association) teleconferencing system the company
calls a "first" for the computer industry, called MobileVision. The new
system uses a POTS (plain old telephone service) line to hook together
two notebooks using, for now, the MobileVision system.

6 -> Comdex - Developing Realistic Web Site Strategies -- At the Comdex
Fall '95 computer and information technology show, the selling and
marketing of goods and services online highlighted one of the
conferences at the annual gathering. The discussion centered on what
Internet World Wide Web site developers should put on their pages, and
how should they put their information on the Internet.

7 ->  ****Comdex - Upke Claims "Ultimate" Home PC -- A startup company
showed up at Comdex/Fall this year with what it bills as the ultimate
home personal computer. Upke Systems' PC, which comes in four models,
combines high-end technical specifications such as a  133-megahertz
(MHz) Pentium processor with an external design  reminiscent of upmarket
consumer electronics products.

8 -> Comdex - 1394 Interface Standard Shows Progress -- Proponents of
the IEEE 1394 interface standard are showing off new products
compatible with the standard at the Comdex/Fall computer show  here. The
1394 Trade Association also held a press conference to  announce that
Yamaha Corp. has added its support to the  specification, which allows
for linkages among computer and  consumer electronics devices.

9 -> Lexmark Goes Public -- Lexmark International Group, Inc. (NYSE:LXK)
is now a public company. The  move marks the final step to independence
for the company that was  spun off from IBM in 1991.

10 ->  ****Comdex - Artists, Writers Discusse New Media Creativity --
New communications  media such as the Internet and virtual reality offer
some  interesting opportunities for writers and other creative types,
but few people know what to do with them yet. One thing members  of a
Comdex/Fall panel on the subject seemed to agree on was that  there
still is a role for artists and writers.

11 ->  ****Comdex - Higher-Density CDs Late Next Year -- The recent
agreement between two formerly competing camps of vendors to settle on
one unified standard for high-capacity compact disks will be good for
consumers, but will actually delay the introduction of products a
little. Consumer electronics and data storage products based on  the new
standard can be expected in the latter half of 1996,  vendors showing
prototypes at Comdex/Fall said.

12 -> The Ins and Outs of Mice And Pens -- Comdex Fall/95, the annual
gathering of the computer faithful being held in Las Vegas this week, is
packed with wonderful gadgets that provide sound, motion and voice. But
Newsbytes decided to have a look at the the lowly devices that are so
necessary but so often overlooked that let us input the data for that
output.

13 -> Comdex - TView Adds Features -- TView Inc., formerly Consumer
Technology Northwest until it changed its name in late September, was at
Comdex/Fall 95 to show off the new features of its flagship product,
Presenter TView. Presenter is an external  pocket-sized device that
converts a PC or a Macintosh computer  video signal to an NTSC or PAL
signal, enabling users to display  their computer presentations on
television sets or record them  directly to video cassette using a VCR.

14 -> NewsPix Update For Newsbytes Publishers -- This update will be
posted each Wednesday and Friday to reflect the daily picture additions.
The updates will in turn become part of the main NewsPix Bulletin issued
on Monday.

15 -> Comdex - Discovery Channel Discloses Web Additions -- In coming
months, The Discovery Channel's new Web site for "scientific
exploration" will add a live talkshow hosted by NCR's Derek McGinty, an
agent-based "Knapsack" Internet search capability, and the ability to
"commission a painting" over the Web, along with branches into history
and literature, said Rebecca Farwell, editorial director, in an meeting
with Newsbytes at Comdex.

16 -> Comdex - Bookstore Opts For Instant Internet Sales -- Insights
Software, a developer and marketer of motivational books, is selling a
complete line of titles from its Web site.

17 ->  ****Comdex - The Cool and the Quirky -- There's so many products
at the Comdex Fall '95 computer and information technology show in Las
Vegas, most every one can carry descriptive tags like "cool" or
"quirky." But here's a partial listing of some products that might not
receive much ink, real or electronic, in other forms of media.

18 -> Comdex - Massaging Away The Hype -- Many people get tense and
stressed out at the world's largest computer and technology information
show in Las Vegas. Not to worry, though

19 -> Comdex - The End At Hand -- The crowds have thinned, the media
have finished most of their work and almost all the chief executive
officers and senior management are back home.

20 ->  ****Comdex - Small Office Brings Big Opportunities -- SOHO (small
office/home office) is bringing increasingly big opportunities to large
and small vendors alike, said marketing executives of Xerox, Compuserve,
Intuit, Microsoft, and US West, during a jointly presented press
conference at Fall Comdex in Las Vegas.

21 -> Bell Atlantic Sells Teleradiology Network -- In one of the first
commercial telemedicine deals, Bell Atlantic has packaged and sold a
system for a virtual radiology practice in Norfolk, Va. The
teleradiology system, using Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)
technology, links seven hospitals, 35 doctors' homes and a
high-resolution central reading station at Medical Center Radiologists,
one of the country's largest radiology practices.

22 -> SPA Fights Crime With Computer Donation -- Establishing a new way
of dealing with computer piracy, the Software Publishers Association has
taken a seized computer in Mexico City and donated it to a non-profit
childrens' burn center in Mexico. SPA seized the personal computer from
CompuMarket Computers after finding that the computer dealer was
installing illegal software on the machines it was selling.

23 -> Comdex - Boca Doubles Chances With ISDN And DSVD Modems -- One way
or the other, computer game players as well as businesses are going to
be running voice simultaneously with data, and, as a result, Boca
Research plans to offer products in both the ISDN (integrated services
digital network) and new DSVD (digital simultaneous video) markets, said
Larry Light, VP of engineering, during a press event at Fall Comdex.

24 -> Personnel Roundup -- These companies are featured in today's
roundup of personnel changes, not covered elsewhere by Newsbytes: BDM
International Inc., Psion PLC, Digital Equipment Corp., Flash Comm Inc.,
Virtual Entertainment Inc., Oracle Corp., Zenith Electronics Corp.,
Novell Inc., Sun Microsystems Inc., Compuserve Inc.

25 -> Comdex - Epson Deliver Cyrix Speed To The Desktop -- Epson of
Torrance, California, introduced its ActionTower 9200 multimedia desktop
computer system at Comdex. Using a Cyrix 6x86 processor, the new system
outperforms most 133 megahertz (MHz), 586 systems at a price below many
current 120 MHz 586 systems, Epson contends.

26 -> Tokyo - High Tech Stock Market Rises On The Week -- The Tokyo
Stock Market ended the week on a positive theme after the Nikkei 225
stock index closed above the 18,000 mark for the first time in a week at
18,151.16, up 211.64 on the day. The jump Friday followed a 256.78 point
jump on Thursday and represents an increase of 307.6 points on the week.

27 -> Comdex - IBM Plans Cross-Marketing Tactics For CD-ROM -- IBM
Multimedia Studio intends to expand on the industry's current core of
two million "highly enthusiastic" multimedia CD-ROM users with
cross-marketing strategies built around The Jungle Book, Pinocchio,
Quest for Fame, and two new football titles, one of which is for the
Web, said IBM's Cal Morrell and Dan Rogers, during a briefing for
Newsbytes at Fall Comdex.

28 -> Comdex - Canon Prints T-Shirts -- Canon's booth featured the
transferral of custom multi-colored designs onto t-shirts using Canon
Bubble Jet printers and custom transfer paper.

29 -> COMDEX - SPC's "Super Easy Presentation Package -- During an
Editors' Lunch at Comdex that also featured a live jazz trio and foot
and back massages, Software Publishing Corp. (SPC) gently debuted a new
"super easy presentation package" for Windows called Type, Click,
Present.

30 -> Hong Kong - BSA Rewards First Bounty Hunters -- The Business
Software Alliance said its informer scheme, successful in other parts of
the world, has snared its first dragnet catch in Hong Kong. In the prize
catch was, among others, Japanese department store giant Yaohan.

31 -> China - Chinese Windows 95 Available Early Next Year -- The
Chinese version of Microsoft's Windows 95 will be on market early next
year and the company is holding discussions with several Chinese
partners in Shanghai on manufacturing the Chinese version of Windows 95,
said Steven Ballmer, executive vice-president of Microsoft.

32 -> Newsbytes Week In Review -- This  is a look at the top stories
this week, listing with their category code: Senator Pushes FBI On
Mammoth  Surveillance Request; Softbank Debuts Its First Las Vegas
Comdex;  Comdex - Phone System Problems Once Again; Comdex - PowerPC
CHRP Specification Makes Debut; Comdex - Gerstner Admits Industry  Has
To Change; Comdex - $500 PCs Not Likely, Says Dell Chief; 3M
Restructures - 5,000 Jobs To Go; Comdex - Gates Vision Of Office
Computing; Apple/Carl Sagan Code-Name Suit Ends; Comdex - Pentium
Notebooks With CD-ROM Drives; UK Jails Virus Writer For 18 Months;
Artists, Writers Discusse New Media Creativit;  Higher-Density CDs Late
Next Year.

(Wendy Woods/19951117)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD



Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/10/95
LEGAL
Online Smut Fight Flares Up

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(WAS)(00001)
Online Smut Fight Flares Up 11/10/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 NOV 10 (NB) -- After smoldering
for several weeks, the issue of smut in cyberspace has once
again burst into flames.  Social conservatives including the
Christian Coalition have written to House-Senate conferees on
the telecommunications legislation, urging support for the
approach in the Senate bill that would make "indecent" online
content illegal.

The push from Christian Coalition chief Ralph Reed, prominent
right-winger Phyllis Schlafly and others puts them at odds
with traditional conservative allies in the House, including
Speaker Newt Gingrich and other free-market libertarians.

When the Senate approved the amendment offered by Sen. James
Exon (D-Neb.) to criminalize online smut by an overwhelming
margin, Gingrich denounced it as "a violation of free speech"
and "a violation of the rights of adults to communicate with
each other."

The House then passed a proposal sponsored by Reps. Christopher
Cox (R-Calif.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) that endorses
self-regulation and the development of screening software that
parents can control. That amendment passed by a vote of 420-4.

Staff of the conference committee this week got a demonstration
of screening software, conducted by the Interactive Services
Association, a trade group for the online industry.

But the social conservatives are adamant about criminal
sanctions. Reed, Schlafly, and former Attorney General Edwin
Meese recently sent the conferees a letter backing the Exon
approach. "We need the toughest and best law we can to crack
down on what will be a terrible problem as more and more people
have home computers and connect to the Internet," said Reed.

Earlier this week, the Progress and Freedom Foundation, a group
closely tied to Gingrich, and other traditional conservative
groups such as the Heritage Foundation and the American
Enterprise Institute wrote Congress backing the Cox-Wyden
approach.

In an editorial titled "Return of the Cyber-Censors,"
the Washington Post said, "The argument against
criminalizing the 'transmission' of 'indecent' images via the
Internet remains stark and simple, and it goes not to the
awfulness of child pornography or even to be ability of parents
to control what their children do on the computer (a wide
variety of off-the-shelf technological filters now exist that
let parents do this themselves) but to the impossibility of
regulation by the electronic middleman industries that are
developing."

The Post added, "if the Internet were like a telephone system,
there would at least be the possibility of identifying a
specific 'sender' and 'recipient.' On the Internet it's
'receivers' who do the selecting of what to look at and where.
Giving those recipients the tools they need remains the way to
go."

(Kennedy Maize/19951109)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/10/95
GOVT
GTSI Beefs Up Air Force Desktop IV Offerings

(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00002)
GTSI Beefs Up Air Force Desktop IV Offerings 11/10/95
CHANTILLY, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 10 (NB) -- Government
Technology Services Inc. (Nasdaq: GTSI) is adding muscle to its
basic computer system offering under the Air Force Desktop IV
contract. The upgrade is designed to make the GTSI system more
competitive with the system offered by competitor Zenith Data
Systems.

The upgraded system is an IBM P350 Pentium 100 megahertz (MHz)
system with a factory-installed 4x CD-ROM, a one gigabyte (GB) hard
drive, 16 megabytes (MB) of RAM, 256 kilobytes of cache, PCI
(Peripheral Component Interconnect) slots, and a 14-inch high-
resolution monitor. Also, GTSI is adding Pentium 75MHz and 120MHz
options, 4x and 6x CD-ROMs, and Delrina Form Flow software.

"With the addition of a 1GB hard drive and CD-ROM at a
price competitive to ZDS's base Pentium configuration," said
Alan Lawrence, GTSI vice president,

The Air Force awarded the Desktop contract to GTSI and ZDS in
1993, for a three-year period with a potential value than
estimated at about $700 million. In less than two years,
contract sales hit nearly 300,000 units, and the Air Force shut
down ordering.

The Air Force reopened the contract in August with an allocation
of 100,000 systems. The Air Force is evaluating proposals for a
follow-on, called Desktop V, with an award next year.

The GTSI and ZDS basic Pentium offerings are quite similar:
100MHz processor, 1GB hard drive, 14-inch color monitor, and
16MB of RAM. The major difference is the CD-ROM in the GTSI unit.
The ZDS system offers a standard 5.25-inch floppy along with a
3.5-inch drive.

The ZDS machine has a price tag of $2,592, while the GTSI system
is $2,615.

(Kennedy Maize/19951109/Press Contact: Carter Cromley, GTSI,
703-502-2035)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/10/95
ONLINE
America Online Rolls Out Software Developers Program

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(WAS)(00003)
America Online Rolls Out Software Developers Program 11/10/95
VIENNA, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 10 (NB) -- America Online has
rolled out a program to open the AOL platform to third party
developers, so that they can integrate their software with the
AOL online environment.

"AOL is providing an open environment to give software
developers the opportunity to launch innovative applications
online and make them an integral part of the AOL user
experience," said Ted Leonsis, president of AOL's Online
Services Co.

AOL Developers Studio is aimed at commercial software,
multimedia and games developers, as well as independent software
developers. Charter members of the studio include: Boxer Jam;
Bureau of Electronic Publishing; Creative Wonders (an
ABC/Electronic Arts joint venture); Fog City (developer of the
Claris Emailer) Graphix Zone; McMillan Digital; MetaTools;
Philips Media; Princeton Review; Simon and Schuster; Starfish
Software; Starpress Inc.; Virgin Sound and Vision; and
Ziff-Davis.

AOL says more than 60 companies are planning to develop
AOL-integrated products.

The Developers Studio software developer kit provides a range of
integration options for Windows and Macintosh platforms.

Included in the kit is: one-button access, which allows limitless
links to launch sites on AOL or the Internet and add value to an
existing software product; custom access, which allows
developers to control the user interface while enabling members
to download files, use e-mail, and leverage news and stock
quotes; and inter-application communications, which allows
developers to write add-on applications for the AOL service.

Participants will be able to market their products to AOL's four
million members through a special Developers Studio online area.
The first AOL-integrated products featured include Starfish's
SideKick 95 Deluxe, the Claris Emailer, and several multimedia
CD-ROM titles.

In related news, AOL has also launched the AOL Software
Greenhouse, a developer program to give emerging application
developers help in creating and marketing the next generation
of online applications.

Those interested in the Developers Studio and the Software
Greenhouse can send e-mail to [e-mail], call
703-918-2681, or access through AOL with the keyword
"Developers Studio."

(Kennedy Maize/19951109/Press Contact: Pam McGraw,
703-556-3746)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/10/95
PC
DEC Media Module Gets Faster, Cheaper

(NEWS)(PC)(TOR)(00004)
DEC Media Module Gets Faster, Cheaper 11/10/95
MAYNARD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 10 (NB) -- Digital Equipment
Corp. (NYSE:DEC) has announced a new version of its Mobile Media Module
that is faster and cheaper than the original.

The HiNote Ultra 4X Mobile Media Module, like its predecessor, is an
add-on for DEC's HiNote Ultra notebook computers. The new model uses a
quad-speed, rather than a dual-speed, CD-ROM.

Other features are the same, a spokeswoman for the company said, but
the price is $699, versus $899 for the dual-speed module. That
represents a 22 percent cut in price from the previous version, DEC said.

The Mobile Media Module is a two-pound, inch-high attachment for the
HiNote Ultra that incorporates a CD-ROM drive. DEC said a HiNote Ultra
computer with the unit attached weighs six pounds and is two inches high.
The unit can be detached from the notebook when not needed.

DEC believes the major market for the Media Module will be among field
sales people who want to do multimedia presentations on their notebooks
while visiting clients, and among "high-level business executives," the
spokeswoman told Newsbytes.

The unit is available right away, the spokeswoman added. DEC will sell
it through resellers and distributors in North and South America,
Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region.

Quad-speed CD-ROM drives are becoming increasingly popular in the
desktop PC market, supplanting the slower dual-speed drives. The faster
drives have been a bit slower to move into the notebook market. Already,
a smattering of six-times-speed CD-ROM drives have been announced,
though their use is not widespread.

Digital Equipment is on the World Wide Web at http://www/pc.digital.com .

(Grant Buckler/19951109/Press Contact: Lisa Rohlf, Digital Equipment,
508-264-7977; Public Contact: Digital Equipment, 800-722-9332)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/10/95
ONLINE
Escrow Services Online

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LAX)(00005)
Escrow Services Online 11/10/95
CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 10 (NB) -- Data Track Systems
Inc. (DTS) has unveiled a transaction-based Internet system designed to
"facilitate online processing" for title insurance, escrow, and other
settlement services. DTS sees the Internet as the future for business
transactions of all types, with real estate transactions only the
beginning.

According to DTS, online efficiency means that consumers may speed
up the real estate closing process from six weeks to two or three
days and may reduce associated costs by hundreds of dollars per
transaction. Users choosing to go online as partners or customers will
reduce overhead costs and cut the time and dollars spent on courier,
postal, telephone, and overnight delivery services.

Gilbert Barnes, a vice president of DTS, told Newsbytes, "The Internet
and commercial online services democratize the process of conducting
business in the high-tech 1990s. Until now, only large organizations
had the remarkably huge financial resources to develop computer
systems through which to conduct business electronically. The
Internet now make it possible to conduct business online, requiring
only an increasingly inexpensive personal computer and modem."

DTS claims to be the first company to create a transaction-based
application specifically for the real estate industry on the Internet.
It has also created a program for America Online and is currently
developing applications for Compuserve and is "under consideration"
for Microsoft Network.

"Through this system, DTS and our online trading partners will
facilitate the real estate community's journal in line with the
electronic age," said Mann. "Ultimately, we'll see the future of
the industry take shape."

Data Track's management team includes executives of the real estate
industry. A company founder, Mann was previously executive vice
president of Stewart Title Co. Gilbert Barnes, president and chief
executive officer (CEO), was previously an executive with Chicago
Title Insurance.

Data Track has headquarters in Carlsbad, California, and can be
reached on the World Wide Web at http://www.datatrac.com .

(Richard Bowers/19951109/Press Contact: Gilbert Barnes, Data
Track, 619-930-4583)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/10/95
ONLINE
Film Processor Returns Snapshots Via Internet

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(DEN)(00006)
Film Processor Returns Snapshots Via Internet 11/10/95
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 10 (NB) -- Seattle Filmworks
(NASDAQ: FOTO) has started returning customers' developed
photographs via the Internet. The new delivery service is called
PhotoMail and is an expansion of Seattle Filmworks' existing digital
delivery service.

Eighteen months ago the company started digitizing and delivering
developed photos on floppy disk. That service is called Pictures
On Disk and is available as a $3.95 option to any 24-exposure film
developing order.

If you elect to have your snapshots returned via PhotoMail, Seattle
Filmworks will send you an e-mail message telling you the finished
photos are ready for pickup. The message includes instructions for
logging into the Seattle Filmworks site on the World Wide Web at
http://www.filmworks.com , and the necessary security code you need
to begin the download.

The negatives, a set of conventional prints, and a new roll of film
are returned via surface mail. Slides can also be delivered as
electronic images via the Internet, and will also be returned via
mail.

Seattle Filmworks said that, in tests, users with a PC equipped with
a 28,800 baud modem were able to download an entire roll of film in
seven to eight minutes. You can also download the company's
Photoworks software or the Photomail upgrade from the Web site at no
charge. Photoworks software lets you view the Pictures On disk
images, while the Photomail upgrade makes it easier to download
images from the Internet.

Seattle Filmworks has also released a version of Photoworks
software that runs on Macintosh and Power Macintosh PCs. The
software lets you export images to word processors and other
print-capable software, organize your photographs into albums,
prepare customized slide shows, zoom in and out on images, rotate
them, and prepare customized titles and captions for images.

The 32-bit Macintosh software is available at no charge to
customers who order their first Pictures On Disk. To use the Mac
version of Photoworks, you need a Macintosh computer running a
68020 or better processor, System 7.1 or greater, 32-bit Color
Quickdraw, and four megabytes of system memory available to the
applications.

Seattle Filmworks said a dual-media bundle of Photoworks for the
Mac and Photoworks Plus for Windows will soon be available in
retail stores with a suggested retail price of $19.95.

(Jim Mallory/19951109/Press contact: Gary Christophersen,
Seattle Filmworks, 206-281-1550; Public contact: Seattle
Filmworks, 800-345-6967)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/10/95
TELECOM
Software Manages Online Communications

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEN)(00007)
Software Manages Online Communications 11/10/95
NORCROSS, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 10 (NB) -- Enhanced Systems Inc.
has announced a messaging software module that lets you access and
manage your e-mail, voice-mail, faxes, and any pages that come in
over the World Wide Web.

The program is called @once, and it's part of the company's recently
announced Hello!NT product which is scheduled to ship in the first
quarter of 1996, according to Mike Ford, Enhanced Systems vice
president of sales.

The program provides notification of an access to multiple message
types from any Internet access point worldwide. It also enables
unified messaging on a local area network through TCP/IP (Transmission
Control Protocol/Internet Protocol). It is POP3, SMTP (Simple Mail
Transfer Protocol) and Microsoft MAPI compatible.

Here's how @once works. You use a Web browser such as Netscape or
Mosaic to log onto your company's Web server and view messages or
listen to voice-mail. Messages are summarized with information
that includes date and time sent, and length. Faxes will also
indicate the location name and phone number that's furnished by
the originating fax machine. Voice-mail messages will also carry
their point of origin information where ANI (automatic number
identification) is available.

To listen to a particular message or view a fax or e-mail, the user
clicks on the icon for that message. If a sound card is installed,
voice-mail can be herd and repeated completely or in parts, using
the media player.

E-mail and faxes are displayed on your monitor, and alpha/numeric
information sent via a paging system can also be displayed, much
like the alphanumeric pagers now available that can display brief
messages.

Enhanced systems said release of @once makes it the first company
to introduce unified messaging over the Web.

The program is the latest addition to Enhanced Systems' Telephony
Software Suite. Other products in the suite include: Hello!NT, a
multi-application messaging platform; Hello!ADL, an application
development scripting language for IVR (interactive voice
response), a method of converting the tones generated by a
touch-tone phone to computer-recognizable signals for applications
such as electronic banking; and Callsort Pro for Windows, a
network-ready call accounting system.

Ford told Newsbytes the price of Hello!NT hasn't been set
yet. @once is not a standalone application, and is designed
to work with Hello!NT.

Enhanced Systems is a wholly owned subsidiary of Vodavi
Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: VTEK).

(Jim Mallory/19951109/Press contact: Michael Mittel, Enhanced
Systems, 770-662-1503; Public contact: tel [phone],
fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/10/95
TRENDS
Superconductor Cellular Base Station Testing

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00008)
Superconductor Cellular Base Station Testing 11/10/95
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 10 (NB) -- Conductus
Inc. (NASDAQ:CDTS), a developer of high-temperature superconductor
(HTS) and cryoelectronics technology, has announced  a low-noise
filter subsystem for cellular base stations. The system, which combines
a superconducting bandpass filter and a cryogenic low-noise amplifier,
is designed to provide enhanced range and signal quality in rural
cellular sites.

Radio frequency receiver filters reduce interference and are a key
component in cellular systems. The greater the ability to filter noise,
the greater capacity of each cellular system.

There are two types of superconductors. The first was made of very
simple metals and operated at near absolute zero. The second is
high-temperature superconductor (HTS). HTS operates at a higher
temperature, but still in a very cold state. HTS needs to be kept
at -175 degrees Centigrade.

HTS technology offers two major advantages over conventional filters:
it provides more filtering capacity, and it does it with smaller-sized
units. A typical HTS system consists of a HTS filter and a cryogenic
system to cool.

Randy Simon, vice president of technology programming for Conductus,
told Newsbytes, "The new Conductus front-end subsystem addresses
what is predominantly a rural cellular phenomenon. While
transmission from the cell site to the telephone is generally not a
problem, the 'reverse' path from the telephone to the base station
can be a serious problem.

"Cell sites are designed for maximum range in sparsely populated
areas and for high-power mobile cellular telephones which transmit at
about three-watt power levels. Portable cellular phones, on the other
hand, transmit only 0.6 watts, which can be difficult for cell sites
to receive. With portables accounting for more than 90 percent of
current cellular phone sales, the problem can be a significant one
for rural service providers," said Simon.

The Conductus subsystem includes a low-insertion-loss, high-
performance bandpass filter plus a cryoelectronic low-noise amplifier
(LNA). The combination provides the desired enhancement on the
receive path of the base station, said the company.

Tests of the new Conductus system were held at Peninsula Wireless
Communications' (PWC) laboratories in Sunnyvale. PWC is a base
station manufacturer.

Said Ed Johnson, vice president of technology at PWC: "We were very
impressed by the progress Conductus has made on the path to
commercializing the use of HTS and cryoelectronics for specialty
receiver applications.

"The performance tests we ran showed significant improvement in a
number of respects compared to conventional resonant cavity filters
and ambient-temperature low-noise amplifiers.  After installing the
Conductus system, the noise figure for our MRC-800 base station was
reduced from 4.0 decibel (dB) to 0.4dB," said Johnson.

"Even if one includes losses coming from the cable connecting our
equipment to the tower-top antenna, the savings provided by the
Conductus system could extend the effective range of a typical
rural cellsite by over 70 percent," continued Johnson

"The retrofit market for rural sites looks especially interesting to
us in the near term," noted Charles Shalvoy, Conductus' president
and chief executive officer. "Given the level of improvement in
reception, we feel we can address a substantial portion of the market
without placing the subsystem at the tower top -- a practice followed
in the past by some operators to minimize the effect of cable losses
from the antenna to the equipment room."

(Richard Bowers/19951109/Press Contact: Duncan MacMillan,
Conductus, 408-523-9401)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/10/95
BUSINESS
EDS Asia Looks To Australia

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00009)
EDS Asia Looks To Australia 11/10/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 NOV 10 (NB) -- News has emerged that Electronic
Data Systems is looking to Adelaide, Australia, as a support hub for its
growing business in Asia.

Last week the company signed a deal worth US$656 million, covering a
nine year period, to create and manage the data processing infrastructure
for the government of South Australia. The deal has yet to be announced.

Because the project is so large, EDS will be developing extensive
facilities to support the government contract. It is understood these
will be brought into play both to win more business in Australia and to
create another support hub for Asia.

EDS's business has grown in the Asian region over the past five years to
the point where it now employs over 250 people in Hong Kong. It is believed
the new development in Adelaide will act as cost-efficient support center
and training base, as it develops.

Although reports have been circulating to the effect that EDS is set to
move its regional headquarters from Hong Kong to Singapore, Newsbytes was
told this is not so by one company source, speaking off the record.

(Joel McCormick & I.T. Daily/19951110)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/10/95
ONLINE
"Disgruntled" E-Zine Focuses On People Who Work

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00010)
"Disgruntled" E-Zine Focuses On People Who Work 11/10/95
BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 10 (NB) -- Business journalism
takes a turn towards both the humorous and dark side, with the launch
of the electronic magazine (e-zine) "Disgruntled: The Magazine For
People Who Work For A Living." The Internet World Wide Web publication
mixes news, features, satire, and commentary about the work world,
from the perspective of the employee.

The e-zine is put together by Daniel S. Levine of Counterpoint Press
Inc. He comes from the "mainstream, conventional" world of business
writing, working for the Oakland Tribune, Adweek Magazine, and
freelancing for the New York Times, among other publications.

He said the mainstream press has very little interest in covering
business issues from the perspective of the employee. "It's a way to
give voice to something I thought was getting little attention,"
he told Newsbytes.

When Newsbytes looked at the site, we found a Netscape-enhanced
background with a graphic of a smiley-face that's best described as
"disgruntled." Articles in the e-zine include a piece from Alan Downs,
who wrote "Corporate Execution: The Ugly Truth About Layoffs;" an
article on how disgruntled workers can report their employers for
using illegally copied software; and roundups of work-related news
from the US and abroad.

One of the funniest options of the site can be taken advantage of if
a user's supervisor is walking up on them. The user can click on a
"cigar-chomping boss" and bring up a fake "annual report" directly from
the Disgruntled site. The feature is built in to the e-zine because
Levine said he is expecting a number of users to read it from their
desks.

Levine said he originally wanted to make Disgruntled into a more
traditional magazine, but economics prevented that. Plus, he said
getting "feedback from the trenches" would be easier via the Internet.

Levine said that, while the "traditional" Web advertiser may not want to
buy space from Disgruntled, companies that have job search databases or
other employment-related information may want to sponsor the site.
Already, the National Employee Rights Institute, a non-profit
organization that helps both the employed and unemployed with
workplace-related issues, has signed on as a sponsor of Disgruntled.

The site also offers classified advertisements, and sells Disgruntled
merchandise. "The initial response to Disgruntled has been very
strong, but it's not for everyone," Levine said. "My father said he
didn't want one of our T-shirts because he found it too negative. My
mother, on the other hand, wanted one because she works for my father."

A warning to parents -- the magazine isn't designed with kids in mind.
"We're not afraid of offending people for a laugh," Levine said. There
is a disclaimer at the index page of the site cautioning those who
enter about the language in the e-zine.

"Disgruntled: The Magazine For People Who Work For A Living" can be
found on the Web at http://www.disgruntled.com/ .

(Bob Woods/19951109/Press Contact: Daniel S. Levine, Counterpoint
Press, 510-528-6755, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/10/95
EDITORIAL EDUCATION
Editorial - The Spider's Web

(EDITORIAL)(EDUCATION)(MSP)(00011)
Editorial - The Spider's Web 11/10/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 10 (NB) -- By Gary
Kallback. My son recently turned in a homework assignment
to a substitute teacher in which he had researched bridge
construction for an upcoming project in his 8th grade technology
class. I had allowed him to use the CompuServe Wizard browser
installed on my home computer.

He got an A on the project and was very excited. The teacher
said the printed color photos were neat and asked where he
found them. My son, replied, "Off the Web." The teacher
responded, "What Web?" My son said, "The spider's."

The substitute teacher didn't know what my son was talking about. My
wife, who is an acquisitions editor for a major publishing house,
suffers the same frustration with the educational community. While
the publishing house would like teachers to access the new
technologies, too many classrooms across the country do not have the
capability.

This confirms what many people already know. The way we communicate
in the world -- literally -- is changing overnight. It is without
doubt that the computer and the related spin-off technologies can
be a wonderful God-send to our society in general and to those who
need assistance in learning, specifically. But this is not the late
1950s where television was the new entertainer on the block and all
you needed was $600, an electric outlet, a TV antenna and the ability
to turn a few knobs in the right direction.

This is the kind of revolution that can change nations forever. If
not thought out by an industry that already seems drunk on itself, it
could become the social disaster of our decade. We as a society of
free and intelligent people ought to be questioning why a technology
that is suppose to be so simple, winds up with so many caveats when
you get it in your home.  As consumers, we need to be more suspicious
and ask who is accountable. This is a life-changing event and it is
no longer amusing. I bring these concerns to light for several
reasons:

1. a vacuum is being created between those who need to know and
those who can't find out.

2. The computer industry in general seems to run with a "get out of
my face" attitude. This is not a good sign as this industry is
quickly growing to critical mass and should want to increase its
service support further.

A personal friend, who is a senior manager at a large electronics
firm in the Midwest, made the comment that if one does not jump on
the technology ladder soon enough, the rungs on the ladder will be
too high to grab on to later. With this in mind, it is safe to
assume that unless the computer systems of the NEAR future are
greatly simplified, many people will walk away and not surf back to
the technology. I think of the woman a friend recently told me
about who brought her entire system back to the computer super store
and said, "I can't make this thing work," and walked out. I can
relate to what she did.

We must understand that people on the Web are a special
breed -- similar to audio buffs in the 70s, dragging that extra 3db of
hissless power out of their Crown Amps. But this time not being
familiar with the technology can affect a career, not just a hobby,
and can hurt the advances of future generations into an ever changing
and demanding job market.

True computer geeks, like computer magazine editors, are really
different kinds of people. They actually seem to ENJOY the problems
and wear the pain -- of the bugs they struggle to find in new software
systems -- like purple crosses awarded in battle. I, on the other
hand, do not feel it is my job to make companies like Microsoft more
profitable, acting as if I am a free consultant providing valuable
feedback on flawed designs. I feel that some of these computer
editors are like little puppy dogs, wagging their tails and waiting
to be patted on the head for finding problems for the software
manufacturer.

They sometimes act as if they are one notch above the rest of society
and forget that we are all in the same boat together -- needing a
common rudder to get around in this undiscovered country. Some
computer programmers I have met are the same way. For example, as a
client I have asked them to design online custom applications for me.
But instead their final design seems to emulate the machines they
have become, forgetting three important principles of the human
being. Does it do what the customer wants, is it easy to use and
does it make the task easier? For a business, you also have to ask
if it saves money and increases sales?

While these knowledgeable people could help, they instead often add
to the confusion of operating programs causing computers to actually
take away from you valuable time -- in hours and even days. Computers
can also put more work on your desk because everyone "just has to
have it today," creating false urgencies. And in the home, computers
can steal valuable time from family relationships where needed
quality-time is already being diminished by longer work hours.
On the opposite end, non-participating people can be
intimidated and angry over not knowing what this new stuff is going
to do their lives. They can feel left out, alienated and without
input.

Even I -- who understands this business a little bit more than the
average man on the street -- am angry. For a $3,400 deal on a new
computer system from CompUSA, I still had to replace the modem board
when the computer was only a few weeks old. IBM technical support
said to my amazement, "We don't fix it, you do! We send you the part
and an optional video tells you how to install it. Its easy." I
didn't doubt the voice on the phone. It just wasn't part of the
sales pitch and I felt it was left out on purpose to sell the
computer.

In trying to contact dealer CompUSA with this information on the
phone, they said the unit was under warranty from the manufacturer.
Any problems with the software, they continued such as the modem not
working, was not their responsibility. I mention CompUSA because
it is where I purchased my M40 Aptiva. I suspect, however, this
could have happened at any large super computer store.

My impression of the overall computer/software industry now is that
fews seem to care after the pitch is made, the credit card receipt is
signed and your computer has headed for the trunk of your car. In
this business, sometimes you refer to these conditions as a whore's
market because the profits are so tight at the super store and with
the manufacturer, that there is little money left for a comprehensive
customer support network to back the products sold.

It reminds me of when I produced industrial videos and -- if I didn't
like what I saw -- the producer would say, "Trust me." I would always
get a pit in my stomach when I heard these words. Today the words,
"Its easy!" have the same ring to me.

When I advised IBM that their wait times were crazy (up to two
hours), in trying to resolve this problem on the new computer they
said, "We know." One customer support representative in trying to be
helpful said it was best to call back between 4 a.m. and 9 a.m. in
the morning if I wanted a SHORT wait.

Through all this I remembered the recent Mac ad on TV -- where the
father is trying unsuccessfully to get his new IBM-type computer's
CD-ROM to work and in front of his son -- was really right on target
for real life. Unfortunately, it was more than three years too late
in the making.

I keep remembering the woman who said, "I can't make this thing
work!" If the computer industry can't provide better help, more of
these boxes will just go back to the dealer and we, as a nation, will
continue to isolate a whole population of Americans. It cannot be a
good sign for any of us.

Editor's Note: Gary Kallback is an executive with Panasonic.
He contributed this guest editorial to Newsbytes.

(Gary Kallback/19951110)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/10/95
BROADCAST
DEC Wraps Up Adlink Digital Ad Insertion Deployment

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(BOS)(00012)
DEC Wraps Up Adlink Digital Ad Insertion Deployment 11/10/95
MAYNARD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 10 (NB) -- "We now have
the technology, at a price that can be justified," maintained
Digital Equipment Corp.'s Peter Martin, in an interview with
Newsbytes about the just completed deployment of Digital's Alpha-
based video server technology at Adlink. The deployment is one of
the largest digital video ad insertion applications to date, and
the first to use MPEG (Motion Picture Experts Group)-2 compression.

The Adlink consortium, formed to interconnect the cable TV
systems of Los Angeles, Palm Springs, and Bakersfield, California,
for advertising purposes, is implementing Digital's Mediaservers
for the digital insertion of TV commercials at 57 head ends, said
Martin, who is marketing manager, video advertising, for
Digital's Video and Interactive Information Service (VIIS).

"Each head end has 20 different channels, for a total of 1,140
channels," the Digital exec told Newsbytes. Partners in Adlink
include Cox Cable, Continental, Prime Sports Channel, and
Comcast. The digitally inserted, 30-second ads are reaching a
combined base of 2.3 million cable TV subscribers.

In an interview with Newsbytes in January, when the deal with
Adlink was struck, Martin said that digital ad insertion allows
faster production turnaround time and produces longer lasting
output than the analog tape decks used in the past, while also
bringing the possibility of quick customization, giving
advertisers the chance to tailor their TV commercials to specific
geographic markets.

Under the older analog ad insertion method, the "master tape" had
to be manually copied multiple times, meaning that distribution
of a TV commercial could take several days. In addition, analog
equipment is subject to breakage, and analog tape to degradation,
Martin noted at that time.

"We began replacing Adlink's analog systems at the beginning of
this summer. And by now, we've replaced all 57," the Digital
marketing manager reported, during a recent update for Newsbytes.

The new Adlink system uses the same Alpha-based hardware and
essentially the same software as the technology being deployed
in Digital's 20-or-so video-on-demand trials and commercial
deployments worldwide, with the exception of new application
software developed by Digital for ad insertion, according to the
marketing manager.

But the ad insertion technology can be implemented over the
existing analog cable TV infrastructure, preventing the need for
an extensive, immediate network overhaul, Newsbytes was told.
Typically, the digital video signals are converted to NTSC analog
video at the head ends, once the digital ad insertion is done,
for "near video-on-demand."

For that reason, ad insertion is much less costly than large-
scale "true video-on-demand" applications, Martin contended. "And
as a result, there is a strong opportunity among operators today
to convert from the analog tape base."

In the Adlink installation, MPEG-2 conversion is performed at a
central area, called "headquarters," that is also used for
traffic and billing. T-1 lines link the headquarters to the head
ends.

Since Digital first embarked on the Adlink implementation, other
vendors have started to employ MPEG-2, as well, Martin said.
"We've had senior engineers on the MPEG-2 standards committee for
the past couple of years now, and we believe that MPEG-2 is going
to embrace the entire industry."

MPEG-2, he asserted, provides "high resolution that improves the
quality of video." Viewing the video at high resolution requires
end-to-end digital transmission. But Martin predicted that, on an
incremental basis, cable TV operators will now begin to use more
of the fiber optic cabling needed for fully digital video
communications.

Over the near term, some cable TV operators will use fiber to
fill in areas currently not being reached by cable, said the
Digital exec. And over the longer term, he suggested, high
resolution delivery will take on more value and meaning as the
operators begin to use digital insertion technology for
five-minute TV "infomercials," and possibly even for 30-minute
local news shows.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951109/Reader Contact: Digital Equipment
Corp., 508-493-5111; Press Contacts: The Weber Group for Digital,
617-661-7900)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/10/95
BUSINESS
Intel/Microsoft/Samsung Launch Moscow Marketing Program

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00013)
Intel/Microsoft/Samsung Launch Moscow Marketing Program 11/10/95
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1995 NOV 10 (NB) -- Intel, Microsoft, and Samsung
offices in Moscow have announced the beginning of a joint marketing
program aimed at the promotion of Pentium computers with the Windows
95 operating system. The program will fulfill the requirements of
a peculiar category of Russian engineers comprising small scale
"screwdriver" computer assemblers and "do-it-yourself" aficionados.

It appears that building your own system is quite popular in
Russia. "There are about 10,000 companies in Russia producing
more than one computer per year," said Mr. Nikolai Lyubovny,
marketing manager of Microsoft's Moscow subsidiary.

Upon purchase of a Pentium motherboard from an Intel distributor,
a customer will have a small discount (approximately $10) off
the purchase of monitors and hard disks from Samsung retail
outlets, plus the option to buy Windows 95 from Microsoft business
partners at a lower than usual price.

(Vladimir Vetrov/19951109/Press & Reader Contact: Nikolai Lyubovny,
Microsoft, tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/10/95
APPLE
Power Clones A Hit At Australian Macworld

(NEWS)(APPLE)(SYD)(00014)
Power Clones A Hit At Australian Macworld 11/10/95
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 1995 NOV 10 (NB) -- IDG's Australian Macworld Expo
appeared to be off to a good start yesterday, with impressive crowds
and a good range of new products getting their first Australian airing.

Apple Computer had its new Newton MessagePad 120 with enhanced operating
system making a world debut. But a brace of Power Computing's 120
megahertz (MHz) Macintosh clones -- in full working trim -- were the
stars of the show on reseller World Infotainment's stand.

The importer had earlier feared it would have only a non-working model
in a glass case. However, stocks are now said to have arrived and World
Info was taking orders on the floor. Prices start at $4,250 after tax
in 8/540 (eight megabytes of RAM and a 540MB hard drive) trim. Some
models come with Zip removable-cartridge drives.

Adobe launched its After Effects program for video producers and PageMill
for the Internet. Claris showed FileMaker for Newton and the upcoming
relational version of FileMaker. Polaroid, whispered to be in a bidding
war with World Infotainment for Power Computing distribution, was running
hot with the Iomega Zip Drive (on sale everywhere for AUS$350-390) and
the latest version 4.0 of Fractal Design's Painter program.

While Microsoft had no stand in its own right, pity was taken by Apple
reseller IC Technologies, which granted the software giant a small
corner of its booth.

Kingston Technology, and its new distributor SIMMS, shared a stand
telling everyone that the cheapest way a Mac user could get more
productivity was to add a bit more RAM. One demo machine was loaded
with half a gigabyte of RAM, but by the end of day two, SIMMS had been
persuaded to sell the attractive little strips of chips to a couple of
Mac users with very heavy applications.

One or two brave vendors even had the temerity to sell PC software at
the show. Around 10 stands were simply there to sell product, and
seemed to be doing quite well at it. Although only a fraction of the
size of typical Sydney PC shows, both exhibitors and showgoers
Newsbytes spoke to were happy with the show.

(Computer Daily News and Paul Zucker/19951110)


(ADVISORY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00015)

NewsPix Update For Newsbytes Publishers 11/10/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A.,1995 NOV 10 (NB) -- This update
will be posted each Wednesday and Friday to reflect the daily
picture additions. The updates will in turn become part of the
main NewsPix Bulletin issued on Monday.

These photos correspond to recent Newsbytes stories. They are online
in the Newsbytes menu on America Online, NiftyServe, the Newsbytes
Pacifica Website at http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/ and the
Newsbytes private bulletin board system in Minneapolis.

To become a licensed Newsbytes publisher, call Newsbytes at
612-430-1100 (US) or write to [e-mail] on the
Internet. Licensing applies to any medium.

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

NOVEMBER 10, 1995

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

MINIDISC951108 - color / MiniDisk As Floppy Successor?: hand holds
Sharp MiniDisc, with nice blue skys background.

VIEWER951102 - color / Accent Software Intros Free Multi-Language
Web Browser: screenshot.

SBANK951108 - color / Softbank To Announce Ziff Purchase Tomorrow:
screenshot of PCWeek/Softbank homepage.

DRUGSTOR951108 - color / Pharmacist On A Disk: screenshot of the
over-the-counter pain killer screen.

POWERDSK951106 - color / Microhelp Intros Windows 95 Desktop Utility:
the PowerDesk Toolbar. (There is no gif version)

JPOSTA951106 - color / Internet Users Gather In Shock At
Assassination: screenshot of Jerusalem Post homepage with news
of the Rabin assassination.

WALES19951101 - color / Wales Tourist Board Plugs Into The Web:
homepage screenshot.

(Newsbytes/19951110)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/10/95
GENERAL
Japan Newsbriefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00016)
Japan Newsbriefs 11/10/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 10 (NB) -- In this roundup of news from Japan:
Sony switches battery production after fire; APEC summit begins next
week; NEC, Samsung extend agreement; Compaq reduce prices; Tokyo FM
launch Web page.

Sony Switches Battery Production After Fire

Sony Corporation has switched production of batteries from its
Koriyama factory to its Tochigi plant. A fire last Saturday damaged
upper levels of the plant which accounts for 80% of Japan's lithium
ion battery production. A Sony spokesman said the production area was
not damaged although the charging area was badly hit and the plant
would be closed until the damage is repaired. The Tochigi factory will
begin producing 2 million batteries a month from the end of November.
This is a million less than the fire damaged Koriyama plant. A
spokesman for Dell Computer in the United States said it relied
heavily on Sony for batteries and was unsure how the fire would hit
its production of computers.

APEC Summit Begins Next Week

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum holds a large
summit meeting in Osaka next week. Deregulation within the region will
be high on the agenda, as will access to Japanese markets in a meeting
between US trade representative Mickey Kantor and Japanese trade
minister Ryutaro Hashimoto. The US will continue to lobby for the
personal handyphone system company affiliated to NTT to come under
the terms of a trade agreement that began in the 1980s.

NEC, Samsung Extend Agreement

NEC Corporation and Korea's Samsung have extended a cooperation
agreement to allow the Korean company to manufacture NEC's 16-bit
microcomputer products, the 78KIII Series and the 78KIV Series. The
two companies began their relationship in February, 1994, when NEC and
Samsung began exchanging knowledge and technical assistance on 16
megabit DRAM technology.

Compaq Reduces Prices

Compaq Computer KK, the Japanese unit of America's Compaq Computer
will reduce prices of its Contura 400 notebook computers by up to 18%.
The company is to begin a new sales campaign focusing on the use of
computers for accessing multimedia services and the Internet. As part
of the campaign, the company will bundle Internet access software and
kits with each unit sold.

Tokyo FM Launch Web Page

Tokyo FM has launched a home page on the Internet. The pages give
visitors access to information about the station, which broadcasts to
Tokyo on 80.0 FM, and its programming. Pages also introduce the "Mieru
Radio" or visual radio, which displays text broadcast by the station,
and the JFN Radio Network which covers Japan. Internet users can find
the pages on the World Wide Web at http://www.tfm.co.jp/ .

(Martyn Williams/19951110)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/10/95
ONLINE
Internet Update

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00017)
Internet Update 11/10/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 10 (NB) -- In this roundup of new resources and
services on the global Internet: The Internet starting point; Daily
radio broadcasts for the Internet; Elle Magazine; Attorney yellow
pages; University of Michigan International Center; Performance tour
search; The Alzheimer's page; The UK Meteorological Office; Hispanic
online magazine.

The Internet Starting Point

New Web users will find this the perfect place to go to begin learning
about the world of information and services available. A searchable
database of this Web catalog is available plus indexes of all sorts of
sites and a featured site of the day will guide new users to places
they might otherwise never find.
World Wide Web: http://www.stpt.com/

Daily Radio Broadcasts For The Internet

The c/net computer network has announced it will launch an original
audio "WebCast" to be produced exclusively for the World Wide Web
covering news and information about computers, the Internet, and online
services. The programs will be available from Monday in the RealAudio
format.
World Wide Web: http://www.cnet.com/

Elle Magazine

Could this become the most fashionable link on the net? Hachette
Filipacchi's US offices have brought Elle to the Internet, making it
the first fashion magazine on the network, according to Elle. The
latest fashion, trends, and faces from the world's runways and
capitals are all featured in this online magazine.
World Wide Web: http://www.ellemag.com/

Attorney Yellow Pages

When you need to find a lawyer of attorney this is the place to go.
The Web site offers a search facility allowing location of lawyers by
geographical area or field of specialty plus a guide to finding
lawyers and legal tips on a number of subjects. In the best Internet
tradition, a page of links takes visitors to other related resources.
World Wide Web: http://www.newquest.com/attorney/

University of Michigan International Center

This is a useful place to go for information on studying abroad, both
for US students wishing to travel overseas and foreign students
wanting to study in the US. Questions about visas, working, study, and
how to get places on the University of Michigan's programs are all
here plus links to other related resources.
World Wide Web: http://www.umich.edu/~icenter

Performance Tour Search

If you need to find out who is coming to your town, where your
favorite band are playing or the schedule for your favorite venue,
then this server is for you. It allows for a user search of a database
containing details of concerts across the United States, direct from
Performance Magazine's tour database.
World Wide Web: http://www.quest.net/performance/toursearch

The Alzheimer's Page

The Alzheimer's Disease Research Center in St. Louis has established a
home page with information about the disease, archives of the Internet
Alzheimer's mailing list, details of how to subscribe to the list,
plus links to other related resources.
World Wide Web: http://www.biostat.wustl.edu/alzheimer

The UK Meteorological Office

The latest weather across the United Kingdom is now available direct
from the official national weather service. The new home page also
points towards research being carried out by the center and weather
services available to users plus information on how the weather is
predicted.
World Wide Web: http://www.meto.govt.uk/

Hispanic Online Magazine

The Internet edition of Hispanic Magazine is now available.
Supplementing the 250,000 subscriber printed version, the Internet
service allows access to a back catalog of issues, details of the
current edition and a listing of the 100 top US companies offering
the most opportunities to Hispanics.
World Wide Web: http://www.hisp.com/

(Martyn Williams/19951110)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/10/95
BUSINESS
Tokyo Market - Stocks End The Week Mixed

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00018)
Tokyo Market - Stocks End The Week Mixed 11/10/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 10 (NB) -- Stocks in Tokyo ended the week
mixed. The Nikkei 225 Index of leading shares closed Friday at
17843.56, a fall of 185.24 yen on the week.

The first section TOPIX index closed at 1,424.35, an 11.17 yen fall
over the last five days. On Friday, the yen strengthened against the
dollar causing falls in high tech stocks. The companies rely on
overseas sales more than many others.

Big news of the week in the electronics sector was the better-than-
expected earnings and predictions by Sony Corporation on Thursday. In
the telecommunications field, continued uncertainty about the future
of NTT influenced the market along with half year results from its
competitors and KDD.

Sony Corporation (TSE:6758) said its pretax profit in the first six
months of the year was 47.94 billion yen ($479 million) compared with
a massive loss of 279.96 billion yen ($2.80 billion) in the same
period last year. Sales in the period jumped 11.4% to 2.05 trillion
yen ($20.50 billion) from 1.84 trillion yen a year ago ($18.40
billion).

For the entire fiscal year, which ends March 31 1996, the company
said it expects to register pretax profits of 35.00 billion yen ($350
million), a 4.00 billion yen ($40 million) increase on the previous
forecast but still a drop from last year's 51.40 billion yen ($514
million) profit representing a drop of 31.9%. Sony ended the week at
4,900 yen, up 160 yen on Friday after its post market announcement on
Thursday. On the week the stock climbed 30 yen.

Among companies reporting half year results last week, Japan Telecom
(TSE:9434) announced a profit of 23.40 billion yen ($234 million), a
240% jump on the same period last year. For the entire year, the long
distance telephone operator is forecasting a 136% increase in profits
to 43 billion yen ($430 million). The figure is a 79% increase on the
previous forecast. Sales are expected to reach 336.80 billion yen
($3.4 billion), up from 328.40 billion yen ($3.28 billion) the
previous year. Japan Telecom, a unit of Japan Railways, is benefiting
from cuts in access rates it pays NTT.

Fellow long distance company DDI (TSE:9433) also revised earlier
profits forecasts upward. The company now says it expects a profit of
53 billion yen ($530 million) for the fiscal year on revenues of 448
billion yen ($4.48 billion). The sales forecast, though, remains
unchanged.

The country's biggest international telephone operator, KDD
(TSE:9431), said pretax profits were up 18.1% to 17.74 billion yen
($177 million). The company predicted a pretax profit of 27.0 billion
yen ($270 million) for the full year on sales of 248.0 billion yen
($2.48 billion). Revenue from telegram and telex services fell, while
that from data communication and voice services grew.

Standard & Poors rated an NTT (TSE:9432) US$300 million Eurobond a
triple A rating, the highest available. The company commented, "The
rating reflects NTT's dominant position and important role in the
Japanese telecommunications market, and strong cashflow and financial
profile among major international peers," and added, "NTT's financial
profile remains very strong." The company repeated a recent negative
outlook for the company, however, due to a possible break up and
increased competition.

Nihon Unisys announced on Monday that profits for the first half of
the fiscal year were 2.37 billion yen, a 28.9% rise. Sales in the
period rose 3.2% to 112.75 billion yen ($1.13 billion). For the full
year, the company expects profits to hit 5.1 billion yen ($51 million)
against 4.71 billion yen ($47 million) a year earlier, on sales of 290
billion yen ($2.90 billion), up just under 10 billion yen ($100
million).

Uncertainty is surrounding a statement by Nintendo Co. Ltd.
(TSE:7974). The company's stocks rose at the beginning of the week
after a wire report that the company had agreed to set up a system
with Netscape Communications of the US that would allow users of its
games machines to access online services and re-write gaming software,
such as changing situations and characters. Netscape has denied any
knowledge of such a deal and Nintendo is saying the report was wrong
but that shares continue the upward journey. The situation is made all
the more confusing because the original report apparently quoted a
company spokesman.

(Martyn Williams/19951110)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/10/95
IBM
 ****IBM Cuts Costs, 1,200 Out Of Work

(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00019)
 ****IBM Cuts Costs, 1,200 Out Of Work 11/10/95
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 10 (NB) -- IBM (NYSE:IBM) told
about 1,200 employees across the United States Thursday that their jobs
are gone. Several locations and several areas of IBM operations were
affected.

It is the latest in a series of cost-cutting moves over the past few
years -- moves that have included layoffs by a company once known for
never laying off staff.

IBM has also reduced staff through early-retirement incentives,
severance packages, and attrition. The latest cuts are part of a round
of belt-tightening announced last month, when IBM said it would take a
charge of about $800 million in its fiscal fourth quarter for further
"restructuring."

IBM currently employs in the vicinity of 220,000 people, down from
more than 300,000 at the beginning of 1993.

Tom Beermann, a spokesman for IBM, told Newsbytes that all the latest
cuts are in the United States. He confirmed that about 200 jobs are
being cut in Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina, about 100 in Rochester,
Minnesota, between 100 and 200 in Austin, Texas, between 100 and 200 in
San Jose, California, about 60 in Poughkeepsie, New York, and about two
dozen in Somers, New York. Also, Beermann said, about 40 jobs will move
from Dayton, New Jersey, most of them to Boulder, Colorado, as IBM moves
distribution operations out of Dayton.

Beermann said the cuts affect various areas of IBM's business, including
both hardware and software. However, he said neither the company's
personal computer business nor recently acquired Lotus Development Corp.
were hit by the cuts.

IBM expects its total payroll to be about the same at the end of this
year as at the beginning, with attrition and layoffs offsetting hiring
in some areas and the acquisition of Lotus, which brought about 5,000
people into IBM.

(Grant Buckler/19951110/Press Contact: Tom Beermann, IBM, 914-765-4392)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/10/95
ONLINE
MobileMedia Paging Via America Online

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00020)
MobileMedia Paging Via America Online 11/10/95
RIDGEFIELD PARK, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 10 (NB) -- MobileMedia
(NASDAQ:MLBM) and America Online (NASDAQ:AMER) (AOL) are teaming to
provide paging service from the online service's network to people
who carry MobileMedia alphanumeric pagers. AOL subscribers can now
send text messages directly to MobileMedia pagers that can display
both text and numbers.

The new service operates similar to e-mail, and is available at no
extra charge. "There is an increasing need for instant communication,"
said Ted Leonsis, president of America Online Services Company.
"MobileMedia offers a simple way for AOL members to keep in touch with
their business associates, families friends via online paging."

Judy Tashbook, AOL spokesperson, told Newsbytes this new feature isn't
just a "gee whiz" technology. "Paging is sometimes a pain because it's
all telephone numbers, and sometimes you just want to leave a message,"
she said. "The ability to type in an message, as easily as you send
e-mail, but instead of sending e-mail, you're sending it to a pager,
is just an amazing advance."

Future plans for the MobileMedia/AOL paging service include
personalized news, stock quotes, and e-mail alerts that are sent to
MobileMedia alphanumeric pagers. Tashbook said the new service is a
good connection of wireless paging and online technology, in that the
union will break paging out of the one-way communication realm.

The MobileMedia area also lets AOL subscribers access information on
various MobileMedia products and services, and current activities
within the company. The forum also offers an electronic store where
online customers can buy a number of paging products and services
directly from MobileMedia.

MobileMedia's AOL forum can be reached by typing Send Page at the
Keyword prompt.

(Bob Woods/19951110/Press Contacts: Ann Marie Drozd, MobileMedia,
201-462-4965; Judy Tashbook, America Online, 703-918-1452. Public
Contact: America Online, 800-827-6364: Keyword: Send Page)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/10/95
BUSINESS
Develcon Stake In HyperCore Anticipates Gradual ATM Growth

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00021)
Develcon Stake In HyperCore Anticipates Gradual ATM Growth 11/10/95
SASKATOON, SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA, 1995 NOV 10 (NB) -- George Best is
skeptical of some of the rosier predictions about asynchronous transfer
mode (ATM) technology, but his company wants to be ready for the rise of
ATM nonetheless. So Develcon Electronics Ltd. has bought a 40 percent
stake in HyperCore, a small ATM developer nearby.

Best, who is Develcon's vice-president of marketing, told Newsbytes there
is "lots of noise" about ATM and not too much solid activity so far.
"Until the telephone companies put it as a plug in the wall," he said,
"the majority of people will not use it." However, Best expects ATM to
grow into a major force toward the end of the decade, and Develcon's
deal with HyperCore is meant to prepare for that.

HyperCore, a three-year-old company with five employees, was set up to
develop ATM switching technology for local and wide area networking
markets. Best said Develcon "felt that the technology they are developing
had some leadership." The fact that HyperCore and Develcon both have
their headquarters in Saskatoon also helped, he said.

For an initial investment of C$200,000, Develcon got a 40 percent stake in
HyperCore, with an option on the remaining 60 percent. Develcon also got
an exclusive worldwide marketing and technology licensing agreement for
the smaller firm's ATM technology -- an implementation of ATM switching
on a single chip, with speed scalable from 2.5 gigabits per second to 160
gigabits per second. Develcon's initial investment is payable in a
combination of cash and common shares.

Both companies' boards of directors must still approve the deal, which
is expected to close by the end of November, officials said. Regulatory
approvals are also pending.

Develcon is on the World Wide Web at http://www.develcon.com .

(Grant Buckler/19951110/Press Contact: George Best, Develcon, tel 306-933-
3300, fax [phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/10/95
BUSINESS
Intuit Acquires Galt Technologies

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00022)
Intuit Acquires Galt Technologies 11/10/95
MENLO PARK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 10 (NB) -- Intuit Inc. has
announced it has reached an agreement to acquire Galt Technologies,
a provider of mutual fund information on the Internet. The move
continues Intuit's goal to provide "comprehensive investment
information" to Intuit customers via links to Intuit's Internet World
Wide Web site, the Quicken Financial Network (QFN).

Intuit's acquisition of Galt will be structured as a pooling transaction
for accounting purposes, and is anticipated to be closed by September,
1996. Over the next year, Intuit will offer Galt products, but Galt will
remain independent until closing, in fall of 1996.

Sheryl Ross, a spokesperson for Intuit told Newsbytes, "Upon the
closing of the transaction, Intuit will issue to Galt's shareholders,
shares of its common stock in an amount to be determined by a formula
based on Galt's performance over the next year. Galt's revenues for the
current fiscal year are projected to be less than $3 million, and the
expected transaction value should be around $9 million."

The acquisition is part of a continuing effort of Intuit to offer
complete financial services through one source. Speaking to Newsbytes,
David Crimm, director of Automated Financial Services for Intuit, said,
"Intuit aims to provide a complete set of products in all aspects of an
individuals investment cycle. Our mission and goal is to offer products
in all three stages of personal finance: planning, transactions, and
record keeping. Mutual funds are a key ingredient to a complete program,
and Galt is the premiere Internet mutual fund information provider."

Intuit provides an integrated version of the Netscape Navigator and
free access to QFN to users of the newest version of Quicken for
Windows. Within weeks, it plans to include access to Galt's Mutual
Fund Market Manager program, which contains detailed information
and prospectuses from 65 mutual fund companies. QFN can be found
on the Internet at http://www.intuit.com/quicken .

Galt's Internet site, NETworth, can be found at http://networth.galt.com .
The site provides investors with: current mutual fund information,
including prospectuses, performance figures, and other information from
more than 65 mutual fund companies; 15-minute delayed stock and mutual
fund quotes via a dedicated S&P data connection; and access to the
Morningstar database on more than 6,500 mutual funds.

Said Robert Frasca, Galt's president and chief executive officer, "This
merger is great for the mutual fund companies who make information on
their funds available through Galt's services, because it gives them
access to Intuit's huge customer base."

Intuit pioneered computerized personal finance management with the
introduction of Quicken in 1984. Intuit's online financial services
launched bill pay in 1990, IntelliCharge credit card services in 1993,
and Quicken Quotes, an online stock quote service, in 1994. In recent
months, Intuit has announced partnerships with 22 of the nation's
leading financial institutions to allow customers to do banking and bill
payment online. Intuit also announced that new versions of Quicken
will include Investor Insight, an online service that will provide
personally-tailored information on stocks and mutual funds.

(Richard Bowers/19951110/Press Contact: Sheryl Ross,
Intuit, 415-329-3569)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/10/95
TELECOM
Comcast Cellular Fights Fraud With PIN Numbers

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(MSP)(00023)
Comcast Cellular Fights Fraud With PIN Numbers 11/10/95
WAYNE, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 10 (NB) -- Comcast Corp.'s
(NASDAQ:CMCSA, CMCSK) cellular subsidiary said it is tackling the
issue of cellular fraud head-on, by instituting a personal
identification number (PIN) system for phone calls, along with
hiring two experts on crime.

Comcast said it is now estimated that cellular fraud costs carriers
more than $1 billion dollars annually, and 60,000 cases are reported
each month. With that in mind, the company has hired cellular fraud
expert Dennis H. Walters, and former white collar crime prosecutor
Patricia C. Meyers.

"Cellular fraud is a problem that every carrier faces, and as an
industry we're beginning to fight back with tougher and more severe
penalties that will eventually put these criminals where they
belong -- behind bars," said Donald A. Harris, president of Comcast
Cellular.

Walters has been active in law enforcement since 1963, and was a
founding member of the Cellular Telephone Industry Association's
Cellular Fraud Task Force. He's also trained more than 2,000
employees of cellular phone companies and cellular agents about
fraud prevention.

Meyers prosecuted white collar crime as head of the New York County
District Attorney's Frauds Bureau. She also developed a
telecommunications fraud and computer crime unit. She's also worked
with numerous cellular carriers in the New York City area in the
investigation and prosecution of cellular cloning operations.
Meyers also put people behind bars who were running cloning scams.

"By bringing on board experts like Dennis and Patricia, and instituting
these preventive methods, we feel confident that we'll take a bite out
of this continually troubling situation, in a meaningful and proactive
way," Harris said.

A key preventive method is the PIN number, which is effective
immediately, Harris said. Subscribers can call Comcast Cellular's
Fraud Hot-Line to choose a confidential, four-digit number. The
number then works like any other PIN number, like at ATMs (automatic
teller machines). Callers insert the PIN number immediately after they
dial the number they're calling, but before they press "Send." Harris
said with using the PIN number, cloners won't be able to use any
numbers they "grab" out of the air in the Comcast Cellular service
area.

Other cellular phone carriers have been taking action against fraud
and cloning operations. Last January, Newsbytes reported on Bell
Atlantic and NYNEX's efforts to stem the cellular crime wave by
blocking automated roaming and instituting a PIN number system in
New York City and surrounding areas. Also, Cellular One has instituted
a PIN number plan in the areas it serves, including New York City,
San Francisco, Sacramento, Las Vegas, and Jacksonville, Florida.

(Bob Woods/19951110/Press Contact: David Guerin, Guerin & Kapnek
Communications, 215-784-9060)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/10/95
LEGAL
 ****Packard Bell Fires Another Shot In Compaq War

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(DEN)(00024)
 ****Packard Bell Fires Another Shot In Compaq War 11/10/95
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 10 (NB) -- Packard Bell
Electronics Inc. (NASDAQ: PBEL) has filed another shot in its war
with Compaq Computer Corp. (NYSE: CPQ), charging that Compaq
falsely labels some of its notebook computer shipping cartons to
indicate the product was made in America when it was really
produced overseas.

The allegations amend an October suit filed by Packard Bell and
seeks damages for false advertising and violation of the Lanham Act
that prohibits misrepresentation of the origin of goods. Packard
Bell said its new charges are based on an eight-page sworn affidavit
provided by a former Compaq employee. Compaq senior public
relations manager Yvonne Donaldson confirmed that the individual
used to work for Compaq expediting import and export shipments
through US Customs.

Packard Bell claims that Compaq repackages PCs made in Singapore
in boxes that indicate the computers as American products. The
affidavit claims that, when Compaq notebook computers are returned
to Compaq and then re-sold, they are re-packaged in different
cartons that are marked "CPU Product of USA."

The former employee, who was not identified by Packard Bell,
claims he repeatedly told Compaq officials he objected to what he
called "deceptive practices" and that false labeling violated US
Customs law. He claims his objections were ignored and goes on to
say that his superior told him "not to put anything damaging to
Compaq in writing."

The October suit filed by Packard Bell claims Compaq falsely
described Packard Bell's return policies and misled customers in
comparing the products and policies of the two companies.

Packard Bell said it is also asking the court to issue an injunction
requiring Compaq to correctly label its products to show the actual
country of origin.

"These are litigation tactics. They are trying to divert attention
away from the real issue, which is that Packard Bell doesn't mark
their PCs to indicate they are refurbished and they use used parts,"
Compaq spokesperson Yvonne Donaldson told Newsbytes.

"Our products are clearly marked 'Made in Singapore,'" said
Donaldson. The majority of Compaq portables are built in
Singapore. Donaldson said returned products are processed through
the company's Houston, Texas facility. "If there is a glitch in our
automatic bar code labeling operation it will be corrected, We don't
know yet if there is a glitch," the spokesperson told Newsbytes.

This week's suit is just another round in a long-running battle
between the two companies that started when Compaq charged that
Packard Bell sells computers as new, when in fact, they contain used
parts.

Compaq acknowledges that it also re-sells PCs that are returned.
The company said that includes unsold dealer inventory, allegedly
defective products, and what it called "convenience returns" from
consumers. Compaq said a computer is considered new if it is
returned in an unopened, original box. The company said if the box
has been opened the unit is tested to determine if it has been used.
If the PC has been used, said Compaq, it may be sold as "refurbished."
If there is no evidence of use, it might be sold as new, possibly
with upgraded features, said the company.

In December, 1994, Newsbytes reported Compaq had filed a patent
infringement suit against Packard Bell that alleged willful
infringement of three Compaq patents on desktop and laptop computer
power functions and video displays. Compaq captured the 1994
worldwide PC crown for total units shipped, with Packard Bell
finishing number 4. Compaq appears to be on its way to repeating
its win in 1995.

In May of this year, Compaq sued Packard Bell for $585 million for
damages it said it suffered due to patent infringement by Packard
Bell. The case involves six Compaq patents for power conservation,
video display and processor speed, two high speed switching
technologies, and a programmable interrupt controller for desktops
and portables. The case is set for trial in June 1996.

(Jim Mallory/19951110/Press contact: Compaq, Yvonne Donaldson,
Compaq, 713-514-4463 or Liz O'Donnell, The Bohle Co. for Packard
Bell, 310-785-0515)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/10/95
TRENDS
 ****Home Online Market On Verge Of Explosion _ Study

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(MSP)(00025)
 ****Home Online Market On Verge Of Explosion _ Study 11/10/95
COLUMBUS, OHIO, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 10 (NB) -- Many more people use
online services from work as compared to home, a new study conducted by
Odyssey for Compuserve showed. That gap should narrow in the next few
years as more people start dialing into online networks from home.

The Odyssey/Compuserve study, called "Project WOW!" took a look at the
next wave of at-home online consumers. Project WOW! is a code name for
an all-new online service Compuserve is putting together to be targeted
at the user who is new to the online world.

According to the study, 11 percent of Americans use online services
primarily from the home, while 27 percent go online from work, school,
or home. Most see strong consumer benefits, including "really
useful" at 59 percent, "making life easier" at 47 percent, and for
adult and child educational uses at 58 percent and 56 percent,
respectively.

The study also showed the vast majority of Americans, at 76 percent,
view online services as the "wave of the future." Among consumers not
yet online, nearly 50 percent of computer owners and 67 percent of non-
computer owners see themselves as being online by the end of 1997. A
majority of those people said they'll be in cyberspace by the end of
1996.

"There's a lot of validation that these services are starting to reach
out to the consumer," Matt Wolfrom, Compuserve spokesperson, told
Newsbytes. "The consumers are seeing online services as a mainstream
industry as opposed to a niche industry."

Wolfrom said that the total online population representing 27 percent
of the total American populous was surprising to him because other
studies have shown that number to be much lower. However, 25 percent
of Americans have never even heard of online services.

Legislators may want to take note of the number of people who think
going online will make it easy to access pornography. Forty-six
percent said they worry pornography will be introduced into the home
environment because of online access. In addition, a "relatively
small" 24 percent expressed concern about online being unsafe for
kids, the study said, and 70 percent see online services as needing
parental monitoring.

The study concluded that, to reach the millions who will go online in
the next few years, service providers must "embrace sophisticated,
targeted marketing approaches and recognize that certain offerings and
attributes of today's providers will be significantly less important
and less relevant to tomorrow's users."

(Bob Woods/19951110/Press Contacts: Matt Wolfrom, 212-872-8190, or
Aimee Munsell, 212-872-8051, both of Porter/Novelli for Compuserve)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/10/95
BROADCAST
MPEG-2 For DirecTV

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(LAX)(00026)
MPEG-2 For DirecTV 11/10/95
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 10 (NB) -- Compression Labs
Inc. (CLI)(NASDAQ: CLIX) announced that it has completed the conversion
to MPEG-2 (Motion Picture Experts Group type 2) digital encoding systems
in the direct broadcast satellite (DBS) services of DirectTV. The
deployment is claimed to be the largest installation of MPEG-2 encoding
equipment in the world.

CLI is the sole supplier of video, audio, and data digital encoding
systems used in the DBS services of DirectTV. DirectTV, which just
announced its one-millionth customer, claims to be the largest DBS
system in the world.

Gary Trimm, president of CLI's Broadcast Products Group, explained
to Newsbytes the impact of the deployment, saying: "MPEG-2 is the
current standard for digital transmission of video and data. We have
been operating for the last two years with MPEG-1 standards. All of
the decoders in the DirecTV system can handle both MPEG standards,
but the encoders can only take MPEG-1. This announcement refers to
bringing the encoders up to MPEG-2.

"The main differences for the consumer between the two standards is
the improved picture quality with MPEG-2, and the potential to offer
more channels over a DBS system." said Trimm.

The converted Magnitude MPEG-2 encoding systems have been operating
at the DirecTV Castle Rock Broadcast Center in Colorado and the United
States Satellite Broadcasting (USSB) Oak Dale Broadcast Center in
Minnesota for more than two months.

"Conversion of the USSB National Broadcast Center from MPEG-1 to
MPEG-2 encoding, combined with the addition of statistical multiplexing,
gives us the ability to offer more channels to DSB owners nationwide,"
said Robert W. Hubbard, executive vice president, USSB.

CLI's MPEG-2 implementation incorporates all the latest specifications
and standards improvements as well as certain value-added
enhancements, including statistical multiplexing. According to Trimm,
this feature adjusts the data rate to achieve optimum utilization of
bandwidth and optimum video quality.

Bill Butterworth, executive vice president of DirecTV, said, "The new
CLI MPEG-2 encoders provide excellent video and audio quality and
very reliable operation, which enables DirecTV to offer an even better
viewing experience for our one million customers."

(Richard Bowers/19951110/Press Contact: Joyce Strand, Compression
Labs, 408-922-4610)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/10/95
BROADCAST
 ****Gates' Comdex Keynote To Be Televised

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(DEN)(00027)
 ****Gates' Comdex Keynote To Be Televised 11/10/95
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 10 (NB) -- PC-TV Inc. announced
this week it will air a same-day broadcast of Microsoft Chairman
Bill Gates' Comdex keynote address when Gates presents his vision
for the future of desktop computing. The broadcast will be a Business
Computing special on the Jones Computer Network (JCN) and the ME/U
network nationwide.

JCN has an agreement with Microsoft TV that gives JCN sole same-day
broadcast rights for the Gates speech. Microsoft TV crews will be
taping at Comdex with Stewart Cheifet, who will host the PC-TV
broadcast. PC-TV produces Computer Chronicles, now in its 13th season.
Cheifet hosts the series.

Comdex 95, this year's edition of the computer industry's annual
fall trade show, opens its doors Monday, November 13th at the Las
Vegas Convention Center, the Sands Expo and Convention Center, and
the Sands Hotel and Casino.

In addition to Gates' talk on Tuesday, IBM's Louis Gerstner and
Novell's Robert Frankenberg will also present keynote addresses.
Gerstner will speak on Monday, November 13, and Frankenberg's
talk is set for Wednesday, November 15. All keynote addresses are
scheduled to start at 9am at the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing
Arts.

While the show isn't open to the general public except by
invitation, anyone with an Internet connection can keep up with
Comdex happening. Just log onto the World Wide Web site at
http://www.comdex.com.8000 .

Microsoft TV produces training programs for Microsoft Windows 95 and
Office 95, the DevCast series, the Microsoft Office Solutions series,
and the Microsoft Distributed Computing series. Microsoft TV
content is distributed via satellite, cable television, videoconferencing,
and videotape. It is also a co-producer of Business Computing with PC-TV.

The Spring Comdex show in Atlanta and the fall show in Las Vegas
are often the platforms for the launch of new products, but few
major announcements are expected at the Las Vegas show this year.

Newsbytes will have a team of reporters and editors in Las Vegas to
to provide daily coverage direct from the various exhibition venues.

To view the Gates' speech check your local cable listings or call
your cable company.

(Jim Mallory/19951110/Press contact: Terri Childs, PC-TV,
520-529-0890)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
00 11/10/95
TRENDS
 ****Diamond Delivers 8X CD-ROM Drive Under $

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00028)
 ****Diamond Delivers 8X CD-ROM Drive Under $400 11/10/95
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 10 (NB) -- In the blink
of an eye, six-speed CD-ROM drives are yesterday's news. Diamond
Multimedia (NASDAQ:DIMD) says its 8X Multimedia Upgrade Kit
800 is available now, with an estimated street price of $399.

This past summer, Newsbytes ran a story quoting an industry
insider who said 6x CD-ROM drives were tweaked 4x drives and would
be as strong in the market as 3x drives. This past September, 8x
drives started to appear in limited retail channels with prices over
$500. One of those was the Diamond's Ultra Kit 8000 with a wavetable
sound card for $599.

Diamond's newest 8X kit includes an eight-speed CD-ROM drive, an
interface card, Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia 1996 Edition,
and cables that work with any sound card. The enhanced IDE
(Integrated Drive Electronics) drive provides a 1,200 kilobyte (KB)
per second transfer rate, an access time of 230 milliseconds (ms),
and a buffer size of 256KB. The new drive is PhotoCD- and Multisession
XA-compatible. Installation software and a user guide are also included.

Speaking to Newsbytes, Paul Nahi, Diamond's director of product
marketing, said, "We never did anything with the 6x drives because we
felt the 8x was more important. Just like the 2x was a significant
increase over single speeds, and the 4x was an equally important step,
we realize the 8x would be the next major technological advancement
in CD-ROM drives -- 6-x drives will last as long as the 3x did."

Diamond characteristically holds product announcements until they
have placed units in the retail channel. According to Diamond, demand
for its 8x drives has been great. Nahi said exact numbers shipped are
confidential, but "tens of thousands of units are involved," he said.

Newsbytes learned from another source that the CD-ROM drive industry
is looking further ahead with a 10-speed, and even a 12-speed, drive
planned in the next 18 months.

Nahi said he expects the 4x market to remain strong for another 18
months, while inventories begin to decrease and the price of 8x drives
become more affordable. Users can expect to see 8x drives bundled in
personal computer systems in the second half of 1996.

(Patrick McKenna/19951110/Press Contact: Sarah Faiola, Faiola
Davis Public Relations, 213-933-4959; Joan Huang, Diamond,
408-325-7236)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/10/95
IBM
Business "Getting Serious" About Web, Says IBM Exec

(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00029)
Business "Getting Serious" About Web, Says IBM Exec 11/10/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 10 (NB) -- The presence
of so many "people in business suits" at last week's
Internetworld Boston '95 signifies the serious role the World Wide
Web is starting to take on within corporations and other
enterprises, said Drew Clark, IBM's manager of Internet/Web Software
Solutions, during a briefing for Newsbytes on IBM's Internet
gateway strategy.

Clark also pointed to the fact that, during the IBM/Lotus press
conference at the Internet show in Boston, John R. Patrick, IBM's
VP of Internet applications, kept reiterating, "It's our business
to put your business on the Web."

The current beta program for IBM's DB2 and CICS Internet gateways
is underscoring the concept of the Web as a "business product,"
he added. Specifically, he elaborated, the Web is beginning to
become "the ultimate middleware."

"IS (information systems) have been frustrated when the boss has
said that it's time to move to a client-server environment. The
potential of client-server has never been disputed. It's just
that the middleware has been so complicated," Clark told
Newsbytes.

At first, "client-server" applications were limited to the model
of one machine as "server," with multiple smaller machines as
"clients," he continued. More recently, business managers have
been envisioning more innovative applications involving groupware
and three-tiered architectures, for instance. But IS departments
have often faced "major headaches" in turning the newer concepts
into reality.

Although vendors have been moving to "open systems," the term
"still means different things to different people," resulting in
interoperability issues, particularly with regard to database
access, according to the IBM exec.

But through "the brilliance of the Web," vendors have agreed to
support a small set of standards that includes TCP/IP (Transmission
Control Protocol/Internet Protocol), GIF, HTML (hypertext markup
language), and HTTP. "And with those in place, we can really go
to town," he contended.

IBM's upcoming Internet gateways to DB2 and CICS, announced in
June, make use of the Web for "complex data integration for
getting database and transaction and message queuing from the
network," according to Clark. "The gateways connect the user back
to the data, which is the whole point."

An upcoming server package from Lotus and IBM, also unveiled at
Internetworld, and slated for release next year, will add Lotus
Notes and InterNotes capabilities and IBM's secure Internet
server software to the Internet database gateways.

The package, which is code-named "Spike," will also provide
"enhanced DB2 coupling to Notes for information sharing," Clark
maintained. "The Web doesn't share as much as it gathers.
Information sharing is really where Notes shines," he reported.

In announcing the Internet gateways in June, he noted, IBM also
launched a beta program that calls for customers to download the
gateways directly from IBM's home page on the Web
(http://www.ibm.com ) for evaluation.

"We've been getting more beta users every day. And in the past
month, things have picked up tremendously, as more people realize
that there is this incredible untapped ability to get the data
out there to the people who need it," Clark asserted.

One beta user, an engineering company, is using IBM's DB2
Internet gateway to order supplies from an engineering parts
supplier over the Web, "literally by dragging and dropping."

Schools are making database information about their academic
programs and other services available to the general public over
the Web. Other emerging applications include using the Web to
obtain information from travel agencies and confirm travel
reservations, and employing the databases of airline companies to
"qualify and debit your own frequent flyer accounts" while
online.

The Web is also providing methods of "leveraging all those
servers out there" in ways that give greater control to users,
according to Clark. Users can already write "simple forms
applications in HTML," including personal home pages, and post
them to Web servers, the IBM exec observed.

In the not too distant future, he predicted, users will be able
to access a wide variety of "custom applets," written by
developers, that will be "running across the Web."

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951109/Reader Contacts: IBM, 914-765-1900;
Parna Sarkar-Basu, Brodeur & Partners for IBM, 617-622-2800)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/10/95
GENERAL
Newsbytes Week In Review

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00030)
Newsbytes Week In Review 11/10/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 10 (NB) -- This is a
look at the top stories this week, listing with their category
code: Internet Users Gather In Shock At Assassination; Internet
Update - Israeli News Sources Special; SoftKey Play For Learning
Company Turning Ugly; Apple Computers With Pentium Processors;
Compuserve's Web Kit For Kids, Spryte Plans; Compaq To Acquire
Networth Networking Firm; More Chip Factories Essential, Says TI
Exec; Sun Speeds To 200 MHz With New Processor; Spyglass Licenses
Java Technology For Mosaic; Compuserve Settles Downloading Music
Case; FTC Inquiry Of Maxis; AOL Passes 4 Million Members, Posts
Qtr Loss; MCI To Sell Music CD's By Phone, Internet; Israeli Univ
Expels Student Over Internet Message; Ziff Davis Publishing Sold
To Softbank For $2.1Bil; Windows NT To Replace Unix - Survey;
Windows 95 Is A Hacker's Dream Over The Internet; Thinking
Machines Leaving Bankruptcy; GE Seeks Buyer For Genie Online
Service?; IBM Cuts Costs, 1,200 Out Of Work; Diamond Delivers 8X
CD-ROM Drive Under $400.

Internet Users Gather In Shock At Assassination (ONLINE)

TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 6 (NB) -- At 2316 local Israeli time on
Saturday a Reuter flash informed the world, "RABIN DEAD - SENIOR
AIDE." The death of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, felled by an
assassin's bullet on Saturday night, started a period of mourning that
extended from the Middle Eastern country to the rest of the world and
into cyberspace.

Internet Update - Israeli News Sources Special (ONLINE)

TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 6 (NB) -- In this special update, a listing of
Internet resources and services offering the latest news from Israel
following the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin late on
Saturday night.

SoftKey Play For Learning Company Turning Ugly (BUSINESS)

CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 6 (NB) -- SoftKey
International Inc. (NASDAQ:SKEY) has begun an attempt to oust directors
of The Learning Co. (NASDAQ:LRNG), the Fremont, California, educational
software firm it is seeking to acquire in a hostile takeover.

Apple Computers With Pentium Processors (APPLE)

CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 6 (NB) -- At COMDEX, Apple
Computer (NASDAQ:AAPL) plans to demonstrate the cross-platform value of
its Macintosh computers with PCI (Peripheral Connect Interface) boards
powered by Pentium and Cyrix 586 processors. The prototype cards,
called PC Compatibility Cards, allow Macs to run traditional Macintosh
and Windows and DOS-based computer applications.

Compuserve's Web Kit For Kids, Spryte Plans (ONLINE)

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 6 -- Compuserve's
upcoming Internet service for consumers, code-named Spryte, will
provide services for Web novices that will compete against those
of America Online (AOL)'s flagship brand, maintained Rob Mayner,
VP of product development, during a meeting with Newsbytes at
Internetworld Boston that centered on Compuserve's new Internet
in a Box for Kids.

Compaq To Acquire Networth Networking Firm (BUSINESS)

HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 7 (NB) -- Compaq Computer Corp.
(NYSE: CPQ) has taken another step towards dominating the networking
systems market by announcing that the company will acquire Networth
Inc. (NASDAQ: NWTH) for about $372 million. Networth develops and
manufactures Ethernet and Fast Ethernet hubs, switching hubs, and
network management products.

More Chip Factories Essential, Says TI Exec (TRENDS)

DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 7 (NB) -- Demand is so strong for
semiconductors that the industry will have to start construction on
one chip factor per week for the next five years in order to fill
orders, according to the chief economist of Texas Instruments Inc.
(NYSE: TXN).

Sun Speeds To 200 MHz With New Processor (CHIPS)

SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A, 1995 NOV 7 (NB) -- SPARC
Technology Business, a division of Sun Microsystems (NYSE:SUNW),
has announced sampling of its 200 megahertz (MHz), 64-bit UltraSPARC-1
micorporcessor, and three new motherboards based on the 143MHz and
167MHz versions. The new 200 MHz processor incorporates on-chip
support for MPEG-2 (Motion Picture Experts Group 2) decode.

Spyglass Licenses Java Technology For Mosaic (ONLINE)

NAPERVILLE, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 8 (NB) -- The company that
licenses its technology to other firms is now on the flip side of
the coin, as Spyglass Inc. (NASDAQ:SPYG) announced it is licensing
Java technology from Sun Microsystems Inc. (NASDAQ:SUNW). Spyglass
will integrate Java with future versions of its Mosaic Internet
World Wide Web browser, one of which will be out early next year,
Spyglass officials told Newsbytes.

Compuserve Settles Downloading Music Case (LEGAL)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 8 (NB) -- The National
Music Publishers' Association (NMPA) has announced an agreement with
Compuserve in a landmark class-action suit over music copyright
infringement. Submitted for approval to the court and class members,
the agreement establishes licensing parameters for uploading and
downloading copyrighted music.

FTC Inquiry Of Maxis (LEGAL)

WALNUT CREEK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 8 (NB) -- Maxis Inc.
(NASDAQ: MXIS), developer of SimCity and SimCity 2000, says that it has
received an informal inquiry from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
The inquiry centers on Maxis' previously-announced decision not to sell
products to competitors NewMedia Express and Electronic Arts
Distribution.

AOL Passes 4 Million Members, Posts Qtr Loss (ONLINE)

VIENNA, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 8 (NB) -- America Online
says it has passed the four million member mark and cites an Odyssey
"market study" which says AOL is now as large as Compuserve and
Prodigy combined. At the same time, AOL released its first quarter
results with a 250% increase in revenues and a net loss of $10,262,000.

MCI To Sell Music CD's By Phone, Internet (TRENDS)

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- MCI Corp.
(NASDAQ:MCIC) is expanding its electronic influence into the
world of music retailing.  The telecommunications giant said it has
opened a service, called "1-800-MUSICNOW," which will feature audio
clips, live operator help, and over-the-phone ordering of CD's and
cassettes.

Israeli Univ Expels Student Over Internet Message (ONLINE)

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL, 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- An Israeli University has
expelled a student after he sent a message publicly supporting the
recent assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. The student
studied at Bar Ilan University, the same university that confessed
killer Yigal Amir, and Rabin's injured bodyguard studied.

Ziff Davis Publishing Sold To Softbank For $2.1Bil (BUSINESS)

TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- Japan's Softbank Corporation
(TSE:9984), and its President Mayoshi Son, has walked away with Ziff
Davis Publishing for $2.1 billion. In a press conference today, Son
outlined plans for the company, which include a massive expansion in
titles and forecasts of much greater circulation in the next ten years.

Windows NT To Replace Unix - Survey (WINDOWS)

PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- Hewlett-Packard
(NYSE:HWP) conducted a survey of 200 senior technology managers at
Fortune 1000 companies and their top concern was in-house expertise
to integrate and support 32-bit operating systems.

Windows 95 Is A Hacker's Dream Over The Internet (WINDOWS)

CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- Windows 95, combined with the
Internet, could be a dream made in hacker heaven. From seasoned propeller
heads Newsbytes has contacted, it looks like Windows 95 could be more of
a security nightmare than was first thought.

Thinking Machines Leaving Bankruptcy (BUSINESS)

BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- Thinking
Machines will leave bankruptcy over the next 60 to 90 days
through a newly filed $10 million recapitalization plan, and is
now in the process of porting its parallel processing systems
software and Darwin decision support (DSS) applications to Sun
Microsystems' new UltraSparc-based systems, said Thinking
Machines CEO (Chief Executive Officer) Robert Doretti, in an
interview with Newsbytes.

GE Seeks Buyer For Genie Online Service? (ONLINE)

ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- Rumors are circulating
that General Electric (GE) is looking for a buyer for its long-running
Genie online service. According to Doug Wolford, a spokesman for GE,
the rumors appear to be have been started by a journalist writing in
the Washington Post late last week, surmising that the logical step
for GE is to sell its online service.

IBM Cuts Costs, 1,200 Out Of Work (IBM)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 10 (NB) -- IBM (NYSE:IBM) told
about 1,200 employees across the United States Thursday that their jobs
are gone. Several locations and several areas of IBM operations were
affected.

Diamond Delivers 8X CD-ROM Drive Under $400 (TRENDS)

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 10 (NB) -- In the blink
of an eye, six-speed CD-ROM drives are yesterday's news. Diamond
Multimedia (NASDAQ:DIMD) says its 8X Multimedia Upgrade Kit
800 is available now, with an estimated street price of $399.

(Ian Stokell/19951110)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00031)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 11/10/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 10 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|           Friday, November 10, 1995            |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network's on the Web! Check out http://www.nbnn.com for
free daily top stories from Newsbytes and its affiliate publications, and
from PC Week, MacWeek, and other Ziff news magazines. A subscription
gives you all the news, full-text, plus the most comprehensive database
of past computer stories online. The keyword-searchable database dates
from today back through 1983. Subscriptions are $24.95 for three months.
Questions? Send to '[e-mail]'  For Japanese Newsbytes
and additional services, see the Newsbytes Pacifica Website at
http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

APPLE     Power Clones A Hit At Australian Macworld.................. 14

BROADCAST DEC Wraps Up Adlink Digital Ad Insertion Deployment........ 12

BROADCAST MPEG-2 For DirecTV......................................... 26

BROADCAST  ****Gates' Comdex Keynote To Be Televised................. 27

BUSINESS  EDS Asia Looks To Australia................................ 09

BUSINESS  Intel/Microsoft/Samsung Launch Moscow Marketing Program.... 13

BUSINESS  Tokyo Market - Stocks End The Week Mixed................... 18

BUSINESS  Develcon Stake In HyperCore Anticipates Gradual ATM Growth. 21

BUSINESS  Intuit Acquires Galt Technologies.......................... 22

EDUCATION Editorial - The Spider's Web............................... 11

GENERAL   NewsPix Update For Newsbytes Publishers.................... 15

GENERAL   Japan Newsbriefs........................................... 16

GENERAL   Newsbytes Week In Review................................... 30

GOVT      GTSI Beefs Up Air Force Desktop IV Offerings............... 02

IBM        ****IBM Cuts Costs, 1,200 Out Of Work..................... 19

IBM       Business "Getting Serious" About Web, Says IBM Exec........ 29

LEGAL     Online Smut Fight Flares Up................................ 01

LEGAL      ****Packard Bell Fires Another Shot In Compaq War......... 24

ONLINE    America Online Rolls Out Software Developers Program....... 03

ONLINE    Escrow Services Online..................................... 05

ONLINE    Film Processor Returns Snapshots Via Internet.............. 06

ONLINE    "Disgruntled" E-Zine Focuses On People Who Work............ 10

ONLINE    Internet Update............................................ 17

ONLINE    MobileMedia Paging Via America Online...................... 20

PC        DEC Media Module Gets Faster, Cheaper...................... 04

TELECOM   Software Manages Online Communications..................... 07

TELECOM   Comcast Cellular Fights Fraud With PIN Numbers............. 23

TRENDS    Superconductor Cellular Base Station Testing............... 08

TRENDS     ****Home Online Market On Verge Of Explosion _ Study...... 25

TRENDS     ****Diamond Delivers 8X CD-ROM Drive Under $400........... 28

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 -> Online Smut Fight Flares Up -- After smoldering for several weeks,
the issue of smut in cyberspace has once again burst into flames.  Social
conservatives including the Christian Coalition have written to
House-Senate conferees on the telecommunications legislation, urging
support for the approach in the Senate bill that would make "indecent"
online content illegal.

2 -> GTSI Beefs Up Air Force Desktop IV Offerings -- Government
Technology Services Inc. (Nasdaq: GTSI) is adding muscle to its basic
computer system offering under the Air Force Desktop IV contract. The
upgrade is designed to make the GTSI system more competitive with the
system offered by competitor Zenith Data Systems.

3 -> America Online Rolls Out Software Developers Program -- America
Online has rolled out a program to open the AOL platform to third party
developers, so that they can integrate their software with the AOL online
environment.

4 -> DEC Media Module Gets Faster, Cheaper -- Digital Equipment Corp.
(NYSE:DEC) has announced a new version of its Mobile Media Module that is
faster and cheaper than the original.

5 -> Escrow Services Online -- Data Track Systems Inc. (DTS) has unveiled
a transaction-based Internet system designed to "facilitate online
processing" for title insurance, escrow, and other settlement services.
DTS sees the Internet as the future for business transactions of all
types, with real estate transactions only the beginning.

6 -> Film Processor Returns Snapshots Via Internet -- Seattle Filmworks
(NASDAQ: FOTO) has started returning customers' developed photographs via
the Internet. The new delivery service is called PhotoMail and is an
expansion of Seattle Filmworks' existing digital delivery service.

7 -> Software Manages Online Communications -- Enhanced Systems Inc. has
announced a messaging software module that lets you access and manage
your e-mail, voice-mail, faxes, and any pages that come in over the World
Wide Web.

8 -> Superconductor Cellular Base Station Testing -- Conductus Inc.
(NASDAQ:CDTS), a developer of high-temperature superconductor (HTS) and
cryoelectronics technology, has announced  a low-noise filter subsystem
for cellular base stations. The system, which combines a superconducting
bandpass filter and a cryogenic low-noise amplifier, is designed to
provide enhanced range and signal quality in rural cellular sites.

9 -> EDS Asia Looks To Australia -- News has emerged that Electronic Data
Systems is looking to Adelaide, Australia, as a support hub for its
growing business in Asia.

10 -> "Disgruntled" E-Zine Focuses On People Who Work -- Business
journalism takes a turn towards both the humorous and dark side, with the
launch of the electronic magazine (e-zine) "Disgruntled: The Magazine For
People Who Work For A Living." The Internet World Wide Web publication
mixes news, features, satire, and commentary about the work world, from
the perspective of the employee.

11 -> Editorial - The Spider's Web -- By Gary Kallback. My son recently
turned in a homework assignment to a substitute teacher in which he had
researched bridge construction for an upcoming project in his 8th grade
technology class. I had allowed him to use the CompuServe Wizard browser
installed on my home computer.

12 -> DEC Wraps Up Adlink Digital Ad Insertion Deployment -- "We now have
the technology, at a price that can be justified," maintained Digital
Equipment Corp.'s Peter Martin, in an interview with Newsbytes about the
just completed deployment of Digital's Alpha- based video server
technology at Adlink. The deployment is one of the largest digital video
ad insertion applications to date, and the first to use MPEG (Motion
Picture Experts Group)-2 compression.

13 -> Intel/Microsoft/Samsung Launch Moscow Marketing Program -- Intel,
Microsoft, and Samsung offices in Moscow have announced the beginning of
a joint marketing program aimed at the promotion of Pentium computers
with the Windows 95 operating system. The program will fulfill the
requirements of a peculiar category of Russian engineers comprising small
scale "screwdriver" computer assemblers and "do-it-yourself" aficionados.

14 -> Power Clones A Hit At Australian Macworld -- IDG's Australian
Macworld Expo appeared to be off to a good start yesterday, with
impressive crowds and a good range of new products getting their first
Australian airing.

15 -> NewsPix Update For Newsbytes Publishers -- This update will be
posted each Wednesday and Friday to reflect the daily picture additions.
The updates will in turn become part of the main NewsPix Bulletin issued
on Monday.

16 -> Japan Newsbriefs -- In this roundup of news from Japan: Sony
switches battery production after fire; APEC summit begins next week;
NEC, Samsung extend agreement; Compaq reduce prices; Tokyo FM launch Web
page.

17 -> Internet Update -- In this roundup of new resources and services on
the global Internet: The Internet starting point; Daily radio broadcasts
for the Internet; Elle Magazine; Attorney yellow pages; University of
Michigan International Center; Performance tour search; The Alzheimer's
page; The UK Meteorological Office; Hispanic online magazine.

18 -> Tokyo Market - Stocks End The Week Mixed -- Stocks in Tokyo ended
the week mixed. The Nikkei 225 Index of leading shares closed Friday at
17843.56, a fall of 185.24 yen on the week.

19 ->  ****IBM Cuts Costs, 1,200 Out Of Work -- IBM (NYSE:IBM) told about
1,200 employees across the United States Thursday that their jobs are
gone. Several locations and several areas of IBM operations were
affected.

20 -> MobileMedia Paging Via America Online -- MobileMedia (NASDAQ:MLBM)
and America Online (NASDAQ:AMER) (AOL) are teaming to provide paging
service from the online service's network to people who carry MobileMedia
alphanumeric pagers. AOL subscribers can now send text messages directly
to MobileMedia pagers that can display both text and numbers.

21 -> Develcon Stake In HyperCore Anticipates Gradual ATM Growth --
George Best is skeptical of some of the rosier predictions about
asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) technology, but his company wants to be
ready for the rise of ATM nonetheless. So Develcon Electronics Ltd. has
bought a 40 percent stake in HyperCore, a small ATM developer nearby.

22 -> Intuit Acquires Galt Technologies -- Intuit Inc. has announced it
has reached an agreement to acquire Galt Technologies, a provider of
mutual fund information on the Internet. The move continues Intuit's goal
to provide "comprehensive investment information" to Intuit customers via
links to Intuit's Internet World Wide Web site, the Quicken Financial
Network (QFN).

23 -> Comcast Cellular Fights Fraud With PIN Numbers -- Comcast Corp.'s
(NASDAQ:CMCSA, CMCSK) cellular subsidiary said it is tackling the issue
of cellular fraud head-on, by instituting a personal identification
number (PIN) system for phone calls, along with hiring two experts on
crime.

24 ->  ****Packard Bell Fires Another Shot In Compaq War -- Packard Bell
Electronics Inc. (NASDAQ: PBEL) has filed another shot in its war with
Compaq Computer Corp. (NYSE: CPQ), charging that Compaq falsely labels
some of its notebook computer shipping cartons to indicate the product
was made in America when it was really produced overseas.

25 ->  ****Home Online Market On Verge Of Explosion _ Study -- Many more
people use online services from work as compared to home, a new study
conducted by Odyssey for Compuserve showed. That gap should narrow in the
next few years as more people start dialing into online networks from
home.

26 -> MPEG-2 For DirecTV -- Compression Labs Inc. (CLI)(NASDAQ: CLIX)
announced that it has completed the conversion to MPEG-2 (Motion Picture
Experts Group type 2) digital encoding systems in the direct broadcast
satellite (DBS) services of DirectTV. The deployment is claimed to be the
largest installation of MPEG-2 encoding equipment in the world.

27 ->  ****Gates' Comdex Keynote To Be Televised -- PC-TV Inc. announced
this week it will air a same-day broadcast of Microsoft Chairman Bill
Gates' Comdex keynote address when Gates presents his vision for the
future of desktop computing. The broadcast will be a Business Computing
special on the Jones Computer Network (JCN) and the ME/U network
nationwide.

28 ->  ****Diamond Delivers 8X CD-ROM Drive Under $400 -- In the blink of
an eye, six-speed CD-ROM drives are yesterday's news. Diamond Multimedia
(NASDAQ:DIMD) says its 8X Multimedia Upgrade Kit 800 is available now,
with an estimated street price of $399.

29 -> Business "Getting Serious" About Web, Says IBM Exec -- The presence
of so many "people in business suits" at last week's Internetworld Boston
'95 signifies the serious role the World Wide Web is starting to take on
within corporations and other enterprises, said Drew Clark, IBM's manager
of Internet/Web Software Solutions, during a briefing for Newsbytes on
IBM's Internet gateway strategy.

30 -> Newsbytes Week In Review -- This is a look at the top stories this
week, listing with their category code: Internet Users Gather In Shock At
Assassination; Internet Update - Israeli News Sources Special; SoftKey
Play For Learning Company Turning Ugly; Apple Computers With Pentium
Processors; Compuserve's Web Kit For Kids, Spryte Plans; Compaq To
Acquire Networth Networking Firm; More Chip Factories Essential, Says TI
Exec; Sun Speeds To 200 MHz With New Processor; Spyglass Licenses Java
Technology For Mosaic; Compuserve Settles Downloading Music Case; FTC
Inquiry Of Maxis; AOL Passes 4 Million Members, Posts Qtr Loss; MCI To
Sell Music CD's By Phone, Internet; Israeli Univ Expels Student Over
Internet Message; Ziff Davis Publishing Sold To Softbank For $2.1Bil;
Windows NT To Replace Unix - Survey; Windows 95 Is A Hacker's Dream Over
The Internet; Thinking Machines Leaving Bankruptcy; GE Seeks Buyer For
Genie Online Service?; IBM Cuts Costs, 1,200 Out Of Work; Diamond
Delivers 8X CD-ROM Drive Under $400.

(Ian Stokell/19951110)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD



Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/09/95
WINDOWS
UK - Access Intros Word Processing Translation Prgm

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(LON)(00001)
UK - Access Intros Word Processing Translation Prgm 11/09/95
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL, 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- Access Software International
has unveiled Accent Duo with Translation, a Windows-based package that
integrates Accent's word processor, Accent, to allow integrated
language translation.

According to Zoe Richardson, a spokeswoman for the company, the UKP99
package operates in English/Spanish, English/Italian, English/German,
and English/French, and allows for both multi-lingual word processing
and translations to and from English.

Accent Duo with Translation is built around Globalink's Language
Assistant translation software and allows Accent users to translate
entire documents, portions of documents, or working interactively with
the translation facility for better control and customization. After
translation, users can work with Access to edit the document in
either, or both, languages.

"The combination of our multilingual word processor with this
innovative translation software will provide users with the capability
to work in more than one language," said Bob Rosenschein, Accent's
president, who added that the need for more than just English is wide-
reaching in the educational, governmental, and international business
arenas.

According to the company, Accent Duo with Translation is compatible
with existing document formats, including Word, WordPerfect, and Word
Pro, and works under any language version of Windows 3.1 or Windows
95, needing a 386-based PC or better with at least six megabytes of
hard disk space.

Further details of Due with Translation can be found on Accent's
World Wide Web page at http://www.accentsoft.com .

(Steve Gold/19951106/Press Contact: The Rowland Company, +44-171-
436-4060, Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Reader
Contact: Accent Software International, UK [phone],
US 800-636-5256, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/09/95
ONLINE
Netbuddy Automates Internet Site Checking

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(DEN)(00002)
Netbuddy Automates Internet Site Checking 11/09/95
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- With the Internet
growing by leaps and bounds, it can be time-consuming, and sometimes
even frustrating, to visit all your favorite sites regularly. But
Internet Solutions Inc. is offering a free software tool it says is
designed to simplify access to those locations, as well as automatically
scan them for changes in order to keep the user up-to-date about
specified topics.

The product is called NetBuddy, and it lets you set up a list of
regularly checked sites on the World Wide Web. Internet Solutions
said NetBuddy is designed for Netscape's Navigator, one of the
most popular Web browsers, but will work with any
Netscape-compatible browser.

The user creates a directory, which can include sub-directories for
different Web sites on which they want to keep up-to-date. Once a
frequency schedule is established, which can be every few minutes
or just a couple of times a day, the software polls the Web page
for changes, in accordance with that schedule, and highlights the
changed page titles. You can then view any of those page with a
click of your mouse.

Users of Navigator 1.2 can import their bookmark files into Netbuddy
to avoid retyping long lists of often lengthy URLs (uniform resource
locators), the unique addresses used by Web pages.

A pre-release version of NetBuddy has been on the Internet
Solutions home page since September of this year. You can download
NetBuddy at no cost from the company's Web site at
http://www.netree.com.

Internet Solutions also offers an online service called Realty.Net,
which went online in March. Realty.Net specializes in real-
estate, construction, and related service listings on the Internet.

Realty.Net is still in its infancy, but a company spokesperson told
Newsbytes that users will eventually be able to check for available
real-estate for sale, or find a builder or supplier in most
metropolitan areas of the country. Currently the service is available
in some cities only. The Realty.Net Web address is http://www.realty.net .

(Jim Mallory/19951108/Press contact: Ann Revell-Pechar, Internet
Solutions, 206-462-4777; Public contact: Internet Solutions,
206-547-3881, Internet e-mail to [e-mail] )




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/09/95
ONLINE
New Health Care E-Mail Newsletter

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00003)
New Health Care E-Mail Newsletter 11/09/95
RESTON, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- St. Anthony Publishing
Inc. aims to simplify the accessing of health information on the
Internet. The company is introducing what it calls the "first"
electronic-mail newsletter in the US that will guide health care
pros and consumers to the electronic information.

The e-mail newsletter is called "St. Anthony's Health Care Internet
Alert." It will be published on a weekly basis with daily updates,
officials said. The Alert's team of reporters, researchers, and
editors surf the Net each day to dig up areas -- including World Wide
Web pages, file transfer protocol (FTP) sites, and gopher sites -- that
contain health information.

St. Anthony Publishing officials said 10 percent of all the information
and data on the Internet are health-care related.

"This is our first electronic product," Elizabeth Sheafer, St. Anthony
Publishing spokesperson, told Newsbytes. "My publisher had tried to
do some research on the Internet for healthcare, and found it to be a
nightmare. He couldn't find what he wanted. He thought it was an
unorganized mess. So this idea just came to him," she said.

"We decided to go forward with this and make it easier for people to
find good information on health on the Internet," Sheafer said.
Already more than 200 people have signed up for free one-month trial
subscriptions to the e-mail newsletter, Sheafer said.

The company says that, some of the people that will find the newsletter
helpful include consumers, doctors and caregivers, along with health
care researchers, librarians, administrators, consultants, and planners.

Newsbytes obtained copies of two of the newsletters. In the
publications, we found information on sites that included a "Virtual
Hospital," a healthcare recruitment site, pages containing information
on obesity, and various details on healthcare-related mailing listservs.
St. Anthony Publishing also maintains a healthcare listserv.

After the one-month free trial, a year's subscription is available
for $149, Sheafer said. But sometime early next year, that price will
be going up to $199 per year, she added. The Alert is also available
as a bi-weekly fax service.

Future Internet plans for St. Anthony Publishing include a Web site
for the company, which will be implemented early next year, Sheafer
said.

(Bob Woods/19951108/Press Contact: Elizabeth Sheafer, St. Anthony
Publishing, 800-632-0123 ext 5963. Public Contact: Lisa Campbell,
St. Anthony's Health Care Internet Alert, 800-632-0123 ext 5861)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/09/95
APPLE
T'Was Putt-Putt's Night Before Christmas

(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00004)
T'Was Putt-Putt's Night Before Christmas 11/09/95
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- Christmas may seem
a long way off, but the folks at Humongous Entertainment know
better, and they've released Putt-Putt's Night Before Christmas, a
children's book that comes with a read-along audio tape. The book
and tape are free with the purchase of any of the company's
"edutainment" products on CD-ROM.

Putt-Putt's Night Before Christmas is a full-color illustrated
book that rhymes its way through the predicament Putt-Putt, a
little purple car, and his dog Pep, face when Santa's sleigh
breaks down on the roof of their garage on Christmas eve.

The book's 28 hand-colored pages explaining how Santa will make
Christmas were done by the same artists who animated the company's
titles "Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds" and
"Putt-Putt Saves the Zoo," CD-ROM products previously reported on
by Newsbytes.

Other titles in the Putt-Putt series for children ages three
to eight include: "Let's Explore the Jungle;" "Let's Explore the
Airport;" and "Let's Explore the Farm." Those titles are published
in partnership with Random House, and sell for about $29.95 each.
"Jungle" will ship later this month.

Underlying the entertainment face of the Humongous products is an
educational factor that teaches children as they have fun. In the
"Explore" series the kids learn about rain forests, how baggage is
handled and what keeps airplanes in the air, as well as where eggs
and milk come from.

Humongous also publishes a junior adventure series that includes
"Putt-Putt Joins the Parade," "Putt-Putt Goes to the Moon," "Fatty
Bear's Birthday Surprise," and "Putt-Putt & Fatty Bear's Activity
Pack." All are available for the Macintosh platform and for Windows
3.1 or Windows 95 at an estimated price of $39.95 on CD-ROM.

(Jim Mallory/19951108/Press contact: John Uppendahl, Humongous
Entertainment, 206-486-9258; Public contact: Humongous Entertainment,
tel [phone], fax [phone]PUTTPUTT951108/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/09/95
GENERAL
AST Signs Ex-Apple Exec As CEO

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00005)
AST Signs Ex-Apple Exec As CEO 11/09/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- AST has announced that 46 year-old
Australian Ian Diery will to take over as president and chief executive
officer (CEO). The former executive vice president and general manager
of Apple's personal computer division, takes over from Jim Schraith,
who resigned earlier in the year.

Diery is no stranger to the Asian computer scene. After he left Wang and
joined Apple, just over six years ago, he became senior vice president of
Apple-Asia/Pacific. There's little doubt that AST sees Diery as the man
to save the company.

"We have thoroughly analyzed the issues facing AST," the company's Safi
Qureshey said. "Our turnaround plan, which will be led by Ian Diery,
has been developed with a clear understanding of these issues and with
substantial support from our strategic partner, Samsung Electronics."

Newsbytes  understands this means heads could roll. Said one local
industry veteran, speaking off the record: "If you need someone to do
trouble shooting, he'll do whatever it takes to achieve profitability."

(Joel McCormick & I.T. Daily/19951109)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/09/95
TRENDS
Hong Kong Forex Futures Market Opens

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(HKG)(00006)
Hong Kong Forex Futures Market Opens 11/09/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- US$40 million was chalked up
by Hong Kong's first rolling currency futures market during the first
half day of trading, according to Digital Equipment Corp, which
installed the trading technology.

Rolling forex trading is an open-ended currency futures contract that
is "rolled over" automatically from one trading day to the next until
it is "closed out" by purchasing the "real" deal in the market place.
These contracts have no expiration date.

In technical terms, the computer system has to be operational for
24 hours a day, trading in real-time, and from remote locations. The
market is traded between brokers' offices.

As a result, some 60 AlphaStation 3000/300 machines have been installed
in member's offices. They connect to the exchange over a Hongkong
Telecom T1 LANline. At the exchange, 15 Vax servers handle transaction
routing, deals monitoring, and general supervision.

(Joel McCormick & I.T. Daily/19951109)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/09/95
ONLINE
US Presidential Race Coverage On The Web

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00007)
US Presidential Race Coverage On The Web 11/09/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- Details on developments
and news from the upcoming US Presidential election are coming to the
Internet's World Wide Web early next year. The Washington Post's
Digital Ink, Newsweek Magazine, and ABC News will team up to launch
ElectionLine on the Web starting in January, 1996.

The new Web site will combine the "talents and strengths" of all three
partners by using the "multimedia experience of text, video, graphics,
full-motion video, still pictures, real-time audio, and archival
material," said the companies. All of the content can be accessed
with "powerful" search engines, officials said.

The site can handle standard Web browsers, officials said. ElectionLine
will also be able to be accessed through links to Digital Ink on AT&T's
Interchange, ABC News on America Online, and Newsweek on Prodigy.

Although the bulk of the material at the site will be free to view,
some information will require a fee, to be set later, officials said.

Donald K. Brazeal, editor and publisher of The Washington Post's
Digital Ink, told Newsbytes the Web is an ideal medium to cover
something the race for the White House. "It's not only that things
are happening all of the time, but a lot of what's interesting in
the political world are rich, deep databases. Those databases can't
be delivered in the traditional means of either broadcast television
or print. So there's a lot of opportunities to do some very special
things," he said.

It's those databases, which contain details about who contributed to
whose political campaign for example, that will help voters make
informed choices at the ballot box, Brazeal said.

The ElectionLine operation center will be based at Digital Ink's
headquarters in suburban Washington DC, Brazeal said. Most of the
text will come from The Washington Post and Newsweek, while the video
and audio will be mainly from ABC News, he added.

The site will be able to handle the largest volume ever of simultaneous
users, thanks to a server that uses Digital Equipment Corporation's
(DEC) 64-bit Alpha architecture, officials said. The technology for
the ElectionLine site was already tested in 1994, when the state of
California used the DEC system in reporting its election results live
on the Web.

(Bob Woods/19951103/Press Contacts: Mel Webster, Copithorne & Bellows
Public Relations, 617-252-0606; Veronica Pollard, Capital Cities/ABC,
212-456-6171; Diana Pearson, Newsweek, 212-445-4342; Anne B. Little,
Digital Equipment Corp., 301-918-5591)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/09/95
BUSINESS
AT&T To Maintain Investment Plan In China

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(PEK)(00008)
AT&T To Maintain Investment Plan In China 11/09/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- An AT&T (China) spokesman recently
denied the possibility of any change in its investment plan in China,
despite the telecoms firm splitting into three independent companies.

AT&T signed a deal with the State Planning Commission last year
for a number of cooperation projects, and according to the agreement,
will increase its investment in China by US$150 million in the next
three years.

AT&T officials recently made the re-commitment to the investment plan
in China at AT&T's Global Free Toll Telephone Service Day in Shanghai.
The three-way division of the company will be completed at the start
of 1997, said H. T. Kung, a member of the management board. However,
the three independent companies will still maintain very close
coordination in China, and the sum of their investment in the next
three years will be no less than US$150 million, Kung said.

The US company is confident about its investment in China. The rapid
development in China upgraded the country to one of the largest
telecommunications markets, with the highest growth rate, in the world,
said David Xiong, president of the East China region of AT&T (China).

AT&T now has nine joint ventures in China, and two months ago, the
company started an investment project involving US$100 million with
five Chinese partners for manufacturing the latest 5ESS switching
system. Moreover, AT&T transferred advanced integrated circuit
technology to China for the first time this year.

It is estimated that the exchange capacity of the telecommunications
network in China will be 26.5 million lines by the end of this year.
That capacity will reach 100 million lines by the year 2000, and
jump to 400 million lines in the first decade of the 21st century.

In Guangdong province, AT&T has also signed a long-term cooperation
agreement, involving US$500 million worth of orders, to supply AT&T's
digital switching systems and high-speed optical transmission systems
to the province.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951109)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/09/95
BROADCAST
China - Digital Broadcasting Planned

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(PEK)(00009)
China - Digital Broadcasting Planned 11/09/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- DAB (digital audio broadcast) and
digital TV are expected to begin soon in China, said an official with
the State Science and Technology Commission (SSTC). However, HDTV
(high definition TV) may be too expensive for most users, he said.

Digital broadcasting will provide users with high-quality audio and
video entertainment. The first DAB receivers may be commercially
available in 1997 and China Central Television is set to distribute
four channels of digitally coded programs via satellite by the end of
this year, said the government official.

Experimental broadcasting of DAB is scheduled to take place next year
in some parts of Guangdong province. The broadcasting center will be in
Foshan, and Zhongshan, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen will be able to receive
the programs. DAB will be available in the developed areas of East and
South China by the year 2000, he said.

The retail price of a DAB receiver in Europe is expected to be around
US$100 after 1997, when the units go into mass production, the official
said. The price in China will reportedly be around RMB550 (US$65).

However, HDTV technology is not as far along in development as DAB
around the world, said the government official. The international
coordination of standards remains a problem, and TV stations will lack
the HDTV programming in its first years, he said. Other obstacles to
HDTV development are the receiver's size and cost -- they are too big
and too expensive for most consumers, he said.

Currently, digital signals are widely used in Chinese TV stations, but
they have to be transformed into analog ones to fit the conventional
receivers when the programs are broadcast. Chinese TV stations decide
to operate digital television broadcasting as a transitional
technology.

Conventional televisions need a set-top box, an electronic device
placed on the top of conventional TV sets to decode the digital
signals. The estimated cost of these set-tops will be around
RMB1,000 each, said the government official.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951109)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/09/95
UNIX
EMC's Shared Mainframe/Unix RAID, Deals With HP & AT&T

(NEWS)(UNIX)(BOS)(00010)
EMC's Shared Mainframe/Unix RAID, Deals With HP & AT&T 11/09/95
HOPKINTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- EMC expects
to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in 1996 through newly
inked deals with HP and AT&T GIS, with many more millions to come
from EMC's new unveiled Symmetrix Enterprise Storage Platform
(ESP), a system billed as the first to allow shared mainframe and
Unix storage, maintained EMC VP David Donatelli, in an interview
with Newsbytes.

EMC's new Symmetrix ESP system is designed to provide
simultaneous RAID (redundant array of inexpensive disks) storage
for all IBM and IBM-compatible workstations, as well as for Unix,
AS/400, Novell, and OS/2 servers, through the use of Fast Wide
Differential SCSI (small computer systems interface) interfaces,
said Donatelli, who is VP for Open Storage Group Marketing at
EMC.

The new ESP, a member of EMC's flagship line of Symmetrix 5000
mainframe storage systems, is aimed at supporting mixed
environments that contain legacy mainframe applications in
combination with newer client-server environments, according to
the EMC exec.

In contrast, the deals with HP and AT&T GIS pertain to EMC's
Symmetrix 3000 Series, a product line-up for the "open systems"
Unix market that was introduced in June, in conjunction with
EMC's movement into the Unix market though the formation of the
Open Storage Group.

Under the two newly forged agreements, HP and AT&T GIS will each
market and sell versions of EMC's Symmetrix 3000 Integrated
Cached Disk Array (ICDA) storage systems, Donatelli reported.

HP and AT&T GIS are pegged by International Data Corporation
(IDC) as holding a 25 percent combined share of the worldwide
market for "medium-scale Unix servers," he pointed out.

In the mainframe storage market, IBM is EMC's major competitor,
he continued. But in the newly added Unix arena, EMC has been
competing directly against Unix server vendors that produce RAID
systems for their own servers.

Aside from the newly announced ESP, though, EMC's Symmetrix 3000
ICDA systems are the only storage systems on the market today to
support multiple flavors of Unix, according to Donatelli.

In addition, the Symmetrix 3000 systems provide a "two to four
times" performance increase over rival RAID systems for Unix, and
are "much more highly scalable," he asserted.

"We're providing more than 1 terabyte (TB) of storage in the
Symmetrix 3000. Prior to this, 80 gigabytes (GB) is about the
most you could get," the EMC VP contended.

The VP told Newsbytes that although the company's new ESP storage
systems are shipping immediately, most of the revenues from ESP
will not appear until 1996. For the Open Storage Group, the
agreements with HP and AT&T GIS to net about $250 million in
revenues in 1996, he added. "But even so, the Open Storage Group
is right on target to meet our projected revenue goal of $200
million for 1995," Newsbytes was told.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951108/Reader Contact: EMC, 508-435-1000;
Press Contact: Rick Lacroix or Mark Frederickson, EMC,
508-435-1000)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/09/95
BROADCAST
Elek-Tek's National "Infomercial"

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(MSP)(00011)
Elek-Tek's National "Infomercial" 11/09/95
SKOKIE, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- Computer retailer and
direct-mail marketer Elek-Tek Inc. (NASDAQ:ELEK) will hit the "air"
on cable television with a series of "infomercials." The company will
broadcast the show "Computer Wonderland" starting Saturday, November
18, at 12:00 noon EST on the Cable News and Business Channel (CNBC),
along with several different local TV markets at different times.

The infomercial is designed to further increase Elek-Tek's national
customer base, officials said. It's designed to "inform and educate"
consumers by using "real-life scenarios" showing three to five computer
products and how they are used at home.

Cameron Estes, president of Elek-Tek, told Newsbytes the new
infomercial will be very different from a TV show Elek-Tek aired on
several Chicago-area cable systems in 1994. "Back in 1994, what we did
was really meant to help educate people on some of the terms that were
used in the computer industry. This new show will be much more
product-specific. It will sell products, and it will show how these
products can make a real difference in people's lives," Estes said.

Besides CNBC, the new infomercial will run at different times on
broadcast TV stations in 27 local markets nationwide, including Los
Angeles, Houston, Boston, Atlanta, San Francisco, and Tampa. The
shows will air weekly, Estes added.

The retailer is also airing commercials on cable TV's Travel Channel
and The Weather Channel, an Elek-Tek official told Newsbytes.

Besides the company's television offering, Elek-Tek recently
introduced an Internet World Wide Web site at http://www.elektek.com
for advertising and promoting the company.

Also, Elek-Tek has introduced its "Room To Grow" program in several
of its retail locations. The Room To Grow contains the "most
appropriate and comprehensive equipment and software to fill the
needs" of children from ages 3 to 14. Trained technical support
representatives help kids browsing in the department with a "hands-on"
approach to testing software, hardware, and accessories.

A series of free Family Fun Days are scheduled for the stores that have
Room To Grow areas, allowing children and parents to try software
before they buy. Also, kids can join Elek-Tek's "Beta Kids" panel,
which reviews software and communicates their views about programs
to other children.

Room To Grow areas are at the company's stores in: suburban Chicago
(Willowbrook and Rolling Meadows, Illinois); Lenexa, Kansas (Kansas
City area); Fishers, Indiana (Indianapolis area); and Denver, Colorado.

(Bob Woods/19951108/Press Contact: Laura Cianci, Elek-Tek,
708-677-7660 ext 5717)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/09/95
TRENDS
 ****MCI To Sell Music CD's By Phone, Internet

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(MSP)(00012)
 ****MCI To Sell Music CD's By Phone, Internet 11/09/95
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- MCI Corp.
(NASDAQ:MCIC) is expanding its electronic influence into the
world of music retailing.  The telecommunications giant said it has
opened a service, called "1-800-MUSICNOW," which will feature audio
clips, live operator help, and over-the-phone ordering of CD's and
cassettes.

MCI is using its voice response units (VRUs) within its intelligent
network to process the incoming calls. The same system is already
used for MCI's 1-800-COLLECT service, and can be used for other
retail-type operations, Diane Duggan, vice president of Mass Market
Information Technology, told Newsbytes. She indicated the same type
of phone system could be used to sell such products as videos and
books.

"The phone becomes the storefront," Duggan said. "What we have made
available to customers is that all phones in every household is a
storefront. We didn't have to invest in the bricks and mortar to
start this. We were able to get into the business fairly quickly. The
only thing we did was insert the database to support the inventory on
the retail side."

Duggan also said the music market has the same demographics that MCI's
customer base has, so it seemed to be a "natural fit" for MCI to get
into the music retail business.

When customers call the 800 number they select from various music
formats, including rock, alternative, country, pop, soundtracks, jazz,
New Age, reggae, and holiday favorites. If the customer is calling
from one of 30 key radio markets, they'll hear a recorded welcome from
a disk jockey from a radio station in the caller's market. The DJ
will tell them of special buys, local events, and the latest
releases on-air in their market. Customers will then be able to
hear samples from various CD's.

Towards the end of the call, they'll be able to establish an account
using a credit card and then purchase the CD's and/or cassettes. After
the account is set-up, consumers won't have to speak to an operator
again unless they need help, officials said.

If the title is in stock, it is immediately shipped, arriving at the
customer's doorstep within days, and even overnight, MCI officials
said.

Live experts are also available to help customers, said Paul Adams, MCI
spokesperson. Speaking to Newsbytes from the 1-800-MUSICNOW call
in suburban Phoenix, he said customer representatives who are experts
in various music genres can help customers identify artists, song
titles, and albums. The reps even have access to a database of album
and CD covers, if a customer can only remember what a particular cover
looks like. In addition, a TV monitor is always tuned to MTV, in case
someone calls in wanting a song on a CD that they just saw on the cable
music network.

When this Newsbytes bureau called 1-800-MUSICNOW, we were greeted with
music selections from our local market, which is Chicago. Within the music
menu, several genre's were listed, many of which corresponded to local
radio stations. We listened to cuts from what's hot in music both
nationally, and in the Chicago area. When it came to shopping we were
able to "put" CD's into a "shopping cart," to either be purchased or
taken out later.

Pricing is said to be "competitive" with what music buffs would pay for
titles at local record stores. MCI officials said "convenience" helps
make 1-800-MUSICNOW more attractive to customers than a record store,
because the service runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

1-800-MUSICNOW will also offer an Internet World Wide Web site that
is very similar to the telephone service, except for having access to
a live operator, Duggan said. Audio clips can be played on the user's
computer via the RealAudio system of streaming data, and placing an
order is secured via the Netscape commerce server. Also, account
numbers established using the phone service can be used at the Internet
site, and vice versa, Duggan added.

Web surfers also have access to the same database the service's music
experts have, so they can graphically display album and CD covers with
their Web browser, Duggan said.

The site is located at http://www.1800musicnow.mci.com , and is slated
to open November 20. When Newsbytes surfed to the site, we were greeted
with a humorous message instructing us to come back the 20th, along
with a form to enter our electronic-mail address to be reminded of
the site's grand opening.

The CD's and cassettes themselves will come from Uni Distribution, MCA
Music Entertainment group's distribution arm.

Expect to be blitzed with advertising regarding the new service. MCI
officials said ads for 1-800-MUSICNOW will be "heavy on attitude while
highlighting product benefits and creating brand awareness." The new
site will be advertised via print, radio, and television advertising.
The campaign has already started. In addition, local radio stations
connected with the new service will have personalized on-air promotions.

(Bob Woods/19951109/Press Contacts: Mark Pettit, MCI News Bureau,
800-644-NEWS; Robyn Freedman, Ketchum Public Relations, 404-877-1800.
Public Contact: Music Now, 1-800-MUSICNOW)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/09/95
ONLINE
 ****Israeli Univ Expels Student Over Internet Message

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00013)
 ****Israeli Univ Expels Student Over Internet Message 11/09/95
TEL AVIV, ISRAEL, 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- An Israeli University has
expelled a student after he sent a message publicly supporting the
recent assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. The student
studied at Bar Ilan University, the same university that confessed
killer Yigal Amir, and Rabin's injured bodyguard studied.

The university also awarded Yitzhak Rabin an honorary doctorate two
years ago.

The first-year mass communications student, Yitzhak Newman, sent a
message on Monday that read "Chag sameach everyone!!! The witch is
dead, the wicked witch is dead!!!!" Chag sameach is "happy holidays"
in Hebrew, said university spokeswoman Elana Oberlander, who
confirmed to Newsbytes that, "he has been expelled."

Oberlander continued, "It was brought to the attention of one of our
professors. His electronic-mail account was immediately blocked and
we sent him into a disciplinary committee with the strong
recommendation that he be expelled."

Did the university have any problems weighing free speech against the
emotions expressed in the message? "Not at all. The decision was
taken immediately," said Oberlander.

She explained, "We have freedom of speech, but we try not to allow
extreme political groups on campus. We allow expression of opinion, but
when we feel if it is to an extreme or it looks like the university
condones the acts of Yigal Amir, we draw the line."

She concluded, "The university in no way condones the acts of Yigal Amir."

The university has also opened formal proceedings to expel forever, law
student Yigal Amir, it announced earlier this week. Bar Ilan professor
Moshe Kaveh noted in a statement, "While, at this point, expulsion is
only a formality, it is importantly symbolic."

Oberlander also told Newsbytes that confessed killer Amir had not used
the Internet at Bar Ilan as far as the university can tell.

Internet users can find Bar Ilan University on the World Wide Web at
http://www.biu.ac.il/ , or via Gopher at gopher://vm.biu.ac.il:70/ .

(Martyn Williams/19951109/Press contact: David Weinberg, Bar Ilan
University, tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/09/95
ONLINE
Internet Update

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00014)
Internet Update 11/09/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- In this update of new resources and
services on the global Internet: Telekom Malaysia; Andy Kane's art
online; Global climate home page; The big vote; National index to
Bulgaria; Watch the world; Native American art; Datamocracy
demographic and geographic data; Guide to Linux applications; San
Francisco museum online; The New York subway home page; Robert Morris
Hunt's art photography.

Telekom Malaysia

Malaysia's state telecommunications company now has a World Wide Web
server with corporate information, products and services, news and events,
financial information and even details of working for the company.
World Wide Web: http://www.telekom.com.my/

Andy Kane's Art Online

Andy Kane is a world famous artist whose work hangs in galleries
around the globe and has been featured in several books. Working out
of a Chicago studio, he is now attempting to make his art available to
a wider audience via the Internet.
World Wide Web: http://www.interaccess.com/users/baudesgn/andy.html

Global Climate Home Page

The pages are an online edition of the World Climate Report. You can
find out the latest news relating to global warming, or cooling, and
global climate changes, read the latest rumors doing the rounds in
Washington, track global temperature changes, and read related feature
articles.
World Wide Web: http://www.nhes.com/

The Big Vote

Your chance to have your say on the really big issues of the day in
subject areas such as politics, men and women, entertainment, and
sports. Is Bill Gates the devil? Web users can be the judge here,
(so far 75% of them think his is).
World Wide Web: http://www.cvp.com/bigvote/

National Index To Bulgaria

This is a comprehensive index linking to all the east European country
has to offer on the Internet, and available in five languages. You can
find links for news, universities, Internet providers, and government
resources.
World Wide Web: http://www.bulgaria.com/

Watch The World

The "Cameras, Cameras, Cameras" Web site offers a hyperlinked index of
all cameras hooked up to the Internet. From here you can jump to see
Stockholm, Room 100 of Buckman School, KJRH in Tulsa, and even what
"Dave" is watching on his TV. It's all here and great fun if you have
a good Internet connection.
World Wide Web: http://www.intertain.net/~cameras

Native American Art

AmNatArt is a Web site showcasing the art of native Americans. Indian
art is traditionally deeply spiritual and symbolic. The images have
been specially chosen for the site and are available to others to use
for non-commercial use. A top-ten images list allows new visitors to
check out the most popular images quickly.
World Wide Web: http://www.artnatam.com/

Datamocracy Demographic And Geographic Data

The company specializes in providing demographic and environmental
information. Some of the information can be ordered right from the Web
site and the company adds that as a public service, non-profit
organizations can get information and support at "minimal cost." The
data is suitable for marketing, planning, and analysis.
World Wide Web: http://www.datamocracy.com/data

Guide To Linux Applications

Users of the Linux operating system will find a useful listing of
applications and utilities for the platform that have Web home pages.
The programs listed all have a binary or source code available via
the network. This is a big list and should satisfy all Linux users in
search of applications!
World Wide Web: http://www.xnet.com/~blatura/linapps.shtml

San Francisco Museum Online

The San Francisco Museum's Web server has details of the museum and
its opening hours. Internet users that cannot get to the city can
visit online exhibits covering the earthquakes of 1906 and 1989,
the Oakland fires and police and fire departments.
World Wide Web: http://www.slip.net/~dfowler/1906/museum.html

The New York Subway Home Page

Now is your chance to ride the subway in complete safety, and for no
cost! Here you'll find photo tours of stations and train rides, a history
of subway tokens and maps of the system, plus the current schedule for
the New York Transit Museum. You can also link to other city railway
resources on the network.
World Wide Web: http://www.k2nesoft.com/subway/

Robert Morris Hunt's Art Photography

The images on this site were all taken in the early 1980s in and
around Washington DC, and Paris, France, but, as the photographer
explains, were believed lost until they were recently uncovered. Five
images are currently online with more promised.
World Wide Web: http://www.syspac.com/~spaz

(Martyn Williams/19951109)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/09/95
ONLINE
Japan - Sony & NTT Plan New Computer Network

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00015)
Japan - Sony & NTT Plan New Computer Network 11/09/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- Four of Japan's major electronics and
NTT are planning a new computer communications network for the country,
according to a Nihon Keizai Shimbun report, confirmed to Newsbytes by
industry sources.

The companies are Sony Corporation (TSE:6758), Nippon Telegraph and
Telephone (TSE:9432), Victor Company of Japan (JVC) (TSE:6792), Sega
Enterprises (TSE:7964), and Yamaha Corporation (TSE:7951).

No official announcement has been made, but Newsbytes has learned the
five are approaching the final stage of negotiations and conclusion is
expected in the "near future."

The newspaper, Japan's leading business daily, said the five would run
a central server that computer users could connect to using games
machines. The network will combine the security aspects of
conventional computer networks and the openness of the Internet.

The company will also manage information on the system and make it
available to other vendors for commercial projects.

Of the five companies, Sony and Sega are both involved in the hardware
side of the games market with Sony's PlayStation and Sega's Saturn and
older machines.

Sega recently announced a deal with Fujitsu in which Saturn owners
will be able to subscribe to the NiftyServe online service to send and
receive e-mail plus communicate with others through software based on
the WorldsAway platform. Sega is to launch a communications adapter
for the system early next year.

The Sega Saturn was launched in Japan last November, a month before
the local launch of Sony's PlayStation. The Sega machine hit the
international market in May this year with the Sony unit following in
September.

(Martyn Williams/19951109)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/09/95
BUSINESS
Sony Reports Strong First Half Earnings

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00016)
Sony Reports Strong First Half Earnings 11/09/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- Keeping a promise it made six months
ago to move back into the black, Sony Corporation (TSE:6758) has
announced financial results for the first half of the current fiscal
year showing a healthy pre-tax profit and improved forecasts for the
full year.

Sony said its pre-tax profit in the first six months of the year was
47.94 billion yen compared with a massive loss of 279.96 billion yen
in the same period last year. Sales in the period jumped 11.4% to 2.05
trillion yen from 1.84 trillion yen a year ago.

The loss was associated with the purchase of Columbia Pictures
Entertainment Inc., now called Sony Pictures Entertainment, which Sony
purchased in 1989. The Tokyo-based company had to write off 265
billion yen in the corresponding period last year acknowledging it had
suffered huge losses in Hollywood.

Sony still has around 130 billion yen to write off, according to
analysts, although the company plans to do this gradually, spreading the
losses over the next 30 years, according to one report. In the report
period to September, it wrote off just one billion yen.

Parent company profits for the period reached 12.61 billion yen, a
fall of 46.1% on sales of 986.73 billion yen against 935.13 billion
yen.

In common with other Japanese companies, Sony has suffered losses due
to the extremely strong yen that steadied around 85 yen to the dollar
for most of the period. The company said it lost 2.5 billion yen
because of the yen and the higher price of its products abroad. The
currency has now weakened to settle at around 102 yen to the dollar.

For the entire fiscal year, which ends March 31, 1996, the company
says it expects to register pre-tax profits of 35.00 billion yen, a
4.00 billion yen increase on the previous forecast, but still a drop
from last year's 51.40 billion yen profit representing a drop of
31.9%.

On the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Sony shares closed up 80 yen to 4740 on
the news.

(Martyn Williams/19951109)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/09/95
CORRECTION APPLE
Correction - Apple Computers With Pentium Processors

(CORRECTION)(APPLE)(SFO)(00017)
Correction - Apple Computers With Pentium Processors 11/09/95
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- A recent Newsbytes
story incorrectly stated that Mac users with PCI (Peripheral Component
Interconnect) capabilities use a PCI board with 486DX2/66 power to
process applications on Power Macs, Mac LCs, and the Mac Performa line.

The text should have read: currently, Mac users are able process DOS
and Windows applications using a NuBus board with 486DX2/66 power on
selected models of Power Macs, Mac LCs, and the Mac Performa Line. At
this time, Macs with PCI technology include Power Macs 7200, 7500,
8500, and 9500.

Secondly, the story stated: When Apple introduced its Power Macintosh
computer nineteen months ago, it claimed the new computer would run
Windows applications through a software program. Software running
software caused the Windows applications to run at a speed comparable
to a 286 microprocessor which was considered too slow. A number of
Newsbytes readers complained saying the software, Insignia Solutions'
SoftWindows 1.0 for Power Macintosh, ran Window applications at a
speed comparable to a 386, while other readers said its performance
was comparable to a 486.

Who is right? Insignia Solutions says all three responses are correct.
There were complaints about Windows applications running comparable to
a 286. The company says part of that complaint was due to the fact that
SoftWindows 1.0 for Power Macintosh emulates a 286 instruction set.
Emulating a 286 instruction set does not mean 286 performance, but
Insignia Solutions says the statement caused a lot of confusion.

Further clarifying performance issues, a company spokesperson told
Newsbytes, "How a Windows application performs in SoftWindows
depends on a number of factors. Depending on the amount of RAM and
cache, the processor powering the computer and the size of the
application, performance with version 1.0 could vary to comparable
performance on a fast 286 up to an entry-level 486 processor.

This past August, Insignia Solutions released SoftWindows 2.0 which
emulates a 486 instruction set and runs at 486 speed. The program
retails for $299.

Regarding the PCI PC Compatibility card with a Pentium or 586
processor which Apple will be demonstrating at Comdex, the company
emphasizes the event is strictly a technical demonstration and does
not mean the company necessarily plans to produce the card for retail
distribution. Apple says the demonstration with prototypes is offered
only to show the technology is possible.

(Patrick McKenna/19951109/)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/09/95
BUSINESS
 ****Ziff Davis Publishing Sold To Softbank For $2.1Bil

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00018)
 ****Ziff Davis Publishing Sold To Softbank For $2.1Bil 11/09/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- Japan's Softbank Corporation
(TSE:9984), and its President Mayoshi Son, has walked away with Ziff
Davis Publishing for $2.1 billion. In a press conference today, Son
outlined plans for the company, which include a massive expansion in
titles and forecasts of much greater circulation in the next ten years.

The company is being bought from Forstmann Little, a Wall Street
leverage buyout firm that bought the publishing division of Ziff Davis
for $1.4 billion when the parent company was broken up a year ago.

At the time, Softbank, Japan's largest publisher and distributor of
computer-related magazines and software, attempted to buy the company,
but was beaten by the current owner. It did manage to walk away with
Ziff's exhibition arm for $202 million that included the
Networld+Interop, Windows Solutions, and other computer trade shows.

Under the terms of the deal, signed yesterday, Mayoshi Son's own MAC
Inc. will pay $300 million for a slice of the company, with Softbank
Corporation paying the remaining $1.8 billion part of the tab. MAC
Inc. also owns the majority of Softbank Corporation.

The company will result in an extra 6.7 billion yen added to its
profits in the next fiscal year. Payment is due by February 29, 1996,
by which time Softbank will have the estimated $662 million it raised
from a sale of 2.8 million extra shares, just completed.

The new deal now brings together Japan's biggest publisher of computer
titles with America's largest computer publisher under a single roof.
Ziff Davis Publishing includes PC Week, Mac User, PC Magazine,
Computer Shopper, and the new PC Week and Mac User Online services.

At a Tokyo press conference this afternoon, Mayoshi Son said he wants
Ziff Davis to increase total circulation from nine million copies a
month to 50 million copies by 2005. He said he also expects the group to
publish a thousand different titles in ten years time, compared to the
130 that it currently publishes.

Asked by reporters about possible changes in management, Son responded
that he was very happy with the current management and no staff changes
were planned.

Softbank's other interests are increasingly more numerous, and include:
Softbank Expos, organizer of the Comdex shows, among others; Gamebank,
a joint venture with Microsoft to produce Windows 95 games software; a
60% share of MediaBank, a joint venture with NTT Data which will offer
Internet access soon; a 25% share of Novell Japan; and 12% of Cisco
Systems Japan; in addition to several other publishing and computer
industry ventures.

(Martyn Williams/19951109/SBANK951109/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/09/95
BUSINESS
Harris Taking Over NovAtel's Wireless Unit

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00019)
Harris Taking Over NovAtel's Wireless Unit 11/09/95
CALGARY, ALBERTA, CANADA, 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- NovAtel Communications
Ltd. has sold its wireless access products unit to Harris Corp. of Melbourne,
Florida. The financial terms of the agreement are not being disclosed.

NovAtel's wireless access operation makes cellular telephone systems for
rural telecommunications markets, a market that Harris said has potential
because of developing areas that want to set up communications systems
quickly without installing cable. Spokesman Jim Burke of Harris said his
company plans to maintain all the NovAtel unit's existing product lines
and develop new products.

The acquisition includes a 120,000 square-foot research, development, and
manufacturing plant in Calgary, and Burke said Harris plans to maintain
the operation in the same location. "The management, the staffing remains
in place. Several Harris people, of course, will also be joining them," he
said.

This deal is Harris's fourth in four months in the communications market.
The company bought Ohio-based Triplett Corp.'s cellular and
telecommunications businesses in October, and Micro Computer Systems
Inc. of North Carolina in September. In August, Harris launched a Chinese
joint venture with Guangzhou Wire Communications Equipment Factory to
provide telecommunications systems and services throughout China.

Burke noted that Harris already has two operations in Canada: Calgary-
based Harris Controls with about 200 employees, and a unit with about
600 employees in Montreal. Worldwide, Harris has sales of more than $3.4
billion, principally in electronic systems, semiconductors, communications,
and office equipment. Harris has a home page on the World Wide Web at
http://www.harris.com .

(Grant Buckler/19951109/Press Contact: Jim Burke, Harris, 407-727-9126,
Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Michael Macson, NovAtel, 403-295-4925)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/09/95
TRENDS
 ****Windows NT To Replace Unix - Survey

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00020)
 ****Windows NT To Replace Unix - Survey 11/09/95
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- Hewlett-Packard
(NYSE:HWP) conducted a survey of 200 senior technology managers at
Fortune 1000 companies and their top concern was in-house expertise
to integrate and support 32-bit operating systems.

HP used the Boston Research Group to contact 200 information
technology (IT) managers with worldwide responsibility for their
companies' networks. Fifty-nine percent said integrating Windows NT
into Unix, Netware, and other existing environments was a prime
concern.

Jonathan Goulden, HP's director of multivendor program, told Newsbytes,
"In the corporate world, the thinking is that Windows NT is really
the next wave of computing, and how to integrate it into existing
systems is a major concern."

He continued: "You have to realize this integration is like the move
from proprietary systems, on the enterprise, to Unix. It is a very
expensive move and it will not happen overnight, but the corporate world
is preparing itself for the change. A lot of people think it will be one
system over another, but we believe integration of 32-bit systems means
a multiple system environment for some time, and we are prepared to
equally service and support multiple platforms and systems."

Forty-six percent of respondents said they plan to outsource Windows NT
implementation to an outside provider, and 31 percent plan to outsource
network design.

Even HP was surprised to learn of the need to link Windows NT to
existing environments, and that it is happening faster than expected.
Forty percent of respondents said they expect to be running applications
on 32-bit PC environments at the enterprise level within the next 18
months. Another 24% said they run applications in those environments
today.

With 92% saying their number one concern is technical and end-user
training, HP says the service provider who can best meet the needs of
multiple-environment service and support will become a leading force
in corporate computing. The company also says the study reinforces its
strategy to support Windows NT and is adding another 200 certified
engineers to deliver remote support for NT environments and the hiring
of an incremental 100 on-site engineers to provide support for
Microsoft Back Office.

The company has also formed and staffed a new research and development
lab which focuses on Unix and Windows NT interoperability.

Goulden also said he thought Windows 95 would eventually become the
"client software of choice" as Windows NT implementation expands.

(Patrick McKenna/19951109/Press Contact: Susan Baldwin, The
Hoffman Agency, 408-286-2611)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/09/95
ONLINE
Spyglass & InfiNet In Media Venture

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00021)
Spyglass & InfiNet In Media Venture 11/09/95
NAPERVILLE, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- A Spyglass Inc.
(NASDAQ:SPYG) official has confirmed to Newsbytes that it has entered
into a licensing agreement with InfiNet Company, a Knight-Ridder and
Landmark Communications joint venture, to help newspapers establish
an Internet World Wide Web presence. Specifically, Spyglass will
license its Enhanced Mosaic Web client software to InfiNet.

The story was first published in the Wall Street Journal this morning,
with the paper saying an announcement was "expected" sometime today.
Specific terms of the agreement were not announced.

"What I think this represents is a marketplace that's really going to
grow," Marcus C. Miller, Spyglass' executive vice president of
marketing and business development, told Newsbytes. "People are
migrating quickly to the Web. (Today's announcement) allows a lot of
different newspapers to establish an online World Wide Web presence.
By having the (Spyglass) browser technology as a component of their
system, it makes InfiNet's job a lot easier."

The Spyglass Mosaic client technology will be available as an option
on InfiNet's online "solution" for its media customers by June, 1996,
officials said.

InfiNet, established in 1994 by Knight-Ridder and Landmark, assists
publishers establish services on the Web without "substantial capital
investment," officials said. The publishers receive revenue from
InfiNet, which shares access fees with them.

Spyglass has been riding high on recent announcements. Last week,
the company released its financial results which exceed analysts'
predictions. For the fiscal year 1995, Spyglass' net revenue was up
185 percent at $10.35 million, and net income was up 64 percent at
$2.18 million.

Yesterday, Spyglass announced it would incorporate Sun Microsystems'
Java technology into future versions of Mosaic, one of which should
be out early next year. The Java language lets Web page developers
incorporate features like three-dimensional (3-D) graphics, multi-user
games, up-to-the-second sports information, and live stock portfolio
management.

Spyglass' stock on Wall Street certainly has been "lively" as of late,
with the company's recent announcements. At 11:30 EST today, Spyglass
shares were trading at $75.25, up $3. The company's stock has been on
the move upward since its earnings were released last week.

(Bob Woods/19951009/Press Contact: Randy Pitzer, Spyglass,
708-505-1010, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/09/95
TRENDS
All-day Zinc Air Batteries Intro'd

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(DEN)(00022)
All-day Zinc Air Batteries Intro'd 11/09/95
SMYRNA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- AER Energy Resources
Inc. (NASDAQ: AERN) has announced improvements to its rechargeable
zinc-air battery technology that will make it possible to build
batteries that can run full-featured portable computers for a "full
working day." Better yet, the batteries will only be about half the
size and weight of earlier batteries.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95110922.PCX
Click here for photo

AER said prototype batteries using four energy cells of the new
design contain 140 watt hours, or 35 amp-hours, of energy, weigh 1.8
pounds, and can operate a full function notebook computer for up to
12 hours between charges.

AER compares that to what it calls "today's typical computer battery,"
with 30 to 40 watt hours of energy, weighing one to 1.5 pounds,
and running only two to three hours between charges.

AER engineers said improvements made in the past year include adding
a second air electrode to double the surface area for the battery's
chemical reaction and increasing the amount of zinc used. They said
those changes resulted in an increase of 50 percent in energy
density weight to 220 watt hours per kilogram and cutting the
recharge time in half. An AER spokesperson told Newsbytes that
makes the recharge time for the improved battery 8-10 hours.

Zinc-air batteries use oxygen from the air we breath to fuel a
chemical reaction that generates electricity. The air is drawn in
using a built-in fan. The four-volt (operating voltage 4.8 to 3.6
volts) zinc-air battery is seven inches long by 5.3-inches wide and
1.4-inches high. Reaction is controlled by allowing airflow
during discharge, and blocking airflow to the cells during charge
and when the battery is not in use. The air manager is built into
the portable computer.

An AER spokesperson explained to Newsbytes that an air cathode
absorbs oxygen to generate electrical current on discharge and
expels oxygen during battery recharge. The electricity is produced
when oxygen which has bonded inside the battery cell in the form of
nickel oxyhydroxide is released to produce a chemical reaction.

AER currently markets two accessory zinc-air batteries. The AER
Energy PowerPro runs several models of Toshiba notebooks for up
to 15 hours on a single charge, and the Powerslice LX runs the
Hewlett-Packard Omnibook 600 series for up to 12 hours between
charges.

The company said evaluation samples of the improved cell will be
available to select OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) in
early 1996.

(Jim Mallory/19951109/Press contact: Stephani Harrison, Crescent
Communications for AER Energy Resources, 404-698-8650; Public
contact: AER Energy Resources, tel [phone] or 800-769-3720,
fax [phone]/ZINCAIR951109/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/09/95
LEGAL
Microsoft's Anti-piracy Campaign Targets Resellers

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(DEN)(00023)
Microsoft's Anti-piracy Campaign Targets Resellers 11/09/95
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ: MSFT) has launched a national anti-piracy campaign to address
the problem of hard disk loading of pirated software by resellers.

The company said it's launching the campaign to support legitimate
resellers of Microsoft products and to help decrease unfair
competition by "pirate" dealers. It is common practice for computer
OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) and resellers to add value
to a PC by loading the operating system software and various
applications at the time of sale.

The campaign isn't Microsoft's first foray into the world of law
enforcement. It is an active member of the Business Software
Alliance, a trade group that fights applications software piracy
and has been active in shutting down bulletin board systems
(BBSs) that illegally distribute copyrighted software.

Microsoft said this campaign, which will be undertaken in various
parts of the US and Canada, is aimed specifically at hard disk
loading of systems software such as MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows.

The thrust of the program will be educational, said the software
company. It will use education and one-on-one meetings with vendors
rather than raids and lawsuits, although those tactics are an
alternative if the soft-sell approach doesn't work.

While this is the first public announcement of the campaign,
Microsoft has been conducting a six-month long investigation of 54
computer resellers suspected of software piracy in the California
area known as "Silicon Valley."

Based on tips from various sources, including the company's own
toll-free anti-piracy hotline, Microsoft notified each of the suspect
resellers by letter of the "illegal nature of their activity" and
requested they provide their customers with licensed copies of the
Microsoft software they pre-load on their computer systems.

Microsoft said more than half of the resellers stopped their
"infringing activity" when they received the "cease-and-desist"
letter, while 23 continued to load illegal copies of Microsoft
MS-DOS and Windows onto hard disks. Microsoft has conducted what
it called "settlement negotiations" with each of those resellers,
confronting them with evidence of their illegal activity. All but
four have agreed to a settlement with Microsoft.

The settlements include payment of damages and ceasing the
practice of hard disk loading with illegally obtained software,
according to Microsoft.

Litigation against Art Multimedia Systems Inc. of Milpitas,
California, the one reseller who refused to settle, is still pending.
The remaining three resellers are still in negotiations with
Microsoft.

If you have questions about the legitimacy of any Microsoft
product, you can contact the company by telephone on their toll-free
hotline at 800-785-3448 or send an e-mail to piracymicrosoft.com .

(Jim Mallory/19951109/Press contact: Erin Carney, Microsoft,
206-882-8080; Public contact: Microsoft, 206-882-8080 or 800-426-9400
for general info or 800-785-3448 to report suspected illegal software)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/09/95
WINDOWS
 ****Windows 95 Is A Hacker's Dream Over The Internet

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(HKG)(00024)
 ****Windows 95 Is A Hacker's Dream Over The Internet 11/09/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- Windows 95, combined with the
Internet, could be a dream made in hacker heaven. From seasoned propeller
heads Newsbytes has contacted, it looks like Windows 95 could be more of
a security nightmare than was first thought.

This is especially true where fixed link companies are concerned. An
investigation of the new operating system, when hooked onto the Internet,
leaves computers wide open. Executing a series of simple, uncomplicated
commands opens up company and private users' computers to hacking the
moment they access the Internet, claim some analysts.

Worse, they may never know it has been done. Using a simple Unix command,
a hacker can locate the IP (Internet protocol) address of the subscriber
logged into an Internet service provider. Then he needs only one more
thing; a logged-on Internet user using Microsoft's new operating system.

For businesses with leased line Internet links, it can happen at any time,
day or night. Once the IP address has been noted, the hacker simply creates
a file through DOS on his own system, specifying the address and naming it.
Using two other commands -- which purge the remote names on the IP, or
Internet provider's port -- the system then refreshes and remaps itself
in preparation to be accessed by the hacker's computer.

Because Windows 95 is designed with a networking capability, it leaves
all computers in the office open to illegal access. Once the hacker has
called up his Map Network Drive, the hard disk on his own machine cannot
be differentiated from that of the genuine user. All that need be done
then is to put in a common drive name, most obviously "C:\." For
networked machines, the default "C$" is common.

This gives access to all files on the subscriber's drive. While Windows
95 allows the user to protect the drive by giving it a password,
computer experts Newsbytes talked to said that device won't necessarily
lock out intruders. Because the operating system has no "audit" trail -- in
other words, it does not log who or how someone is accessing the drive -- a
hacker can spend weeks trying to discover the password. Password search
programs, like Cracker, are readily available and can break through most
simple password sequences.

(Joel McCormick & I.T. Daily/19951109)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/09/95
BUSINESS
 ****Thinking Machines Leaving Bankruptcy

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BOS)(00025)
 ****Thinking Machines Leaving Bankruptcy 11/09/95
BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- Thinking
Machines will leave bankruptcy over the next 60 to 90 days
through a newly filed $10 million recapitalization plan, and is
now in the process of porting its parallel processing systems
software and Darwin decision support (DSS) applications to Sun
Microsystems' new UltraSparc-based systems, said Thinking
Machines CEO (Chief Executive Officer) Robert Doretti, in an
interview with Newsbytes.

"We've now been profitable for the past four quarters. So we're
making money and selling product, which is really the most
exciting part," the Thinking Machines chief maintained, speaking
with Newsbytes over the phone from the San Francisco airport,
where he was between flights. Thinking Machines filed for Chapter
11 protection in August, 1994. Doretti took the helm at the
company in January, 1995.

Thinking Machines' new recapitalization plan was filed
consensually with creditors and "old equity," Doretti added.
"That means they like the business plan, the product plan, the
direction, and the structure," he asserted.

The plan calls for creditors and equity partners to gain a 14.5
percent share of Thinking Machines, as well as for the formation
of a new "patent entity," a separate company, run by the
creditors and equity partners, to allow Thinking Machines'
creditors "recoup their debt," Newsbytes was told. In exchange,
the creditors will relinquish one-third of the debt.

"So Thinking Machines will be debt free. The debt will be with
the patent entity," Doretti reported. Patents held by Thinking
Machines include the patent for RAID (redundant array of
inexpensive disks), according to a company spokesperson.

Also under the financial plan, Doretti said, Thinking Machines
will team with the New York City investment firm of Ladenbury,
Thalmann to raise $10 million in recapitalization funds from
private investors as the filing moves through the court process.

Thinking Machines' product strategy calls for "a combination of
software, systems integration, and systems," the CEO noted.
Thinking Machines will continue to sell its Connections
multiparallel processing (MPP) machine, and to support the
supercomputer with upgrades and add-ons. In fact, the company has
recently sold two or three Connections supercomputers, he pointed
out.

"But we'll also be more generic, so we will not have to be bound
by Connections only. We plan to take our highly touted parallel
processing software suite and move it to other platforms," he
revealed. The as yet unannounced parallel processing systems
software for SMP (symmetrical multiprocessing) systems will be
known as GlobalWorks. Thinking Machines will also migrate its
Darwin data mining application to Sun and other platforms, he
said.

The first port in the product strategy, a version of Darwin for
Sun's new UltraSparc-based servers, will be released in the first
quarter of 1996, according to Doretti.

Thinking Machines will also release a client-server edition of
Darwin and an SMP (symmetrical multiprocessor) edition of
GlobalWorks for Sun platforms, to be followed by ports of the
Thinking Machines software to SMP systems from other hardware
vendors. Ultimately, the software will run on SMP clusters, as
well. "We will also hopefully jointly market (products) with the
hardware platforms that run our software," according to Doretti.

"You can take SMP systems today, and by clustering them, make
them just as powerful as a MPP. So we'll be able to appeal to a
broader base of users. But we're being very conservative about
this. We're going slow. We're doing Sun first, and making it
happen. Then we'll move on to other companies," he elaborated.

Doretti noted that when he first joined Thinking Machines, Darwin
was in beta testing at several sites in the US. "But it wasn't
being marketed." To beef up development, he subsequently hired
seven additional engineers, he recalled.

The CEO added that Thinking Machines, based in a leased space in
Cambridge, Massachusetts since its founding, moved on Columbus
Day weekend to a 90,000-square-foot leased site in suburban
Bedford, Massachusetts.

"Cambridge real estate goes for $20 to $21 per square foot, and
we got close to 90,000 square feet (in Bedford) for only $10 per
square foot. So financially it was the best thing for us to do,"
Doretti acknowledged.

"The move went very well. I was extremely pleased by the support
of our employees. The employees have done one outstanding job in
helping me keep the company going forward and establishing its
strategy. They're a bunch of hard-working, skillful people," the
CEO continued.

"There was a little bit of nervousness among the employees in
moving from Cambridge, like anybody would have. But everybody
came, and they're working full force. We have a `new family' out
in Bedford," Doretti told Newsbytes.

Debra Goldfarb, director, Workstations and High-Performance
Systems for International Data Corporation (IDC), told Newsbytes
that the "timing is right" for the upcoming introduction of
Thinking Machines' GlobalWorks parallel processing software for
SMP.

"We have very high expectations for this. The product positions
very well. The market is definitely poised to exploit higher
levels of parallelism," added the IDC analyst.

(Jacqueline Emigh/110995/Reader Contact: Thinking Machines Corp.,
617-276-0400; Press Contacts: Martha Keeley, Thinking Machines,
617-276-0400; Erika Schutz, Mullen Public Relations for Thinking
Machines, 508-468-1155)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/09/95
BROADCAST
High Definition TV Test Over ATM Network Successful

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(DEN)(00026)
High Definition TV Test Over ATM Network Successful 11/09/95
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- It only went 510
miles, but BellSouth and the HDTV Grand Alliance said new
technological ground was broken with the transmission of a
high-definition television (HDTV) signal over an ATM (asynchronous
transfer mode) network.

The test was reportedly the first time digital HDTV signals have
been sent over a commercial ATM network. The test was conducted
during field tests of the Grand Alliance system in Charlotte, North
Carolina.

According to Dr. David Kettler, executive director of science and
technology for Bellsouth and co-chairman of the ACATS Systems
Analysis Working Party, the combined flexibility of digital HDTV
and the ATM public switched networks has the potential to
dramatically change audio-visual communications. "Digital HDTV
makes it possible to merge high quality television with the
personal computer, enabling a wide range of interactive multimedia
applications for consumer, business and government markets," said
Dr. Kettler.

ACATS, the Advisory Committee on Advanced Television Services, was
formed by the Federal Communications Commission to oversee the
HDTV development and selection process. ACATS is generally expected
to recommend to the FCC that it adopt the Grand Alliance system as
the technical standard for the next generation of US television
broadcasting, eventually replacing the current NTSC (North American
Television Standards Committee) standard.

The purpose of the recent series of ATM tests, which involved
BellSouth and Grand Alliance member The David Sarnoff Research
Center, was to demonstrate that the Grand Alliance's advanced
television (ATV) packet transport system can be interfaced with an
ATM network.

The Grand Alliance system uses the MPEG-2 (Motion Picture Experts
Group type 2) standard for video coding and transport stream protocols.
To carry a Grand Alliance bitstream over an ATM network the 188-byte
transport packets are split into smaller ATM-size payloads and
formed into ATM cells. The cells, with appropriate ATM headers and
syntax are then transmitted through an ATM network. At the receiving
end they are converted back into MPEG-2 transport packets,
reconstituting the original ATV bitstream.

BellSouth provided the fiber optic link to the BellSouth ATM
network at the Charlotte field test site.

The Grand Alliance is comprised of the David Sarnoff Research
Center, AT&T, General Instruments, MIT, Philips Consumer
Electronics, Thomson Consumer Electronics and Zenith Electronics
Corp.

(Jim Mallory/19951109/Press contact: Karen Roughton, BellSouth,
404-330-0188 or John Taylor, Zenith, 708-391-8181)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/09/95
BUSINESS
Zenith/LG Electronics Stock Buyout Final

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(MSP)(00027)
Zenith/LG Electronics Stock Buyout Final 11/09/95
GLENVIEW, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- On the heels of
LG Electronics' (LGE) purchase of almost 58 percent of outstanding
shares in Zenith Electronics (NYSE:ZE) at $351 million, Zenith said
Kell Benson, senior vice president-finance and chief financial officer,
has left the company. Also, Zenith's board has named William McNitt
acting chief financial officer and Richard Lueck acting chief
accounting officer.

McNitt has been Zenith's vice president-treasurer since 1989, while
Lueck has served as vice president-controller. Lueck signed onto
Zenith earlier this year from IBM.

The executive shuffle comes one day after LGE bought both new 16.5
million new shares of stock issued by Zenith and 18.6 million shares
from current Zenith stockholders. The shares were purchased at $10
a piece, $1.75 more than what the stock traded for today at 11:30 AM
EST on Wall Street.

With the stock buy, LGE has elected six directors to Zenith's ten
person board. In addition, J.J. Lee, LGE chairman and chief executive
officer, is now also Zenith's chairman of the board, succeeding Jerry
K. Pearlman. Lee expressed confidence in Zenith President Al
Moschner's "ability to lead Zenith into the future," and said Zenith
will continue to operate separately, with the company's shares still
trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

Today, Reuters quoted LGE officials as saying Zenith will turn a
profit in fiscal 1997 or 1998 after years of losses, including more
than $14 million in 1995. The company last reported a profit back in
1988.

Zenith intends to use much of LGE's invested capital to support its
color picture tube capacity and technology initiatives, and to support
its growing Network Systems cable products business.

Newsbytes first reported on the stock deal last July between LGE,
formerly known as GoldStar, and Zenith, dubbed the last US-owned
television maker. At the time, Zenith officials said the acquisition
would "build upon" the more than 20-year relation between the two
companies, which began when LGE built radios for Zenith in the
mid-1970s.

(Bob Woods/19951109/Press Contacts: John Taylor, Zenith Electronics,
708-391-7713; Matt Afflixio, Access Public Relations, 415-904-7070)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/09/95
ONLINE
RCA Home Theatre Unit With Internet, Online Access

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00028)
RCA Home Theatre Unit With Internet, Online Access 11/09/95
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- If a new RCA
Home Theater consumer product makes it out of the concept stage into
full production, accessing the various online services and the Internet
may be as easy as turning on a television set. RCA officials
demonstrated a prototype of its concept called "Genius Theatre" in
New York City.

Genius Theatre is an advanced RCA 35-inch color TV with a built-in
CD-ROM changer and a wireless keyboard, officials said. Room for two
audio/video components and pullout drawers for compact disk (CD)
storage are also included.

Access to Genius Theatre's functions are provide by an on-screen
display combined with a point-and-click remote control, officials
said. The user moves a cursor on the screen with the remote to
activate various operating or program features and clicks. The screen
then immediately displays a menu of options concerning the feature in
question.

With the system, RCA officials said online services like America
Online, Prodigy, and Compuserve could be accessed, along with a
gateway to the Internet.

For television viewing, the Genius Theatre concept unit also has an
anti-glare screen, a picture tube that has "outstanding color purity,"
Dolby ProLogic Surround Sound capability, video noise reduction, a
wideband video amplifier, and a front enclosure speaker system.

"We view the information highway as being primarily entertainment-
based," James Harper, Thomson Consumer Electronics spokesperson, told
Newsbytes. "That's the kind of product we've been making all these
years. In addition to traditional types of entertainment, in the
future we believe there will be certain services you can access and
programs you can access through your big-screen TV. We feel most of
those services are going to be entertainment based."

The big question that needs to be answered before a product like this
comes to market is if consumers will want it, Harper said. "There's
going to have to be a considerable increase in demand for this kind
of product before we're going to be building it in the volumes we
typically build televisions," he said. "There are other ways to give
the consumer the power of interactive services" without going the
television route, he added.

(Bob Woods/19951109/Press Contacts: Frank McCann or James Harper,
Thomson Consumer Electronics, 317-587-4450)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/09/95
ONLINE
 ****GE Seeks Buyer For Genie Online Service?

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LON)(00029)
 ****GE Seeks Buyer For Genie Online Service? 11/09/95
ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- Rumors are circulating
that General Electric (GE) is looking for a buyer for its long-running
Genie online service. According to Doug Wolford, a spokesman for GE,
the rumors appear to be have been started by a journalist writing in
the Washington Post late last week, surmising that the logical step
for GE is to sell its online service.

Walford, responding to Newsbytes' questions regarding media reports
that the service is up for grabs, said that the reporter saw Genie
as pursuing a games market, and that "this probably has started
the latest rash of media reports that the service is up for sale.

"It all sounds likes speculation to me. Whether there are any business
developments or not is not for GE to comment. If and when anything
happens, we will announce it as it happens," he told Newsbytes.

The media reports, meanwhile, say that GE is working with Allen & Co,
an investment bank that deals with financial deals of this type for
the company.

Rumors surrounding the possible sale of the Genie online service have
surfaced several times in the past, Newsbytes notes. Since the last
reports earlier this year, GE has invested heavily in upgrading its
Marknet Internet PDN (packet data network) from its current
2,400/9,600 bits-per-second (bps) access ports to higher speeds, as
well as developing a new Windows GUI (graphical user interface) for
the Genie online service.

However, while America Online, CompuServe, and Prodigy -- the three
main players in the US online market -- have done well in subscriber
sign-up terms, Genie has an estimated 100,000 subscribers, a figure
that GE has been touting for some time as its subscriber base.

GE's Marknet PDN, like CompuServe's Network Service, is in
place for the company's business customers. Like CompuServe's online
service, GE's cost of running the Marknet PDN is largely defrayed by
its business customers, allowing the company favorable rates for
allowing consumer online subscribers access across the US.

Genie has been available to subscribers in the US and Canada for some
time, and the company launched its service in Germany a few years ago.
Plans originally called for the service to launch in the UK within
that same time frame, but the launch was put on hold for what GE
officials said at the time were "competitive pressures."

(Steve Gold/19951109/Press Contact: Doug Walford, General Electric
301-340-4559)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/09/95
BUSINESS
Quarterdeck Turns The Corner With Record Revenues

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00030)
Quarterdeck Turns The Corner With Record Revenues 11/09/95
MARINA DEL REY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- Going from a
memory product company undergoing difficult times, to record fourth
quarter revenues is causing smiles at Quarterdeck (NASDAQ:QDEK).
Along with quadrupling revenues over the same quarter last year, the
company says it will unveil its full-duplex Internet telephone, Web
Talk, and other new products at Comdex.

A little over a year ago, the well-known memory manager giant hit
tough times. The board of directors brought Gaston Bastiaens,
previously with Apple Computer, in to the company as president and
chief executive officer, and a new strategy was developed to expand
the company from a single product line, single platform company to a
multiple platform, multiple product company.

One of the first developments was the addition of a line of
Internet products for both the server and client environment. Memory
products remain a major part of the company's strategy, but more
than 50% of sales are now coming from non-memory products.

Quarterdeck reports $20.3 million in revenues for its fourth quarter,
ending September 30, 1995. In the same period last year, revenues
totaled $5.4 million. Income for this quarter was $3.2 million before
taxes and one-time charges. As a result of an aggressive acquisition
strategy which brought Prospero Systems and StarNine Technologies
into the company, Quarterdeck took a one-time charge of $3.8 million.
The charge caused an overall quarter net loss of $562,000.

For its fiscal 1995 year, Quarterdeck brought in $70.7 million, another
company record, and listed its net income after one-time charges at
$4.1 million. This compares with a net loss in 1994 of $21.2 million
which included one-time restructuring charges of $13.5 million.

Bastiaens said in a press statement, "These record revenues reflect the
results of a successful turnaround at Quarterdeck. Our results have
been achieved by introducing a new line of products for the Internet
and Windows 95, expanding in international markets, focusing on
marketing and building the management team."

Not willing to rest, Quarterdeck is moving into a new fiscal year
with WebTalk, QEMM 8, and WebCompass. These new products will be
featured at Comdex along with a special appearance by actor John de
Lancie who plays "Q" in the television series StarTrek.

Early Internet telephone products were half-duplex which constrained
users to talking as if they were using a walkie-talkie where only one
person can speak at once. Full-duplex products are like regular,
simultaneous telephone conversations. Using Internet Relay Chat, two
Internet users with this software can talk to one another at standard
telephone quality.

The WebTalk package includes two licenses each for WebTalk and
Quarterdeck Mosaic, the company's Web browser, plus a microphone from
Labtec and one month's free Internet access if the user subscribes to
Netcom On-Line Communications services. Quarterdeck expects an
anticipated street price of less than $50 for WebTalk.

QEMM 8, the company's latest memory management product, is designed
to enhance Windows 3.1 and Windows 95 performance. QEMM 8 includes
MagnaRAM which is capable of increasing RAM performance by 60 to 70%.
Quarterdeck is quick to separate MagnaRAM from SoftRam, a RAM doubling
product, which has received extensive negative press in the past week.
The new QEMM still enhances the first megabyte of RAM for Windows 3.1
and Windows 95.

WebCompass is a new Internet product which allows users to have their
own Internet search tool. The product allows users to create custom
searches using various Internet search tools and engines at defined
intervals.

How big is Quarterdeck's turnaround. Earlier this year, its stock was
as low as $3 per share. Yesterday, Quarterdeck stock sold for $28. A
company spokesperson told Newsbytes, "The spirits are very high here.
This is a great announcement about very hard labor paying off."

(Patrick McKenna/1995/Press Contact: Rolph Rudestam, The
Rudestam Group, 909-585-2012)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00031)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 11/09/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 9 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|           Thursday, November 9, 1995           |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network's on the Web! Check out http://www.nbnn.com for
free daily top stories from Newsbytes and its affiliate publications, and
from PC Week, MacWeek, and other Ziff news magazines. A subscription
gives you all the news, full-text, plus the most comprehensive database
of past computer stories online. The keyword-searchable database dates
from today back through 1983. Subscriptions are $24.95 for three months.
Questions? Send to '[e-mail]'  For Japanese Newsbytes
and additional services, see the Newsbytes Pacifica Website at
http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

APPLE     T'Was Putt-Putt's Night Before Christmas................... 04

APPLE     Correction - Apple Computers With Pentium Processors....... 17

BROADCAST China - Digital Broadcasting Planned....................... 09

BROADCAST Elek-Tek's National "Infomercial........................... 11

BROADCAST High Definition TV Test Over ATM Network Successful........ 26

BUSINESS  AT&T To Maintain Investment Plan In China.................. 08

BUSINESS  Sony Reports Strong First Half Earnings.................... 16

BUSINESS   ****Ziff Davis Publishing Sold To Softbank For $2.1Bil.... 18

BUSINESS  Harris Taking Over NovAtel's Wireless Unit................. 19

BUSINESS   ****Thinking Machines Leaving Bankruptcy.................. 25

BUSINESS  Zenith/LG Electronics Stock Buyout Final................... 27

BUSINESS  Quarterdeck Turns The Corner With Record Revenues.......... 30

GENERAL   AST Signs Ex-Apple Exec As CEO............................. 05

LEGAL     Microsoft's Anti-piracy Campaign Targets Resellers......... 23

ONLINE    Netbuddy Automates Internet Site Checking.................. 02

ONLINE    New Health Care E-Mail Newsletter.......................... 03

ONLINE    US Presidential Race Coverage On The Web................... 07

ONLINE     ****Israeli Univ Expels Student Over Internet Message..... 13

ONLINE    Internet Update............................................ 14

ONLINE    Japan - Sony & NTT Plan New Computer Network............... 15

ONLINE    Spyglass & InfiNet In Media Venture........................ 21

ONLINE    RCA Home Theatre Unit With Internet, Online Access......... 28

ONLINE     ****GE Seeks Buyer For Genie Online Service............... 29

TRENDS    Hong Kong Forex Futures Market Opens....................... 06

TRENDS     ****MCI To Sell Music CD's By Phone, Internet............. 12

TRENDS     ****Windows NT To Replace Unix - Survey................... 20

TRENDS    All-day Zinc Air Batteries Intro'd......................... 22

UNIX      EMC's Shared Mainframe/Unix RAID, Deals With HP & AT&T..... 10

WINDOWS   UK - Access Intros Word Processing Translation Prgm........ 01

WINDOWS    ****Windows 95 Is A Hacker's Dream Over The Internet...... 24

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 -> UK - Access Intros Word Processing Translation Prgm -- Access
Software International has unveiled Accent Duo with Translation, a
Windows-based package that integrates Accent's word processor, Accent, to
allow integrated language translation.

2 -> Netbuddy Automates Internet Site Checking -- With the Internet
growing by leaps and bounds, it can be time-consuming, and sometimes even
frustrating, to visit all your favorite sites regularly. But Internet
Solutions Inc. is offering a free software tool it says is designed to
simplify access to those locations, as well as automatically scan them
for changes in order to keep the user up-to-date about specified topics.

3 -> New Health Care E-Mail Newsletter -- St. Anthony Publishing Inc.
aims to simplify the accessing of health information on the Internet. The
company is introducing what it calls the "first" electronic-mail
newsletter in the US that will guide health care pros and consumers to
the electronic information.

4 -> T'Was Putt-Putt's Night Before Christmas -- Christmas may seem a
long way off, but the folks at Humongous Entertainment know better, and
they've released Putt-Putt's Night Before Christmas, a children's book
that comes with a read-along audio tape. The book and tape are free with
the purchase of any of the company's "edutainment" products on CD-ROM.

5 -> AST Signs Ex-Apple Exec As CEO -- AST has announced that 46 year-old
Australian Ian Diery will to take over as president and chief executive
officer (CEO). The former executive vice president and general manager of
Apple's personal computer division, takes over from Jim Schraith, who
resigned earlier in the year.

6 -> Hong Kong Forex Futures Market Opens -- US$40 million was chalked up
by Hong Kong's first rolling currency futures market during the first
half day of trading, according to Digital Equipment Corp, which installed
the trading technology.

7 -> US Presidential Race Coverage On The Web -- Details on developments
and news from the upcoming US Presidential election are coming to the
Internet's World Wide Web early next year. The Washington Post's Digital
Ink, Newsweek Magazine, and ABC News will team up to launch ElectionLine
on the Web starting in January, 1996.

8 -> AT&T To Maintain Investment Plan In China -- An AT&T (China)
spokesman recently denied the possibility of any change in its investment
plan in China, despite the telecoms firm splitting into three independent
companies.

9 -> China - Digital Broadcasting Planned -- DAB (digital audio
broadcast) and digital TV are expected to begin soon in China, said an
official with the State Science and Technology Commission (SSTC).
However, HDTV (high definition TV) may be too expensive for most users,
he said.

10 -> EMC's Shared Mainframe/Unix RAID, Deals With HP & AT&T -- EMC
expects to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in 1996 through newly
inked deals with HP and AT&T GIS, with many more millions to come from
EMC's new unveiled Symmetrix Enterprise Storage Platform (ESP), a system
billed as the first to allow shared mainframe and Unix storage,
maintained EMC VP David Donatelli, in an interview with Newsbytes.

11 -> Elek-Tek's National "Infomercial -- Computer retailer and
direct-mail marketer Elek-Tek Inc. (NASDAQ:ELEK) will hit the "air" on
cable television with a series of "infomercials." The company will
broadcast the show "Computer Wonderland" starting Saturday, November 18,
at 12:00 noon EST on the Cable News and Business Channel (CNBC), along
with several different local TV markets at different times.

12 ->  ****MCI To Sell Music CD's By Phone, Internet -- MCI Corp.
(NASDAQ:MCIC) is expanding its electronic influence into the world of
music retailing.  The telecommunications giant said it has opened a
service, called "1-800-MUSICNOW," which will feature audio clips, live
operator help, and over-the-phone ordering of CD's and cassettes.

13 ->  ****Israeli Univ Expels Student Over Internet Message -- An
Israeli University has expelled a student after he sent a message
publicly supporting the recent assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak
Rabin. The student studied at Bar Ilan University, the same university
that confessed killer Yigal Amir, and Rabin's injured bodyguard studied.

14 -> Internet Update -- In this update of new resources and services on
the global Internet: Telekom Malaysia; Andy Kane's art online; Global
climate home page; The big vote; National index to Bulgaria; Watch the
world; Native American art; Datamocracy demographic and geographic data;
Guide to Linux applications; San Francisco museum online; The New York
subway home page; Robert Morris Hunt's art photography.

15 -> Japan - Sony & NTT Plan New Computer Network -- Four of Japan's
major electronics and NTT are planning a new computer communications
network for the country, according to a Nihon Keizai Shimbun report,
confirmed to Newsbytes by industry sources.

16 -> Sony Reports Strong First Half Earnings -- Keeping a promise it
made six months ago to move back into the black, Sony Corporation
(TSE:6758) has announced financial results for the first half of the
current fiscal year showing a healthy pre-tax profit and improved
forecasts for the full year.

17 -> Correction - Apple Computers With Pentium Processors -- A recent
Newsbytes story incorrectly stated that Mac users with PCI (Peripheral
Component Interconnect) capabilities use a PCI board with 486DX2/66 power
to process applications on Power Macs, Mac LCs, and the Mac Performa
line.

18 ->  ****Ziff Davis Publishing Sold To Softbank For $2.1Bil -- Japan's
Softbank Corporation (TSE:9984), and its President Mayoshi Son, has
walked away with Ziff Davis Publishing for $2.1 billion. In a press
conference today, Son outlined plans for the company, which include a
massive expansion in titles and forecasts of much greater circulation in
the next ten years.

19 -> Harris Taking Over NovAtel's Wireless Unit -- NovAtel
Communications Ltd. has sold its wireless access products unit to Harris
Corp. of Melbourne, Florida. The financial terms of the agreement are not
being disclosed.

20 ->  ****Windows NT To Replace Unix - Survey -- Hewlett-Packard
(NYSE:HWP) conducted a survey of 200 senior technology managers at
Fortune 1000 companies and their top concern was in-house expertise to
integrate and support 32-bit operating systems.

21 -> Spyglass & InfiNet In Media Venture -- A Spyglass Inc.
(NASDAQ:SPYG) official has confirmed to Newsbytes that it has entered
into a licensing agreement with InfiNet Company, a Knight-Ridder and
Landmark Communications joint venture, to help newspapers establish an
Internet World Wide Web presence. Specifically, Spyglass will license its
Enhanced Mosaic Web client software to InfiNet.

22 -> All-day Zinc Air Batteries Intro'd -- AER Energy Resources Inc.
(NASDAQ: AERN) has announced improvements to its rechargeable zinc-air
battery technology that will make it possible to build batteries that can
run full-featured portable computers for a "full working day." Better
yet, the batteries will only be about half the size and weight of earlier
batteries.

23 -> Microsoft's Anti-piracy Campaign Targets Resellers -- Microsoft
Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) has launched a national anti-piracy campaign to
address the problem of hard disk loading of pirated software by
resellers.

24 ->  ****Windows 95 Is A Hacker's Dream Over The Internet -- Windows
95, combined with the Internet, could be a dream made in hacker heaven.
From seasoned propeller heads Newsbytes has contacted, it looks like
Windows 95 could be more of a security nightmare than was first thought.

25 ->  ****Thinking Machines Leaving Bankruptcy -- Thinking Machines will
leave bankruptcy over the next 60 to 90 days through a newly filed $10
million recapitalization plan, and is now in the process of porting its
parallel processing systems software and Darwin decision support (DSS)
applications to Sun Microsystems' new UltraSparc-based systems, said
Thinking Machines CEO (Chief Executive Officer) Robert Doretti, in an
interview with Newsbytes.

26 -> High Definition TV Test Over ATM Network Successful -- It only went
510 miles, but BellSouth and the HDTV Grand Alliance said new
technological ground was broken with the transmission of a
high-definition television (HDTV) signal over an ATM (asynchronous
transfer mode) network.

27 -> Zenith/LG Electronics Stock Buyout Final -- On the heels of LG
Electronics' (LGE) purchase of almost 58 percent of outstanding shares in
Zenith Electronics (NYSE:ZE) at $351 million, Zenith said Kell Benson,
senior vice president-finance and chief financial officer, has left the
company. Also, Zenith's board has named William McNitt acting chief
financial officer and Richard Lueck acting chief accounting officer.

28 -> RCA Home Theatre Unit With Internet, Online Access -- If a new RCA
Home Theater consumer product makes it out of the concept stage into full
production, accessing the various online services and the Internet may be
as easy as turning on a television set. RCA officials demonstrated a
prototype of its concept called "Genius Theatre" in New York City.

29 ->  ****GE Seeks Buyer For Genie Online Service -- Rumors are
circulating that General Electric (GE) is looking for a buyer for its
long-running Genie online service. According to Doug Wolford, a spokesman
for GE, the rumors appear to be have been started by a journalist writing
in the Washington Post late last week, surmising that the logical step
for GE is to sell its online service.

30 -> Quarterdeck Turns The Corner With Record Revenues -- Going from a
memory product company undergoing difficult times, to record fourth
quarter revenues is causing smiles at Quarterdeck (NASDAQ:QDEK). Along
with quadrupling revenues over the same quarter last year, the company
says it will unveil its full-duplex Internet telephone, Web Talk, and
other new products at Comdex.

(Ian Stokell/19951109)





Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD



Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/08/95
ONLINE
Europe Online Project In Doubt

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LON)(00001)
Europe Online Project In Doubt 11/08/95
HAMBURG, GERMANY, 1995 NOV 8 (NB) -- Industry observers are
questioning the future of the Europe Online project as the third
publisher in a row, this time Axel Springer AG, the German publisher
of the Bild Zeitung newspaper, has now announced it is pulling out.
Europe Online S.A. was founded by a consortium of 25 companies.

Axel was due to take a 10 percent share in the investment for the
fledgling online project. The news comes in the wake of Pearson, a
UK publishing group, and Matra-Hatchette, a French technology
company, announcing their own plans to pull out.

Now industry watchers are saying that the 18 month-old online project
may not achieve its target of launching in the first quarter next
year. With the company pullouts, there is speculation that the
project -- which required its members to contribute $200 million to
launch funding -- may not take off on schedule due to a shortage of
money.

As reported last month by Newsbytes, Pearson and Matra-Hatchette have
already outlined plans to sell their stake in Europe Online, to Veba,
the German information technology (IT) company. Burda Verlag, one of
the other founders of the venture, will retain its shares in the
company.

According to Europe Online, the Pearson and Matra-Hatchette sell-off
has nothing to do with a European Commission (EC) investigation into
Europe Online, announced in the summer. The preliminary investigation,
which has since been dropped by the EC, aimed to investigate whether
the multi-country alliance would be too powerful in Europe's new
online industry.

Europe Online claims that the Axel deal, along with the Pearson/Matra-
Hatchette pull-out, is entirely amicable, and stems from a difference
in direction between Matra-Hatchette and the other partners.

Pearson, meanwhile, has stated its intention of being an information
provider, rather than a shareholder, in the new online service.

Veba has stated that it plans to acquire the unspecified volume of
shares from Pearson and Matra-Hatchette, for an unspecified amount of
money, later this year.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951107/Press & Reader Contact: Veba,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/08/95
IBM
IBM's Multiple Size Internet Connection Services

(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00002)
IBM's Multiple Size Internet Connection Services 11/08/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 NOV 8 (NB) -- IBM has announced it is abandoning
the "one size fits all" approach that it claims the Internet service
provider industry is applying to companies wanting to plug into the
Internet. According to Big Blue, each customer's needs are different,
and for this reason the company has beefed up its Internet Connection
software family to allow "large systems customers to exploit the vast
opportunities of the Internet."

According to IBM, its new Internet Connection Server for MVS allows
all MVS customers, including System/390 users, to exploit their
existing enterprise investment and build a World Wide Web server
delivering their current data through an industry-standard Web
browser. IBM claims that, because the server resides on a S/390, it
has all the inherent MVS strengths -- security, capacity, integrity,
robustness, and scalability.

Big Blue officials claim that customers with a S/390 Parallel
Enterprise Server can also build a presence on the growing Internet
without a significant investment in new skills and hardware.

"Business of all sizes are looking to develop products and services on
the Internet, and we hear many of them say they want to leverage their
existing resources," said Lois Dimpfel, vice president, networking
software products, IBM Networking Software Division. "The IBM Internet
Connection Server for MVS lets them use a powerful system they're
already very familiar with, while our Internet Connection CICS and DB2
gateways will let them link existing data and applications to the Net.
The potential of this is tremendous."

So how does the MVS link into the Internet work? According to IBM,
businesses can use the Internet Connection Server for MVS to create a
Web server on either the external Internet or an internal network.
The idea is that the server can act as a repository for text, still-
images, video, or audio data. Users, either internal or external, can
peruse the data with a browser such as the IBM Internet Connection
for OS/2 Warp or the IBM Internet Connection for Windows.

According to IBM, corporations may use the new MVS server software
internally to post internal memos about job openings, corporate
policies, product specifications, or training information. For external
purposes, a MVS Internet server could be used to promote a corporate
image, provide customer support or offer an online product catalog.

Big Blue claims that the scalability of the S/390 server is
particularly advantageous to a customer because all levels of
development can be accommodated -- from the first home page to
a high-volume, international, multi-feature Internet service.

The IBM Internet Connection Server for MVS monthly access charges
range from UKP49 to UKP220, depending on processor class. The
software will be available worldwide from December.

Further details of the IBM Internet service can be found at IBM's
networking Web site, which is located at http://www.raleigh.ibm.com .

(Steve Gold/19951107/Press Contact: Anna Russell, IBM UK,
[phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/08/95
ONLINE
European Commission Funds Secure Open Internet Technology

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LON)(00003)
European Commission Funds Secure Open Internet Technology 11/08/95
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1995 NOV 8 (NB) -- Backed by the European
Commission, a consortium of 20 partners from European industry and
academia has embarked on a research project to develop the "basic
groundwork" to establish a secure electronic commerce service.

According to IBM, which is one of the backers for the project, the
goal of SEMPER (Secure Electronic Marketplace for Europe) is to
provide the "first open and comprehensive solutions" for secure
commerce over the Internet and other public information networks.

Plans call for IBM's Zurich Research Laboratory will provide the
technical leadership, and IBM France to act as coordinator for
the project.

According to Anna Russell, a spokeswoman for IBM, although the
Internet has its roots in academia and is still dominated by free-of-
charge information, dramatic changes are expected in the near future.
For instance, IBM claims, the Web will be used for a wide variety of
electronic commerce such as online trade or delivery of advanced
multimedia information services.

According to Russell, the need for secure transactions in this new
business environment, has triggered a number of similar initiatives,
but these have been almost exclusively in the US and largely
proprietary, or otherwise closed "solutions," involving only electronic
payment issues. In contrast, SEMPER is billed as working to provide a
"comprehensive solution for secure electronic commerce," considering
legal, commercial, social, and technical requirements as well as
"different options" for an electronic marketplace.

IBM officials claim that, consistent with its broader goals, the
SEMPER project will be managed by an interdisciplinary team of experts
from the academic, industrial, and general business environment in
Europe. The team includes representatives from the social sciences,
finance, retail, and publishing, as well as from information and
telecommunication technology.

Plans call for the first of the three one-year phases to address a
coherent security model and a generic, open security architecture for
the electronic marketplace. The architecture will reportedly be
independent of specific hardware, software, or network architectures.
The most fundamental electronic commerce services, such as secure
offering, ordering, payment and information delivery, will also be
integrated in the first phase.

Subsequent phases will concentrate on more advanced services,
including: fair exchange of documents; credentials; advanced
document processing; notary services; and multimedia-specific
security services, such as protection of intellectual property rights.

Big Blue claims that multi-party security and protection of user's
privacy will receive prime attention. SEMPER will use and integrate
existing architectures, tools, and services where appropriate. Early
trials will be provided for the Web, and subsequent tests performed on
ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) broadband networks to demonstrate the
broad applicability of SEMPER's architecture and services.

The SEMPER project is part of the Advanced Communication Technologies
and Services (ACTS) research program established by the European
Commission Directorate General XIII for 1994-1998. ACTS is the follow-
on program for Research on Advanced Communications in Europe (RACE)
1987-1994. The project will establish a Special Interest Group for
Secure Electronic Commerce (SIGSEC) which will make results available
to all interested parties, including standardization bodies, and will
coordinate related projects, in particular those funded by the EC.

(Steve Gold/19951107/Press Contact: Anna Russell, IBM UK, +44-171-
202-3799, Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Reader Contact:
European Commission, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/08/95
ONLINE
UK Homes Rush To Plug Into Internet

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LON)(00004)
UK Homes Rush To Plug Into Internet 11/08/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 NOV 8 (NB) -- According to market research by
GfK Marketing Services, British homes are "enthusiastically joining"
the so-called "information superhighway." Vironique Froment, a
spokeswoman for the company, said research shows that each week in
the UK, an estimated 1,300 households subscribe to the Internet.

"GfK is a mainstream market research company, so this type of IT
(information technology) research is a relatively new area for the
company, although it will form part of the company's quarterly home
audit service," she told Newsbytes.

According to GfK, more than 200,000 respondents are expecting to
subscribe to the Internet in the next year. The take up rate is
therefore expected to more than treble in the next 12 months to
reach nearly 4,000 new subscribers every week.

"Every home with a computer is a potential subscriber," explained
Martin New, GfK's IT specialist. "Our research tells us that there are
currently an estimated 3.4 million homes in the UK with a computer, but
no Internet access. So, despite fast growth, the market for Internet
services in British homes is still vastly untapped."

According to New, in spite of all the hype about the "information
superhighway," many PC owners "still aren't quite sure about what
services and options are available from the Internet, and this is
reflected in what most people use it for."

According to New, when looking at the type of activities carried out
using the Internet, the vast majority of respondents (66 percent)
said that they used it mainly for electronic-mail, and to access
business information (56 percent). Purchasing goods and services
came low down the list with only six percent of respondents.

The survey concluded that out of the 244,000 households acquiring
a computer in the quarter to June, 17 percent admitted to not
knowing what the Internet was.

According to GfK, its quarterly "Computers in the Home" ownership
monitor is derived from two sources. The first source of information
is GfK's quarterly "Home Audit," in which a rolling sample of 25,000
households in Great Britain reports on purchases and rentals of
consumer durables. GfK also conducts an annual ownership study of
10,000 homes throughout Great Britain, to give the installed base
of computers and printers.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951107/Press Contact: Roger Staton Associates,
[phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Reader
Contact: Martin New, GfK Marketing Services, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/08/95
TELECOM
E-Sat Digifone To Offer Ireland's 2nd GSM Network

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00005)
E-Sat Digifone To Offer Ireland's 2nd GSM Network 11/08/95
DUBLIN, IRELAND, 1995 NOV 8 (NB) -- The Department of Communications
in Ireland has announced that E-Sat Digifone has been granted the
second GSM (global system for mobile communications) license in the
Irish Republic. Ireland's second GSM net should be up and running by
next spring, officials said.

As reported previously by Newsbytes, there were six contenders for
the license, including the Persona consortium which consisted of
Motorola, Sigma Wireless, and Unisource.

Newsbytes notes that Persona was originally seen as the favorite for
the second GSM license. In June of this year, the Irish Government
announced it had temporarily shelved the tender closing date for the
country's second GSM digital phone network.

At the time, Mike Lowery, the Irish Minister for Transport, Energy and
Communications, said that the original closing date of June 23, had
been deferred. In the event, applications formally closed on August
23, and E-Sat Digifone has been awarded the license.

Irish Government officials have refused to say how much the successful
consortium will pay for the license. Newsbytes notes that Lowery's
office let it slip back in June that a new closing date for tenders
will be announced, once certain procedures were worked out with the EC.

Lowery, meanwhile, when subsequently quizzed by journalists, said
that the main problem related to the license fees chargeable to the
successful tendering company. This perhaps explains the Government's
reticence to raise the topic of the license fee again in public.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951108/E-Sat Digifone, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/08/95
IBM
IBM Teams Up With Indiana Utility On Customer Service

(NEWS)(IBM)(WAS)(00006)
IBM Teams Up With Indiana Utility On Customer Service 11/08/95
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 8 (NB) -- IBM and
Northern Indiana Public Service Co. (NIPSCO) have announced
a utility customer service product, called Integrity/Customer
Services System, that will go into production next week.

The two companies expect to use the system within NIPSCO's
combination gas and electric utility business, and also market
it elsewhere, John Dunn, NIPSCO group vice president and chief
technology officer, told Newsbytes.

"There is a lot of opportunity for aggressive companies who can
use information resources to build products and services for
their customers," Dunn said. "Providing one-stop shopping for
our customers will enable us to get a jump on our competitors
and raise the bar for service levels in the industry." Offering
top-quality customer service, Dunn said, "is a way for us to
differentiate ourselves from other providers of service."

Combining specially-written software with off-the-shelf network
computing hardware, the I/CSS provides customer service
representatives with real-time information, so that customer
requests can be tracked through the complete transaction.

For example, a request for new service to a family's new home
could be followed from the engineer entering and updating
milestone information for the permit requirements, through
service installation and to the actually installation and
service of appliances. NIPSCO is using the system to market
non-traditional services, such as furnace warranty and repair,
and home security systems.

The I/CSS at NIPSCO uses an OS/2 front-end running on personal
computers, communicating with an IBM mainframe as a server
running the central database on DB2, IBM's relational database.

At the same, said IBM's Craig Westerhold, who is running Big
Blue's line of business that works with utilities, the company
is developing a Windows NT front-end in a project at Arizona
Public Service Co. in Phoenix. "This application will compete
with any other in the market," he said. "It is perfectly
well-suited for where utilities are going -- to rate
customization. It will allow utilities to throw out the rate
book and create customer-driven rates on the fly."

According to Dunn, NIPSCO has put $65 million into the project.
The company's investment in writing the computer code for the
application was $50 million, he said, with another $15 million
into the development of the network architecture connecting
such elements as local area networks and wide area networks.

(Kennedy Maize/19951107/Press Contacts: Jeff Brewer, NIPSCO,
219-647-6204, Sue Hoffman, IBM, 914-642-5407)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/08/95
ONLINE
CNN's Kinsley Leaving Crossfire For Microsoft

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(WAS)(00007)
CNN's Kinsley Leaving Crossfire For Microsoft 11/08/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 NOV 8 (NB) -- Michael Kinsley,
co-host of CNN's "Crossfire" show and former editor of The New
Republic, is leaving the network to edit a cyberspace magazine
for Microsoft.

Kinsley, who made a successful switch from print to broadcast
journalism, will become one of the first to make the journey to
cyberspace. The new magazine he will edit will be distributed on
the World Wide Web and on the Microsoft Network.

Kinsley, the epitome of the inside-the-beltway culture, will be
leaving the nation's capital and moving to Washington state
after his six and a half year stint at CNN's premier shout show.
Neither Kinsley, 44, nor Microsoft would discuss the terms of
his employment.

"I really wanted to edit a magazine," Kinsley said. "I was
racking my brain about how I could get a magazine." He said an
online magazine "sounds like fun."

Kinsley told the New York Times, "The idea is to create some
serious journalism on the Web for people who are not Web
fanatics." Kinsley said that "most of what's on the Web is
crap." The yet-unnamed magazine will have a staff of "probably
a dozen people or fewer," he said.

Kinsley said that last summer he saw a comment in a Newsweek
article that Microsoft was looking for "a big-time editor." He
had made up his mind that he would not renew his contract for
Crossfire. So he called Steve Ballmer, executive vice president
at Microsoft and a friend from college days at Harvard.

Ballmer said the Newsweek account was not correct, but invited
Kinsley to visit the Microsoft headquarters. Kinsley said he
met several Microsoft executives and was impressed.

"You meet the Microsoft people, and they're all very smart,"
said Kinsley, who has advanced degrees from Harvard Law and
Oxford. "And it's a world that's totally removed from
Washington and that appealed to me. It's a chance to try a
whole new world."

(Kennedy Maize/19951107)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/08/95
BUSINESS
AST Posts Further Losses, Samsung Takes Control

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00008)
AST Posts Further Losses, Samsung Takes Control 11/08/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 NOV 8 (NB) -- AST's first quarter results for
fiscal 1996 show a company sinking deeper into a black hole, with its
US$96.4 million losses nearly one and a half times those piled up in the
same quarter the previous year.

The situation, blamed on plummeting US sales, is now so dire that Samsung
has taken control of AST's board. Safi Qureshey, nominally chairman,
relinquished his chief executive officer (CEO) post to Apple Computer's
Ian Diery.

Hill and Knowlton, AST's public relations firm, buried news of the loss
in the middle of the second page of its news release. The agency devoted
page one to AST's 55% growth in Asia but, without including specific
regional numbers.

"Disappointing first quarter results were caused by lower than anticipated
sales in the North American marketplace and seasonal softness in Europe,
which were further impacted by downward industry pricing actions and
delays in some new product shipments," Qureshey said. The company claims
55% growth in Asia revenues, including sales in Japan -- often separated
from Asia region calculations.

AST itemized segment revenue increases this way: 116% in China, 128% in
Singapore, and 248% in Thailand. But it declined to furnish actual unit
sales and dollar figures. Newsbytes understands the total number of
shipments during the first quarter of 1995 was a low figure anyway and
percentage increases may not have much impact on the corporate bottom
line.

A closer look at the ledger shows that, while there may have been a
decline in North American sales by 42%, net losses do not reflect this.
The value of net sales fell by 18.5% between first quarter fiscal 1996
and 1995, for example, and the cost of sales fell by 10.48%. Other costs
such as research and development are comparable across the two quarters,
but excluding extraordinary items, AST's loss climbed by over 140%.

The latest results also shed some light on McFarland's and Qureshey's
visit to Samsung's Seoul headquarters two weeks ago. The deals cut there
effectively put Samsung in control of AST's board -- the price AST had
to pay for a credit line of US$100 million. However, some analysts contend
that, at the quickening rate AST is piling up the losses, that figure
could evaporate in no time at all. The official AST statement says other
undisclosed agreements with the electronics giant are subject to legal
approval.

Samsung now holds 49.9% of AST, and that may increase to as much as 60%.
During the quarter, AST shipped 245,000 units worldwide -- 213,000
desktop and server machines and 32,000 notebooks.

(Joel McCormick & I.T. Daily/19951106)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/08/95
HEALTH
Pharmacist On A Disk

(NEWS)(HEALTH)(DEN)(00009)
Pharmacist On A Disk 11/08/95
MELBOURNE, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 8 (NB) -- You might call it
pharmacist in a box, but Pixel Perfect Inc., the publisher, calls
it The Corner Drugstore CD-ROM. The program is a drug and pharmacy
reference interactive computer program that comes on four CD-ROM disks
and uses hyperlinks to connect related topics and video segments
across the 2.5 gigabytes (GB) of data.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95110809.PCX
Click here for photo

The Corner Drug Store includes over five hours of video that
address common ailments, home remedies, and drug uses. The program
interacts with various sources for its information, including:
InteRact, a drug and food interaction analyzer; physician-published
drug profiles; the Handbook of Over-the-Counter Drugs and Pharmacy
Products, a multimedia medical glossary; and videos from the
syndicated educational TV series Max Lever's The Corner Drugstore.
A medical glossary provides pop-up definitions for thousands of
medical terms.

Pixel Perfect said Dr. Stephen Schueler assembled a team of
physicians, pharmacists, and drug experts to answer questions
regarding drugs and other health products to prepare the
comprehensive reference and educational tool. Dr. Schueler is
chairman of Emergency Medicine at Holmes Regional Medical Center
in Melbourne, Florida, and creator of the CD-ROM medical references
Home Medical Advisor Pro and Self Health, The Complete Interactive
Personal Health Manager.

A knowledge of drugs can be extremely important and might even save
your life, said the company in citing studies that indicate more
than 25 percent of the population will experience a drug side-
effect or drug interaction at some time in their life. The studies
also indicate that about a quarter-million older adults are
hospitalized each year as a result of harmful reactions to medicines.

Pixel Perfect said the four-disk set is the largest drug reference
library every assembled on CD-ROM. It contains indication, side-
effects, interactions, precautions, pronunciations, and dosing
information on more than 8,000 generic and trade name medications.

To use The Corner Drugstore you need a Windows 3.1 or Windows
95-equipped personal computer, a double-speed or faster CD-ROM
drive, at least four megabytes of system memory and a Super VGA
or better display. The program has a suggested retail price of
$29.95, plus a $4 shipping and handling feel.

(Jim Mallory/19951107/Press contact: Stephani Perlmutter, The Media
Connection for Pixel Perfect, 312-751-8436; Public contact: Pixel
Perfect, 800-788-2099/DRUGSTOR951108/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/08/95
GENERAL
Australian IT Industry Gears Up For CeBIT

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00010)
Australian IT Industry Gears Up For CeBIT 11/08/95
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 1995 NOV 8 (NB) -- The CeBIT jumbo jet is getting ready
to take off for Hannover 1996 and about 100 Australian information
technology (IT) companies are checking in with tickets and baggage.

Austrade and the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) are
halfway through a series of briefings in Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane.
In Sydney, the predominant theme was that time is ticking away.

Participants face several early and very important deadlines. One of the
most important is getting together material for the bulky CeBIT catalog,
the bible of the show, which takes place from March 14-20.

The simple message from Michael Abrahams, Australian trade commissioner
in Frankfurt, is that, if you're not in the catalog, you virtually don't
exist. Austrade has commissioned Canberra consultants Factotum to put
together the catalog entries for participants in the Australian national
stands, under the slogan InTelligent Australia. The listings have to be in
by November 24, the same day as the deadline for media material and contact
briefs for Austrade, with a host of other deadlines falling on December 1
and throughout the month.

Austrade technical director for exhibitions, Paul Cahir, will send out plans
for stands this week. Austrade has engaged a Dutch designer for the project,
which has come up with a themed concept of angled stands, each identified
with the InTelligent Australia logo, and the company's sign. The
Australians will be in three halls, dedicated to software, hardware, and
telecommunications. Two of the combined stands have been given extra aisles,
to provide better exposure for participants. In the main stand, conference
facilities, a media room, and offices will be on a second level.

On the logistics, Schenker & Co will carry all the exhibit material (the
sea freight deadline is December 12 and the air date is February 20) and
Cathay Pacific is the official carrier. Special fare deals will be
announced this week. Austrade is looking at a mini-expo in Hong Kong on
the way back to Australia for a limited number of CeBIT participants.

(John Stackhouse and Computer Daily News/19951107)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/08/95
EDUCATION
China - Computer Tutor Software Is Popular

(NEWS)(EDUCATION)(PEK)(00011)
China - Computer Tutor Software Is Popular 11/08/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 NOV 8 (NB) -- More than 20,000 copies of CSC's
Computer Tutor software for junior middle-school students have
been sold since its release in January, and most student users said
the software was useful, said the company.

The software series, developed by Beijing Clever School Computer Corp.
(CSC), includes sound and charts, and enables school students to make
full use of their time at home to learn or better comprehend the
content of their textbooks, the company said.

The series covers main study subjects in three years for junior middle
students and contains textbooks, exercises, and drills for classes
such as the Chinese language, mathematics, physics, and chemistry.

The software is claimed to be user-friendly, with text being read
aloud in standard Mandarin. If the student makes a mistake, "Try again"
can be heard. A correct answer will result in a loud "Well done!"
In geometry, the student is offered a hands-on experience, as the
computer mouse can be used to draw the shape directly on the screen.

A market follow-up survey of 70 junior middle-school students
indicates that the software is being used mainly as an additional
teaching aid.

CSC, founded four years ago by a group of graduates from Tsinghua
University, has expanded to include 500 employees. Except for
50 computer technicians, all are veteran teachers and educators
from middle schools, colleges and universities, with 37 professors
and experts on education as the core members.

The list price of the software series is RMB1,300 (US$155) in the
Beijing Zhongguancun area. The company's computer tutor series for
senior high school students will be put on the market soon, the
company said.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951108)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/08/95
TRENDS
Info Technology May Be More Revolutionary Than We Think

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(MSP)(00012)
Info Technology May Be More Revolutionary Than We Think 11/08/95
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 8 (NB) -- In the future,
politicians say, we will need to retrain ourselves constantly to keep
up with the blistering pace of technological change. Otherwise, we'll
be on the street, joining the growing ranks of the "underclass."

If this doesn't sound like much fun, then you'll resonate well with
Jeremy Rifkin's Mother Jones critique of the third-wave political
rhetoric currently emanating from both the White House and Congress
("Vanishing Jobs," Sept./Oct. 1995, pp. 58-64).

While youthful billionaires hog the media spotlight, and Democrats
and Republicans preach the gospel of high-tech salvation to a shrinking
middle class, 15 percent of the American population now lives below
the official poverty line. Rifkin pins much of the blame on automation.

"We are in the early stages of a shift from 'mass labor' to highly
skilled 'elite labor,' accompanied by increasing automation in the
production of goods and the delivery of services," he writes. Machines
are replacing workers left and right, at all levels of society. "In the
United States alone, as many as 90 million jobs in a labor force of
124 million are potentially vulnerable to displacement by automation."

Mainstream economists assure us that these lost jobs will be replaced,
but by what? Politicians don't seem to know, Rifkin says. The answer
may just be a shorter work week for all Americans, and he says some
business leaders already are waking up to this fact.

This story is republished with permission from the November 1995
Cybernautics Digest, a monthly summary of reports about converging
information technologies.

(Contact: Terry Hansen, Cybernautics Digest, c/o KFH Publications
Inc., 3530 Bagley Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103; 206-547-4950; Fax:
206-547-5355; E-mail: [e-mail]. U.S. rate: $24;
$2 sample issue)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/08/95
GENERAL
Japan Newsbriefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00013)
Japan Newsbriefs 11/08/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 8 (NB) -- In this roundup of news from Japan:
Bonus hike offered to avert strike; NTT orders Cray supercomputer;
Hitachi enters US PC market; Fujitsu to sell FMV computers in China;
Canon announces color laser printers; Digital satellite program will
include network relays.

Bonus Hike Offered To Avert Strike

Labor unions demanding increased bonuses of 5.3 months' worth of pay
are expected to call off a 12-hour strike after revised offers from
the nation's top electrical companies. The Tokyo-based companies,
enjoying climbing sales in the expanding computer and electronics
sector, are proposing to offer employees bonuses equivalent to 5.25
months' pay, up from 5.06 months' wages last year. To an employee on
an average salary, the bonus will be worth between 1.4 million yen
($13,461) and 1.6 million yen ($15,384). Employees of the major Osaka-
based companies will be offered bonuses equivalent to 5.25 months'
salary against 5.15 months' pay last year. The unions have planned an
initial 12-hour strike to begin at lunchtime on Thursday.

NTT Orders Cray Supercomputer

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (TSE:) has ordered a Cray T90 super
computer. The machine contains 32 processors and is capable of
performing 60 billion calculations per second and has eight gigabytes
of main memory. The computer will be installed at NTT's Musashino City
research and development center where it will be used for advanced
multimedia research, image processing, and materials development.

Hitachi Enters US PC Market

American computer manufacturers are to get more competition from Japan
with the entry of Hitachi into the US domestic PC market. The Tokyo-
based company will establish Hitachi PC Corporation next spring in
San Jose, California, and begin sales and construction of high-end
notebook computers with desktop computers and servers to follow later
in the year. The US subsidiary will employ around 100 people initially
and receive investment of $20 million. The computer parts will be
sourced from Hitachi's Japanese and Asian procurement network.

Fujitsu To Sell FMV Computers In China

Fujitsu Ltd. (TSE:6702) will begin selling its popular FMV range of
personal computers in six regions of southern China. The computers are
being sold by Fujitsu Hong Kong, which has bought 2,000 PCs from its
Japanese parent. The 1.6 billion yen ($15 million) sale in China has
been funded by Japanese overseas development aid.

Canon Announces Color Laser Printers

Canon Inc. (TSE:7751) has announced several new color laser printers
that will be available from early next year. The company said its new
LBP-2030 will be available in Japan from March at a price of 698,000
yen ($6711) and the LBP-2030PS, a postscript version of the same
machine, will be available from April at 1.58 million yen ($15,192).
Production is targeted at 2,500 units a month, 500 of which will be
the more expensive postscript model. The machines represent Canon's
first color laser printers and are capable of printing with a
resolution of 600 dots-per-inch.

Digital Satellite Program Will Include Network Relays

The digital satellite broadcasting service to be launched next spring
by DMC Corporation via the JCSat-3 satellite will include relays of
all the major commercial networks. Nippon Television (NTV) was already
known to be interested in using the satellite and it now looks certain
to be joined by Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS), Fuji Television, TV
Asahi, and TV Tokyo Channel 12, which will also produce a satellite
financial news channel. A 40-channel service will launch next April
with full service due six months later.

(Martyn Williams/19951108)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/08/95
ONLINE
Japan - Softbank & NTT Data To Offer Internet Connections

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00014)
Japan - Softbank & NTT Data To Offer Internet Connections 11/08/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 8 (NB) -- Softbank Corporation (TSE:9984) and
NTT Data Systems Corporation (TSE:9613) are to begin offering Internet
connections to personal and business users at rates "substantially
lower" than competitors through Mediabank, a jointly owned company of
the two.

The new service will launch on December 1st this year when, in
addition to Internet connections, Mediabank will also offer a World
Wide Web building and Internet content service to corporations.
Online shopping also forms part of the company's plans, with an
Internet shopping mall on the drawing board scheduled to begin after
the December Internet service provision launch date.

At a press conference announcing the new service, Mayoshi Son,
president of Softbank Corporation, said Mediabank would charge
"substantially lower" rates than those of its competitors, but
declined to reveal any at this time.

Mediabank was established in March, 1994, and is owned by Softbank,
which holds a 60% stake, and NTT Data, which holds a 40% share.
Since its inception, the company has been engaged in planning and
development of multimedia services.

Softbank is Japan's largest producer and distributor of computer
software and computer related magazines, while NTT Data is the
partially privatized information systems and computer networking
systems division of domestic telecoms giant Nippon Telegraph and
Telephone.

To fund the establishment of the Internet service provider business,
Mediabank plans to issue new shares, a path that Softbank has recently
taken to facilitate several purchases of other companies, including
the publishing arm of Ziff Davis. Mediabank hopes for sales of one
billion yen ($9.6 million) in the first year of operations.

(Martyn Williams/19951108/Press contact: Softbank Corporation,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/08/95
BUSINESS
 ****Softbank To Announce Ziff Purchase Tomorrow

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00015)
 ****Softbank To Announce Ziff Purchase Tomorrow 11/08/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 8 (NB) -- Softbank Corporation (TSE:9984) has
announced it will hold a press conference in Tokyo Thursday afternoon
on the subject of "corporate acquisitions." The company refused to
elaborate on details of the announcement but industry sources have
confirmed to Newsbytes the company will announce the successful
acquisition of Ziff Davis Publishing.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95110815.PCX
Click here for photo

The press conference is scheduled for 1530 local time, 0130 EST. Both
Softbank and Ziff Davis would make no comment when contacted by
Newsbytes today.

Softbank President Mayoshi Son announced on October 19th that his
company was in talks with Forstmann Little, current owners of the
company, over a final deal price. The value of the deal is expected to
be announced tomorrow although the same sources suggest the purchase
price to be around $2 billion.

Last month Greg Jarboe, director of public relations for Ziff Davis,
told Newsbytes, "There is no definitive agreement yet, but we
anticipate one before the week of Comdex." Comdex, a major industry
trade show, takes place next week in Las Vegas.

Softbank tried to buy Ziff Davis Publishing last October, but was
beaten by Forstmann Little which, at the time, said it considered the
purchase to be a long-term investment and one it would not sell soon.
The recent offer from Softbank was understood to be of great enough
size to make the board reconsider the issue.

Softbank is Japan's biggest publisher and distributor of computer
software and magazines, and the purchase of the publications arm of
Ziff Davis would add some important titles and services to the company
which already produces Japanese versions of PC-Week and Mac-User under
license in Japan. Softbank has also just begun offering a Japanese
language version of the PC Week Online news service.

Despite being unsuccessful in the race to grab Ziff Davis Publishing,
it did manage to walk away with Ziff's exhibition arm for $202 million
that included the Networld+Interop, Windows Solutions, and other
computer trade shows.

The company followed with the purchase of the exhibitions arm of the
Interface Group, renamed as Softbank Comdex, early this year which got
the company the Comdex and Windows World exhibitions.

In addition to being the country's largest computer magazine and book
publisher, Softbank is also Japan's distributor of computer systems,
software, and peripherals.

Yesterday is announced it would enter the Internet service provider
business in Japan with NTT Data through its jointly owned Mediabank
subsidiary. It is also involved in a joint venture, Gamebank Corp.,
with Microsoft Corporation, to produce and distribute games software
for the Windows 95 operating system.

Late in October, it also announced the purchase of 30% of Unitech
Telecom, a California-based telecommunication company with strong
interests in China. Softbank viewed the purchase as a way to get into
the Chinese market.

(Martyn Williams/19951108/SBANK951108/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/08/95
IBM
ThinkPad 365 Is New Low End Of IBM Notebook Line

(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00016)
ThinkPad 365 Is New Low End Of IBM Notebook Line 11/08/95
SOMERS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 8 (NB) -- IBM (NYSE:IBM) is replacing
its ThinkPad 360 notebooks with a new entry-level model, the ThinkPad 365.
With the launch of the 365, all ThinkPads now support infrared printing
and file swapping.

The new notebooks use IBM's version of the 486DX4 microprocessor,
running at 75 megahertz (MHz). They come with integrated CD-ROM
drives, eight megabytes (MB) of memory as standard equipment, and hard
disk drives up to a maximum capacity of 720MB. The color screens are
10.4-inches and the notebooks have accelerated video performance, IBM
said.

Company spokesman Michael Corrado told Newsbytes that the 365 notebooks
will replace the existing 360 models, although IBM will still be selling
the 360 for a couple of months as it uses up its existing stock.

The 365 models have infrared connections that conform to the Infrared
Data Association (IrDA) standard, allowing short-range wireless
connections to printers and other computers that comply with the standard.
Corrado said that, with the arrival of the 365 in place of the 360, all
models in IBM's ThinkPad line now support infrared connections.

The 365 weighs from 5.8 to 6.3 pounds. A port replicator is available,
and it includes a palm rest and an integrated charger for a second
notebook battery, IBM said.

The new ThinkPad models are available right away, and despite shortages
of some previous ThinkPad models, Corrado said "We're pretty confident we
have enough to meet demand with this system." Prices start at $1,999 and
range upward to about $3,100.

IBM also cut prices on its ThinkPad 755 notebooks by as much as $650,
saying that 16 of the 26 755 configurations now cost less than $5,000.
Prices for the 755 models start at around $3,000.

IBM is on the Internet World Wide Web at http://www.ibm.com .

(Grant Buckler/19951108/Press Contact: Michael Corrado, IBM,
914-766-3419; Public Contact: IBM Fax Information Service, 800-IBM-4FAX)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/08/95
GOVT
California City Buys New SCADA System

(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00017)
California City Buys New SCADA System 11/08/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 NOV 8 (NB) -- The city of Santa
Clara, California, has picked ABB System Control's Spider system to
replace its 12-year-old supervisory control and data acquisition
(SCADA) computer software and hardware that allows the city utility
to monitor, control, and coordinate its operations over a large
geographical area.

The Spider system has a modular design that allows it to be
easily upgraded in the future as the city utility's needs
change. The new system will be operational in the fall of 1996,
running out of the city's operations center.

ABB's system is Unix-based and includes both SCADA and
distribution management in real-time and an Oracle-based
historical information system.

Local and remote workstations communicate over a fiber optic
network with a distributed server to access both real-time and
historical data. The SCADA software includes an advanced
OSF/Motif graphical user interface. The hardware is sized to
communicate with up to 48 channels.

ABB Systems Control is a division of ABB Power T&D Co. of
Raleigh, N.C., which offers products, systems, and services for
electric power transmission and distribution.

Santa Clara's municipal utility has generation, transmission,
and distribution facilities and serves about 38,000 residential
customers and 7,000 commercial, industrial and other municipal
customers. The city system covers a 19 square mile area.

(Kennedy Maize/19951108/Press Contact: Nelia Peck, 408-987-6015)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/08/95
TELECOM
Citizens Acquires ALLTELL Phone & Cable TV Lines

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(WAS)(00018)
Citizens Acquires ALLTELL Phone & Cable TV Lines 11/08/95
STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 8 (NB) -- Citizens
Utilities (NYSE: CZNA) has acquired more than 18,000 telephone
access lines in Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico, and about 7,000
cable television lines in Arizona, New Mexico, and California,
from ALLTELL Corp.

The transfer is part of a deal announced in November, 1994, for
Citizens to buy 117,000 telephone and cable lines in eight
states from ALLTELL for $292 million. Citizens is incorporating
the telephone properties into its existing Citizens Telecom
operations.

"This acquisition fits Citizens' strategy of acquiring and
operating telecommunications, natural gas distribution, electric
distribution, and water and wastewater treatment businesses in
small- and medium-size communities that are experiencing
above-average population and job growth," said Leonard Tow,
Citizens' chairman and chief executive officer.

"Our commitment to providing these communities with the most
advanced technology, products and services is the key to
superior growth in the telecommunications business," said Tow.
"As more people migrate from urban America in search of a better
quality of life for their families, they are moving to areas
like those we serve."

The purchase of ALLTELL's West Virginia and Oregon properties
closed in June, Tennessee closed September 30, and the
California telephone properties are expected to close by year
end. Nevada is expected to close in 1996.

When completed, the transaction will involve all of ALLTELL's
local exchange properties in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico,
Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, and West Virginia, and cable franchises
in areas of Arizona, California, and New Mexico.

Citizens Utilities, based in Stamford, Conn., provides energy,
water and telecommunications services to 1.5 million customers
in 19 states. The company also owns and operates Electric
Lightwave, a telecommunications provider serving five major
cities in the West, and has a significant investment in
Centennial Cellular Corp., a cellular telephone company.

(Kennedy Maize/19951108/Press Contact: Brigid Smith,
203-329-5042)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/08/95
GENERAL
Storagetek's Poppa To Retire

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00019)
Storagetek's Poppa To Retire 11/08/95
LOUISVILLE, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 8 (NB) -- His name may not
be as familiar to computer users as Bill Gates, but Storage
Technology's (NYSE: STK) Ryal Poppa, who said this week he will
retire in January, 1997, may have had as much of an impact on
computing as Microsoft's chairman.

Poppa, who celebrated his 62nd birthday this week, said he and his
wife Ruth Ann had long seen that date as their retirement goal.
"However, there is exciting and very important work ahead for
Storagetek as we complete the transition to a new corporate
operating model," said the chief executive in setting the date he
will retire from active management of the company he lifted out of
Chapter 11 bankruptcy 10 years ago.

Poppa joined Storagetek as chairman and chief executive officer in
January, 1985, three months after the company filed for Chapter 11
bankruptcy. Three years later he was also named president. The
decade following his taking the reins of the company have seen good
times and bad for the company as it struggled to recover from the
$500 million loss that finally forced it to seek protection under
the nation's bankruptcy laws and lay off hundreds of employees.

Poppa said he believed from the outset the company's basic business
of providing disk and tape drives for computers was sound and that
the company had simply overextended itself and run out of cash.

Poppa personally made hundreds of sales calls each year while
Storagetek struggled to return to profitability, a goal it attained
in the fourth quarter of 1985. Storagetek emerged from bankruptcy
in July, 1987, with creditors, who had been owed more than $750
million, paid in full.

During that period, Poppa crossed swords with the Internal Revenue
Service on more than one occasion regarding the company's accounting
practices, and wasn't reluctant to express his views of the tax
collectors. On the occasion of receiving an award in late 1986, he
told the audience, "We have overcome every major hurdle except for
our fabled and beloved Internal Revenue Service." Later that same
year he commented on negotiations with the IRS by saying, "You all
remember Darth Vader, that black, evil genius who wanted to use the
power of the dark to upset the powers of the good, the Force.
That's how I currently view the IRS."

After returning to profitability and emerging from bankruptcy,
Storagetek's, and Poppa's, next major challenge was to bring a
project called Iceberg to market. The company's first disk array
storage system reportedly got its name from the temperature in the
building where a small band of engineers tried to develop a
fault-tolerant disk array subsystem for the direct access storage
device (DASD) market.

Iceberg was supposed to come to market in the second half of 1992,
but suffered a series of delays, each driving the company's stock
lower. Iceberg eventually shipped 18 months late, having consumed
$200 million in development costs.

Poppa led Storagetek into a merger with Network Systems Corp.
early this year. That merger gave Storagetek a software
application called Central Archive Management that provides backup
and recovery functionality for a variety of network client systems
including PCs, Unix-based systems, and mid-sized computers.

Poppa said he is sticking around until 1997 in order to complete
development of a new model for doing business. Details of that
plan are due to be reviewed by the company's board of directors
later this month. The company's stated goal is to reduce annual
operating expenses by more than $100 million.

Poppa said the board of directors will conduct a search for a new
chief executive. That replacement could come from Storagetek's
executive offices in the person of Dave Weiss, Storagetek's
51-year old chief operating officer. "Dave Weiss is a leading
candidate for the position, but the board is interested in
exploring all options before making this most important decision,"
said Poppa.

Poppa came to Storagetek following a two year stint as chairman,
president, and chief executive officer at BMC Industries. He also
held management positions at Pertec Computer Corp., Mohawk Data
Sciences Corp., Greyhound Computer Corp., Commercial Computers
Inc., and IBM.

In 1991 Poppa was named Colorado "Business Leader of the Year" by
the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry, Coopers &
Lybrand and Colorado Business Magazine. In 1988, he was selected
as the Boulder, Colorado "Turnaround Manager of the Year" by Esprit
Entrepreneur, sponsored by the Boulder Development Council. In
1986, Poppa was honored as Executive of the Year by the University
of Colorado Executive MBA program and was named one of the "50
Corporate Elite" by Business Week magazine in 1985.

He may have announced his retirement date, but Storagetek's chief
executive hasn't slowed down. A Storagetek spokesperson told
Newsbytes Poppa is in Washington DC this week. While the
spokesperson couldn't confirm the purpose of the trip, he said Poppa
often travels to the nation's capitol to lobby for the company.
He's also active in the Computer and Communications Industry
Association and the American Electronics Association.

(Jim Mallory/19951108/Press contact: Judith Hargrave, Storagetek,
303-673-5559)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/08/95
TRENDS
MiniDisk As Floppy Successor?

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00020)
MiniDisk As Floppy Successor? 11/08/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 8 (NB) -- Sharp Electronics Corporation, a
American unit of Japan's Sharp Corporation, and National Semiconductor,
are to begin pushing the MiniDisk format as a replacement for today's
floppy disk in the portable data storage sector.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95110820.PCX
Click here for photo

As with existing optical data storage formats, such as compact disk,
the system has several variants that range from audio, and video in
the case of CD, to computer data storage. The MiniDisk is slowly
gaining acceptance as an audio format, the millionth MiniDisk player
is about to be sold, but take up in the computer industry has been
very slow.

The sales push by the two companies is scheduled to begin at Comdex,
the annual computer industry expo which takes place in Las Vegas from
November 13th to 17th, with the hope that visiting computer company
executives will be won over to the system and look on it as a
replacement for floppy disks.

MiniDisk statistics are impressive when compared to today's floppy --
140 megabytes (MB) of storage compared to 1.44MB, a small 2.5-inch
package versus the 3.5-inch floppy, read only all optical disks -- but
these statistics are less impressive when compared to systems competing
with MiniDisk to replace the floppy.

Principle among competitors is the Fujitsu-developed magneto-optical
(MO) disk. The MO disk already boasts a 230MB version and Fujitsu recently
announced a new four gigabyte (GB) disk that will be ready in two years
time and be compatible with all existing MO drives, ensuring users they
will not be buying a redundant format.

The MO disk comes in a 3.5-inch package and is already enjoying
widespread support consumers with four million drives sold in 1994 and
7.5 million drives forecast to be sold this year, according to the
Magnetic-Media Industry Association of Japan.

Among computer makers, Apple has teamed with Fujitsu to deliver
Apple PowerBook computers with the drives inside, and disks are being
manufactured by Kao and Olympus with Nikon beginning next year. In
Tokyo's Akihabara electronics district, street prices for 230MB
MO disks are as low as 2,000 yen ($19) or around the price of 20
branded floppy disks.

David White, a spokesman for Sharp Electronics Corp., told Newsbytes
the company believed the two systems could, and would, exist alongside
each other, "All the signs are that MO is being used for backup, an MO
array may back up servers for example. The MiniDisk Data is much more
of a desktop and portable device."

Sharp will be targeting the MD Data drives at the home and consumer
market and expects the price to fall in the future as MiniDisk becomes
more popular as an audio disk standard. "Should MiniDisk audio take
off outside of Japan, you'll see extraordinary efficiencies. It's the
same drive and same disks so as the prices fall for audio, they will
fall for data," explained White.

MiniDisk Data disks are currently priced around $20 for a disk capable
of holding 140MB of data and the newly announced MD drive is $200.

Sharp's Ingrid Story, product marketing manager for MiniDisc, told
Newsbytes, "We see this product as much more targeted at the mobile
computing market than MO technology." She added, "Our drives are
smaller than MO drives and consume much less power. When OEMs are
looking for a replacement for floppy technology, they are seeing
MiniDisc offers a clear advantage."

Sharp's MiniDisc players are much cheaper than MO drives, said Story.
One of the reasons is that they are the same basic drive as that used
in Sharp's MiniDisc audio player which is enjoying increased sales in
Japan where the millionth MiniDisc player has recently been sold.

The company hopes the growing popularity of the system in Japan will
help bring down prices in the US where computer makers are searching
for a $100 replacement for the floppy drive.

To interface the new drives with existing computers, National
Semiconductor has developed a Multi Drive Interface Controller (MDIC).
The device supports MiniDisk, floppy, and CD-ROM drives, thus enabling
manufacturers to fit either a floppy or MiniDisk drive by simply
plugging in the appropriate drive.

Sharp will begin shipping samples of its first MD Data drive,
a 140MB version intended for notebook computers, after the first
quarter of 1996, and will demonstrate the new product at the Comdex
show. The new drives will fit in a standard 17 millimeter (mm) high
floppy drive slot and be available in a stand-alone configuration
as well.

(Martyn Williams/19951108/Press contact: David White, Young & Roehr
Inc. for Sharp, 503-222-0626, Internet e-mail [e-mail];
Cheryl Patstone, National Semiconductor, 408-721-2879)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/08/95
BUSINESS
MCI Gets Green Light For Systemhouse Takeover

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00021)
MCI Gets Green Light For Systemhouse Takeover 11/08/95
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 NOV 8 (NB) -- Now that the Canadian
government has given its approval, MCI Communications Corp.'s
(NASDAQ:MCIC) acquisition of SHL Systemhouse Inc. (TSE,ME:SHK) is
set to go ahead provided at least 75 percent of Systemhouse shares are
tendered in response to MCI's offer by the company's November 13
deadline.

MCI said it got approval under the Investment Canada Act, which provides
for government review of major acquisitions by foreign companies, to buy
Systemhouse. The applicable waiting periods under antitrust laws in both
the United States and Canada had already expired, officials said.

MCI has said it wants at least 75 percent of Systemhouse shares to be
tendered if it is to proceed with the offer. MCI spokeswoman Laura Kelso
told Newsbytes the company is not saying how many shares have been
tendered so far. MCI has offered US$13 per share, which amount to a total
price of about US$1 billion, for Systemhouse. MCI will have to hold a
shareholders' meeting to approve the deal unless it gets 90 percent of
the shares or more, she added, so "ideally we'd like 90 percent."

In announcing the offer in September, MCI's president and chief operating
officer, Gerald Taylor, said his company wants SHL to help it provide
systems integration and other such services to its customers. MCI set up
its Integrated Client Services Division (ICSD) last year to go after this
type of business, expecting that most of its business would be with small-
and medium-sized customers. Instead, Taylor said during a press
teleconference, large companies' unexpected interest in ICSD's services
has outrun the division's ability to provide them.

Offering integration services to its customers is important for MCI, not
just because of the revenue potential, but because "we become inextricably
linked to their entire business process," Taylor said. That makes MCI less
vulnerable to other long-distance carriers trying to lure away its
customers, he explained.

The benefit of the deal for SHL Systemhouse appears to be size. "MCI will
give us the size and scope to tackle the US and world markets," said John
Oltman, chairman and chief executive, in the September teleconference.
Oltman said the deal will not lead to job losses or closure of facilities
in Canada. In fact, he claimed the deal would increase demand for
Systemhouse services and present "a wonderful opportunity for Canada to
take advantage in a much bigger way of the global market."

Meanwhile, Systemhouse announced that warrants allowing clients to
purchase shares offered under a prospectus issued August 18 are
immediately exercisable, so that warrant-holders can tender their
shares to the MCI offer.

(Grant Buckler/19951108/Press Contact: Ray Allieri, MCI, 202-887-2068;
Rick Gray, SHL Systemhouse, 312-697-5668)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/08/95
ONLINE
Internet Update - Audio Special

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00022)
Internet Update - Audio Special 11/08/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 8 -- In this special edition, Newsbytes gives
details of new audio and music-related resources and services available
on the global Internet: The information network radio show; New York
Philharmonic Orchestra; CD Brazil; Kevin's CDs online; Number one hits
database; The official Grateful Dead Web site; Radio Days - a soundbite
history; Ragtime press music archive; Stuffed Moose audio.

The Information Network Radio Show

This is the home page of a KKLA radio talk show dedicated to the
Internet and computing. The home page offers access to the program's
newsletter and links mentioned in the broadcast so you can make use of
the program even if you can't hear it.
World Wide Web: http://www.infonetwork.com/infonet/

New York Philharmonic Orchestra

The world famous orchestra now has an Internet home page. Visitors
will find the current year concert schedule, artist biographies, Avery
Hall information and contact and ticket details. A section is also
devoted to the history of the orchestra.
World Wide Web: http://www.nyphilharmon.org/

CD Brazil

If you're a fan of Brazilian music and find it hard to get compact
disks of your favorite artists or singers, this Web site is for you.
The CD Brazil home page allows Internet users worldwide to order
catalogs and CDs direct from the store in Rio de Janiero.
World Wide Web: http://cdbrazil.com/cdbrazil/

Kevin's CDs Online

This fun idea has resulted in an Internet user placing some songs from
his CD collection online. Visitors to the page can listen in real time
to the songs providing they have a 14.4 Internet connection or faster
and Vocaltec's IWave software, which is also downloaded from the page.
Make sure you have graphics loading switched on.
World Wide Web: http://www.cloud9.net/~khuang/audio.html

Number One Hits Database

This is a great resource, it's just a shame we couldn't get it to work
properly, but it's certainly worth a try. It is an online database of
number one pop/rock hit singles and albums and country singles since
the fifties. In the case of pop singles, the database goes back as far
as 1917. Other databases are also planned.
World Wide Web: http://www.fn.net/~spreng/webhits/index.html

The Official Grateful Dead Web Site

The official site for all "dead-heads." It includes up-to-the-minute
information on the band, tours, music archives, and new releases. You
can also view an online merchandise catalog and get read biographies
of the band members.
World Wide Web: http://grateful.dead.net/

Radio Days - A Soundbite History

Believe it or not, radio was once the dominant medium, long before the
days of television and the Internet. Now, using the latest technology,
you can experience the greatest moments of the radio including
listening to the most famous news bulletins, a recreation of the first
ever commercial radio broadcast and much more. This is a great site!
World Wide Web: http://www.otr.com/

Ragtime Press Music Archive

The home page says it is a "digital reincarnation of the ragtime era."
Ragtime Press offers a ragtime music catalog in online, listenable
MIDI (musical instrument digital interface) format. The company has
placed full details of itself and its products and will even tell you
all about ragtime, in case you don't know!
World Wide Web: http://www.utee.com/ragtime/

Stuffed Moose Audio

The company is a publisher of audio books produced on cassette tapes.
The current release is titled, "Spirited Yarns, Classic Humorous Ghost
Stories" and is a collection of ghost stories by such authors as Mark
Twain and Charles Dickens. The initial homepage has no text so you'll
need a graphical browser.
World Wide Web: http://deepcove.com/stuffedmoose/

(Martyn Williams/19951108)


(ADVISORY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00023)

NewsPix Update For Newsbytes Publishers 11/08/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A.,1995 NOV 8 (NB) -- This update
will be posted each Wednesday and Friday to reflect the daily
picture additions. The updates will in turn become part of the
main NewsPix Bulletin issued on Monday.

These photos correspond to recent Newsbytes stories. They are online
in the Newsbytes menu on America Online, NiftyServe, the Newsbytes
Pacifica Website at http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/ and the
Newsbytes private bulletin board system in Minneapolis.

To become a licensed Newsbytes publisher, call Newsbytes at
612-430-1100 (US) or write to [e-mail] on the
Internet. Licensing applies to any medium.

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

NOVEMBER 8, 1995

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

JPOSTA951106 - color / Internet Users Gather In Shock At
Assassination: screenshot of Jerusalem Post homepage with news
of the Rabin assassination.

WALES19951101 - color / Wales Tourist Board Plugs Into The Web:
homepage screenshot.

(Newsbytes/19951108)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/08/95
ONLINE
Comdex TV/Web Site To Air Keynotes, But Not "Live"

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(BOS)(00024)
Comdex TV/Web Site To Air Keynotes, But Not "Live" 11/08/95
ARMONK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 8 (NB) -- Contrary to
information put out by a Santa Clara, California-based public
relations (PR) agency, the Comdex TV World Wide Web site will not
air "live" keynotes by IBM's Louis Gerstner, Microsoft's Bill Gates,
and HP's Bob Frankenberg, but the speeches will be viewable through
"delayed broadcast" next week, and other aspects of the video
programming will be "live," Newsbytes has learned.

Suzanne Lonergan, a spokesperson for Softbank Comdex, told
Newsbytes that the PR firm for one of four other companies
participating in the Comdex TV consortium distributed a draft
copy of a press release about next week's cable and Web TV
coverage without the approval of Softbank.

The press release erroneously said that speeches by the three
keynoters will be broadcast "live" by Comdex TV, according to
Lonergan.

Actually, added Lonergan, the three speeches will not be
broadcast until later in the week, a fact since corroborated to
Newsbytes by IBM Public Affairs Director Shep Doniger.

Mary Curtis, chief executive officer (CEO) for Pacifico Public
Relations & Advertising, has acknowledged the PR firm's factual
mistake to Newsbytes. Curtis has also written a "to whom it may
concern" letter apologizing for circulating the press release
before a final version had been approved by Softbank.

The Pacifico news release, which was printed on Array Microsystems
stationery and appeared to be in final form, was distributed to
Newsbytes and other members of the press. The bit of misinformation
then cropped up in a story written and published by Newsbytes on
November 6.

Jeff Cross, an IBM spokesperson, told Newsbytes that, after seeing
the Newsbytes story online, he got in touch with Doniger to find out
about possible changes in the Comdex TV plans. Doniger then contacted
Lonergan, who determined that Pacifico had distributed the draft
press release harboring the error without Softbank's
authorization.

Lonergan told Newsbytes that, since then, Softbank has issued a
final version of the press release, with the inaccuracy removed.
Softbank's corrected press release went out over PR wire services
the afternoon of November 7.

Wrote Pacifico's Curtis, in portions of her letter of apology:
"This letter is intended to apologize for the distribution of a
press release that was not directly authorized by Softbank Comdex
regarding Internet broadcasts of Comdex/Fall."

Continued Curtis: "Please accept my further assurances that it
is, indeed, Pacifico's standard policy to receive formal
authorization on all press releases prior to distribution. We
regret that in this particular case, we did not communicate
directly with Softbank Comdex, resulting in the release of
inaccurate information." Newsbytes obtained a copy of Curtis's
letter from Softbank.

Cross pointed out to Newsbytes that the keynotes at Fall Comdex
next week will be given in this order: IBM's Gerstner on Monday,
November 13; Microsoft's Gates on Tuesday, November 14; and HP's
Frankenberg on Wednesday, November 15. By listing the names in a
different order, he maintained, Pacifico's draft press release
might have left a mistaken impression about the days of the week
on which each of the respective speeches will take place. All
three keynotes will begin at 9 am PST (Pacific Standard Time).

Cross also informed Newsbytes that, beyond being able to view
delayed video broadcasts of the three keynotes from the Comdex TV
Web site (http://www.comdextv. com ), users will be able to
access text and audio transcripts of Gerstner's speech from IBM's
Web site (http://www.ibm.com ) starting just after completion of
the keynote on November 13.

As previously reported in Newsbytes, users can already download
Xing Technology's client software from the Comdex TV Web site for
use in watching next week's TV coverage over the Web. Also via
the Web, you can now access a list of companies exhibiting at
Fall Comdex, plus a full conference program, at
http:/www.comdex.com, according to Lonergan.

Aside from Softbank, Array, and Xing Technology, other partners
in the Comdex TV consortium include Visitel and Best Internet
Communications.

(Jacqueline Emigh/199511107/Reader Contacts: Softbank Comdex,
617-449-6600; IBM, 914-765-1900; Press Contacts: Jeff Cross, IBM,
914-765-6141; Suzanne Lonergan, Softbank Comdex, 702-733-3111)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/08/95
GENERAL
CA Adds Legent's AgentWorks To Unicenter, Cuts Prices

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00025)
CA Adds Legent's AgentWorks To Unicenter, Cuts Prices 11/08/95
ISLANDIA, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 8 (NB) -- Computer Associates
International Inc. (NYSE:CA) is adding agent technology it picked up in
its recent acquisition of Legent Corp., plus other enhancements, to its
CA-Unicenter systems management software. At the same time, CA is making
an aggressive play for market share by reducing prices on entry-level
versions of Unicenter.

In a teleconference with reporters today, Sanjay Kumar, president and
chief operating officer of CA, said Legent's AgentWorks product "has been
incorporated into the base Unicenter product." AgentWorks is a suite of
tools used to manage operating systems, databases, and applications. CA
will also be offering Legent's AgentFactory tool kit, which Kumar
described as "a full stand-alone agent development environment."

Kumar said the ability to enhance Unicenter is one benefit of the Legent
acquisition. "Legent did not have a product like Unicenter," he said,
"but had a tremendous amount of solutions around the core."

CA said it has also incorporated new single sign-on and system alert
agent technology into Unicenter. Meanwhile, the company cut the entry-level
price of the software by 43 percent, from $700 to $400 per power unit,
which Kumar said is part of an attempt to boost sales of the software on
entry-level systems. The company is "literally slashing prices to gain
market share, which we believe we can afford to do," he said. Unicenter
is already doing very well on larger systems, he added.

The company also revealed that it will now offer product upgrades as part
of a support package for which customers pay an annual fee. In the past,
Kumar said, the annual support fee covered bug fixes and telephone support,
but not upgrades. Another option, called CA-Unicenter Onsite Premium
Support, will put a CA support specialist at the client's site full
time -- for, of course, a substantial fee.

Also on the subject of the Legent acquisition, Kumar said CA has
incorporated Legent's former products into its pricing structure, keeping
the majority of prices the same while lowering some by about five percent
and raising others by one to eight percent. At the same time, CA said it
cut prices on some of its own existing mainframe products, including CA-1,
CA-7, CA-11, CA-Scheduler, and CA-Librarian.

Kumar said CA will continue selling virtually all the products that Legent
offered before the acquisition, dropping only two, as announced earlier.
One of those dropped is Rerun/Restart, which was formerly a product of
Goal Systems. CA had taken Goal to court earlier, alleging copyright
infringement. Legent later acquired Goal. The other Legent product being
dropped is MVS Tape Management.

(Grant Buckler/19951108/Press Contact: Bob Gordon, Computer
Associates, tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/08/95
IBM
Lotus & IBM Unveil Imaging Integration Plans

(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00026)
Lotus & IBM Unveil Imaging Integration Plans 11/08/95
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 8 (NB) -- The new
Lotus Notes to IBM ImagePlus Connection, a Windows NT-based
gateway between Notes and IBM's VisualInfo (VI) back office
imaging system, is one of the first technologies to emerge from
the work of the 50-or-so transition teams formed since IBM's
acquisition of Lotus in June, revealed Sue Ryan, senior manager,
Notes Companion Product Marketing at Lotus, in a briefing for
Newsbytes.

Ryan told Newsbytes that, over the past three months, transition
team members from Lotus and IBM have launched into the
multifaceted task of "pulling together our products and services
as one unified company."

Imaging provides one of the easiest areas for Lotus/IBM product
integration, due to the "complementary" roles of Lotus Notes:
Document Imaging (LN:DI) and IBM's VI system for production image
scanning and archiving, contended the Lotus exec.

The two vendors' jointly created imaging gateway, which builds a
software bridge between Lotus's LN:DI front-end and the IBM's VI
production server, represents the first phase in a two-stage
imaging product integration plan, she continued.

LN:DI offers "easy to use" image viewing from Windows desktops
within the Notes "groupware" environment. IBM's ImagePlus, on the
other hand, is "production- and process-oriented, structured, and
very high-speed," with extensive image archiving capabilities,
Ryan asserted.

"Now we've created a third scenario, in which you have access to
(imaging) information in groupware," added the senior marketing
manager.

The new interchange gateway will let companies use
"multifunctional," Windows-based PCs with Notes in place of the
turnkey dedicated VI workstations currently used by imaging
production workers, supervisors and managers in banking, human
resources, and other document imaging-intensive environments,
according to Ryan.

The Lotus/IBM gateway, which will initially run on a dedicated
Windows NT imaging server, provides application programming
interfaces (APIs) to both Notes and VI. The imaging server can be
used with a Notes server running on any Notes platform. Users of
Windows-based Notes client PCs will then be able to view and
manipulate the imaged documents through LN:DI.

Other functions of the new bi-directional gateway will include
protocol conversion between Notes and VI imaging formats, Notes
workbasket synchronization, and query and administration, said
Ryan.

Users will be able to "push" information from VI into Notes, for
"ad hoc processing and structured workflow," as well as
to "push" from Notes into the VisaulInfo document archive, giving
"greater scalability to Notes-based imaging applications,"
Newsbytes was told.

In addition, end users will be able to query the VI document
imaging archive through Notes, she remarked. Queries will be
composed in Notes, and then submitted to VI.

Eliminating the need for dedicated imaging workstations is
especially important for supervisors and managers, who unlike
production workers spent only a relatively small percentage of
their term dealing with image documents like loan requests and
job applications, she elaborated.

Managers, she maintained, will now be able to access documents
stored in Notes and in the VI archives from anywhere in the
world, by dialing into the Notes server from a notebook PC,
instead of needing to be physically present at the same site as a
dedicated VI imaging workstation.

Desktop and mobile users will also be able to employ Notes to
synchronize their PCs with data stored in Notes, including data
from the VI archives that has been converted into Notes format
and pushed or pulled into Notes.

In Phase II of their imaging integration strategy, Lotus and IBM
plan to eliminate the need for a gateway for desktop users, for
"real time connectivity" between Notes and VI, Ryan reported. At
the same time, the gateway will be maintained for mobile users
and other applications calling for Notes synchronization.

Lotus and IBM also expect to provide client workstations with a
"richer" feature set. "And we will, of course, add new platforms,
including AS/400 and MVS/ESA for the imaging server," the Lotus
exec told Newsbytes.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951108/Reader Contact: Lotus Development
Corporation, 617-577-8500; IBM, 914-765-1900; Press Contacts:
Kathleen Haley or Victor Cruz, Lois Paul & Partners for Lotus;
Jennifer Surro, Brodeur & Partners for IBM, 617-622-2869)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/08/95
ONLINE
 ****Spyglass Licenses Java Technology For Mosaic

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00027)
 ****Spyglass Licenses Java Technology For Mosaic 11/08/95
NAPERVILLE, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 8 (NB) -- The company that
licenses its technology to other firms is now on the flip side of
the coin, as Spyglass Inc. (NASDAQ:SPYG) announced it is licensing
Java technology from Sun Microsystems Inc. (NASDAQ:SUNW). Spyglass
will integrate Java with future versions of its Mosaic Internet
World Wide Web browser, one of which will be out early next year,
Spyglass officials told Newsbytes.

"I don't know if it is technically a re-license, but this is the first
contract Sun has had like this, where someone will then re-license the
product out to other people," Dan Johnson, product manager at Spyglass,
told Newsbytes. "So it goes out to our partners as well, which is
the first time they've (Sun) had a channel to put Java through."

Spyglass licenses Web technology on both the client and server side
to more than 45 companies. Those customers then embed the technology
into their own products, add value to it, then remarket the "new"
merchandise.

The Java language lets developers create dynamic Web browsers or
extend current Web browsers to include such applications as interactive
three-dimensional (3-D) product demonstrations, live stock portfolio
management, multi-user games, and up-to-the-second sports information.

Johnson said Java is "one of the hot technologies for Web content
development. Part of our customer base demands this from us, just
as their customers demand it from them. So this is providing them
with the technology they need to be current." Johnson emphasized
his company doesn't put just any "hot" technology into its products,
nor will it be the only hot technology Spyglass will include in Mosaic.

Today's announcement seems to be helping the stock of both companies.
On Wall Street at 12:00 EST Spyglass was trading up $1.25 at $71.25,
while Sun Microsystems was up $3.625 at $83.50.

As Newsbytes has previously reported, Java technology is also in
the latest version (2.0) of Spyglass' competitor, Netscape, although
the code doesn't come directly from Sun Microsystems.

(Bob Woods/19951108/Press Contact: Randy Pitzer, Spyglass,
708-505-1010; George Paolini, Sun Microsystems, 415-786-8199)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/08/95
TELECOM
MCI's "Complete Wireless Package" For Local Operators

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(MSP)(00028)
MCI's "Complete Wireless Package" For Local Operators 11/08/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 NOV 8 (NB) -- In an effort to capture
more market share from the wireless market, and to sell to businesses
that will be entering the emerging personal communications services
(PCS) market, MCI Corp. (NASDAQ:MCIC) is introducing "NetworkMCI
WIN (wireless integrated Network). The new offering is a package
of network design and operations services that "enables any local
wireless operator to build and run their businesses," officials
said.

The NetworkMCI WIN package includes services like home location
register/authentication control for "follow-me" and national roaming
services, voice messaging, one number and calling card support, call
routing, and fraud management, officials said. MCI will also offer
full operational support, including billing, invoicing, operations
planning, operator service, and wireless network management.

"MCI will also provide full call-center capabilities, including
in-bound and out-bound telemarketing, lead generation and management,
and customer service capabilities," said Herman W. Bluestein, MCI vice
president of Wireless Strategy and Development. "By outsourcing these
call center capabilities to MCI, wireless companies can acquire new
customers, retain existing customers, and reduce churn."

If businesses want to enter the PCS market, MCI said it's too late
to submit paperwork to Uncle Sam, because the deadline for the latest
round of auctions was Monday, November 6. Bluestein said it's not
enough to just own a license. Companies must be able to compete, with
the types of services offered by MCI, he said.

MCI also said it has signed letters of intent with three wireless
equipment manufacturers to obtain wireless equipment manufacturers.
The three companies are Ericsson, AT&T Network Systems Group, and
Northern Telecom (Nortel). In addition, wireless implementation
services like radio network design, site selection and acquisition,
and construction, will be provided by Mobile Systems International.

Full WIN services, including network, common carrier, and outsourced
services, will be provided by US AirWaves. MCI said it has signed
a letter of intent with the Bellevue, Washington-based company.

Other initiatives helping MCI in its new offering include the company's
acquisition of Nationwide Cellular Service, a cellular reseller, along
with agreements signed by other cellular resellers. With the agreements,
MCI claims to have more than 75 percent of the American public covered
with cellular service.

(Bob Woods/19951108/Press Contact: Kevin Inda, MCI Financial
Public Relations, 202-887-2196)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
86 11/08/95
CHIPS
NexGen Adds Floating Point To Nx

(NEWS)(CHIPS)(LAX)(00029)
NexGen Adds Floating Point To Nx586 11/08/95
MILPITAS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 8 (NB) -- NexGen has announced
floating point members to its Nx586 processor family. NexGen, recently
acquired by Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), claims to be the only supplier
of x86-compatible processors to offer users a choice of floating point.

NexGen was just acquired by AMD for $860 million. The deal, which is
expected to close in the first quarter of 1996, gives NexGen
shareholders 0.8 of a share of AMD stock for every NexGen Share.

NexGen projected to generate about $21 million in annual revenues, and
ship about 100,000 Pentium-class processors over the past year. This
compares to Intel, which has shipped over 30 million.

Mike Griffith, senior analyst for InStat Research, told Newsbytes,
"This acquisition brings together two struggling Intel competitors.
AMD's K-5 development problems are now widely known. AMD had
announced intentions to cancel their next-generation processor
program and replace it with NexGen's 6th generation CPU (central
processing unit).

"This announcement of the floating point members of its Nx586
processor family fills, what has been perceived as, a weakness
in the NexGen line of processors," added Griffith.

According to the company, the floating point unit of the Nx586
processor family, called the Nx586-Pf100, offers common add,
subtract, and multiply operations all being executed in two clock
cycles, versus three clock cycles, on the Pentium processor.

Benchmarks used by NexGen show comparable performance with equivalent
Pentium processors from Intel, claims the company. For example, NexGen
reported that the Nx586-Pf100 processor, on the San Diego AutoCAD
benchmark, takes 161 seconds to complete, versus 168 seconds for a
Pentium 100 megahertz.

The floating point unit is integrated into the Nx586 processor,
allowing "full parallel operation" of floating point operations,
said the company. The floating point versions of the Nx586 processor
are packaged as multi-chip modules (MCM) utilizing IBM's advanced
"flip-chip" packaging technology.

"The floating point versions of the Nx586 processor family will now
allow those users who need floating point capabilities to obtain the
same value advantage that other Nx586 users have enjoyed," stated
Atiq Raza, president and chief executive officer of NexGen.

The Nx586-Pf100 processor is sampling now with production
availability expected in December. The Nx586-Pf120 is scheduled to
be available in the first quarter of l996. The Nx586-Pf100 is priced
at $285 each, in quantities of 1,000.

(Richard Bowers/19951108/Press Contact: David Kulbarsh, NexGen,
408-325-8283)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/08/95
LEGAL
 ****Compuserve Settles Downloading Music Case

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(SFO)(00030)
 ****Compuserve Settles Downloading Music Case 11/08/95
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 8 (NB) -- The National
Music Publishers' Association (NMPA) has announced an agreement with
Compuserve in a landmark class-action suit over music copyright
infringement. Submitted for approval to the court and class members,
the agreement establishes licensing parameters for uploading and
downloading copyrighted music.

In the past two years, delivery of audio files online through online
services and the Internet has become common. With advances in
compression technology, entire songs can be transmitted from one
computer to another, such as the case of online users downloading
complete songs, or fragments of songs, to desktop computers.

To "protect the interests of music publishers," NMPA and its licensing
subsidiary, The Harry Fox Agency, supported a class-action suit
brought by Frank Music and other music publishers against Compuserve.

Rather than "pursue litigation," Compuserve reached a settlement
agreement, which NMPA hopes will serve as a model for the online
industry. In a press release, Compuserve said that, since its filing
in November, 1993, this case has been one of the most closely watched
copyright actions in the nation. In settling the dispute, Compuserve
has "made no admission of liability" and the parties have "reserved all
of their rights and defenses under the copyright laws."

As part of the agreement, Compuserve will make a payment to The
Harry Fox Agency and the payment will be distributed to music
publishers. In the future, Compuserve's forum managers will be
required to form an agreement with the agency prior to downloading
songs.

NMPA says it has been in contact with other online services and hopes
the agreement can be extended to all services and Internet uses of
copyrighted music. This means America Online, Prodigy, and others,
can expect a letter from NMPA, whose president stated in a press
release, "NMPA will continue to take all steps necessary -- whether in
support of legislation, litigation, or negotiation -- to ensure the
protection of music copyrights utilized in connection with new
technologies."

Charles Sanders, counsel for NMPA, told Newsbytes, "The profitability
impact of this agreement on Compuserve is minuscule. It fairly protects
the interests of the creators of the songs and creates a legal use of
the material by Compuserve."

Debra Young, spokesperson for Compuserve, told Newsbytes, "We also
think the financial impact is minuscule, and we are pleased to have
the agreement."

Sanders also said the agreement is important in establishing the
protection of intellectual properties online. As bandwidth increases
and technologies such as CD-R (CD recording) drives reach the desktop,
the delivery of stereo quality music online could become a common
means of retail distribution.

NMPA's early aggressive stance is similar to BMI and ASCAP which
licenses companies to play music in retail stores and other places
of business. Interestingly, Sanders said the agreement NMPA supports
covers the use of the song, not the use of the recording. This could
bring online services and the Internet another headache as BMI or
ASCAP investigate the use of music online.

(Patrick McKenna/19951108/Press Contact: Margaret O'Keefe,
NMPA, 202-822-9491)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/08/95
LEGAL
 ****FTC Inquiry Of Maxis

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(LAX)(00031)
 ****FTC Inquiry Of Maxis 11/08/95
WALNUT CREEK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 8 (NB) -- Maxis Inc.
(NASDAQ: MXIS), developer of SimCity and SimCity 2000, says that it has
received an informal inquiry from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
The inquiry centers on Maxis' previously-announced decision not to sell
products to competitors NewMedia Express and Electronic Arts
Distribution.

Maxis announced it had received a FTC inquiry letter, dated October
24, that apparently was also sent to several other software publishers.
The letter indicates that the FTC is reviewing potential "unfair
competition."

The investigation appears to focus on the decisions of various
software publishers not to do business with NewMedia Express and
Electronic Arts Distribution, which in April were appointed by Toys
"R"Us to act as the retailer's exclusive suppliers of entertainment
and "edutainment" software. Maxis and others have publicly objected
to the exclusive arrangements on grounds of "conflict of interest"
since Davidson & Associates, the majority owner of NewMedia, and
Electronic Arts, are competing software publishers.

Fred Gerson, chief financial officer for Maxis, explained to Newsbytes
the core of Maxis' position, "Both NewMedia Express and Electronic
Arts compete directly with us as software publishers. They were
given exclusive distribution for Toys "R" Us. Several independent
software companies like ourselves have been distributing for years
either directly or through distributors that were not owned by our
competitors. We do not want our direct competitors controlling our
distribution."

Maxis advised NewMedia and Electronic Arts Distribution that it
would not participate in the Toys "R" Us programs in April and May,
respectively, and reaffirmed that position through a press release
issued last month.

Maxis President Sam Poole said the company would cooperate fully
with FTC staff. "Maxis has made no secret of its opposition to
these exclusive distribution schemes involving competitors, which
have justifiably been a hot topic in the industry," Poole said.

"We're confident the investigation will show that Maxis' decisions not
to deal with these distributors were made unilaterally and for valid
business reasons," he added. "We continue to believe that Maxis, its
customers, and its shareholders, are much better served by our
maintaining direct relationships with our key retail partners. It
makes no sense to delegate critical support functions to competitors."

Speaking to Newsbytes, Linda Badger, an attorney for the FTC, said,
"There is no public investigation of Maxis or any other software
company. We neither deny or acknowledge that there might be a
non-public investigation."

An informal inquiry of the type Maxis received does not constitute
an official action by the five-member Federal Trade Commission. It is
typically a staff-level inquiry that may, or may not, lead to a formal
investigation.

Russell Nishida, president of New Media Express, told Newsbytes, "New
Media Express did not instigate the investigation. The FTC has assured
us that New Media Express is not a target of the investigation, and we
are cooperating fully."

(Richard Bowers/19951108/Press Contact: Fred Gerson, Maxis,
510-927-3739)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/08/95
ONLINE
 ****AOL Passes 4 Million Members, Posts Qtr Loss

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SFO)(00032)
 ****AOL Passes 4 Million Members, Posts Qtr Loss 11/08/95
VIENNA, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 8 (NB) -- America Online
says it has passed the four million member mark and cites an Odyssey
"market study" which says AOL is now as large as Compuserve and
Prodigy combined. At the same time, AOL released its first quarter
results with a 250% increase in revenues and a net loss of $10,262,000.

Prodigy and Compuserve are likely to disagree with the AOL
statement, as Prodigy reports its numbers in excess of 2 million and
Compuserve says its latest count of paying accounts is 3.7 million.

In its press release, AOL says Odyssey "is the nation's only independent
market research firm dedicated exclusively to studying the complex and
changing relationship between consumers, technology, and at-home
information and entertainment."

Asked about the difference in membership totals, a Compuserve
spokesperson told Newsbytes, "We were wondering how they got that
number ourselves. It simply does not add up." Compuserve's
spokesperson did say the Compuserve is familiar with Odyssey. "This
company does a lot of home user studies and it may be that the results
refer to home users and not all online users," said the spokesperson.

Regarding its first quarter results, AOL said its revenues grew from
$56,936,000 in the same quarter last year to $197,865,000 in this first
quarter. Revenues from online services were up to $185.1 million
with another $12 million coming from additional sources.

Accounting for a first quarter loss of more than $10 million, AOL says
its September purchase of Ubique Inc. involved taking a $16.9 million
charge for research and development in process at Ubique and
amortization of previously-acquired assets.

Steve Case, AOL's chief executive officer, said, "Our momentum
continues. It was just over a year ago that we hit the one million
subscriber mark and today we're announcing that we've passed the four
million member mark. We've successfully assimilated a number of
strategic acquisitions into America Online, expanded our presence on
the Internet and our position in multimedia and other important
technologies."

(Patrick McKenna/19951108/Press Contact: Margaret Ryan, AOL,
703-448-8700)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00033)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 11/08/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 8 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|          Wednesday, November 8, 1995           |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network's on the Web! Check out http://www.nbnn.com for
free daily top stories from Newsbytes and its affiliate publications, and
from PC Week, MacWeek, and other Ziff news magazines. A subscription
gives you all the news, full-text, plus the most comprehensive database
of past computer stories online. The keyword-searchable database dates
from today back through 1983. Subscriptions are $24.95 for three months.
Questions? Send to '[e-mail]'  For Japanese Newsbytes
and additional services, see the Newsbytes Pacifica Website at
http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

BUSINESS  AST Posts Further Losses, Samsung Takes Control............ 08

BUSINESS   ****Softbank To Announce Ziff Purchase Tomorrow........... 15

BUSINESS  MCI Gets Green Light For Systemhouse Takeover.............. 21

CHIPS     NexGen Adds Floating Point To Nx586........................ 29

EDUCATION China - Computer Tutor Software Is Popular................. 11

GENERAL   Australian IT Industry Gears Up For CeBIT.................. 10

GENERAL   Japan Newsbriefs........................................... 13

GENERAL   Storagetek's Poppa To Retire............................... 19

GENERAL   NewsPix Update For Newsbytes Publishers.................... 23

GENERAL   CA Adds Legent's AgentWorks To Unicenter, Cuts Prices...... 25

GOVT      California City Buys New SCADA System...................... 17

HEALTH    Pharmacist On A Disk....................................... 09

IBM       IBM's Multiple Size Internet Connection Services........... 02

IBM       IBM Teams Up With Indiana Utility On Customer Service...... 06

IBM       ThinkPad 365 Is New Low End Of IBM Notebook Line........... 16

IBM       Lotus & IBM Unveil Imaging Integration Plans............... 26

LEGAL      ****Compuserve Settles Downloading Music Case............. 30

LEGAL      ****FTC Inquiry Of Maxis.................................. 31

ONLINE    Europe Online Project In Doubt............................. 01

ONLINE    European Commission Funds Secure Open Internet Technology.. 03

ONLINE    UK Homes Rush To Plug Into Internet........................ 04

ONLINE    CNN's Kinsley Leaving Crossfire For Microsoft.............. 07

ONLINE    Japan - Softbank & NTT Data To Offer Internet Connections.. 14

ONLINE    Internet Update - Audio Special............................ 22

ONLINE    Comdex TV/Web Site To Air Keynotes, But Not "Live.......... 24

ONLINE     ****Spyglass Licenses Java Technology For Mosaic.......... 27

ONLINE     ****AOL Passes 4 Million Members, Posts Qtr Loss.......... 32

TELECOM   E-Sat Digifone To Offer Ireland's 2nd GSM Network.......... 05

TELECOM   Citizens Acquires ALLTELL Phone & Cable TV Lines........... 18

TELECOM   MCI's "Complete Wireless Package" For Local Operators...... 28

TRENDS    Info Technology May Be More Revolutionary Than We Think.... 12

TRENDS    MiniDisk As Floppy Successor............................... 20

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 -> Europe Online Project In Doubt -- Industry observers are questioning
the future of the Europe Online project as the third publisher in a row,
this time Axel Springer AG, the German publisher of the Bild Zeitung
newspaper, has now announced it is pulling out. Europe Online S.A. was
founded by a consortium of 25 companies.

2 -> IBM's Multiple Size Internet Connection Services -- IBM has
announced it is abandoning the "one size fits all" approach that it
claims the Internet service provider industry is applying to companies
wanting to plug into the Internet. According to Big Blue, each customer's
needs are different, and for this reason the company has beefed up its
Internet Connection software family to allow "large systems customers to
exploit the vast opportunities of the Internet."

3 -> European Commission Funds Secure Open Internet Technology -- Backed
by the European Commission, a consortium of 20 partners from European
industry and academia has embarked on a research project to develop the
"basic groundwork" to establish a secure electronic commerce service.

4 -> UK Homes Rush To Plug Into Internet -- According to market research
by GfK Marketing Services, British homes are "enthusiastically joining"
the so-called "information superhighway." Vironique Froment, a
spokeswoman for the company, said research shows that each week in the
UK, an estimated 1,300 households subscribe to the Internet.

5 -> E-Sat Digifone To Offer Ireland's 2nd GSM Network -- The Department
of Communications in Ireland has announced that E-Sat Digifone has been
granted the second GSM (global system for mobile communications) license
in the Irish Republic. Ireland's second GSM net should be up and running
by next spring, officials said.

6 -> IBM Teams Up With Indiana Utility On Customer Service -- IBM and
Northern Indiana Public Service Co. (NIPSCO) have announced a utility
customer service product, called Integrity/Customer Services System, that
will go into production next week.

7 -> CNN's Kinsley Leaving Crossfire For Microsoft -- Michael Kinsley,
co-host of CNN's "Crossfire" show and former editor of The New Republic,
is leaving the network to edit a cyberspace magazine for Microsoft.

8 -> AST Posts Further Losses, Samsung Takes Control -- AST's first
quarter results for fiscal 1996 show a company sinking deeper into a
black hole, with its US$96.4 million losses nearly one and a half times
those piled up in the same quarter the previous year.

9 -> Pharmacist On A Disk -- You might call it pharmacist in a box, but
Pixel Perfect Inc., the publisher, calls it The Corner Drugstore CD-ROM.
The program is a drug and pharmacy reference interactive computer program
that comes on four CD-ROM disks and uses hyperlinks to connect related
topics and video segments across the 2.5 gigabytes (GB) of data.

10 -> Australian IT Industry Gears Up For CeBIT -- The CeBIT jumbo jet is
getting ready to take off for Hannover 1996 and about 100 Australian
information technology (IT) companies are checking in with tickets and
baggage.

11 -> China - Computer Tutor Software Is Popular -- More than 20,000
copies of CSC's Computer Tutor software for junior middle-school students
have been sold since its release in January, and most student users said
the software was useful, said the company.

12 -> Info Technology May Be More Revolutionary Than We Think -- In the
future, politicians say, we will need to retrain ourselves constantly to
keep up with the blistering pace of technological change. Otherwise,
we'll be on the street, joining the growing ranks of the "underclass."

13 -> Japan Newsbriefs -- In this roundup of news from Japan: Bonus hike
offered to avert strike; NTT orders Cray supercomputer; Hitachi enters US
PC market; Fujitsu to sell FMV computers in China; Canon announces color
laser printers; Digital satellite program will include network relays.

14 -> Japan - Softbank & NTT Data To Offer Internet Connections --
Softbank Corporation (TSE:9984) and NTT Data Systems Corporation
(TSE:9613) are to begin offering Internet connections to personal and
business users at rates "substantially lower" than competitors through
Mediabank, a jointly owned company of the two.

15 ->  ****Softbank To Announce Ziff Purchase Tomorrow -- Softbank
Corporation (TSE:9984) has announced it will hold a press conference in
Tokyo Thursday afternoon on the subject of "corporate acquisitions." The
company refused to elaborate on details of the announcement but industry
sources have confirmed to Newsbytes the company will announce the
successful acquisition of Ziff Davis Publishing.

16 -> ThinkPad 365 Is New Low End Of IBM Notebook Line -- IBM (NYSE:IBM)
is replacing its ThinkPad 360 notebooks with a new entry-level model, the
ThinkPad 365. With the launch of the 365, all ThinkPads now support
infrared printing and file swapping.

17 -> California City Buys New SCADA System -- The city of Santa Clara,
California, has picked ABB System Control's Spider system to replace its
12-year-old supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) computer
software and hardware that allows the city utility to monitor, control,
and coordinate its operations over a large geographical area.

18 -> Citizens Acquires ALLTELL Phone & Cable TV Lines -- Citizens
Utilities (NYSE: CZNA) has acquired more than 18,000 telephone access
lines in Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico, and about 7,000 cable television
lines in Arizona, New Mexico, and California, from ALLTELL Corp.

19 -> Storagetek's Poppa To Retire -- His name may not be as familiar to
computer users as Bill Gates, but Storage Technology's (NYSE: STK) Ryal
Poppa, who said this week he will retire in January, 1997, may have had
as much of an impact on computing as Microsoft's chairman.

20 -> MiniDisk As Floppy Successor -- Sharp Electronics Corporation, a
American unit of Japan's Sharp Corporation, and National Semiconductor,
are to begin pushing the MiniDisk format as a replacement for today's
floppy disk in the portable data storage sector.

21 -> MCI Gets Green Light For Systemhouse Takeover -- Now that the
Canadian government has given its approval, MCI Communications Corp.'s
(NASDAQ:MCIC) acquisition of SHL Systemhouse Inc. (TSE,ME:SHK) is set to
go ahead provided at least 75 percent of Systemhouse shares are tendered
in response to MCI's offer by the company's November 13 deadline.

22 -> Internet Update - Audio Special -- In this special edition,
Newsbytes gives details of new audio and music-related resources and
services available on the global Internet: The information network radio
show; New York Philharmonic Orchestra; CD Brazil; Kevin's CDs online;
Number one hits database; The official Grateful Dead Web site; Radio Days
- a soundbite history; Ragtime press music archive; Stuffed Moose audio.

23 -> NewsPix Update For Newsbytes Publishers -- This update will be
posted each Wednesday and Friday to reflect the daily picture additions.
The updates will in turn become part of the main NewsPix Bulletin issued
on Monday.

24 -> Comdex TV/Web Site To Air Keynotes, But Not "Live -- Contrary to
information put out by a Santa Clara, California-based public relations
(PR) agency, the Comdex TV World Wide Web site will not air "live"
keynotes by IBM's Louis Gerstner, Microsoft's Bill Gates, and HP's Bob
Frankenberg, but the speeches will be viewable through "delayed
broadcast" next week, and other aspects of the video programming will be
"live," Newsbytes has learned.

25 -> CA Adds Legent's AgentWorks To Unicenter, Cuts Prices -- Computer
Associates International Inc. (NYSE:CA) is adding agent technology it
picked up in its recent acquisition of Legent Corp., plus other
enhancements, to its CA-Unicenter systems management software. At the
same time, CA is making an aggressive play for market share by reducing
prices on entry-level versions of Unicenter.

26 -> Lotus & IBM Unveil Imaging Integration Plans -- The new Lotus Notes
to IBM ImagePlus Connection, a Windows NT-based gateway between Notes and
IBM's VisualInfo (VI) back office imaging system, is one of the first
technologies to emerge from the work of the 50-or-so transition teams
formed since IBM's acquisition of Lotus in June, revealed Sue Ryan,
senior manager, Notes Companion Product Marketing at Lotus, in a briefing
for Newsbytes.

27 ->  ****Spyglass Licenses Java Technology For Mosaic -- The company
that licenses its technology to other firms is now on the flip side of
the coin, as Spyglass Inc. (NASDAQ:SPYG) announced it is licensing Java
technology from Sun Microsystems Inc. (NASDAQ:SUNW). Spyglass will
integrate Java with future versions of its Mosaic Internet World Wide Web
browser, one of which will be out early next year, Spyglass officials
told Newsbytes.

28 -> MCI's "Complete Wireless Package" For Local Operators -- In an
effort to capture more market share from the wireless market, and to sell
to businesses that will be entering the emerging personal communications
services (PCS) market, MCI Corp. (NASDAQ:MCIC) is introducing "NetworkMCI
WIN (wireless integrated Network). The new offering is a package of
network design and operations services that "enables any local wireless
operator to build and run their businesses," officials said.

29 -> NexGen Adds Floating Point To Nx586 -- NexGen has announced
floating point members to its Nx586 processor family. NexGen, recently
acquired by Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), claims to be the only supplier
of x86-compatible processors to offer users a choice of floating point.

30 ->  ****Compuserve Settles Downloading Music Case -- The National
Music Publishers' Association (NMPA) has announced an agreement with
Compuserve in a landmark class-action suit over music copyright
infringement. Submitted for approval to the court and class members, the
agreement establishes licensing parameters for uploading and downloading
copyrighted music.

31 ->  ****FTC Inquiry Of Maxis -- Maxis Inc. (NASDAQ: MXIS), developer
of SimCity and SimCity 2000, says that it has received an informal
inquiry from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The inquiry centers on
Maxis' previously-announced decision not to sell products to competitors
NewMedia Express and Electronic Arts Distribution.

32 ->  ****AOL Passes 4 Million Members, Posts Qtr Loss -- America Online
says it has passed the four million member mark and cites an Odyssey
"market study" which says AOL is now as large as Compuserve and Prodigy
combined. At the same time, AOL released its first quarter results with a
250% increase in revenues and a net loss of $10,262,000.

(Ian Stokell/19951108)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD



Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/07/95
LEGAL
 ****Novell Raiders Hit Another Pirate BBS

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(DEN)(00001)
 ****Novell Raiders Hit Another Pirate BBS 11/07/95
PROVO, UTAH, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 7 (NB) -- Novell Inc. (NASDAQ:NOVL)
raiders joined US Marshals late last month in raiding another
bulletin board system (BBS) distributing, what the company said,
was illegal software.

The raid was made on the Pits Bulletin Board System of Brooklyn,
New York. Novell spokesperson Ron Barker told Newsbytes that
unlike other BBSs that have been raided a short time after they
begin operations, the Pits board has been up and running for at
least five years, perhaps longer.

US Marshals confiscated one file server with eight workstations
attached and the modems that were connected to eight incoming phone
lines. The raid took place on October 24 and just days after Novell
filed a civil action in the US District court for the Eastern District
of New York the 34-year old BBS operator, Pierre Barkett, agreed to
settle the lawsuit by forfeiting his equipment and agreeing to pay a
$200,000 judgment. No information was immediately available on
whether Barkett would be able to pay the judgment in cash or if
terms were worked out.

The raid was the culmination of an investigation launched by
Novell's anti-piracy group in May. Barkett had reportedly
been offering pirated copies of copyrighted software for
downloading for several years. Barkett told Novell he had stayed
away from Novell software on his board because of the company's
reputation for pursuing and shutting down boards that illegally
distribute pirated software. Ironically, the board did have Novell's
PerfectOffice loaded and available for downloading, but Barkett
said he didn't know PerfectOffice was a Novell product.

Pirate bulletin boards make commercial software products, including
popular programs from Novell, Microsoft, and other major software
publishers, available for downloading at no cost. The illegal
distribution of copyrighted software cost software publishers
an estimated $15 billion last year according to the Business
Software Alliance, a trade group. Users who download pirated
software are not eligible for technical support and also face the
risk of having their computer damaged or valuable data lost if the
downloaded files contain a virus.

Users who suspect the use of illegally obtained software can call
the anti-piracy hotline of Novell or the Business Software
Alliance. The BSA anti-piracy teams also work closely with law
enforcement agencies to shut down boards. BBS operators face
potential penalties of hundreds of thousands of dollars and up to
five years in jail if convicted.

(Jim Mallory/19951106/Press contact: Ron Barker, Novell,
801-429-7811; Public contact: Novel anti-piracy line,
800-747-2837)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/07/95
TRENDS
UK - Racal's Low-Cost Audio Surveillance System

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00002)
UK - Racal's Low-Cost Audio Surveillance System 11/07/95
SOUTHAMPTON, HAMPSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 NOV 7 (NB) -- Racal Recorders
has unveiled an audio modification kit for stereo video recorders that
it claims allows up to 16 audio channels to be recorded, along with a
standard video signal, on a standard video.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95110702.PCX
Click here for photo

According to Clive Percival, marketing director with the company, the
kit will sell through the company's dealers and resellers, with the
aim of installing the system on a stereo four head VCR and producing a
standalone audio recording system costing under UKP3,000.

This price point, Newsbytes notes, is significantly less than many
existing systems in use by police agencies and intelligence agencies
around the world. "We have had inquires from a lot of sources,
including the police," Percival told Newsbytes, adding that the police
were interested in whether the system's recording could be used for
voice analysis purposes.

"The system accepts up to 16 voice channels with a standard telephone
bandwidth of 3.5 kilohertz. I'm not sure whether voice analysis could
be carried out on this type of recording, but the key benefit of this
system is its ability to multiplex those 16 channels on to the audio
bandwidth of the VCR," he said.

The A-mux system, as the kit is called, installs as a black box
addition to the VCR. The multiplexed output from the black box is
introduced directly into the VCR's electronics at the FM (frequency
modulation) hi-fi/stereo recording head stage.

"This effectively bypasses the usual sound carrier system on VCRs. We
need a four-head stereo VCR for this purpose, to get at the full FM
carrier bandwidth that is encoded along with the video signal on the
VCR tape," he explained.

"The A-mux system can be used in a wide variety of situations, such a
single or multi-camera video surveillance system that feeds one or
more camera pictures on to the VCR in the usual manner. Where A-mux
comes in, is where multiple microphones need to be sited around the
office, room, or even building. All the channels can be accessed
singularly, or on a multiple basis," he told Newsbytes.

As well as being a four-head stereo system, the VCR must also have a
"continuous record" option. "This allows for unattended operation,
with the tape rewinding after the tape is completed," he explained.

Using an E300 (300 minute) tape, running at half speed on a VCR, up to
10 hours worth of recordings can be made on the system. According to
David Poole, Racal Recorders' managing director, the development of
the A-mux is a first for the security marketplace. "In an ever more
sophisticated marketplace, we have provided a reliable and
cost-effective solution to the gaps in information left by video
without sound," he said.

(Steve Gold/19951103/Press Contact: Clare Tipler, Racal Corporate
Relations, [phone]; Reader Contact: Racal Recorders,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/07/95
BUSINESS
French Software House Esker Opens Spanish Operations

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00003)
French Software House Esker Opens Spanish Operations 11/07/95
MADRID, SPAIN, 1995 NOV 7 (NB) -- Esker, the French software house,
has opened a new subsidiary in Madrid, Spain. According to Lee
Hawksley, the company's managing director, the opening of the Spanish
operation comes just three months after the company opened offices in
Milan, Italy, and coincides with the launch of three language
translations -- in to Spanish, Catalan, and Japanese -- of Tun Plus,
the company's communications software package.

Esker is best known in the comms software world for developing
packages such as Tun Plus, Tun Emul, Tun TCP, Tun Mail and Tun SQL,
which provide comms links between Windows and heterogeneous servers
such as Unix and IBM systems.

According to Hawksley, the new Spanish office will strengthen the
company's presence in Spain, coming after recent expansions into the US
(California) and Canadian (Ontario) markets, as well as the company's
German, Italian, and UK office operations.

"Our goal is to establish Esker subsidiaries in every major
marketplace to support our distribution partners. Spain is a
significant European market for us, and a country from which we
expect considerable growth over the next few years," he explained.

According to Hawksley, now that the company's packages are available
in both Spanish and Catalan, the opening of the Spanish office comes
at an "ideal time" for the company. "Previously Spain was managed from
our Lyon headquarters in France, but we simply couldn't afford to give it
the focus it deserved from a distance. The new office will be well-placed
to offer strong local sales and technical support for our partners," he
said.

Esker Spain will be managed by Cesar Penscoba Royuela, former product
manager with Uniplex Iberica. According to Hawksley, the major
objective of the company with the Spanish operation will be to
develop sales of its software in Spain, as well as further software
translations into the Spanish language.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951103/Press & Reader Contact: Esker Iberia,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/07/95
NETWORK
UK - AccessManger Security Prgm For NetWare

(NEWS)(NETWORK)(LON)(00004)
UK - AccessManger Security Prgm For NetWare 11/07/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 NOV 7 (NB) -- ICL has developed a version of its
AccessManager single sign-on security system for the Novell NetWare
environment.

Pricing of the package, which also supports the IBM AIX (the company's
flavor of Unix) and UnixWare operating systems with this release,
depends on site licensing requirements.

Announcing the NetWare edition of the software, Judy Coxwell,
marketing manager for AccessManager with ICL, said that the porting to
NetWare, AIX, and UnixWare makes the software the leading security
product for applications across an enterprise network.

"Enterprise networks pose a particular security challenge for network
managers, How do they manage security for heterogeneous environments
and legacy systems? We believe that AccessManager gives our customers
the widest range of popular servers platforms," she said.

According to Coxwell, AccessManager provides an "integrated approach"
to security across the enterprise, which is both "easy to use and
administer."

In use, the software is billed as controlling network security through
single sign-on and control of user access to distributed network
applications on multiple platforms, including IBM and DEC mainframes,
HP, Pyramid, Sun, Novell, AIX, OS/2, Windows NT, and other systems.

When network users log on to the AccessManager server, they use a
single login ID and password. When the user selects the role that they
are performing on that system, AccessManager authenticates the user,
authorizes the use of the selected role, and presents a desktop showing
only those applications which the user in that role is allowed to
access.

This role-based access, ICL claims, hides unauthorized applications
from even authorized users of other applications, and so prevents any
thought of unauthorized access.

Novell's Roland Richter, the company's vice president of channel sales
for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), said that this version
of AccessManager will be very useful for NetWare users worldwide.
"Security is an important element of any network, and AccessManager
provides a valuable extension to this element across multiple
platforms. Many of the estimated 40 million NetWare users worldwide,
who require secure access to applications and legacy systems over
different platforms, will now have the opportunity to benefit from
AccessManager's enhanced security," he said.

AccessManager supports heterogeneous security environments, including
security facilities such as RACF, ACF2, TopSecret, DCE, and Kerberos.
The software is also billed as being compatible -- and will integrate
with -- other security technologies, including SDTO's SecurID card,
PCSL's Stoplock V, and RACF's PassTicket.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951103/Press Contact: David Owen, PR Consultants,
[phone]; Reader Contact: ICL, tel [phone],
fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/07/95
BUSINESS
Nat'l Australia Bank Installs IBM Computer

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00005)
Nat'l Australia Bank Installs IBM Computer 11/07/95
DUBLIN, IRELAND, 1995 NOV 7 (NB) -- The National Australia Bank has
chosen an Information Framework system from IBM's Banking, Finance and
Securities Solutions Unit, to support a major information technology
(IT) project that will be developed for use throughout the group's
worldwide operations.

According to IBM, its Banking Architecture and Solutions Center in
Dublin has been selected from business, technology, and consultancy
centers throughout the world to conduct the project in conjunction
with National Australia Bank.

The announcement was made earlier this week by the Irish Minister of
State for the Environment, Liz McManus, T.D. Speaking at the reception
to announce details of the initiative, the Minister said: "It is
gratifying and exciting to see a bank of National Australia Bank's
stature investing so significantly in Irish skills and technology".

According to Big Blue, this strategic initiative from National
Australia Bank will have a major impact on the way the group's banks
do their business. An international team from the bank is currently
working with IBM's Dublin Center to develop the highly sophisticated
business planning, analysis and process management system.

The IBM Banking Solutions Center in Dublin was established five years
ago and has now grown to a staff of 70 with annual revenues of more
than US$9 million.

According to Frank Brennan, the general manager of the National Irish
Bank, which is the Irish subsidiary to the NAB, the decision to locate
this project in Dublin reflected National Australia Bank's commitment
to Ireland.

"This program will not only benefit our banks, but will also provide a
significant boost to the growing reputation of Dublin as a center for
innovation in business solutions for the financial services industry,"
he said.

"Through the ownership of NIB and Northern Bank, National Australia
Bank plans to combine local and international skills to benefit local
businesses and bank customers. This project is an example of this," he
added.

According to IBM, the NAB project will allow IBM to further develop a
wide range of banking solutions and market them through their
worldwide operations. This will increase the development potential of
the IBM Dublin center.

Colman O'Sullivan, manager of IBM's Banking Solutions Center claims
that the work currently underway with National Australia Bank confirms
the value of IBM's investment in the Information Framework over the
past five years. "It will help us to refine, develop and extend our
unique offering and in the process will transfer skills to within the
NAB Group," he said.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951103/Press Contact: Rory Caren, IBM Ireland,
[phone], Internet Email [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/07/95
TRENDS
UK Report - Uncertainty In Services & Software Sector

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00006)
UK Report - Uncertainty In Services & Software Sector 11/07/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 NOV 7 (NB) -- According to the latest quarterly
survey from the Computing Services & Software Association (CSSA) in
the UK, business confidence is encouragingly high amongst the chief
executives officers (CEOs) of the UK's software and services companies.
But, while the CEOs are confident, the CSSA reports that there is
uncertainty in the individual sectors of computing services.

According to the report from CSSA, staff recruitment, as measured by
actual net increases in staff numbers during the quarter, reached its
highest level for the 1990s after an unexpected dip in the previous
quarter.

The CSSA notes that recruitment rates are high from the number of job
advertisements and other indicators, but, in addition, the number of
people employed in computing services companies is increasing rapidly
because of large numbers of staff transferred in outsourcing contracts.

According to the CSSA, outsourcing continues to be one of the best
performing sectors and undoubtedly accounts for considerable growth in
staff numbers.

The blot on the horizon is that a significant drop in the recruitment
and contract staff companies' performance has been noted. This, the
CSSA claims, indicates a significant drop in the rate of expansion of
business in the third quarter occurred, something which Rob Wirszycz,
a spokesman for the CSSA describes as unexpected after the excellent
results for the second quarter of the year.

According to the CSSA, a reduction in growth rate might be partially
attributable to the effect of the hot summer weather on the activities
of freelance programmers, but this cannot account for the reduction in
the growth rate forecast for the fourth quarter of the year.

What's interesting about the survey is that the not-for-profit
computing services group claims that the mixed messages are probably
representative of the general state of the UK's economy.

The CSSA is the representative voice of the UK-based computing
services and software industry. The organization comprises of more
than 450 corporate members with combined revenues of more than UKP7
billion in 1994.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951102/Press & Reader Contact: CSSA,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/07/95
WINDOWS
Accent To Intro Dual-Language Word Processor

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(DEN)(00007)
Accent To Intro Dual-Language Word Processor 11/07/95
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 7 (NB) -- Accent Software
International Ltd. (NASDAQ: ACNTF) will unveil a line of Windows-based
dual-language word processing programs with built-in translation
capability when this year's Comdex trade show opens its doors next
week.

The product is called Accent Duo With Translation and it is
available in a series of two-language versions that include
Spanish, Italian, German, and French. The software is capable of both
multilingual word processing and translations to and from English.

The translation capability is handled by Globalink's Language
Assistant software, which is incorporated into the Accent Duo
programs. The software allows the user to translate the entire
document, portions of documents, or work interactively for greater
control and customization.

Once the translation has been accomplished, the program's word
processing features can be used to edit the document in either, or
both, languages. The user can work in the language and keyboard of
choice. Accent Duo With Translation is compatible with the document
formats of popular word processing programs like Microsoft Word,
Wordperfect, and Word Pro and works under any language version of
Windows 3.1 or Windows 95.

The company said any PC that can run Windows 3.1 or Windows 95 can
run Accent Duo. The $149.95 (suggested retail price) software
requires a minimum of six megabytes (MB) of hard drive space.

In addition to Accent Duo, other Accent word processing products
include: Accent Express 2.0,, a standard multilingual word
processor without translation capability for $69; and Accent Special
Edition 2.0 that has a thesaurus and spelling checker for English,
French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese, for $199. The
company also publishes Accent Professional with spelling checkers,
thesaurus, multiple fonts, and interface languages, for $399 SRP.

(Jim Mallory/19951106/Press contact: Alan Weinkrantz, Alan
Weinkrantz And Company for Accent, 210-820-3070; Public contact:
Accent Software, tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/07/95
GENERAL
Software Improves Your Golf Game

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00008)
Software Improves Your Golf Game 11/07/95
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 7 (NB) -- Colder temperatures,
blustery winds and even snow in some parts of the country are here,
so its time to improve your golf game! That's possible even at this
time of year thanks to multimedia computers and CD-ROM-based software
like Diamar Interactive's Breaking 100, the first of the company's
two-part Golf Tips series of instructional CD-ROMs.

Diamar stresses that Golf Tips is a series to help users improve
their scores across every phase of the game through lessons that
take advantage of the latest in interactive multimedia technology
including virtual reality, and is not a computer golf game. The
software was produced in conjunction with the magazine Golf Tips
and features pros from the David Leadbetter Golf Academy.

Topics covered in Breaking 100 include: the proper grip; stance;
posture and balance; confidence on the tee; curing the slice,
hook topped or shanked shot; judging distance; pitching versus
chipping; putting basics; hitting from fairway bunkers; and rules
and etiquette of the game.

The potential market for an instructional golf program is
apparently huge. Dave Roberts, Diamar chief executive officer,
said 24 million people in the US spend over $16 billion dollars
annually on the game on everything from magazines and apparel to
expensive equipment, lessons, and greens fees.

Diamar said Breaking 100 is aimed at the beginner and intermediate
golfer, offering over 20 hours of instruction on more than 75 topics
covering every aspect of a game that at times so frustrates players
they throw or break their clubs.

Breaking 100 users can set their own pace as they progress through
the structured lessons, workshops on individual topics and
customized workshops on areas that the user has particular trouble
with. Leadbetter pros share their own golf tips and demonstrate
techniques in over 1,500 photographs and more than 60 video clips.

While Breaking 100 isn't a game, it does give the user an
opportunity to play the game with its Play the Hole module, a
virtual reality simulation of a Par-5 hole which is personalized
according to the user's own handicap. Diamar said the software is
one of the first commercial products to use Apple's new QuickTime
VR (virtual reality) technology for Macintosh and Windows
platforms.

Breaking 100 is organized into an introduction, three learning
modules and the virtual reality section. Getting Started is an
overview of the topics to be covered and explains the different
ways to navigate the CD-ROM. The company said the 5-Day Golf Lesson
is the best way to approach the program if your preferred learning
method is to explore the material from beginning to end.

Build Your Own Workshop lets users customize their personal
experience by zeroing in on a particular topic and then branching to
related topics. Analyzing Your Trouble Areas lets players organize
their own series of lessons based on the specific aspect of the game
in which they need help.

Play the Hole teaches golf strategy and club selection appropriate
for the user's skill level. The virtual reality simulation technology
gives the player a full 360 degree perspective of the hole.

Breaking 100 is available for both Macintosh and Windows systems,
and has a suggested retail price of $59.95.

The Mac version requires at least a 25 megahertz (MHz) 68030-based
Macintosh (the software is accelerated for the Power Mac), System 7.1
or later, a double-speed or faster CD-ROM drive, eight megabytes (MB)
of system memory and 2MB available on your hard drive, and a
256-color monitor.

Windows users need at least a 33MHz 386SX or better, Windows 3.1 or
Windows 95, a double-speed or faster CD-ROM drive, a sound card,
8MB of system memory, 4MB of available hard drive space, and a
256-color monitor. The software includes QuickTime 2.0 and
QuickTime VR.

(Jim Mallory/19951106/Press contact: Kathy Romig, Diamar
Interactive, 206-340-5975; Public contact: Diamar, 800-234-2627)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
2000 11/07/95
TRENDS
 ****All Banks On The Internet By Year

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00009)
 ****All Banks On The Internet By Year 2000 11/07/95
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 7 (NB) -- In the next few
weeks, Killen & Associates will release a study, called "Internet Banking
Strategies: Markets, Applications and Technologies," that forecasts
United States banks will significantly step up their Internet investments
in 1996. The study predicts accelerated growth in Internet hook-ups until
virtually all banks are online by the year 2000.

"You are going to see banks shift their focus," said Michael Killen,
president of Killen & Associates, "to more open Internet approaches,
from proprietary personal computer financial software such as Intuit's
Quicken and Microsoft's Money."

Speaking to Newsbytes, Jules Street, vice president of Killen &
Associates, said, "The banks are not going to start off with all the bells
and whistles that Quicken might offer, but before the banks are done
they will be offering a full menu over the Internet. Virtually all the
banks in the United States will be offering full banking and financial
services by the year 2000."

The research company just completed interviews with executives from
more than two dozen banks in the United States, Germany, France, the
United Kingdom, and Hong Kong, to determine their online banking
plans for 1996 and beyond. "All of the banks we interviewed already
have Internet home pages," Killen continued.

"Virtually all those bankers believe the time has come to get serious
about the Internet in order to cut service costs and reach emerging PC
banking customers. The opinion is that a direct Internet banking
capability is a top priority. They realize the importance of preparing
for remote delivery offerings. Gaining first-hand experience in
meeting the new needs of Internet customers and emerging Internet
merchants is a significant issue. They want to control their own
destiny before high tech companies take their business," said Killen.

The study estimates the capital expenditures needed to implement
Internet online banking services and provides "rules of thumb" that
bankers use to estimate the cost-savings of Internet systems over
present branch, telephone, and financial software PC delivery systems.
The study also examines various technological approaches to online
banking and documents buying motivations of US banks.

Other recent studies by Killen and Associates include: "Microsoft's
Global Electronic Financial Services Strategy;" "Payments on the
Internet;" "Electronic Commerce: MCI's Strategy;" "Internet and
Commerce: Markets, Applications and Technologies;" and "Personal
Communications Services/Personal Communications Networks:
Markets, Applications and Technologies."

(Richard Bowers/19951106/Press Contact: Jules Street, Killen &
Associates, 415-617-6130)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/07/95
GOVT
More Reciprocity Needed In Japan Alliance

(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00010)
More Reciprocity Needed In Japan Alliance 11/07/95
WASHINGTON,  D.C., U.S.A., 1995 NOV 7 (NB) -- A committee of the
National Research Council has called for an end to the "one-way"
flow of technology that characterizes the security alliance
between the United States and Japan.

The committee says Japan must make greater technological
contributions in order for the technology collaboration between
the countries to serve US interests in the future. Although
there have been initiatives in the past 15 years to increase the
flow of Japanese technologies to the US, results have been
minimal, according to the report.

"Focused and persistent efforts by both countries are needed to
build the foundation for a new scientific and technological
partnership that delivers clear mutual benefits and strengthens
the US-Japan security alliance," said Gerald Dineen, chairman of
the committee and former foreign secretary of the National
Academy of Engineering.

"The United States must carefully manage its scientific and
technological collaboration with Japan to ensure that national
security interests are both protected and advanced," said Dineen.

Tight defense budgets in both countries and the increasing use
of commercial, off-the-shelf technologies could lead to greater
incentives for cooperation, says the committee. The committee
says the US government should try to alter technology transfer
obstacles in Japanese export policy, encourage collaborative
research and development (R&D) between US and Japanese companies,
and pursue a coordinated strategy for work on major weapons
systems.

The committee also called for expanded official and private-sector
exchanges on political, economic, and technological issues.

"Maximizing US Interests in Scientific and Technical Relations
With Japan" is available from the Office of Japan Affairs in
Washington. The telephone number is (202)-334-2815.

The committee project was funded by the Department of Defense as
part of a comprehensive study of the relationship between the US
and Japan in the areas of science and technology. The National
Research Council is the operating arm of the National Academy of
Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering.

(Kennedy Maize/19951106/Press Contact: Alexander De Angelis,
202-334-2000)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/07/95
TELECOM
UK - Pace Changes Name, Prepares Move Into Telecoms

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00011)
UK - Pace Changes Name, Prepares Move Into Telecoms 11/07/95
SHIPLEY, WEST YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 NOV 7 (NB) -- Pace Micro
Communications, the modem company which underwent a management buyout
(MBO) earlier this year from Pace, the parent satellite company, is
changing its name to Pace Consumer Electronics. At the same time, the
company is preparing a range of new products that, as the name change
implies, are not modems.

According to Steve Lister, managing director of Pace Consumer
Electronics (PCE), the company is the longest running UK modem
producer and, as such, has successfully manufactured its modems for
more than a decade.

"Since we staged the MBO, we have been working hard behind the scenes
on developing new products in the communications market, so the name
change was a natural evolution for us. We will still continue to
produce modems, but any company that only produces a set of products
for one market remains vulnerable in a competitive environment," he
told Newsbytes.

Lister went on to say that Pace is preparing an ISDN (integrated
services digital network) unit for shipment early in the new year, as
well as branching out into the field of cellular communications. The
company is about to begin shipping its own brand version of the
Panasonic G400 pocket GSM (global system for mobile communications)
cellular phone, under the company's Microlink brand name. The G400
will sell for around the UKP150 mark, attached to an annual air-time
agreement from either Cellnet or Vodafone.

By the end of the year, the company hopes to have started shipping its
projected major seller, the Microlink GSM data card. The card, which
will fit to the G400 phone, allows data to be piped a GSM network at
speeds of up to 9,600 bits-per-second (bps).

The major pull of the card is the pricing - UKP299. This contrasts
sharply with the brand leader, the Nokia GSM data card, which sells
for UKP449. Lister claims that he can produce the own-produced
Microlink GSM data card for significantly less than Nokia, and expects
the street price for be even less than the retail price of UKP299 for
the Pace data card.

"We've been working on the data card and GSM generally for some time
now. Since we produce the majority of our own hardware, we can (and
have) designed the card in-house, produce it in-house and can supply
the card to our existing reseller channel," he told Newsbytes.

Lister said that he expects data over GSM to be a major seller for the
company in the future. "Since GSM allows roaming between countries, a
GSM data card effectively allows international wireless data
transmission, something that many portable computer users are looking
for. The Microlin data card fills that need," he explained.

(Steve Gold/19951106/Press & Reader Contact: Pace Consumer
Electronics, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Internet
e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/07/95
BUSINESS
UK's Biggest PC Vendor Gets Even Bigger

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00012)
UK's Biggest PC Vendor Gets Even Bigger 11/07/95
BURNLEY, LANCASHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 NOV 7 (NB) -- Granville Technology
Group, the parent company to seven direct-sell PC brand name
operations, including Time Computer Systems and MJN Technology, has
spent UKP300,000 on a new technical support facility for customers,
as well as starting up an extra production line to boost potential
production of PCs to 300,000 units per year. The move means that the
company is now firmly in the number one direct PC sales slot in the UK.

The customer help desk system improvement sees Granville tripling its
support staff to more than 30, with staff having access to a new
Expert Advisor database to allow them to quickly identify and report
answers to customers' technical queries.

According to John Butters, a spokesman for the company, answers to new
problems can be entered into the database as they crop up, and when
new hardware, software, or operating systems are sold by the group's
seven operating companies, it will allow any technical queries to be
answered "as quickly and efficiently as possible."

All phone calls to the support desk are automatically logged into the
system, something which Granville claims gives managers instant access
to a wide range of information such as lists of the most commonly
asked questions and trends in customer difficulties.

"The introduction of this new system will enable our companies to give
customers a high level of after-sales technical support," explained
Joe Alexander, Granville's quality assurance manager.

According to Alexander, PCs are increasingly being brought by computer
newcomers for use by the whole family and, because of this, it is
important that the company adapts to this new type of buyer by
ensuring that staff are available to answer their questions.

"The move should also help us to cut the number of PCs returned for
warranty work, where the real problem lies in the configuration of the
machine, rather than a hardware failure," he said.

Granville is also adding another PC production line to its factory,
making it the largest in Europe. The company claims that, by producing
its own PCs, it allows it to offer customers high specification
machines at the industry's keenest prices.

"For eight years we've been selling computers built by companies such
as IBM and Compaq. But, by moving production in-house for many of the
machines we sell, we will be able to respond swiftly to market demands
and ensure customers are given the latest technology at aggressive
prices," said Colin Silcock, Granville's national sales manager.

(Steve Gold/19951106/Press Contact: Insight Marketing, tel +44-1625-
500800, fax [phone]; Reader Contact: Granville Technology,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/07/95
ONLINE
"Saturday Night Live" Meets Cyberspace

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(BOS)(00013)
"Saturday Night Live" Meets Cyberspace 11/07/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 7 (NB) -- Whether you
want to re-visit earlier shows from NBC's Saturday Night Live
(SNL) for old times' sake, or whether you missed the first
programs because you were too young to stay up that late, you can
now view more than 800 sketches from the past 20 years at the new
"Best of SNL Home Video" World Wide Web site, said Michael F. Arrigo,
in an interview with Newsbytes at Internetworld.

But in fact, SNLvideo and Immedia Net, the co-creators of the new
home page, expect "Best of SNL" to bring the biggest number of
hits from baby-boomers, who were young adults when SNL characters
like Toonces the Cat first appeared on the TV scene, and who have
transitioned to the Web, according to Arrigo, the president of
Immedia Net.

"SNL and the Web are both demographic matches to the baby-boom
generation, making them a `perfect fit,'" maintained Arrigo, who
was previously VP at Digitalk.

Visitors to the new "Best of SNL" (BSN) Web site will get more
than merely the 800 video clips of the past two decades, Arrigo
added. The free home page features a "Mr. Bill Room," together
with an "extensive SNL database" that can be queried through
lists of characters, actors and years.

Also from the Web site, visitors can order any of about 50 titles
from the BSN video cassette collection for playback on their TV
sets.

In the future, the two partners in the new Web site plan to link
the BSN home page to the Microsoft Network (MSN), Newsbytes was
told. Also coming up are database enhancements, discussion
groups, information on current SNL shows, and free giveaways of
BSN videocassettes to contestants in Web drawings, revealed the
Immedia Net president. You can access the BSN Web site at
http://www.snlvideo.com.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951103/Reader And Press Contacts: Immedia
Net, 714-650-2946; SNLvideo, 310-217-4003)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/07/95
TRENDS
US Tops In Competitiveness - Again

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(WAS)(00014)
US Tops In Competitiveness - Again 11/07/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 NOV 7 (NB) -- Propelled by
leadership in new technologies such as computers and
telecommunications, the United States tops the world in
competitiveness, according to the "1995 World Competitiveness
Report," published by the World Economic Forum in Geneva,
Switzerland.

The latest ranking marks the second year in a row with the
United States on top. Japan, which once led the rankings for
eight consecutive years, fell to fourth place from last year's
third place finish.

Singapore ranked second in the latest rating, with Hong Kong
in third place.

"The revival of the competitiveness of the United States is the
result of three factors: strong resilience in the economy thanks
to deregulation and privatization programs; leadership in new
technologies -- such as computers, telecommunications,
bioengineering -- and services; and finally, stripped control on
the operating costs of enterprises, in particular labor costs,"
said Stephane Garelli, director of the project.

First published in 1980, the report looks at performance against
a variety of criteria, including a country's domestic economic
health, its participation in international trade and investment,
and its economic infrastructure.

This year's report examines 49 countries including, for the
first time, China and Russia. Reflecting the difficult
conversion to a capitalist economy, Russia ranks 49th.

While the US is strong across the board, the project did find
some weaknesses. The project found the US is weak in the
"government" category, which rates the extent to which
government policies are conducive to competitiveness. The US is
also weak in the "people" category, which values the quality of
the workforce.

"There are some serious weaknesses in American education," said
Garelli, "especially at the secondary school level, that hamper
competitiveness."

According to Garelli, the fall of Japan is due to social change
in the country. "Japan is going through the same social crisis,
the same questioning of values today that Western Europe and the
US did in 1968," he said.

(Kennedy Maize/19951106/Press Contact: Brenda Siler, US
Council on Competitiveness, 202-682-4292)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/07/95
BUSINESS
Elonex & Micron Team On High-Speed Memory

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00015)
Elonex & Micron Team On High-Speed Memory 11/07/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 NOV 7 (NB) -- Elonex Technologies' research and
development (R&D) operation, Elonex Technologies, has announced it is
working with Micron Technology, the memory manufacturer, to develop
system board designs that support the emerging Burst Extended Data Out
(Burst EDO) RAM standard.

According to Dan Kikinis, Elonex Technologies' president, plans call
for Elonex systems using Burst EDO to be released in the first quarter
of 1996. He claims that the technology will be demanded by a
significant number of power users.

"We believe that Burst EDO technology offers significant advantages
over synchronous memory, because it delivers similar PC performance
gains, but at much lower cost. That enables us to design considerably
faster systems without charging premium prices," he said.

According to Kikinis, systems incorporating support for Burst EDO will
feature DRAM bus speeds ranging from 40 megahertz (MHz) to 66MHz --
"way above the 33MHz bus speeds currently achieved by fast page mode
or EDO DRAM technology," he explained. He added that, since Burst EDO is
supported as a bond option on high volume DRAMs, the transition to the
new technology can follow a migration path similar to the conversion
from FPM to EDO.

Micron Europe's Paul Watkins, the company's technical marketing
manager, said that 16 megabit DRAMs, offering zero wait-state
performance at 66MHz bus speeds, are already in production.

"Elonex's development engineers are working with samples right now,
and are likely to have new systems ready to ship at around the time we
start to manufacture Burst EDO SIMMs (single inline memory modules) in
volume. We're pleased to be involved in Elonex's new product
development, their early adoption of Burst EDO technology provides
evidence of their technical strengths," he said.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951106/Press Contact: David Bridson, Bridson &
Bridson, tel [phone], fax [phone], Internet e-mail
[e-mail]; Reader Contact: Elonex, tel [phone]-
4444, fax [phone]; Micron Europe, tel [phone],
fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/07/95
IBM
IBM Gets First UK Govt Security Certificate

(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00016)
IBM Gets First UK Govt Security Certificate 11/07/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 NOV 7 (NB) -- IBM has been awarded an E4
security certificate for its Processor Resource/Systems Manager
(PR/SM) product on the ES/9000 range of System/390 processors. IBM
claims it is the first company in Europe to receive the award at the
E4 security level.

The System/390 series of machines span the minicomputer/mainframe
marketplace, and are used by organizations with very high data processing
requirements, Newsbytes notes. The nature of the technology means that
banks and financial services organizations tend to use the equipment,
meaning that the E4 security level -- the highest before full military
levels of security are needed -- is a major plus for Big Blue.

According to Big Blue, the certificate provides a very high degree of
assurance that PR/SM technology can be used in environments where
separation of workloads is a requirement, but where the use of a
single hardware platform is desirable for reasons of economy,
flexibility, security, or management.

PR/SM provides for secure isolation by preventing the flow of
information amongst logical processor partitions. This isolation may
be used where the separation is based on "need to know," or where
data at differing security classifications must be kept apart.

Commenting on the award, Andrew Saunders, director of the British
Government's Cheltenham-based Communications-Electronics Security
Group said: "Information is valuable, and, with connection to service
providers and trading partners by private networks, the public
telephone system and, of course, Internet, the threats to information
are very great."

He continued: "Business is encouraged to follow the lead of government
in recognizing the problems of information technology security, so that
the UK's international reputation as a place where it is safe to do
business can be maintained."

According to IBM, the PR/SM system was evaluated against ITSEC -- the
European Union's Information Technology Security Evaluation Criteria --
by Secure Information Systems Limited, of Fleet, Hampshire, under
license from the British Government's ITSEC Certification Body (which
is run jointly by CESG and the Department of Trade and Industry).

Further details of IBM's security products can be found on the IBM Web
home page at http://www.ibm.com .

(Steve Gold/19951106/Press Contact: Lorna Campbell, IBM, +44-1844-
338145/IBMSEC19951107/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/07/95
LEGAL
UK Govt Moving To Close Cellular Fraud Loopholes

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(LON)(00017)
UK Govt Moving To Close Cellular Fraud Loopholes 11/07/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 NOV 7 (NB) -- After hearing that as many as
15,000 mobile phones are being stolen each month, the British
Government has announced it is taking steps to close the legal
loopholes that allow many cloners and fraudsters to walk free from
court. A joint Government working party is set to announce a series
of proposals designed to close the legal loopholes used by the
fraudsters.

"Ultimately it is the subscriber who must also pick up the industry's
bills, because it is clearly reflected in the charges, which have been
increasing dramatically," explained Brian Donohue, Labour Member
of Parliament for Cunningham South, who has been pressing the
Government for action.

According to Donohue, the fraud situation in the UK may get worse
rather than better in the next 12 months. Because the cellular market
is reaching saturation in the UK, he predicts that revenue from new
business will fall, meaning that Cellnet and Vodafone, the two analog
cellular service networks, will be less able to absorb the cost of
fraud themselves.

According to Newsbytes' sources, the Government working party proposes
the creation of new statutory offenses making it illegal to possess
cloned phones or equipment for cloning, as well as recommending that
there should be specialist police units to handle cases of mobile
phone fraud.

(Steve Gold/19951106)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/07/95
GENERAL
Japan Newsbriefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00018)
Japan Newsbriefs 11/07/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 7 (NB) -- In this roundup of news from Japan:
Battery plant fire hits Japanese production; NTT break-up may be
opposed; Astel announces first month subscriber figures; Toshiba
develops DVD-ROM; Hitachi launches CM bank; Panamsat awarded license;
Maruzen heading for the Internet; Make your own computer.

Battery Plant Fire Hits Japanese Production

Fire ravaged the upper floors of a Sony battery production plant in
Koriyama, Fukushima, on Saturday causing a halt in production. The
facility accounts for 70% of Japan's lithium battery production,
around three million cells a month, and an extended delay may hit
electronics companies that rely on the plant.

NTT Break-up May Be Opposed

Two signs came late last week that may signal the widely anticipated
breakup of NTT may not be recommended to the government. On Wednesday
Kazuaki Tanaka, director general for the government's advisory council
for deregulation, said the panel's members are divided on whether NTT
should be broken up. He added it was therefore difficult to give the
government concrete proposals in a deregulation paper due this
month. Also, the Communications Industry Association of Japan said
such a split would harm the competitiveness of Japan and was not
supported. The government has been under pressure from competitors to
breakup NTT but the operator has fought the calls and attempted to
pacify the rival companies by agreeing to a series of concessions in
an attempt to inject more competitiveness into the market.

Astel Announces First Month Subscriber Figures

Astel Tokyo has released subscriber figures for its first month
offering Personal Handyphone System (PHS) services in the Tokyo area.
The new operator said it attracted 48,000 customers in its first month
as a PHS service provider in the capital. From the beginning of PHS
until the October 1st, NTT Personal Communications and DDI Pocket had
been competing for the market. Tokyo now has three competing companies
and the two original service operators are currently expanding their
service areas nationwide.

Toshiba Develops DVD-ROM

Toshiba Corporation has developed a prototype digital video disk (DVD)
ROM drive. The new drive will accept data carrying disks based on the
new DVD standard currently being finalized by a consortium of the
world's top electronics companies. The system is tipped to replace the
CD-ROM as audio, data and video all move over to the DVD system.
Toshiba estimate the world market for DVD-ROM drives will be 80
million by the year 2000. The company's Taizo Nishimura, senior
executive vice president, also revealed the DVD standard is expected
to be finalized "within a week or two."

Hitachi Launches CM Bank

Hitachi has launched a new, computer based, CM management and
insertion system. The new system stores television commercials
digitally, on a hard disk, and organizes and plays them at the
programmed times. Priced at between 50 and 100 million yen, the
system is the first of a range of digital based systems
Hitachi aims to launch in the professional broadcasting market.
TV Tokyo recently ordered a similar system manufactured by NEC
Corporation called the CM Bank System that stores CMs on Magneto
Optical (MO) disks.

Panamsat Awarded License

Panamsat, which announced earlier in the month that it would be
awarded an license to offer international satellite services in
Japan, has been given the license by the Ministry of Posts and
Telecommunications. The timing allows the company to operate a
satellite uplink service from the APEC summit taking place in Osaka
later this month. The American company is the world's largest private
satellite operator and has recently launched a new Asian satellite
completing a worldwide network. Satellite service prices in Japan are
expected to fall with the added competition from Panamsat.

Maruzen Heading For The Internet

Major book retailer Maruzen says it will begin selling books via the
Internet from December 1. The company will offer over a million
Japanese books and 400,000 imported books via its online book store.
Customers will be able to purchase books using credit cards.

Make Your Own Computer

Melco will begin selling self assembly computers in Japan in December,
according to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun. The company said a formal
announcement will be made later in November. Such kits have not been
widely available in Japan previously and will add further competition
to the PC market.

(Martyn Williams/19951107)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/07/95
TELECOM
Japan's NTT To Cut Jobs, Charges

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00019)
Japan's NTT To Cut Jobs, Charges 11/07/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 7 (NB) -- Nippon Telegraph and Telephone
(TSE:9432) will cut its workforce by almost one quarter over the next
four years and reduce long distance call charges by up to almost one
half in a drastic attempt to ward off a government force split up of
the company, according to Japan's leading business daily.

The Nihon Keizai Shimbun, quoting sources, said the company will
reduce its total workforce from the current 197,000 to 150,000 by the
year 2000.

The majority of the cuts would be achieved by turning several NTT
divisions into separate companies. These are tipped to include the
machine and equipment maintenance section, which has around 30,000
employees, and the software division, with around 9,000 employees. The
remaining 8,000 positions would be cut by offering early retirement
for some of the staff and by curtailing the hiring of new staff.

The newspaper also said NTT would gradually reduce its long distance
call charges. The current maximum fee, 180 yen ($1.73) for three
minutes on calls over 180 kilometers (km), will be reduced to 100 yen
($0.96) for three minutes by the year 2000. An initial cut will be made
in the next five months when the maximum fee will be cut to 150 yen
($1.44).

The charge reduction was partly prompted by comparisons that showed
NTT's long distance rates were expensive compared with similar calls
in other countries and as a way of injecting more competition into the
long distance telephone sector. NTT currently competes with three long
distance call companies -- DDI, Japan Telecom, and Teleway Japan --
each of which charges slightly less than the domestic telecoms giant.

The government, which still holds 65.1% of NTT, has been looking into
whether NTT is too big and should be split up, a move that the company
is desperately opposing. The Telecommunications Council is a body set
up by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications to investigate the
issue and will announce its results soon.

NTT President Masashi Kojima told the newspaper, "A government
advisory panel has continued to discuss the (NTT breakup) issue in a
closed-door meeting. An open discussion would take a quite different
course," attacking the decision to exclude the company from the
meetings.

Earlier this week, a member of the panel, Satoshi Daigo, said NTT's
high personnel pointed to bad management at the company, adding they
had higher costs than comparable utilities such as gas and electrical
power companies.

By cutting the workforce and reducing charges, NTT hopes to register
an annual profit of around 250 billion yen ($2.40 billion) annually.
Current predictions put profits in fiscal 1995 at around 320 billion
yen ($3.08 billion).

An NTT spokesman was unavailable for comment on the newspaper report.
On the Tokyo Stock Exchange, NTT shares slid 8,000 yen to close
Tuesday at 821,000 yen. Company stock has lost over 7% since closing
the first week of October at 886,000 yen after market worries over the
possible split and concessions made to competitors to help foster a
competitive market.

(Martyn Williams/19951107/Press contact: NTT Press Office,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/07/95
ONLINE
Internet Update

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00020)
Internet Update 11/07/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 7 (NB) -- In this update of new resources and
services on the global Internet: The gateway to infinity; World
telecom glossary; CJK - the "how to" guide; European railway
timetables; The ant - conversion to HTML; Free Linux CDs and support;
Korea Internet guide; Checklinks - link verification tool; Turin
youth film festival.

The Gateway To Infinity

This is one of the most impressive and potentially useful World Wide
Web sites Newsbytes has come across. It is a page of links that point
to other indices, search engines or information servers. It includes
many, many pointers and is definitely one for your bookmarks list.
World Wide Web: http://www.dana.edu:80/~dwarman/

World Telecom Glossary

If you need to know the definitions of any telecommunications related
term, from the common to the obscure, the LDDS Worldcom Network
Services Telecom Glossary should be able to help you. Currently
boasting 700 definitions, the guide is the result of efforts by
Internet users and also asks users to contribute any definitions
missing.
World Wide Web: http://www.wiltel.com/glossary/glossary.html

CJK - The "How To" Guide

CJK is a recently developed program that allows Netscape 1.2 users to
access and read World Wide Web pages encoded with Chinese, Japanese,
or Korean characters. Usually such pages appear as garbage on English
systems, but the software renders the characters readable. A complete
"how-to" is now on the Web offering complete, step-by-step set up
details.
World Wide Web: http://www.pcwiz.com/howto/uwdb/uwdb.html

European Railway Timetables

Anyone planning a trip across Europe will find this Web site an
invaluable source of data about the railways of the continent and
their timetables. Links are included to Dutch, Belgian, German,
Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Czech, the Eurostar service, and the
Mercurio European Railway Home Page.
World Wide Web: http://www.win.tue.nl/win/cs/fm/Twan.Laan/ns/

The Ant - Conversion To HTML

This piece of software converts documents from all versions of
Microsoft Word 6.0 into hypertext markup language (HTML), the text
based language used to write World Wide Web pages. The program
supports all HTML tag and a demo version can be downloaded from
the home page together with information about the full product.
World Wide Web: http://mcia.com:80/ant/antdesc.htm

Free Linux CDs And Support

Continuing the tradition of Linux, a freeware Unix-based operating
system that has been developed and fine-tuned by Internet users
worldwide, a number of Internet users are now offering to give away
CD-ROMs of the Linux operating system and are offering free
technical support for anyone wishing to begin using the software.
World Wide Web: http://emile.math.ucsb.edu:8000/giveaway.html

Korea Internet Guide

The definitive guide to the Internet in Korea with listings of servers
ranging from business and government to entertainment, news and
travel. There are also links included to Korean cooking recipes and
language resources.
World Wide Web: http://korea.directory.co.kr/

Checklinks - Link Verification Tool

Written by the webmaster at the University of Miami, Checklinks will
produce a list of all invalid local links accessible from the root of
a Web server. The software is designed to verify all local pages but
not those on other machines. The software requires Perl 5.0 and can be
downloaded from the Web page and, better still, is released as
freeware under the GNU public license.
World Wide Web: http://lot49.med.miami.edu/~mdorman/checklinks.html

Turin Film Festival

From November 10th to the 16th, the 13th Turin International Festival
of Young Cinema takes place. The festival shows films made by young
filmmakers only and the online guide offers details about the
festival. A mailing list is also being offered to keep people
up-to-date via electronic-mail.
World Wide Web: http://www.webcom.com/~ficg/

(Martyn Williams/19951107)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/07/95
PDA
Sharp Adds Workgroup Mail To Zaurus PDA

(NEWS)(PDA)(TOR)(00021)
Sharp Adds Workgroup Mail To Zaurus PDA 11/07/95
MAHWAH, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 7 (NB) -- Sharp Electronics Corp.
will introduce a basic electronic-mail package for its Zaurus personal
digital assistant (PDA) at the Comdex/Fall computer show in Las Vegas
next week.

Designed for small workgroups of no more than 20 users, Zaurus Mail will
let PDA users exchange messages through a server. The server software will
run on a personal computer with at least a 486 processor, equipped with
Microsoft Windows.

The PDAs will be able to communicate with the server using wired
modems -- Zaurus Mail does not include support for wireless communications
networks, company spokeswoman Sharon Fenster told Newsbytes -- or through
a direct cable or infrared connection when in the same room with the server.

Though it cannot send a text message over wireless links other than local
infrared, Zaurus Mail will notify a user of an urgent message by sending a
page to a standard pager or to a Motorola Newscard paging card installed
in the user's Zaurus, Sharp said.

Messages are stored in individual electronic mailboxes with password
protection, Sharp said. Users can read their messages and review the
contents of their "in" and "out" folders when connected to the server.

Zaurus Mail does not support interconnection to other electronic-mail
software such as Microsoft Mail and Lotus Development Corp.'s cc:Mail,
Fenster said. Messages from non-Zaurus users have to be entered into
the system manually.

Zaurus Mail has a suggested retail price of $99 and is available
right away, Sharp said.

(Grant Buckler/19951107/Press Contact: Sharon Fenster or James Sciales,
Shandwick USA for Sharp Electronics, tel [phone] or 800-223-2121,
fax [phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/07/95
ONLINE
Nortel, Milkyway To Share Internet Security Technology

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TOR)(00022)
Nortel, Milkyway To Share Internet Security Technology 11/07/95
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 NOV 7 (NB) -- Two Canadian companies --
one a small startup and the other a multinational -- have announced
plans to integrate their Internet security software offerings.

Year-old Milkyway Networks Corp. has announced an agreement with
Northern Telecom Ltd., of Mississauga, Ontario, to integrate Northern's
Entrust data security software with Milkyway's Black Hole Internet
firewall.

Details of the arrangement have yet to be worked out, according to Hung
Vu, president of Milkyway. Essentially, Vu told Newsbytes, Milkyway plans
to incorporate Northern's Entrust encryption engine into its software and
expects Northern will build some of Milkyway's technology into its products.
In short, the relationship will be essentially a reciprocal original
equipment manufacturer (OEM) deal.

It is not yet clear whether joint marketing will be a part of the
relationship. Vu said he expects the details of the deal to be wrapped
up within the next couple of weeks.

Black Hole is firewall software designed to control access to corporate
computers connected to the Internet, allowing only authorized data traffic
between the net and the private system. Entrust is designed to protect
data traveling over the Internet itself.

The companies said their products would support Internet applications
such as banking, funds transfer, and online purchases. Such uses of the
Internet have been the subject of plenty of discussion, but business
generally remains nervous about the security issues involved. A report
by Forrester Research Inc. of Cambridge, Massachusetts, forecast in July
that these problems will be worked out and the Internet will be
considered safe for general commerce by some time in 1996.

Privately held Milkyway was incorporated in 1994. Northern Telecom,
which has annual revenues of US$8.9 billion and about 57,000 employees,
has a Secure Networks unit that focuses on online security products.

(Grant Buckler/19951107/Press Contact: Frank Rosano, Milkyway
Networks, 613-596-5549; Brian Murphy, Northern Telecom, 214-684-8589,
Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/07/95
TRENDS
CD-ROM Prices Vary Widely

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00023)
CD-ROM Prices Vary Widely 11/07/95
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 7 (NB) -- According to a
new report from DFC Intelligence, price differences for retail CD-ROM
titles can be significant. The report surveys prices from major retail
outlets for most of the popular CD-ROM titles and consoles.

Speaking to Newsbytes, David Cole president of DFC, said "The common
belief that mass merchants have the best prices on software is false.
Stores like K-Mart, Sears, and Wal-Mart consistently had high prices
and limited selections. The real retail story is the rise of consumer
electronics and entertainment superstores like Best Buy, Incredible
Universe, Computer City, Good Guys, and Circuit City. These stores
have the lowest prices and a wide selection."

DFC Intelligence announced the release of its update to "The US
Market for Video Games and Interactive Electronic Entertainment," a
guide to the video game and computer entertainment software industries.
The 400-page report contains complete predictions, and forecasts for
the next generation systems, as well as PC CD-ROM. It also surveyed
over 100 games and the retail prices charged.

The price study was conducted in the San Diego and Orange County,
California area. A shopping list of titles was created, and during
the week of September 23, 1995, the price check was made.

Three examples of popular titles and some of the price differences
reported were: Descent's lowest price was at Comp City for $32, the
highest was at Software Etc. for $45, K-Mart at $40, and Wal-Mart for
$35; Buried in Time's lowest price was at Comp USA, and Incredible
Universe for $45, the high was at Virgin Records for $62, Sears for
$60, Target and Wal-Mart for $55; Myst's lowest price was at Comp USA,
and Incredible Universe for $38, the highest was at K-Mart and Software
Etc. for $60, Sears for $55, Target for $50, and Wal-Mart for $45.

The report also discusses overcrowding at retail. DFC Intelligence
found that the next generation systems have really had an effect on
shelf space. To make room for new systems like the Sony PlayStation,
Sega Saturn, and Virtual Boy, space has been cut back for, not only
16-bit titles, but also PC CD-ROM games.

Claims Cole, "Often times there would be only one copy of a popular
PC CD-ROM game on the shelf and it would be stacked spine out. This
makes browsing difficult. It almost demands that the consumer know
what they want to buy when going into the store."

(Richard Bowers/19951107/Press Contact: David Cole, DFC
Intelligence, 619-484-5145)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/07/95
BUSINESS
 ****Compaq To Acquire Networth Networking Firm

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00024)
 ****Compaq To Acquire Networth Networking Firm 11/07/95
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 7 (NB) -- Compaq Computer Corp.
(NYSE: CPQ) has taken another step towards dominating the networking
systems market by announcing that the company will acquire Networth
Inc. (NASDAQ: NWTH) for about $372 million. Networth develops and
manufactures Ethernet and Fast Ethernet hubs, switching hubs, and
network management products.

Compaq said it will commence a tender offer in a few days for $42
per share in cash. The company said the board of directors and
management team of Networth support the acquisition and are
recommending shareholder acceptance. Networth has its headquarters,
development of the Ethernet products, marketing and sales functions
in Irving, Texas, and a research and development facility in San
Jose, California, The 10-year old company, which employees about
300 people, will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Compaq.

Networth holds an estimated five percent of the stackable 10BaseT
repeater market, according to an April, 1995, estimate by
International Data Corp. The Dell'Oro Group estimates Networth's
Fast Ethernet product line is number two in overall shipments and
currently holds about 20 percent market share. The network device
industry is expected to reach $8 billion this year, according to
some estimates.

Less than a month ago, Newsbytes reported on the Compaq acquisition
of Thomas-Conrad, a privately held maker of network interface
cards (NICs) and hubs. The acquisition of Thomas-Conrad gave Compaq
an established product line, manufacturing capacity and a sales,
service and distribution network.

Like Thomas-Conrad, Networth will become part of Compaq's new
Internetworking Products Group. Pushard said John McHale, founder
and chief executive officer of Networth, will become a Compaq
corporate vice president and will be responsible for IPG's hub and
switch products while Pushard will focus on NIC, router and remote
access products.

A June deal with Cisco systems calls for integration of Cisco's
internetworking operating system software on an x86-based Compaq
platform. The router based on that agreement is expected to be
announced in the first half of 1996.

Doug Pushard, Compaq vice president of IPG, told Newsbytes the mix of
networking products now available will allow the company to create
integrated network packages with all the products coming from a
single provider.

Compaq said earlier this week it is openly licensing its ASIC
(application specific integrated circuit) host controller design
that lets motherboard and chipset companies more quickly and
easily develop components that support USB. The final Open Host
Controller Interface specification is expected to be released on
November 22.

The draft specification is available now and can be downloaded from
Compaq's home page on the World Wide Web at http://www.compaq.com ,
or you can request a copy via electronic-mail by sending your
request to [e-mail].

The specification was jointly developed by Compaq, Microsoft, and
National Semiconductor, to define the register level interface that
enables the USB controller to talk to the PC and its operating
system.

USB is an emerging standard that lets a large number of varied
peripherals connect to a single port at the back of a personal
computer in a tree-type system. For example, the mouse, joystick,
and telephone could be connected to the keyboard, which is
connected to the monitor, which is connected to the PC.

(Jim Mallory/19951107/Press contact: Compaq, 713-514-0484;
Public contact: Compaq, 800-345-1518)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/07/95
PC
Gateway 2000 To Offer 200MHz Pentium Pro PC

(NEWS)(PC)(DEN)(00025)
Gateway 2000 To Offer 200MHz Pentium Pro PC 11/07/95
NORTH SIOUX CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 7 (NB) -- Gateway
2000 (NASDAQ: GATE) has announced it will enter the workstation
market with a PC that uses Intel's 200 megahertz (MHz) Pentium Pro
microprocessor. The company has also announced an extended warranty
option for its Solo, Liberty, and Colorbook notebook computers.

Gateway said the workstation will come with 64 megabytes (MB) of
memory that is expandable to 128MB, a two gigabyte (GB)-capacity
hard drive, a 6X CD-ROM drive, and a Matrox video card with 2MB of
video memory. The Matrox card supports three-dimensional graphics,
computer-aided design (CAD) applications, and 30 frames-per-second
video and animation.

The new system will come with Microsoft's Windows NT Workstation
software and is expected to start shipping by the end of the year at
under $6,500. Volume shipments are expected in the first quarter of
1996.

The new warranty coverage for the Gateway 2000 portables is a parts
and labor option. The portables are also covered by Gateway's
lifetime free telephone support around the clock, seven days a week.

The basic Gateway warranty covers the first year. The additional
two years can be added for another $100. The company said it will
notify current owners of the affected systems by mail and they
will have until December 31, 1995, to purchase the option.

Spokesperson Steve Sturgeon told Newsbytes that Gateway 2000 desktop
systems are covered by a standard warranty that covers labor for one
year and parts for three years. Extended warranties on desktop
systems are also available.

Readers interested in reading Gateway's three year warranty can
have a copy faxed by contacting the company's faxback service at
800-846-4526. Request document 2111.

(Jim Mallory/19951107/Press contact: Steve Sturgeon, Gateway 2000,
605-232-2582; Public contact: Gateway 2000, tel [phone] or
605-232-2000, fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/07/95
APPLE
Apple Ships OpenDoc Developers Kit

(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00026)
Apple Ships OpenDoc Developers Kit 11/07/95
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 7 (NB) -- Apple Computer Inc.
(NASDAQ:AAPL) says its new OpenDoc for Mac OS software development kit
(SDK) will allow developers to ship OpenDoc components to Mac users as
early as January, 1996. More then 300 developers have made a commitment
to Apple to deliver components which will change computer use from
large applications to a user-customized component environment.

A spokesperson for Apple told Newsbytes, "Mac users operating with
System 7.1 and higher will be able to incorporate Open Doc
components into their desktop experience. As the Mac OS (operating
system) evolves into new releases such as Copland, Open Doc
technology will become an integral element."

Currently, computer users work with a number of large, feature-rich
applications. OpenDoc technology means to change that environment
to a completely customized desktop based on only the components a
user actually needs to build a document, presentation, or project.
As an example, a user designing a brochure may want a specific spelling
checker, a special charting feature, and a drawing tool. Rather than
opening three applications, the user will simply have the necessary
components available on a menubar as the project is created. For both
corporate and consumer markets, OpenDoc will deliver the means for
easier computing and drastically cut the time it takes to bring new
software tools to market, claims the company.

Today's announcement from Apple centers on a SDK for the
Macintosh operating system, but the overall plan is to bring OpenDoc
technology into a cross-platform environment of multiple operating
systems for both the stand-alone desktop and network environments.
IBM is expected to make an OpenDoc announcement about development
tools for its OS/2 system and Novell has stated its commitment to
building the technology into NetWare.

The new SDK for the Mac includes OpenDoc system software for the
newer Power Macintosh systems as well as the older 680x0 systems. It
also includes sample code, full documentation, and a set of
development tools.

Starting November 10, developers will be able to download the
entire SDK free from Apple's World Wide Web site at
http://www.opendoc.apple.com . A CD-ROM edition is also available
by electronic-mail from [e-mail]. Additional tools are
available from Apple, Metrowerks, and Symantec, including a
pre-release version of Apple's OpenDoc Development Framework for
Mac OS.

Apple also said versions of the SDK will be available in 16 different
languages by early 1996. Developers supporting OpenDoc for Mac
SDK include higher educational institutions, large and small
corporations, and small development companies.

(Patrick McKenna/19951107/Press Contact: Tamara Ireland, Niehaus
Ryan Haller, 708-974-5784)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/07/95
TRENDS
 ****More Chip Factories Essential, Says TI Exec

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(DEN)(00027)
 ****More Chip Factories Essential, Says TI Exec 11/07/95
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 7 (NB) -- Demand is so strong for
semiconductors that the industry will have to start construction on
one chip factor per week for the next five years in order to fill
orders, according to the chief economist of Texas Instruments Inc.
(NYSE: TXN).

"Essentially, to meet demand over the next five years, you'll have to
see announcements of a wafer fabrication facility being built almost
every week," Vladi Catto told the British news service Reuters at a
technology conference last week. Asked if the industry can keep up
with demand, Catto said "Probably not. You have an industry which is
already the fastest growing industry in the world, which is getting
ready to grow even faster," said the economist.

Catto said the growth experienced by the semiconductor industry,
including DRAM memory chips, is expected to continue. Memory chips
account for an estimated 40 percent of total chip sales.

Catto said the chip industry will grow by an estimated 20 percent
per year over the next 10 to 20 years. Over the past 35 years, the
growth rate has been about 15 percent annually, he said.

Factors driving growing demand include the rising use of
semiconductors in electronic equipment, the emergence of new
products using chips, like cellular phones, and the growing
popularity of PCs including emerging markets like China and Russia.

Texas Instruments introduced a new chip of its own this week
that is destined for computers headed for those new markets. The
100 megahertz (MHz) 486DX4 Windows 95-compatible microprocessor
for personal computers carries a price tag of less than $70.

A TI spokesperson told Newsbytes that OEM (original equipment
manufacturer) price makes it competitive with 100MHz Pentium chips.
Rick Berman, marketing manager of TI's personal computer systems
products division, said the chip exceeds Microsoft's recommended
system performance for Windows 95 by more than 250 percent.

While some analysts believe the 486 chip has been made obsolete in
established markets by the Pentium chips, the TI spokesperson said
the 486 with its low cost is typically popular in emerging PC
markets like China, Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, Malaysia, and India,
as well as for use in PCs for the rapidly growing home market.

According to George Barber, TI semiconductor group vice president
and manager of worldwide computer products, the sale of TI 486
chips has set new sales records each quarter in 1995.

While the Pentium chip family may eventually replace the 486,
market analyst International Data Corporation reports that sales
of 486-based PCs in emerging markets will continue to dominate
through 1996, with compound annual growth for PC sales in those
countries going as high as 37 percent in China and 48 percent in
India.

Samples of the TI486DX4 are available now, with volume
production planned for January, 1996.

(Jim Mallory/19961107/Press contact: David Nieland, Temerlin
McClain PR for Texas Instruments, 214-830-2663; Public contact:
Texas Instruments, 800-477-8924 ext 4500)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/07/95
ONLINE
Prodigy's Women Execs Respond To Women's Online Marketing

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SFO)(00028)
Prodigy's Women Execs Respond To Women's Online Marketing 11/07/95
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 7 (NB) -- Prodigy's Louise
Cooper, executive assistant to the president, will address "proven
marketing strategies" for winning the hearts and minds of women online.
Reacting to what are claimed to be "antiquated misconceptions about
women's online activities," Cooper plans to discuss what women "truly
want online" and how to "market to them accordingly."

"How to Market to Women Online," a conference sponsored by the Kelsey
Group, starts tomorrow in Washington DC with retailers, publishers,
advertisers, World Wide Web site operators, online service provides,
marketers, and others. Prodigy's women execs and staffers are adamant
in their efforts to move the online experience away from traditional
marketing concepts.

Prodigy spokesperson, Carol Wallace, told Newsbytes, "We get so many
calls from the media and marketers who ask what women are doing
online and there are so many people who want to lock women into
stereotypical interests such as shopping and cooking. It is a terrible
misconception and if people try to limit their efforts to reaching
women through the same approaches they make on television and print,
they are in for a surprise.

"We (Prodigy staffers) are always being asked, 'What are the areas
where women are online?' and we answer, 'They are everywhere!' The
online experience is truly democratic. Here at Prodigy, 40% of our
members are female and they are attracted to the interface, easy
access, and all kinds of information, not just 'female' content,"
said Wallace.

Prodigy also cites a recent Apple Computer online study which found
82% of the women they polled went online at least once a day. To the
surprise of many, 64% of all respondents said they never purchased
a product or service online.

Wallace continued, "Our female members tell us, 'Don't sell to us like
marketers sell to us through other media.' The Internet and the online
services experience is a place where traditional women's roles do
not rule. It is an area where all people can be who they are and find
the services, products, and information what they want. Marketers
have to understand this and we need to jointly develop the electronic
community based on a truly democratic and open model."

(Patrick McKenna/19951107/Press Contact: Carol Wallace, Prodigy,
914-448-2496)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/07/95
TRENDS
IT-Driven "Cybercorps" To Beat Corporate "Goliaths"

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(BOS)(00029)
IT-Driven "Cybercorps" To Beat Corporate "Goliaths" 11/07/95
FRAMINGHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 7 (NB) -- In future
business battles between "Davids" and "Goliaths," it is the lithe,
lean "Davids," in the form of IT (information technology)-driven
"cybercorps," that will ultimately win out, predicted James Martin,
author of a book called "The Great Transition," during a speech
delivered at Computer World magazine.

Technological implications of the emerging "cybercorp," or
"cynernetic corporation," include Internet connectivity,
electronic commerce, custom application development,
object-oriented (OO) tools, data warehousing, and a mix of
"localization and globalization," Martin said in the lecture,
which was attended by Newsbytes.

The new "Davids," or "cybercorps," will be specifically
engineered to focus on one or two "value streams," according
to Martin, a Pulitzer Prize nominee for his earlier best-seller,
"The Wired Society." In many instances, the cybercorps will be
start-ups, he noted. "But you can also build `David companies
within Goliaths.'"

Cybercorps are beginning to appear already, Martin maintained. An
IBM employee for 19 years, Martin has also conducted management
studies for companies that include AT&T, Texas Instruments,
Honeywell, Xerox, and GTE.

Examples of start-up "David companies" include Netscape,
which grew to $2.5 billion in revenues before going public 16
months after its founding, and McCaw Cellular, a company that
soared to the $12.6 billion mark in its first six years,
according to the author/consultant.

Nokia, a Finnish firm that transitioned into the digital cellular
industry from a heritage in forestry product manufacturing,
represents a "David company built within a Goliath."

In "The Great Transition," Martin describes the "value stream" as
"an end-to-end collection of activities that creates an end
result" for an internal or external "customer."

Martin told the audience at Computer World that, in defining the
central value streams of the cybercorp, the corporation should
also pinpoint prospective users for the value streams, and
develop ways to "delight" those users.

"Digital cellular" is Nokia's main value stream, while Walmart's
is "getting products on the (retail) shelves at the lowest
possible prices," he illustrated.

But the cybercorp is also "complex," with other value streams
outside those at its core. A "typical medium-sized company" will
have about a dozen different value streams.

Martin added that in "re-inventing its business processes," a
company should use the cybercorp model, in conjunction with three
existing business engineering models: total quality management
(TQM), business processing re-engineering (BPR), and procedure
redesign.

TQM started in Japan under the name "Kaizen," or "gentle change,"
and began to be "understood in the US" during the mid-1980s,
Martin told the group. "You can get some great companies with
Kaizen," he elaborated, citing Sony and Nissan as a couple of
examples. Under  Kaizen, "every employee feels it is his duty to
contribute." But although TQM, BPR, and procedure redesign all
have strong advocates, "none of these three models, alone, will
be enough."

Aside from the right mix of business reengineering models, other
ingredients of the successful cybercorps include human resources,
IT (information technology) development, and above all, the
strategic "vision" of a guiding guru who understands all the
elements of the cybercorp plan, according to Martin.

In some cases, the guru will be the CEO (chief executive
officer), and in others, a senior level IT staffer. But in any
event, the cybercorp strategy must have backing from the CEO,
together with input from IT, in order to work.

The Internet will provide the easiest way of obtaining the
interorganizational "open systems connectivity" needed by the
emerging cybercorp, he continued. Ever increasing use of the
Internet will be accompanied by the adoption of electronic or
"digital" cash.

The cybercorp will also require "unique" software not available
in shrinkwrapped form, according to Martin. Some cybercorps will
outsource custom software development, but others will build
their own applications with the use of OO tools.

The most effective OO tools, he said, will follow the path being
blazed by the Antares Alliance Group's Huron ObjectStar and other
new rapid application development (RAD) environments that are
aimed at letting companies use business rules for quick
modification to underlying software code.

Outside of the "David vs. Goliath" metaphor, Martin characterized
the cybercorp as "a jungle creature stalking its prey." By using
the right software tools and applications, the organization will
be able to "sharpen its senses" to the point of "detecting
problems in real-time, and correcting the cause of a problem, not
just the problem itself," he said.

As a result, data warehousing and "drill down" data mining, two
other technologies that are now nascent, will become essential
over the next few years, he contended.

Also in the near future, localization and globalization will both
rise to the fore, but traditional notions such as countries and
continents will begin to fall away, according to Martin.

Martin also predicted that most members of the first wave of
cybercorps will be found in the manufacturing field, with banks,
brokerages, and other service industries largely playing
catch-up.

Speaking with Newsbytes at the close of the lecture, Martin said
that Dynasty Technologies' OO development tools belong in the
same general product category as Antares' Huron ObjectStar.

Bruce Rayner, editor of special projects at Computer World, told
Newsbytes that Computer World recently published a special
supplement on "The Enterprise Engineer" written by Martin as part
of the magazine's monthly Leadership Series. Computer World is
also considering the prospect of presenting more talks of this
kind, Rayner added.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951106/Reader Contact: Computer World,
508-270-3800; Press Contacts: Bruce Rayner or Joyce
Chutchian-Ferranti, Computer World, 508-270-3800; Suzanne M.
O'Leary, Parallax Technology Group for James Martin & Co.,
302-645-4835)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/07/95
LEGAL
Group Opposes Telecom Bill

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(LAX)(00030)
Group Opposes Telecom Bill 11/07/95
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 7 (NB) -- The deregulation
plan currently pending before Congress will do more to hinder
development of the "information superhighway" than to promote it,
according to an analysis released by Computer Professionals for
Social Responsibility (CPSR). The group is an alliance of computer
scientists, users and educators who "support the Democratic criticism
of deregulation."

"We did not do any formal analysis of the bill," Andy Oram, the author
of the report told Newsbytes. "We are not trained to do economic
modeling or analysis. Our information came from congressional
staffers, and from testimony in front of committees. My training is
in acquiring writers for O'Rielly and Associates, not economics.

"The legislation will allow a few giant corporations to control
virtually all of the information we receive," said Oram. "We will
wind up with less variety, less choice, and less freedom to express
our views. The struggle over electronic media is a struggle for our
very thoughts and actions," he added.

CPSR recommendations include ensuring that all individuals have
equitable access to the new technology, and that "affordable rates"
for cable and telecommunications services be maintained.

When asked by Newsbytes what is meant by "affordable rates," Oram
responded, "I haven't tried to work out what is meant by the word
'affordable.' We don't want rates too high, and we want 'universal
access.' By universal access we mean that the overwhelming majority
have the equipment and the ability to access the transmission of
data. If they can't, the government should step in and guarantee
that ability."

"Instead of the democratic vision of free expression that we've
been promised, we're getting 'Nightmare Alley.' If the legislation
is not substantially improved, we will urge President Clinton to
veto it," he said.

Copies of Oram's analysis can be obtained on the World Wide Web
from http://jasper.ora.com/andyo/cyber-rights/telecom.html .

(Richard Bowers/19951107/Press Contact: Andy Oram, 617-499-7479)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/07/95
CHIPS
 ****Sun Speeds To 200 MHz With New Processor

(NEWS)(CHIPS)(SFO)(00031)
 ****Sun Speeds To 200 MHz With New Processor 11/07/95
SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A, 1995 NOV 7 (NB) -- SPARC
Technology Business, a division of Sun Microsystems (NYSE:SUNW),
has announced sampling of its 200 megahertz (MHz), 64-bit UltraSPARC-1
micorporcessor, and three new motherboards based on the 143MHz and
167MHz versions. The new 200 MHz processor incorporates on-chip
support for MPEG-2 (Motion Picture Experts Group 2) decode.

Sun says its family of UltraSPARC microprocessors include a 143, 167,
182, and now the 200MHz versions. Besides the MPEG-2 decoding, the
200MHz version delivers 1.6 gigabytes (GB) bandwidth, an estimated
322 SPECint92, and a 462 SPECfp92 (2 megabyte cache).

A spokesperson for Sun told Newsbytes, "The really important news is
that microprocessors cannot be judged simply by SPECint numbers.
People have to look at how much bandwidth a microprocessor can
handle. You can have all the frequency you want, but if the processor
does not handle large bandwidth you just get a bottleneck which slows
performance."

As the demands to handle large amounts of network data packed with
video and audio files continues to build, Sun says the computer industry
has to have processors which provide the necessary bandwidth. Users
working with high-end graphics and video on workstations and servers
delivering and managing data over local area and wide area networks
are both prime areas where the 200MHz UltraSPARC will play an
important role.

UltraSPARC-1 features New-Media VIS Instruction Set which allows
for the high performance. The 200MHz version delivers up to 2
GOps/sec (giga-operations per second).

Sun's spokesperson also said the ability to incorporate MPEG-2
decoding means a MPEG-2 files can be decoded with software. Future
versions of UltraSPARC are expected to also offer MPEG-2 encoding.

Texas Instruments manufacturers UltraSPARC-1 at its Dallas facility
using an advanced EPIC3, 0.5 micron CMOS process. UltraSPARC is a
5.2 million transistor microprocessor.

According to Sun, the three new SPARCengine Ultra motherboards
offer customers two to 10 times the networking and I/O (input/output)
performance of any other motherboard shipping today. The boards feature
crossbar-switch architecture, expanded memory throughput, faster
networking and I/O support along with the New-Media VIS Instruction
Set.

(Patrick McKenna/1995117/Press Contact: Sheree Fitzpatrick, Sun,
408-774-8703)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00032)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 11/07/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 7 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|           Tuesday, November 7, 1995            |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

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Questions? Send to '[e-mail]'  For Japanese Newsbytes
and additional services, see the Newsbytes Pacifica Website at
http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

APPLE     Apple Ships OpenDoc Developers Kit......................... 26

BUSINESS  French Software House Esker Opens Spanish Operations....... 03

BUSINESS  Nat'l Australia Bank Installs IBM Computer................. 05

BUSINESS  UK's Biggest PC Vendor Gets Even Bigger.................... 12

BUSINESS  Elonex & Micron Team On High-Speed Memory.................. 15

BUSINESS   ****Compaq To Acquire Networth Networking Firm............ 24

CHIPS      ****Sun Speeds To 200 MHz With New Processor.............. 31

GENERAL   Software Improves Your Golf Game........................... 08

GENERAL   Japan Newsbriefs........................................... 18

GOVT      More Reciprocity Needed In Japan Alliance.................. 10

IBM       IBM Gets First UK Govt Security Certificate................ 16

LEGAL      ****Novell Raiders Hit Another Pirate BBS................. 01

LEGAL     UK Govt Moving To Close Cellular Fraud Loopholes........... 17

LEGAL     Group Opposes Telecom Bill................................. 30

NETWORK   UK - AccessManger Security Prgm For NetWare................ 04

ONLINE    "Saturday Night Live" Meets Cyberspace..................... 13

ONLINE    Internet Update............................................ 20

ONLINE    Nortel, Milkyway To Share Internet Security Technology..... 22

ONLINE    Prodigy's Women Execs Respond To Women's Online Marketing.. 28

PC        Gateway 2000 To Offer 200MHz Pentium Pro PC................ 25

PDA       Sharp Adds Workgroup Mail To Zaurus PDA.................... 21

TELECOM   UK - Pace Changes Name, Prepares Move Into Telecoms........ 11

TELECOM   Japan's NTT To Cut Jobs, Charges........................... 19

TRENDS    UK - Racal's Low-Cost Audio Surveillance System............ 02

TRENDS    UK Report - Uncertainty In Services & Software Sector...... 06

TRENDS     ****All Banks On The Internet By Year 2000................ 09

TRENDS    US Tops In Competitiveness - Again......................... 14

TRENDS    CD-ROM Prices Vary Widely.................................. 23

TRENDS     ****More Chip Factories Essential, Says TI Exec........... 27

TRENDS    IT-Driven "Cybercorps" To Beat Corporate "Goliaths......... 29

WINDOWS   Accent To Intro Dual-Language Word Processor............... 07

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 ->  ****Novell Raiders Hit Another Pirate BBS -- Novell Inc.
(NASDAQ:NOVL) raiders joined US Marshals late last month in raiding
another bulletin board system (BBS) distributing, what the company said,
was illegal software.

2 -> UK - Racal's Low-Cost Audio Surveillance System -- Racal Recorders
has unveiled an audio modification kit for stereo video recorders that
it claims allows up to 16 audio channels to be recorded, along with a
standard video signal, on a standard video.

3 -> French Software House Esker Opens Spanish Operations -- Esker, the
French software house, has opened a new subsidiary in Madrid, Spain.
According to Lee Hawksley, the company's managing director, the opening
of the Spanish operation comes just three months after the company
opened offices in Milan, Italy, and coincides with the launch of three
language translations

4 -> UK - AccessManger Security Prgm For NetWare -- ICL has developed a
version of its AccessManager single sign-on security system for the
Novell NetWare environment.

5 -> Nat'l Australia Bank Installs IBM Computer -- The National
Australia Bank has chosen an Information Framework system from IBM's
Banking, Finance and Securities Solutions Unit, to support a major
information technology (IT) project that will be developed for use
throughout the group's worldwide operations.

6 -> UK Report - Uncertainty In Services & Software Sector -- According
to the latest quarterly survey from the Computing Services & Software
Association (CSSA) in the UK, business confidence is encouragingly high
amongst the chief executives officers (CEOs) of the UK's software and
services companies. But, while the CEOs are confident, the CSSA reports
that there is uncertainty in the individual sectors of computing
services.

7 -> Accent To Intro Dual-Language Word Processor -- Accent Software
International Ltd. (NASDAQ: ACNTF) will unveil a line of Windows-based
dual-language word processing programs with built-in translation
capability when this year's Comdex trade show opens its doors next week.

8 -> Software Improves Your Golf Game -- Colder temperatures, blustery
winds and even snow in some parts of the country are here, so its time
to improve your golf game! That's possible even at this time of year
thanks to multimedia computers and CD-ROM-based software like Diamar
Interactive's Breaking 100, the first of the company's two-part Golf
Tips series of instructional CD-ROMs.

9 ->  ****All Banks On The Internet By Year 2000 -- In the next few
weeks, Killen & Associates will release a study, called "Internet
Banking Strategies: Markets, Applications and Technologies," that
forecasts United States banks will significantly step up their Internet
investments in 1996. The study predicts accelerated growth in Internet
hook-ups until virtually all banks are online by the year 2000.

10 -> More Reciprocity Needed In Japan Alliance -- A committee of the
National Research Council has called for an end to the "one-way" flow of
technology that characterizes the security alliance between the United
States and Japan.

11 -> UK - Pace Changes Name, Prepares Move Into Telecoms -- Pace Micro
Communications, the modem company which underwent a management buyout
(MBO) earlier this year from Pace, the parent satellite company, is
changing its name to Pace Consumer Electronics. At the same time, the
company is preparing a range of new products that, as the name change
implies, are not modems.

12 -> UK's Biggest PC Vendor Gets Even Bigger -- Granville Technology
Group, the parent company to seven direct-sell PC brand name operations,
including Time Computer Systems and MJN Technology, has spent UKP300,000
on a new technical support facility for customers, as well as starting
up an extra production line to boost potential production of PCs to
300,000 units per year. The move means that the company is now firmly in
the number one direct PC sales slot in the UK.

13 -> "Saturday Night Live" Meets Cyberspace -- Whether you want to
re-visit earlier shows from NBC's Saturday Night Live (SNL) for old
times' sake, or whether you missed the first programs because you were
too young to stay up that late, you can now view more than 800 sketches
from the past 20 years at the new "Best of SNL Home Video" World Wide
Web site, said Michael F. Arrigo, in an interview with Newsbytes at
Internetworld.

14 -> US Tops In Competitiveness - Again -- Propelled by leadership in
new technologies such as computers and telecommunications, the United
States tops the world in competitiveness, according to the "1995 World
Competitiveness Report," published by the World Economic Forum in
Geneva, Switzerland.

15 -> Elonex & Micron Team On High-Speed Memory -- Elonex Technologies'
research and development (R&D) operation, Elonex Technologies, has
announced it is working with Micron Technology, the memory manufacturer,
to develop system board designs that support the emerging Burst Extended
Data Out (Burst EDO) RAM standard.

16 -> IBM Gets First UK Govt Security Certificate -- IBM has been
awarded an E4 security certificate for its Processor Resource/Systems
Manager (PR/SM) product on the ES/9000 range of System/390 processors.
IBM claims it is the first company in Europe to receive the award at the
E4 security level.

17 -> UK Govt Moving To Close Cellular Fraud Loopholes -- After hearing
that as many as 15,000 mobile phones are being stolen each month, the
British Government has announced it is taking steps to close the legal
loopholes that allow many cloners and fraudsters to walk free from
court. A joint Government working party is set to announce a series of
proposals designed to close the legal loopholes used by the fraudsters.

18 -> Japan Newsbriefs -- In this roundup of news from Japan: Battery
plant fire hits Japanese production; NTT break-up may be opposed; Astel
announces first month subscriber figures; Toshiba develops DVD-ROM;
Hitachi launches CM bank; Panamsat awarded license; Maruzen heading for
the Internet; Make your own computer.

19 -> Japan's NTT To Cut Jobs, Charges -- Nippon Telegraph and Telephone
(TSE:9432) will cut its workforce by almost one quarter over the next
four years and reduce long distance call charges by up to almost one
half in a drastic attempt to ward off a government force split up of the
company, according to Japan's leading business daily.

20 -> Internet Update -- In this update of new resources and services on
the global Internet: The gateway to infinity; World telecom glossary;
CJK - the "how to" guide; European railway timetables; The ant -
conversion to HTML; Free Linux CDs and support; Korea Internet guide;
Checklinks - link verification tool; Turin youth film festival.

21 -> Sharp Adds Workgroup Mail To Zaurus PDA -- Sharp Electronics Corp.
will introduce a basic electronic-mail package for its Zaurus personal
digital assistant (PDA) at the Comdex/Fall computer show in Las Vegas
next week.

22 -> Nortel, Milkyway To Share Internet Security Technology -- Two
Canadian companies

23 -> CD-ROM Prices Vary Widely -- According to a new report from DFC
Intelligence, price differences for retail CD-ROM titles can be
significant. The report surveys prices from major retail outlets for
most of the popular CD-ROM titles and consoles.

24 ->  ****Compaq To Acquire Networth Networking Firm -- Compaq Computer
Corp. (NYSE: CPQ) has taken another step towards dominating the
networking systems market by announcing that the company will acquire
Networth Inc. (NASDAQ: NWTH) for about $372 million. Networth develops
and manufactures Ethernet and Fast Ethernet hubs, switching hubs, and
network management products.

25 -> Gateway 2000 To Offer 200MHz Pentium Pro PC -- Gateway 2000
(NASDAQ: GATE) has announced it will enter the workstation market with a
PC that uses Intel's 200 megahertz (MHz) Pentium Pro microprocessor. The
company has also announced an extended warranty option for its Solo,
Liberty, and Colorbook notebook computers.

26 -> Apple Ships OpenDoc Developers Kit -- Apple Computer Inc.
(NASDAQ:AAPL) says its new OpenDoc for Mac OS software development kit
(SDK) will allow developers to ship OpenDoc components to Mac users as
early as January, 1996. More then 300 developers have made a commitment
to Apple to deliver components which will change computer use from large
applications to a user-customized component environment.

27 ->  ****More Chip Factories Essential, Says TI Exec -- Demand is so
strong for semiconductors that the industry will have to start
construction on one chip factor per week for the next five years in
order to fill orders, according to the chief economist of Texas
Instruments Inc. (NYSE: TXN).

28 -> Prodigy's Women Execs Respond To Women's Online Marketing --
Prodigy's Louise Cooper, executive assistant to the president, will
address "proven marketing strategies" for winning the hearts and minds
of women online. Reacting to what are claimed to be "antiquated
misconceptions about women's online activities," Cooper plans to discuss
what women "truly want online" and how to "market to them accordingly."

29 -> IT-Driven "Cybercorps" To Beat Corporate "Goliaths -- In future
business battles between "Davids" and "Goliaths," it is the lithe, lean
"Davids," in the form of IT (information technology)-driven
"cybercorps," that will ultimately win out, predicted James Martin,
author of a book called "The Great Transition," during a speech
delivered at Computer World magazine.

30 -> Group Opposes Telecom Bill -- The deregulation plan currently
pending before Congress will do more to hinder development of the
"information superhighway" than to promote it, according to an analysis
released by Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR). The
group is an alliance of computer scientists, users and educators who
"support the Democratic criticism of deregulation."

31 ->  ****Sun Speeds To 200 MHz With New Processor -- SPARC Technology
Business, a division of Sun Microsystems (NYSE:SUNW), has announced
sampling of its 200 megahertz (MHz), 64-bit UltraSPARC-1 micorporcessor,
and three new motherboards based on the 143MHz and 167MHz versions. The
new 200 MHz processor incorporates on-chip support for MPEG-2 (Motion
Picture Experts Group 2) decode.

(Ian Stokell/19951107)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD



Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/03/95
NETWORK
Iworld - Digital Equipment Corp.'s Workgroup Web Forum

(NEWS)(NETWORK)(BOS)(00001)
Iworld - Digital Equipment Corp.'s Workgroup Web Forum 11/03/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- Digital
Equipment Corp.'s new Workgroup Web Forum, a Web server add-on
set to ship next week, provides real-time group polling, threaded
conferencing, and other elements of "team computing" across
multiprotocol internal corporate networks, as well as the
Internet, said Bob Lehmenkuler, marketing manager for network
business applications, in a meeting with Newsbytes at
Internetworld Boston '95.

Digital has a long history of involvement with the Internet
that dates back to the earliest days of the Arpanet, Lehmenkuler
noted.

Digital first announced Workgroup Web Forum along with Workgroup
Web at Fall Interop '95 in Atlanta. Although the two software
products for collaborative computing contain some of the same
features, the products differ in terms of platforms,
applications, and target markets, he maintained, during a demo
for Newsbytes aboard the Lady Christina, a ship docked outside
Boston's World Trade Center throughout Internetworld '95.

Workgroup Web, a Web browser add-on product that is already
shipping, is designed for "peer-to-peer client-server"
team computing by workgroups of three to 25 PC users on a
local area network (LAN), Lehmenkuler told Newsbytes.

Workgroup Web does not require a Web server. The PC software, in
effect, "turns a shared directory into an Internet server,"
permitting point-and-click creation of hyperlinks to any document
stored on shared directories, regardless of file format,
according to the Digital networking exec.

The $99 software package comes with a free Mosaic browser from
Spyglass, but it is also designed for use with any other HTML
(hypertext markup language)-compliant browser, including
Microsoft's new Internet Explorer, browsers from Netscape, Spry,
Spyglass, Quarterdeck and Microsoft.

Workgroup Web works with "almost all Windows-capable, shared
directory applications," including LAN Manager, Novell NetWare,
Banyan Vines, Digital Pathworks, Windows 95, Windows NT, Windows
3.1, and Windows for Workgroups. Web sites on the Internet can also
be hyperlinked to Workgroup Web folders and conferences.

Through a feature known as "post and reply conferencing,"
Workgroup Web users can exchange information about any piece of
hyperlinked information. Workgroup Web also automatically posts
the name of the user who is contributing information, and the
time and date the information was contributed.

Via a "What's New" button, the user can type in a date, and
Workgroup Web will find all the material entered this that date
in a series of nested folders. Users can organize the nested
folders according to project, "people," business activities, and
other criteria, according to Lehmenkuler.

Users can also attach abstracts to documents providing
information such as why the document is being posted, and what
needs to be done with the document. Keyword searching is
included, as well. Workgroup Web requires the installation of a
WinSock TCP/IP (transmission control protocol/Internet protocol)
stack on the PC if the user desires Internet connectivity. The PC
software is configurable to non-Spyglass browsers by clicking on
an icon in the Workgroup Web program group.

The new Workgroup Web Forum, which is priced at $1,995, is an
HTTP (hypertext transport protocol) server-based, "full
client-server" software product that provides much of the same
functionality as Workgroup Web, but adds support for large
numbers of users, along with more features, Lehmenkuler reported.
The added features include conference threading, "realtime
polling," user access levels, password security, and the ability
to take advantage of security capabilities such as firewalls,
gateways, and encryption tunneling.

Lehmenkuler told Newsbytes that Workgroup Web Forum runs on
Intel-based Windows NT Web servers, and on Alpha-based Web
servers running either Digital Unix or Windows NT. "The number of
users supported by Workgroup Web Forum is limited only by the
number of users the Web server supports," he asserted. Workgroup
Web Forum requires a Web browser on each client workstation. The
product can be used either with or without Workgroup Web.

During the demo, the Digital official showed Newsbytes
capabilities of Workgroup Web Forum that included group
conferencing, polling, access levels, and password security. To
illustrate the group conferencing, Lehmenkuler asked Newsbytes
for a comment on Internetworld '95, and then proceeded to post
the comment to Workgroup Web Forum.

Lehmenkuler next displayed a thread containing the comments of
all Internetworld attendees who had viewed the demo aboard the
Lady Christina, including Newsbytes. "Great show. Nice boat,"
commented one of the other conference participants.

Through the realtime polling, he explained, the user can pose
"open-ended or multiple-choice" questions of other users. Answers
to the multiple-choice questions can then be tallied and
individually viewed.

Lehmenkuler asked Newsbytes this question: "Going to
Internetworld was worth fighting the traffic. Do you strongly
agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree, or (are you) neutral?"

Newsbytes responded, "strongly agree." Lehmenkuler then showed
Newsbytes a tally of the responses from all conference-goers who
had seen the Workgroup Web Forum demo. By answering "strongly
agree," he observed, Newsbytes had brought the poll results into
a three-way tie between "strongly agree, agree, and neutral."

Lehmenkuler then broke out the poll results by individual
respondents. Newsbytes saw that other poll participants had
included a major bank, computer industry analysts, and several
trade magazines.

Lehmenkuler summed up Digital's Workgroup Web and Workgroup Web
Forum by pointing out that the two new products use the
Internet's small handful of protocols to allow "easy"
crossplatform computing, over LANs as well as wide area networks
(WANs). "That is the beauty of the Internet," the Digital
networking exec told Newsbytes.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951103/Reader Contact: Digital Equipment
Corp., 508-493-5111; Press Contact: Chuck Malkiel, Digital,
508-264-6030)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/03/95
GENERAL
Japan Newsbriefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00002)
Japan Newsbriefs 11/03/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- In this roundup of news from Japan,
PC shipments jump in first half, Fujitsu plans interactive TV trial,
Japan chip market to remain strong, Windows95 price war begins,
Government seeks online jobs listing, Qualcomm signs distribution
deal.

PC Shipments Jump In First Half

The Japan Electronic Industry Development Association has released
figures detailing personal computer shipments in the first six months
of the current fiscal year. In the period, the group reported, a total
of 2.95 million PCs were sold, a 52% jump on the equivalent period a
year earlier. The total value of shipment, including peripherals,
jumped 26% to 933.8 billion yen ($8.98 billion). The figure is
expected to break through the trillion yen mark in the next half which
sees the launch of Windows95. The association now sees total shipments
for the year as reaching 5.2 million units. For fiscal year 1996, the
association has upgraded its projection of 4.75 million units to 7.5
million units.

Fujitsu Plans Interactive TV Trial

Fujitsu Ltd. (TSE:6702) is to begin trials on a new interactive cable
TV network in Nakano, Tokyo. The company is to invest around 750
million yen ($7.21 million) for a 28.4% share in the company. Nakano
Cable TV will hold 16.4% with the remainder being split between a
consortium of broadcasting and cable companies. The trial will involve
300 households, each of which will be given the ability to access
interactive applications such as home shopping and video on demand
plus access to the Internet and Fujitsu's NiftyServe online service
via a digital audio/video interactive decoder unit.

Japan Chip Market To Remain Strong

Japan will remain the second largest regional market for
semiconductors at $47.7 billion in 1996 according to the latest World
Semiconductor Trade Statistics report from the Semiconductor Industry
Association. The figure represents a 17.8% growth rate and 21.8% of
the worldwide $218.6 billion market.

Windows95 Price War Begins

Despite the launch of the Japanese version of Windows95 being three
weeks away, software vendors are already announcing special deals and
reduced prices on the software. The Kyodo news agency reported
Thursday that electronics retailer Kojima would price the CD-ROM
upgrade version of the operating system at 11,800 yen, 2,000 yen
cheaper than Microsoft's official retail price. The floppy disk
version would cost 21,800 yen, a saving of 8,000 yen on the full
retail price. At supermarket giant Daiei, the group said it would
match Kojima's prices although not at its Lawson convenience store
chain, according to Kyodo.

Government Seeks Online Jobs Listing

In an effort to curb Japan's growing unemployment, the Labor Ministry
said details about jobs available should be made available on a
computer network to better enable people to find jobs. A trial of such
a system is hoped to begin in the next financial year once necessary
funding has been secured. The ministry is also considering putting
such a database on the Internet so that specialized jobs for
foreigners, or Japanese who have lived or studied abroad, can be
easily advertised.

Qualcomm Signs Distribution Deal

Qualcomm has signed an exclusive deal for distribution of its Internet
e-mail client Eudora Pro. Under the terms of deal with Osaka-based
Kuni Research International, the Japanese company will localize Eudora
Pro into Japanese and serve as the master "re-publisher" for Eudora to
distributors such as Softbank Corp., and others. The company said the
Japanese language versions of Eudora Pro for Windows and Apple Computer
Macintosh are now available throughout Japan.

(Martyn Williams/19951103)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/03/95
NETWORK
 ****NTT, IBM Japan Develops New Communication Protocol

(NEWS)(NETWORK)(TYO)(00003)
 ****NTT, IBM Japan Develops New Communication Protocol 11/03/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- Nippon Telegraph and Telephone
(TSE:9432) and IBM Japan have developed a new network protocol that
promises error-free data communication and the ability to transmit
information to large numbers of customers in a fraction of the time
currently required. The new system is called Reliable Multicast
Transport Protocol (RMTP).

Development of the protocol took place at IBM Japan's Tokyo Research
Laboratory and NTT's Information and Communication Systems Laboratory
(ISL). Osamu Takahashi of NTT's High-Speed Computer Networking
Laboratory at the ISL explained to Newsbytes more about the system.

"RMTP is a connection-oriented transport layer protocol, it supports
one-way error-free data communication and operates on the well-known
TCP/IP protocols, such as the UDP and IP-M (IP multicast)," said
Takahashi. "It means the multicast functions, copy and relay of the
packets, are realized by IP-M and generally, these functions are
implemented in the router."

"First, the RMTP server establishes the connection between RMTP
clients by multicast," said Takahashi, detailing the first stage of
three that takes place when a message is sent.

"Secondly, the server sends the information (packets) to clients by
multicast. If the clients receive all packets correctly, then each
client sends an acknowledge message to the Server, by unicast. If the
clients don't receive all packets correctly, then the clients send
negative acknowledge messages, by unicast, which include the packet
sequence numbers of the packets that need to be retransmitted. The
server retransmits the packets to the clients, by multicast or
unicast."

"For the last step," added Takahashi, "the server releases the
connection."

This all reduces network traffic and load because packets are
transmitted once by the server to all clients, rather than many time
individually to each client as is currently done using the standard
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). Once a message is sent the
server then needs to just collect packet numbers of any packets that
have encountered trouble and re-transit them, again by multicast or
unicast if just one client has requested the packet.

Takahashi sees the system as a replacement for existing protocols, "I
believe RMTP is the replacement of TCP. So, any TCP/IP applications,
SMTP (Mail), FTP (file transfer), etc., may use the RMTP with slight
modification (multicast extension)," he said.

To begin using the protocol, which was specified in May 1995, new
software is needed to handle the servers and clients. "The RMTP
prototype software were implemented in SUN WS (Solaris 2.3) by NTT,
and RS 6000 (AIX) by IBM Japan, and interoperable tests were concluded
by October 1995," explained NTT's Takahashi.

Example applications for the system include electronic newspapers in
which news articles need to be distributed to many people very
quickly. Even without the software being installed on each user's
machine, a basic system could be implemented that allowed the fast
distribution of news to several secondary mailers across the network
which would then handle sending to individual users in parallel with
each other.

To demonstrate the speed improvements, NTT said a 32-page newspaper
would usually take around three hours to send out to 5,000 subscribers
but would take just three minutes using RMTP.

(Martyn Williams/19951103/Press contact: NTT, [phone], fax
[phone]; IBM Japan, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/03/95
ONLINE
 ****Internet Update

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00004)
 ****Internet Update 11/03/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- In this roundup of new services and
resources on the global Internet, pictures from Hubble, Roh Tae-Woo's
secret reserve, Java developers kit, news from the Windy City, history
of the Internet, Flagstaff mission to the Navajos, In-touch with new
software, Netscape de-icer, Infosurf links.

Pictures From Hubble

The latest pictures from the Hubble Space Telescope, which have been
flashed around the world on television, are on the Internet. These
spectacular pictures show what is believed to be the birth of a star
in M16 and can be obtained from the Space Telescope Science Institute,
home of Hubble.
World Wide Web: http://www.stsci.edu/EPA/PR/95/44.html

Roh Tae-Woo's Secret Reserve

A Korean online service has opened an opinion polling forum covering
science and social issues. The first subject to be tackled is the "50
billion-Won secret reserve of Tae-Woo Roh, ex-president of Korea." The
forum welcomes views of all Internet users, particularly foreigners.
You can also see the current state of the poll, which shows little
satisfaction with the ex-president.
World Wide Web: http://sntonline.co.kr/~Service/Census2/
World Wide Web: http://168.126.18.1/~Service/Census2/

Java Developers Kit

There are a growing number of editors and packages for writers of the
HTML language but now there are also some Java language packages
becoming available. The first we've seen is Roaster, a Java applet
development kit for the Apple Computer Macintosh that assists writers
of applets written in Java, Sun's cross platform object-orientated
programming language.
World Wide Web:
http://www.natural.com/pages/products/roaster/roasterpr.html

News From The Windy City

Chicago's Sun Times newspaper provides headlines, traffic news, the
latest weather information, sports news, entertainment and listings,
education and a computer news column. The home page is quite heavy on
graphics.
World Wide Web: http://www.suntimes.com/

History Of The Internet

If you don't know much about the history of the Internet, but want to
find out how it started and how it has grown, the Internet Society is
now offering a look at the network. Included are a chronological
discussion and graphs showing growth of the Internet from its
beginnings right up to this year.
World Wide Web:
http://info.isoc.org/guest/zakon/Internet/History/HIT.html

American Cancer Society

Immediate online access to information about cancer, community
resources and other support is now provided by the American Cancer
Society, California Division home page on the World Wide Web. The
pages have a California bias, obviously, but also offer links to many
national and international cancer information resources. The, now
famous, "Philip Morris" documents are also available.
World Wide Web: http://www.ca.cancer.org/

Flagstaff Mission To The Navajos

This is an independent organization which supports native pastors and
churches on the Navajo reservation of Northwest Arizona. From the Web
site Web users can access a map of the reservation, consult a staff
directory and get contact and ministry information.
World Wide Web: http://www.primenet.com/~Navajo

In-Touch With New Software

If you're running Windows95 this site could be a useful place to
visit weekly. The service updates users with details of new software
packages for the operating system via an e-mail list or Web page. The
first message will be sent on November 13th and subscription is
available via the Web site. Users with no Web access should e-mail a
request to receive the messages.
E-mail: [e-mail]
World Wide Web: http://www.islandnet.com/~sword/win95.html

Netscape De-Icer

Netscape Defrost for the Macintosh is a system extension that keeps
Netscape from freezing while accessing Web pages, a situation reported
by many users, say the developers of the software. The software is
available from the Web site and the author asks all satisfied users to
donate some money to charity in lieu of payment for the package.
World Wide Web: http://cygnus.rsabbs.com/~ssykes/nsdefrost.html

Infosurf Links

The Infosurf page from the University of California, Santa Barbara, is
open to the network and, as well as providing access to the library
catalog at the University, holds a useful set of links to online,
full-text, information resources and e-journals on the network
covering 72 different subjects.
World Wide Web: http://www.library.ucsb.edu/

(Martyn Williams/19951103)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/03/95
BROADCAST
Europe - MPEG-2 Transmissions By Satellite

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(LON)(00005)
Europe - MPEG-2 Transmissions By Satellite 11/03/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- As the Astra 1E satellite, the
fifth co-located DTH (Direct To Home) pan-European satellite locks
into its geo-stationary orbit this week, following its launch late
last month, National Transcommunications Limited (NTL) has announced
it is teaming with Orion Atlantic to offer the industry's first MPEG-2
service platform to the broadcasting industry.

MPEG-2 stands for the second iteration of the Motion Picture Encoding
Group's system for encoding/compressing of digital video and audio
signals. Using MPEG-2, several conventional broadcast channels can be
compressed into the same bandwidth as a standard TV/satellite channel.
Using MPEG-2 technology, Astra 1E will use its 16 transponders to
broadcast several hundred digitally compressed channels for broadcast
across Europe, when the satellite begins official service early next
year.

The MPEG-2 service from NTL/Orion has already entered service,
however, since MPEG-2 services are already being broadcast by the
Orion 1 satellite, which is located at 37.5 degrees west.

According to John Okas, director broadcast and telecoms with NTL, the
partnership with Orion will provide customers with a single point of
contact for a complete service.

NTL and Orion are promoting their Orion 1 MPEG-2 transmission system
hard to the broadcast industry. According to NTL, the Orion 1
satellite's high power spot beams and wide coverage broad beams
provide extensive coverage of Western and Eastern Europe.

The uplink position and satellite power, meanwhile, are ideal, the
companies claim, for distribution of TV signals to cable TV head ends.
In addition, since Orion 1 also overlaps to North America with its
beams, it can be used for low-cost transatlantic TV transmissions.

(Steve Gold/19951103/Press Contact: Elena Tuason, Nelson Bostock;
Reader Contact: NTL [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/03/95
TELECOM
England - Radio-Telephony System Ready For 1Q 96 Launch

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00006)
England - Radio-Telephony System Ready For 1Q 96 Launch 11/03/95
CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND, 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- Ionica, the UK's third
licensed public telephone operator, has ordered $10 million worth of
fixed radio access technology from Nortel (Northern Telecom). The kit
will be used in Cambridge when Ionica launches its "radio tail"
telephone service early next year.

The Ionica system will operate at between 5 and 6 megahertz (MHz),
initially in the Cambridge area, rolling out to East Anglia during
1996/97. Instead of using copper wire to link the telephone exchange
with the subscriber, a radio tail link is used, hence the curious
"fixed radio access technology" moniker.

According to Nortel, Ionica will use its Proximity 1 Fixed Radio
Access system, which was co-developed with Ionica, as the foundation
of the new radio tail telephone services.

Nigel Playford, Ionica's chief executive, claims that the system will
allow Ionica to offer highly innovative call tariffs and services.
"Deployment of this equipment will position Ionica to meet strong
initial demand from residential and small business users. This is the
first in a series of orders we will place with Nortel in the near
future," he said.

Over at Nortel's wireless networks division, Bob Dow, the company's
managing director, said that the order for the Proximity 1 systems is
a significant one, and underlines the success of the joint development
with Ionica. "It brings to market the first purpose-designed fixed
radio access system," he explained.

(Steve Gold/19951103/Press Contact: Tony Goss, Nortel [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/03/95
APPLE
Camelot Acquires Mac-based Internet Voice Software Firm

(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00007)
Camelot Acquires Mac-based Internet Voice Software Firm 11/03/95
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- Camelot Corp. (NASDAQ
CAML), the company that publishes software that lets you
carry on phone conversations over the Internet using your
multimedia-equipped personal computer, has purchased the only
Macintosh-based competitive software product.

The Mac-based e-phone software, formerly known as NetPhone, has been
available on the Internet from its developers, Electric Magic
Company.  Electric Magic sold e-phone to New Paradigm Software
Corp. early last month, and Camelot purchased it from New Paradigm
on October 31, 1995.

Camelot said it paid $750,000 for e-phone, with $350,000 of that
paid in restricted common shares of Camelot and the balance in
cash.  The Camelot stock was valued at $5.1875 per share for the
deal. New Paradigm will also receive $1.00 per unit and ten percent
of the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) revenue from the sale
of the software for five years.

Third Planet Publishing, a Camelot Corp., subsidiary, markets
Digiphone software that allows users with multimedia-equipped PCs
running Windows 3.1 to carry on full-duplex phone conversations over
the Internet. Camelot said Third Planet will incorporate the
e-phone technology into Macintosh-compatible versions of Digiphone
and Digiphone Deluxe that should ship in the first quarter of
1996.

Camelot said users of the Mac and Windows versions of Digiphone
will be able to communicate with each other over the Internet.
Third Planet will continue to make e-phone available on the
Internet until Digiphone for Mac is launched.  At that time e-phone
will be discontinued, said Camelot. Users of e-phone will be able
to upgrade to Digiphone for the Mac.

Danny Wettreich, Camelot chairman and chief executive officer,
told Newsbytes e-phone users can't communicate with Digiphone
users and never will be able to. However e-phone users will be able
to upgrade to the Mac version of Digiphone when it ships in early
1996, said Wettreich.  He said the exact upgrade price hasn't been
set yet but he expects it to be about $25.

Digiphone for Windows is selling on the street for about $55 and
Wettreich expects the Mac version will sell for about the same
price.

Asked if he has any plans to acquire any other companies that
publish similar software, Wettreich said he doesn't.  "We don't
feel there is any need to buy anything else.  The only other
product on the market is VocalTech and we consider their
technology far inferior to ours."

(Jim Mallory/19951102/Press contact: Danny Wettreich, Camelot,
214-733-3005; Public contact: Camelot, 214-733-3005)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/03/95
BUSINESS
Australia - Platinum Sheds Staff, Sybase

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SYD)(00008)
Australia - Platinum Sheds Staff, Sybase 11/03/95
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- Platinum Software has laid off
most of its SQL Enterprise direct sales force in Australia and New
Zealand as a result of the company's decision to stop direct
sales of the Unix-based financial software in favor of its
SQL NT product. Unconfirmed reports say the company has sacked
its entire SQL Enterprise direct sales force worldwide.

The news comes less than a month after cheerless preliminary
financial results for Platinum's first fiscal quarter. The
company reported depressed licensing revenues for SQL Enterprise
and said it expected to post a loss of something between $US3.8
to $4.3 million for the quarter.

Guy McKanna, from Capital PR in Sydney, says his client is
"downscaling SQL Enterprise," which runs on Unix operating
systems and the Sybase database. The magnitude of the staff
shedding is not clear. "There are a few that have been given
the flick," McKanna said, but could not give exact figures.
He thought there might be two or three in New Zealand, "one
or two in Melbourne" and another person moving across to SQL
NT sales.

Sybase MD in Australia, Gary Jackson, says his company's partnership
with Platinum Software is over. "You don't like to have any
partner drop away," he said, "but they had a few challenges
here, and I don't think they've ever fully recovered."

The challenges included a 1994 senior management sweep at
Platinum which came in the wake of a scandal about inflated
revenue statements. The Australian management made a bid for a
controlling interest in the Australian operation and were
blocked by the US brass. They subsequently vanished from the
company.

According to Jackson, the loss of Platinum will not have a
flow-on effect to Sybase. "There's probably only half a dozen
users in Australia at the moment. It's not a big issue for us,"
he said. Sybase will continue to support SQL Enterprise customers.

"We'll work with a new partner," says Jackson. McKanna says Platinum
will also continue supporting SQL Enterprise customers, which is good
news for Pratt Industries, a packaging company which announced an
untimely switch to SQL Enterprise financials earlier this. Reports
that Platinum has laid off its entire SQL Enterprise direct
sales force worldwide could not be confirmed last night, as senior
Platinum executives failed to return this reporter's calls.

(Computer Daily News/19951103)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/03/95
BUSINESS
Acer Seeks Aussie Partner, Plans To Go Public

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SYD)(00009)
Acer Seeks Aussie Partner, Plans To Go Public 11/03/95
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- Taiwanese electronics giant
Acer would welcome approaches from Australian companies interested
in becoming a partner in a new-look Acer Australia, the group's
chairman and CEO, Stan Shih, told the Australian press this week.

He envisages the joint-venture company eventually listing on Australian
stock market, with both management and the general public having
significant stakes.

Shih, in town to launch Acer's stylish new "Aspire" range of home
computers, emphasized that the idea was very much in the formative
stage.

"It's not a critical issue. We're just beginning to look at the local
market," he said. There have been no approaches yet from potential
partners. But he added: "I've told James to look into it," a
reference to James Wang, managing director of local subsidiary
Acer Australia.

Shih suggested the model for an Australian joint venture would be the
recently floated Acer Computer International (ACI), based in
Singapore, which distributes to many Asian countries and to
Australia. Acer has spun off 37 percent of ACI, which represents
an investment of around $US60 million. The issue was 20 times
over-subscribed. Shih recently told Fortune magazine it is just
the first of what he hopes will be 20 similar public companies
to be launched in the US, Europe, and Latin America over the next
five years. Acer America would probably be first off the mark.
Acer would also float off parts of its two Taiwan vehicles, Acer
Peripherals and Acer Sertak.

This grand plan forms part of Stan Shih's "fast food" theory of PC
production and marketing. He sees subsidiaries around the world
churning out Acer PCs, set-top boxes, and other items to a standard
formula and with consistent quality. Consumers would get PCs made
from "fresh ingredients, not stale models." Served up with the
finest of chips, of course.

"Beauty in form; perfection in function." That's the slogan Acer
is adopting to promote its trendy new Aspire range of home PCs,
all colored green. They could have added "late in delivery." The
Aspire PCs won't hit the Australian market until late January,
totally missing the important Christmas buying season.

Acer Australia executives said the design, by Frog Design of the
US, also responsible for many Apple models, was initiated by
Acer America, and the US subsidiary had cornered most supplies
since the launch there in September. Several models, including
desktops and a minitower, were previewed at the Sydney launch.
The PCs have curved lines, built-in phone answering systems,
stereo speakers, optional full-motion video, and voice activation
software.

Initial supplies will all be in "emerald green," a muted tint
some press folk yesterday thought closer to pea soup. A second
choice of charcoal grey will be available later.

Processors are all Pentiums, ranging from 75- to 133-MHz. No
prices were available.

(David Frith and Computer Daily News/19951103)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/03/95
GENERAL
Bill, Paul, and Vern Update

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00010)
Bill, Paul, and Vern Update 11/03/95
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- Billionaire Bill may call it
"The Information Highway," but his former partner, Paul Allen, coined
the phrase "The Wired World" more than 20 years ago, and that was
the title of a speech to the Asymetrix Asia Pacific multimedia bash
in Melbourne this week.

Asymetrix Chairman Vern Raburn enunciated the vision his absent boss
had been espousing for two decades. And if Paul sounds like Bill,
coming out of the mouth of Vern, then that's because they all think
alike. "A lot of Paul's ideas are mine," Vern said, adding "Bill's
vision is to some extent Paul's vision."

In fact they were all together in Seattle last Saturday at
Bill's 40th birthday bash, a quiet do for 70 close friends at the
still-to-be-completed Chateau Bill. Paul was coming to Australia with
Vern after the party, but asked Vern to relay his apologies.

Sport is the hottest issue on the Net, said Vern, with more than 5
million hits on the sport-filled ESPN Net per day "and 10 million
on a busy day."

The entertainment arm is Ticketmaster, currently an event database, but
expected to offer interactive on-line ticket purchasing "within 90
days." That, said Raburn, was subject to the development of
secure credit card arrangements. "I don't think the security issue
is a terribly difficult one - it is pick and shovel engineering."

(Computer Daily News/19951103)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/03/95
BUSINESS
GTSI Ousts CEO, Refocuses Business

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(WAS)(00011)
GTSI Ousts CEO, Refocuses Business 11/03/95
CHANTILLY, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- With sales off
and its stock in free fall, the board of directors of Government
Technology Services Inc. (Nasdaq: GTSI) has ousted R. M.
"Rick" Rickenbach as president, chief executive officer, and a
member of the board.

At the same time, GTSI said it has released The
Robinson-Humphrey Co., an investment banker the company had
hired in May to look for possible buyers of the troubled
government computer reseller.

Last fall, GTSI fended off a hostile takeover by Milwaukee-based
Diana Corp. and its chairman, aggressive investor Richard
Fisher. Diana had offered $16 per share for GTSI, well above the
$12.50 per share the company was then trading at.

"The board has been through a lengthy process," GTSI spokesman
Carter Cromley told Newsbytes, "and has decided to focus on our
own business. We are not pursuing any other options."

The GTSI board said board member Gerald Ebker will take over as
CEO as the company looks for a new president and CEO. "Our goal
will be to build on an enhance the company's leadership position
in the federal market, said Ebker.

Ebker is a retired IBM executive. When he retired in December
1993 he was chairman and CEO of IBM's Federal Systems
subsidiary, which was sold to Loral Corp. at the time of his
retirement. He had worked in the federal systems division since
1987.

Late last month, GTSI announced disappointing third quarter
sales of $175.7 million, compared to $225 million for the third
quarter of 1994. Profits were $1.7 million (26 cents per
share), compared to profits of $5.6 million (80 cents per share)
for the 1994 quarter.

For the first three quarters of 1995, GTSI recorded a net loss
of $3 million (45 cents per share) compared to a profit of $6.7
million (98 cents per share) for the first nine months of 1994.
GTSI also announced that it was not in compliance with some
financial debt covenants.

The company's stock has been getting hammered in the marketplace
in the past year. After reaching a high of nearly $14 per share
a year ago, the stock has plummeted to around $5 per share.

(Kennedy Maize/19951101/Press Contact: Carter Cromley,
703-502-2035)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/03/95
ONLINE
MIT Student Wins CyberSurfari Event

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(WAS)(00012)
MIT Student Wins CyberSurfari Event 11/03/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- Jeremy Warner, 18,
of Sharon, Mass., is the first winner in the Software Publishers
Association CyberSurfari World Wide Web contest. The MIT
student spent 12 straight hours at his dorm room computer to win
the individual speed contest by finding treasure codes on 90 of
100 "outposts" on the Web.

Warner won $5,000 for himself and the same amount for the school
of its choice to spend on computer hardware and software.

"CyberSurfari was really neat and well done," said Warner. "I
had no idea there was so much interesting stuff on the Web."

Daniel Hallmark, 27, of Birmingham, Ala., won the $2,500 second
place, and Roland Spencer, 32, of San Diego, Calif., won the
$1,000 third prize.

"SPA organized CyberSurfari to show how easy and fun it is to
use the Internet and to demonstrate the diverse resources
already available on the World Wide Web," said Ken Wasch, SPA
president. "The contest also demonstrates the interest of our
sponsors in Web development, as well as their ongoing support of
education technology in schools."

Sponsors of the event include Adobe Systems, Apple Computer,
Beverly Hills Internet, c/net, CyberShop, Folio Corp., Harlequin
Inc., Microsoft Corp., Open Text Corp., and Prodigy Services.

The online contest continues for two weeks. Individuals and
school teams that find 50 of the 100 treasure codes before 6
p.m. Nov. 7 will be entered into a random drawing for a total of
$25,000 in cash and prizes.

This second component of the contest encourages leisurely access
to the Web and browsing sponsor home pages.

For information on CyberSurfari '95, click on the contest logo
on SPA's home page at http:// www.spa.org .

SPA is a Washington-based trade association that represents
some 1,200 publishers of computer software. It also has an
office in Paris.

(Kennedy Maize/19951101/Press Contact: Loni Singer,
202-452-1600, ext. 353)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/03/95
EDITORIAL GENERAL
Editorial - Oracle's Odd, But Interesting, View Of PCs

(EDITORIAL)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00013)
Editorial - Oracle's Odd, But Interesting, View Of PCs 11/03/95
BANGKOK, THAILAND, 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- By Tony Waltham. Oracle's
CEO Larry Ellison surprised quite a few people when he predicted
last month that PCs would be superseded by dumb terminals
connected to a global network, arguing that PCs were overpowered
and over-featured for this emerging environment -- and
consequently too expensive.

Oracle seems to be following through with products that
support this viewpoint, and word has it that Oracle Corp., will
introduce a low-cost diskless computer for use with on-line
services in the first quarter of next year.

There was no word on what processor it will use, and the
planned $500 Network Computer will run far fewer applications
than a personal computer, Ellison says, but it will support
applications such as word processing, electronic mail and
Internet browsing.

"The NC will be smaller, like a notebook computer, with maybe
a 12-inch screen and a keyboard," he was quoted as saying.

"There's no hard disk, no software, no floppy disk, because
when you turn it on the operating system will come across the
network. It's like a television -- you plug it in (to the
telephone and power plugs) and when you want to use it you switch
it on." He said it would be sold through stores, not necessarily
with the Oracle brand.

"We haven't set up all the details yet, but it will be
available in the first quarter."

Oracle's plans for its own online service to knock the socks
off Microsoft Corp's Microsoft Network have also progressed. Now
called Web TV, it will be available through an Oracle set-top box
that also costs $500, or so a Reuters report says.

An interesting concept, given the current talk of Netscape
becoming the "new operating system" -- which is to use this term
operating system lightly, since Netscape is just one of several
graphical Internet browsers.

However, it just happens to be the most popular and as it
allows or accepts what might be called "proprietary" extensions
that developers of Internet Web sites can -- and often do --
write to, so that other Internet graphical browsers seem somewhat
lackluster by comparison.

But will we be using diskless devices to surf the Internet,
merely because they will save us a thousand dollars or so? I
think not.

Much of my time spent on the World Wide Web is retrieving
information, and then saving it to my PC for reference or for use
in some way or another.

I would concede that while online, most of my computer system
is idle. My "browser" of choice is the text-based Lynx, Unix
software that resides on the Internet service provider's server.
And I use the Telix communications program with VT102 emulation,
essentially using my PC as a dumb terminal while the modem does
most of the work.

But would I surrender the other applications for a dedicated
online device? Sorry, but whether it is a satellite image of the
current storm patterns over Thailand and the region, or a news
photograph that I have downloaded, I need the full resources of
my PC to view and possibly edit these images later.

Nor do I spend most of my time in front of the PC online, by
any means. There are a variety of applications that I jockey
between, some are Windows-based, while others run happily in DOS.
And don't look down on a good DOS application, by the way.
The Wildcat BBS that runs at the Bangkok Post newspaper's Post
Database section ([phone]) is happily multitasking on DOS
with the help of Quarterdeck's DesqView, and I am typing this
column now in XyWrite III Plus, my word processor of choice for
the past seven years.

So, despite Oracle's prediction of relatively dumb terminals
hooked up to a super network, I believe we will have enhanced PCs
and communications, which coincides with the views of Intel's CEO
Andy Grove and Microsoft's Bill Gates.

After all, we can all get around on a bicycle, but we choose
to ride in a car if we can afford one. This does not mean no one
buys bicycles, and if a terminal unit such as the one Oracle
plans to introduce was priced appropriately, it might well be an
alternative for a different segment of user.

However, it would seem that the personal computer will reign
supreme for the foreseeable future, at least, and also that it
will evolve and mutate rapidly as more power and memory, both RAM
and mass storage, becomes available, while interconnectivity
across the Internet and possibly other networks further empower
its users.

The only possible outside threat that I can see to this model
of the future is from the Nintendos and Segas of this world,
these game machines that PC users tend to dismiss as toys.
It is largely children who are tinkering with them today, but
were these devices to become networked and interlinked, there
could always be a possibility that a guerrilla warfare-like
campaign could be launched to make these the computing devices of
the next century, making our PCs the "mainframes" or legacy
systems of tomorrow.

Just a thought.

(Tony Waltham and Post Database-Bangkok Post/19951103)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/03/95
BROADCAST
China - Cable TV Equipment Market Promising

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(PEK)(00014)
China - Cable TV Equipment Market Promising 11/03/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- The number of cable subscribers
in China is increasing quickly, and the huge demand means
many manufacturing opportunities for cable TV-related equipment
makers, according to the Ministry of Electronics Industry (MEI).

By the end of 1994 there were 30 million cable TV subscribers
and more than 1,000 cable stations in China, and it is estimated
that by 2000 there will be 60 million subscribers and 100 million
by 2005, according to an official with MEI. The number
means that 25 to 30 percent of the households in the country will be
cable TV subscribers in 2005, which at that point will represent
the largest concentration of cable subscribers in the world.

This huge demand is creating a large cable TV equipment market,
government officials said. However, China's manufacturing industry at
present is way behind where it should be, MEI suggested. The cable
equipment manufacturing industry also faces a shortage of capital.
According to MEI's estimate the total investment in cable manufacturing
industry should be at least RMB30 to 40 billion (US$3.6 to 4.8
billion) from now to 2005.

Overseas capital is one fund-raising avenue, said one
MEI official. He also said that extensive international cooperation
should begin.

Manufacturing opportunities exist for cable head-end equipment,
transmission and control equipment, trunk fiber-optic cables, related
devices and instruments, HDTV (High Definition TV) receivers, and
multimedia terminal equipment. Products should be
applicable in the international market and enterprises must hold a
long-term plan.

Technological cooperation should involve product design and development
techniques, digital techniques, two-way transmission techniques,
quality assurance and management software. Technical advances in
digital technology, HDTV, multimedia integrated services, and
new types of cable terminal equipment will be followed closely.

All the manufacturing specifications brought by cable, including
receiving antennas, head-end equipment for cable systems below 550 MHz,
key instruments, and components and parts have developed quickly
in China, said the government official.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951030)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/03/95
CHIPS
Intel Sees No Let-up In Processing Power Trend

(NEWS)(CHIPS)(HKG)(00015)
Intel Sees No Let-up In Processing Power Trend 11/03/95
BANGKOK, THAILAND, 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- Intel Corporation, the
world's leading manufacturer of microprocessors for personal
computers which in a decade has succeeded in effectively
doubling the processing power every 18 months, does not see any
let-up in this trend for at least another 10 years.

These advances in silicon technology have taken PCs from the
8086-based original IBM PC that ran at 4.77 MHz (million cycles
per second) to today's Pentium processors that race at 133 MHz
and offer a host of advanced features that boost overall
performance.

Intel recently christened its "P6" processor, the successor
to the Pentium (formerly the P5) as the "Pentium Pro," and Intel
International Vice President Rob Eckelmann said in an interview
with Newsbytes that work on the P7, which is being jointly
developed with Hewlett-Packard, was proceeding well, while the P8
chip was forming.

Noting on how rapidly the market shifts from one processor
to another, Mr Eckelmann said that there are now more
Pentiums being sold than any other PC processor, adding that "the
486 chip won't make sense for the desktop in early 1996."

There is an acceleration, not only in the pace of change,
but also in the fact that each generation of processor sells in
higher volume. "There is a tendency to underestimate change," he
said, noting how now the Pentium chips were going into the market
in volume when compared with the relatively slow transition to
the 486 chip from the 386.

As for the P6, or Pentium Pro, Intel expects that this chip
will initially be for workstations and servers since it was
designed to process 32-bit applications.

Today, most PC applications are 16-bit applications but with
the launch of Windows 95 that provides a 32-bit environment for
the desktop, this will be changing, and Mr. Eckelmann believes
that by the end of 1996 and into 1997, 32-bit applications will be
the majority of PC software.

One downside of frequent software upgrades is that each new
release runs more slowly, so despite Intel's and other chip
makers' advances, the performance index looks deceptively fixed.

Another area that the new Windows 95 operating system and the
latest applications have an impact on is demand for increased
memory (RAM) which has not kept up with Moore's Law in terms of
pricing, although this should begin to change for the better soon
now that manufacturers are ramping up production.

Mr Eckelmann told Newsbytes that there had been a lull in
production capacity development, especially in Japan, but now
Korea is making headway and there is more competition in this
area. While Intel makes the CPUs that power PCs, the company does
not make DRAM memory chips, he noted.

The Intel international vice president also predicted that,
despite apparent US dominance of the industry, Japan would be a
force to contend with in the computer industry. He suggested,
"Watch Japan," since, while it now seems to be lagging behind the
US in the computer industry, "this will change."

Indeed, he emphasized how change itself is accelerating,
and how this provides more opportunities, both for old and new
companies alike.

He recalled how Intel CEO Andy Grove had always maintained a
"healthy" level of paranoia that so far has ensured Intel's
leadership in a highly-competitive market. Like Hewlett-Packard,
he said, Intel also cannibalizes its own products.

Intel is investing in other areas, notably video
conferencing with its ProShare product, which needs ISDN lines,
and the company's overall vision is to make the personal computer
a universal communications device, since as it becomes more
powerful, so it can be a more multi-purpose tool.

"It is clear to Intel that connectivity, both across wide
area networks as well as on LANs is a key area," he said, noting
that the communications links or "pipes" are not growing at the
rate of the PC.

Ten megabit-a-second (mbps) Ethernet has been around for
many years, but the shift to 100 Mbps networking is inevitable.
Intel now makes the lowest 100 Base-T networking cards, he
said, predicting that 100 Base-T would be the standard as opposed
to HP's competing 100-VG standard as it can be deployed or
interwoven with existing 10-megabit LANs, being seamless and
backwards compatible, "Something that Intel has a lot of
experience with," he said.

What of the future of ATM? Mr Eckelmann said that while ATM
offers faster networking speeds of 155mbps, this is not such an
advance over 100 mbps Ethernet, where the 100 Base-T standards
are more established and the economics are very good. He
predicted that in a three to five-year period most of the volume
in networking products will be for 100 Base-T, while we might
see ATM on backbones.

(Tony Waltham and Post Database-Bangkok Post/19951024)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/03/95
BUSINESS
Hyundai, Acer Strike Across Two Fronts

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00016)
Hyundai, Acer Strike Across Two Fronts 11/03/95
SEOUL, KOREA, 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- Two recent announcements put
the world on notice that Asia's tigers are getting more aggressive
still. In Seoul, Hyundai Group's Hyundai Electronics Industries
unit said it was going after Maxtor Corp., lock stock and barrel,
aiming to displace dominant Seagate Technology in the hard disk
drive business "in the next decade," as one official was quoted
as saying.

The giant already has a 37% stake in the company with its US$150
million purchase made last year.

Hyundai officials conceded that the company's initial offer of
US$171 million for the balance, US$5.15 a share, was rejected by
Maxtor and both sides are said to be renegotiating.

Assuming the Maxtor acquisition goes better than Samsung's
take-up of AST, it could put Hyundai Electronics Industries in
fighting trim by next year when the unit plans its own initial
public offering.

Meanwhile, in Taipei, Acer Inc., already one of the world's largest
PC makers, is building its own industrial park near its present
headquarters at Lungtan, in Taoyuan district near Taipei.
Officials didn't say whether this precluded a move of its
semiconductor joint-venture with Texas Instruments out of
Hsinchu Science Park, but a report in Taipei's Commercial Times
newspaper indicated the company planned to design the park so
that it would accommodate chip lines, peripheral and
other PC-related manufacturing.

The company will reportedly invest US$500 million in the venture.
Officials didn't disclose whether or not companies outside the Acer
Group would participate in the project in the manner of Japan's
kiretsu-type suppliers. But the move would indicate that Chairman
Stan Shih will stick to his stated strategy of not making a major
investment on the mainland in the medium term.

(I.T. Daily/19951103)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/03/95
LEGAL
Hong Kong Pens Intellectual Property Law

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(HKG)(00017)
Hong Kong Pens Intellectual Property Law 11/03/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- The Hong Kong government will
begin drafting intellectual property laws to conform with the
Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property
(TRIPS), according to a statement. Provisions will cover trademark
registration of all signs distinguishing goods and services of one
undertaking from others, provided they can be represented in a
graphical form.

If all goes to plan, film, video and computer program owners will be
able to apply for restraining orders to prevent their products from
being rented out commercially without permission, or to have
suspicious imports embargoed.

Performers, too, will be able to prevent their live performances
from being recorded and distributed commercially or broadcast without
their permission.

(I.T. Daily/19951103)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/03/95
LEGAL
Aztech Wins Creative Suit

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(HKG)(00018)
Aztech Wins Creative Suit 11/03/95
SINGAPORE, SEA, 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- Sound card manufacturer Aztech
has won its case against rival Creative Technology. The Singapore
High Court last week ruled in favor of Aztech in a suit dating back
to 1993. The suit alleged that Aztech had copied Creative's
firmware in developing its family of Sound Galaxy cards.

"We are glad the truth has finally come to light," said Aztech's
Michael Mun after the decision was announced. "Creative's
allegations of copyright infringement were first made shortly after
our Sound Galaxy sound cards were marketed world-wide. We realized
that the cost of defending such allegations would be quite
substantial and might have been beyond our means at that
time, however we were determined to stand by the truth and not be
cowed or tempted into settling the claim as Media Vision had done,"
said Mun.

"This was despite the fact that Aztech at that time was preparing for
its initial public offering," he added.

The terms of the court order have yet to be decided.

(I.T. Daily/19951103)


(ADVISORY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00019)

NewsPix Update For Newsbytes Publishers 11/03/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A.,1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- This update
will be posted each Wednesday and Friday to reflect the daily
picture additions. The updates will in turn become part of the
main NewsPix Bulletin issued on Monday.

These photos correspond to recent Newsbytes stories. They are online
in the Newsbytes menu on America Online, NiftyServe, the Newsbytes
Pacifica Website at http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/ and the
Newsbytes private bulletin board system in Minneapolis.

To become a licensed Newsbytes publisher, call Newsbytes at
612-430-1100 (US) or write to [e-mail] on the
Internet. Licensing applies to any medium.

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

NOVEMBER 3, 1995

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

WINTNG951103 - color / Microsoft Press Offers Windows 95 Interactive
Training:  bookcover.

HOMEREC951102 - b&w / US West Puts Receptionist In Your Home: shot
of the phone unit.

AIRGO951027 - color / PC Card Combines Modem, Cellular Radio:
card with antenna.

POWER951027 - color / Fastest Mac Ever To Be Unveiled Monday:
shots of the new Power Computing configuration.

STEREOGRAPHIC951031 - color / 3-D Glasses By StereoGraphics:
graphic of the accelerator chip and SimulEyes 3D glasses.

PREMIERE951101 - color / Adobe Ships Premiere 4.2 Video Editor
For Mac: screenshot of special processing window.

DRAW4-951026 - color / Micrografx Shipping Windows Draw 4.0:
screenshot of award art.

(Newsbytes/19951103)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/03/95
TELECOM
First 1900MHz Wireless Call Makes History

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEN)(00020)
First 1900MHz Wireless Call Makes History 11/03/95
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- Communications history
was made late last month when what was described as the very first
call over a wireless personal communications services (PCS) network
was made. It was also believed to be the first call on a
commercially installed system that uses Code Division Multiple
Access (CDMA) digital technology in the 1,900 megahertz radio
spectrum.

The ceremonial first call was placed by PCS PrimeCo, a partnership
of Airtouch (NYSE: ATI), Bell Atlantic (NYSE: BEL), NYNEX (NYSE:
NYN) and US West (NYSE: USW). PCS PrimeCo demonstrated the system
by making simultaneous wireless calls from Dallas and Houston PCS
systems to San Francisco and Arlington, Virginia wireline phones.
Calls were also made from Dallas and Houston to New York and
Colorado.

PCS PrimeCo hopes to bring wireless PCS services to consumers in 11
major US markets in the second half of 1996. PCS PrimeCo said it
will offer service in the Chicago, Dallas, Honolulu, Houston,
Jacksonville, Miami, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Richmond, San Antonio and
Tampa markets next year.

Right now the average reader may see little difference between
cellular and PCS service. They operate in different radio
frequency spectrums, but the cost of the equipment and the cost of a
call are nearly equal. But PCS devices use digital communication,
which PCS PrimeCo spokesperson Paula Angel-Jones told Newsbytes
offers the advantages of less power drain, better security and
clearer voice and data communication. It also holds the promise
of an expanded menu of wireless services.

Both systems will be available for the foreseeable future, and
Angel-Jones said PCS PrimeCo will eventually offer dual-band
phones that can use either service. For the consumer that means a
better chance of being able to make calls no matter where they are.

Angel-Jones said eventually the cost of using PCS communications
will be lower than that of cellular since more PCS devices can
communicate on a single radio frequency compared to cell phones.
That makes it possible for the service provider to lower the
per-user cost.

PCS PrimeCo plans to eventually offer advanced wireless services
like vehicular fax, data and short messaging. Angel-Jones said
surveys indicate there are about 80 standard messages that
consumers use repeatedly, ranging from "I'll be late for the
meeting" to "Please pick up the kids." Those can be programmed
into a wireless communications device for transmission at the push
of a button or two.

The CDMA technology uses what PCS PrimeCo calls a "soft hand off"
between radio towers as the caller passes from one cell site to
another. the handoff is transparent to the user because the call
is being processed simultaneously by antennas in multiple cell
sites.

(Jim Mallory/19951103/Press contact: Stacey Mironov, PCS PrimeCo,
817-258-1531)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/03/95
ONLINE
 ****Worlds And People Link For New Online Service

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00021)
 ****Worlds And People Link For New Online Service 11/03/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- Japanese computer users will soon have
access to a new, 3D, online service after Worlds Inc., People World
and Mitsubishi signed an agreement to create PeopleSpace, the first 3D
Internet environment created by an online service in Japan.

PeopleSpace will soon be available to the half million users of the
People World online system, opening up a virtual city built online in
3-D. The service will create a metropolitan environment, complete with
civic institutions, community centers, chat spaces and more says Worlds
Inc., the California-based company supplying the software to run the
environment.

Users communicate with others on PeopleSpace through avatars, 3-D body
icons that allow them to move freely in any direction using a mouse or
arrow keys. Different personas can by chosen to change the way an
avatar appears and, once one is selected, the users are free to
communicate with each other in chat areas and move through a high
resolution graphical space in real-time giving them an intuitive sense
of reality.

A beta test of PeopleSpace is scheduled to begin in the second quarter
of 1996 with the full service available shortly after said Worlds Inc.
To access the new service, Windows-based software will be supplied on
CD-ROMs. In the future, the system could connect to data sent over
broadcast or satellite TV.

Rob Schmults, director of marketing at Worlds Inc., told Newsbytes the
system was easy to adapt to use in Japan, "Luckily, the 3D interface
is mimicking the real world, the interface is not very hard to
customize at all. The production and look and feel were changed
slightly." The system had to be changed to include prompts in Japanese
kanji characters said Schmults, who added, "We worked closely with our
partners in Japan."

The People service in Japan is operated by a group of companies
including IBM, a company which Worlds Inc., has already been working
with in development of Virtual Reality Modeling Language+ (VRML+), an
extension to the emerging VRML language.

The two companies are due to begin distributing a free VRML+ browser
for most popular platforms and VRML+ servers for major Unix and
Windows-based platforms.

Despite the relationship between the two, Schmults said there were no
plans currently to bring the system to Prodigy. "There are no specific
talks regarding Prodigy. We are live on the Internet with World's Chat
and Alpha World. Those are accessible through online services so even
through we are not on the services, we can be accessed through them.
That's not to say we won't have more formal arrangements."

At the service announcement in Tokyo, Shoko Sasaki, director of
multimedia at Mitsubishi Corporation, said, "It is the great pleasure
of Mitsubishi Corporation to announce an agreement with Worlds Inc. We
do believe that with this agreement, we shall be able to launch a
virtual world in 3D multi-user environment in Japan by utilizing
Worlds Inc.'s tremendous technology. There is no doubt that this new
communication will make the online world more natural to us all,
giving a big impact to a real world."

(Martyn Williams/19951103/Press contact: Gene Feroglia, Worlds Inc.,
408-959-1129, Internet e-mail [e-mail] ; Reader contact: Worlds
Inc., World Wide Web http://www.worlds.net/ )




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/03/95
GENERAL
Personnel Roundup

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00022)
Personnel Roundup 11/03/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- In this week's
roundup, personnel changes occurred at these high tech companies:
AT&T, Bay Networks Inc., Softbank Exposition and Conference Company,
Dell Computer Corp., Digital Equipment Corp., Gateway 2000 Inc.,
Simple Technology Inc., StorMedia Inc., Novell, Texas Instruments
Inc., MCI Communications Corp., America Online Inc.

AT&T (NYSE:T - 908-221-6900) announced executive appointments in key
operating units of its Communications Services Group. Pier Carlo Falotti,
53, was named executive vice president and head of AT&T's international
operations. Falotti, who currently leads AT&T's operations in Europe,
the Middle East and Africa, will assume responsibility for all the
company's communications services operations outside the United States.
Gail J. McGovern, 43, was named executive vice president of the
Business Markets Division. McGovern is currently vice president and
general manager for Business Services. She will lead AT&T units serving
businesses with extensive needs for communications and information
services. Joseph P. Nacchio, 46, was named executive vice president of
the Consumer and Small Business Division. John C. Petrillo, 46, was
named executive vice president of Strategy and New Offer Development.
Petrillo, who currently heads AT&T's Business Communications Services
unit, will be responsible for overall business strategy and will
continue to lead development of the company's online service and
electronic-messaging businesses. Ron J. Ponder, 53, was named chief
information officer (CIO) and executive vice president of the Service
Operations Division. Ponder, who is currently senior vice president
and CIO, will assume added responsibility for product management and
customer service, in addition to network operations and systems and
development.

Bay Networks Inc. (Nasdaq: BNET - 508-436-3706) announced R.S.
Cheheyl, executive vice president of business operations, is retiring
from the company. Jeff Allen, Bay Networks' vice president and
controller, will assume the role of senior vice president, operations,
and will report directly to Andy Ludwick. Reporting to Allen will be
Vah Erdekian, vice president of Bay East manufacturing, and Bill
Whisnant, vice president of Bay West manufacturing.

Jim Stafford (415-578-6963) joined Softbank Exposition and
Conference Company as vice president of Online Development. Stafford
was with Ziff-Davis Publishing Company, where he was publisher of
Computer Life and senior vice president of the Consumer Media Group.
He spent 10 years with Ziff-Davis in a variety of executive roles,
including PC Magazine publisher, Computer Shopper and PC Sources
group vice president, and MacUser and MacWeek vice president.

Lary L. Evans has been named vice president of Dell Computer Corp.'s
(Nasdaq: DELL - 512-728-4073) Server Group, effective November 7.
In his new position, Dr. Evans will assume responsibility for business
and program management, engineering development and product marketing
for Dell's server business. He reports to Eric Harslem, senior vice
president of Dell's Product Group. Formerly vice president and general
manager of the Sequent Products Group at Sequent Computer Systems
Inc., Dr. Evans was responsible for research and development, and
manufacturing and product marketing of all Sequent server platforms.

Digital Equipment Corp. (NYSE: DEC - 508-486-5198) announced the
appointment of Avi Fogel as vice president of global marketing for
its Network Product Business. The appointment is effective immediately.
In this new position, Fogel leads product marketing, product management,
and field marketing for Digital's Network Product Business which
develops, manufactures, markets, and sells products worldwide that
are integral to building enterprise networks. He reports to Dr.
Laurence G. Walker, vice president and general manager of the
business unit.

Direct PC marketer, Gateway 2000 Inc. (Nasdaq: GATE - 605-232-2723),
announced a number of executive appointments. Three current vice
presidents were promoted to senior vice-president positions, and the
company created a new vice president position. James P. Collas has been
named senior vice president of global products, Robert M. Spears has
been named the senior vice president of the Americas group and William
M. Elliott has been named senior vice president, general counsel and
secretary. Joining Gateway 2000 as the new vice president of market
development is Joseph Burke, a top executive of Blockbuster
Entertainment Corporation.

Mark Smith has been named director of engineering for Simple Technology
Inc. (714-476-1180), a manufacturer of memory and PC Card products.
Previously, Smith was engineering product manager for the company.
As the new director of engineering, Smith will head up Simple
Technology's engineering and new product development strategies and
implementations. Smith will oversee all aspects of design, development,
and engineering operations and procedures for the company's entire
memory and PC Card product lines.

StorMedia Inc. (Nasdaq-NNM: STMD - 408-988-1409) announced that Dr. Muo
Lee has been appointed vice-president - New Product Development. He was
formerly director of Tribology Engineering at Komag Inc. Prior to
Komag, Dr. Lee, in a 20 year period at IBM, held various engineering
and management positions.

Novell (Nasdaq: NOVL - 408-577-6842) announced that E.J. Tim Harris
has resigned for medical reasons as the company's senior vice president,
human resources and corporate officer. Harris had worldwide
responsibility for Novell's human resources and eleemosynary programs
since 1989. Paul Cook, Novell vice president of international human
resources, will assume Harris' responsibilities until a decision is
made on his replacement. Harris was vice president for human resources
at Excelan prior to its merger with Novell in 1989. He previously held
management positions at National Semiconductor Corporation and AT&T.

Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments Inc., a pioneers of the semiconductor
industry, has received the Robert N. Noyce Award at the 19th Annual
Forecast and Award Dinner of the Semiconductor Industry Association
(408-436-6600). Kilby, 72, is the fifth winner of the semiconductor
industry's highest honor. The award was presented to Kilby as a
"visionary, innovator, technologist, engineer, educator and counselor,
whose inventions created an industry and changed the world." He is a
member of the National Inventor's Hall of Fame and he has received
the National Medal of Science, the David Sarnoff Award, the Holley
Medal and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Medal of Honor.

Rupert Murdoch, chairman and chief executive officer of The News
Corporation Limited (News Corp.) has been elected to the board of
directors of MCI Communications Corp. (Nasdaq-NNM: MCIC - 800-644-6397).
The MCI-News Corp. joint venture was established to create and
distribute electronic information, education and entertainment
services to businesses and consumers worldwide.

America Online Inc. (Nasdaq-NNM: AMER - 703-556-3746) said that
Steve Case, President and chief executive officer of the company, has
been elected to chairman of the board. Additionally, Robert Frankenberg
president, CEO, and chairman of Novell Inc., and Robert Pittman,
managing partner and CEO of Century 21 Real Estate Corp., have been
elected to the company's board of directors. Steve Case succeeds Jim
Kimsey as chairman of the board.

(Ian Stokell/19951103)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/03/95
PC
Dell, Compaq Intro New Desktop Systems

(NEWS)(PC)(DEN)(00023)
Dell, Compaq Intro New Desktop Systems 11/03/95
AUSTIN/HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- Dell Computer
Corp. (NASDAQ: DELL) and Compaq Computer Corp. NYSE: CPQ) have
introduced new desktop systems offering features that include
multiple processors, rewritable optical CD-ROM drives and Intel's
latest Pentium Pro microprocessor.

Compaq, the industry sales leader last year and making a strong
bid for the crown again this year, introduced new Deskpro and
Prolinea models. The Deskpro XL 6150, which Compaq calls its "most
powerful desktop ever," and the new Prolinea 6150e both use Intel's
new Pentium Pro 150 megahertz (MHz) microprocessor.

Dell rolled out its PowerEdge XL, calling it "the company's most
powerful server product." The new system can use as many as four
Pentium microprocessors. The PowerEdge line now includes the EL
entry level models, the PowerEdge SP and XE midrange servers and
the new XL.

Compaq's Deskpro XL 6150 Model 2100/PD standard features include
32 megabytes (MB) of memory, a 32-bit local PCI (Peripheral
Component Interface) bus, SCSI (small Computer System Interface)
controller, a 2.1-gigabyte (GB) capacity hard drive and a new type
CD-ROM drive. The PD designation in the XL nomenclature refers to
the dual-function PD-CD drive, which can be used as a typical CD-ROM
drive to play music and games or to read data. With a 650MB
rewritable optical cartridge loaded in the drive it becomes a data
backup system.

The other Compaq system being announced is the Prolinea 6150e, which
uses a 150MHz Pentium Pro chip and is equipped with 16MB of memory,
a choice of a 1GB or 1.6GB hard drive, a quad speed CD-ROM drive,
PCI bus and comes with Windows NT on CD-ROM. The minitower chassis
has six expansion slots and six drive bays. Flash ROM (read-only
memory) makes it easy to upgrade as newer versions of ROM become
available. The 6150e uses Diamond Multimedia Systems' Diamond
Stealth64 video board to provide 64-bit graphics. It will have a
street price of about $4,000 with the 1Gb hard drive. Add about $170
if you prefer the 1.6GB hard drive.

Compaq spokesperson Mike Berman told Newsbytes the rewritable
cartridges will have a street price of about $85 for a
two-cartridge pack and $185 for a five-pack. The drive has a 200
millisecond access time and a maximum data transfer rate of 850
kilobytes per second.

Compaq said the 2100/PD has an estimated street price of about
$6,500. You can also get a Model 1050/CD for just under $5,000
that has 16MB of memory, a 1GB hard drive and a standard quad-speed
CD-ROM drive. The new XL systems come with Windows NT on CD-ROM.

The Compaq systems will ship in the first quarter of 1996. Berman
said that's to give the company time to work out a compatibility
problem that cropped up in testing a Pentium Pro-powered unit on a
network that mixes PCs using the newer PCI (Peripheral Component
Interconnect) bus with the older ISA (Industry Standard
Architecture) bus. The problem reportedly causes some PCs to drop
off the network.

Dell is attempting to make its PowerEdge XL stand out from a host of
available servers by sending a networking engineer to the customer
site to do setup and testing.

The standard configuration for the XL is a single 133MHz Pentium
chip, 32MB of memory, a 512-kilobyte (KB) cache, 512KB of video
memory, a 4GB hard drive, a 6X CD-ROM drive, a network interface
card and network management software. That configuration carries a
$13,151 price tag and will ship in the company's fourth
quarter, which runs from late October 1995 to late January
1996.

The new XL will be the first system to ship under the leadership of
Dr. Larry Evans, the new vice president of Dell's server group.
Evans comes to Dell from his job as vice president and general
manager of the products group at Sequent computer Systems.

(Jim Mallory/19951103.Press contact: Compaq, 713-374-0484 or Tricia
Garner, Dell, 512-728-4073; Public contact: Compaq, 800-345-1518 or
Dell, 800-289-3355)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/03/95
PC
 ****IBM, DEC Among First On Pentium Pro Bandwagon

(NEWS)(PC)(TOR)(00024)
 ****IBM, DEC Among First On Pentium Pro Bandwagon 11/03/95
MAYNARD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- IBM
(NYSE:IBM) and Digital Equipment Corp. (NYSE:DEC) were both quick
to announce personal computers based on Intel Corp.'s (NASDAQ:INTC)
new Pentium Pro microprocessor.

The Pentium Pro, known until recently by its code name P6, will be at the
core of DEC's Celebris XL 6150 "personal workstation" and a new model in
IBM's PC 300 family. Both systems will use the initial 150-megahertz
(MHz) version of the chip, and both companies said they plan models using
faster versions of the chip -- ranging up to 200 MHz in the near future --
as they become available.

Joanne Delangie, commercial desktop marketing manager at DEC, told
Newsbytes that her company expects Pentium Pro systems will be used at
first for processor-intensive applications such as computer-aided
design and engineering, and this is the market DEC is aiming at with
the Celebris XL 6150. She noted that the original Celebris XL announced
in September and also aimed at users of such demanding applications,
can be upgraded to the new chip by swapping a daughtercard.

Delangie said she also expects to see the Pentium Pro used in servers,
and Digital will be entering that market early in 1996.

Scheduled to be available in volume in December, the DEC Celebris XL
6150 comes with a minimum of 16 megabytes (MB) of memory, with one-
and two-gigabyte (GB) hard disk drives and quad-speed CD-ROM drives
available. Prices range from $4,599 for the entry-level configuration
up to $9,849.

IBM described its new Pentium Pro-based PC 300 as well-suited to 32-bit
multimedia, video, and high-end graphics thanks to 6X CD-ROM drives and
64-bit MGA Millenium graphics cards from Matrox Electronic Systems, Ltd.
The machine is a mini-tower with six expansion slots and six drive bays.

In an unusual move, IBM is not offering this machine with Microsoft
Windows preloaded. It is available with IBM's own OS/2 Warp Connect,
or with no operating system preloaded. The system is priced at $4,773
without a monitor or $5,262 with a 15-inch color monitor.

(Grant Buckler/19951103/Press Contact: Richard Guida, Brodeur &
Partners for IBM, 914-697-9711; Sandy McLaughlin, Digital, 508-264-7981;
Chris Nahil, Digital, 508-264-7915)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/03/95
BUSINESS
 ****Editorial - The Fleecing Of Ray Noorda

(EDITORIAL)(BUSINESS)(WAS)(00025)
 ****Editorial - The Fleecing Of Ray Noorda 11/03/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- By Kennedy Maize. Call it
a bad case of Microsoft envy. Some 16 months ago, then Novell chief
Ray Noorda plunked down more than $850 million in stock to acquire
WordPerfect Corp. and its well-known word processing program. Novell
then shelled out another $145 million for Borland's Quattro spreadsheet.

Noorda was going to take on Bill Gates, mano-y-mano. Microsoft
had a suite of applications to go along with its operating
system, and Novell would have the same.

This week, with Noorda out of the picture, Novell announced it
would unload its applications suite for whatever it could get.
Most analysts say Novell will be lucky to snag $300 million for
WordPerfect and Quattro.

As so many others have done, Noorda underestimated the pencil-necked
geek from Bellevue. As Novell was trying to learn how to market
its software applications, Microsoft was moving ahead on Windows 95
and its suite of 32-bit applications.

WordPerfect originally got into trouble by sticking to DOS when
the rest of the world was doing Windows. Novell made the same
mistake, not having a version of its flagship word processor
ready for Windows 95 fast enough.

Bill Gates makes things look so simple. But they aren't, as
Novell discovered to its great embarrassment and financial pain.
Noorda's ego trip was devastating to Novell's balance sheet.

Fortunately, WordPerfect and Quattro are both solid products
with a loyal following. They should find a buyer at the right
price.

IBM is rumored to be considering an offer, which would probably
doom its newly acquired Ami Pro word processor.

But others may also find the two applications attractive market
opportunities. There is some talk that a now-retired Noorda may
go after the applications himself. That would be a deliciously
ironic outcome.

But thanks to the US antitrust laws, Microsoft will not be in
the bidding. That's good for consumers, who benefit from rival
products in the marketplace.

Whoever buys the Novell mistakes will have to cope with
Microsoft's strength and savvy to survive. They should heed the
mistake of Ray Noorda and not underestimate Bill Gates.

(Kennedy Maize/19951103)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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11/03/95
TRENDS
BSA Says Piracy Hurts European Economy

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(WAS)(00026)
BSA Says Piracy Hurts European Economy 11/03/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- Software piracy
inflicts serious damage to the Western European economy, according to
a study done for the Business Software Alliance. Packaged business
software generated $7.3 billion for the European economies in 1994 and
created 171,000 jobs, the study by Price Waterhouse found.

Tax payments totaled $4.4 billion.

Price Waterhouse predicts 16 percent annual growth from 1994 to
1997 for the software industry in the region and 15 percent
growth from 1998 through the turn of the century.

But the picture could be even rosier without the 50 percent
piracy rate that erodes Western European markets. "Even a
slight reduction in the number of illegal copies would result in
generous increases" in the economy, said the BSA analysis.

If the piracy rate were cut to 35 percent -- the same level as
in the US in 1994 -- an additional 56,100 jobs would have been
created and an additional $1.4 billion in tax revenues generated.
If this reduction were achieved by 2000, the business software industry
in Western Europe would account for 356,000 jobs and $9.2 billion
in tax revenues.

BSA notes that these figures understate the job creation effect
of lowering piracy rates. Of the 171,700 jobs in the industry in
Western Europe, 19,600 are directly in the package software
publishing business. Another 152,000 jobs are created indirectly,
in areas such as supply, distribution, training and technical support.

BSA is a Washington trade group representing major personal
computer software publishers, with a mission of combating
software piracy worldwide.

(Kennedy Maize/19951103/Press Contact: Diane Smiroldo,
202-872-5500)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
11/03/95
CHIPS
End Semiconductor Agreement, Says Japanese Industry Official

(NEWS)(CHIPS)(WAS)(00027)
End Semiconductor Agreement, Says Japanese Industry Official 11/03/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- Extension of the
nine-year-old semiconductor agreement between the US and Japan
is "unwarranted," said Norio Ohga, chairman of the Electronic
Industries Association of Japan at a Washington news conference
today. Setting the stage for another trade battle with Washington next
year, Ohga said the agreement, aimed at opening up the Japanese
market to US semiconductor companies, should be allowed to expire on
July 31, 1996.

US Trade Representative Mickey Kantor has already publicly said
the US wants the agreement, first negotiated in the Reagan
administration in 1986, renewed.

The target of the agreement was a 20 percent market share for
non-Japanese companies. "For several years," said Ohga, "the
foreign share of the Japanese market has exceeded the US semiconductor
industry's 'expectation' of 20 percent. Design-ins and strategic
alliances between Japanese and foreign companies have multiplied
exponentially."

In the nine years since the agreement, said Ohga, "the world
semiconductor industry has changed dramatically." The aims of
the agreement "have been fully achieved."

Ohga cited three fundamental changes in the market in Japan since 1986.

First, he said, the "US semiconductor industry has regained its
competitive strength in recent years."

Second, said Ohga, "foreign semiconductors have been established as
indispensable products in the Japanese market."

Third, he argued, the "semiconductor industry has experienced
major structural changes as a result of the globalization of the
business."

Nationality no longer makes sense as a way to look at the
semiconductor market, said Ohga. Given the borderless nature
of many fundamental business operations in this industry, he
said, "the era in which it made sense to distinguish the
'nationality' of a semiconductor is long since past."

"The scale of the world semiconductor business has grown
enormously over the past decade," said Ohga," and has witnessed
massive growth in cooperative relationships across borders in
the form of joint research and development, production and
sales. Joint business alliances between US and Japanese
semiconductor companies, in particular, have expanded."

(Kennedy Maize/19951103/Press Contact: Jerry Johnson, EIAJ,
202-434-8522)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/03/95
ONLINE
Sprint, Kodak To Distribute Images Via Phone Lines

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(DEN)(00028)
Sprint, Kodak To Distribute Images Via Phone Lines 11/03/95
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- If you're the person
responsible for acquiring images for an ad agency, pre-production
house or other creative firm, Sprint and Eastman Kodak Company
(NYSE: EK) have a new service you will be interested in.
The long distance carrier has announced an arrangement with the
venerable film and camera company that allows Sprint to market,
manage and deliver the almost 200,000 images from the Kodak
Picture Exchange over its communications network.

The service is targeted primarily at creative firms who use images
from stock photography houses. A stock agency is one that keeps
images from a number of photographers on hand for renting to
users. The agency and the photographer split the money earned
each time the image is used.

The Kodak Picture Exchange is comprised of photos from a number of
stock agencies. Kodak said it will continue to manage
relationships with the stock photography houses. It also announced
agreements with two more stock agencies, Lucid Images and Stock
Illustrations, to add images from their collections to the Kodak
Picture Exchange. Kodak said two other stock providers, Index Stock
Photography and Archive Photos, will add tens of thousands of
additional images from their files to the Picture Exchange.

Picture Exchange users are able to quickly locate images using a
keyword search such as "sunrise" or "Pikes Peak" to get a list of
available images that fit the request. Once the image is selected
it can be downloaded over Sprint's telephone lines and
incorporated into designs and layouts. The user orders the
high-resolution version of the selected image directly from the
stock agency.

Sprint spokesperson Robin Carlson explained for Newsbytes the user
can download either a thumbnail image or a mockup. The thumbnail
image is a small, lower resolution picture while a mockup is a
better quality image suitable for inserting in your layout and show
to the client.

Carlson said users of the service, which is accessed via a toll-free
number, pay either $30 per month for 30 minutes of online time or
$50 per month for one hour of online time. Users pay $1.25 per
minute once they have used up the first 30 or 60 minutes, depending
on which plan they are on. There is also a $10 fee if one downloads
a mockup. Sprint does not have to be one's long distance provider
in order to use this service.

(Jim Mallory/19951103/Press contact: Robin Carlson, Sprint,
913-624-6303 or David Beigie, Kodak, 716-726-0751)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/03/95
APPLE
 ****Newton Clone Due In Apple Deal With Digital Ocean

(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00029)
 ****Newton Clone Due In Apple Deal With Digital Ocean 11/03/95
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- Apple
Computer (NASDAQ:AAPL) announced a million dollar licensing
agreement of its Newton technology with Digital Ocean. Digital Ocean,
known for its wireless support of the Newton through the Grouper line of
products, plans to deliver a Newton clone with enhanced capabilities for
specific corporate clients.

Digital Ocean has already worked with companies such as Monsanto
and the Harris Corporation to deliver enhanced features to Apple's
handheld personal digital assistant (PDA), the Newton. Under the new
agreement Digital Ocean will market its own custom
PDAs to business customers who need innovative, integrated features in
a rugged, backlit Newton product. Backlighting provides a brighter
screen for use in low-light working conditions.

The company's new PDAs will offer communications features such as
Global Positioning System (GPS), differential GPS (dGPS), wireless
local area network (LAN), Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD), and voice
over wireless LAN and bar code reading. GPS technology allows users of
mobile computing devices to use satellite data to identify a user's
geographic position. Its application with mapping software is commonly
used by many businesses whose employees are involved in delivery,
geographic research and other field work. GPS offers positioning
accuracy within 100 meters (m). Using dGPS accuracy can be narrowed
to approximately 5m.

Chad Hawk, a product manager at Digital Ocean, told Newsbytes, "With
the licensing agreement we will be able to expand the custom solutions
we deliver to markets with field services such as healthcare, education,
real estate, utilities and sales force automation. Business acceptance of
pen-input PDAs is growing as the technology becomes more
sophisticated and more affordable."

Digital Ocean also manufacturers its own PDA, called the Tarpon, for
wireless, rugged field use. Specific plans for incorporating Newton
technology licensed through this current agreement were not available.
For the immediate future, Digital will provide PDA products to vertical
customers with specific needs. The agreement does not rule out the
possibility of Digital producing a consumer PDA.

Other companies which have licensed Newton technology include
leading manufacturers worldwide such as Motorola Corporation; Harris
Corporation; Kyushu Matsushita Electric Co., Limited; Sharp
Corporation; Siemens; and Alcatel.

(Patrick McKenna/19951103/Press Contact: Chad Hill, Hill
Communications, 510-945-7910)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/03/95
ONLINE
 ****Iworld - ZDNet Offers Virtual Reality On The Web

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(BOS)(00030)
 ****Iworld - ZDNet Offers Virtual Reality On The Web 11/03/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- Widespread use
of virtual reality (VR) for applications like groupware,
travelogs, and product ads is only about a year away, and with
this end in sight, the new ZD3D interactive VR area on
Ziff-Davis's ZDNet Web site is now "steering people where they
need to go," said ZD-I and Intervista Software officials, in a
press conference at Internetworld Boston.

The key to making VR an everyday reality -- the addition of 3-D
(three-dimensional) capabilities to VRML (virtual reality mark-up
language) -- will be reached within the next year, contended Tony
Paridisi, founder and chief technology officer of Intervista,
speaking at the press conference, held at a hotel in Boston and
attended by Newsbytes. Paridisi is also credited with co-creating
the VRML specification, along with Mark Pesce.

About 50 ISVs (independent software vendors) are now at work on
VR projects, including large companies like IBM, Digital
Equipment Corp., Silicon Graphics, Sony, and Autodesk, Paridisi
contended.

In addition, most of the major commercial online service
providers are either readying VR online offerings, or are looking
hard at doing so, he told the reporters and analysts.

VR will be particularly well suited to applications that simulate
the experience of actually "being at" a remote site, such
as interactive travelogs of distant cities, or "house-hunting"
via VR, the VR expert said. VR will also help to facilitate
computer access among people who do not speak English, he
predicted.

David Shnaider, VP and general manager of ZD-I, agreed with
Paridisi about VR's access capabilities. The need to understand
English has "long been a barrier of entry," he pointed out.

Shnaider also added groupware, 3D entertainment with sound, and
product advertising to the list of potential VR applications.
Interestingly, VR seems to work best for packaged goods, as
opposed to computer products, which call for a substantial amount
of informational content, he asserted. Elements of VR are already
starting to appear in some food ads, he illustrated.

ZD-I's new ZD3D is meant to give people a realistic look at
"where VR is today," and to point them in the right directions
for more information, Shnaider told the press.

Thomas Aley, product manager for ZD3D, gave a live demonstration
of "Terminal Reality," a VR environment within ZD3D that is
organized around an "airport" metaphor. As previously reported in
Newsbytes, the virtual airport contains a "newsstand," with
VR-related articles and columns from Ziff publications, as well
as ads on the walls and on "transportation vehicles." Users will
be able to click on the ads for free offers or more information.

The "vehicles" also bring users to a series of "departure gates"
to other VR sites, which initially include Intervista's new City
Temple and Garden; virtual SOMA; for a fly-through of San
Francisco's "Multimedia Gulch" neighborhood; Microsoft's new
"Halloween party" site; and a new site from Intel.

In the demo at the press conference, Newsbytes saw how the Ziff
publications are laid out neatly in a rack at the front of the
newsstand, so that users can easily click on the "cover" of the
online magazine to view the contents inside. The newsstand is
clearly marked on top with a red, white and black ZD3D sign.

The "departure gates" are listed on another sign, located on a
wall. Users exit to the gates through doors. Vehicles at the
"airport" terminal include cars, a motorcycle, an airplane, a
rocket, a ferry-like ship, and a "ZD blimp."

Aley told the reporters that a telephone booth, located inside
the terminal, will be used in the future for placing phone calls
over the Web.

Other current sections of the site include "hot news," and areas
featuring commentaries from Parisi and Peace. Users can also
download the WorldView browser from Intervista Software free of
charge.

Also in the future, ZD-I officials plan to add 3D sound, object
animation, and 3D chat, for communicating with Avatars
representing other "airport visitors." You can access ZD3D at
http://www.zdnet.com on the Web.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951103/Reader Contact: Ziff-Davis
Interactive, 617-225-3200; Press Contact: Martha Papalia for ZD-
I, 617-225-3340)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/03/95
ONLINE
 ****Spyglass Helps to Create Multilingual Web Browser

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00031)
 ****Spyglass Helps to Create Multilingual Web Browser 11/03/95
NAPERVILLE, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- Internet surfers
who either want to see other World Wide Web pages in a different
language, or who don't speak English but still want to experience
Web sites around the world, now have a way to get the most out of
the Internet. Alis Technologies is using Spyglass (NASDAQ:SPYG)
Mosaic technology to bring to market the Alis multilingual browser.

The new browser provides interfaces in English, German, French,
Italian, Spanish, and Russian, officials said. This is the first
multilingual browser that supports the HTML (hypertext markup language)
2.0 standard, the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), and many of the
proposed HTML 3.0 extensions, Pierre Rinfret, vice president of
marketing at Alis, told Newsbytes.

In using the browser, the menus, messages, and online help appear in
the language selected by the user, Rinfret said. When the language
changes, so do the menus and the like, he said. In addition, the
hyperlinks in the interface lead to different sites, depending on
the language of the interface. The browser features Unicode-enabled
language support, which allows it to accurately display Web pages in
over 75 different languages, with the language list growing every day.

Rinfret said his company's new browser will put the "World Wide" in the
World Wide Web. Currently the Web is more like the "North American"
Web with most pages in English, and most browsers not able to read
Web sites written in different languages.

The markets that would be interested in the multilingual browser
include the Internet service providers (ISPs) who need to market their
services to a multitude of clients speaking several different
languages, and international companies that use "internal Webs" to
share information among employees in different countries who speak
different languages.

Evaluation copies of the browser are available at the Alis Web site,
at http://www.alis.com . The full commercial version of the browser
will be available later this month, Rinfret said.

(Bob Woods/19951031/Press Contact: Randy Pitzer, Spyglass, 708-505-
1010; Alis Technologies, 514-738-9171)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/03/95
TELECOM
MCI, News Corp. Intro Sports Pager

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(MSP)(00032)
MCI, News Corp. Intro Sports Pager 11/03/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- If you need to see what
the score is in a particular college football game but you're not near
a TV, or you want to watch the Chicago Bulls/New York Knicks match-up
but you have to go to dinner with the in-laws, MCI (NASDAQ:MCIC) and
Fox Sports will bring the sports to you. The two companies are teaming
up to provide sports information via an alphanumeric pager.

The MCI/Fox sports pager will deliver up-to-the-minute sports scores
on all major games as they happen, officials said. Other types of
information provided will include major trades, highlights, and news
from seven different categories. Sports covered include professional
football, basketball, baseball, and hockey; college baseball and
football; golf; tennis; auto racing; and horse racing. The unit
itself also doubles as an alphanumeric pager.

"We pride ourselves on up-to-the-minute sports news and in-depth
coverage we provide our viewers," said Tracy Dolgin, executive vice
president of marketing, Fox Sports. "With the MCI/Fox Sports pager,
sports fans now have the comfort of knowing they'll never miss a big
play."

In the near future, customers will be able to customize what
information they receive by receiving updates for particular sports or
for regional games.

An MCI customer service representative told Newsbytes the service will
cost $34.95 a month for local paging, and $66 a month for national
paging, with unlimited pages through the end of the year. The pager,
a Motorola Advisor alphanumeric pager, is leased to the customer. The
Advisor can be purchased for $180, and the monthly fee would go down,
the rep told Newsbytes. There is also a one-time activation fee of
$15.

MCI is selling the pagers via the wireless network of Mobile
Telecommunications Technologies, Corp., and Paging Network Inc. MCI
officials said since it started offering paging service earlier this
year, more than 325,000 customers have signed up, and 90,000 more are
signing on each month.

(Bob Woods/19951103/Press Contacts: Michael Trigg, MCI, 703-415-6124;
Vince Wladika, Fox Sports, 212-556-2472. Public Contact: MCI, 800-872-
5190)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/02/95
WINDOWS
Microsoft Press Offers Windows 95 Interactive Training

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(DEN)(00033)
Microsoft Press Offers Windows 95 Interactive Training 11/02/95
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 2 (NB) -- Microsoft Press has
announced it will publish an interactive CD-ROM-based training
product for Microsoft Windows 95.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95110333.PCX
Click here for photo

The three hour course titled "Microsoft Windows 95 Starts Here"
offers two learning tracks in order to meet the needs of users with
different skill levels. You can select the New User or the
Upgrader track. The first, as its name implies, is for new users
of Windows 95 while the Upgrader path is for users who are
experienced with earlier versions of Windows.

Microsoft said each track interacts differently with the student,
with the Upgrader track assuming knowledge of basic
Windows 3.1 functions like File Manager and Program Manager. The
user can move freely between the two tracks in order to tailor
the training for each user.

The training system uses visual, auditory and tactile learning. For
each topic, the user views movies and demonstrations of the Windows
95 functions, covered in the topic. He or she then puts the lesson
to work using step-by-step examples. The system offers hints as
needed, said Microsoft. The user can also elect to watch as the
system completes an exercise for them. During the interactive
portion of the training the software won't let you make a mistake.
It also keeps track of multiple users using the Windows 95 login,
making it possible for multiple users to be at different stages of
training.

The course takes advantage of the "tips" feature in Windows that
pops up a small explanation of what each button does as you move
your pointer over the button. The video runs in a large 300 by 400
window, making it easier to view the movies and you can click on
next and back buttons to move forward or backward in the current
training element.

After each training session the user can use Microsoft Windows 95
Starts Here's Topics Browser and keyword search to confirm their
understanding of how tasks are performed. A table of contents keeps
track of the lessons completed as the user works through the five
units in the course, and is the pathway to switch between tracks.

To use the CD-ROM-based training system Microsoft recommends you
have a multimedia PC powered by at least a 33 megahertz 486SX
chip, 16 megabytes of memory, a 2X or better CD-ROM drive, a
mouse, 16-bit sound card and speakers and, a 16-bit color monitor
capable of displaying 256 colors.

Microsoft said it worked with New York City-based Course Technology
Inc., a division of Course Technology Communications Group. The
product is available in retail outlets or direct from Microsoft
and carries a suggested retail price of $39.95.

Microsoft Press is the independent publishing division of Microsoft
Corp., publishing numerous books, multimedia training programs and
reference tools for Microsoft applications and software tools.

(Jim Mallory/19951102/Press contact: Patti Pierson, Waggener Edstrom
for Microsoft, 503-245-0800; Public contact: Microsoft, 800-677-7377
to order/WINTNG951103/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/03/95
IBM
IBM Ships DB2 For Windows NT, Bundles Lotus Approach

(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00034)
IBM Ships DB2 For Windows NT, Bundles Lotus Approach 11/03/95
SOMERS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- IBM's new DB2
Version 2 for Windows NT represents an "architecting" of IBM's
RDBMS (relational database management system) to Windows NT,
rather than just a "straight port of code," maintained Tim
Negris, VP of sales and marketing for IBM's Software Solutions
Division, in a teleconference held to announce shipment of the
product. For the next three months, DB2 for Windows NT will be
bundled with Lotus Approach, according to Negris.

At the start of the teleconference, at event attended by
Newsbytes, Negris described DB2 as the industry's "most robust
and innovative database," citing features that include rollover
locking, "advanced SQL (structured query language)," user-defined
triggers, and "state-of-the-art query optimization that frees
naive end users from having to refine their queries."

Although words like this could sound like "mom and apple pie,"
the praise is well deserved, he maintained. "Every single Fortune
500 company, and many in the `Fortune XXX,' use DB2 on a variety
of platforms," according to the VP.

In addition, he contended, early users of DB2 for Windows NT are
so confident about the product that they have been using beta
code for actual application development, in some cases instead of
the final code for Microsoft SQL Server for Windows NT.

IBM wrote the code for the Windows NT product to take advantage
of Windows NT capabilities such as kernel threading, domain
security, and transaction monitoring, Negris added.

By taking advantage of the NT threading, DB2 for Windows NT will
provide "scalability across multiple symmetric processors,"
according to the IBM exec.

Microsoft SQL Server is also "clearly optimized for Windows NT,"
Negris acknowledged. But unlike DB2. SQL Server implements
"unique" transaction semantics and stored procedures, he
asserted. "You have to ask yourself what it will do in a complex
multivendor environment."

Developers who try to port applications from other environments
to SQL Server are finding that they have to "rewrite each piece
of code separately," Negris contended.

The license bundle for Lotus Approach will provide developers
with a an Approach bonus pack for every DB2 for NT license,
according to Negris. Lotus Approach doubles as a stand-alone
database and a database front end. Negris pointed to the
product's graphical ease of use and charting capabilities.

The Approach deal, the VP revealed, represents the first in a
series of "adjuncts" that IBM plans to offer around the
integration of DB2 with Lotus Notes and SmartSuite. DB2 for NT is
priced at $369 for a single user. A license for five users is
priced at $1,499, with each additional user license selling for
$75. DB2 Version 2 is also offered for HP-UX, Sun Solaris, and
Siemens-Nixdorf, along with IBM's OS/2 and AIX.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951103/Reader Contact: IBM, 914-765-1900;
Press Contacts: Susan Scott-Ker, IBM, 914-766-1463; Parna Sarkar-Basu,
Brodeur & Partners for IBM, 617-622-2833)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
11/03/95
GENERAL
Newsbytes Week In Review

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00035)
Newsbytes Week In Review 11/03/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 Nov 3 (NB) -- This is
a look at the top stories this week, listing with their category code:
UK Man Fined For Possession Of Internet Porn; WordPerfect, QuattroPro,
PerfectOffice For Sale; Iworld - AOL's GNN Web Service, "Best Of
The Net;" Iworld - AT&T's Personal Online Service, Oracle Deal;
Drastic Price Cuts On Netscape Server Products; SPA's Education &
Computers Study; AT&T Commits $150 Mil To Put Schools On
Internet; Hayes Bankruptcy Plan Would Keep Firm Independent;
Intel's Grove Hints At Pentium Pro Delivery; Novell Intros NetWare
Web Server; Free CD-ROMs Offered To Newsbytes Web Site
Members; Software Police Raid California BBS; Novell Files Piracy
Suit Against Reseller; SoftKey Pushes Into Education Market;
Iworld - IBM & Lotus' Web Products/Plans/Partners; Intel Unveils
Pentium Pro; Apple's Global Market Share Grows; World Chip
Market Up 44% By End Of 1995; NTT, IBM Japan Develops New Communication
Protocol; Worlds And People Link For New Online Service;
IBM, DEC Among First On Pentium Pro Bandwagon; Newton Clone Due
In Apple Deal With Digital Ocean; Iworld - ZDNet Offers Virtual
Reality On The Web; Spyglass Helps to Create Multilingual Web Browser.

UK Man Fined For Possession Of Internet Porn (LEGAL)

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 30 (NB) -- A British man has become
the first person in the UK to be charged with possession of computer
pornography obtained across the Internet. The case, which resulted in
a fine of UKP9,000 against Christopher Sharp late last week, was
brought under the Criminal Justice Act.

WordPerfect, QuattroPro, PerfectOffice For Sale (BUSINESS)

OREM, UTAH, U.S.A, 1995 OCT 30 (NB) -- Novell (NASDAQ:NOVL) says it is
in discussions to sell its Business Applications Division which accounts
for 16% of the company's recent revenues. Assuring users of WordPerfect,
Quattro Pro and PerfectOffice, Novell promises the products will be sold
with an agreement including extensive support of customer needs.

Iworld - AOL's GNN Web Service, "Best Of The Net" (ONLINE)

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 31 (NB) -- America Online
(AOL) plans to roll out "advanced features" like personal World Wide
Web page publishing to Internet sophisticates with a new "Best of the
Net" service called Global Network Navigator (GNN). At the same time,
it plans to make Web access progressively "more simple" with its
existing AOL brand, officials said, during the national press launch
of GNN at Internetworld Boston '95.

Iworld - AT&T's Personal Online Service, Oracle Deal (ONLINE)

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 31 (NB) -- In a press
conference at Internetworld Boston '95, AT&T announced a new
Personal Online Service for consumers, featuring a health and
fitness service content service for the Internet as its first
offering, along with Oracle WebSystem, a service that will
combine World Wide Web connections from AT&T's WorldNet with
Oracle-based Web servers.

Drastic Price Cuts On Netscape Server Products (ONLINE)

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 31 (NB) -- In a move
designed to expand its presence in the growing Internet market,
Netscape Communications (NASDAQ:NSCP) has announced price cuts on
its Communications and Commerce Server products for Unix and
Windows NT. The company also introduced the Netscape Server Bundle
for Unix platforms.

SPA's Education & Computers Study (TRENDS)

WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 OCT 31 (NB) -- Almost one-quarter of
all US kindergarten through 12th grade classes have integrated
technology into the curriculum, the Software Publishers Association
(SPA) reports. In a new study, called the "Education Market Report,"
the SPA said technology now touches about 10 million schoolchildren.

AT&T Commits $150 Mil To Put Schools On Internet (EDUCATION)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 31 (NB) -- AT&T (NYSE:T) said it
will  shell out $150 million to help put every school in the United States
on the Internet by the end of the decade. The AT&T Learning Network
program will include free dial-up connections to the Internet, World Wide
Web browser software, and free connect time, plus grants to schools for
Internet-related projects.

Hayes Bankruptcy Plan Would Keep Firm Independent (BUSINESS)

ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 31 (NB) -- Dennis Hayes went to
court yesterday and unveiled a reorganization plan that would
bring his privately owned company out of bankruptcy protection, pay
off creditors fully with interest, and keep the company out of the
clutches of proposed buyers.

Intel's Grove Hints At Pentium Pro Delivery (CHIPS)

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 31 (NB) -- Intel Corp.'s
(NASDAQ-NNM:INTC) chief executive officer (CEO), Dr. Andy Grove, opened
Macromedia's user conference with a demonstration of the company's latest
processor, Pentium Pro. A major announcement regarding availability and
pricing is expected tomorrow at Internet World in Boston.

Novell Intros NetWare Web Server (ONLINE)

OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 31 (NB) -- Novell Inc. (NASDAQ: NOVL) has
announced NetWare Web Server, a software system for NetWare 4.1-based
servers that gives NetWare users an "easy way" to let their customers
and other interested parties access them through the Internet.

Free CD-ROMs Offered To Newsbytes Web Site Members (ONLINE)

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 1 (NB) -- For fast,
no-nonsense reporting of the latest breaking computer, telecom,
and interactive services news on the World Wide Web, look no further
than http://www.nbnn.com . And now, a Newsbytes paid subscription
also means a free Newsbytes CD-ROM featuring the past 12 years of
Newsbytes reporting in a keyword-searchable format.

Software Police Raid California BBS (LEGAL)

PASADENA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 1 (NB) -- Friday the 13th
of October certainly was unlucky for the operator of a Pasadena,
California-based bulletin board system (BBS). That was the day US
Marshals, accompanied by representatives from the Business Software
Alliance (BSA) and private investigators representing various
software companies, raided his home where they said they found
hundreds of illegal software programs available for downloading
from the board.

Novell Files Piracy Suit Against Reseller (LEGAL)

OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 1 (NB) -- Novell Inc. (NASDAQ: NOVL)
has filed a civil action suit in the US District Court for the
District of Massachusetts, charging software reseller Trident
International Inc. with software piracy.

SoftKey Pushes Into Education Market (BUSINESS)

CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 1 (NB) -- SoftKey
International  Inc. (NASDAQ:SKEY;TSE:SSK) has launched a major push
into the educational software market by agreeing to acquire Minnesota
Educational Computing  Corp. (NASDAQ:MECC) and launching a hostile
takeover offer for The Learning Co. (NASDAQ:LRNG).

Iworld - IBM & Lotus' Web Products/Plans/Partners (IBM)

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 1 (NB) -- IBM is
currently developing a new encryption technology called
"Cryptolopes" for Internet security, and is also collaborating
with Lotus on a new Notes/World Wide Web server integration
technology, code-named "Spike" and slated for release in 1996, IBM
and Lotus officials revealed, during a press conference and series
of meetings with Newsbytes at Internetworld Boston '95.

Intel Unveils Pentium Pro (CHIPS)

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 1 (NB) -- It is not
available for general desktop use, but the sixth generation of Intel's
(NASDAQ NNM:INTC) line of microprocessors -- the Pentium Pro -- was
unveiled this morning. Early installations of the high-speed chip will
be limited to network servers and high-end workstations.

Apple's Global Market Share Grows (TRENDS)

CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 2 (NB) -- According to
Dataquest's preliminary results for the third calendar quarter of 1995,
Apple Computer Inc.'s (NASDAQ: AAPL) worldwide market share rose to 9.0
percent from 7.4 percent over the second calendar quarter of 1995.
Compaq, with a worldwide market share of 10.5 percent, still holds
the lead.

World Chip Market Up 44% By End Of 1995 (TRENDS)

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 2 (NB) -- The latest study
from the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) indicates worldwide
semiconductor growth will close with $146.4 billion in sales, up 44%,
by the end of the year. 1995 headlines four years of sales increases
greater than 25%, and 1996 is projected to register another 26.4%,
taking revenues to more than $185 billion.

NTT, IBM Japan Develops New Communication Protocol (NETWORK)

TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- Nippon Telegraph and Telephone
(TSE:9432) and IBM Japan have developed a new network protocol that
promises error-free data communication and the ability to transmit
information to large numbers of customers in a fraction of the time
currently required. The new system is called Reliable Multicast
Transport Protocol (RMTP).

Worlds And People Link For New Online Service (ONLINE)

TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- Japanese computer users will soon have
access to a new, 3D, online service after Worlds Inc., People World
and Mitsubishi signed an agreement to create PeopleSpace, the first 3D
Internet environment created by an online service in Japan.

IBM, DEC Among First On Pentium Pro Bandwagon (PC)

MAYNARD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- IBM
(NYSE:IBM) and Digital Equipment Corp. (NYSE:DEC) were both quick
to announce personal computers based on Intel Corp.'s (NASDAQ:INTC)
new Pentium Pro microprocessor.

Newton Clone Due In Apple Deal With Digital Ocean (APPLE)

CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- Apple
Computer (NASDAQ:AAPL) announced a million dollar licensing
agreement of its Newton technology with Digital Ocean. Digital Ocean,
known for its wireless support of the Newton through the Grouper line of
products, plans to deliver a Newton clone with enhanced capabilities for
specific corporate clients.

Iworld - ZDNet Offers Virtual Reality On The Web (ONLINE)

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- Widespread use
of virtual reality (VR) for applications like groupware,
travelogs, and product ads is only about a year away, and with
this end in sight, the new ZD3D interactive VR area on
Ziff-Davis's ZDNet Web site is now "steering people where they
need to go," said ZD-I and Intervista Software officials, in a
press conference at Internetworld Boston.

Spyglass Helps to Create Multilingual Web Browser (ONLINE)

NAPERVILLE, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- Internet surfers
who either want to see other World Wide Web pages in a different
language, or who don't speak English but still want to experience
Web sites around the world, now have a way to get the most out of
the Internet. Alis Technologies is using Spyglass (NASDAQ:SPYG)
Mosaic technology to bring to market the Alis multilingual browser.

(Ian Stokell/19951103)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00036)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 11/03/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 NOV 3 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|            Friday, November 3, 1995            |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network's on the Web! Check out http://www.nbnn.com for
free daily top stories from Newsbytes and its affiliate publications,
and from PC Week, MacWeek, and other Ziff news magazines. A subscription
gives you all the news, full-text, plus the most comprehensive database
of past computer stories online. The keyword-searchable database dates
from today back through 1983. Subscriptions are $24.95 for three months.
Questions? Send to '[e-mail]'  For Japanese Newsbytes
and additional services, see the Newsbytes Pacifica Website at
http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

APPLE     Camelot Acquires Mac-based Internet Voice Software Firm.... 07

APPLE      ****Newton Clone Due In Apple Deal With Digital Ocean..... 29

BROADCAST Europe - MPEG-2 Transmissions By Satellite................. 05

BROADCAST China - Cable TV Equipment Market Promising................ 14

BUSINESS  Australia - Platinum Sheds Staff, Sybase................... 08

BUSINESS  Acer Seeks Aussie Partner, Plans To Go Public.............. 09

BUSINESS  GTSI Ousts CEO, Refocuses Business......................... 11

BUSINESS  Hyundai, Acer Strike Across Two Fronts..................... 16

BUSINESS   ****Editorial - The Fleecing Of Ray Noorda................ 25

CHIPS     Intel Sees No Let-up In Processing Power Trend............. 15

CHIPS     End Semiconductor Agreement, Says Japanese Industry Officia 27

GENERAL   Japan Newsbriefs........................................... 02

GENERAL   Bill, Paul, and Vern Update................................ 10

GENERAL   Editorial - Oracle's Odd, But Interesting, View Of PCs..... 13

GENERAL   NewsPix Update For Newsbytes Publishers.................... 19

GENERAL   Personnel Roundup.......................................... 22

GENERAL   Newsbytes Week In Review................................... 35

IBM       IBM Ships DB2 For Windows NT, Bundles Lotus Approach....... 34

LEGAL     Hong Kong Pens Intellectual Property Law................... 17

LEGAL     Aztech Wins Creative Suit.................................. 18

NETWORK   Iworld - Digital Equipment Corp.'s Workgroup Web Forum..... 01

NETWORK    ****NTT, IBM Japan Develops New Communication Protocol.... 03

ONLINE     ****Internet Update....................................... 04

ONLINE    MIT Student Wins CyberSurfari Event........................ 12

ONLINE     ****Worlds And People Link For New Online Service......... 21

ONLINE    Sprint, Kodak To Distribute Images Via Phone Lines......... 28

ONLINE     ****Iworld - ZDNet Offers Virtual Reality On The Web...... 30

ONLINE     ****Spyglass Helps to Create Multilingual Web Browser..... 31

PC        Dell, Compaq Intro New Desktop Systems..................... 23

PC         ****IBM, DEC Among First On Pentium Pro Bandwagon......... 24

TELECOM   England - Radio-Telephony System Ready For 1Q 96 Launch.... 06

TELECOM   First 1900MHz Wireless Call Makes History.................. 20

TELECOM   MCI, News Corp. Intro Sports Pager......................... 32

TRENDS    BSA Says Piracy Hurts European Economy..................... 26

WINDOWS   Microsoft Press Offers Windows 95 Interactive Training..... 33

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 -> Iworld - Digital Equipment Corp.'s Workgroup Web Forum -- Digital
Equipment Corp.'s new Workgroup Web Forum, a Web server add-on set to
ship next week, provides real-time group polling, threaded conferencing,
and other elements of "team computing" across multiprotocol internal
corporate networks, as well as the Internet, said Bob Lehmenkuler,
marketing manager for network business applications, in a meeting with
Newsbytes at Internetworld Boston '95.

2 -> Japan Newsbriefs -- In this roundup of news from Japan, PC
shipments jump in first half, Fujitsu plans interactive TV trial, Japan
chip market to remain strong, Windows95 price war begins, Government
seeks online jobs listing, Qualcomm signs distribution deal.

3 ->  ****NTT, IBM Japan Develops New Communication Protocol -- Nippon
Telegraph and Telephone (TSE:9432) and IBM Japan have developed a new
network protocol that promises error-free data communication and the
ability to transmit information to large numbers of customers in a
fraction of the time currently required. The new system is called
Reliable Multicast Transport Protocol (RMTP).

4 ->  ****Internet Update -- In this roundup of new services and
resources on the global Internet, pictures from Hubble, Roh Tae-Woo's
secret reserve, Java developers kit, news from the Windy City, history
of the Internet, Flagstaff mission to the Navajos, In-touch with new
software, Netscape de-icer, Infosurf links.

5 -> Europe - MPEG-2 Transmissions By Satellite -- As the Astra 1E
satellite, the fifth co-located DTH (Direct To Home) pan-European
satellite locks into its geo-stationary orbit this week, following its
launch late last month, National Transcommunications Limited (NTL) has
announced it is teaming with Orion Atlantic to offer the industry's
first MPEG-2 service platform to the broadcasting industry.

6 -> England - Radio-Telephony System Ready For 1Q 96 Launch -- Ionica,
the UK's third licensed public telephone operator, has ordered $10
million worth of fixed radio access technology from Nortel (Northern
Telecom). The kit will be used in Cambridge when Ionica launches its
"radio tail" telephone service early next year.

7 -> Camelot Acquires Mac-based Internet Voice Software Firm -- Camelot
Corp. (NASDAQ CAML), the company that publishes software that lets you
carry on phone conversations over the Internet using your
multimedia-equipped personal computer, has purchased the only
Macintosh-based competitive software product.

8 -> Australia - Platinum Sheds Staff, Sybase -- Platinum Software has
laid off most of its SQL Enterprise direct sales force in Australia and
New Zealand as a result of the company's decision to stop direct sales
of the Unix-based financial software in favor of its SQL NT product.
Unconfirmed reports say the company has sacked its entire SQL Enterprise
direct sales force worldwide.

9 -> Acer Seeks Aussie Partner, Plans To Go Public -- Taiwanese
electronics giant Acer would welcome approaches from Australian
companies interested in becoming a partner in a new-look Acer Australia,
the group's chairman and CEO, Stan Shih, told the Australian press this
week.

10 -> Bill, Paul, and Vern Update -- Billionaire Bill may call it "The
Information Highway," but his former partner, Paul Allen, coined the
phrase "The Wired World" more than 20 years ago, and that was the title
of a speech to the Asymetrix Asia Pacific multimedia bash in Melbourne
this week.

11 -> GTSI Ousts CEO, Refocuses Business -- With sales off and its stock
in free fall, the board of directors of Government Technology Services
Inc. (Nasdaq: GTSI) has ousted R. M. "Rick" Rickenbach as president,
chief executive officer, and a member of the board.

12 -> MIT Student Wins CyberSurfari Event -- Jeremy Warner, 18, of
Sharon, Mass., is the first winner in the Software Publishers
Association CyberSurfari World Wide Web contest. The MIT student spent
12 straight hours at his dorm room computer to win the individual speed
contest by finding treasure codes on 90 of 100 "outposts" on the Web.

13 -> Editorial - Oracle's Odd, But Interesting, View Of PCs -- By Tony
Waltham. Oracle's CEO Larry Ellison surprised quite a few people when he
predicted last month that PCs would be superseded by dumb terminals
connected to a global network, arguing that PCs were overpowered and
over-featured for this emerging environment

14 -> China - Cable TV Equipment Market Promising -- The number of cable
subscribers in China is increasing quickly, and the huge demand means
many manufacturing opportunities for cable TV-related equipment makers,
according to the Ministry of Electronics Industry (MEI).

15 -> Intel Sees No Let-up In Processing Power Trend -- Intel
Corporation, the world's leading manufacturer of microprocessors for
personal computers which in a decade has succeeded in effectively
doubling the processing power every 18 months, does not see any let-up
in this trend for at least another 10 years.

16 -> Hyundai, Acer Strike Across Two Fronts -- Two recent announcements
put  the world on notice that Asia's tigers are getting more aggressive
still. In Seoul, Hyundai Group's Hyundai Electronics Industries  unit
said it was going after Maxtor Corp., lock stock and barrel, aiming to
displace dominant Seagate Technology in the hard disk  drive business
"in the next decade," as one official was quoted  as saying.

17 -> Hong Kong Pens Intellectual Property Law -- The Hong Kong
government will  begin drafting intellectual property laws to conform
with the  Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property
(TRIPS), according to a statement. Provisions will cover trademark
registration of all signs distinguishing goods and services of one
undertaking from others, provided they can be represented in a
graphical form.

18 -> Aztech Wins Creative Suit -- Sound card manufacturer Aztech  has
won its case against rival Creative Technology. The Singapore  High
Court last week ruled in favor of Aztech in a suit dating back  to 1993.
The suit alleged that Aztech had copied Creative's  firmware in
developing its family of Sound Galaxy cards.

19 -> NewsPix Update For Newsbytes Publishers -- This update  will be
posted each Wednesday and Friday to reflect the daily  picture
additions. The updates will in turn become part of the  main NewsPix
Bulletin issued on Monday.

20 -> First 1900MHz Wireless Call Makes History -- Communications
history was made late last month when what was described as the very
first call over a wireless personal communications services (PCS)
network was made. It was also believed to be the first call on a
commercially installed system that uses Code Division Multiple Access
(CDMA) digital technology in the 1,900 megahertz radio spectrum.

21 ->  ****Worlds And People Link For New Online Service -- Japanese
computer users will soon have access to a new, 3D, online service after
Worlds Inc., People World and Mitsubishi signed an agreement to create
PeopleSpace, the first 3D Internet environment created by an online
service in Japan.

22 -> Personnel Roundup -- In this week's roundup, personnel changes
occurred at these high tech companies: AT&T, Bay Networks Inc., Softbank
Exposition and Conference Company, Dell Computer Corp., Digital
Equipment Corp., Gateway 2000 Inc., Simple Technology Inc., StorMedia
Inc., Novell, Texas Instruments Inc., MCI Communications Corp., America
Online Inc.

23 -> Dell, Compaq Intro New Desktop Systems -- Dell Computer Corp.
(NASDAQ: DELL) and Compaq Computer Corp. NYSE: CPQ) have introduced new
desktop systems offering features that include multiple processors,
rewritable optical CD-ROM drives and Intel's latest Pentium Pro
microprocessor.

24 ->  ****IBM, DEC Among First On Pentium Pro Bandwagon -- IBM
(NYSE:IBM) and Digital Equipment Corp. (NYSE:DEC) were both quick to
announce personal computers based on Intel Corp.'s (NASDAQ:INTC) new
Pentium Pro microprocessor.

25 ->  ****Editorial - The Fleecing Of Ray Noorda -- By Kennedy Maize.
Call it a bad case of Microsoft envy. Some 16 months ago, then Novell
chief Ray Noorda plunked down more than $850 million in stock to acquire
WordPerfect Corp. and its well-known word processing program. Novell
then shelled out another $145 million for Borland's Quattro spreadsheet.

26 -> BSA Says Piracy Hurts European Economy -- Software piracy inflicts
serious damage to the Western European economy, according to a study
done for the Business Software Alliance. Packaged business software
generated $7.3 billion for the European economies in 1994 and created
171,000 jobs, the study by Price Waterhouse found.

27 -> End Semiconductor Agreement, Says Japanese Industry Official --
Extension of the nine-year-old semiconductor agreement between the US
and Japan is "unwarranted," said Norio Ohga, chairman of the Electronic
Industries Association of Japan at a Washington news conference today.
Setting the stage for another trade battle with Washington next year,
Ohga said the agreement, aimed at opening up the Japanese market to US
semiconductor companies, should be allowed to expire on July 31, 1996.

28 -> Sprint, Kodak To Distribute Images Via Phone Lines -- If you're
the person responsible for acquiring images for an ad agency,
pre-production house or other creative firm, Sprint and Eastman Kodak
Company (NYSE: EK) have a new service you will be interested in. The
long distance carrier has announced an arrangement with the venerable
film and camera company that allows Sprint to market, manage and deliver
the almost 200,000 images from the Kodak Picture Exchange over its
communications network.

29 ->  ****Newton Clone Due In Apple Deal With Digital Ocean -- Apple
Computer (NASDAQ:AAPL) announced a million dollar licensing agreement of
its Newton technology with Digital Ocean. Digital Ocean, known for its
wireless support of the Newton through the Grouper line of products,
plans to deliver a Newton clone with enhanced capabilities for specific
corporate clients.

30 ->  ****Iworld - ZDNet Offers Virtual Reality On The Web --
Widespread use of virtual reality (VR) for applications like groupware,
travelogs, and product ads is only about a year away, and with this end
in sight, the new ZD3D interactive VR area on Ziff-Davis's ZDNet Web
site is now "steering people where they need to go," said ZD-I and
Intervista Software officials, in a press conference at Internetworld
Boston.

31 ->  ****Spyglass Helps to Create Multilingual Web Browser -- Internet
surfers who either want to see other World Wide Web pages in a different
language, or who don't speak English but still want to experience Web
sites around the world, now have a way to get the most out of the
Internet. Alis Technologies is using Spyglass (NASDAQ:SPYG) Mosaic
technology to bring to market the Alis multilingual browser.

32 -> MCI, News Corp. Intro Sports Pager -- If you need to see what the
score is in a particular college football game but you're not near a TV,
or you want to watch the Chicago Bulls/New York Knicks match-up but you
have to go to dinner with the in-laws, MCI (NASDAQ:MCIC) and Fox Sports
will bring the sports to you. The two companies are teaming up to
provide sports information via an alphanumeric pager.

33 -> Microsoft Press Offers Windows 95 Interactive Training --
Microsoft Press has announced it will publish an interactive
CD-ROM-based training product for Microsoft Windows 95.

34 -> IBM Ships DB2 For Windows NT, Bundles Lotus Approach -- IBM's new
DB2 Version 2 for Windows NT represents an "architecting" of IBM's RDBMS
(relational database management system) to Windows NT, rather than just
a "straight port of code," maintained Tim Negris, VP of sales and
marketing for IBM's Software Solutions Division, in a teleconference
held to announce shipment of the product. For the next three months, DB2
for Windows NT will be bundled with Lotus Approach, according to Negris.

35 -> Newsbytes Week In Review -- This is  a look at the top stories
this week, listing with their category code:  UK Man Fined For
Possession Of Internet Porn; WordPerfect, QuattroPro,  PerfectOffice For
Sale; Iworld - AOL's GNN Web Service, "Best Of  The Net;" Iworld -
AT&T's Personal Online Service, Oracle Deal;  Drastic Price Cuts On
Netscape Server Products; SPA's Education &  Computers Study; AT&T
Commits $150 Mil To Put Schools On  Internet; Hayes Bankruptcy Plan
Would Keep Firm Independent;  Intel's Grove Hints At Pentium Pro
Delivery; Novell Intros NetWare  Web Server; Free CD-ROMs Offered To
Newsbytes Web Site  Members; Software Police Raid California BBS; Novell
Files Piracy  Suit Against Reseller; SoftKey Pushes Into Education
Market;  Iworld - IBM & Lotus' Web Products/Plans/Partners; Intel
Unveils  Pentium Pro; Apple's Global Market Share Grows; World Chip
Market Up 44% By End Of 1995; NTT, IBM Japan Develops New Communication
Protocol; Worlds And People Link For New Online Service; IBM, DEC Among
First On Pentium Pro Bandwagon; Newton Clone Due  In Apple Deal With
Digital Ocean; Iworld - ZDNet Offers Virtual  Reality On The Web;
Spyglass Helps to Create Multilingual Web Browser.

(Wendy Woods/19951103)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD



Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/26/95
HEALTH
Educational Channel For Doctors Makes House Calls

(NEWS)(HEALTH)(TOR)(00001)
Educational Channel For Doctors Makes House Calls 10/26/95
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 OCT 26 (NB) -- PrimeNet Communications
Inc., a creator of satellite television programs, has announced plans to
beam professional educational programming to Canadian doctors via Canadian
Satellite Communications Inc.'s (Cancom) satellite TV system.

PrimeNet's HealthSat Network subsidiary hopes to sign up about 35,000
subscribers across Canada over the next three years, as well as expanding
its service into the United States with its HealthSat USA Inc. subsidiary.
The company, which already provides continuing education to doctors in
some 80 Canadian hospitals, plans to start broadcasting 20 hours a day,
seven days a week in the new year, and making the service available at
doctors' homes.

Including the hardware needed to receive the service, HealthSat will
charge C$900 per year to its subscribers. Raymond J. Homer, president
and chief executive of PrimeNet, said at a Toronto press conference
that the service will also carry advertising, which will bring in
further revenue.

Homer said the service will allow interactivity, using telephone lines to
provide a link back from viewers to HealthSat. The service will carry new
programs every day, but like other educational channels will repeat
programs several times on different days, and will fill part of its
schedule with "library material," Homer said.

Homer said HealthSat is meant to be the first in a "network of specialized,
interactive learning channels." He said PrimeNet plans to established
subsidiaries to work with other professions and develop similar services.

Alain Gourd, chairman of Cancom, said during the press conference that
his company's Expressvu satellite television service will carry HealthSat
across Canada under a 10-year agreement between the two companies.

Dr. Phil Easton, an official of the Ontario Medical Association, said he
expected satellite television to become the preferred way of delivering
physician education at home.

Because of its limited audience -- access will be controlled by encrypting
HealthSat's content -- the service does not have to be licensed as a
broadcaster by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications
Commission (CRTC).

(Grant Buckler/19951025/Press Contact: Raymond Homer, PrimeNet
Communications, 416-341-2077)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/26/95
ONLINE
America Online & Cap Cities/ABC To Form Fashion Channel

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00002)
America Online & Cap Cities/ABC To Form Fashion Channel 10/26/95
VIENNA, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 26 (NB) -- The world of new
fashion styles, new clothing trends, and leggy supermodels vamping
down runways is opening a new post in cyberspace. Capital Cities/ABC
(NYSE:CCB) and America Online (NASDAQ:AMER) will introduce a
"fashion channel" on the America Online service in early 1996.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95102602.PCX
Click here for photo

Fairchild Publications, which publishes consumer fashion magazine "W,"
along with "Women's Wear Daily," often called the "bible" of the
fashion industry, will provide much of the content for the yet-unnamed
area. The new channel will also tap Capital Cities/ABC's information
resources and relationships via Fairchild.

Although the area is still in the design stages, officials said
regular features of the channel will include designer fashion coverage,
beauty news, and a variety of regular fashion and lifestyle features.
In addition, AOL subscribers will be able to buy online some of what
they see in the area. The new channel will eventually feature links
to fashion sites on the Internet's World Wide Web.

The new fashion area will be programmed similarly to a demographically-
targeted television or cable TV network, while also including features
unique to online networks. AOL already has other "channels" in its
corner of cyberspace, including areas on health, news, reference,
entertainment, and children's activities.

"We've developed channels that contain aggregated content," Judy
Tashbook, America Online spokesperson, told Newsbytes. "So every game
on the service, whether its from Atlantic Monthly or its 'Federation,'
is at the game channel."

Tashbook said the fashion channel's content and look should be similar
to the other AOL channels, "where it'll be aggregated content, but
unique to the area. Some of the content will also be AOL produced,"
she added.

The partnership also may look at distributing the fashion channel's
content to other new media platforms, including CD-ROM and the Web,
Tashbook added.

Cap Cities/ABC and AOL will each hold a 50 percent interest in the
new channel, officials said.

(Bob Woods/19951024/Press Contacts: Judy Tashbook, America Online,
703-918-1452; Veronica Pollard, Capital Cities/ABC, 212-456-6171;
Public Contact: America Online, 800-827-6364)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/26/95
ONLINE
Virtus Ships 3-D Web Building Software

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00003)
Virtus Ships 3-D Web Building Software 10/26/95
CARY, NORTH CAROLINA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 26 (NB) -- The Virtus
Corporation is shipping three-dimensional (3-D) Internet World Wide
Web site-building software. The company said anyone with a common
desktop computer can now build interactive 3-D Web sites with its
new WalkThrough Pro 2.5.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95102603.PCX
Click here for photo

The new software allows users to develop 3-D environments, and supports
split-screen stereo viewing for both head-mounted displays and VR
(virtual reality) glasses. WalkThrough Pro uses the virtual reality
modeling language (VRML) standard to author the sites.

Standard features of the software offer perspective-correct texture
mapping, smooth shading, and the option of collision detection.
WalkThrough Pro also ships with Virtus Player, a freeware publishing
utility that lets anyone freely navigate a Virtus model. Export
options include 2-D and 3-D DXF, PICT, BMP, TIFF, AVI, and QuickTime.

Add-on galleries can also be used to cut down on modeling done by
providing commonly used, preconstructed 3-D objects, company officials
said.

Ashley W. Sharp, Virtus spokesperson, told Newsbytes the new software
was developed because more and more people will be turning to VRML as
a way to communicate via the Web. "We have a lot of 3-D modelers and
hobbyists right now (using VRML)," she said. "A lot of Webmasters are
looking to 3-D to make their sites more compelling for users."

Sharp also said she sees VRML taking off on the client side of Web
browsing. "As more builders and more browsers become available, and
as awareness of VRML builds, more and more people will use it," she
said. "It's sort of the same as the explosion of the two-dimensional
(2-D) Web pages."

WalkThrough Pro sells for $495, and requires the minimum of any color
Macintosh or 386 PC compatible with eight megabytes (MB) of RAM, and
either System 6.0.5 for the Mac or Windows 3.1.

Virtus is also developing a software package for the casual Web surfer
who wants to see VRML. The new client package, called Voyager, is
being developed for the Macintosh and Windows operating systems.
Sharp said the package should be available sometime early next year.

(Bob Woods/19951025/Press Contacts: Ashley W. Sharp, Virtus
Corporation, 919-467-9700, Internet e-mail [e-mail];
Julia L. Mason, Cunningham Communication Inc., 408-764-0747,
Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/26/95
PC
Dell & Gateway Intro Pentium 120MHz Notebooks

(NEWS)(PC)(DEN)(00004)
Dell & Gateway Intro Pentium 120MHz Notebooks 10/26/95
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 26 (NB) -- Dell Computer Corp.
(NASDAQ: DELL) and Gateway 2000 (NASDAQ: GATE) have introduced new
notebook computers that use Intel's 120 megahertz (MHz) Pentium
microprocessor.

The Dell system is an addition to the company's Latitude line.
Dell said the Latitude XPi P120 is priced at $3,699 direct from the
company when configured with eight megabytes (MB) of memory, a 420MB
hard drive, a lithium-ion battery, and a 10.4-inch dual-scan screen.
The same system equipped with a Super VGA display is priced at
$4,399. Dell said the Super VGA display lets users see 50 percent
more information than is visible on a standard notebook VGA screen.

Dell offers a three-year warranty on its Latitude XPi notebook
systems, which can be ordered with a hard drive of up to 1.2
gigabytes (GB) capacity and memory of up to 40MB. Dell will install
Windows 95 and other software at the customer's request.

Gateway is introducing a 120MHz version of its Solo notebook PC,
which is also available in 75MHz and 90MHz models. Gateway said the
best buy configuration of the Solo 120 includes a 10.4-inch Super
VGA display, 16MB of memory that can be expanded to as much as 40MB,
a 1.2GB capacity hard drive, 1MB of video memory, two Type II or one
Type III PC Card slots, an EZ Pad cursor control pad in place of a
mouse, and an expansion bay that can interchangeably accommodate
either a floppy drive or a CD-ROM drive. A 28.8 kilobytes-per-second
(Kbps) PC Card data/fax modem is also standard.

The Solo 120 comes with an AC adapter and two lithium-ion
batteries, Windows 95, the professional edition of the Microsoft
Office 95 applications suite and a carrying case. The suggested
retail price is $5,999.

(Jim Mallory/19951025/Press contact: Andy Lark, Dell, 512-728-4100
or Steve Sturgeon, Gateway 2000, 605-232-2582; Public contact:
Dell, 800-289-3355 or Gateway 2000, 605-232-2000 or 800-523-2000)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/26/95
TELECOM
Motorola Extends Thailand Cellular Network Facilities

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00005)
Motorola Extends Thailand Cellular Network Facilities 10/26/95
BANGKOK, THAILAND, 1995 OCT 26 (NB) -- Motorola has secured a major
expansion and development contract with the Total Access
Communications Company (TAC) of Thailand. Terms of the $160 million
contract call for the expansion of the current analog network,
pushing maximum subscriber levels to 400,000-plus by the end of the
year.

According to Motorola, the expansion contract was made necessary by
the massive uptake and popularity of mobile phones in Thailand, where
the landline telecoms infrastructure is already overstretched.

The expansion of the old net will include some technical enhancements,
moving from the existing AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone Service) to
Narrowband AMPS (NAMPS) technology for the base stations, so
increasing the number of channels and calls that can be carried within
a given bandwidth. Using this approach will allow TAC to extend its
current Bangkok-specific service out to the suburbs and beyond,
officials said.

Pertti Johansson, the corporate vice president and general manager of
Motorola's ICID (Motorola's International Cellular Infrastructure
Division), explained that expanding the Thai network was a significant
contract for the company, both in terms of revenue, as well as
strategy.

"TAC has been adding subscribers at a rapid pace and this expanded use
of NAMPS technology will serve as a tremendous boost in increasing the
overall network capacity," he said.

Newsbytes notes that NAMPS technology is much more efficient in its
use of available frequencies than AMPS, since it provides three times
as many cellular audio channels. By careful positioning of the new
base stations, Motorola claims that it can extend this channel usage
enhancement still further.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951026/Press Contact: Mary Anne McAndrew, Motorola
CIG, US contact 708-632-2775)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
10/26/95
NETWORK
Microsoft Networking Over WAN Topologies

(NEWS)(NETWORK)(LON)(00006)
Microsoft Networking Over WAN Topologies 10/26/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 26 (NB) -- Microsoft's Multi Protocol
Routing (MPR) technology is reportedly fine for servicing the needs of
LAN (local area network) users, but falls down when it comes to linking
into WANs (wide area networks). Eicon Technology, a remote networking
company, claims it has the problem solved with its WAN Services for
Windows NT V3R3 routing application, which supports MPR over WAN
topologies for the first time.

According to David Carew-Jones, Eicon Technology's European marketing
director, the software is unique in the marketplace, since it
implements Microsoft's MPR LAN-to-LAN networking capability across WAN
links. As a result, remote users can connect across leased or dial-up
lines using the Point-to-Point Protocol, frame relay, X.25 or ISDN
(integrated services digital network) links.

According to Eicon, the WAN Services for Windows NT software, which
runs on Eicon's range of high-speed intelligent communication cards,
is especially well suited for use with the recently introduced
EiconCard S51 Multiservice Access Card, which provides serial and
dial-up connections and supports frame relay, ISDN, X.25 and other
WAN services.

In addition, the software is billed as being capable of interoperating
with stand-alone routers from such vendors as Bay Networks, Cisco
Systems and 3Com, for seamless integration into an existing backbone
network.

Initially, only the IP protocol version of the Windows NT software is
available from Eicon's offices around the world, including in the US.
Plans call for a version for IPX (Internet Packet Exchange) version
to be released in the coming months.

"The combination of WAN Services for NT with the EiconCard S51 is the
only way Windows NT users can work as if locally connected to a host,
server or on-line services -- it opens up a whole host of
opportunities for NT-based users," explained Carew-Jones, who added
that, because it is fully integrated into the Windows NT Server, the
package doesn't add to LAN congestion as external stand-alone routers
and card solutions do.

At Microsoft, Mike Nash, the company's group product manager,
said that Microsoft is pleased to see that MPR can now be extended
across WAN topologies. "This meets the needs of our customers who
have a special requirement for multiprotocol routing services to run
outside of the local network," he said.

Eicon's package also extends MPR across to two new platforms: MIPS
and PowerPC. This is in addition to MPR's standard computing
platforms, which include Intel x86, Intel Pentium and DEC Alpha
systems.

Eicon claims that the package features a set of improved utilities
that "intuitively" guide the user through installation and configuration
of both the software and the associated Eicon network card. A hardware
auto-detect feature then automatically determines the configuration
best suited for the particular card being installed.

Worldwide pricing for WAN Services for Windows NT software has been
set at $835. Intel x86, Pentium and DEC Alpha versions are available
immediately, while the MIPS and PowerPC versions will ship next month
(November).

The software operates under Windows NT 3.51 and is being shipping on a
standalone basis, as well as with Eicon's WAN server networking cards,
which range in price from $1,645 to $2,025.

Further information on Eicon products can be obtained through the
company's World Wide Web address at http://www.eicon.com .

(Steve Gold/19951026/Press Contact: Profile PR, [phone];
Reader Contact: Eicon, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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10/26/95
TELECOM
Sweden's Ericsson In Major Philippines Telecoms Deal

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00007)
Sweden's Ericsson In Major Philippines Telecoms Deal 10/26/95
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, 1995 OCT 26 (NB) -- Ericsson has signed
a major contract with the Philippine network operator, Digital
Telecommunications Philippines (Digitel), for the extension of its
national telecoms network. The contract is worth $59 million for the
Swedish telecoms giant.

Terms of the contract call for Ericsson to supply, install, and
implement a new national and international telecoms infrastructure for
the Philippines. On the equipment side of the deal, Ericsson will
provide its AXE public switching system, network management systems,
transmission and cable units.

According to Ericsson, the installation of AXE switching equipment on
the Filipino telecoms network will speed up the rate, as well as
greatly enhance the network capacity for voice and data calls. The aim
of the project is to support expansion of the Digitel network well
into the next century.

This is not the first major contract of its type with Digitel,
Newsbytes notes. Ericsson secure a major contract back in December of
last year for the installation of a new telecoms network on Luzon
island. In that contract, Ericsson was responsible for the equipment
provision and installation of the network.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951026/Press Contact: Lena Hyttsten, Ericsson
Business Area Business Networks, + 46-70-560-1016)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
10/26/95
TELECOM
Securicor Installs Major Comms Network In Ireland

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00008)
Securicor Installs Major Comms Network In Ireland 10/26/95
DUBLIN, IRELAND, 1995 OCT 26 (NB) -- Securicor has announced the
successful installation of a UKP450,000 private mobile radio (PMR)
system that blankets Ireland. According to Bernard Smith, Securicor
Ireland's general manager, the PMR network forms the linchpin of a
UKP1 million advanced voice and data comms network that will span
Ireland, making it the most sophisticated network operational in that
country.

"When the time came to upgrade our 20-year-old AM (amplitude
modulation) open channel mobile radio network, we decided to replace
it with a system that would also carry data in real time," he
explained, adding that the system is essential to track cash bags
which are collected and delivered nationally by the security company.

The new two channel FM (frequency modulation) network was designed and
installed by Securicor's sister company, Securicor Communications, and
features a relatively new switching technology known as fast frequency
shift keying (FFSK) to allow maximum data throughput on the available
bandwidth. Six base stations cover 80 percent of Ireland, which
Securicor claims is a major feat in itself, given the nature of the
terrain involved.

Key Radio mobiles have been installed in 60 cash-in-transit vehicles
and a further 40 mobiles in the company's "Omega" parcels fleet. The
system is controlled by three dispatchers, using a computerized data
system.

When a driver needs to communicate with control, he instigates a
"request to transmit" message, which is sent, including the mobile's
call-sign, automatically from the vehicle. This message is then
automatically queued and fed into the computer system, and the
dispatcher then sees a list of mobiles requesting voice contact or a
data update. The operator then takes the appropriate action, with the
system auto-queuing data and voice calls as appropriate.

For emergencies, a voice override function is available. Normally,
however, calls are set up by the dispatch operator, who can also
instigate group calls, for example to advise mobiles in specific areas
(the system monitors the location of the mobile automatically) of
route blockages and accidents etc.

Since the system is all digital, details of each vehicle's planned and
suggested routes are downloaded into the mobiles as they move around.
As each job comes up on the vehicle's computer screens, so maps and
other routing info is also available. Using this approach means that
the driver has the maximum available information at their disposal,
Securicor claims.

"Our database regarding cash-in-transit vehicles now effectively
operates in real-time, making our customer service even better than
before. Greater flexibility is a bonus, as we can now change routes or
issue revised crew instructions instantly and with total security to
protect our staff and customer's money," Smith claimed.

According to Smith, plans now call for the installation of a GPS
(global positioning system) in each mobile, to that the precise
location of a mobile can be tracked and logged to pin-point accuracy.

(Steve Gold/19951025/Press Contact: Publicity Matters, tel [phone]-
6850, fax [phone]; Reader Contact: Securicor Radiocoms,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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10/26/95
ONLINE
Compuserve Europe Launches ISDN Access Service

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LON)(00009)
Compuserve Europe Launches ISDN Access Service 10/26/95
MUNICH, GERMANY, 1995 OCT 26 (NB) -- Confirming plans laid down
earlier this year, Compuserve claims that it is first to market with
ISDN (integrated services digital network) access to its online
network in Europe. The company claims that its ISDN links can work at
speeds of up to 57,600 bits-per-second (bps).

According to Luana Raveane, a spokeswoman for Compuserve Deutschland,
the ISDN links work at 57,600 bps instead of the more usual 64,000 bps
because Compuserve has implemented the V.120 data transmission
standard on its ISDN links, to speed up deployment and ensure pan-
European access for subscribers.

"Using V.120 allows our customers to gain access more quickly to ISDN
than would otherwise be possible," she told Newsbytes, adding that the
support for V.120 still means that any ISDN customer, where using
ISDN-2 or Euro ISDN standard transmissions, can access Compuserve, but
with a speed limitation of 57,600 bps.

The London, England, and Munich, Germany, ISDN ports are now
undergoing active testing and will be live for subscribers by December
1 this year. Phase two of the three-stage ISDN rollout calls for the
installation of ISDN ports in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and Dresden,
Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, and Hamburg in Germany, as well as Paris,
France, and Zurich, Switzerland, over the next few months and
certainly ahead of the May 1 self-imposed deadline set by Compuserve.

"Europe is a vital part of Compuserve's overall strategy to deploy
widespread ISDN support," said Peter Van Camp, executive vice
president, Compuserve Network Services.

"ISDN is crucial to cost-conscious European companies whose
applications demand high bandwidth. ISDN access will deliver instant
benefits to users relying on our dial-based services, including
Enterprise Connect for Lotus Notes and Compuserve RLA for remote LAN
access. And Internet power users will enjoy much faster access to
information and graphics storehouses, such as the World Wide Web," he
explained.

(Steve Gold/19951025/Press Contact: Esme Page, Herald Communications,
[phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail];
Compuserve Network Services, US contact 614-798-3351)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
10/26/95
IBM
Czech Republic - ELKO & IBM In PC Assembly Deal

(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00010)
Czech Republic - ELKO & IBM In PC Assembly Deal 10/26/95
PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC, 1995 OCT 26 (NB) -- IBM Czech
Republic s.r.o. and ELKO Holding a.s. have announced that ELKO will
assemble 486- and Pentium-based PCs in Prague in a quantity of 500
units per month starting in October, with output expected to reach
1,500 units per month within six months. The relationship was
established to meet the demands of the price-sensitive and
increasingly quality- and service-aware Czech market.

At a press conference held in Prague, IBM executives
emphasized their dedication to providing fast configuration and
delivery services and their confidence in ELKO's ability to meet
IBM's strict quality standards. IBM and ELKO stated that
shipment of fully configured PCs will follow within 24 hours of
placing an order in the Prague area, and within three days
outside of Prague. The IBM PC 300 line, based on the DX2/66, 486
DX4/100, and Pentium 75/90 chips, and the IBM PC 100 line, based
on the 486 DX2/66 and DX4/100 chips, will be produced at the ELKO
assembly facility.

Some of the larger Czech customers of IBM PCs include the
Czech Ministry of Finance with 6,000 PCs, and several others
with total purchased units in excess of 1,000.

Eighty percent of all computers sold in the Czech Republic are of
the desktop variety, said Peter Brabec, director of the PC
division at IBM. The IBM PC 300 line features an upgradable
processor, RAM, and hard disk. Aside from IVK in Russia, ELKO
is the first to assemble IBM PCs in Europe, Brabec revealed.

ELKO, one of the largest Czech distributors also active in
Bulgaria and the Slovak Republic, has to-date assembled and
sold over 25,000 PCs and is now focusing more on selling brand
name systems, according to Maxim Simeonov, president of
the company.

The distributor also plans to enter the Romanian and Ukrainian
markets. Through the relationship with IBM, with which it has been
in negotiations since the beginning of 1994, ELKO seeks to
accomplish delivery of custom configured systems within 24 hours,
instant one-stop service and pricing competitive with worldwide
and local brand name systems on the local market.

ELKO's PC assemblers are to receive training at IBM's facility in
Greenock, Scotland, and IBM's Czech staff will oversee the local
operations, according to Simeonov.

In a conversation with Newsbytes, Pawel Maksys, PC sales
operations manager at IBM with responsibility for all of CEE,
provided some interesting insights into IBM's PC strategy.

"We try to get the boxes as close as possible to the customer,"
said Maksys, in response to a question regarding IBM's differing
distribution channel relationships throughout the CEE. "ELKO is
really the first one that we have been able to close off the
negotiations for this type of agreement. We are looking for
something in Hungary, and we are looking for something in
Poland."

He continued: "However, the Polish market is much more difficult
in terms of finding a partner. There is a very strong distributor
network, so you have to be very careful, in fact, not destroying
what you have built up. There is danger in this type of
agreement, especially if someone is doing the box and
distributing it. It must be clear cut."

Maksys emphasized the need to meet increasing customer
demands, something that was not fully accomplished by
having to ship PCs from Greenock, Scotland.

"It is not a production or volume business -- to grow up with the
volumes in all these countries -- it makes no sense," said
Maksys. "The idea is very simple: to get, as much as possible, a
localized box as close as possible to customer needs, in fact."

"To have the systems in stock, plenty of parts in stock, and to be
able to, on request, make very quick changes, is an important
factor," according to Maksys.

What is the motivation for partnering with a local distributor such
as ELKO for production of PCs as opposed to a 100% IBM facility? Maksys
stressed that it is more a matter of logistics, and companies such as
ELKO are skilled in this sense. The countries of Central Europe have
"a very specific customer behavior," said Maksys. "You negotiate very
long, then you sign the contract and the customer would like to have
the goods installed in the next two weeks."

Such agreements necessitate having "a stock of parts we can
very simply adopt immediately, locally to this agreement which
was signed with the customer," explained Maksys. "This is the
prime idea of coming to the country with assembly. Of course at
the end of the day you should say you should build up the plants
in this territory -- it's not true and probably will be not true."

(Steven Slatem/IntelliTech/19951018/Media & Reader Contact:
Pawel Maksys, IBM Central Europe & Russia Inc., tel +43-1-
211452883, fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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10/26/95
TELECOM
Czech Republic - Call Centers Integrate Telephony/Computing

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00011)
Czech Republic - Call Centers Integrate Telephony/Computing 10/26/95
BRNO, CZECH REPUBLIC, 1995 OCT 26 (NB) -- AT&T BCS (Business
Communications Systems) sees call centers offering value-added
services becoming a focal point of the products of the major
information technology (IT) vendors active in Central & Eastern Europe,
with the major hurdles being those with the local telcos.

At INVEX, following participation in the Telecom Expo in Geneva, Jan
Zacek, marketing manager at AT&T BCS (Prague), shared his views on
computer/telephony integration in the Czech Republic in an interview.

"I've got two feelings, mixed feelings: one is very positive that in
fact the whole industry is moving towards real added value," said
Zacek. "That means nobody is going to sell (only) hardware. But
what's probably the hit of the season are call centers --
combination or integration of telephony and computer services.
Everybody was showing this and that was the positive side of the
impression.

"The other side is that, all the companies -- AT&T, IBM, whoever --
they in fact were showing the same thing, it was very similar,
there were little noticeable differences," continued Zacek.

"Telecom is becoming combined more and more with computer
technology," said Zacek who said that AT&T is now setting
up call centers to be implemented soon in home banking
systems, for example, in the Czech Republic.

"Video-on-demand and sales-on-demand -- this all will come here
quite soon," he said. "Of course, the basic thing is the network,
because for these services you must have ISDN (integrated services
digital network) lines. SPT Telecom will offer these lines, in 1996,
at the earliest."

Much depends on SPT Telecom in its new strategic partnership with
TelSource, which consists of PTT Telecom Netherlands, Swiss Telecom,
and AT&T. In this teaming of forces, AT&T, which did not invest money
in TelSource/SPT, "is going to provide know-how and technology,"
Zacek explained.

(Steven Slatem/IntelliTech/19951018/Press & Reader Contact:
Jan Zacek, AT&T BCS, tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
10/26/95
BUSINESS
Czech Republic - TH'System On A Fast Track

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00012)
Czech Republic - TH'System On A Fast Track 10/26/95
PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC, 1995 OCT 26 (NB) -- TH'system, ranked among
the top three distributors in CEE, held a press conference recently to
announce its 5th anniversary, doubling of income and profits,
preparations to open a Hungarian branch office, and opening of a new
2,000 square-meter warehouse in Ostrava.

Present at the conference, which was held at the Forum Hotel in
Prague and was followed by dinner and a bowling contest, were
Franz Lorber of Hewlett Packard, Ivan Pilny and Jan Muhlfeit of
Microsoft, and Richard Kozak of Compaq Computer.

The creation of TH'system is a classic example of enthusiastic
post-revolution business, claim some observers, where fresh graduates
pooled together very modest capital which started to quickly bring
returns.

In spite of the fact that the company started without any help,
from any domestic or foreign companies, the development of TH'system
has been very dynamic.

Income figures have grown from CZK15 million ($577,000) in 1991,
to CZK130 million ($5 million) in 1992, CZK400 million ($15.4
million) in 1993, and finally, CZK650 million ($25 million) in 1994.

Income for 1994 shot up to CZK1.65 billion ($63 million) with the
inclusion of income figures from MSP of Warsaw, Poland, which
TH'system acquired a year ago. MSP was one of the fastest growing
Polish information technology (IT) product distributors.

TH'system forecasts income of approximately CZK 3 billion
($115 million) in 1995 and, along with that, will double the
previous year's profits. The company plans to open its new
office in Hungary this month.

TH'system emphasizes that it continues to work without bank
loans and without any capital from foreign or domestic
companies, and serves as an unusual example of success in
Central & Eastern Europe.

The key to success is to always be a step ahead of the
competition, not only with aggressive pricing strategies and
availability of products in the warehouse, but also with an
assortment of service offerings, according to the company.

Such services include delivery of goods within 24 hours
free-of-charge, credit and financial arrangements, and electronic
communications with partners. TH'system also offers strong
marketing support, various promotions, publications for dealers,
training system, roadshows, and authorization programs with the
leading international firms whose products TH'system distributes.

(Steven Slatem/IntelliTech/19951018/Press & Reader Contact:
Richard Havlik, TH'system a.s., tel [phone],
fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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10/26/95
LEGAL
Hong Kong Drafts Intellectual Property Law

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(PEK)(00013)
Hong Kong Drafts Intellectual Property Law 10/26/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 OCT 26 (NB) -- The Hong Kong government will
formulate a draft law to ensure that Hong Kong's intellectual property
laws meet the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual
Property (TRIPS), the Xinhua News Agency reported.

According to Hong Kong government information services, the news
agency said, the draft law includes:

All signs which are capable of distinguishing the goods and services
of one undertaking from those of another will be capable of registration
as trade marks, provided that they are capable of being represented in a
"graphical from."

Owners of copyrights for films, videos, and computer programs will be
able to prevent those products from being rented out commercially
without their permission.

Performers will be able to prevent their live performances from being
recorded and distributed commercially or broadcast without their
permission.

Copyright and trademark owners will be able to apply for court
orders to detain suspected imports of infringing goods.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951026)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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10/26/95
CHIPS
China - Fully Domestic IC Card Developed

(NEWS)(CHIPS)(PEK)(00014)
China - Fully Domestic IC Card Developed 10/26/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 OCT 26 (NB) -- China's first integrated circuit
(IC) card has been jointly developed by China Huaxu Golden Card Co. Ltd.
and Tsinghua University. The IC card recently passed technical evaluation
by an experts group organized by the Ministry of Electronics Industry
(MEI) and the State Education Commission.

Experts said that successful development of the domestic IC card broke
the current situation that the country has to rely on imported chips for
IC cards, and lays a solid foundation for the "Golden Card Project."

Senior government officials highly praised the success. It provides
crucial auxiliary products for the Golden Card Project, Vice Premier
Zou Jiahua said in a congratulatory letter.

The IC card is the first fully domestic-produced card, from chip
designing to card manufacturing. Experts said that the technology of
the domestic IC card has reached the same advanced level as overseas
products.

However, the successful development is only the first step for
China's IC card industry, experts said. The next step is large scale
manufacturing of such products. Huaxu is expected to sign a contract
to produce 2.5 million to three million IC cards in Daqing, in the
Heilongjiang province.

According to government sources, the total investment in the Golden
Card project is estimated at RMB100 billion (US$12 billion). Domestic
technology and products needed by the project will save foreign
exchange currency for the country and has become an urgent task,
said officials with MEI.

The Golden Card project aims to issue 200 million credit/bank cards
covering 300 million people by 2003. It is estimated that the annual
demand for IC cards will reach 40 million in 1999.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951026)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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10/26/95
BUSINESS
Matsushita Licenses 3DO Video Technology

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00015)
Matsushita Licenses 3DO Video Technology 10/26/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 OCT 26 (NB) -- Matsushita Electrical Industrial
Co., Ltd. (TSE:6752) has signed a memorandum of understanding with
3DO Company (NASDAQ:THDO) that will allow the Japanese company to
exclusively use 3DO's 64-bit M2 graphics technology in its own
products. The deal is worth over $100 million to 3DO.

The agreement will be signed soon, enabling Matsushita to use the M2
graphics system developed by 3DO in next-generation consumer and
commercial products including 64-bit video games, Digital Video Disk
(DVD) players, and interactive television set-top boxes.

Matsushita will also gain sub-licensing rights to the system from 3DO
that will allow the Osaka-based company to sub-license the M2
technology to hardware companies and software developers. Matsushita
says it is currently in discussions with several potential partner
companies and is likely to expand the M2 alliance over the course of
the next two years.

Trip Hawkins, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of 3DO
Company commented on the deal, saying: "Today's announcement combines the
vast resources of a consumer electronics leader with the industry's most
powerful 64-bit technology. Matsushita has been a world leader in audio
and video and is again poised for success with their central role in the
emerging DVD standard. By combining these capabilities with 3DO's
interactive graphics and computing technology, Matsushita is well
positioned for success in many new digital businesses."

The Japanese company will hold exclusive rights to use the technology
in consumer CD, DVD, interactive TV set-top box, portable, car
navigation, and kiosk hardware products. In other areas, that include
coin-operated arcade game, personal computer applications, general
computing, and software development tools, Matsushita has a
non-exclusive license, but will work with 3DO on sub-licensing the
technology to other companies.

3DO have also undertaken to deliver all M2 custom ASIC (application
specific integrated circuit) semiconductors, reference designs for M2
CD and M2 DVD systems, MPEG (Motion Picture Experts Group)-1 and MPEG-2
decoders, hardware development systems, operating system software and
software development tools to Matsushita.

Under the terms of the already approved deal, Matsushita will pay an
initial licensing fee of $100 million in two installments with each
paid by June next year. 3DO will then receive additional royalty
payments of about $3 per compact-disk game sold for the new system.

Analysts estimate such royalty payments could amount to $150 million
per year for the California-based company that looked near to trouble
just a month ago when a major electronics manufacturer announced a
production suspension of 3DO systems.

Toshiba Corporation (TSE:6502) said it had stopped production of 3DO
car navigation systems saying it believed there was no chance of
significant future growth in the system. At the same time, Sanyo
Electric (TSE:6764) announced a cutting back of production of 3DO
game machines from 250,000 a year to just 20,000.

In the United States, the two companies are already partners with
Matsushita Electric Corp. of America, manufacturing a video game
player, the 3DO Real, under its Panasonic brand name. A recent $100
price cut made the system more competitive against new generation
64-bit games consoles that offer better graphics and sound than their
32-bit counterparts. Other companies manufacturing the games players
include Korea's Goldstar.

(Martyn Williams/19951026/Press contact: Shernaz Daver, 3DO Company,
415-261-2792; Matsushita Electric Corp, tel [phone],
fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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10/26/95
BUSINESS
Japan - Strong Half Year Results Reported By Majors

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00016)
Japan - Strong Half Year Results Reported By Majors 10/26/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 OCT 26 (NB) -- With the half fiscal year company
reporting season now underway, some of Japan's major electronics and
electrical companies announced financial results for the six months to
September. Despite the sluggish Japanese economy all the companies
reported higher demands for electronics products and increased annual
forecasts.

Hitachi Ltd. (TSE:6501) announced its pre-tax earnings for the first
six months of the fiscal year jumped 28% from 43.04 billion yen to
54.91 billion yen. The company also raised its full year pre-tax
profits estimate to 120 billion yen, an increase of 20% on the
previous estimate and 35% on the previous year's actual figures.

Strong sales of information systems and electronic devices helped
sales in the period jump 7% to 1,998 billion yen. The Tokyo-based
company predicts full year sales will hit double the half year figure
at 4,000 billion yen. Full year dividends will be 11 yen per share as
previously forecast.

In addition to the financial announcements, Hitachi said it will
expand investment in semiconductors to 180 billion yen. The money will
be used to increase capacity at existing plants and to build new
factories ahead of schedule.

NEC Corporation (TSE:6701) revised full fiscal year forecasts
after announcing its first half results. The company said it expects
sales in the year to reach 4,300 billion yen, a big jump of 531
billion yen from last year's actual sales of 3,769 billion yen.

In the first six months of the financial year, NEC sales jumped 128.2
billion yen, or 9.2%, on the period to 1,517.8 billion yen, an
increase of 9.2%, mainly due to strong sales of computer and
communications products in Japan and higher worldwide demand for
semiconductors.

Pre-tax profits doubled to 30.5 billion yen and the company estimated
full year pre-tax profits would be 90 billion yen.

The company said the strong yen almost offset small signs of recovery
in the Japanese economy but the electronics industry experienced
healthy demand. "Mobile communications equipment showed steady growth
and sales of computers were good with the domestic personal computer
market particularly strong. Heavy demand for electronic devices, such
as four-megabit and 16-megabit DRAM memories, continued both in Japan
and overseas," the company said in a statement.

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TSE:6503) announced pre-tax profit
for the first six months rose 38.5% to 37.43 billion yen. Net profits
climbed 31.7% to 18.85 billion yen with sales reaching 1,250 billion
yen, a 7.6% increase on the period.

Sales in the information and telecommunications systems and
electronics divisions experienced growth with continuing demand for
semiconductors helping sales. In other sectors the company is active,
heavy electrical equipment business increased slightly, but office use
electrical sales were down. The hot summer and high sales of air-
conditioners pushed up household electrical sales.

An 82 billion yen pre-tax profit is forecast for the full year, an
increase of 28.5% on the year, with net profits almost doubling to 40
billion yen on sales of 2,650 billion yen.

Sharp Corporation (TSE:6753) reported pre-tax profits of 35.04 billion
yen for the half, up 12% on the previous year. Sales in the period
rose 3% to 633.81 billion yen on a drop in export sales, but improved
domestic demand. A rise in the value of the yen wiped over 20 billion
yen off sales in the period said the company, which sees 45% of total
sales from overseas markets.

The greatest percentage increase in sales was seen by the Tokyo
company's audio and communication equipment division which registered
sales of 66.25 billion yen, a 12% rise. The hot summer also helped
Sharp with household electrical equipment sales increasing 8.1% to
108.32 billion yen.

The information equipment sector saw a 4% rise to sales of 130.79
billion yen with the electronic equipment division, which includes
televisions and video machines, virtually unchanged at 122.99 billion
yen.

Toshiba Corporation (TSE:6502) said it achieved a 31% increase in
pre-tax profits for the first six months on the current financial year
at 32.33 billion yen. Sales in the period jumped 10% from 1,521
billion yen to 1,677 billion yen.

In common with the other companies reporting today, Toshiba said
strong sales of semiconductors, and demand for CD-ROMs, hard disk
drives, and air-conditioners in the summer helped the figures.

(Martyn Williams/19951026)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/26/95
ONLINE
 ****Internet Update

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00017)
 ****Internet Update 10/26/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 OCT 26 (NB) -- In this roundup of new resources and
services on the global Internet: In the news: Shuttle mission STS-73,
In the news: Tokyo Motor Show, US Mint coins a new Web site, Salute
horror for Halloween, For You, Jerusalem, Technology corporation
index, The view from the tower, and the world, New on Usenet.

In The News: Shuttle Mission STS-73

Don't tell NASA. The unofficial home page of the Shuttle mission
STS-73 Cat crew is up and running. You can find the pictures of the
cats, hear them meow and also see regularly updated screen grabs from
NASA-TV.
World Wide Web: http://www.reston.com/sts73/catpage.html

Meanwhile, from Mission Control, the official NASA Space Shuttle
information service carries full and current details from the mission
and its microgravity experiments on board.
World Wide Web: http://shuttle.nasa.gov/

In The News: Tokyo Motor Show

The giant Tokyo Motor Show begins this weekend. For Internet users not
lucky enough to be going there, the organizers have established a home
page on the network offering some information from the show.
World Wide Web: http://teleparc.infoweb.or.jp/tms/

US Mint Coins A New Web Site

The US Mint has opened a site on the World Wide Web which will be of main
interest to coin collectors and enthusiasts. An online catalog allows
visitors to view various commemorative coins made available by the
mint, the center that makes coins and notes for the United States.
Don't drop by with the intention of getting free samples of the
products, Newsbytes has already tried and you can't!
World Wide Web: http://www.usmint.gov/

Salute Horror For Halloween

The Writer's Edge is running a special "Salute to Horror Writers"
especially for Halloween. From October 27th to 31st, Internet users
will be able to view a series of features on different aspects of the
horror industry including interviews with horror writers. Visitors are
also being invited to nominate all time loved and hated horror movies.
World Wide Web: http://www.nashville.net/~edge

For You, Jerusalem

From next Monday until the following Sunday, November 5th, the "For
You, Jerusalem" event will take place in the gulf state of Abu Dhabi.
With the intention of contributing to the rebuilding and furbishing of
the city of Jerusalem, Internet users outside the gulf can follow the
event online.
World Wide Web: http://www.arabworld.com/jerusalem/

Technology Corporation Index

If you're looking for the Web site of a company in the technology
industry and you've tried the obvious "company_name.com" address, a
good place to go next is Ecola's Tech Directory. The service offers a
directory of many technology-related companies with links to online
services offered.
World Wide Web: http://www.ecola.com/techcorp/

The View From The Tower, And The World

Have you ever wondered what it is like to be a TV transmitter?
Television Suisse Romande (TSR), the French-speaking TV channel in
Switzerland, has placed a camera on top of the TSR tower in Geneva
that offers all Internet viewers the chance to experience the view
from the tower.
World Wide Web: http://www.tsr.srg-ssr.ch/photo/photo.htm

If you enjoy the Swiss camera you'll love this index to live video
cameras connected to the Internet from all over the world.
http://www.intertain.net/~cameras/

New On Usenet

Additions to the world of Usenet news continue as a new batch of
groups pass the voting procedure including rec.music.makers.choral,
soc.culture.pacific-island and comp.sys.mac.programmer.games. Failing
the Usenet vote at the same time were rec.collecting.prec-moments,
comp.sys.ibm.pc.16bit and rec.collecting.paper-money. The new groups
should begin appearing on news-servers soon.
Usenet: news://rec.music.makers.choral
Usenet: news://soc.culture.pacific-island
Usenet: news://comp.sys.mac.programmer.games

(Martyn Williams/19951026)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/26/95
BUSINESS
Computer Associates Launches Africa Joint Venture

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00018)
Computer Associates Launches Africa Joint Venture 10/26/95
VICTORIA FALLS, ZIMBABWE, 1995 OCT 26 (NB) -- Computer Associates
International Inc. (NYSE:CA) of Islandia, New York, has formed a joint
venture with South African technology firm Dimension Data Holdings Ltd.
The new Computer Associates Africa will be based in Johannesburg and
will sell the software company's products throughout Africa, a company
spokeswoman told Newsbytes.

Charles Wang, chairman and chief executive of Computer Associates,
announced the company's plans in a keynote address at the Networkers
95 conference.

Computer Associates previously sold its software into Africa through
Compusons (Pty.) Ltd., a subsidiary of Dimension Data. The new Computer
Associates Africa will take over marketing of all Computer Associates
products, including mainframe, midrange, client/server, and personal-
computer packages, and including products recently acquired with the
takeover of Legent Corp.

The CA spokeswoman declined to say what portion of its revenues
Computer Associates currently earns in Africa. The company did say, in
a prepared statement, that total technology spending in South Africa
this year is expected to be US$3.5 billion, placing that country as
the 20th largest market for information technology in the world.

Computer Associates had revenues of $2.6 billion in its 1995 fiscal
year. The company has about 9,000 employees.

In addition to its Johannesburg headquarters, Computer Associates Africa
will have offices in Cape Town and Durban. The spokeswoman said the
company will do business in other African countries. For example, it is
currently talking with a prospective customer in Mozambique, she said.

Computer Associates is on the World Wide Web at http://www.cai.com .

(Grant Buckler/19951026/Press Contact: Tricia Plowman, Computer
Associates, 516-342-2676; Derek Underhill, Dimension Data,
[phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/26/95
BUSINESS
IBM Canada Bid "Fair," But DMR Will Not Recommend It

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00019)
IBM Canada Bid "Fair," But DMR Will Not Recommend It 10/26/95
MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA, 1995 OCT 26 (NB) -- The board of directors
of DMR Group Inc. (TSE:DR) has declined to recommend to its shareholders
a takeover bid by IBM Canada Ltd. of Markham, Ontario. However, DMR
called the bid "fair."

Earlier, DMR's board recommended against competing bids by Amdahl
Corp. (AMEX:AMH) of Sunnyvale, California, and BDM International Inc.
(NASDAQ:BDMI) of McLean, Virginia. The board had reserved judgment
on IBM's higher bid.

The board of the Montreal-based consulting firm said IBM's C$11 bid for
DMR's Class B common shares is fair -- it is higher than the prices offered
by the other bidders. However, DMR also noted that certain conditions of
IBM's bid create uncertainty and are beyond the control of minority
shareholders. In particular, IBM has said 90 percent of DMR's Class B
shares must be tendered in response to its bid.

Amdahl late last week took up 36 percent of DMR's shares that had been
tendered to it, principally by the company's major shareholders, who had
irrevocably agreed to Amdahl's offer before the BDM and IBM Canada bids
were announced.

While the Amdahl move seems to have created a major obstacle to IBM's
90 percent goal, IBM Canada spokesman Mike Quinn told Newsbytes the
90 percent condition still stands, though he added that "we do reserve the
right to waive any of these conditions." Quinn would not be specific about
how IBM Canada hopes to obtain 90 percent of the shares given the stake
Amdahl now holds, but he said that "there are probably several scenarios
that we could come up with."

A court decision allowing Class A shareholders to convert their shares in
order to take advantage of the takeover offers is now under appeal. If
upheld, the ruling could lead to Amdahl's current voting control of
DMR -- now 80 percent of the votes -- being diluted.

(Grant Buckler/19951026/Press Contact: Michel Gelinas, DMR,
514-877-3301; John Radewagen, The Benjamin Group for Amdahl,
408-559-6090; Mike Quinn, IBM Canada, 905-316-2255; Todd
Stottlemyer, BDM, 703-848-5115, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/26/95
WINDOWS
Wang Shipping Open/workflow, Open/image For Windows NT

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(TOR)(00020)
Wang Shipping Open/workflow, Open/image For Windows NT 10/26/95
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 26 (NB) -- Wang Laboratories Inc.
(NASDAQ:WANG) said it has begun shipping its Open/workflow and Open/image
software for Microsoft's Windows NT operating system. The packages take
advantage of Microsoft's BackOffice suite of client/server system
components, Wang said.

Wang said the modular software products can route information among
thousands of workers in large, spread-out organizations, or they can be
used as small, departmental systems. They include a scaleable workflow
engine, graphical work-flow design tools, a centralized catalog for
finding documents, distributed scanning and archiving, remote workstations
software, and support for integration with other applications, company
officials said.

Open/workflow and Open/image also support a variety of hardware,
software, networking, and database products, said the company.

Earlier this year, Wang and Microsoft announced an alliance to work
together on work-flow automation software for client/server environments.
Soon after, Wang purchased Sigma Imaging Systems Inc., a maker of
imaging and workflow automation software based in New York.

Bruce Silver, principal at Bruce Silver Associates in Weston, Mass.,
described Windows NT as a crucial platform for makers of image processing
software. Silver, who specializes in the imaging and work-flow business,
said Wang's alliance with Microsoft has helped the company establish itself
on NT, while at the same time the deal settled a lawsuit over technology
used in Microsoft's object linking and embedding (OLE), bringing Wang
much-needed cash.

While Wang has put heavy emphasis on the imaging and workflow market
since emerging from Chapter 11 protection two years ago, that business
accounted for only about $20 million of Wang's roughly $1 billion in
revenues last year, Silver said. However, he said Wang can do well in the
imaging and workflow market if its management can take capitalize on the
advantages gained from the Microsoft alliance and the Sigma purchase.

Pricing for a typical 100-user work-flow configuration of the new
software is $1,200 per user, Wang said.

(Grant Buckler/19951026/Press Contact: Ed Pignone, Wang, 508-967-4912)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/26/95
ONLINE
 ****Sybase To Announce New Products Live On Internet

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SFO)(00021)
 ****Sybase To Announce New Products Live On Internet 10/26/95
EMERYVILLE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 26 (NB) -- Database giant,
Sybase (NASDAQ:SYBS) is teaming with Progressive Networks, the RealAudio
voice of the Internet, to deliver a live audio broadcast to announce
Sybase System 11. The hour-long, live Internet program will compliment
a worldwide satellite telecast on Monday, October 30.

Knowing it will be listened to and watched by thousands around the
world, Sybase promises to deliver a "lively" hour of programming with
top Sybase executives and key industry dignitaries. To catch the live
broadcast, users should point their Web browser towards
http://www.realaudio.com/live/sybase.html just before 10:00am Eastern
Standard Time.

Berl Hartman, vice president of strategic marketing at Sybase, told
Newsbytes, "System 11 is a family of products which brings the latest
database technology to the computer industry and to a wide range of
businesses. It centers around our SQL (structured query language) Server
which will deliver outstanding performance and quality." Details of
System 11 cannot be disclosed until the announcement on Monday.

To listen to the audio broadcast, users must have Progressive Networks'
RealAudio Player and a browser which accesses the World Wide Web.
The Player may be downloaded without cost from http://www.realaudio.com .
The site also contains sample audio broadcasts and new users to the
RealAudio system are advised to experiment with the Player prior to
Sybase's live broadcast.

Progressive introduced RealAudio to the Internet community this past
spring. Since then, more than 75 Web sites have used the RealAudio
server software to add speeches, announcements and music to their Web
presentations. The company's technology successfully uses compression
and decompression of audio data to allow users an experience of almost
simultaneous, on-demand audio transmission. Earlier audio displays on
the Internet often took 20 minutes to download a five minute speech or
announcement.

When Bill Gates announced Windows 95, Progressive tested a newer
version of Real Audio, called Live RealAudio, to a select audience. The
Sybase announcement this Monday will be the first time the new version
is used for a major product announcement and Progressive says audience
participation is limited and available on a first-come, first-served
basis. Progressive has used Live RealAudio to deliver about a dozen
events on the Internet, including a professional baseball game. The
same Player works with both versions of RealAudio.

Live RealAudio technology is also being used to deliver an election
event from Quebec, Canada on Monday night. Additional information is
available on the Progressive Networks Web site.

As a hint to getting into the live broadcast, Maria Cantwell,
Progressive's vice president of marketing, told Newsbytes, "Users can get
into the area about 15 or 20 minutes ahead of time. They will not hear any
voice transmission while they wait, but they will be into the system." She
said the event should handle several hundred listeners. Those who are not
able to get into the live broadcast can listen at a later time when the
event is stored and available on Progressive's or Sybase's Web site
(Sybase Web site at http://www.sybase.com ).

(Patrick McKenna/19951026/Press Contact: Katie Cotton, Progressive
Networks, 818-509-3700)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/26/95
ONLINE
 ****Internetworld In Boston Next Week, Global Sites Planned

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(BOS)(00022)
 ****Internetworld In Boston Next Week, Global Sites Planned 10/26/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 26 (NB) -- MecklerMedia's
Internetworld Boston '95, set for Boston's World Trade Center
next week, will be followed by a second show in Boston, plus new
editions of the Web extravaganza in Canada, Japan, Mexico,
Australia, Brazil, Malaysia, and northern California in 1996 and
1997, revealed MecklerMedia's Tanya Mazarowski, during a show
preview for Newsbytes.

Next week's show in Boston will feature special events like
Monday evening's Windows/Mac/OS/2 "Internet Bowl" quiz show, open
to all attendees who obtain bowl tickets at the show, and AdWeek
Magazine's Internetworld Advertising Forum, happening all day
Monday and Tuesday for marketing and advertising pros, said
Mazarowski, who is MecklerMedia's PR director as well as a
columnist for Internetworld Magazine.

Physical facilities at the Boston show will include the Internet
Cafe for coffee, conversation, and Web surfing, together with a
nearby tent and three docked cruise ships to accommodate
conference and exhibition overflow from the World Trade Center
next door.

Internetworld Boston's three keynotes and several dozen
conference/tutorial sessions will be organized thematically by
day of the week. Monday is designated as Industry Day, Tuesday as
Commerce Day, and Wednesday as World-Wide Web Day. The three
keynoters are Dr. Eric Schmidt, chief technology officer and
corporate executive officer, Sun Microsystems; Martin
Schoffstall, senior VP and chief technical officer, PSINet; and
Paul Gudonis, chief executive officer, BBN Planet.

A few of the topics to be talked about in the Internetworld
conference/tutorial sessions include copyrighting;
"multicultural" aspects of online publishing; Internet business
financing; "The Seven Habits of Successful Web Sites;" the "real
relationship" between SGML (standard generalized mark-up
language) and HTML (hypertext mark-up language); and emerging
Internet technologies and application areas like VRML (Virtual
Reality Markup Language), WebSpace, HotJava, and "local business
Webs."

Mazarowski divulged that on October 27, the Friday before the
show, MecklerMedia will unveil a new "Iworld" Web site that will
use a "major new technology" debuting at Internetworld. Also at
Internetworld next week, MecklerMedia will launch Web Developer,
a new quarterly publication for "the folks who build the
surfboards," Newsbytes was told.

Other exhibitors at Internetworld Boston will range from major
online service providers like Compuserve, America Online,
Prodigy, and ZD Net, to large computer and software companies
such as IBM, Lotus and Digital Equipment Corp., to a multitude of
smaller and medium-sized players specializing in particular
aspects of online technology.

New products and services to be announced at the show will cover
areas encompassing online access and content, 3-D
(three-dimensional) worlds, Internet security, Web publishing
tools, electronic commerce, the interplay of the Internet and
CD-ROM, agent technologies, and even audio-on-demand.

Mazarowski pointed out that next week's event represents the
first appearance of Internetworld in Boston. MecklerMedia has
actually been producing trade shows and publications since the
early 1970s, she told Newsbytes. Back then, though, the company
was known as Meckler Publishing, and it focused on CD-ROM,
microfilm, and other technologies used in library science and
higher education.

The Westport, Connecticut-based firm first stepped into the
Internet arena in 1991, with the start of a newsletter also known
as Internetworld. The early newsletter has since evolved into a
glossy magazine that qualifies as "the number one Internet
newsstand publication," with a circulation of over 260,000,
according to the MecklerMedia official.

The very first Internetworld trade show took place three years
ago in San Jose, a site that has now become an annual tradition
for MecklerMedia. "Our first show on the East Coast, held in New
York City, was very small. After that, we did a small East Coast
show in Washington, D.C. last year," Mazarowski recalled. "Then,
at our spring show in San Jose, we expected about 17,000 people,
and got 27,000. We realized, `Boom! This is finally it.'"

MecklerMedia hopes that Boston will become an annual tradition
for Internetworld, too, Mazarowski continued. Projected
attendance is 30,000 for Internetworld Boston '95. "Now there are
a lot more people who are using the Internet at home, at school,
or in the workplace," she observed. The company is now planning a
second show in Boston, scheduled for fall of 1996 at the John B.
Hynes Convention Center, a larger venue.

Right now, the only foreseeable obstacle to a 1997 show in Boston
is the possibility that expected attendance will exceed the
capacity of the Hynes, in the event that an even bigger
convention hall has not been built in Boston by then, according
to Mazarowski. MecklerMedia does not want to "split" the show
between multiple halls, she contended.

Last April, she noted, MecklerMedia rolled out WebWeek, a "closed
circulation, ad driven weekly" about the Web. Six months later,
the first international edition of the Internetworld show went up
in Sydney, Australia.

The initial edition of Internetworld Canada will hit Toronto in
January, 1996, Newsbytes was told. Also in the 1996 to 1997 time
frame, Internetworld will expand to embrace a second show in
Sydney, along with first-time presentations in Mexico; Tokyo,
Japan; Sao Paolo, Brazil; and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951026/Reader Contact: MecklerMedia, 800-
MECKLER; Press Contact: Steven Schwartz, Schwartz Public
Relations for MecklerMedia, 212-677-8700)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/26/95
PC
SAG Intros Quad-Pentium PCs/Servers With 150MHz Chips

(NEWS)(PC)(BOS)(00023)
SAG Intros Quad-Pentium PCs/Servers With 150MHz Chips 10/26/95
NORTH ANDOVER, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 26 (NB) -- SAG
Electronics' new STC-1000 PC workstations and fileservers are the
first in the industry to provide quad-Pentium processing using
Pentium 150 megahertz (MHz) chips, and SAG has doubled
conventional throughput with a specially designed memory bus
architecture, maintained Steve Santos, vice president, during a
conference call with Newsbytes.

"To our knowledge, there is only one other company introducing
quad-Pentium at real volume, and that is ALR. We are also the
first to deliver Pentium 150, and we figure we have roughly
double (conventional) throughput," Santos told Newsbytes.

The STC-1000 is aimed at eliminating system bottlenecks through
the use of a "true 128-bit memory bus" that is interleavable to
256 bits, according to the VP.

The new high-end PC workstations and file servers provide a data
rate of 480 megabytes-per-second (MBps) at 60MHz, for about
twice the throughput that might otherwise be expected, he
elaborated.

SAG also plans to offer high-end workstations and file servers
that combine 180MHz Pentium chips with the STC-1000's 64-bit
multiprocessor architecture and "zero wait state cache" when the
faster chips become available from Intel, Santos revealed.

Targeted at use in graphics, scientific, university, and Fortune
100 corporate applications, the new SMP (symmetric
multiprocessor) systems are available with or without RAID
(redundant array of inexpensive disks) subsystems, Santos noted.
North Andover, Massachusetts-based SAG, he explained, got its
start in 1987 as supplier of customized RAID disk drives,
enclosures, and subsystems.

Although priced at "off-the-shelf" levels, SAG's PC workstations
and file servers are also configurable to meet the requirements
of Windows NT, Windows 95, OS/2, Unixware, Sun Solaris, SCO Unix
(Santa Cruz Operation), and SMP Netware environments, he
asserted.

"Over the past few years, as a result of customer demand, we have
found ourselves customizing PCs and file servers, extrapolating
from what we've learned in the storage world," reported Santos.

SAG also markets customizable dual-Pentium machines, and systems
based on Digital Equipment Corp.'s Alpha processors. One of SAG's
Alpha-based severs was named "Best Overall Internet Server" in
the August, 1995 issue of Byte, Santos pointed out. SAG's Pentium
120 system received "Top Honors" from NSTL this month, the VP
told Newsbytes.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951026/Reader Contact: SAG Electronics, 800-
989-3475; Joyce Radnor, Spice Communications for SAG, 617-787-0521)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/26/95
WINDOWS
Micrografx Shipping Windows Draw 4.

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(DEN)(00024)
Micrografx Shipping Windows Draw 4.0 10/26/95
RICHARDSON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 26 (NB) -- Micrografx Inc.
(NASDAQ: MGXI) has announced it is shipping release 4.0 of
Windows Draw, the program that launched Windows-based drawing
programs when it appeared at the fall Comdex trade show in Las
Vegas four years ago.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95102624.PCX
Click here for photo

The new version of Draw, which is a native Windows 95 application,
has more of a home user flavor than its predecessor and it's also
priced for the home user. Micrografx spokesperson David Wilson
explained to Newsbytes that's because, while the first release of
Draw was targeted at both home and business users, the company now
markets its ABC Graphics Suite for the commercial market.

ABC Graphics Suite, with a suggested retail price of $299.95 for
new users and an upgrade cost of $149.95, includes Micrografx
Designer, Micrografx Picture Publisher, ABC FlowCharter, ABC Media
Manager and Instant 3D and comes with about 30,000 clip-art images.

When Draw was introduced in October of 1991 it had a suggested
retail price of $149. Release 4.0 is available for $49.95.

Windows Draw 4.0 comes with more than 150 "professionally designed"
templates to get the user started quickly on projects like banners
and invitations. Clicking on a particular template automatically
brings up a layout, design tips, and the necessary tools, symbols
and pictures needed to personalize the project.

Draw 4.0 templates include diagrams like maps, space plans,
landscaping, family trees, flowcharts and organizational charts.
You also get templates for calendars, business cards, letterhead,
envelopes, stationery, forms and fliers. Micrografx has provided
templates for banners, certificates, greeting cards, invitation
and announcements, and you can create game tournament elimination
brackets or cartoons.

Micrografx said there are more than 30 drawing tools, over 250
available fonts and 15,000 pictures and images available in the
program. Wilson said the clip-art consists of both bitmap images
and vector art.

Draw 4.0 has a Microsoft Office application suite interface that
gives it the same "look and feel" as programs like Microsoft Word.
The company said that compatibility will make users of Microsoft
software immediately comfortable with Windows Draw.

Draw isn't the only program Micrografx offers for the home market.
Newsbytes recently reported on Hallmark Connection Card Studio, a
greeting card creation program, and Crayola Art Studio 2, a program
for children that Micrografx describes as "a multimedia art playroom
where children can draw, color, paint, play activities and explore
their creativity."

Micrografx will have a presence at next month's Comdex trade show
in Las Vegas, but don't look for any new products to be rolled out.
The company has released upgrades to all it's software over the
past two months.

(Jim Mallory/19951026/Press contact: David Wilson, Micrografx,
214-994-6534; Public contact; Micrografx, 214-234-1769 or
800-676-3110/DRAW4-951026/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/26/95
TELECOM
MCI Intros TTY Calling Card

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(MSP)(00025)
MCI Intros TTY Calling Card 10/26/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 OCT 26 (NB) -- MCI Corp. (NASDAQ:MCIC)
will introduce a calling card for people who are deaf or hard-of-
hearing. The card, called the MCI TTY (text telephone) Card, is the
first of its kind, MCI officials said.

Currently, there are about one million TTY units in service in
homes, businesses, hotels, airports, and other locations, Jerry Nelson,
MCI senior marketing manager of telecommunications relay services, told
Newsbytes. "MCI believes the deaf and hard-of-hearing need to have the
same kind of services that hearing people get," he said. "Because the
traditional calling card does not work for the deaf and hard-of-
hearing, we are creating a product that will bring the deaf and
hard-of-hearing market up to par with everyone else."

The TTY card is identical to other MCI long distance calling cards,
except that the card is used specifically for the TTY unit, which uses
a keyboard, a screen, and a telephone hookup to work. With the card,
text on the screen "prompts" replace traditional audio prompted
commands on how to place calls.

The new card will be a part of the MCI calling card family, looking the
same as the standard MCI card. The TTY Card will include many of the
same features as the standard card, including speed dialing, operator
services, and direct connections to MCI TeleRelay. Also, an automatic
15 percent discount is assessed every time a caller uses a MCI TTY Card
to offset the typing time required for making the TTY call. TTY Card
customers are also eligible for additional long-distance services from
their home or office.

MCI's TTY customer service representatives and TeleText operators can
also be reached by using the TTY card. In addition, users don't need
to use MCI long-distance services for their home or business. They
can apply for a separate MCI TTY Card to take advantage of the program,
officials said.

The MCI TTY Card will be available in December 1995, officials said.

(Bob Woods/19951026/Press Contact: Miriam Grossman, MCI,
703-902-6094, or 800-644-NEWS)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/26/95
ONLINE
America Online Opens Web Site, "Gives Back To Net"

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00026)
America Online Opens Web Site, "Gives Back To Net" 10/26/95
VIENNA, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 26 (NB) -- As a part of the
company's new Internet World Wide Web site, America Online Inc.
(NASDAQ:AMER) has announced a "Give back to the Net" program, which
supports the creation, maintenance, and access of Internet resources.

"If we can benefit from the Net, and help members from our services,
other services, and ISPs (Internet Service Providers), then more power
to everybody," Miriam Grossman, America Online spokesperson, told
Newsbytes. "We've benefited so much for Internet access, that we'd
like to give back to Internet resources that are burdened with traffic.
So we're pinpointing those resources that really need help."

The Give Back program is America Online's way of supporting the
Internet community by giving hardware, connectivity, mirroring,
and funding to people and companies that are just entering the
online world or are scaling up to meet increased demand.

Already, the program has established a FTP (file transfer protocol)
site called "mirrors.aol.com" that duplicates the content of several
popular Internet software repositories, including the Info-Mac and
University of Michigan Macintosh software archives, the Usenet FAQ
(frequently asked questions) at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of
Technology), and the WinSite Archive at Indiana University.

"There is a lot of traffic at these sites," Grossman said, "and they
need help with 'mirrors.' We'd like to be the company that helps them,
because a lot of our members are benefiting" from these sites,
she said.

Grossman said AOL isn't specifying who will get equipment, or what
companies will receive donations and for how much. But the company
did say it donated to Total New York, which is sending an Internet
tour through the US, and to West Ceneca Central Schools in New
York state to get them hooked up to the Internet.

Details on AOL's "Give Back to the Net" program can be found at the
company's new Web site, located at http://www.aol.com . The new
site includes a "What's Hot" area that links to other "outstanding"
Web pages each day, and an "Explore" page that hyperlinks Net surfers
to Internet services like Yahoo and WebCrawler.

(Bob Woods/19951026/Press Contact: Miriam Grossman, America Online,
703-918-2062; Public Contact: America Online, 800-827-6364)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/26/95
GENERAL
Thrustmaster Intros New Pinball Game Controller

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00027)
Thrustmaster Intros New Pinball Game Controller 10/26/95
PORTLAND, OREGON, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 26 (NB) -- First it was an
automobile cockpit complete with steering wheel, brake pedal, and
accelerator. Now Thrustmaster Inc. (NASDAQ: TMSR) has introduced
a pinball game controller with flipper controls and a tilt sensor
if you "hip-check" the game too hard.

Readers who spent hours of their youth at a pinball machine in a
gas station or a video arcade will recognize the new Wizzard Pinball
Controller with its two flipper controls that attach to each side
of the player's keyboard. And just like the mechanical machines,
the Wizzard can "tilt" the game thanks to a custom designed optical
potentiometer that senses nudging and tells the software you
delivered an electronic hip-check that was just a little too
vigorous.

Alan Smith, marketing director at Thrustmaster, said Wizzard
improves on current technology which in most games uses the left
and right Control or Shift keys for flipper buttons and the Alt
keys to bump the table. Bumping, for readers who aren't pinball
aficionados, is a time-honored technique for encouraging the steel
game balls to go where the player wants them to go rather than
letting just the game's bumpers and the downhill slope of gravity
to dictate the path.

Users who purchase the Wizzard, with its suggested retail price of
$39.95, will also get the classic pinball game Royal Flush, by Amtex
Software Corporation. Royal Flush is available on CD and features
the original table design with authentic sounds, scrolling and
stationary playfields, table tilt and slope adjustments and high
resolution video capability.

Earlier this month Thrustmaster announced shipment of its new
$179.95 Formula T2 driving control for use with motor racing
simulation software.

The T2 is analogous to a joystick for other games. It's steering
console includes a steering wheel, gear shifter, two dash buttons,
and a separate gas and brake pedal unit that sits on the floor. The
dash buttons perform different functions depending on what specific
game software you are using with the T2. The system attaches to the
PC's game port via an included cable.

Thrustmaster said Wizzard Pinball Controller will ship in November.

(Jim Mallory/19951026/Press contact: Laura Rawlins, Thrustmaster,
503-639-3200)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/26/95
ONLINE
GeoCities Reach 20 Million Hits Monthly

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LAX)(00028)
GeoCities Reach 20 Million Hits Monthly 10/26/95
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 26 (NB) -- Beverly Hills
Internet (BHI), builder of interactive communities on the World
Wide Web called GeoCities, just recorded its l0,000th resident. BHI
also reported that hits accessing the site had risen to over 700,000
a day, up from 350,000 a day last month, and 50,000 a day when it
launched in June.

GeoCities, Web communities named after real-world landmark
locations, offer a homesteading program enabling anyone with access
to the Web to create their own free home page. BHI currently offers
14 advertiser-supported GeoCities such as SiliconValley, WallStreet,
Hollywood, CapitolHill, and SunsetStrip.

David Bohnett, president and founder of BHI, told Newsbytes, "GeoCities
are home pages on the Web set up like real cities. Inside are residential
neighborhoods where we have created residential addresses for our users.
We give each individual who wants their own address and home page.
These are free and make up the residents. Within the communities are
commercial neighborhoods as well where companies market goods and
services."

Individuals can sign up for a Web page by browsing the Directory of
GeoCities at www.geopages.com , and pick a place where they want to
live. They find a vacant address, complete the application, and within
minutes receive electronic-mail confirming with a password.

Beverly Hills Internet plans on continuing to build online GeoCities.
Each continue to be made up of residents who have their own home
pages, and create their own content.

While individuals get a free home page, business pay. Starting at
$750 per month, a business can have a home page, billboard, and
storefront. BHI guarantees over 25,000 page impressions per month for
the minimum $750 service. Page impressions are actual captures, not
just hits, according to Bohnert.

BHI, is a privately held company based in Beverly Hills. It also
creates custom designed commercial Web sites.

(Richard Bowers/19951000/Press Contact: Jacobson Altman,
2l2-697-2620)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/26/95
BUSINESS
McAfee Acquires 3 European Distribution Agents

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00029)
McAfee Acquires 3 European Distribution Agents 10/26/95
BRACKNELL, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 26 (NB) -- McAfee has
announced the acquisition of three of its distributors in Europe -- IPE
of London, Assurdata of Paris, and Kirschbaum Software of Munich in
Germany -- for undisclosed sums. According to Fiona Dineen, a
spokeswoman for the company, the acquisitions will allow McAfee to
expand its sales, marketing and customer support operations in Europe.

"This is a very interesting time for McAfee, coming after the
acquisition of Brightworks and Saber Software recently. The company is
moving into the business side of anti-virus software sales, after
establishing itself on the consumer side with its shareware software
accessible across the Internet," she told Newsbytes, adding that the
company now has a 70 percent-plus market share in the anti-virus
software marketplace.

According to McAfee, the acquisition of the three distributors, which
all previously handled the company's anti-virus software in their
respective countries, will give the company sales offices in France
and Germany, as well as allowing the UK distribution offices in London
to act as a sales office for the company in England.

Bill Larson, McAfee's president, claims that the moves strengthen the
company's presence in Europe, and prepare the way for a "truly global
presence." Larson added that the company has hired Peter Watkins,
previously the director of SunSoft Europe, to act as vice president
for the expanded international operations.

"We are committed to strengthening the company's global leadership in
client/server management software. Peter will play a crucial role in
this effort as we expend McAfee's penetration into new and existing
international markets," he explained.

According to Dineen, meanwhile, the acquisitions mean that McAfee is
well-placed to start promoting its anti-viral software into the
corporate marketplace.

"The company started back in 1989 by offering its software for download
across the Internet and via online services. With these moves, McAfee
is ready to start promoting itself via the dealer channel with
commercial software and into the corporate market," she told
Newsbytes.

(Steve Gold/19951026/Press Contact: MCC International, [phone];
Reader Contact: McAfee, tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/26/95
ONLINE
 ****Access Compuserve Without A Computer Or Modem

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SFO)(00030)
 ****Access Compuserve Without A Computer Or Modem 10/26/95
COLUMBUS, OHIO, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 26 (NB) -- CompuServe says
its new CallingAll Card will allow members to access electronic-mail,
stock quotes, the latest news and more, without a computer, a monitor,
or a modem. Through collaboration with Premier Communications,
CompuServe will issue a calling card which allows subscribers to
access personal and select information from the online service.

Using a toll-free number on a touch-tone telephone, a CallingAll Card
user is able to connect to CompuServe from anywhere in the United
States and in more than 40 other countries. With a private identification
code, a subscriber accesses select information which is based on a user's
pre-determined criteria. To receive information, the first version of
CallingAll Card will allow a user to direct the desired information to a
fax machine.

CompuServe spokesperson, Jeff Shafer, told Newsbytes, "CallingAll
Card will be available to all CompuServe members and costs $0.25 per
minute. Once connected, a user will hear a menu based on preselected
content. The message will say a user has six mail messages and ask if
the users wants the mail faxed to a specific fax machine."

He continued, "CallingAll Card is a new and evolving concept. We
think it will be an invaluable tool for traveling business professionals.
As it evolves, CallingAll Card will offer additional voice enhancements
and eventually will be completely supported by text-to-voice technology."
This means uses will have their mail read or whatever text information
they request read to them.

Besides electronic-mail, stock quotes and breaking news, the new
service also includes fax- mail, voice-mail, conference calling, travel
services, weather reports, and sports information.

CompuServe says the service will be available early in 1996.

(Patrick McKenna/1995/Press Contact: Jeff Shafer, CompuServe,
614-538-4632)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/26/95
TELECOM
Ericsson Branches Out Into Telecom Book Publishing

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00031)
Ericsson Branches Out Into Telecom Book Publishing 10/26/95
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, 1995 OCT 26 (NB) -- Ericsson, the telecoms company,
has announced it is moving into book publishing, with three books
released that aim to cover the history of telecoms, together with the
future developments which are just around the corner.

The first book -- The Mobile Phone Book -- was written by John
Meurling and Richard Jeans, published by CommunicationsWeek
International (ISBN 0 9524031 0 2) and costs approximately $20 at
current exchange rates. According to Ericsson, the book presents the
history of mobile telephony from its beginning in the 1950s to the
present day.

This interesting cellular "biography" claims to include many
interviews with developers, researchers and specialists implementing
innovations into the every-day life. This collaborate book reportedly
includes experiences, ideas, and opinions from Ericsson's employees,
and representatives from the telecommunications, financial, and other
industries, as well as users.

The second book, by Peter Rugaard, is called The Dynamic Jigsaw
Puzzle, and claims to take readers to the world of cellular telephony.
It presents many aspects of this commerce from different angles.

The book analyzes the technical, economical, and business sides of
mobile communications and will be particularly beneficial for those
who want to get involved in the telecom business, especially wanting
to set up a mobile network, claims the company.

Important issues, which are directly related to the subject, such as
licensing, tarrifing, network topologies, traffic forecasting, and
choice of equipment, are widely described in the book, which includes
many colored photographs and is published by Peer Rugaard
(ISBN 0 9525111 0 X) and costs around $90 at current exchange rates.

"A Switch in Time," is the third book that was written by authors of
The Mobile Phone Book, and looks closely at developments and new
achievements in the Ericsson's AXE technology.

According to Ericsson, the book brings readers up-to-date on the first
edition, published back in 1985, and includes the original story and
the history of the last decade with regard AXE technology, growing
competition, and many new technological discoveries and plans for the
coming future of AXE switching systems.

The book is published by CommunicationsWeek International (ISBN 0
9524031 1 0) and sells for around $40 at current exchange rates.

Per Bengtsson, senior press officer for Ericsson, told Newsbytes
that interested readers can order these books through their local
bookstore, wherever in the world they are, by quoting the publisher
and the ISBN (International Services Book Number) reference.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951026/Press Contact: Per Bengtsson, Ericsson,
[phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/26/95
BUSINESS
Netherlands' KPN Multimedia Readies UK Office

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00032)
Netherlands' KPN Multimedia Readies UK Office 10/26/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 26 (NB) -- KPN Multimedia, part of the Royal
Dutch Telecommunications and Postal Group, has announced plans to
launch an editorial publishing group, called Planet Internet UK, in
the next few months. In addition, the company is mulling over two
further multimedia businesses for the UK market.

Matt Fearnley, a spokesman for the company, told Newsbytes that KPN
has around 15,000 subscribers in the Netherlands, split between people
who are using KPN as their Internet service provider, and people who
subscribe to KPN's services.

"Planet Internet UK will evolve into a similar sort of publishing
venture, but it's still very early days for the company," he said, adding
that the company plans to launch its Internet publishing venture early
in the new year.

The company is also evaluating an interactive audio visual TV sampling
service known as MM7, and Teleselect, a conditional access system for
pay-per-view and pay-TV, and will consider the launch of these
businesses during 1996.

Announcing the formation of the UK company, Pieter van Hoogstraten,
KPN Multimedia's chief executive officer (CEO), said that two people
have been appointed to head up the UK operation: Managing Director Steve
Nicholson and Marketing Director John O'Sullivan. "The UK market is one
of the most exciting liberalized markets in the world. Among the new
cable investments, we see KPN Multimedia driving our investment in the
UK to establish a successful long-term presence," he said.

Steve Nicholson claims that the level of consumer and industry
interest in the Internet, and multimedia facilities, is unprecedented.

"We have a clear affinity with the consumer market and we aim to
develop stimulating interactive services founded on quality customer
care principles and dynamic consumer marketing," he said.

(Steve Gold/19951026)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/26/95
TRENDS
Eicon Research Predicts Rapid UK ISDN Take-Up

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00033)
Eicon Research Predicts Rapid UK ISDN Take-Up 10/26/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 26 (NB) -- Eicon Technology, a connectivity
company that specializes in LAN (local area network) to WAN (wide area
network) connectivity, claims that its research shows that, despite the
high cost of connecting and renting ISDN (integrated services digital
network) systems in the UK, the market for ISDN is about to take off
rapidly. The reason, the company claims, is that companies have
realized that ISDN can be used for switched WAN interconnects on an
on-demand basis.

According to Tim Smith, a spokesman for Eicon, a survey of major IT
(information technology) companies with mainframes or large Unix hosts
was undertaken during August on behalf of the company, and showed that
78 percent of senior network management and DP (data processing)
managers questioned predicted increased usage of ISDN within their
companies.

Interestingly, 44 percent of companies said that they planned to
purchase ISDN-linked SNA (Systems Network Architecture) gateways
within the next 12 months.

"This is despite the high costs of ISDN circuits in the UK, and shows
that ISDN is being viewed seriously by companies," Smith told
Newsbytes, adding that ISDN looks like becoming a serious option for
WAN connectivity.

Commenting on the figures, Dave Carew-Jones, Eicon Technology's
European marketing director, said that the figures on SNA gateway
purchasing plans are particularly interesting.

"Whereas the number of SNA networks may not be growing, organizations
are still investing heavily in those networks they already have. We
believe that advances in gateways are now making it easier to give
more PC users and LAN users access to mainframe data and
applications," he explained.

According to Carew-Jones, the second interesting conclusion is the
speed with which companies are now planning to adopt ISDN for WAN
communications. "These figures seem to confirm that every company of
any significance will have invested in ISDN within 18 months," he
said.

The research, which was conducted on a random sample of 100 companies
from Computer Intelligence' database, targeted those firms with more
than 500 staff who have a large mainframe or Unix system, and also shows
that demand for remote access products will be very strong for both
the solo user and remote LAN to LAN access.

According to Eicon, the demand for remote access products has been
expected to rise on the back of increasing numbers of telecommuters,
accessing the corporate network from either home or small, local
offices,

The survey shows that 59 percent of those questioned intend to
purchase remote LAN access products during the next year, and 66
percent expect to purchase LAN to LAN routers in the same period --
figures which Eicon claims helps to explain the 78 percent expecting
to see ISDN used more significantly.

"We expected to see a strong correlation between these two figures,
because ISDN is the prefect medium for remote access. This is also
good news for us because, with our acquisition of G.Diehl ISDN earlier
this year, we already market a strong range of ISDN remote access
products," he said.

(Steve Gold/19951026/Press Contact: Profile PR, [phone],
Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Reader
Contact: Eicon Technology, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/26/95
ONLINE
 ****AT&T Business Network Ready To Go

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SFO)(00034)
 ****AT&T Business Network Ready To Go 10/26/95
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 26 (NB) -- AT&T says its
AT&T Business Network, an added extension of AT&T Interchange Online,
for business professionals, will be available on Monday, October 30.
The new service provides extensive business content based on the latest
news and information from providers such as CNN, The Kiplinger
Washington Editors, and others.

AT&T Business Network is the first product announced by the newly
formed AT&T unit, AT&T New Media Services. Unlike standard
online services, AT&T Interchange Network is a "platform" on which
information publishers and providers offer their own custom designed
and managed online services. AT&T Business Network is now one of
the services available through the Interchange Network, and joins
the Washington Post, Star-Tribune, and Ziff-Davis Publications as an
online service through the Interchange Network.

Other information providers contributing to AT&T Business Network
include: The Bureau of National Affairs, Dow Jones Business Information
Services, Business Travel News, Dun & Bradstreet Information Services,
Entrepreneurial Edge, Gorilla Marketing International, TRW Business
Information Services, and Weissmann Travel Reports.

An AT&T spokesperson told Newsbytes, "We have incorporated
extensive business information which cannot be found together from
any other source. This is the most advanced site for business
professionals to gather critical, up-to-the minute information."

The new network has a monthly fee of $39.95, which includes the
first 10 hours of use. Additional time is charged at $2.95 per hour.

Information about AT&T Business Network is available over the
telephone at 800-660-2299, or on the World Wide Web at
http://www.ichange.com .

AT&T Business Network requires an IBM or compatible with a 386 or
higher processor running Windows 3.1, 3.11, or Windows 95. Eight
megabytes (MB) of RAM are recommended, and 10MB of hard disk
space are required. Users must also access the network with a
modem speed of at least 9,600 bits-per-second.

(Patrick McKenna/19951026)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00035)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 10/26/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 26 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|           Thursday, October 26, 1995           |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network's on the Web! Check out http://www.nbnn.com for
free daily top stories from Newsbytes. and its affiliate publications,
and from PC Week, MacWeek, and other Ziff news magazines. A subscription
gives you all the news, full-text, plus the most comprehensive database
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from today back through 1983. Subscriptions are $24.95 for three months.
Questions? Send to '[e-mail]'  For Japanese Newsbytes
and additional services, see the Newsbytes Pacifica Website at
http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

BUSINESS  Czech Republic - TH'System On A Fast Track................. 12

BUSINESS  Matsushita Licenses 3DO Video Technology................... 15

BUSINESS  Japan - Strong Half Year Results Reported By Majors........ 16

BUSINESS  Computer Associates Launches Africa Joint Venture.......... 18

BUSINESS  IBM Canada Bid "Fair," But DMR Will Not Recommend It....... 19

BUSINESS  McAfee Acquires 3 European Distribution Agents............. 29

BUSINESS  Netherlands' KPN Multimedia Readies UK Office.............. 32

CHIPS     China - Fully Domestic IC Card Developed................... 14

GENERAL   Thrustmaster Intros New Pinball Game Controller............ 27

HEALTH    Educational Channel For Doctors Makes House Calls.......... 01

IBM       Czech Republic - ELKO & IBM In PC Assembly Deal............ 10

LEGAL     Hong Kong Drafts Intellectual Property Law................. 13

NETWORK   Microsoft Networking Over WAN Topologies................... 06

ONLINE    America Online & Cap Cities/ABC To Form Fashion Channel.... 02

ONLINE    Virtus Ships 3-D Web Building Software..................... 03

ONLINE    Compuserve Europe Launches ISDN Access Service............. 09

ONLINE     ****Internet Update....................................... 17

ONLINE     ****Sybase To Announce New Products Live On Internet...... 21

ONLINE     ****Internetworld In Boston Next Week, Global Sites Planne 22

ONLINE    America Online Opens Web Site, "Gives Back To Net.......... 26

ONLINE    GeoCities Reach 20 Million Hits Monthly.................... 28

ONLINE     ****Access Compuserve Without A Computer Or Modem......... 30

ONLINE     ****AT&T Business Network Ready To Go..................... 34

PC        Dell & Gateway Intro Pentium 120MHz Notebooks.............. 04

PC        SAG Intros Quad-Pentium PCs/Servers With 150MHz Chips...... 23

TELECOM   Motorola Extends Thailand Cellular Network Facilities...... 05

TELECOM   Sweden's Ericsson In Major Philippines Telecoms Deal....... 07

TELECOM   Securicor Installs Major Comms Network In Ireland.......... 08

TELECOM   Czech Republic - Call Centers Integrate Telephony/Computing 11

TELECOM   MCI Intros TTY Calling Card................................ 25

TELECOM   Ericsson Branches Out Into Telecom Book Publishing......... 31

TRENDS    Eicon Research Predicts Rapid UK ISDN Take-Up.............. 33

WINDOWS   Wang Shipping Open/workflow, Open/image For Windows NT..... 20

WINDOWS   Micrografx Shipping Windows Draw 4.0....................... 24

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 -> Educational Channel For Doctors Makes House Calls -- PrimeNet
Communications Inc., a creator of satellite television programs, has
announced plans to beam professional educational programming to Canadian
doctors via Canadian Satellite Communications Inc.'s (Cancom) satellite
TV system.

2 -> America Online & Cap Cities/ABC To Form Fashion Channel -- The world
of new fashion styles, new clothing trends, and leggy supermodels vamping
down runways is opening a new post in cyberspace. Capital Cities/ABC
(NYSE:CCB) and America Online (NASDAQ:AMER) will introduce a "fashion
channel" on the America Online service in early 1996.

3 -> Virtus Ships 3-D Web Building Software -- The Virtus Corporation is
shipping three-dimensional (3-D) Internet World Wide Web site-building
software. The company said anyone with a common desktop computer can now
build interactive 3-D Web sites with its new WalkThrough Pro 2.5.

4 -> Dell & Gateway Intro Pentium 120MHz Notebooks -- Dell Computer Corp.
(NASDAQ: DELL) and Gateway 2000 (NASDAQ: GATE) have introduced new
notebook computers that use Intel's 120 megahertz (MHz) Pentium
microprocessor.

5 -> Motorola Extends Thailand Cellular Network Facilities -- Motorola
has secured a major expansion and development contract with the Total
Access Communications Company (TAC) of Thailand. Terms of the $160
million contract call for the expansion of the current analog network,
pushing maximum subscriber levels to 400,000-plus by the end of the year.

6 -> Microsoft Networking Over WAN Topologies -- Microsoft's Multi
Protocol Routing (MPR) technology is reportedly fine for servicing the
needs of LAN (local area network) users, but falls down when it comes to
linking into WANs (wide area networks). Eicon Technology, a remote
networking company, claims it has the problem solved with its WAN
Services for Windows NT V3R3 routing application, which supports MPR over
WAN topologies for the first time.

7 -> Sweden's Ericsson In Major Philippines Telecoms Deal -- Ericsson has
signed a major contract with the Philippine network operator, Digital
Telecommunications Philippines (Digitel), for the extension of its
national telecoms network. The contract is worth $59 million for the
Swedish telecoms giant.

8 -> Securicor Installs Major Comms Network In Ireland -- Securicor has
announced the successful installation of a UKP450,000 private mobile
radio (PMR) system that blankets Ireland. According to Bernard Smith,
Securicor Ireland's general manager, the PMR network forms the linchpin
of a UKP1 million advanced voice and data comms network that will span
Ireland, making it the most sophisticated network operational in that
country.

9 -> Compuserve Europe Launches ISDN Access Service -- Confirming plans
laid down earlier this year, Compuserve claims that it is first to market
with ISDN (integrated services digital network) access to its online
network in Europe. The company claims that its ISDN links can work at
speeds of up to 57,600 bits-per-second (bps).

10 -> Czech Republic - ELKO & IBM In PC Assembly Deal -- IBM Czech
Republic s.r.o. and ELKO Holding a.s. have announced that ELKO will
assemble 486- and Pentium-based PCs in Prague in a quantity of 500 units
per month starting in October, with output expected to reach 1,500 units
per month within six months. The relationship was established to meet the
demands of the price-sensitive and increasingly quality- and
service-aware Czech market.

11 -> Czech Republic - Call Centers Integrate Telephony/Computing -- AT&T
BCS (Business Communications Systems) sees call centers offering
value-added  services becoming a focal point of the products of the major
information technology (IT) vendors active in Central & Eastern Europe,
with the major hurdles being those with the local telcos.

12 -> Czech Republic - TH'System On A Fast Track -- TH'system, ranked
among the top three distributors in CEE, held a press conference recently
to announce its 5th anniversary, doubling of income and profits,
preparations to open a Hungarian branch office, and opening of a new
2,000 square-meter warehouse in Ostrava.

13 -> Hong Kong Drafts Intellectual Property Law -- The Hong Kong
government will formulate a draft law to ensure that Hong Kong's
intellectual property laws meet the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of
Intellectual Property (TRIPS), the Xinhua News Agency reported.

14 -> China - Fully Domestic IC Card Developed -- China's first
integrated circuit (IC) card has been jointly developed by China Huaxu
Golden Card Co. Ltd. and Tsinghua University. The IC card recently passed
technical evaluation by an experts group organized by the Ministry of
Electronics Industry (MEI) and the State Education Commission.

15 -> Matsushita Licenses 3DO Video Technology -- Matsushita Electrical
Industrial Co., Ltd. (TSE:6752) has signed a memorandum of understanding
with 3DO Company (NASDAQ:THDO) that will allow the Japanese company to
exclusively use 3DO's 64-bit M2 graphics technology in its own products.
The deal is worth over $100 million to 3DO.

16 -> Japan - Strong Half Year Results Reported By Majors -- With the
half fiscal year company reporting season now underway, some of Japan's
major electronics and electrical companies announced financial results
for the six months to September. Despite the sluggish Japanese economy
all the companies reported higher demands for electronics products and
increased annual forecasts.

17 ->  ****Internet Update -- In this roundup of new resources and
services on the global Internet: In the news: Shuttle mission STS-73, In
the news: Tokyo Motor Show, US Mint coins a new Web site, Salute horror
for Halloween, For You, Jerusalem, Technology corporation index, The view
from the tower, and the world, New on Usenet.

18 -> Computer Associates Launches Africa Joint Venture -- Computer
Associates International Inc. (NYSE:CA) of Islandia, New York, has formed
a joint venture with South African technology firm Dimension Data
Holdings Ltd. The new Computer Associates Africa will be based in
Johannesburg and will sell the software company's products throughout
Africa, a company spokeswoman told Newsbytes.

19 -> IBM Canada Bid "Fair," But DMR Will Not Recommend It -- The board
of directors of DMR Group Inc. (TSE:DR) has declined to recommend to its
shareholders a takeover bid by IBM Canada Ltd. of Markham, Ontario.
However, DMR called the bid "fair."

20 -> Wang Shipping Open/workflow, Open/image For Windows NT -- Wang
Laboratories Inc. (NASDAQ:WANG) said it has begun shipping its
Open/workflow and Open/image software for Microsoft's Windows NT
operating system. The packages take advantage of Microsoft's BackOffice
suite of client/server system components, Wang said.

21 ->  ****Sybase To Announce New Products Live On Internet -- Database
giant, Sybase (NASDAQ:SYBS) is teaming with Progressive Networks, the
RealAudio voice of the Internet, to deliver a live audio broadcast to
announce Sybase System 11. The hour-long, live Internet program will
compliment a worldwide satellite telecast on Monday, October 30.

22 ->  ****Internetworld In Boston Next Week, Global Sites Planned --
MecklerMedia's Internetworld Boston '95, set for Boston's World Trade
Center next week, will be followed by a second show in Boston, plus new
editions of the Web extravaganza in Canada, Japan, Mexico, Australia,
Brazil, Malaysia, and northern California in 1996 and 1997, revealed
MecklerMedia's Tanya Mazarowski, during a show preview for Newsbytes.

23 -> SAG Intros Quad-Pentium PCs/Servers With 150MHz Chips -- SAG
Electronics' new STC-1000 PC workstations and fileservers are the first
in the industry to provide quad-Pentium processing using Pentium 150
megahertz (MHz) chips, and SAG has doubled conventional throughput with a
specially designed memory bus architecture, maintained Steve Santos, vice
president, during a conference call with Newsbytes.

24 -> Micrografx Shipping Windows Draw 4.0 -- Micrografx Inc. (NASDAQ:
MGXI) has announced it is shipping release 4.0 of Windows Draw, the
program that launched Windows-based drawing programs when it appeared at
the fall Comdex trade show in Las Vegas four years ago.

25 -> MCI Intros TTY Calling Card -- MCI Corp. (NASDAQ:MCIC) will
introduce a calling card for people who are deaf or hard-of- hearing. The
card, called the MCI TTY (text telephone) Card, is the first of its kind,
MCI officials said.

26 -> America Online Opens Web Site, "Gives Back To Net -- As a part of
the company's new Internet World Wide Web site, America Online Inc.
(NASDAQ:AMER) has announced a "Give back to the Net" program, which
supports the creation, maintenance, and access of Internet resources.

27 -> Thrustmaster Intros New Pinball Game Controller -- First it was an
automobile cockpit complete with steering wheel, brake pedal, and
accelerator. Now Thrustmaster Inc. (NASDAQ: TMSR) has introduced a
pinball game controller with flipper controls and a tilt sensor if you
"hip-check" the game too hard.

28 -> GeoCities Reach 20 Million Hits Monthly -- Beverly Hills Internet
(BHI), builder of interactive communities on the World Wide Web called
GeoCities, just recorded its l0,000th resident. BHI also reported that
hits accessing the site had risen to over 700,000 a day, up from 350,000
a day last month, and 50,000 a day when it launched in June.

29 -> McAfee Acquires 3 European Distribution Agents -- McAfee has
announced the acquisition of three of its distributors in Europe

30 ->  ****Access Compuserve Without A Computer Or Modem -- CompuServe
says its new CallingAll Card will allow members to access
electronic-mail, stock quotes, the latest news and more, without a
computer, a monitor, or a modem. Through collaboration with Premier
Communications, CompuServe will issue a calling card which allows
subscribers to access personal and select information from the online
service.

31 -> Ericsson Branches Out Into Telecom Book Publishing -- Ericsson, the
telecoms company, has announced it is moving into book publishing, with
three books released that aim to cover the history of telecoms, together
with the future developments which are just around the corner.

32 -> Netherlands' KPN Multimedia Readies UK Office -- KPN Multimedia,
part of the Royal Dutch Telecommunications and Postal Group, has
announced plans to launch an editorial publishing group, called Planet
Internet UK, in the next few months. In addition, the company is mulling
over two further multimedia businesses for the UK market.

33 -> Eicon Research Predicts Rapid UK ISDN Take-Up -- Eicon Technology,
a connectivity company that specializes in LAN (local area network) to
WAN (wide area network) connectivity, claims that its research shows
that, despite the high cost of connecting and renting ISDN (integrated
services digital network) systems in the UK, the market for ISDN is about
to take off rapidly. The reason, the company claims, is that companies
have realized that ISDN can be used for switched WAN interconnects on an
on-demand basis.

34 ->  ****AT&T Business Network Ready To Go -- AT&T says its AT&T
Business Network, an added extension of AT&T Interchange Online, for
business professionals, will be available on Monday, October 30. The new
service provides extensive business content based on the latest news and
information from providers such as CNN, The Kiplinger Washington Editors,
and others.

(Ian Stokell/19951026)








Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD



Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/25/95
GENERAL
Nintendo Cuts Virtual Boy Price, Intros New Games

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00001)
Nintendo Cuts Virtual Boy Price, Intros New Games 10/25/95
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 25 (NB) -- Nintendo of America
has announced a $20 reduction in the price of its Virtual Boy video
game system. The price cut makes the suggested retail price of
Virtual Boy $159.95.

Virtual Boy is a RISC (reduced instruction set computing)-based
32-bit game system that uses two high-resolution mirror-scanning
light emitting diode (LED) displays to produce a three-dimensional
effect. The company says the design of the system immerses the player
into the game and eliminates most external stimuli, much like the
larger-scale virtual reality games do.

Virtual Boy runs on six AA batteries, with an AC adapter scheduled
for later availability as an optional item.

Nintendo also offers rental of the Virtual Boy game, and the company
reports that more than 40,000 people each day rent a unit at their
local Blockbuster Video store.

In conjunction with the price cut, Nintendo has also announced five
more games for Virtual Boy, and one for the Nintendo Ultra 64 video
game system that's scheduled for release next year. By the end of
October, Mario's Clash is expected to be on retail shelves, with
Mario Land and Golf available in November, and Vertical Force and
Panic Bomber debuting in early December. Star Wars: Shadows of the
Empire for the Ultra 64 is scheduled to ship by mid-1996.

Mario's Clash is an eight-megabit action/adventure game for a
single player. Nintendo said the game is intended for kids to adults
age six and up. Clash is based on the early Mario Brothers arcade
games and features all-directional scrolling.

There are 99 levels of gameplay as the player navigates Mario's
Clash through an system of pipes and platforms in the House of
Clash, which is working with Mario's enemies. Dangers include
falling icicles, projectile iron balls, and fire clouds. You get a
new life when you reach 50,000 and 100,000 points. Clash has a
suggested retail price of $39.95.

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire for the Ultra 64 video game system
is set in the time between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of
the Jedi. The player confronts infamous characters like Jabba the
Hutt, Darth Vader, and even the Emperor himself. Nintendo teamed
with film maker George Lucas's company, LucasArts, to produce the
Star Wars game. The game is part of a multimedia rollout that
also includes a novel from Bantam Books and a comic series from
Dark Horse Comics. Also planned is a trading card series.

Nintendo said the Ultra 64 will be available for home use in the
Spring of 1996 with a suggested retail price of under $250.

Nintendo maintains a presence on the World Wide Web at
http://www.nintendo.com , as well as America Online (keyword:
Nintendo).

(Jim Mallory/19951024/Press contact: Alison Holt Brummelkamp, Golin
Harris for Nintendo, 213-623-4200; Public contact: Web site at
http://www.nintendo.com )




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/25/95
UNIX
Silicon Graphics' "On-The-Fly" Web Page Package

(NEWS)(UNIX)(LON)(00002)
Silicon Graphics' "On-The-Fly" Web Page Package 10/25/95
READING, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 25 (NB) -- Silicon Graphics has
announced MindShare Outbox, an Iris-based (Silicon Graphics' Unix
variant) software package that uses Web technology to allow people to
share information within organizations.

Andrew Spybey, a spokesman for Silicon Graphics' UK operation, told
Newsbytes that the package is being bundled free of charge with the
company's workstations and allows users to automatically generate a
Web-style personal "home page" that can be hyperlinked to any data
type access on PC, Apple Mac, or Unix platforms.

In use, the data is converted "on-the-fly" by the software and
"shown" to the user, usually on a network link, as a Web page.

This is an important differentiating factor between Web creation
applications and MindShare Outbox, since the package does not
physically create a Web page on disk, but merely represents the
available data to the caller as if it were a Web page, Newsbytes
notes.

The idea behind the package is that colleagues on the network can look
up the resultant information using any standard Web browser. The data
can be updated in real time, so presenting an always-current database
for the user, accessible around the clock and around the world.

"Companies everywhere have realized the vast potential of the Web to
enhance communication between themselves and the outside world,"
explained Andrew Cresci, Silicon Graphics' UK marketing manager.

"With MindShare Outbox, these same companies can now utilize the Web
to serve as a dynamic communications medium within their
organizations. The package is the first drag-and-drop desktop Web
publishing tool to unleash the power of internal networks by enabling
quick and easy `out of box' workgroup collaboration," he said.

According to Silicon Graphics' Spybey, the package is ideal for using
data sharing behind an Internet firewall, and draws on the technology
behind Silicon Graphics' WebMagic HTML (hypertext markup language)
editor software.

(Steve Gold/19951024/Press Contact: Hunt Thompson, [phone],
Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Reader Contact:
Silicon Graphics, tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/25/95
TRENDS
 ****Computer Crimes Greater Than Expected, Increasing

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00003)
 ****Computer Crimes Greater Than Expected, Increasing 10/25/95
EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 25 (NB) -- Professor David
Carter, faculty member of Michigan State University (MSU), says 98.6%
of businesses in his nationwide survey have been victims of computer
crime. More than 43.3% of the 200 survey respondents say they were
victimized in excess of 25 times.

Carter's study indicates that electronic theft, the introduction of
viruses, and personal harassment are the most common crimes. Electronic
theft involves credit card theft, telecommunications theft, unauthorized
access to computer data, cellular phone fraud, and theft of business
secrets and personnel data. The MSU study involved banks, savings and
loans, large corporations, and various retail businesses nationwide.

Speaking to Newsbytes, Dr. Carter, said, "A lot of computer theft and
fraud occurs around intellectual property as opposed to direct theft of
money. I think that is because there are greater security efforts
attached to financial transactions. We need to extend and increase
security at all levels of computer use."

The survey also reports the average business fraud involving computers
averages $500,000 per incident, while non-computer related thefts
average $23,000. Carter also said it is often difficult to place a dollar
value on intellectual property such as client lists and product
information, but he did site a British banking study which estimated
computer fraud worldwide at $22.4 million each day for a total of $8
billion per year.

According to the MSU study, most common thefts were committed by
employees and contract workers, but the study also noted a substantial
rise in computer hackers, and Carter said other studies indicate a
growing threat from organized crime groups in Eastern Europe.

As the computer boom continues in home and business sales, Carter
says problems of computer theft, fraud, and viruses are expected to
increase and need to be addressed immediately.

His proposed first step is to increase computer training, stressing
responsibilities and security issues for all employees. Secondly, he
says the industry trend to address security of stored and transmitted
data must be heightened even further with thorough screening of personnel,
better supervision, systems monitoring, compartmentalizing critical
information, increased use of cryptography, and regular changes of
passwords used to access protected data.

Among the most common abuses reported in the survey were credit
card fraud and telecommunications fraud, with 96.6% of those surveyed
reporting those abuses. Other areas included: employee use of company
computer equipment for personal reasons at 96%; unauthorized access
to computer files for "snooping" at 95.1%; cellular phone fraud at
94.5%; and unlicensed copying of licensed software at 91.2%.

The study shows internal business data such as trade secrets, money,
new product plans, product descriptions, employee records, client
information, and pricing strategies, have increased dramatically over
the past five years.

Describing computer harassment, Carter said sexual harassment was
quite common, but companies often receive harassment in a different
way. For example, a person who is disgruntled with a company might
send a message within a company network telling someone to call
everyone on a particular client list, or a hacker can change a phone
number listed on a World Wide Web site to create problems for the
company. "This type of harassment can be almost harmless or cost a
company thousands of dollars," explained Carter.

(Patrick McKenna/19951024/Press Contact: Ron Collins, MSU,
517-355-2281)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/25/95
BROADCAST
Skyphone's Encrypted Fax/Data/Voice Call Services

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(LON)(00004)
Skyphone's Encrypted Fax/Data/Voice Call Services 10/25/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 25 (NB) -- Skyphone, the satellite phone
consortium owned and operated by British Telecom, Singapore Telecom,
and Telnor International (formerly Norwegian Telcom), has announced an
enhancement to its analog voice, data, and fax service from
aircraft -- encrypted call facilities.

Skyphone offers air-to-ground, as well as ground-to-air calls and has
been operating for the past year on a growing number of airlines.
Since the system is analog, ordinary voice calls pass as if the call
were being processed across an analog cellphone link. Fax calls carry
using standard Group 3 fax transmissions, but stepped down to 2,400
bits-per-second (bps) because of the limited audio bandwidth available.
Data calls, meanwhile, are processed using 2,400 bps modem carrier
technology.

This is why Skyphone can introduce encryption so easily to the mix.
Voice and fax calls are digitized and fed to the 2,400 bps modem via a
Cylink encryption system. The resultant modem carrier then carries
across the available satellite channels and is received by a 2,400
bps modem on the ground, where it is decrypted using a second Cylink
system.

All this happens transparently as far as the caller is concerned.
According to Julian Wright, a spokesman for Skyphone, the encrypted
call service, which is an option on all calls, will be introduced on
Skyphone Ground Earth Stations (GESs) serving the Atlantic Ocean
region (AOR), which runs from the Pacific to the Persian Gulf.

"Secure service in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and Pacific Ocean
region (POR) will follow later this month," Wright told Newsbytes.

According to Wright, the encryption service is ideally suited to
airlines who want to guarantee the privacy of sensitive airborne
operational data transmissions -- as well as business customer calls.

Commenting on the introduction of encryption to Skyphone's services,
Aeronautical Systems Manager David Kennedy said that the more
established that aircraft-based satellite communications becomes, so
the needs of the market become more sophisticated.

"We're responding to that need in a way that keeps our call charges
unchanged, call set-up simple, and call security high. The only extra
element required is to have approved, secure hardware on board both
the plane and on the ground," he explained.

(Steve Gold/19951024/Press Contact: Spec Communications,
tel [phone], fax [phone], Internet e-mail
[e-mail]; Reader Contact: Skyphone, tel [phone],
fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/25/95
WINDOWS
German Firm Offers Low-Cost Pro Music Composing Software

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(LON)(00005)
German Firm Offers Low-Cost Pro Music Composing Software 10/25/95
CLAVERDON, WARWICKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 25 (NB) -- Capella Music
Notation, a German music software house, has announced the
availability of Capella 2.1, a UKP119 music editing and annotation
package for the PC-Windows environment. The company has signed
distribution agreements with companies in the Czech Republic, the
Netherlands, and Software Partners in the UK.

According to Richard Blundell, a spokesman for Software Partners, the
company is also looking to distribute the package in the US.

Blundell told Newsbytes that Capella 2.1 for Windows is pitched at the
layperson and professional musician alike. "The German price is around
the UKP140 mark, but the package is cheaper in the UK market as the
company wanted to offer the software for anyone with an interest in
music," he explained.

According to Blundell, Capella 2.1 for Windows is an "uncomplicated
music printing system" that combines "outstanding graphics and layout
with a simplicity of use and a rapid operating speed," all at an
"affordable" price.

"The package needs an 80486-based PC with four megabytes (MB) of memory
and around 2MB of hard disk space, but it's key advantage over the
competition, most of which is much more highly priced, is that its
very fast and has a graphical user interface," he told Newsbytes.

"My own system is a 40 megahertz (MHz) 80486-based machine and this is
fast enough for most applications under Capella, but for really large
files, some of our users have reported that a Pentium-based system may
be the best option," he said, adding that CD-ROM-based and Windows
95-based versions of the software are under "active development."

The Capella range of software was developed by Professor Hartmut Ring,
a computer graphics and software technology export at the University
of Siegen in Germany. Ring is also the author of several best-selling
books on programming in Germany.

Musical advice on the project was given by a range of professional
musicians in Germany who, according to Blundell, not only took the
input from their choir directors, music teachers, and arrangers, but
suggestions from users of earlier versions of the software.

In use, the package presents a keyboard along the bottom half of the
screen, and a set of musical annotations along the top half. The
commands can be entered using the PC keyboard or using a mouse.

According to Blundell, regular users tend use the PC keyboard for
controlling the software, while occasional users are better suited to
mouse input and control.

In total there are four different methods of entering music, including
the mouse and keyboard systems already outlined, as well as using a
musical keyboard template that fits over a PC keyboard, and a MIDI
(musical instrument digital interface) link option for MIDI-compatible
instruments.

For multi-part music playback, the package needs a Windows compatible
sound card, although a single part can be played through a PC's
loudspeaker. Music can also be exported as a MIDI file.

According to Blundell, the package can print sheet music in a high
quality format using a dot-matrix or laser printer, and the dimensions
of the score can be varied from "pocket size" to "very large" for
primary school users. Any TrueType font can be used to add text to
the score, and Capella already comes with 35 score designs.

(Steve Gold/19951024/Press & Reader Contact: WHC Musik
Software, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Software Partners,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/25/95
BUSINESS
Pearson & Matra Sell Europe Online Shares To Veba

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00006)
Pearson & Matra Sell Europe Online Shares To Veba 10/25/95
LUXEMBOURG, 1995 OCT 25 (NB) -- Pearson and Matra-Hachette have
announced plans to sell their stakes in Europe Online, an online
publishing venture created with a third company, Burda Verlag of
Germany, to Veba, the German information technology (IT) company.
Burda Verlag is retaining its shares in the venture, Newsbytes
understands.

According to Europe Online, the sell-off has nothing to do with a
European Commission (EC) investigation into Europe Online announced a
few months ago. The preliminary investigation, which has since been
dropped by the EC, aimed to investigate whether the multi-country
alliance would be too powerful in Europe's new online industry.

Europe Online claims that the deal is entirely amicable, and stems
from a difference in direction between Matra-Hachette and the other
partners. Pearson, meanwhile, has stated its intention of being an
information provider, rather than a shareholder, in the new online
service.

Veba will acquire the unspecified volume of shares, for an unspecified
amount of money, later this year. Burda, meanwhile, will remain the
major shareholder in the joint venture company, which has yet to
announced its plans for operations.

As reported last month, Vebacom, Veba's subsidiary company, had
already contracted to take up to a 10 percent stage in Europe Online
and was discussing the possibility of acquiring a larger investment
from the existing shareholders.

Newsbytes predicted at the time that the two main shareholders in
Europe Online -- Pearson in the UK and Matra Hachette in France --
would reduce their shares to allow Vebacom to come on board.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951024/Press & Reader Contact: Vebacom,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/25/95
TELECOM
Russian Telecom Giant To Be Privatized

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00007)
Russian Telecom Giant To Be Privatized 10/25/95
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1995 OCT 25 (NB) -- The Russian Government has
announced plans to privatize Svyazinvest, the state-owned telecoms
holding company. According to Macksim Boyko, head of the Russian
Privatization Bureau, 25 percent of the company will be sold off to a
major investor.

During 1996, a further 24 percent of the company will be offered to
the public, both in Russia and abroad.

Boyko told journalists that the winning bidder for the first tranche
of shares will pay at least a million roubles for each of the 1.9
million shares, and invest around $400 per share in the company. The
first stage of the deal alone will generate around $770 million for
the Russian Government, analysts note, with a probable price tag for
the 49 percent stake selloff of around the $2 billion mark.

Analysts have accused the Russian Government of rushing the
privatization through too quickly. Boyko has dismissed such
suggestions, claiming that the plan is in line with major potential
investors the Government has discussed the plan with. He claims that
at least 20 percent of the first stage investment of $400 per share
must be made within 30 days of the deal being secure, with the
remaining 80 percent staged over the next two years.

Industry watchers have suggested that the first stage of the deal may
already be cut and dried, as Boyko has suggested that the bidders will
probably be limited to Western telecoms companies. He claims that the
Privatization Bureau has already written to 12 such companies and
asked for their preliminary response.

So far, Boyko claims that six companies have expressed an interest and
have set up working parties to discuss the tender. Surprisingly, Boyko
said last week that he expects the bulk of tenders to be in by the end
of this month, after which the winner will be selected purely on
price, after a series of private discussions with the companies
concerned.

The deal is the biggest privatization of its kind in Russia, outside
of the oil sector. Newsbytes notes that Svyazinvest has a 51 percent
stake in around 85 telecom companies scattered around Russia, making
it a major "catch" for any Western telco, which would almost
certainly be able to secure the lion's share of international telecoms
switching in Russia.

"We believe the Svyazinvest transaction offers a unique opportunity
for Western telecommunications companies to come into Russia in a big,
big way," Boyko told reporters when announcing the deal. "The ambition
is to set up a significantly higher value for Svyazinvest than what
has been achieved so far in many privatization transactions," he
explained.

According to Boyko, the Privatization Bureau is preparing the deal to
be handled by a consortium of international merchant banks, including
NM Rothschild, Barings, KPMG, and others. These banks, he said, will
sell the shares in the company and develop an investment program.

Newsbytes notes that Svyazinvest's charter capital exceeds R7,700
billion and has control of around 20 million of the 25.5 million
phone lines currently installed in Russia.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951024)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/25/95
PC
TI Intros MicroLaser Printer For SOHO Market

(NEWS)(PC)(DEN)(00008)
TI Intros MicroLaser Printer For SOHO Market 10/25/95
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 25 (NB) -- Texas Instruments Inc.
(NYSE: TXN) has introduced a new member of its MicroLaser printer
family that is intended specifically for the small office/home office
(SOHO) market where a Windows-based PC is in use. The company said the
printer is positioned to compete with Hewlett Packard's LaserJet 5P.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95102508.PCX
Click here for photo

The MicroLaser Win/4 is a 600 by 600 dots-per-inch (dpi)
resolution unit that can print up to four pages-per-minute (ppm). It
weighs 11 pounds, has a 12-inch by 11-inch footprint and is 8-inches
high.

TI spokesperson Jerry Rycaj told Newsbytes the Win/4 is a more
"toaster" oriented unit than most printers, with document feed
and output bins positioned vertically, making it the "smallest laser
printer available today by a factor of at least 25 percent." The
Win/4 can also output horizontally on the desktop.

A 100-sheet paper bin feeds the straight-through paper path. That
lets the user print, not just on regular paper, but also on stiffer
stock like envelopes, transparencies, label sheets, and cards.

The printer ships with a TI toner cartridge that has an estimated
life of 2,000 pages at four percent coverage. Rycaj said that's about
to half to three-quarters of a printed page. You also get a drum
cartridge that TI said has a life of about 20,000 pages. The toner
cartridge has a list price of $69, while the drum cartridge price tag
is $99. The printer has an estimated street price of under $450,
said TI.

To use the MicroLaser Win/4 laser printer you need at least a 25
megahertz (MHz) 486-based PC running Windows 3.1, Windows for
Workgroups 3.11, or Windows 95. TI said the printer has an
estimated street price of about $449.

TI first introduced its MicroLaser product line in early 1992 with
the 9ppm MicroLaser Turbo and the 16ppm XL Turbo. Late last
year the 12ppm PowerPro joined the product line to compete with
Hewlett Packard's LaserJet 4M Plus. The MicroLaser 600, a 5ppm
system, was introduced in November, 1994.

TI maintains a home page on the World Wide Web at http://www.ti.com )

(Jim Mallory/19951024/Press contact: Jerry Rycaj, Texas
Instruments, 817-774-6110; Public contact: Texas Instruments,
800-848-3927/WIN4-951025/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/25/95
TRENDS
Novell Reveals More Netware Telephony Plans

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(DEN)(00009)
Novell Reveals More Netware Telephony Plans 10/25/95
OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 25 (NB) -- Novell Inc. (NASDAQ: NOVL)
has outlined more of its long-term plans for its Netware Telephony
Services (NTS) and Telephony Services API (applications programming
interface), or TSAPI. The plans include new products, technologies,
and programs.

NTS connects telephone and computer networks, allowing users to
control their telephone equipment using a personal computer.
Novell plans to integrate voice services into the NTS platform
through an open API and shared voice hardware architecture to
provide services like speech recognition and text-to-speech, and
voice applications such as an interactive voice response and
voice-mail.

Novell said it will publish the voice platform API specification in
the first quarter of 1996 so developers can start planning and
developing applications that utilize features such as tone generation
and detection, and audio record and playback. During the second half of
1996 the company will deliver those services as part of the NTS platform.

Novell has released a specification for the common features of NTS
switch drivers. Applications using that specification as an
implementation guide will be compatible with any telephone switches
with drivers written to conform to the specification. Novell
said that specification will be the basis for a new testing program that
will kick off before the end of the first quarter of 1996. Novell has
opened a testing lab at its San Jose, California, facility where
switch manufacturers can install equipment for use by developers
who want to integrate and test extended features of a variety of
switches.

The company has also released a dynamic data exchange (DDE)
specification designed to standardize common telephony middleware
features. Novell said the spec can be used by DDE-compatible
applications as a high level alternative to access NTS call
control capabilities.

Later in 1996, Novell plans to extend NTS call control services to
deliver advanced features like call/data correlator, which allows
synchronized transfer of a call as well as the data needed for the
call. It's also working on a new middleware CTI platform being
developed under the code name CPS. CPS will be a tool to simplify
integration of existing and future CTI applications. Included in CPS
will be point-and-click telephone control extensions to Groupwise,
cc:Mail, Microsoft Mail, PerfectOffice, and Microsoft Office.

Early next year, Novell will detail its plans for remote access to
NTS to deliver access to corporate telephone switch services like
long distance access, conferencing, transfer, and screen pop. It's
also working on integration of public data and telephone networks in
the Netware Connect Services networking infrastructure.

Novell said it will make some partnership and product announcements
at the Second Annual TSAPI conference being held in San Francisco
this week. Novell is one of the conference sponsors.

(Jim Mallory/19951024/Press contact: Amanda Berman, Alexander
Communications for Novell, 415-923-9863)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/25/95
APPLE
Claris Ships Apple's Internet Kit, Oracle Objects

(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00010)
Claris Ships Apple's Internet Kit, Oracle Objects 10/25/95
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 25 (NB) -- Following recent
announcements from Apple Computer Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Claris, a developer
and vendor of Macintosh and Windows software, says it is shipping the
Apple Internet Connection Kit and Oracle Power Objects for Windows or Mac.
Along with its retail channel strength, Claris will also move the
products through its ClarisPlus volume licensing program.

The Apple Internet Connection Kit addresses the difficulty Mac users
encounter setting-up their computers for Internet use, claims the company.
Apple said its customers were having to piece-together a number of
separate programs to create a desktop with full Internet features. The
kit is a bundle of programs which allow users to send and receive
electronic-mail, connect to and browse the Internet, download data,
view images, and hear audio transmissions. The entire kit has a
suggested retail price of $59.

Along with Claris' Emailer Lite, the kit contains Netscape
Communications' Netscape Navigator, Progressive Networks' Real
Audio Player, and other third-party applications. Apple's Apple Guide
software provides online assistance to help novice and advanced users.

The second product, Oracle Power Objects is a visual programming tool
which is expected to bring more client/server applications to the
Macintosh environment. With either a Windows or a Mac version of
Power Objects, developers are able to create programs for both
platforms simultaneously with no modification of code.

In view of recent difficulties at Apple, some analysts have suggested
software developers of Macintosh programs are moving their titles to
the Windows environment where there is a larger audience of potential
customers. Oracle Power Objects allows developers to protect their
investment by writing a program just one time for both platforms.

The announcement from Claris, a subsidiary of Apple, reflects a
growing trend within Apple to use Claris to market its products.

A Claris spokesperson told Newsbytes, "We have done a really good
job bringing Apple's products to market. By directing the marketing
and selling of its products to us, Apple is able to focus on other
elements of its business strategy such as hardware and custom markets."

(Patrick McKenna/19951024/Press Contact: Steve Ruddock, Claris,
408-987-7202)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/25/95
ONLINE
Compuserve Shows Travelers "A Better Way To Go"

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00011)
Compuserve Shows Travelers "A Better Way To Go" 10/25/95
COLUMBUS, OHIO, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 25 (NB) -- Before venturing out
onto the highways of the land, members of Compuserve can now get
directions on how to get from here to there via the online network's
"superhighway." A new service, dubbed "Way To Go Compuserve" provides
turn-by-turn directions between points of interest, along with a
complete directory of addresses and special attractions in any given
region.

Way To Go is a product of SEI Information Technology. Using the new
service, Compuserve members can access a listing of hotels,
restaurants, shopping centers, gas stations, automatic teller machines
(ATMs), and dozens of other points-of-interest. It also provides
graphical maps that include a range of streets from interstate
highways to residential side streets, and the ability to explore
business types within a geographic area.

"We want to provide unique services to our members" like getting
specific travel information via Compuserve, Jeff Shafer, Compuserve
spokesperson, told Newsbytes. "We're giving them something they can
use in ordinary life. This is a broad based service that has a lot of
mass appeal."

Commenting on a Newsbytes question about this service being uncommon
on online services, Shafer said "the more services we can provide that
people don't expect, the more valuable our service becomes."

Shafer also said the Way To Go service is different from traditional
services provided from companies like the American Automobile
Association (AAA) because "online technology allows instantaneous data
updates, instant access, and access from anywhere, given the right
hardware."

Way To Go, which Compuserve officials say is the "first" time an online
service has offered this kind of service, will be available November 8,
Shafer said, with no additional charges to Compuserve members beyond
normal subscription and hourly fees.

Initially, Way To Go will cover Atlanta, Chicago (and its tri-state
region), Detroit, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, New York City (and its
tri-state region), Seattle, and all of Florida and California.

(Bob Woods/19951024/Press Contacts: Jeff Shafer or Michelle Moran,
614-538-4632 or 614-538-3497 respectively, of Compuserve; Peg Herbst,
SEI Information Technology, 312-440-8383)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/25/95
BUSINESS
Daewoo Electronics Enters Chinese Market

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(PEK)(00012)
Daewoo Electronics Enters Chinese Market 10/25/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 OCT 25 (NB) -- Daewoo Electronics, one of the six
major industrial branches of the South Korean Daewoo Group, plans to
input $100 million into China for four joint ventures, including a
color TV plant, according to a senior company official.

The location of the color TV plant is not yet decided. The company
official spoke at the opening of a sales outlet for Daewoo television
and stereo systems in Beijing recently. Daewoo Electronics opened
offices in Beijing and Shanghai in May of this year, and the outlet
marks the entry of Daewoo electronics into Chinese market, the company
official said.

Daewoo Electronics generated a worldwide sales value of US$3.2 billion
last year. Daewoo wants to be a leader in the large Chinese market, the
company official said, despite fierce competition in home electronics
from Chinese and Japanese manufacturers.

Daewoo Electronics' has five projects in China with a total investment
of US$51 million, the official said. These include: a stereo system
plant in Shenzhen with a designed annual production value of US$13
million; a Tianjin company producing US$30 million-worth of automobile
stereo systems; and a factory making computer monitors in Weihai city
of Shangdong province with an annual output of US$30 million.

The products of these ventures will be exported, the company official
said.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951024)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/25/95
TELECOM
China - Public Phones Increase Dramatically

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(PEK)(00013)
China - Public Phones Increase Dramatically 10/25/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 OCT 25 (NB) -- In response to a rapidly growing
public demand for telecommunications services, more than 270,000 public
telephones were installed in the first eight months of this year,
according to statistics from Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications
(MPT).

Just four years ago, China had a total of 53,800 public phones
nationwide, which is only eight percent of the current figure, 655,800.

MPT's statistics show that, among the present 655,000 public phones,
about 30,000 are magnetic card phones. The phone cards, usable
nationwide, are issued by the ministry's Directorate General of
Telecommunications.

However, it is still not easy to find places, usually post offices,
where you can purchase the magnetic cards. Magnetic card phones are
claimed to serve the public better than some public phones staffed with
operators. Proponents argue that, at the very least, magnetic card
phones will not charge too much for calls or raise prices/fees at will,
like some staffed public phones do.

The ministry has made it a priority to install public phones in such
public places as railway stations, airports, and shopping areas.
Despite the recent explosion in the number of public phones in China,
the country's current phone coverage remains relatively low. Even
in the cities, not every family has a telephone.

In Sichuan, the country's most populous province with more than 100
million people, 6,380 new public phones have been installed in the
first eight months of this year. During the same period, Liaoning
installed 5,400 public phones, and Guangdong 2,800, the ministry's
statistics show.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951021)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/25/95
BUSINESS
China - Great Wall & IBM Cooperation Benefits Both

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(PEK)(00014)
China - Great Wall & IBM Cooperation Benefits Both 10/25/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 OCT 25 (NB) -- China's leading computer firm, Great
Wall Group, and the world computer giant, IBM, have signed an agreement
to further tap the Chinese computer market.

China Great Wall Computer Group is the biggest domestic producer and
seller of computers, and its cooperation with IBM is seen as being
successful. The company has set up two joint ventures with IBM in the
Shenzhen Special Economic Zone.

The first joint venture was established about 18 month ago to produce
IBM/Great Wall (IBM-made-in-China) computers. In the PC joint venture,
engineers compare and evaluate design procedures from assembly lines
every day to improve their China-made products, officials with Great
Wall Computer Group said.

The second venture, manufacturing electronic cards for computers and
disk-drives, opened only recently.

IBM has a dozen cooperative projects in China, including hardware,
software, and network development, pieces of the so-called Golden Card
project, and applications.

In 1995, IBM China's sales volume is expected to reach US$400 million,
officials with IBM China estimated. This year, IBM will also produce
US$100 million in materials from China to support its worldwide
subsidiaries, the company said.

Purchasing from China started two or three years ago and growth is
expanding quickly. In 1993, the firm purchased $300 million in products
from China and the following year, $70 million, according to IBM China.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951021)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/25/95
BUSINESS
Intel Plans Thailand Office

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00015)
Intel Plans Thailand Office 10/25/95
BANGKOK, THAILAND, 1995 OCT 25 (NB) -- Intel Corporation plans to
open a subsidiary office in Thailand early next year, the Vice
President of Intel International and Director for Emerging Markets
Rob Eckelmann has confirmed.

Intel's primary business is as the world's leading supplier of
microprocessors used in personal computers, but the company also
makes videoconferencing products and high-speed network cards,
along with other semiconductor products.

Intel also has a range of PC enhancement products, and produces
the Triton chipset that complements the CPU (central processing
unit) as well as complete high-end motherboards for PCs.

With test and assembly facilities in Penang, Malaysia, and in
Manila, Philippines, it is expected that its Thai subsidiary will
serve primarily as a sales and marketing outlet. It will open
in the first quarter of next year, Eckelmann said.

Intel already has sales and marketing offices in Singapore, Hong
Kong, Australia, Taiwan, Korea, India, and China.

(Tony Waltham and Post Database-Bangkok Post/19951024)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/25/95
TELECOM
Thailand Telecom Group To Expand

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(HKG)(00016)
Thailand Telecom Group To Expand 10/25/95
BANGKOK, THAILAND, 1995 OCT 25 (NB) -- Leading telecommunications
player, the Samart Group, is forming two new subsidiaries, Samart
Electronic Commerce Company and POSnet, to address the rapidly
growing markets of EDI (electronic data interchange) and electronic-mail,
as well as electronic funds transfer, point-of-sales and smart cards,
according to Samart Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Charnchai Charuvastr.

The company also plans to become an Internet service provider in
the coming three months, where it hopes to be able to leverage
some of its existing 300-400 VSAT (very small aperture terminal)
accounts, as well as offering public access in a venture that will
be formed with the Communications Authority of Thailand.

Another area the company is addressing is mobile computing, with
plans to manufacture a personal digital assistant (PDA) with
wireless capabilities using Australian technology, he said.

Much of these new opportunities stem from the company's
aggressive approach to re-engineering, instituted by CEO
Charnchai, who said that the Group's business strategies were
towards electronic commerce and "electronic living."

Samart intends to offer value-added services in these sectors,
and to bring computer and telecommunications technology to help
customers in re-engineering their own businesses, offering
services as re-engineering consulting.

The POSnet venture intends to provide a point-of-sales network
that banks and retailers can share, that will be operated by
Samart, he said.

(Tony Waltham and Post Database-Bangkok Post/19951024)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/25/95
GOVT
Thailand Govt To Boost IT Spending

(NEWS)(GOVT)(HKG)(00017)
Thailand Govt To Boost IT Spending 10/25/95
BANGKOK, THAILAND, 1995 OCT 25 (NB) -- The Thailand Cabinet has
agreed in principle to allocate a 2,185.5 million baht (US$87.5
million) budget to increase computer literacy among students and
improve computer curricula over the coming five years.

The plan was proposed by the University Affairs Ministry with
the objective to add an additional 4,662 computer students during
the period of 1996-2002. These are to be separated as 2,769 in
computer science, 1,613 in computer engineering, and 280 in
business computer curriculum.

The ministry also proposed to import computer experts from
other countries to provide knowledge and experience for local
residents.

The approval demonstrates that the Government sees a shortage of
information technology (IT) manpower as a critical problem. Recent
research done by the National Information Technology Policy's
sub-committee on IT human resource development pointed out that
the shortage of IT manpower in Thailand has reached a critical
point. The most serious problem is that of under-qualified
teachers.

"Importing IT experts from other countries to teach students
here would help solve the short-term problem. We have to improve
the IT syllabus and equipment at colleges and universities," said
the report.

Demand has increased and has been exceeding supply. It is
forecast that, by next year, the demand for IT personnel will
exceed supply by about 10,000 people, and if the trend continues
the number will increase to over 15,000 by the year 2001.

The study by the sub-committee shows that a critical shortage
of almost all types of technical and managerial manpower must be
"urgently eliminated." The greatest shortfall of all at the moment
is in the field of software and telecommunications engineers and
technicians.

(Tony Waltham and Post Database-Bangkok Post/19951024)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/25/95
NETWORK
LANart Unveils Net Port Switching Technology

(NEWS)(NETWORK)(LON)(00018)
LANart Unveils Net Port Switching Technology 10/25/95
CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 25 (NB) -- LANart International has
announced Segway, a network port switch. The company claims that the
product is unique in the market in being able to dynamically allocated
network bandwidth to local area network (LAN) users before the data
channels are linked to the network proper.

According to Russell Parker, a spokesman for the company, the system
consists of two parts: a master and a slave unit. The master
interfaces between the network and allocates eight 10 megabyte (MB)
pipes to the slave unit, which divides the channels between as many
as 120 users on slave unit.

The idea is that heavy LAN users are allocated their own dedicated
10MB bandwidth channel. Occasional users, meanwhile, are grouped
together on a single 10MB channel so their needs can be catered for.

Four users, for example, will have an average bandwidth of 2.5MB
each, while 90 users would have 0.14MB available on average. Bandwidth
is dynamically allocated to users and can be as high as 10MB if only
one user is "logged on" to the port in question.

"The system is being sold at UKP2,200 for the master unit and
UKP1,800 for the slave system. The Segway system is unique in the
market and is being sold through our various offices around the world,"
Parker told Newsbytes, adding that the technology was developed in the
company's Boston, MA, offices in the US.

The Segway unit allows the network to be divided up among users on a
much fairer basis than before. While many LAN managers are moving
up to 100 megabits-per-second (Mbps) for their users, this isn't
feasible for all users on a network, merely for the backbone," Parker
explained, adding that the Segway is the unit for such users.

"Such users have traditionally had three choices when dividing up the
network capacity: use stackable hubs, use an Ethernet switch, or use
a port switch system like Segway," he said.

"Stackable hubs are an expensive option, while Ethernet hubs are
falling in price," he added. "Using the port switch approach offers a
sensible price and flexibility, features which are not available in
the other two options."

According to Parker, Segway was designed using the company's
range of specially designed ASICs (application specific integrated
circuits), which he claims enables LANart to offer products at very
comparable prices.

LANart, which is the, now separate, ex-Chipcom research & development
division, claims that the Segway product is between one third
and one half of the price of any comparable product, none of which
offer the facilities that the port switch does.

Each 24 port master unit can stack up to 24 port slave units on,
giving a total of 120 ports if required.

(Steve Gold/19951024/Press Contact: Nigel Robson, Vortex PR,
tel [phone], fax [phone]; Reader Contact: LANart
Europe, tel [phone], fax [phone], Internet e-mail
[e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/25/95
GENERAL
Japan Newsbriefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00019)
Japan Newsbriefs 10/25/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 OCT 25 (NB) -- In this roundup of news from Japan:
Softbank targets Unitech, IDO to expand service area, Convenience
store distribution for Windows 95, Xerox software pact with Toshiba,
Seiko Epson ties with Telediffusion de France, Sharp first with
digital satellite, Sony, Toshiba announce new US chiefs

Softbank Targets Unitech

Softbank, the company behind a $2 billion bid for Ziff Davis
Publishing, has said it will invest $30 million in Unitech Telecom, a
California-based telecommunications company that has a strong presence
in China. Softbank previously announced it would be going after
several companies and Unitech Telecom is the second of those. The
Japanese company sees the deal as an easier route into the Chinese
market. Softbank is Japan's biggest publisher of computer software and
related magazines.

IDO To Expand Service Area

Nippon Idou Tsushin Corp., operators of the IDO cellular telephone
network, is to expand coverage of its cellular network from Tokyo,
Kawasaki and Yokohama to major cities and municipalities in Tokyo and
surrounding prefectures. Amongst cities that will get coverage, from
November 10th, are Nagoya, Tachikawa, Urawa, and Chiba. Ten days later,
service will be added in a further 20 municipalities in Kanagawa
prefecture to make a total of 189 towns and cities served.

Convenience Store Distribution For Windows 95

Microsoft Japan and leading supermarket operator Daiei Inc. have
reached a deal under which the software company's new Windows 95-J
operating system will be sold at convenience stores nationwide. Kobe-
based Daiei's 89.9% owned subsidiary, Daiei Convenience Systems Inc.,
operates the nationwide "Lawson" chain of 24-hour stores. The
deal marks the first time computer software has moved out of
specialist marketing channels and into the mainstream. Meanwhile,
Microsoft said recently-discovered security faults in the new software
will not delay its Japanese launch, which is expected in late November.
The company will announce a final release date this Thursday.

Xerox Software Pact With Toshiba

Xerox Corporation has signed an agreement with Toshiba Advanced
Systems Co., Ltd. (TAS) aimed at expanding the American company's
share of the Japanese market. TAS will work to localize and market
Xerox software in Japan. Under the terms of the deal, Xerox XSoft's
Japanese unit has granted distribution rights to TAS for InContext,
a software package aimed at making publishing in SGML (standard
generalized markup language) format easier. TAS will also produce a
localized language version of InContext for the Microsoft Windows
operating system. Initially the companies will target specific
industries -- automotive, manufacturing, utilities, and semiconductor --
where demand for the publishing software is thought to be high because
of widespread use of the format for document publishing.

Seiko Epson Ties With Telediffusion de France

Japan's Seiko Epson has announced it will establish with Telediffusion
de France (TDF), a unit of France Telecom, a joint venture to make
pagers for the European market. The deal ties Seiko Epson's Dutch
unit, Seiko Communications BV, with TDF to produce pagers and
information devices that take a signal from FM radio using a system
called Acttive. Financial details of the pact are currently unknown
but will be announced soon.

Sharp First With Digital Satellite

Sharp Electronics has developed a combined receiver/decoder for
satellite broadcasts that incorporates both analog and digital tuners.
The new unit will receive conventional analog satellite broadcasts and
the new digital television service being launched next March by DMC in
Japan. Alongside the tuner is a stand-alone converter designed to be
added to existing satellite tuners. Sharp expect total sales of around
45,000 units a month from next year.

Sony, Toshiba Announce New US Chiefs

Sony Corporation has named Bruce Stein president and chief executive
of its Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc., the company's video games
unit. The Tokyo-based company also named Martin Homlish as president
of Sony Computer Entertainment America. The video gaming position was
vacated by Olaf Olafsson who moved to another part of the company
recently, apparently after disagreements with the senior management
over how to best handle the American market. Meanwhile, Toshiba
America MRI Inc., has named Leon Kaufman, vice president of
engineering. Kaufman will oversee all engineering functions for both
the hardware and software development of new products as well as
enhancements for existing products.

(Martyn Williams/19951025)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
10/25/95
BUSINESS
Fujitsu Sees Higher Profits & Sales For Year

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00020)
Fujitsu Sees Higher Profits & Sales For Year 10/25/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 OCT 25 (NB) -- Fujitsu Ltd. (TSE:6702), the world's
second largest computer manufacturer, has announced increased sales
and profits for the first six months of the current financial year and
upgraded year-end forecasts. The company reported "strong domestic and
overseas demand for semiconductors and other electronic devices as
well as rapid growth in multimedia-related business areas," helped it
to record a consolidated net income growth of 441%.

Consolidated net sales for the period to the end of September were
1,644 billion yen ($16.44 billion). The company's pre-tax profit was
61.70 billion yen ($617 million), an increase on the 28.90 billion yen
($289 million) recorded in the same period last year.

Strong sales in all sectors helped the company with particularly
healthy growth in the telecommunications field, driven by the explosion
in use of cellular telephones and the launch of the new PHS system in
July.

Orders from NTT and DDI, both major cellular and PHS operators,
contributed significantly to the 17% growth that the
telecommunications sector registered with sales of 273 billion yen
($2.73 billion). The closely related electronics division saw a 12%
sales increase to 256 billion yen ($2.56 billion).

In other sectors, computer equipment chalked up sales of 1.05 trillion
yen ($10.5 billion), a 9% increase, and combined sales in all other
sectors grew just 1% to 65 billion yen ($650 million).

By region, Fujitsu said domestic sales jumped 11% to 1.16 trillion yen
($11.6 billion), a greater increase than international sales, which
managed a 9% rise to 482 billion yen ($4.8 billion).

In forecasting results for the end of the financial year, the Tokyo-
based company said it expects group sales will rise 15% to hit 3.75
trillion yen ($37.5 billion). Net income is predicted to double to
90 billion yen ($900 million) with pre-tax profits hoped to be 170.00
billion yen ($1.7 billion) against last year's profits of 101.69
billion yen ($1.0 billion).

An interim dividend of 5 yen per share was also announced with an
expected full year total dividend of 10 yen. Shares in Fujitsu fell 10
yen on the results, not because of disappointment on the Tokyo Stock
Exchange, but because the results were just as expected and a general
market fall pulled the stock price down.

(Martyn Williams/19951025/Press contact : Yuri Momomoto, Fujitsu Ltd.,
tel [phone], fax [phone], Internet e-mail
[e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/25/95
CHIPS
NEC Increases Chip Production Investment

(NEWS)(CHIPS)(TYO)(00021)
NEC Increases Chip Production Investment 10/25/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 OCT 25 (NB) -- NEC Corporation (TSE:6701), Japan's
largest semiconductor maker, says it will increase the amount of money
it is investing in production of computer chips to a record 210
billion yen ($2.1 billion) from 125 billion yen ($1.25 billion) last
year, an increase of 68%.

The company will use the money to expand production at sites across
Japan and the world to meet a big increase in demand for its products.
The company also increased its sales forecast for the year to 1,170
billion yen ($11.7 billion), from an originally forecast figure of
1,050 billion yen ($10.5 billion yen).

NEC had previously announced an increase in spending of 180 billion
yen ($1.8 billion) for the year and has added an additional 26 billion
yen ($260 million) to expand production capacity in Japan and four
billion yen ($40 million) for facilities in Singapore and Malaysia.

The 210 billion yen figure far eclipses the previous record investment
of 140 billion yen ($1.4 billion) made in 1984.

In Japan, the company is planning to upgrade its Tsuruoka, Yamagata,
factory to enable production of next-generation memory chips using
water fabrication. Around 10,000 eight-inch wafers will be produced
every month when manufacturing begins in April, 1997.

The Kumamoto factory on Kyushu island will receive money to enable an
increase in output to 30,000 wafers a months and NEC's Hiroshima plant
will also receive investment.

In Singapore, the 5 billion yen ($50 million) total investment will
enable an equipment upgrade and capacity increase at its 16 megabit
DRAM memory plant. Output of the chips will be almost doubled from 2
million per month to 3.5 million.

In Malaysia, total investment will now reach 7 billion yen ($70
million). A plant in the country that currently produces linear
integrated circuits and components such as transistors will gain the
ability to also produce 16 megabit DRAMs before the end of the year.

The remainder of the Asian investment will be targeted at a new plant
in either Singapore or Malaysia although no concrete plans have been
made so far, the company said.

The investment has been prompted by strong current sales and
predictions that a general global shortage of DRAM chips is forecast
to continue for several years to come. First half sales of
semiconductors are estimated to have reached 550 billion yen ($5.5
billion), a 30 billion yen ($300 million) increase on the previous
estimate.

Increased demand from overseas should drive foreign sales up to 48% of
the company's total sales from 45%. Domestic sales are estimated at
35% with inter-company sales making up the remaining 17%.

(Martyn Williams/19951025/Press contact : Mark Pierce, NEC
Corporation, tel [phone], fax [phone], Internet
e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/25/95
ONLINE
 ****Internet Update

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00022)
 ****Internet Update 10/25/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 OCT 25 (NB) -- In this roundup of new resources and
services on the global Internet: Keeping in touch with Capitol Hill,
News mailing list home page, It can't be Christmas already, New Web
100 listing, The Danish Ministry of Environment and Energy, Japan's
entertainment world, Weather goes interactive, Golf tips from a pro,
Water, water everywhere

Keeping In Touch With Capitol Hill

Infosearch has updated its "Mr. Smith E-Mails Washington(sm)" pages.
Here, users can now access mailing forms, rather than just links, to
type out messages and send them via email to online politicians in
Washington.
World Wide Web: http://www.xmission.com/~insearch/washington.html

News Mailing List Home Page

Steve Outing's Online-News mailing list keeps subscribers up to date
with new resources on the Internet related to news and information.
The mailing list now has a home page where non-subscribers can browse
recent postings, search an archive and post messages directly to the
list.
World Wide Web: http://www.social.com/social/hypermail/news/index.html

It Can't Be Christmas Already !

If you needed proof that the Internet is getting more and more like
real life, this is it. Over two months away from Christmas but the
signs are already appearing on the Internet with the opening of
Santa's workshop. Clever readers can start holiday surfing now to
avoid the clogged links to the site near the holiday!
World Wide Web: http://www.prairienet.org/~santa/homepage.html

New Web 100 Listing

The Web 100 is like an Internet version of the Fortune 500 list. It
charts and lists the top one hundred companies on the Internet's World
Wide Web. A new edition is available for October that includes 14 new
companies and a special listing of the top 25 non-US companies on the
web. A special focus this month is "Japan Inc. in Cyberspace".
World Wide Web: http://fox.nstn.ca/~at_info/

The Danish Ministry of Environment and Energy

Direct from Copenhagen, the capital city of Denmark, the nation's
environment and energy ministry is making publications available via
the network. The ministry Web server is also acting as a host for
several environmental organizations.
World Wide Web: http://www.mem.dk/

Japan's Entertainment World

All you could ever want to know about Japanese musicians, actors,
actresses and news from MTV Japan.
World Wide Web: http://www.rim.or.jp/rg/proceed/PC.html

Weather Goes Interactive

The Interactive Weather Information Network is a service of the US
National Weather Service and offers a Web interface to the current
weather forecasts from the NWS. In addition, users can find weather
warnings, climate data and general forecasts.
World Wide Web: http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov/iwin/main.html

Golf Tips From A Pro

Offering golfers "almost everything they want to know", professional
player Bob Mann has his own Web server with free year-long
subscriptions available.
World Wide Web: http://www.golfbobmann.com/

Water, Water Everywhere ...

A special section of Internet Update today finds three new water-
related resources and home pages now available on the Internet

The Water Store

The site is intended to act as a centralized source of information to
everyone in the water conservation, purification, recycling and
quality industries. The pages also offer information on the hardware
used for these jobs.
World Wide Web: http://www.waterstore.com/

American Water Works Association

The AWWA is an international non-profit scientific and educational
society that works towards improving drinking water quality and
supply, and protecting public health. The association is a
professional body and offers information via its new home page.
World Wide Web: http://www.awwa.org/

Baywatch

It may not be relevant as the previous two but you'll see just as
much water on TV when you watch Baywatch! The official site with
weekly updates on the television show plus video previews, insider
information, photos, trivia, and contests.
World Wide Web: http://baywatch.compuserve.com/

(Martyn Williams/19951025)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/25/95
BUSINESS
IBM Canada Stands Its Ground On DMR Offer

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00023)
IBM Canada Stands Its Ground On DMR Offer 10/25/95
MARKHAM, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 OCT 25 (NB) -- Although rival bidder
Amdahl Corp. (AMEX:AMH) has taken up 36 percent of the common shares
of Montreal- based consulting firm DMR Group Inc. (TSE:DR), IBM Canada
Ltd. is standing by, not only its bid for the company, but its stated
intention of getting 90 percent of DMR's shares.

"The 90 percent condition still stands," IBM Canada spokesman Mike Quinn
told Newsbytes, though he added that "we do reserve the right to waive any
of these conditions."

Quinn would not be specific about how IBM Canada hopes to obtain 90
percent of DMR's shares given the stake already held by its rival, though
he said that "there are probably several scenarios that we could come up
with." The obvious one, Newsbytes notes, appears to be that Amdahl is
unable to maintain control of DMR with the shares it has or obtain more,
and decides to sell its stake.

Currently, because of the voting structure of DMR's Class A and Class B
shares, Amdahl's 36 percent of the company's shares gives it 80 percent
voting control. However, a Quebec court has ruled that Class A shareholders
can convert their shares to Class B to take advantage of the Amdahl or IBM
offers or a third one by BDM International Inc. of McLean, Virginia. If
enough shareholders do this, the shares Amdahl now has would no longer
give it control. Amdahl is currently appealing the court ruling.

IBM's offer is the highest, at C$11 per share, versus Amdahl's C$8.25
and BDM's C$9. Amdahl and BDM have both said they see no need to raise
their offers for the moment.

Though all three offers are due to expire around the beginning of
November, the court appeal is not expected to be heard until December
or January. This fact may lead to one or more of the offers being
extended.

(Grant Buckler/19951025/Press Contact: Mike Quinn, IBM Canada,
905-316-2255; Michel Gelinas, DMR, 514-877-3301; John Radewagen, The
Benjamin Group for Amdahl, 408-559-6090; Todd Stottlemyer, BDM,
703-848-5115, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/25/95
ONLINE
 ****eWorld Exec - Online Services "Terminally Ill"

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00024)
 ****eWorld Exec - Online Services "Terminally Ill" 10/25/95
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 25 (NB) -- In what
was the most contentious statement at the Sixth Conference on
Interactive Marketing being held this week, Apple eWorld
Worldwide Services Group Manager Richard Gingras sounded a
figurative death knell for the closed-platform online industry.

"We feel the proprietary online service model is a terminally ill
patient, because of the evolution of the Internet." He added
that this development will encourage the eventual migration of
eWorld from a proprietary site to the Web. "The Internet has
caused us to shift our strategy. It (the growth of the Internet)
is a change in the paradigm of computing."

Not surprisingly, Gingras' three fellow panelists on the
Commercial Online Services panel disagreed. The common consensus
was that the online services have a future as an aggregator of
unique content -- with seamless navigation back and forth between
their own platforms and the Web.

"That certainly is a very valid statement," admitted Keith Arnold,
general manager of interactive markets and merchandising for
Compuserve. "All the technology will shift onto one platform,
but it will take some time."

Rather than be resigned to the ultimate fate eWorld's Gingras
seems to view as inevitable, some other online services are
preparing for the Web world by positioning their own services as
both an aggregator of unique content and a place from which to go
back and forth from the Web with a minimum of effort.

"We've all realized that the Webcentric focus is very
important. We have a new consumer online service which will
launch March 1 called Wow. It looks like the other proprietary-
protocol commercial online services, but with all the content we
can weave seamlessly into the Internet. From the beginning, we
have realized from the ground up we can make more money if we are
easily accessible and integratable into the Web," Arnold added.

"We have launched over 100 interest groups. From those groups, it
links to pertinent Web sites and Internet news groups. The value
that Prodigy brings is an aggregation of information, as well as
the ability to go to that one place rather than go to your
browser and launch a search," said Paul Gangi, Electronic
Commerce manager for Prodigy.

"Merchandising on the Web is becoming a reality, but it is 'day
one.' It will be three to five years before the predictions of
a $20 billion a year online economy come true. There is a cycle
here and we are at the very beginning of that cycle," he added.

Marty Levin, director of Interactive Networks for The Microsoft
Network, went even further, saying that the ideal online service-
Web relationship would have so much overlap as to leave the two
virtually indistinguishable from each other.

"For us, it's not a matter of choosing between the proprietary
thing and the Web thing. Our model is that The Microsoft
Network is the Web," he said.

"My personal guess is there will be four or five platforms of
choice to enter the online world. There won't be lines drawn
between proprietary and HTML (hypertext markup language)-based
platforms. Some of the platforms that will win will do so because
of ease of access, others will win because of exclusive or
aggregated content, and still others will win because of band name.
MSN is trying to win on all those counts. The winner is the place
people feel most comfortable starting out in -- and then going out
to the Web and back in a very seamless experience," Levin added.

(Russell Shaw/19951025)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/25/95
TRENDS
 ****CD-ROM Better Marketing Vehicle Than Web?

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(MSP)(00025)
 ****CD-ROM Better Marketing Vehicle Than Web? 10/25/95
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 25 (NB) -- Among
marketers, there's a widespread perception that, because it's far
easier, cheaper and quicker to put up and update a World Wide Web
site than it is to produce a CD-ROM, that the Web is the ideal
marketing vehicle for corporations that want to get product
information out to the public.

But you would get an argument from Jay Samit, president of
Jasmine Multimedia Publishing, the Van Nuys, California-based CD-ROM
and laser disk company that has produced more than 300 titles for
such clients as Ford Motor Company, Eastman Kodak, Microsoft, MCA-
Universal, and Steven Spielberg.

"CD-ROMs are used in about 20 percent of US households today,
compared to only about eight percent that have Web access.
The only benefit that the Web brings today is residual public
relations," Samit said during a multimedia marketing session at
the Sixth Conference on Interactive Marketing.

Samit explained that by "residual public relations," he
meant the intangible boost in public profile and image that
putting a Web site up can bring a marketer. But, he quickly
added, such exposure doesn't often translate into tangible
benefits.

"There are 67,000 Web sites out there now. If you build
one, they (prospective customers) are not going to come," said
Samit, borrowing a now-common phrase from the 1991 US movie
"Field of Dreams."

One example Samit cited was the attempt last year by the
rock group Aerosmith to put samples of a forthcoming album online
as a pre-release promotion for the product. He said that,
although articles about the product were read by as many as 100
million people, only 78 music downloads were made of the Web.

Samit was not totally dismissive of the Web, however. He
said that for many marketers, the best strategy for new product
promotion is presence on a CD-ROM that is equipped with clickable
links that will get the accessor to the corporate Web site --
where the benefits of immediacy can then be exploited.

"In a perfect world, every listing of a company URL (uniform
resource locator, or Web address) were replaced with an '800'
number to order the CD. Then, when customers received the CD,
they could be directed to clickable links," Samit said.

Samit added that, because of current bandwidth limitations on
Internet-based transmissions, the CD-ROM viewing experience would
be more enthralling to prospective buyers of products whose
companies try both media.

"Someone using your CD-ROM will give you 20 minutes of their time,
but most Web sites take only five or six minutes to go through.
Sometimes, on Web sites, there's so little content you wonder why
you're there. That's not class," added Samit.

(Russell Shaw/19951025)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/25/95
WINDOWS
 ****Microsoft Fixes Windows 95 Security Problems

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(MSP)(00026)
 ****Microsoft Fixes Windows 95 Security Problems 10/25/95
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 25 (NB) -- Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ:MSFT) said it has located and fixed two problems with file and
printer sharing in its Windows 95 operating system (OS) that could have
caused security concerns with Windows 95 users.

Microsoft revealed the problem to the public through both its Internet
World Wide Web page, and via electronic-mail over its Microsoft Network
(MSN) online service.

Microsoft officials are quick to point out that the problems are in an
area that is not used by home users, and is not a default option. Only
customers who use the "File and Printer Sharing" option to share files
with other users on a network are affected.

Rob Bennett, product manager for Microsoft's personal systems division,
told Newsbytes the problem would have affected only a "small portion"
of Windows 95 users. Bennett also said to the company's knowledge, no
users have been affected by the problem.

One of the software problems is in connection with Windows 95-equipped
computers on Novell NetWare networks that have printer and file sharing
enabled. If a machine is configured to share printers and files with
other networks users, and they enable remote administration or install
Microsoft Remote Registry services, another user could gain read-only
access to a machine after the administrator has logged off the machine.
The situation would exist until the user restarts his or her computer.

The other problem centers on machines that enable printer and file
sharing on Microsoft Networks (not MSN) and a certain Unix shareware
network client from Samba, called "SMBCLIENT." Customers who have
their machines sharing printers and files with other network users, or
who share a local area network (LAN), dial-up, or Internet connection,
with SMBCLIENT software, and whose network administrator does not
disable peer services using system policies, are susceptible to having
their data hacked via either the network or through the Internet.

Microsoft officials said they worked on the fixes for the past week.
"The important thing is we did act on it," Bennett said. "We're just
glad we got the stuff out there so that we could stave off any
potential data loss or breaches of security."

The software fix for both problems can be downloaded from Microsoft's
areas on MSN, America Online, Compuserve, and Prodigy, company
officials said, as well as from its World Wide Web page at
http://www.microsoft.com , and its file transfer protocol (FTP) site at
ftp://ftp.microsoft.com . Information regarding the installation of
the new drivers are also available from the Web site.

In addition, the updated drivers can also be mailed to any user free of
charge if they call Microsoft's FastTips Line at 800-936-4200 starting
next Monday.

(Bob Woods/19951025/Press Contact: Waggener Edstrom, 503-245-0905;
Public Contact: Microsoft FastTips Line, 800-936-4200)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/25/95
BROADCAST
 ****MCI Plans Home VideoPhone Over Normal Lines

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(MSP)(00027)
 ****MCI Plans Home VideoPhone Over Normal Lines 10/25/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A, 1995 OCT 25 (NB) -- MCI Inc. (NASDAQ:MCIC),
along with several other companies, is bringing videoconferencing
to the home over standard telephone wiring. Called "MCI VideoPhone,"
the new system will be on the market by June, 1996, company officials
said.

The new system only requires a telephone, a television, and a set-top
box from MCI. Using data compression, the MCI VideoPhone can transmit
audio and video signals across the country over POTS (plain old
telephone service) lines, for the same cost as a long-distance phone
call.

The set-top unit will sell for around $1,300, and MCI said it intends
to offer "attractive leasing options" to its customers.

"This product overcomes the main barrier to video telephony in
residential houses," Michael Trigg, MCI Consumer Markets spokesperson,
told Newsbytes. "The vast majority of houses are wired by copper wire,
and the capacity is very limited. This product overcomes that."

Besides providing what the company called "improved picture and sound
quality over previous videophone products," consumers can select the
screen size, operate the unit by remote control, hold videoconferences
with multiple callers, and record conversations onto a VHS tape.

Another big advantage to the MCI VideoPhone, Trigg said, is that it
supports the developing International Telecommunications Union (ITU)
proposed analog videotelephony standards, so it will be compatible
with other home videoconferencing products.

Trigg also said the VideoPhone can be useful in the small business
market, because products can be demonstrated to customers without
having to travel.

MCI is coordinating product development and marketing with a number
of companies, including Kyushu Matsushita Electric Company Ltd.,
Comtech Labs Inc., and Integrated Information Technology Inc. The video
compression technology comes from Comtech, and a multimedia processor
and the video processor in the unit are from Integrated Information
Technology Inc. The unit itself will be manufactured by Kyushu
Matsushita.

(Bob Woods/19951025/Press Contact: Michael Trigg, MCI Consumer
Products, 703-415-6124)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/25/95
BUSINESS
Pen Is Not Mightier, PenMagic Renamed Pivotal

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00028)
Pen Is Not Mightier, PenMagic Renamed Pivotal 10/25/95
NORTH VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, 1995 OCT 25 (NB) --
Pen
computing has been a disappointment for four-year-old PenMagic software,
and the company is changing its name and looking for greener pastures
elsewhere.

PenMagic announced that it has taken the new name Pivotal Software Inc.,
and will change its focus to enterprise-wide, client/server applications.

Pivotal is not yet ready to talk in detail about its plans, but Sharka
Chobot, director of marketing, told Newsbytes the new software to be
announced around the beginning of 1996 will resemble Lotus Development
Corp.'s Notes software in some ways, and "in some vertical industries
it will compete with Lotus Notes."

Chobot described the upcoming software as an adaptable application that
Pivotal will be able to customize to fit certain industries. According to
company officials, it is now in use in some customer test sites, and works
with client/server databases and Microsoft's Windows 95 and Windows NT.

The new software lets businesses integrate mobile and desktop computers as
well as servers and data and voice communications into an enterprise-wide
information system, Pivotal claimed. It appears to have grown at least in
part out of Pivotal's experience in the pen-based computing market.
Chobot said the company found that customers who were interested in
pen-based computers and personal digital assistants (PDAs) were less drawn
to the pen interface than to the ability to get at information from remote
locations.

Pivotal will continue to support its existing pen-based applications, but
will not invest further in research and development in the pen arena,
Chobot said. The company is negotiating to sell the applications to
another vendor.

As PenMagic, the firm brought out a financial tool called Numero, a
letter-writing package called Letter Express, and financial information
packages for Apple Computer Inc.'s Newton and other pen-based systems.

(Grant Buckler/19951025/Press Contact: Sharka Chobot, Pivotal Software,
tel [phone] ext 111, fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/25/95
IBM
IBM Ships RAMAC 2 "2nd Generation" Mainframe Storage

(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00029)
IBM Ships RAMAC 2 "2nd Generation" Mainframe Storage 10/25/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 25 (NB) -- At a press
conference in Boston yesterday afternoon, IBM announced shipment
of the "second generation" of its RAID (redundant array of
inexpensive disks) 5 mainframe storage systems, officially
presenting the first IBM RAMAC 2 production-level unit to Nynex,
a major user of information storage.

"I'm really looking forward to the fourth quarter," remarked
IBM's James Vanderslice, speaking at the press conference, which
was attended by Newsbytes. Sales of IBM's RAMAC 2 Array DASD
(director-access storage device) and RAMAC 2 Array Subsystem
products will exceed industry estimates, predicted the IBM
veteran, who was recently appointed general manager of IBM's
Storage Systems Division.

"We have a reliable, cost competitive product. And we have the
customer demand. We're really going to `blow it out' (next)
quarter," Vanderslice told the journalists and analysts assembled
in Boston, and others who looked in on the press event from
around the US through an IIN (Interactive Information Networks)
videoconference link.

Early users of RAMAC 2 from Nynex and Barnett Banks also
addressed the press, attesting to improvements in availability
and cost effectiveness supplied by the "second generation"
storage systems.

The new RAMAC 2 stores twice as much information -- up to as much
as 180 gigabytes (GB) in a single rack -- in the same form factor
as RAMAC 1, according to Vanderslice. Other new capabilities in
RAMAC 2 include improved parity calculation, for better
performance, and dynamic disk reconstruction, or "hot plugging,"
a technique designed to provide high availability by
"automatically regenerating data from a failed disk drive on to a
replacement drive installed in the array."

RAMAC 2 also gives users the alternative of "dynamic sparing," a
feature included in RAMAC 1 to protect against logic and drive
failures by automatically migrating information in the storage
drawer to a "spare drawer" in the same rack.

Also during his remarks at the press event, Vanderslice pointed
to a recent survey by Ibex that gives RAMAC better ratings than
two competing systems in terms of customer reports of "failures
affecting availability," as well as "data loss, failures not
affecting availability, and HDA (hard disk array) replacement," a
factor characterized as impacting "privacy "in that HDAs removed
from customer sites remain partially or totally readable. The
Ibex report also gives IBM a majority share of both the DASD and
RAID-only DASD markets.

Now, a newly reorganized IBM Storage Systems Division is adhering
to a "vertical" structure, as opposed to the matrix model of the
past, noted Vanderslice, who previously headed IBM's Printing
Systems Division.

IBM had originally planned to ship RAMAC 2 a couple of months
ago, but then decided to postpone delivery in order to continue
testing the products and fine-tune their performance, asserted
Paul E. O'Neil, IBM's general manager, Large Systems Storage,
speaking with Newsbytes during the press conference.

Under the IBM Storage Division's new "vertical" structure, most
employees are concentrating more closely on specific
product/technology areas of optical/tape storage, with fewer
people operating "across the division," O'Neil added.

Michael Puldy, manager of resource management for Barnett
Technologies, the IT (information technology) arm of Barnett
Banks, told the press conference audience that Barnett began to
use the RAMAC 1 system two years ago, after recognizing a need
for higher availability.

In testing RAMAC 2, the Jacksonville, Florida-based banking chain
has found that the new system provides a "small footprint" at a
lower cost per megabyte. "And no new software is needed,"
according to the Barnett official. Puldy added that "the finance
guys (at the bank) are really excited about the lower cost."

Gerard Higgins, assistant VP, Information Services, for Nynex,
said that Nynex has two major goals for RAMAC: cost reduction and
"increased service."

Gesturing toward a new RAMAC 2 system situated at center stage of
the conference room, Higgins noted that Nynex's RAMAC 2 will join
4.5 terabytes (TB) of RAMAC DASD already installed in supporting
the "service group that handles (phone company) customers calling
in to Nynex."

Nynex has been able to pass some of the cost savings from RAMAC
along to phone company customers, Higgins maintained. But
increased availability has been an "even more important"
consequence, according to the Nynex exec. Before installing RAMAC
1, Nynex had to spend "double-digit hours recovering data"
whenever a disk failure occurred.

Also at the press event, Vanderslice reported that IBM's Storage
Systems Division will continue to produce systems across all
existing OEM (original equipment manufacturer) product
categories, but that a new emphasis will be placed on mobile and
server storage systems, the two "most lucrative" markets.

IBM will probably produce a third generation of RAMAC before
shipping its forthcoming Seastar storage system for mainframes in
1997, Vanderslice revealed. IBM's third "crank of RAMAC" looks
likely to be delivered in 1996, he elaborated.

"RAMAC 1 is upgradeable to RAMAC 2, and also to Seastar," the IBM
VP told the journalists and analysts in Boston.

Analysts at the press conference told Newsbytes that the delay in
RAMAC 2 shipment was worth the wait. Specifically, IBM was able
to boost the speed of RAMAC's RAID storage disks, asserted
Michael A. Kahn, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of
the Clipper Group, Inc., during a discussion with Newsbytes at
the event.

RAMAC 2's performance is "exceeding customer expectations,"
agreed John L. Young, director, Enterprise Systems Planning, for
the Clipper Group.

Joseph S. De Natale, director, Data Center Planning, for the
management consulting/market research firm, pointed out that IBM
has shipped 6,000 units of RAMAC so far. "That's a lot of
terabytes," De Natale told Newsbytes.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951024/Reader Contact: IBM, 914-765-1900;
Interactive Information Networks, 407-234-1111 Press Contacts:
Lisa McLean-Ambrosic, IBM Storage Systems Division, 408-256-1925;
Patrick Ward, Cunningham Communications for IBM, 617-494-8202;
Gerry Van Zandt, Cunningham for IBM, 408-764-0731; Nancy Pierce,
IIN, 703-448-8700)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/25/95
BUSINESS
 ****Netscape Exceeds Wall Street Expectations

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00030)
 ****Netscape Exceeds Wall Street Expectations 10/25/95
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 25 (NB) -- When Netscape
Communications (NASDAQ:NSCP) went public with its dramatic opening day
on the stock exchange, a number of analysts questioned how a company
which had not made money could arouse so much attention. In its first
quarter since the initial public offering, Netscape says revenues are
up 75% and income increased from a loss of $1.6 million to a gain of
$1.4 million.

Revenues for the third quarter were $20.8 million, up from $11.9
million in the previous quarter. Income more than doubled over the
same period.

Netscape's director of public relations, Rosanne Siino, told Newsbytes,
"We are really pleased with our third quarter results. There were a lot
of single events which contributed to our success. First, we released a
lot of new products and they were very well received. Additionally, the
percentage of sales from our server products increased by more than 10%
(from 26 1/4% to 37%) and the percentage of client or browser software
decreased from 65% to 57% (the remainder of revenue is derived from
service income)."

Netscape's client software is available free on the Internet under
specific limitations, bundled with many Internet software packages,
and bundled with some personal computer systems. Netscape also sells
Navigator for a suggested retail price of $39 through a number of
different channels.

The company has always said it intends to make money from the server
side with sophisticated software for full commercial use on the Internet.
Netscape server software is used extensively by Fortune 500 companies.
The increase in the percentage of server products is a clear sign of
Netscape's success.

During this quarter, Netscape also announced relationships with
AT&T, Home Corporation, and Hewlett-Packard. Last week, Netscape
announced its plans to acquire Collabra Software, a move which allows
Netscape to expand its products into collaboration and messaging
software. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter.

International development also highlighted the third quarter. Netscape
opened offices France, Germany, and the UK. International sales
represented 19% of third quarter revenues. Navigator is now available
in Japanese, German, and French.

During its wild opening ride on the stockmarket, Netscape's stocks
sold anywhere from $72 to $58. This morning, Netscape stock was
selling at $81. Wall Street analysts projected the company's third
quarter revenues to be approximately $16 million. The posted $20.8
million in revenues far exceeded expectations.

Netscape says it plans to continue to deliver the latest Internet
software to the standard desktop and to all levels of business from
small concerns to large corporations. More than $12 million has been
invested into research and development, says the company.

(Patrick McKenna/19951025/Press Contact: Rosanne Siino, Netscape,
415-528-2619)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/25/95
ONLINE
Lycos Buys Point, Adds Web Ratings To Spider Search

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(BOS)(00031)
Lycos Buys Point, Adds Web Ratings To Spider Search 10/25/95
WILMINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 25 (NB) -- Through a
newly announced $3 million acquisition of Point Communications
Corp., Lycos has integrated Point's review and rating guide to
the World Wide Web, plus capsules of business news and weather,
into its own Spider-based search and indexing service for the Web,
said Lycos President and CEO (Chief Executive Officer) Robert J.
Davis, in an interview with Newsbytes.

The Point system extends beyond other guides to the Web, such as
McKinley, by critiquing Web sites, in addition to describing
their contents, the CEO told Newsbytes.

A team of about 30 reviewers from Point Communications employs a
50-point scale to rate Web sites for content, as well as for
presentation and the "experience" of using the site, noted Davis,
who equated the Web write-ups to book or movie reviews.

Web sites landing in the top 5 percent are awarded Badges of
Excellence to display at their Web sites, according to the
company chief. "The Web sites wear these badges with a lot of
pride," Davis asserted.

Web sites currently displaying the Point badges include Mobil
Oil (http://www.mobil.com ), along with Lucas Arts
(http://www.lucasarts.com/menu.html ) and the Frito-Lay food
conglomerate (http://www.fritolay.com/index.html ).

Davis added that the Lycos Web site (http://www.lycos.com ) has
also integrated Point Communications' new Point Now service, for
continuously updated capsule summaries of business news, stocks,
and weather, with hotlinks to CNN (Cable Network News) and other
news sources.

Lycos and Point Communications will both retain separate Web
sites, according to the company president. The Point site will
also incorporate capabilities from Lycos, so that users will be
able to navigate the Web from either site.

After carrying out a search of the Web, the user will be able to
view the search results from the Lycos catalog, together with any
"applicable ratings" of Web sites from Point Communications.

As previously reported in Newsbytes, Lycos recently added a new
user interface, along with about 200 advertisers, to its free
service for the Web. New features include "backlinking" from
Lycos to the Web site of origin, a new "hot Web sites list," and
support for Hot Java animation.

Lycos was launched in June as a commercial avenue for the Spider
search technology first developed at Carnegie Mellon University
(CMU), Davis said, in a prior interview with Newsbytes. As of
early October, Lycos was adding some 700,000 to 750,000 each
month, and had already indexed 8 million sites, or 91 percent of
the Web, Newsbytes was told.

Further into the future, Lycos plans to add directories, updated
navigational and retrieval tools, and more "specialized catalogs"
to its search and indexing service for the Web, according to
Davis.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951025/Reader Contact: Lycos, 508-229-0717;
Press Contact: Pam Hamilton or Gwenn Gauthier, Collaborative
Communications for Lycos, 617-621-1595)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/25/95
BUSINESS
Hayes Quiet On US Robotics Acquisition Offer

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00032)
Hayes Quiet On US Robotics Acquisition Offer 10/25/95
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 25 (NB) -- Hayes Microcomputer
isn't saying much yet about a multi-million offer from US Robotics
to purchase the modem maker that set the standard for commands to
control the devices that let computers talk to each other via
telephone lines.

Privately owned Hayes has been under Chapter 11 federal bankruptcy
protection since mid-November of last year. That means the US
Bankruptcy Court would have to approve any acquisition offer.

Ironically, Hayes got into trouble because business was too good.
It had lots of orders and bought components to build the modems.
However, subcontractors hired to build the devices couldn't ramp up
their production fast enough to meet demand. Backlogged orders
meant cash-flow went down and the company couldn't pay its
creditors.

The US Robotics offer includes payoff of all of Hayes' creditor
claims including interest and the issuance of up to $97.5 million
in US Robotics common stock to Hayes equity holders. Hayes would
become a wholly owned subsidiary of US Robotics. The modem
company reportedly owes creditors between $60 million and $85
million.

In late June, Hayes reached a tentative agreement to be acquired
by Boca Research, but that fell through a few weeks later. A Hayes
spokesperson told Newsbytes the company intends to pay off creditors,
a plan that would let Hayes retain control of the company he founded
in 1978.

Last year US Robotics acquired rival Megahertz Holding Corp. in a
stock transaction valued at slightly over $200 million.

The US Robotics offer is the third plan for the creditor's committee
to consider. In addition to Hayes' own plan to pay off the
creditors at 100% on the dollar and emerge from bankruptcy,
Diamond Multimedia made an offer worth about $67 million in early
October. The US Robotics offer, in effect, outbids Diamond.

A Hayes spokesperson told Newsbytes that, while 1995 fiscal results
were not yet available, everything he had heard indicated the year
would be a profitable one. Hayes reported sales of over $250
million in fiscal 1994.

US Robotics makes modems and networking products such as hubs
that connect the nodes of a computer network.

(Jim Mallory/19951025/Press contact: Andrew Dodd, Hayes
Microcomputer, 770-840-9200 or Karen Novak, US Robotics,
708-982-5244)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/25/95
ONLINE
Online Execs - "Churn" Still A Problem

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00033)
Online Execs - "Churn" Still A Problem 10/25/95
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 25 (NB) -- Exact
subscriber counts are not as important to an online service as
the ability to keep them around and reduce cancellations, several
online service executives stressed during a panel discussion at
the Sixth Conference on Interactive Marketing Tuesday.

"Being a subset of Windows 95, we are not in the vivacious
subscriber acquisition mode," said Microsoft Network Interactive
Network Creative Director Marty Levin. "Our interest is in the
mass consumer market. At a certain point when we determine there
are 'x' number of Windows 95 users who haven't tried MSN, our
biggest efforts in terms of new subscriptions will come.

"We are ahead of monthly routing in terms of getting to the goal
of one million subscribers. Yet when it comes to attracting
advertisers, it's not a numbers question, though," Levin added.

"If I'm (working for) Chrysler and I buy a (television) ad during
the SuperBowl, (the championship game of US professional football)
I wind up spending some of my budget on consumers that
aren't necessarily interested in buying. But if I can create an
online ad product where the online company has already proven that
person is prequalified, than I am making a return on my investment."

Over the past two years, the slowest subscriber growth among
major US-based online services has been Prodigy. "We sure have
watched our market share decline while we've watched AOL really
grow," admitted Paul Gangi, electronic commerce manager for
Prodigy Services.

"That speaks to two issues," Gangi elaborated. "The size of
our industry is growing real rapidly, and Prodigy is facing the
other issue of trying to climb back and get market share.
(Running a) 'Webcentric' service is the way it is going to work
for us. Prodigy is becoming HTML (hypertext markup language)-based,
with portions of the service available to the Internet community
and back doors from the Internet community to those portions of the
service.

In Gangi's view, the place where accesses come from will not be as
important in the future as it is today.

"The number of subscribers is largely irrelevant. What is
apparent from the extraordinary growth curves is that most
Americans will have Internet access by the end of the decade.
This is not and shouldn't be looked at as traditional mass media.
We are talking about how to take this interactive media and create
affinity groups for them," he said.

In the short- to medium-term, however, all the online services are
worried about "churn." The word refers to the phenomenon of new
users staying with a service for a brief time period, then
signing up with a competitor that makes a free or more attractive
offer.

"The number one problem facing all the online services is churn.
You can look at what the net growth in memberships have been, and
then do 'back of the envelope' calculations to arrive at the
churn rate," Gangi said.

The Prodigy executive noted that in his view, it is important to
look at the characteristics of people who stay with the service.
"If you can create that utility, such as the folks we've gotten
to do banking and automatic bill paying, that becomes a utility
for them and they don't leave," he said.

"The strongest retention is where we have been able to engage
specific user communities in the development of what the service
gives them," added Apple eWorld Worldwide Services Group Manager
Richard Gingras.

"We are trying to do a more targeted approach, identifying
effective means to acquire new members. That is a challenge
for us all. If you look at the subscriber numbers, everybody is
adding 100,000 to 200,000 subs a month, but keeping the members
is a challenge. Many are jumping around trying to find a home
base," said Keith Arnold, general manager of interactive markets
and merchandising for Compuserve.

Barely two months old, The Microsoft Network has little direct
experience with churn. Still, Levin sees the phenomenon as
inevitable.

"Retention is not a subject for us yet because we are so new, but
nobody on this panel will have a better than 50 percent retention
rate," he said.

(Russell Shaw/19951025)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/25/95
APPLE
 ****Apple Courts Associated Press

(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00034)
 ****Apple Courts Associated Press 10/25/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 OCT 25 (NB) -- Three Apple Computer
Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) executives are on their way back to California after
meeting with Associated Press (AP) execs. Apple wants AP to create a
Macintosh client software for the AP television newsroom computer
system.

Lee Perryman, AP's deputy director at the broadcast division in
Washington DC, confirmed he met with Apple concerning a Macintosh client
software for the broadcast system. "We have had numerous talks with Apple
and it is our intention to offer our system on numerous platforms."

Currently, the AP Newscenter runs on Microsoft Windows for Workgroups,
Windows 95, and Windows NT 3.5.x. Perryman also said he has spoken with
Digital Equipment Corporation about the possibility of running the
system in the Alpha environment.

It appears that no definite agreement has been formed between Apple
and AP, but talks are expected to continue. Reports that Apple was
prepared to spend a large sum of money to get AP to close on a deal
could not be confirmed.

AP's newsroom software is operating in more than 80 television
stations and networks on approximately 2,000 workstations. The
system covers the entire television/broadcast news production process.

Perryman said, "Everything (computer systems) is too old in the
broadcast industry. To say you are in the television industry is
obsolete. Companies are in the information distribution business and
it exceeds standard television distribution. It involves cable, the
Internet, and networks, along with the standard air delivery. The
industry needs to learn about this process and it needs to have
sophisticated tools to operate effectively in this new world."

Apple is not just looking at having a piece of the 80 existing stations.
Perryman also said the industry is on the brink of adding thousands of
terminals to systems around the world. AP wants its computer system
on as many of those terminals as possible.

Currently, the only newsroom system which runs on the Mac platform
is NewsWire 2000 from a German company. Other developers of newsroom
systems have said it is too expensive to develop for the Mac platform
and there is not sufficient demand.

Perryman contradicts the latter, saying, "Graphics departments want
the Mac platform. The Mac is still the choice of graphics designers
even when the same programs are available in Windows versions. We
think there is a market for an Apple client."

The core newsroom system from AP covers all phases of newsroom
production from story assignments to the final edited video and audio
display. The system may also include a multimedia archive system
which can handle terabytes of data.

(Patrick McKenna/19951025/)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/25/95
ONLINE
Lotus Newsstand Adds Networks/Publications, Eyes Web

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(BOS)(00035)
Lotus Newsstand Adds Networks/Publications, Eyes Web 10/25/95
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 25 (NB) -- Lotus is
eyeing the electronic delivery of publications over even more
Notes networks, plus the possibility of helping to republish the
Notes-based publications to the Web, revealed Jim Dougherty,
director of Lotus's Advanced Technologies Group, in an interview
with Newsbytes about the addition of AT&T Network Notes, IBM
Global Network Service for Lotus Notes, and WorldCom as delivery
platforms for Lotus Notes:Newsstand.

"Our idea is to have hundreds of publications, as well as at
least a few more networks, using Lotus Notes:Newsstand," the
Lotus exec maintained.

With the recent infusion of 45 more signed agreements, a total of
about 145 business and industry publications are already
employing Lotus' Newsstand tool for bringing publications to
desktop users of Notes-based networks, he asserted. Newly added
Newsstand publishers include BRP Publications, Fidelity Capital,
APT Data Group PLC, and the Bureau of National Affairs.

Lotus' strategy for Newsstand calls for giving users
"specialized" trade journals and other electronic publications
that are difficult to find elsewhere online, Dougherty said,
during a previous interview with Newsbytes this summer, upon the
initial release of Newsstand.

Dougherty informed Newsbytes this week that, by and large, the
145 current Notes-based publications fall into the same eight or
nine vertical market categories, such as accounting, that Lotus
identified last summer.

The addition of new Notes-based publications and the
establishment of a wider audience through deals with AT&T Network
Notes, IBM Global Network, and WorldCom are acting as mutual
catalysts for the growth of Newsstand, Dougherty contended.

In addition, the recent acquisition of Lotus by IBM "enhances the
view that Notes is a solid and permanent fixture," he continued.
"IBM recognizes that Notes is a superb distribution mechanism,"
Newsbytes was told.

The use of Notes as a publication delivery platform provides
capabilities such as distribution among workgroup users through
Notes replication and the ability to conduct full-text searches
and sort information into various views (by date, by subject, by
author) from the desktop, according to Dougherty.

Lotus, he said, has begun to participate in "co-marketing"
activities, in which Lotus helps to identify potential customers
for publishers, and accompanies the publishers on initial sales
calls to bring the two parties together.

Notes customers are now starting to ask publishers to prepare
"custom" versions of publications that are tailored to specific
needs, he added. "One good example is a publisher that puts out
four daily reports. A Notes customer wants to have (the reports)
organized differently," he illustrated.

About 7,000 companies are currently using Lotus Notes, according
to Dougherty. The use of Newsstand by larger networks such as
AT&T Network Notes, IBM Global Network Service for Notes, and
WorldCom will help to facilitate distribution of Notes-based
publications among multiple companies, he predicted.

"There is also the possibility that we will begin to use Lotus
InterNotes for republishing (Notes-based) publications to the
Web. But we're not promising this," Dougherty told Newsbytes.
Lotus InterNotes converts Notes-based documents into the HTML
(hypertext markup language) format used on the Web.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951025/Reader Contact: Lotus, 617-577-8500;
Press Contact: Suzanne Diaz, Lois Paul & Partners for Lotus,
617-862-4514)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00036)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 10/25/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 25 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|          Wednesday, October 25, 1995           |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network's on the Web! Check out http://www.nbnn.com for
free daily top stories from Newsbytes. and its affiliate publications,
and from PC Week, MacWeek, and other Ziff news magazines. A subscription
gives you all the news, full-text, plus the most comprehensive database
of past computer stories online. The keyword-searchable database dates
from today back through 1983. Subscriptions are $24.95 for three months.
Questions? Send to '[e-mail]'  For Japanese Newsbytes
and additional services, see the Newsbytes Pacifica Website at
http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

APPLE     Claris Ships Apple's Internet Kit, Oracle Objects.......... 10

APPLE      ****Apple Courts Associated Press......................... 34

BROADCAST Skyphone's Encrypted Fax/Data/Voice Call Services.......... 04

BROADCAST  ****MCI Plans Home VideoPhone Over Normal Lines........... 27

BUSINESS  Pearson & Matra Sell Europe Online Shares To Veba.......... 06

BUSINESS  Daewoo Electronics Enters Chinese Market................... 12

BUSINESS  China - Great Wall & IBM Cooperation Benefits Both......... 14

BUSINESS  Intel Plans Thailand Office................................ 15

BUSINESS  Fujitsu Sees Higher Profits & Sales For Year............... 20

BUSINESS  IBM Canada Stands Its Ground On DMR Offer.................. 23

BUSINESS  Pen Is Not Mightier, PenMagic Renamed Pivotal.............. 28

BUSINESS   ****Netscape Exceeds Wall Street Expectations............. 30

BUSINESS  Hayes Quiet On US Robotics Acquisition Offer............... 32

CHIPS     NEC Increases Chip Production Investment................... 21

GENERAL   Nintendo Cuts Virtual Boy Price, Intros New Games.......... 01

GENERAL   Japan Newsbriefs........................................... 19

GOVT      Thailand Govt To Boost IT Spending......................... 17

IBM       IBM Ships RAMAC 2 "2nd Generation" Mainframe Storage....... 29

NETWORK   LANart Unveils Net Port Switching Technology............... 18

ONLINE    Compuserve Shows Travelers "A Better Way To Go............. 11

ONLINE     ****Internet Update....................................... 22

ONLINE     ****eWorld Exec - Online Services "Terminally Ill......... 24

ONLINE    Lycos Buys Point, Adds Web Ratings To Spider Search........ 31

ONLINE    Online Execs - "Churn" Still A Problem..................... 33

ONLINE    Lotus Newsstand Adds Networks/Publications, Eyes Web....... 35

PC        TI Intros MicroLaser Printer For SOHO Market............... 08

TELECOM   Russian Telecom Giant To Be Privatized..................... 07

TELECOM   China - Public Phones Increase Dramatically................ 13

TELECOM   Thailand Telecom Group To Expand........................... 16

TRENDS     ****Computer Crimes Greater Than Expected, Increasing..... 03

TRENDS    Novell Reveals More Netware Telephony Plans................ 09

TRENDS     ****CD-ROM Better Marketing Vehicle Than Web.............. 25

UNIX      Silicon Graphics' "On-The-Fly" Web Page Package............ 02

WINDOWS   German Firm Offers Low-Cost Pro Music Composing Software... 05

WINDOWS    ****Microsoft Fixes Windows 95 Security Problems.......... 26

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 -> Nintendo Cuts Virtual Boy Price, Intros New Games -- Nintendo of
America has announced a $20 reduction in the price of its Virtual Boy
video game system. The price cut makes the suggested retail price of
Virtual Boy $159.95.

2 -> Silicon Graphics' "On-The-Fly" Web Page Package -- Silicon Graphics
has announced MindShare Outbox, an Iris-based (Silicon Graphics' Unix
variant) software package that uses Web technology to allow people to
share information within organizations.

3 ->  ****Computer Crimes Greater Than Expected, Increasing -- Professor
David Carter, faculty member of Michigan State University (MSU), says
98.6% of businesses in his nationwide survey have been victims of
computer crime. More than 43.3% of the 200 survey respondents say they
were victimized in excess of 25 times.

4 -> Skyphone's Encrypted Fax/Data/Voice Call Services -- Skyphone, the
satellite phone consortium owned and operated by British Telecom,
Singapore Telecom, and Telnor International (formerly Norwegian Telcom),
has announced an enhancement to its analog voice, data, and fax service
from aircraft

5 -> German Firm Offers Low-Cost Pro Music Composing Software -- Capella
Music Notation, a German music software house, has announced the
availability of Capella 2.1, a UKP119 music editing and annotation
package for the PC-Windows environment. The company has signed
distribution agreements with companies in the Czech Republic, the
Netherlands, and Software Partners in the UK.

6 -> Pearson & Matra Sell Europe Online Shares To Veba -- Pearson and
Matra-Hachette have announced plans to sell their stakes in Europe
Online, an online publishing venture created with a third company, Burda
Verlag of Germany, to Veba, the German information technology (IT)
company. Burda Verlag is retaining its shares in the venture, Newsbytes
understands.

7 -> Russian Telecom Giant To Be Privatized -- The Russian Government has
announced plans to privatize Svyazinvest, the state-owned telecoms
holding company. According to Macksim Boyko, head of the Russian
Privatization Bureau, 25 percent of the company will be sold off to a
major investor.

8 -> TI Intros MicroLaser Printer For SOHO Market -- Texas Instruments
Inc. (NYSE: TXN) has introduced a new member of its MicroLaser printer
family that is intended specifically for the small office/home office
(SOHO) market where a Windows-based PC is in use. The company said the
printer is positioned to compete with Hewlett Packard's LaserJet 5P.

9 -> Novell Reveals More Netware Telephony Plans -- Novell Inc. (NASDAQ:
NOVL) has outlined more of its long-term plans for its Netware Telephony
Services (NTS) and Telephony Services API (applications programming
interface), or TSAPI. The plans include new products, technologies, and
programs.

10 -> Claris Ships Apple's Internet Kit, Oracle Objects -- Following
recent announcements from Apple Computer Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Claris, a
developer and vendor of Macintosh and Windows software, says it is
shipping the Apple Internet Connection Kit and Oracle Power Objects for
Windows or Mac. Along with its retail channel strength, Claris will also
move the products through its ClarisPlus volume licensing program.

11 -> Compuserve Shows Travelers "A Better Way To Go -- Before venturing
out onto the highways of the land, members of Compuserve can now get
directions on how to get from here to there via the online network's
"superhighway." A new service, dubbed "Way To Go Compuserve" provides
turn-by-turn directions between points of interest, along with a complete
directory of addresses and special attractions in any given region.

12 -> Daewoo Electronics Enters Chinese Market -- Daewoo Electronics, one
of the six major industrial branches of the South Korean Daewoo Group,
plans to input $100 million into China for four joint ventures, including
a color TV plant, according to a senior company official.

13 -> China - Public Phones Increase Dramatically -- In response to a
rapidly growing public demand for telecommunications services, more than
270,000 public telephones were installed in the first eight months of
this year, according to statistics from Ministry of Posts and
Telecommunications (MPT).

14 -> China - Great Wall & IBM Cooperation Benefits Both -- China's
leading computer firm, Great Wall Group, and the world computer giant,
IBM, have signed an agreement to further tap the Chinese computer market.

15 -> Intel Plans Thailand Office -- Intel Corporation plans to open a
subsidiary office in Thailand early next year, the Vice President of
Intel International and Director for Emerging Markets Rob Eckelmann has
confirmed.

16 -> Thailand Telecom Group To Expand -- Leading telecommunications
player, the Samart Group, is forming two new subsidiaries, Samart
Electronic Commerce Company and POSnet, to address the rapidly growing
markets of EDI (electronic data interchange) and electronic-mail, as well
as electronic funds transfer, point-of-sales and smart cards, according
to Samart Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Charnchai Charuvastr.

17 -> Thailand Govt To Boost IT Spending -- The Thailand Cabinet has
agreed in principle to allocate a 2,185.5 million baht (US$87.5 million)
budget to increase computer literacy among students and improve computer
curricula over the coming five years.

18 -> LANart Unveils Net Port Switching Technology -- LANart
International has announced Segway, a network port switch. The company
claims that the product is unique in the market in being able to
dynamically allocated network bandwidth to local area network (LAN) users
before the data channels are linked to the network proper.

19 -> Japan Newsbriefs -- In this roundup of news from Japan: Softbank
targets Unitech, IDO to expand service area, Convenience store
distribution for Windows 95, Xerox software pact with Toshiba, Seiko
Epson ties with Telediffusion de France, Sharp first with digital
satellite, Sony, Toshiba announce new US chiefs

20 -> Fujitsu Sees Higher Profits & Sales For Year -- Fujitsu Ltd.
(TSE:6702), the world's second largest computer manufacturer, has
announced increased sales and profits for the first six months of the
current financial year and upgraded year-end forecasts. The company
reported "strong domestic and overseas demand for semiconductors and
other electronic devices as well as rapid growth in multimedia-related
business areas," helped it to record a consolidated net income growth of
441%.

21 -> NEC Increases Chip Production Investment -- NEC Corporation
(TSE:6701), Japan's largest semiconductor maker, says it will increase
the amount of money it is investing in production of computer chips to a
record 210 billion yen ($2.1 billion) from 125 billion yen ($1.25
billion) last year, an increase of 68%.

22 ->  ****Internet Update -- In this roundup of new resources and
services on the global Internet: Keeping in touch with Capitol Hill, News
mailing list home page, It can't be Christmas already, New Web 100
listing, The Danish Ministry of Environment and Energy, Japan's
entertainment world, Weather goes interactive, Golf tips from a pro,
Water, water everywhere

23 -> IBM Canada Stands Its Ground On DMR Offer -- Although rival bidder
Amdahl Corp. (AMEX:AMH) has taken up 36 percent of the common shares of
Montreal- based consulting firm DMR Group Inc. (TSE:DR), IBM Canada Ltd.
is standing by, not only its bid for the company, but its stated
intention of getting 90 percent of DMR's shares.

24 ->  ****eWorld Exec - Online Services "Terminally Ill -- In what was
the most contentious statement at the Sixth Conference on Interactive
Marketing being held this week, Apple eWorld Worldwide Services Group
Manager Richard Gingras sounded a figurative death knell for the
closed-platform online industry.

25 ->  ****CD-ROM Better Marketing Vehicle Than Web -- Among marketers,
there's a widespread perception that, because it's far easier, cheaper
and quicker to put up and update a World Wide Web site than it is to
produce a CD-ROM, that the Web is the ideal marketing vehicle for
corporations that want to get product information out to the public.

26 ->  ****Microsoft Fixes Windows 95 Security Problems -- Microsoft
Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) said it has located and fixed two problems with file
and printer sharing in its Windows 95 operating system (OS) that could
have caused security concerns with Windows 95 users.

27 ->  ****MCI Plans Home VideoPhone Over Normal Lines -- MCI Inc.
(NASDAQ:MCIC), along with several other companies, is bringing
videoconferencing to the home over standard telephone wiring. Called "MCI
VideoPhone," the new system will be on the market by June, 1996, company
officials said.

28 -> Pen Is Not Mightier, PenMagic Renamed Pivotal --Pen computing has
been a disappointment for four-year-old PenMagic software, and the
company is changing its name and looking for greener pastures elsewhere.

29 -> IBM Ships RAMAC 2 "2nd Generation" Mainframe Storage -- At a press
conference in Boston yesterday afternoon, IBM announced shipment of the
"second generation" of its RAID (redundant array of inexpensive disks) 5
mainframe storage systems, officially presenting the first IBM RAMAC 2
production-level unit to Nynex, a major user of information storage.

30 ->  ****Netscape Exceeds Wall Street Expectations -- When Netscape
Communications (NASDAQ:NSCP) went public with its dramatic opening day on
the stock exchange, a number of analysts questioned how a company which
had not made money could arouse so much attention. In its first quarter
since the initial public offering, Netscape says revenues are up 75% and
income increased from a loss of $1.6 million to a gain of $1.4 million.

31 -> Lycos Buys Point, Adds Web Ratings To Spider Search -- Through a
newly announced $3 million acquisition of Point Communications Corp.,
Lycos has integrated Point's review and rating guide to the World Wide
Web, plus capsules of business news and weather, into its own
Spider-based search and indexing service for the Web, said Lycos
President and CEO (Chief Executive Officer) Robert J. Davis, in an
interview with Newsbytes.

32 -> Hayes Quiet On US Robotics Acquisition Offer -- Hayes Microcomputer
isn't saying much yet about a multi-million offer from US Robotics to
purchase the modem maker that set the standard for commands to control
the devices that let computers talk to each other via telephone lines.

33 -> Online Execs - "Churn" Still A Problem -- Exact subscriber counts
are not as important to an online service as the ability to keep them
around and reduce cancellations, several online service executives
stressed during a panel discussion at the Sixth Conference on Interactive
Marketing Tuesday.

34 ->  ****Apple Courts Associated Press -- Three Apple Computer Inc.
(NASDAQ:AAPL) executives are on their way back to California after
meeting with Associated Press (AP) execs. Apple wants AP to create a
Macintosh client software for the AP television newsroom computer system.

35 -> Lotus Newsstand Adds Networks/Publications, Eyes Web -- Lotus is
eyeing the electronic delivery of publications over even more Notes
networks, plus the possibility of helping to republish the Notes-based
publications to the Web, revealed Jim Dougherty, director of Lotus's
Advanced Technologies Group, in an interview with Newsbytes about the
addition of AT&T Network Notes, IBM Global Network Service for Lotus
Notes, and WorldCom as delivery platforms for Lotus Notes:Newsstand.

(Ian Stokell/19951025)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD



Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/24/95
ONLINE
Electric Industry To Use Internet For Transmission Info

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(WAS)(00001)
Electric Industry To Use Internet For Transmission Info 10/24/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 OCT 24 (NB) -- The electric power
industry will use the Internet to provide a real-time
information network proposed by the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission as part of its plan to turn privately-owned
long-distance, high-voltage electric transmission lines into
common carriers.

To facilitate competition, the FERC plan would require utilities
that own transmission lines to provide competitors with
information on when and where the lines are open to schedule
wholesale power transfers. FERC asked the Electric Power
Research Institute, the industry's research group, to study how
to implement the information access requirement.

Separately, FERC asked the North American Electric Reliability
Council to study what information should be made available once
the information networks were established.

"We were fearful that EPRI would try to reinvent the wheel," one
electric utility industry executive, who requested anonymity, told
Newsbytes. "We think they have made the right choice, picking a
technology that is quite robust and mature for the kind of
information network we need."

"FERC wanted something that was doable by June of 96," EPRI's
Jerry Cauley told Newsbytes, "so we had to ask, 'Is the Internet
appropriate for this. Or are more sophisticated approaches
required? What's practical by next June? What's affordable?
What's important to transmission customers?'

"We're proposed that, as a minimum requirement, every
transmission owner must provide transmission services
information on a server," said Cauley. "The minimum requirement
is that the information be accessible through the Internet."

"We didn't want the information to be available to just anyone,"
said Cauley, "so we'd have a number of security measures. We'd
require registration and a customer agreement." If the Internet
proves insecure, the industry might have to switch to another
network or dedicated lines, he said.

While some 160 electric systems would be affected by FERC's
requirement, Cauley noted that various regional groups that
coordinate electricity transactions, such as the New York Power
Pool, the Western Systems Coordinating Council, and others, will
likely coordinate transmission information as well. "I expect to
see 25 to 30 nodes initially cropping up in the spring," Cauley
said.

(Kennedy Maize/19951023/Press Contact: Jerry Cauley,
415-855-2000)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/24/95
ONLINE
PSI Offers Virtual Neighborhoods Local Content Program

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(WAS)(00002)
PSI Offers Virtual Neighborhoods Local Content Program 10/24/95
HERNDON, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 24 (NB) -- PSINet's Pipeline
Internet service is planning on expanding the local content
service it pioneered in New York City to other metropolitan
areas through what it calls its "virtual neighborhoods" program.
Pipeline, a New York-based Internet service provider PSI
acquired earlier this year, has offered localized content for
the New York metropolitan area since 1993.

The initial rollout of the local service will come in Boston,
Atlanta, Dallas, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San
Francisco in 1996.

"Until now," said Kurt Baumann, PSI vice president of consumer
services, "there's been no broad national effort to offer true
local content or to cultivate the sense of community people
appreciate. Instant access to worldwide information has become a
way of life for millions of people, but everyone still wants
local scores, local event listing, and a sense that they have a
home on the Internet -- that is what we will provide."

But Pipeline is not alone is seeing local content as an
attractive market. Many daily newspapers are now offering online
access, through the Internet, commercial services, or both.
Major papers such as the Washington Post have launched their own
ambitious online services. And America Online has begun offering
local content, including a well thought-out offering on the
Washington area, AOL's home turf.

Pipeline says it will offer subscribers in the designated areas
original local information and news, and will provide newsgroup
discussion facilitated by Pipeline moderators, with special
appearances by local newsmakers and celebrities.

"We built an online community from the ground up in New York,"
says Edward Nadeau, generation manager of Pipeline/NY. "Our
service reflects the culture and character of the tri-state
metropolitan area. We are going to replicate this atmosphere for
online customers in other cities."

The local content service will be available at no extra charge
above the current PSI flat monthly fee of $19.95.

(Kennedy Maize/19951023/Press Contact: Aggie Nteta,
703-904-4100 ext 1356)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/24/95
TELECOM
British Telecom Offers Frame Relay In Philippines

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(HKG)(00003)
British Telecom Offers Frame Relay In Philippines 10/24/95
MANILA, PHILIPPINES, 1995 OCT 24 (NB) -- Officials from
British Telecommunications Inc. (BT) and Philippine Global
Communications (PhilCom) recently hosted the launch of a frame
relay service from Concert, the joint global communications
venture between BT and MCI, formed in 1993.

Utilizing digital circuits for data transfer between PCs and host
computers in a global setup, the Concert Frame Relay Service
(CFRS) connects local area networks (LANs) around the world very
quickly at a speed of two megabits-per-second (Mbps), according
to Graham Moore, managing director for North East Asia of British
Telecom.

The first frame relay service to launch in the country, CFRS is a
new technology linking corporate users to the cloud of information
via a high bandwidth and low-delay application. CFRS simplifies
coordination between highly dispersed LANs utilizing upgradable
64 kilobits-per-second (Kbps) leased lines.

In an interview with Newsbytes, Moore said moving from packet
services to frame relay and eventually asynchronous transfer
mode (ATM) cell relay is a natural progression, and BT is on its
way to developing its full-blown ATM service. The move to ATM cell
relay, however, will be determined by the volume of data large
companies, particularly the multinationals, need to transfer. It
will be a natural alternative when the need outgrows frame relay
technology, according to Moore.

"Concert can be the 'ten' solution for our country's communication
needs," asserts Alfredo Parungao, president and chief executive
officer (CEO) of PhilCom, addressing his audience at the ballroom
of The Peninsula Manila Hotel.

Parungao reminded the audience that BT and PhilCom set the
standards in Philippine telecommunications when they launched
the Global Data Communications Service in 1992. "We want to offer
our customers world class telecom products," Parungao said.

PhilCom is the Philippines' second international gateway facility
(IGF) operator having obtained its license from the National
Telecommunications Commission in 1988. It was also the first
telecom firm to open the radio telephone service between the
Philippines and the USA.

Moore said his entourage was in the country to lend support to the
local launch and to let the people realize that they have a choice.

Also at the launch was Commissioner Simeon Kintanar of the
National Telecommunications Commission, who said CFRS would
be a significant component for the country's goal to move forward
and achieve a newly industrialized country status in the year 2000.

The Philippines, with a current teledensity of 2, will eventually
achieve a teledensity of 10 (per 100 Filipino) by the year 2000, and
this requires an investment requirement of P125 billion pesos for
local exchange lines, international gateway services and mobile
telephones, Kintanar adds.

(Jenny Malapitan and Metropolitan Computer Times/19951024/Internet
e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/24/95
IBM
IBM Soups Up European Global Net With VSAT

(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00004)
IBM Soups Up European Global Net With VSAT 10/24/95
PARIS, FRANCE, 1995 OCT 24 (NB) -- IBM has announced plans to greatly
enhance its IBM Global Network service in Europe, using VSAT (very
small aperture terminal) technology. Using VSAT technology will allow
IBM to "massively increase" its European network capacity within a
very short space of time, officials said, in order to take advantage
of the impending free European market for telecoms services.

As previously reported by Newsbytes, on January 1, 1998, all European
Commission (EC) member countries must open up their telecoms services
to free market competition and service provision by companies from
within the EC.

According to IBM, the idea is to enhance its Global Network in Europe
to accept videoconferencing links in addition to voice and data. Big
Blue claims that, over the next year, its network in Europe will be
the largest and most function-rich outside of the US.

And IBM doesn't appear to be wasting any time in signing up new
customers to its enhanced Global Network. The company has signed up
French automobile manufacturers, Peugot and Citroen, who will use the
IBM Global Network to communicate with their 4.200 dealers scattered
across Europe.

According to the car manufacturers, the network will allow dealers to
order cars and spare parts for their customers and, eventually allow
them to receive private broadcasts and product announcement video
transmissions,

"This will simplify connection procedures and increase the number of
exchanges between manufacturer and dealer, while actually reducing
communication costs," explained Jean-Serge Bertoncini, director of
information technology for Peugot and Citroen.

"We'll have a much closer relationship with our dealers," he added.
Bertoncini said the car-buying public will benefit from an improved
exchange of information on product availability, streamline order
processing, and more efficient delivery scheduling and maintenance
management. He added that the main reason why the car manufacturing
group went with IBM was the Global Network's "open" nature, so
allowing different protocols to be used over the same links.

According to IBM, major customers on the IBM Global Network will be
migrated from their existing landline and microwave relay links into
the main backbone network progressively from the beginning of 1996
onwards. The first switches will occur in the first quarter of the new
year in France, where customers using the Axone private data network
(PDN) will be moved across to VSAT, where their data net usage makes
the use of VSAT more economic than landline or microwave hop.

Announcing the masterplan for Europe, John Whiteside, IBM Global
Network's general manager refused to be drawn on the cost, but claimed
that it would be cheaper and easier for both IBM and its customers in
the longer term.

(Steve Gold/19951023/Press Contact: Brain Doyle, IBM Global Network,
[phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/24/95
TRENDS
UK - New Technology & IT Consultants Examined - Report

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00005)
UK - New Technology & IT Consultants Examined - Report 10/24/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 24 (NB -- The Computing Services & Software
Association (CSSA) Business Advisory Group of information technology
(IT) directors from a broad cross-section of British industry
has met up twice in recent months to provide feedback to the industry
on two topics: the impact of new technologies, and the use and value
of consultants.

The results of the discussions have been published in a condensed
report format by the CSSA and are available free of charge by faxing
a request to [phone] or electronically mailing to
[e-mail].

According to Rob Wirszycz, a spokesman for the CSSA, in the first
session, the panel were cautious in their acceptance of, and movement
towards, adopting new technologies into their business. While the
panel accepted the "inevitability" and "probable benefits" of some
of the changes, they were wary of "being a pioneer" and choosing a
"technological cul-de-sac."

In the second session, the panel produced a set of recommendations
for the use of consultants, as well as a set of challenges that
consultants and users need to face. One interesting fact that emerged
from the session was that it was often less of a problem paying high
fee rates for consultants, as often, the highest value was received
from the best and most experienced consultants.

In addition, the panel said that they believed that consultants are
useful in providing an external viewpoint which can cut through
in-company politics and so help advance the cause of the IT director.

(Steve Gold/19951020/Press & Reader Contact: CSSA, tel +44-171-
405-2171, fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/24/95
TELECOM
Ericsson Receives African Digital Phone Order

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00006)
Ericsson Receives African Digital Phone Order 10/24/95
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, 1995 OCT 24 (NB) -- The Digital American Mobile
Phone System (D-AMPS) has been a great success in the US, but has only
gained limited acceptance. Most recently, D-AMPS got its first orders
from Russia and Vietnam, and now, the technology -- the rival to GSM
(global system for mobile communications) -- has received its first
order from the African continent.

Terms of the agreement call for Ericsson to supply Nexus
International, a wholly owned subsidiary of France Telecom, with a
D-AMPS/AMPS cellular network covering two of the major cities in the
Congo: Brazzaville, the capital, which has a million citizens, and
Pointe Noire, the coastal city which has a population of 500,000.

Announcing the deal, M. Koua, the High Commissioner for Posts and
Telecommunications in the Congo, said that the installation of the
network represents a major step in the development of the Congo, and
is the direct result of initiatives by His Excellency, Professor
Pascal Lissouba, the Congo's President.

Sven-Christer Nilsson, vice president of Ericsson Radio Systems and
general manager of the business unit, said that deal is strategically
significant "as it will be Ericsson's first D-AMPS network in Africa,
and, hopefully, the beginning of an expanding D-AMPS network linking
several countries."

According to Nilsson, there are almost 1.5 million subscribers around
the world who are using D-AMPS and more than 40 million using AMPS,
its analog forerunner. Ericsson claims that its systems support around
15 million of these subscribers, giving the Swedish telco a market
share of around 40 percent.

The deal involves the supply of several base stations, along with an
electronic mobile exchange (EMX) for the twin city network. The
network is scheduled for commercial launch at the end of this year.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951020/Press Contact: Per Bengtsson, Ericsson
Business Area Radio Communications, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/24/95
NETWORK
Novell's 2Mbps Electric Mains LAN Technology

(NEWS)(NETWORK)(LON)(00007)
Novell's 2Mbps Electric Mains LAN Technology 10/24/95
BRACKNELL, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 24 (NB) -- Novell has unveiled
a mains-borne LAN (local area network) technology, known as Nested
NetWare Powerline. The technology allows NetWare connections to be
achieved across conventional electricity lines.

Mains-borne LANs were last seen in quantity back in the late 1980s,
when the slow speed of the technology -- then around 20-30,000 bits-per-
second (bps) -- was not a problem, Newsbytes notes. Novell claims
to have souped up the technology and squeezed an impressive two
megabits-per-second (Mbps) out of the link with Powerline.

Because of the way in which mains circuits route into the home and
office, only small clusters of office buildings and homes can normally
carry the NetWare Powerline signal. This is because of isolation
circuits that seek to prevent power surges or difficulties causing
problems with large numbers of customers to the local power grid.

Nevertheless, the NetWare Powerline system can be used on a localized
basis for simple networking and, since the system does not require the
use of extra wiring, it is billed as "extremely cost-effective."

Novell is not marketing NetWare Powerline as a "true" NetWare LAN
topology. Instead, it expects to see the technology used to link PCs
with technically simple devices such as photocopiers, fax machines and
domestic appliances, as well as traditional desktop PCs. Such devices
can be sub-connected to a conventional NetWare network, although at
slower speeds.

Novell has teamed up with UtiliCorp United, the US electricity and gas
company, to develop and jointly market applications of the Nested
NetWare Powerline technology. The first aim of the technology is that
it will allow a central PC to control devices in and around the home
or office, regulating their power consumption by switching them on and
off as required.

Lalit Nathwani, senior brand marketing manager with Novell UK,
explained that the technology has massive potential in being able to
link up previously unconnected devices, without resorting to overkill
by strapping on a NetWare card.

"Novell has a goal of connecting a billion devices to the global
network by the year 2000. Many of these will be non-traditional
computing information technology devices in locations without
traditional LAN connections," he said, adding that Powerline removes
this restriction "at a stroke."

The aim is to encourage OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) to
license Nested NetWare Powerline technology for inclusion in household
devices like air conditioners, and office devices like fans,
photocopiers and the like, so that NetWare servers can uses the mains-
borne links to control the devices. More than 45 OEMs are claimed to
have produced 140 product designs using the technology and Powerline-
compliant electrical devices are expected to appear early next year.

To further Powerline, Novell has formed the Smart Energy Network
Alliance (SENA), a group with the aim of accelerating the delivery of
economical energy management systems based on networking technologies
such as Powerline. The alliance will, Novell claims, allow the company
to leverage its existing technology to provide support for energy
companies to offer consumers data comms links within their existing
electrical grid systems.

(Steve Gold/19951020/Press Contact: Andy Smith, A Plus, +44-1753-
790700, Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Reader Contact: Novell
UK, tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/24/95
ONLINE
AGIS Provides Additional Internet Bandwidth

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00008)
AGIS Provides Additional Internet Bandwidth 10/24/95
DEARBORN, MICHIGAN, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 24 (NB) -- Apex Global Information
Services (AGIS) said it is introducing "Upscale 2000," a scalable
Internet bandwidth product which enables businesses to purchase a set
amount of bandwidth, with the option of upgrading to a higher speed at
a later date.

"What the Upscale 2000 product line is meeting what we see as the
coming quality of service goal from the Internet," Phillip J. Lawlor,
president and chief executive officer of AGIS, told Newsbytes.

With Upscale 2000, Internet service providers (ISPs) can elect to start
at a 56 kilobits-per-second (Kbps) bandwidth, with the ability to
gradually move up in speed to as high as 45 megabits-per-second (Mbps).
This helps ISPs provide quality service in a marketplace that is more
competitive now than a year ago, Lawlor said. "What we'll see
happening in the next 12 to 24 months are the content and transaction
providers moving in a flight to quality," he said. "These folks don't
want to end up behind somebody's slow link," and these companies will
want a large presence behind them with more bandwidth, he said.

Lawlor told Newsbytes Upscale 2000 is a part of the company's "Project
Millennium," a series of products and services unique to AGIS that will
usher both Internet providers and users "into the 21st Century."

AGIS also announced recently that it would be providing transit and
peering in the United States for Demon Internet Systems of the United
Kingdom. AGIS and Demon concluded the first phase of negotiations last
month, which will see AGIS providing 3Mbps of international access
from the UK to the US. This will allow Demon to have redundant capacity
on its existing routes, and will permit "additional vitality" for all
of their existing UK to US traffic, AGIS officials said.

AGIS and Demon are negotiating further to expand their partnership,
AGIS officials added.

In addition, AGIS recently bought Net99 of Phoenix. With the buy,
AGIS claims to be one of the largest commercial backbone providers of
Internet connectivity in the world.

(Bob Woods/19951020/Press Contacts: Barry Schwartz or Steven
Wright-Mark, Schwartz Public Relations, 212-677-8700)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/24/95
CHIPS
Intel Plans $1Bil Flash Memory Plant In Israel

(NEWS)(CHIPS)(SFO)(00009)
Intel Plans $1Bil Flash Memory Plant In Israel 10/24/95
FOLSOM, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 24 (NB) -- Intel (NASDAQ:INTC)
has announced plans to build a $1 billion fabrication plant in Kiryat
Gat, Israel. The site, named Fab 18, will be the first constructed by
Intel exclusively for flash memory manufacturing.

Intel is now in its fourth generation of flash memory technology since
its beginning in 1988. Because it is rewritable and non-volatile,
flash memory uses continue to expand. Dataquest, a well-known market
research firm, estimates the worldwide flash memory market at $1.3
billion through 1995. In 1994, Intel's flash memory shipments
accounted for 51% of the market.

Flash memory is commonly used in personal computers, PC Cards, cellular
phones, and network cards. Today, it greatest use is in PCs where it is
used for to store BIOS (basic input/output system) code. On an annual
basis 63 to 65 million PCs use flash memory, and 36 to 37 million
cellular phones incorporate the technology.

An Intel spokesperson told Newsbytes, "We plan to break ground on
November 8 and produce volume shipments by early 1998." When completed,
Fab 18 will have one million square feet of floor space with an 80,000
square foot, Class 1 cleanroom. The new facility is being built to produce
product using an advanced 0.25-micron lithography process on eight-inch
(200mm) wafers.

It is Intel's first fabrication plant designed exclusively for the
manufacture of flash memory products. According to Intel, Fab 18 will
increase its flash memory capacity by 350 percent.

Currently, Intel's flash memory products are manufactured at Fab 7 and
Fab 9 in Mexico, and in collaboration with Sharp in Japan. These units
will continue to produce flash memory products after Fab 18 is completed.

Explaining the value of flash memory products, Intel's spokesperson
said, "Part of the success of flash memory products is due to being
rewritable. This means, for example, a cellular phone manufacturer is
able to update features without having to replace the memory. Since it
is rewritable, the manufacturer can simply change the programming code
as features become available. This keeps the price of cellular phones
down and is why companies can almost give them away." Another advantage
of flash memory -- being non-volatile -- means data remains in memory
when it is not powered.

Intel says future markets for flash memory lie in consumer product
markets such as digital audio storage and digital photography.

(Patrick McKenna/1995/Press Contact: Anne Hall, Intel,
916-356-6515)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/24/95
ONLINE
"Muse" Photos On Web For "Instant Secure Transactions"

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(BOS)(00010)
"Muse" Photos On Web For "Instant Secure Transactions" 10/24/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 24 (NB) -- Beyond being
the first World Wide Web site to permit digital photo transactions
that encompass search, licensing, downloading, and "secure payment"
elements, the newly opened "Muse" is one of the first Web-based
services of any kind to enable secure payment transactions in
"real time," claimed Richard P. Groman, president of West
Stock, during a meeting with Newsbytes on a Boston press tour.

Although professional designers constitute one key target market
for West Stock's new Web-based stock photography service, these
are hardly the only folks to be downloading images off the Web.
In fact, about 80 percent of all files now being downloaded off
the Web consist of images, according to the West Stock chief.

As a result, he added, West Stock is offering downloads of its
professionally produced stock photos at seven different pricing
levels, based on category of intended use, along with image size
and resolution. The Muse licensing scheme ranges from $8 for a one
megabyte (MB) photo for on-screen "personal" use (on a "personal
Web page," for example), to $70 for a 4.5MB photo for printed
"external" use (in a magazine ad, for instance).

Also accounted for in the comprehensive pricing scenario for the
Web are photos geared to internal or external use by audiences
such as home-based businesses and desktop, multimedia and
"Webtop" publishers. The same stock photos in hard copy form cost
around $350 to license, he pointed out.

All 5,000-or-so photos from the stable of 75 West Stock
photographers have been legally cleared for licensing, as well as
"model released," according to Groman.

In addition, the Muse is among only a few Web-based services
that currently provide "instant credit approval," for secure
transactions right from the time of initial sign-on, he contended.

After logging on to West Stock's secure server, searching for
photos, and choosing the photos to be licensed from West Stock, you
are asked by the Muse for your Visa, MasterCard, or American Express
card number and expiration date.

In contrast to most other Web-based transaction services, which
accumulate users' credit card and transaction information for
later batch processing, the Muse processes each individual
transaction immediately, through a direct link between West
Stock's Netscape Commerce Server and the US Bank of Washington
and Oregon via VisaNet, according to Groman.

Netscape encrypts the credit card number. After your credit card
is approved by the bank, the credit card number is quickly
expunged from the online records, for extra security, he said.

Groman told Newsbytes that Seattle, Washington-based West Stock,
one of the largest stock agencies on the West Coast, was also one
of the first players to enter the digital stock photography market.

About four years ago, West Stock supplied the photos used in
PhotoDisc's first series of CD-ROM "photo clip-art," he elaborated.

The photos that West Stock is now offering over the Muse differ
from the online news photos furnished by services such as
Reuters. The photos from West Stock are more likely to appear in
a hard copy or electronic ad, brochure, or newsletter than in a
newspaper, he continued. "So the content is complementary."

In a demo for Newsbytes carried out with an Apple Powerbook and a
cellular modem, Groman accessed the Muse and downloaded a photo.
After landing on the Muse's home page, the company president
entered an "alphabet" page. There, he clicked on the word
"cactus" to bring up a list of all photos featuring that
vegetable from the Muse's Oracle 7 database.

The Muse also lets you refine a search, he added, showing
Newsbytes sub-categories for "cactus" photos that included
"silhouette," for instance. To view a photo, you click on "view
selection." The selected photo first appears as a thumbnail. You
can then enlarge the on-screen image to 3-by-5-inch, 150-line
JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) size by clicking on the
photo. The online JPEG-sized photo bears a watermark.

If you decide you are interested in licensing an image, you can
either conduct the "secure transaction" right away, or employ
the Muse's "shopping cart" to store the image away temporarily
while you browse the West Stock Web site for more photos.

After your credit card has been approved, and the transaction is
billed to your card, you can download the image. The Muse, said
Groman, also uses the TAR protocol to "bundle the image" into
downloadable form, and to supply additional security.

Access to the Muse requires a Netscape browser version 1.1 or
later, plus a 14.4 megabits-per-second (Mbps) or faster modem.
You can later open and decompress the image with the use of
JPEG-compliant software, such as the Netscape browser or
Photoshop viewer, for example.

At 14.4 Mbps, you can download a 1MB image in two minutes 30
seconds, and a 4.5MB image in six minutes, Groman said. The 4.5MB
image takes three minutes 30 seconds at 28.8Mbps, and about
half that time over ISDN (integrated services digital network),
according to the company chief. "If you have a T-3 line, you can
really `cook,'" he remarked.

Groman told Newsbytes that the underlying technology for the
Muse was developed by Semaphore, a Seattle-based software house
that also hosts the West Stock Web site.

"In the future, there's no reason why we shouldn't add
multimedia images, since the Oracle 7 database is able to handle
them," the West Stock president revealed. You can access the
Muse on the Web at http://www.weststock.com , and Semaphore at
http://www.semaphore.com .

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951023/Reader Contact: West Stock, 800-821-
9600; Press Contact: Susan Majerus, Parker LePla for West Stock,
206-633-1951)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/24/95
ONLINE
Coloradans Talk To Utility Firm Via The Internet

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(DEN)(00011)
Coloradans Talk To Utility Firm Via The Internet 10/24/95
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 24 (NB) -- In
Colorado Springs, Colorado city utilities officials are as close as
a few clicks of the computer mouse since the department launched
its home page of the World Wide Web earlier this month.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95102411.PCX
Click here for photo

Residents can dial up the Web page at http://www.csu.ci.colospgs.co.us
to get information on several long-range projects and even provide their
own input on those plans. Web surfers can also participate in a joint
educational effort between the water department and local school
districts that teaches students where water comes from, how it is
cleaned up before use, and where it goes after it is used.

City spokesperson Steven Berry told Newsbytes that creating the home
page was pretty inexpensive. While exact figures weren't available,
Berry said the city hired a consultant for some of the design work,
then completed the job using city staffers.

Berry said the Web home page isn't just for local residents.
"Individual citizens or companies, are maybe thinking about coming
to Colorado Springs. If they are on the Internet...they would want
to check out rates and possibly get information about the
structure (of the utility provider) and the budget," said Berry.

A program called Power Options Project invites interested citizens
to help determine the resources it will use to provide electric power
in the future, while the Water Resource Plan lets residents speak
out with suggestions to make sure Colorado Springs doesn't run
short of water in the next 10 to 15 years. That's a real concern
for the Western states that are faced with an influx of people and
businesses.

The city's Keepers of the Water program is a joint effort between
the Water Resources Department and local school districts. The pilot
program on the Web page provides units of study that teach middle
school students about the life cycle of water from its source
through collection and use, to clean-up and re-introduction into the
environment.

You can also read a narrative about the $491 million 1996 utilities
budget, up more than $13 million over the current year, complete
with colored graphs. Throughout the various sections you can click
on a postcard-type icon to send a message to utilities management.

The city said some additional sub-pages are under construction
and will be added in coming month. Those pages will include
information about utility rates and bill payment options as well
as conservation and safety tips.

(Jim Mallory/19951023/Press contact: Steve Berry, City of Colorado
Springs, 719-578-6433/CS-UTIL951024/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/24/95
WINDOWS
Now Intros Windows 95 Scheduler/Contact Manager

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(DEN)(00012)
Now Intros Windows 95 Scheduler/Contact Manager 10/24/95
PORTLAND, OREGON U.S.A., 1995 OCT 24 (NB) -- Now Software Inc. has
introduced Now Up-to-Date for Windows 95, a time and contact manager
program.

The company said the software includes its exclusive QuickAccess
Manager which allows you to access information stored in Up-to-Date
even when you are working in another application. That's possible
because of the always-present QuickAccess Manager toolbar that jumps
the user to appointments and contact information with the click of
the mouse.

QuickAccess Manager includes: QuickDay, a day-at-a-glance calendar
and task list; QuickContact, one click access to names and numbers
you have entered into the program; and QuickPad, a note pad for
jotting down information. The company said QuickPad automatically
completes contact information, enters times and files the
information to the correct calendar date and contact history.

The program supports features like telephony, messaging and OLE
(object linking and embedding) as well as Windows 95 features like
tabbed dialog boxes and right mouse button shortcuts. Sharing of
calendars and contact lists across calendars is accomplished
through the use of an open database architecture in the design of
the program.

Now said contact information can be organized into categories like
customers, vendors or friends and schedule information can also
be categories in topics such as project schedules, company meetings
or vacation schedules. Users selectively access and share
categories.

The single-user version of the program will ship November 20 with
the workgroup edition following a month later. The single user
version will have an estimated street price of $99, No pricing has
been announced yet for the workgroup edition, which will be available
in 5-pack, 10-pack, and 50-pack configurations. You can also
upgrade from the single-user version to the workgroup edition at no
charge.

Now Software said if you buy Up-to-Date for Windows 95 before
February 28, 1996, you will be able to obtain Quicken, a personal
finance manager software program, or TurboTax, a tax preparation
package, at no additional cost through the company's rebate
offer.

Now Software's World Wide Web address on the Internet is
http://infonowsoft.com .

(Jim Mallory/Peter Adams, Now Software, 503-274-6336; Public
contact: Now Software, tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
10/24/95
TRENDS
Internet E-mail Relayed To PCN Mobile Phones

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00013)
Internet E-mail Relayed To PCN Mobile Phones 10/24/95
WORCESTER, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 24 (NB) -- Thorcom Systems, a radio and
data communications company, is working on a Unix application that,
when plugged into a PCN (personal communications network) digital
mobile phone, will allow inbound electronic-mail across the Internet to
be relayed to PCN mobile phones using the SMS (Short Message System)
text messaging service.

SMS, currently only available on the Hutchison Orange PCN service, as
well as the Cellnet and Vodafone GSM nets in the UK, is a self-
contained text messaging system that supports messages of up to 160
characters long.

Since the network can collate data on the delivery of each message, SMS
effectively functions as a two-way radiopaging service using the
phones as the terminals. On the Hutchison Orange network, SMS messages
can be received on most mobiles, while only the Nokia 2140 mobile can
generate MO (mobile originated) SMS messages from either the phone's
keypad, or by using a PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International
Association) data card.

Mike Tubby, technical director with Thorcom Systems, told Newsbytes
that he has developed the Unix application that, when linked to a
suitable Internet server -- in the tests, Thorcom's electronic-mail
server -- and to a Nokia 2140 mobile plus PCMCIA data card, messages
can be relayed from the Internet, and across the Orange PCN service
for transmission to other mobiles.

The service is still in active tests by Tubby, but he is interested in
talking to potential partners to develop a commercial service. The
system could also be used on the PCS (personal communication system)
networks in the US, as well as on GSM networks, Newsbytes notes.

Tubby told Newsbytes that he is already talking to Hutchison Orange
about the project. "We've developed the technology, but now it's a
case of developing an actual service, with subscriptions, for a
service for the market," he said.

"The only bit left to do is write the ETSI-GSM-07.05 protocol stack
for the DTP-2 card under Unix and get the return codes back to
sendmail," he explained.

According to Tubby, just as e-mail can be relayed to SMS, so SMS text
messages could be relayed to the Internet in the same way, once a
method of charging for the system usage can be worked out.

Newsbytes stresses to readers that the technology is still in the
development stages and messages sent to Thorcom's server, apparently
addressed to an Orange PCN mobile, will be bounced back.

Newsbytes notes that Orange has itself carried out some tests on
routing SMS text messages to the Internet, but there are no plans to
implement a commercial service.

Thorcom maintains a set of pages on the World Wide Web. The pages can
be found at http://www.thorcom.com/thorcom .

(Steve Gold/19951023/Press & Reader Contact: Mike Tubby, Thorcom
Systems, tel [phone], fax [phone], Internet e-mail
[e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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10/24/95
TRENDS
Report Claims Info Revolution Leaving Some Behind

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00014)
Report Claims Info Revolution Leaving Some Behind 10/24/95
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, 1995 OCT 24 (NB) -- The International
Telecommunications Union (ITU) claims that a report it will publish
next month shows that poorer countries will find it a struggle, if not
impossible, to keep up with the "information revolution" over the next
10 years.

The report, which claims to collate IT (information technology) data
from at least 85 percent of the poorer countries in the world, shows
that the problem lies in a lack of telecom resources in the respective
countries, so preventing the basic dissemination of information, let
alone plug people in those countries to the so-called "global
information superhighway."

Details of the report were announced by ITU at a three-day event held
in Geneva last week, which aimed to outline some of the telecoms
problems that the world will have to face over the next few years.

At the conference, Sam Pitroda, a senior advisor to the Indian
Government and chairman of WorldTel, said that, even though he
expected the industrialized world to assist the poorer countries in
getting online to the info superhighway, this does not preclude those
countries from helping themselves.

The ITU claims that the workshop was a great success and enabled the
telecoms body to conclude that there is a need for regular meetings
between representatives of the global telecoms community, and that
regional, rather than global, issues need to be considered.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951023/Press & Reader Contact: ITU
Secretariat, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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10/24/95
TRENDS
"Laser Tag" Game Arrives In Thailand

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(DEN)(00015)
"Laser Tag" Game Arrives In Thailand 10/24/95
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 24 (NB) -- Thanks to an enterprising
franchisee, the brilliant colors of thousand-year old temples will soon
compete with the color of laser beams, because the "laser tag" game is
going in Thailand.

Heads Up Technologies Inc. has announced that LaserTrek has
teamed with a Ripley's Believe It or Not! franchisee to locate a
LaserTrek real-time laser game in the new Royal Garden Plaza Pattaya
shopping complex. East and West have already met in the plaza with
the opening of western stores like McDonalds, Sizzler, and Levi's.

LaserTrek is a fully animated real-time game of laser tag that
might be described as an electronic version of paintball wars gone
high tech. Players receive computer-generated video briefings and
see theme park-style special effects that include mega targets and
30-foot lighting bolts.

The game includes more than 350 adjustable parameters that, according
to Rob Harshaw, president of Heads Up Technologies, "guarantee that
players will discover something new about the game each time they
return to play."

Heads Up Technologies said as many as 26 players can
simultaneously participate in LaserTrek in the 5,000 square-foot
arena. Players use a 4.25-pound hand-held laser gun and wear a
computerized vest. The gun displays the player's cumulative score
and can also inform the player how many shots have been fired and
how many shots are still available. The display indicates when the
player is hit, where the hit occurred, and who shot you.

The 7.8-pound vest has a quadraphonic speaker assembly located in
its shoulder pads. Audio updates, vocal encouragement like "good
shot" and "you're hit" as well as constant coaching come through the
speakers. Vibration units in the front and rear of the vest provide
"tactile sensation" when the player is hit. Lights, music, and smoke
add to the game's effects.

The first LaserTrek system in Thailand is scheduled to open in
November in Pattaya.

(Jim Mallory/19951023/Press contact: Melinda Conkling, Springbok
Technologies for Heads Up Technologies, 214-480-9458; Public
contact: Heads Up Technologies, tel [phone] or fax
214-407-1758)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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10/24/95
BROADCAST
Video News Roundup

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(MSP)(00016)
Video News Roundup 10/24/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 24 (NB) -- This is a look at
the top stories this week in the world of video news reporting: the
future of 3M's Information, Imaging and Electronic Sector, Tektronix
to compete with Avid and Sony, Fox Network increases SNG (satellite
news gathering) Truck Fleet, and Fujitsu's all purpose Ice3, Fuji's
digital capture tool and an anti-radiation baseball hat.

3M's II&E Sector In Risky Business

The October 9th Minneapolis Star Tribune Business Section featured a
story on how 3M is handling the tumultuous media storage market. Due
to a price increase in cobalt metal last year (reported at 67%) the
tape and magnetic media side of 3M suffered. The main fact at hand,
which distresses both management and stockholders, is that of 3M's
three divisions (the others being Industrial and Consumer, along
with Life Science), the II&E Sector (Information, Imaging and
Electronic), was third in operating earnings at 13%, while eating up
the most capital spending dollars at $1.235 billion. Its return in
sales compared to the capital spending was 5.8%, as compared to
Industrial and Consumer (16.2%) and Life Science (21.4%).
Competitive pressure is so intense, that even the output of the
Hutchinson Minnesota plant, which produces more than the four
previous plants together, may not be enough. In the story, Krzysztof
Burhardt, the sector's vice president, says, "We want to be the top
supplier of removable media." The sector has spent a lot of
money on diverse projects "because we don't know what will be the
acceptance of these technologies....there's no one single power
right now." Apparently, 3M management is looking to the long view
as opposed to the "quick fix" strategies being proposed by some.

Tektronix to Compete with Avid and Sony

The headline of October's issue of TV Technology says "Tek Joins the
All-Digital Studio Fray." Tektronix plans to offer complete turnkey
networked digital broadcast facilities by next year. The
announcement was made at the September World Media Expo. Tektronix
has chosen Fiber Channel for its client-server facility distribution
system. Bland McCartha, VP of marketing for Tektronix Video and
Networking Division, said, "We'll replace how people work today, which
is primarily by moving tapes around a facility. We will soon move data
around in the background on these high-speed networks. The user doesn't
need to know where this data is stored or even what format it's on."
According to McCartha the one gigabit-per-second (Gbps) data rate should
be up to 2Gbps next year. He also said, "This can run over optical fiber
or coax cable. In an existing plant you don't even have to run new wire."

Fox SNG Truck Fleet Grows

Broadcasting and Cable's October 9th issue features a story on Fox
Network's commitment to affiliates to supply them with needed
national feeds. Two new satellite trucks were delivered and
immediately went into service with the visit of Pope John Paul II
and the Simpson verdict. The story notes that Fox's news, unlike the
sports division, is buying the trucks, not leasing them. The trucks
are "dual path." Two signals can go up simultaneously on identical
or different transponders or signal polarities.

New Products

All the new products mentioned come from the September and October
issues of Wired Magazine. The Fujitsu ICE3 (Interactive Computer
Edutainment) is a boxy multimedia player combining a CD-ROM player,
music and video CD player, and a humble 3.5-inch disk drive. It uses
your TV for a playback monitor. Wireless game controllers have a
storage pocket on the side and slots abound on top of the unit for
your favorite disks.

The Fujix FV7 Image Capture Device can scan a slide and be a digital
camera. Integrated lights and legs let you scan and capture small
objects on the tabletop.

Had it with having your brain fried? The CyberCap is said to protect
your head from line-of-sight radiation. This new reflective material
will stand guard over your pineal gland and hypothalmus.

(Newsbytes Staff/19951018)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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10/24/95
BUSINESS
Samsung Targets India As Emerging Market

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEL)(00017)
Samsung Targets India As Emerging Market 10/24/95
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1995 OCT 24 (NB) -- Samsung Electronics Corp.
(SEC) has targeted investments in several areas in India,
especially in the information technology (IT) segment, which
includes telecommunications, computers and peripherals, and
software development.

According to S.W. Choi, director of SEC's marketing and regional
strategy team for global operations, India, along with Brazil,
China, Mexico, and Eastern Europe represents a big growth
opportunity in the next 10 years.

SEC is currently looking at three to four manufacturing facilities
in India. While its software development center and computer
operations business will be in Bangalore, another facility,
probably for the manufacture of telecom equipment, will be in the
Eastern part of the country.

The software development center will have an investment close to
R10 crore and will develop software to support the conglomerate's
semiconductor chips, and its venture into application specific
integrated circuits (ASICs).

In the field of telecommunications equipment, SEC will venture into
India only with suitable partners. It is already talking to several
companies for joint ventures and hopes to establish a presence by
early 1997.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19951024)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
10/24/95
GENERAL
Czech Republic -- Spider Contact Manager Intro'd

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00018)
Czech Republic -- Spider Contact Manager Intro'd 10/24/95
BRNO, CZECH REPUBLIC, 1995 OCT 24 (NB) -- Globe Data s.r.o., a
Prague-based software developer and systems integrator, showed its
Spider contact manager at the largest Central European information
technology (IT)-related exposition, INVEX, which was held in the
Czech Republic recently.

Spider is a contact manager and more -- combining event, diary,
to-do, and document management. The product, developed with
Powersoft's PowerBuilder, is rich in time-saving drag-and-drop
features, claims the company, and is developed for client-server
environments. It runs on most relational database management
systems (RDBMS), such as Oracle, MS SQL Server, Informix, or
Watcom SQL.

Spider, operating with either the Czech or English languages,
allows entry and processing of information from company or individual
entry "views" into the system. It claims to be "tightly integrated"
with OLE (object linking and embedding) applications, including word
processors, spreadsheets, and fax software.

Many privacy and security functions are built into Spider,
enabling contacts or events to be stored as private, public, or
shared within a selected group. A reseller, for example, can use
the system with groups defined such as Vendors, Distributors,
Press, Prospects, and Customers, and have access rights
assigned for sales people only to Prospects and Customers.

Mobile users have at their disposition a local Watcom SQL
(structured query language) database for contact information on
demand.

A single-user license to Spider, priced at CZK8,200 ($315), is
being offered at a discount for INVEX visitors at the price of
CZK4,985 ($192) until the end of October.

Globe Data's multinational team has been active in the Czech
Republic since 1993, with recent projects ranging from a sales
and distribution system for a large international manufacturer,
to developing TrendSearch, a tool used by several institutions
for monitoring and analyzing securities on the Prague Stock
Exchange.

Globe Data is a SAP R/3 Implementation Partner, Oracle Business
Alliance Partner, Powersoft Commercial Application Partner, and
a Microsoft SQL Server 6.0 Beta Tester.

(Steven Slatem/IntelliTech/19951024/Press & Reader Contact:
Mary Huang, Globe Data s.r.o., tel [phone], fax
[phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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10/24/95
ONLINE
Unabomber Manifesto Draws Limited Comment Online

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TOR)(00019)
Unabomber Manifesto Draws Limited Comment Online 10/24/95
COLUMBUS, OHIO, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 24 (NB) -- A commercial online service,
populated largely by those who know and like technology, may seem
like a strange place to find an anti-technology tract. Yet there it is:
the so-called Unabomber Manifesto is available on the Compuserve online
service.

The manifesto -- a lengthy document said to be the work of the same person
who has sent letter bombs, some fatal, to a number of people with links to
computing over the past few years -- is available in Compuserve's Issues
and Journalism forums. Those forums are also providing a place for
discussion of the manifesto.

While the Unabomber's violent tactics have succeeded in drawing attention
to him, her, or them -- the manuscript uses the pronoun "we" despite the
fact that law enforcement officials have generally spoken of the bomber
as an individual -- if discussion on Compuserve is any indication, little
of the attention is being focused on the ideas the bomber is trying to
promote.

Newsbytes found that many messages dealt with the question of whether
Compuserve was right to make public a document produced by a person
who has claimed responsibility for criminal acts. This question is
especially thorny because the Unabomber earlier demanded that the
manifesto be published in major newspapers, and promised the bombings
would stop if this happened. Some major-market newspapers have published
excerpts.

In Compuserve's forums, there are messages saying Compuserve should not
have published the manifesto because of its supposed author's criminal
acts, and others saying the Unabomber is entitled to a hearing. There
is relatively little discussion of the manifesto's content.

The manifesto itself is essentially anti-technology, arguing that
industrial society has taken away the individual's ability to control
his or her own life and thus left a dangerous psychological void in
many people's lives. The Unabomber advocates the destruction of the
modern industrial society and a return to nature, relying only on
technology that can be made and controlled by individuals and small
groups. The manifesto argues that this can only come about through a
revolution -- violent or non-violent -- taking place while the
industrial system is already weak.

Though some would consider a rejection of big technology a leftist idea,
the Unabomber aims as much vitriol at the left as at technology itself,
accusing leftists of subordinating the individual to the collective and
of being more interested in forcing their ideas on society than on
helping people.

All in all, the manifesto's position seems to be a kind of back-to-nature
anarchism, argued with a surprising detachment and coherence that
contrasts with the violent means the author has used to draw attention
to his or her ideas. Some messages on Compuserve expressed agreement with
much of what it says. Still, the Compuserve discussion does not suggest
the Unabomber is drawing widespread support for an anti-technology
revolution.

(Grant Buckler/19951023)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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10/24/95
ONLINE
CATA Puts Canadian High-Tech Info On The Web

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TOR)(00020)
CATA Puts Canadian High-Tech Info On The Web 10/24/95
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 OCT 24 (NB) -- The Canadian Advanced
Technology Association (CATA) has launched TechnoGate, an online science
and technology database, on the Internet's World Wide Web.

John Reid, president of CATA, told Newsbytes that TechnoGate grew out
of CATA's attempts at "re-engineering the whole approach to trade
associations." CATA, which represents primarily Canadian-owned
information technology companies, operates without committees and is
trying to become a "truly virtual association," according to Reid.

He said TechnoGate is designed to make information about high-tech
companies, and other information of use to those in the high-tech
industry, available to executives wherever they are. Using the Internet
means that executives who spend a lot of time on the road will be able
to get at TechnoGate from wherever they happen to be, Reid said.

TechnoGate includes a directory of high-tech companies both in Canada
and, thanks to CATA's alliance with the American Electronics Association
(AEA) in the United States as well. Reid added that CATA is talking with
other potential partners around the world to expand the database further.

TechnoGate is also a communication service, and will include a computer-
based online education course. Another feature will be a "strategic
alliance search" capability meant to help companies seek out potential
business partners. Complementing this will be a facility for conducting
secure discussions on a private network.

The system's searching capability uses software from CATA member
company Fulcrum Technologies, an Ottawa-based maker of text retrieval
software whose technology has also been chosen for use on The
Microsoft Network and the Compuserve online service.

The service is meant to be international, Reid said. CATA will provide
an access package in 50 countries, and will charge a flat rate of C$3
per hour for local access. TechnoGate is at http://www.technogate.com .

(Grant Buckler/19951023/Press Contact: John Reid, tel [phone],
fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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10/24/95
CHIPS
Japan & US Clash Over Semiconductor Agreement

(NEWS)(CHIPS)(TYO)(00021)
Japan & US Clash Over Semiconductor Agreement 10/24/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 OCT 24 (NB) -- Japan reiterated its position over
the extension of a US Japan bilateral semiconductor agreement this
weekend when it said it has no intention of extending the pact once it
expires on July 31st next year. The United States fears that, without
an extension, its chip makers would loose a large market share in
Japan.

Ryutaro Hashimoto, minister of trade and deputy prime minister of
Japan, was in Harrogate, England, at the weekend to attend a meeting
of the world's four largest trading powers: the United States, Japan,
Canada, and the European Union.

At the meeting he met with US trade representative Mickey Kantor but,
Hashimoto told reporters, failed to reach an agreement, "We believe
the object of the semiconductor arrangement has already been fulfilled.
There is no need for the government to government arrangement, the
market is already open."

Kantor commented, "The United States supports the renewal and
extension of the semiconductor agreement and I am sure in the
future we will have discussions in that regard."

Under the agreement, signed in 1991, both sides agreed foreign
semiconductors should hold a 20% share of the Japanese market by the
end of 1992. Beyond that date, the share should rise steadily, the
agreement continued.

The agreement has been working with foreign chip makers claiming a
22.9% market share in the second quarter of the current fiscal year,
the latest period for which data is available. In the preceding
quarter, the foreign market share stood at 22.8%, but both figures are
down on the 23.7% share registered in the final quarter of the last
fiscal year -- the first three months of 1995.

Despite the recent falls, the number represent a 2% growth on the
periods a year earlier and a long way from the third quarter of 1993
when the share dropped below the agreed 20% level prompting calls for
emergency measures from Washington. The US now see the market
faltering again and fears a fall if the agreement does not continue.
At stake is $140 billion-worth of trade annually with Japan, consumer
of a third of the world's semiconductors.

The 1991 agreement was a reaffirmation of an earlier accord, the
US-Japan Semiconductor Trade Agreement, signed in 1986. At that
time, foreign share of the Japanese market was just 8.4%.

The Electronics Industry Association of Japan, an industry body,
supports the Japanese government in the ending of the accord. Norio
Ohga, head of the association and chairman of Sony Corporation, said
previously the foreign chip makers would maintain a strong market
share without the agreement.

(Martyn Williams/19951024)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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10/24/95
ONLINE
Internet Update

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00022)
Internet Update 10/24/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 OCT 24 (NB) -- In this roundup of new resources and
services on the global Internet: New librarian's guide out, Newspaper
pictures on the net, Orbcomm satellites page, New on usenet,
Government documents in the news, New Scientist magazine online,
Military missile organization home page, Making server logs useful,
Cure found for bad technology days, Win95 links.

In The News: Asian Eclipse

A total solar eclipse, the last this century, was visible to millions
of people across a large band of Asia Tuesday morning. The Japanese
satellite Yohkoh passed through the band and took images of the
eclipse. Those images are now available in QuickTime movie format from
a NASA server. The organization will also soon display stills taken.
World Wide Web:
http://umbra.nascom.nasa.gov/eclipse/images/eclipse_images.html#19951024

New Librarians Guide Out

The library at Herriot Watt University in the UK periodically produces
a list of Internet resources that it thinks are of particular interest
to librarians. A new edition of the list if out, number 13, although
the list should prove of interest to anyone that uses the Internet for
more than just fun.
World Wide Web: http://www.hw.ac.uk/libWWW/irn/irn13/irn13.html

Extra! Extra! Newspaper Pictures On The Net

The picture desk of one of the UK's most popular newspapers, The Daily
Mirror, has established a Web page. An online photo library of
pictures from the newspaper's own photographers and contact information
online. World Wide Web:
http://www.cityscape.co.uk/users/ds48/mirror/index.html

Orbcomm Satellites Page

In a few years, Orbcomm hopes to be operating a global wireless
communications network from low-earth orbiting satellites. The company
has already launched two, and a new home page on the Internet allows
users to locate the current position of the satellites, see remote
sensor data (temperature) sent via the system and keep track of Vern's
truck somewhere on the roads of Virginia. Vern's partner must be very
reassured - she can find out where he is anytime.
World Wide Web: http://www.orbcomm.net/

New On Usenet

Two newsgroups have just passed the voting process and are now part of
Usenet. The new groups are soc.culture.liberia and soc.culture.hawaii.
Less lucky were rec.music.asian.east and rec.music.asian.south-east
which failed the vote. The passing groups should begin appearing on
most news-servers soon.
Usenet: news://soc.culture.liberia
Usenet: news://soc.culture.hawaii

Government Documents In The News

The University of Michigan is providing pointers to government run Web
sites with material that relates to current news stories. The pages are
part of a larger Web site offering comprehensive access and links to
global government information sources. World Wide Web:
http://www.lib.umich.edu/libhome/Documents.center/docnews.html

New Scientist Magazine Online

The UK's New Scientist magazine, a weekly popular journal full of the
latest news from the worlds of science and technology, has just
debuted on the Internet. Web users can read articles, reviews and
commentary from the current issue and follow scientific trends.
World Wide Web: http://www.newscientist.com/

Military Missile Organization Home Page

Impress your non-Internet-literate friends by "hacking" into the new
Ballistic Missile Defense Organization home page. There you'll find a
wide variety of information concerning organization programs,
ballistic missile defense, and advanced technologies.
World Wide Web:
http://www.acq.osd.mil/bmdo/bmdolink/html/bmdolink.html

Making Server Logs Useful

If you run a Web server then you'll know all about the long, seemingly
endless logs the software produces of accesses. Making sense of the
information can provide useful and interesting information about who
is accessing your site and where they are coming from, but taking the
step from raw log data to useful, understandable lists is difficult.
MK-Stats is a new program that, the developer says, will make the job
easy and improve on other similar packages -- that's why it's being
used now on the CNN Web server.
World Wide Web: http://web.sau.edu/~mkruse/mkstats/index.html

Cure Found For Bad Technology Days

If your disks won't boot, your fax won't send or your files won't
attach to your e-mail you'll be in the perfect mood to read the
Technotripe Gazette, a unique new e-zine dedicated to reporting,
critiquing and satirizing the negative effects and influences of
technological "progress." Founder and writer Steve Magruder says
it is "the cure for your bad technology days."
World Wide Web: http://www.iglou.com/candy/ttg/ttg.html

Win 95 Links

A special supplement to today's Internet Update details Windows 95
links that have recently been established.

HelpWin95

From Santa Cruz in California, Mind Media has established the Help
Win 95 server. The site is designed to be a one-stop center for help
with the new operating system and contains software that automates
Windows 95 support, plus links, articles, and software downloads.
World Wide Web: http://www.helpwin95.com/

Bugs List

If you check out the Internet Win95 bugs list before you attempt an
upgrade you may be saved the trouble of having to consult the help
line. World Wide Web:
http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~llurch/win95netbugs/faq.html
World Wide Web:
http://rescomp.stanford.edu/~llurch/win95netbugs/faq.html

WinClassic for Win95

Remember the emulators that made your PC just like a Z80 or other such
computer from a bygone era? Now for Windows 95 owners pining for the
good old days, WinClassic gives users a Windows 3.1 like desktop.
World Wide Web: http://www.winclassic.com/winclassic/

(Martyn Williams/19951024)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/24/95
BUSINESS
Intersolv Buys Belgian Software Firm

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(WAS)(00023)
Intersolv Buys Belgian Software Firm 10/24/95
ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 24 (NB) -- Intersolv
(Nasdaq:ISLI) has acquired Belgian software firm TechGnosis
International for a combination of stock and cash valued at a
total of $80 million. The Belgian firm is a leading provider of
data access technology in the Asian Pacific market, while
Intersolv is a leading US open client/server software company.

"With Intersolv's worldwide presence, its particular strength in
North America, and TechGnosis' leadership in the Asia Pacific
market, we are well positioned to create a dominant global,
client/server market presence," said Marc Van Rompaek,
TechGnosis president and chief executive officer.

In addition to its Asian presence, TechGnosis has developed
SequeLink software, server-based data delivery technology.
The software, says Gary Greenfield, "will further strengthen
Intersolv's virtual data warehouse by providing truly open and
flexible server connectivity to multivendor client/server
databases, unlocking access to critical data."

TechGnosis has 4,000 customers worldwide using SequeLink, and
has installed 30,000 data servers with over 250,000 users. Intersolv
says it has more than 400,000 product licenses at over 20,000 customer
sites around the world.

Under the terms of the merger agreement, Intersolv acquired
TechGnosis for about 3.4 million shares of Intersolv stock and
$7.5 million in cash.

Founded in 1987, privately-held TechGnosis had 1994 revenues of
$13.8 million, a 45 percent increase over 1993. The company
broke even in 1994, according to Intersolv. Rockville, Md-based
Intersolv had $115 million in fiscal 1995 revenues, with 83 cents
in earnings per share. The company lost $2.42 per share in 1994.

Intersolv says it will take a one-time charged to earnings of
about $12 million to $15 million in the quarter ending October
31 in connection with the TechGnosis acquisition.

(Kennedy Maize/19951024/Press Contact: Larry Death, 301-838-5228)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/24/95
TRENDS
Microsoft Hot On Software Hit Parade

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(WAS)(00024)
Microsoft Hot On Software Hit Parade 10/24/95
RESTON, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 24 (NB) -- Microsoft's Windows
95 upgrade continues to light up the charts in PC Data's
September software best-seller list. The Windows 95 upgrade
leads the list in three of PC Data's categories, with Microsoft's
95 Plus package in second place on the same three lists: CD-ROM,
Business Software for Windows, and the Windows 95 category itself.

The two Microsoft products held the same 1-2 positions in the
three categories in the August best-seller list.

Another Windows 95 product, SoftRAM from Synchrons moved up to
third place in the Business Software (Windows) category, from
sixth in August. SoftRAM was also third on the Windows 95 list.

In the volatile PC Games category, Sierra On-Line's
Phantasmagoria moved up to first place, from fourth on the list
in August, while August's leader, Mechwarrior II from
Activision, fell to fifth place in September. Showing its
across-the-board strength, Microsoft's Flight Simulator
continued to hold down second place in the PC Games category.
Ultimate Doom Thy Flesh from GT Interactive was in third place,
up from sixth last month.

On the Macintosh side of the Games street, GT Interactive's Doom
II moved up from second place in August to top the chart in
September, with Broderbund's Myst moving up to second from
fourth in August. LucasArts' Dark Forces held on to third place,
identical with the August showing.

In the Mac Business Software category, Corel's Gallery grabbed
the top spot, after not appearing on the August best-seller
list. Corel's showing pushed the August leader, Connectix' RAM
Doubler, down to second place in September. Also making its
first appearance on the charts was Connectix' Speed Doubler in
third.

In the Home Education (Windows), Davidson's Math Blaster:P In
Search of Spot moved up one notch to first place in September,
with Reader Rabbit from Learning Company climbing from sixth in
August to second place. Holding down third was MECC's Oregon
Trail II, making its first appearance on the charts.

On the Mac side of Home Education, Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing
from Mindscape grabbed first place, after not appearing on the
August chart. The August leader, Disney's Lion King Storybook,
dropped down to second, and another new face, Kidstime from
Great Wave, showed up in third.

In the Personal Productivity for Windows category, Intuit's
Quicken continued its long hold on first place, but Broderbund's
Print Shop Deluxe CD Ensemble pushed the August second place
finisher, Intuit's Quicken Deluxe, down to third.

Quicken was also king on the Mac Personal Productivity list for
September, moving up from second place in August. The August
leader, Nova Development's 3000 Mega Clip Art Pack, dropped to
second place, followed by Nova Development's 1500 Font Mega Pack.

Microsoft also dominated the Reference Software category, with
Encarta continuing to hold first place, with Bookshelf solidly
in second again. Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia was the
third place finisher for September, up one slot over August.

PC Data bases its list on units sold by 21 retail chains
representing more than 50 percent of the US market.

(Kennedy Maize/19951024/Press Contact: Nicole Field,
703-435-1025)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/24/95
BUSINESS
Matsushita First Half Profits Up

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00025)
Matsushita First Half Profits Up 10/24/95
OSAKA, JAPAN, 1995 OCT 24 (NB) -- Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.
(TSE:6752) has announced financial results for the first half of the
current fiscal year and revised predictions for the entire year which
ends on March 31. The figures shows a 41.2 billion yen ($412
million), a 10% increase on the same period last year.

Although the increase in profits looks good on the surface, that was
due to cost cutting and does not disguise the underlying drops in
business and sales that the company reported today said analysts. The
Tokyo Stock Exchange reacted negatively to the results with Matsushita
stock shedding 10 yen on the day.

The falls in almost all divisions are blamed on drops in export sales
caused mainly by the strong yen which added 20% to its value early
during the period. It has now returned to the 100 yen to the dollar
mark, roughly equal to the beginning of the financial year.

Revenue for the period was down 2% at 2,162.187 billion yen ($21.62
billion) with net profits reaching 25.517 billion yen ($255 million),
a 16% increase.

Based on the reported results, the Osaka-based company predicts full
year revenues will hit 4,440 billion yen ($44.4 billion), the same
figure as last year. On similar revenues, the company predicts higher
profits for fiscal 1995. Against last year's 87.0 billion yen ($870
million) profit, the company is expecting 110.0 billion yen ($1.1
billion) in profits this year. Net profit is predicted to be 66.0
billion yen ($660 million) against 52.7 billion yen ($527 million)
last year.

The interim dividend is 6.25 yen per share with a predicted 12.50 yen
dividend for the full year, identical figures to last year.

By sector, household electricals maintained sales levels at 318.4
billion yen ($3.18 billion) against 318.3 billion yen ($3.18 billion)
but others sectors revenues fell. Revenues from video products were
293.4 billion yen ($2.93 billion), down from 352.7 billion yen ($3.52
billion) while in the audio sector revenues slipped to 126.9 billion
yen ($1.27 billion) from 137.5 billion yen ($1.38 billion).

The only two sectors registering significant growth were the
electronics and battery and heating divisions. Electronics division
revenues jumped to 394.2 billion yen ($3.94 billion) from 356.5
billion yen ($3.57 billion) and the battery and heating products
division registered an increase with 159.0 billion yen ($1.59 billion)
in revenues from 147.9 billion yen ($1.48 billion).

Information and industrial products revenues fell to 644.7 billion
yen ($6.45 billion) from 645.7 billion yen ($6.46 billion). Across
other divisions, total revenues slipped to 225.6 billion yen ($2.26
billion) from 245.3 billion yen ($2.45 billion).

Separately, the company said today that its new 64-bit video gaming
machine is on target to be released next year. Development of the
machine will end in December this year and a new subsidiary will
take over sales and marketing of the machine later this year.

The company already markets a game machine, the REAL, but has sold
just 650,000 units of the 32 bit games machine. Competition from
stronger software and new 64 bit machines from competitors are the
cause of the unimpressive sales.

(Martyn Williams/19951024)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/24/95
TELECOM
NEC & Bellcore To Develop New Wireless Comms Technology

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(MSP)(00026)
NEC & Bellcore To Develop New Wireless Comms Technology 10/24/95
MELVILLE, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 24 (NB) -- NEC Corporation
and Bellcore will team up to develop a new wireless communications
system for business and personal use in the US market. The two will
work together to establish customized software to accompany the
equipment NEC will produce for the new system.

The new system, called PACS (personal access communications system),
will take advantage of the new personal communications services (PCS)
radio spectrum in the 1.8 gigahertz (GHz) bands. The PACS wireless
telephone system is designed to "allow much greater mobility and sound
quality than today's cordless phones at a fraction of the cost of
traditional cellular service," company officials said. In fact, NEC
officials claim the new system will give the customer "wireline
clarity."

Lourdes Cogswell, NEC spokesperson, told Newsbytes that PACS is similar
to a cordless phone that has a range equal to a typical city neighborhood.
"The handset will be more portable (as opposed to a typical cordless
phone)," she said, "and it will give you the broader reach a cordless
can't. It also gives you ease of movement the cellular provides."

Other types of areas that can be served include downtown areas,
shopping malls, airports, and pedestrian systems, company officials
said. The range of the phones can be even farther, depending on the
number of radio ports (Rps) in a particular area, Cogswell said. "If
the network infrastructure is laid out beyond a certain block area,
you'll be able to use your service and handset beyond that range."

Cogswell said a PACS will be tested this Thursday by US West in
Boulder, Colorado. The manufacturers participating in the test are
Hughes Network Systems, Motorola, NEC, and Panasonic, in cooperation
with US West and ITS.

(Bob Woods/19951024/Press Contacts: Ken Branson, Bellcore, 201-829-
2165, Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Lourdes Cogswell, NEC
America Inc., 516-753-7045, Internet e-mail [e-mail],
Vince Hulbert, Hill & Knowlton, 212-885-0378)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/24/95
ONLINE
 ****SafeSurf & Guardian Angels Patrol Internet

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LAX)(00027)
 ****SafeSurf & Guardian Angels Patrol Internet 10/24/95
VAN NUYS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 24 (NB) -- SafeSurf, claimed to
be a "parents' online organization," has donated a site on the World
Wide Web to CyberAngels, the Guardian Angels Internet chapter. The site
will be used to provide information to both members and new volunteers
concerning CyberAngel activities.

SafeSurf is known for its Internet rating system that involves
voluntarily placing announcements on World Wide Web pages that
indicate the content of the pages and whether it is safe for children
to view.

The Guardian Angels, who have for years set up volunteer patrols in
crime-ridden areas, has set up CyberAngels to "patrol the Internet."
The patrols reportedly look for pedophiles and examples of child
pornography.

Wendy Simpson, one of the founders of SafeSurf, told Newsbytes, "We
gave the Guardian Angels a home page on the Web. The CyberAngel
program searches the Net for pedophiles and child pornography. They
rely on volunteers, and with the home page, the number of volunteers
has risen dramatically."

In addition to patrolling the Internet to prevent pedophiles from
enticing children, CyberAngels will also keep SafeSurf informed of
new "kid's" sites they discover to become part of SafeSurf's
"cyber-playground."

"We felt the Internet would be better served by combining our efforts,"
stated Simpson. "In the end, it's the children who benefit."

SafeSurf's cyber-playground combines the SafeSurf Rating Standard
with filtering software to provide parents and schools with a safe
area for their children to surf. As more "kid friendly" sites mark
themselves, the larger the playground grows.

"Our rating standard provides a technical solution, while the
CyberAngels provides a human solution," explained SafeSurf Chairman
Ray Soular. "The definitive answer requires members of the Internet
community to actively participate in marking their sites."

"Together we believe that CyberAngels and SafeSurf will form an
irresistible alliance for good on the Net," said Colin "Gabriel"
Hatcher, CyberAngels' "netwatch" coordinator. "Together we can
make a difference," he added.

More information on the SafeSurf Rating Standard and the
CyberAngels' site, is on the SafeSurf home page at
http://www.safesurf.com/.

(Richard Bowers/19951000/Press Contact: Wendy Simpson, SafeSurf,
818-902-9390)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/24/95
PC
DG Intros Intel-Based Servers Running NT & DG-UX

(NEWS)(PC)(BOS)(00028)
DG Intros Intel-Based Servers Running NT & DG-UX 10/24/95
WESTBORO, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 24 (NB) -- All five of
Data General's first Intel-based Aviion servers are able to run
Windows NT Server and DG-UX Unix applications, and the two entry-
level workgroup models can run Native NetWare, UnixWare, and SCO
(Santa Cruz Operation) Open Server applications, as well,
officials said, during a worldwide videoconference in which the
servers were introduced, and a phone interview with Newsbytes.

The five new Pentium-based servers will be upgradeable to Intel's
upcoming Pentium Pro processors in the first half of 1996, and
four of the five machines will also be upgradeable to Intel's SHV
(Standard High Volume) motherboards some time next year, maintained
J. Thomas West, DG's senior VP of advanced development, speaking
during the videoconference, which was attended by Newsbytes.

The new AV 5800, AV 4700 and 4800 Tower enterprise servers and AV
2000 and AV 3000 workgroup servers will run a total of 7,000
Windows NT Server applications, along with another 15,000 DG-UX
applications, including Unix applications from Computer
Associates, Oracle, Informix, Sybase, PeopleSoft, Pick Systems,
Progress, VMark, and Tivoli, according to the execs. The AV 2000
and AV 3000 will also run NetWare, UnixWare, and SCO.

Aviion's new, multiplatform functionality is aimed, in
particular, at VARs (value-added resellers), one of the key
target markets for the new servers, noted Dave Ellenberger, VP of
corporate marketing, during a conference call with Newsbytes.

DG's VARs are especially active in vertical market areas that
include telecommunications, health care, retail, and manufacturing,
Ellenberger told Newsbytes. DG expects the Windows NT applications
to be most popular for use on the lower-end servers, the VP reported.

The forthcoming Pentium Pro/SHV upgradability is meant to provide
customers with a "clear upward migration path" in terms of hardware
architecture, according to the DG exec.

"We are in a very strong competitive position around Aviion,
Clariion, and DG-UX," Ellenberger maintained. "DG-UX is generally
regarded as the best enterprise operating system. But customers
were asking us, `Where is (DG's) chip architecture, and where is
the future?' Now we are saying, `This is the standard chip and
board of the future.'"

DG's five new servers, he added, deliver on a "statement of
direction to move to an Intel-based architecture" put forth by
DG in June. "We view this as a proof of concept."

DG's Aviion servers previously used 88K processors from Motorola.

But Motorola is now "committing most of its resources in other
areas," Newsbytes was told. "And we felt the whole way computers
are being designed is changing."

Data General's new DG/UX 4.1 operating system will run on both
the new Intel-based servers and the previously released
Motorola-based servers, Ellenberger said. Ease of porting DG-UX
applications between the two architectures depends on "how much
code is tied down to bits and bytes." But most applications can
be migrated through a quick recompile, he asserted.

DG is providing evaluation units and other tools to help out with
the migration process, Ellenberger continued. In addition,
customers can utilize DG's "field porting centers" in Atlanta;
London; Toronto; Paris; Sydney, Austria; and Irvine, California.

Intel's SHV motherboard will provide four Intel Pentium Pro
processors, cache, memory, and I/O (input/output) to systems
based on the NUMA (Non-Uniform Memory Access) architecture, DG
and Intel execs said during the videoconference, which was
broadcast to customers worldwide, as well as to IIN subscribers.

NUMA provides equivalent processing power to MPP (massively
parallel processing) systems. In contrast to the MPP environment,
though, software applications do not need to be modified to run
on MPP, according to the officials.

The new AV 5800 rackmount server supports up to eight 133
megahertz (MHz) Pentium processors, The AV 4700 and 4800 Tower
systems support up to four 133 MHz processors. The three
enterprise servers all use PCI (Peripheral Component
Interconnect) controllers, a new "hot pluggable" PCI expansion
chassis, and Corollary Inc.'s C-Bus II technology.

The AV 2000 and AV 3000 workgroup servers are initially based on
100MHz Pentium processors. The AV 2000 is being sold in single
and dual-processor configurations. The AV 3000 is a tower system
that can support up to four processors. All five servers but the
AV 2000 will be upgradable to SHV.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951024/Reader Contact: Data General, 508-366-
8911; Press Contacts: Jim Dunlap, DG, 508-898-6547; George
Goldman, Edelman Worldwide for DG, 212-704-4440; Debbie Young,
Edelman Worldwide for DG, 415-968-4033; Reader and Press Contact:
IIN, 407-231-6847)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/24/95
TRENDS
Intel Leads Intercast Alliance For Digitized TV

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00029)
Intel Leads Intercast Alliance For Digitized TV 10/24/95
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 24 (NB) -- The Intercast
Industry Group has been announced to promote Intercast, a new
technology linking television to the Internet. Intel, developer of
the underlying technology, spearheads the Group that also includes
major technology providers, systems manufacturers, broadcasters,
and cable companies, Internet access providers, and software
developers.

Those included in the alliance include: Turner Broadcasting, Viacom,
WGBH Educational Foundation, QVC, Comcast, America Online, Asymetrix,
En Technology, Netscape, Gateway 2000, Packard Bell, and Intel.

Mike Richmond, a manager in the Intel Technology Lab, told Newsbytes,
"By the middle of 1996, we will be offering internal PC cards that will
allow digital video capture on your PC. With the new Intercast
technology we first digitize, then, using the Vertical Blanking
Interval (VBI), we will pull a data stream at the same time. Using
the VBI, PC users equipped with Intercast technology will receive
World Wide Web pages and other data combined with normal TV
broadcasting."

Intercast content will be created with HTML (hypertext markup language)
and will include hyperlinks to related information of the Internet.
Using a modem and any direct Internet connection, Intercast will allow
Web pages to be sent with the television broadcast.

"The Intercast medium brings together the best parts of the television
and computer industries: the creativity of the TV industry, the
depth and breadth of the Internet, and the interactive power of the
personal computer," said Steve McGeady, vice president of Intel's
Internet Technology Lab.

Intel said an example of the technology could be a music video that
airs with Web pages featuring concert dates and hyperlinks to
independent fan club information on the Internet. Other examples cited
would be where fans could look up statistics on baseball players or
check scores while watching a game, or where news stories could be
linked to additional information on geography or history.

The planned products will be ready by mid-1996, and will include PC
card and associated software. It is expected to add less than $250 to
the cost of a PC. Prototypes are being tested now, according to the
companies.

(Richard Bowers/19951024/Press Contact: Christina Blackwell, Intel,
503-264-7849)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/24/95
TRENDS
"Windows 95 In Business" Survey

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(MSP)(00030)
"Windows 95 In Business" Survey 10/24/95
NORWOOD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 24 (NB) -- Stream International
has released the results of a new survey that claims 82 percent of its
corporate customers that participated in the Windows 95 Preview beta
testing program will migrate to that platform. A Stream official also
said she expects a similar number of companies that did not participate
in the beta program to move to the new operating system (OS).

Enterprise-wide migration to Windows 95 by the companies that beta
tested the OS will be a gradual process, Stream officials said, with
55 percent of their desktops migrated by the end of 1996, and 78
percent by year-end, 1997.

"With Windows 95 and other operating systems, customers are going to be
making a decision as to what operating system they're going to move to
in the next year to better support their initiatives within their
organizations," Deb Keemen, Stream's director of end-user marketing,
told Newsbytes.

Stream said the majority of those companies participating in the survey
said that Windows 95 represents "a logical extension of their
corporation's information technology strategy." Those companies also
said they were more satisfied with Windows 95 than with Windows 3.1.

Specifically, Keemen said the companies like Windows 95's multitasking
32-bit operating system, the fact that Windows 95 is more "robust" to
better support mission-critical applications, the ease-of-use over
Windows 3.1, and better support.

Keemen also said many of these companies would install Windows 95 in
a similar fashion to a "workgroup-to-workgroup migration." She said
"they spread it out so they don't have the impact of support calls all
at once. If they do their entire organization at once, their support
calls will increase all at once." She said word-of-mouth also helps
sell Windows 95 as one workgroup tells others about the new OS.

Other statistics from the survey showed that companies have a higher
degree of satisfaction with Windows 95 than with Windows 3.1. They
also feel Windows 95 is a "logical extension of (their) current
technology strategy," and the OS increases productivity and
effectiveness.

On the negative side, more than half of the companies surveyed viewed
product quality, access to end-user training, the cost of training
technical staff, and licensing terms, as barriers to acceptance of
Windows 95.

Stream International maintains an Internet World Wide Web presence at
http://www.stream.com for additional information, along with corporate
background and offerings-related material.

(Bob Woods/19951024/Press Contacts: Merrill Freund or Nancy Kashanek,
Schwartz Communications, 617-431-0770; Donna Tolley, Stream
International, 617-440-1072)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/24/95
ONLINE
 ****Innovations Make Net Usage Hard To Track

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00031)
 ****Innovations Make Net Usage Hard To Track 10/24/95
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 24 (NB) -- Webmasters who
set up World Wide Web sites, and the companies who advertise on them,
look to usage-measuring companies to track how many people are coming
to their site. But the ever-increasing sophistication of Web browser
programs is creating new challenges for accurate tracking.

That's according to Ariel Poler, President of I/Pro,
a leading Net-usage measuring firm based in San Francisco.

Speaking at the Sixth Annual Conference on Interactive Marketing
underway in Arizona through Wednesday, Poler said that these challenges
are made even more complex by the increasing realization on the part of
Web advertisers and Webmasters that hits, or accesses alone, are not
an accurate way to measure the success of a site.

"The challenge is not just to record hits, because user hits
provide little or no demographic information about the end-user.
Add to that the evolving technologies such as caching, Hot Java
applications, and the increased use of firewalls, and we have to
change our measuring technologies every three weeks," Poler said.
Poler added that a new feature on Netscape 2.0, which allows
split-screen simultaneous access to several Web pages at once,
will only complicate matters further.

Poler is hopeful that log analyzers, a core of I/Pro's
measuring technology, will be up to the task of keeping up with
the constant increase in the technological sophistication of
site builders, as well as the browser technology used to measure
site usage.

Log analyzing software technology can measure hits by domain
and by individual URL (uniform resource locator), as well as the time
a user spends on each session. This technology can relate this data to
demographic information. In this way, someone who has placed an ad on
a Web page could theoretically tell the average age and income levels
of people visiting their site.

Yet to work at peak potential, however, log analyzers must
run on sites where some sort of registration process is required.
Yet, in an age where people are rushed and are hypersensitive
about privacy, there is likely to be resistance toward mandated
pre-registrations.

To combat this, Poler suggested that an Internet protocol be
developed that would support the portability of one standard
pre-registration forms across multiple Web sites.

"We're proposing this because filling out one form after
another for each new site is a hassle. We believe that people
will give that demographic information, provided it isn't a hassle
and they can be assured their privacy won't be invaded," he said.

(Russell Shaw/19951024)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/24/95
ONLINE
 ****E-mail, Not Web, Is Killer App

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00032)
 ****E-mail, Not Web, Is Killer App 10/24/95
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 24 (NB) -- According to a
leading provider of online game shows, it's a better idea to run
game-like contests for advertisers on the Internet through
electronic-mail than through the World Wide Web.

"We believe the 'killer application' is e-mail, not the Web," said
Seth Godin, president of Yoyodyne Entertainment, Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.
"Think about it. When you log on, you don't say, 'I'm going to check
my Web page.' The first thing you do is check your e-mail."

He continued: "E-mail is one solid technology that is here right
now, enabling us to run game shows as a promotional tool for
advertisers," Godin said during "The State of Interactivity" panel
discussion at the Sixth Conference on Interactive Marketing
In Scottsdale, Arizona, on Monday.

Counting multi-user domains (MUDs) there are currently
nearly 600 Web game sites now running. Yet because of the static,
point-and-click technology of the present-day Web, most of
these, according to Godin, don't provide the breadth of user
experience an imaginative e-mail based campaign can.

One such campaign Yoyodye is currently running is for the
deodorant Arrid Extra Dry. Twice a week, contest questions are
sent via e-mail to registrants. As of Monday, 50,000 people have
registered at the Arrid site. This number, according to Godin, is
growing at about 20 percent weekly for the last few weeks. The
contest, which started early last month, will end just before
Thanksgiving.

Yoyodyne, Godin said, is running prize-related e-mail based
contests for several other partners, including MCI and Fox
Television, a US-based television network owned by Rupert
Murdoch's News Corp.

Another advantage to e-mail, as opposed to Web, contests is
that in e-mail, you don't need too many graphic interface files,
which are standard issue on Web sites and can try the patience of
users who visit Web sites via modems running at less than 14,400
bits-per-second (bps).

Godin also thinks that requests for all-important demographic
information can be made in a much more user-friendly manner via
e-mail than through the Web, where many sites ask for this data
through impersonal, cold registration blocks that can scare away
new or privacy-conscious users.

"With e-mail, you can ask 'tell us a little bit about yourself and
if you do, you're eligible for a prize," said Godin, who believes
that, since e-mail can be configured to answer back in the accessor's
own name, it can add a degree of introductory friendliness not
feasible through the Web.

Armed with these beliefs, Yoyodyne is shopping the concept
of e-mail games to other potential advertisers. "We're talking
to a number of other packaged goods and technology companies about
sponsoring different games, and hope to have some announcements
soon," he added.

(Russell Shaw/19951024)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/24/95
TRENDS
 ****Ad Exec Lukewarm On Multimedia Penetration Levels

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(MSP)(00033)
 ****Ad Exec Lukewarm On Multimedia Penetration Levels 10/24/95
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 24 (NB) -- Joseph Serino, new
media manager for Jordan, McGrath, Case & Taylor, a New York-
based ad agency, predicts household penetration of CD-ROM users
will only climb from seven to 25 percent in the next five years,
while households using one or more online services will increase
from today's eight percent to 18 percent in five years.

"That's lower than most other estimates, but just because something
is there, that doesn't mean people are going to use it," he said.
"Content is the key, and you've got to put something on there (on
a CD-ROM or on the Internet) that people want.

"The critical question for me and my advertisers is how many people
can be reached on any sort of regular basis so we are not just taking
our money and tossing it away -- while you can get 35 or 40 million
people to watch a television commercial," he said during a panel
discussion at the Sixth Conference on Interdctive Marketing, being
held in Scottsdale, Arizona through Wednesday.

Serino's other predictions of US household penetration rates for
various types of media forecast that between now and the year 2000,
video game penetration will grow from 50 to 60 percent of
households, personal computers will increase from 31 to 45 percent
of American homes, and frequent users of pay television, such as
one-time viewers of pay-per-view movies, will increase from six
to 12 percent.

The ad executive admits that a good part of his skepticism
about new media comes from his perception that its availability
is far more in place than is the urge to use it.

"Bundling is currently the way that most CD-ROMs get into the
market, so people are getting new CD-ROMs primarily through them
being given away. They are not going out to the store and
purchasing them themselves. If people get CD-ROMs with their
computer, they tend to have less value from our perspective. How
many times people use their CD-ROMs is the real question for us,"
he said.

Serino had a somewhat more accommodating view of the
effectiveness of online software programs bundled in to new
computers or in issues of popular consumer computer magazines.
"Bundling of new software to get on the Internet is critical," he
said. "If they weren't giving away online disks in magazines, the
eight percent household penetration we have would be down a million.
If it weren't for bundling, I don't think the industry would be
where it is currently."

Still, Serino thinks that the commercial online services could do a
better job of bridging the gap between their widespread availability
and their modest level of use.

"The Internet is the game," he said. "Commercial online services
really have to look at what they offer people and decide what they
are going to have to do to improve that -- because it's just that
people will do what they want to do and get the information they
want. Just because something is there, it doesn't mean they
are going to use it.

"Content is the key," he concluded.

(Russell Shaw/19951024)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/24/95
TRENDS
 ****IDG's McGovern Defines Online Publishing Success

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(MSP)(00034)
 ****IDG's McGovern Defines Online Publishing Success 10/24/95
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 24 (NB) -- Proclaiming "The
New Media is here, and the time to profit is now," Patrick McGovern,
the man who founded International Data Group (IDG), gave his vision of
online publishing success to an audience of magazine publishers at the
Folio: Show conference in New York City.

Newsbytes obtained an advance copy of McGovern's keynote speech, which
took place at the New York Hilton and Towers today.

McGovern said his company's research arm predicted usage of the
Internet will grow more than 300 percent over the next four years.
But up until now, the only people making money on New Media were
those sponsoring conferences on, or consulting in, the field.

Also, two New Media business models have prevailed up to this point.
One is the idea that new media would replace traditional media, which
doesn't work because the focus should be on reader's interests and not
the underlying technology, McGovern said. The second model is the
licensing of content to online services. McGovern said that, because
the online services are offering more and more content to attract
subscribers, there comes "a diminution of the brands that make up the
information base -- your brands."

McGovern told the audience that they should not think of themselves
as traditional publishers when it comes to New Media, and that their
competition is not from traditional media. McGovern then outlined
what he dubbed the "reader-centric" model of electronic publishing.

"The real opportunity of publishing in the digital age is to offer the
reader the chance to get more information than they want, with less
time and effort," he said. "In short, it is based on community,
navigation, and transactions."

McGovern also said that content is not king. In fact, he said, it is
"abundant." But context, "the editorial filter, the point of view,"
is more important, "and, with the right business model, publishers will
increase the revenue resources they have available to provide such
value to their readers, going beyond the traditional revenue sources of
display advertising, circulation, and other sources, to a rich set of
additional revenue opportunities." He added that traditional sources
of revenue would continue in the new "digital world."

When viewed as part of a publishing business, online publishing is an
exceptional strategic opportunity, McGovern said. "As the print and
online publications become the hub of a strong community, they become
more and more indispensable to the reader," in terms of both borrowing
from, and strengthening, the print property. "This higher level of
reader affinity translates directly into better results for
advertisers and for publishers."

(Bob Woods/19951024/Press Contacts: Chris McAndrews, IDG,
415-676-3026, Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Meghan
Dvorak, Alexander Communications, 415-923-1660, Internet e-mail
[e-mail])


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00035)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 10/24/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 24 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|           Tuesday, October 24, 1995            |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network's on the Web! Check out http://www.nbnn.com for
free daily top stories from Newsbytes. and its affiliate publications,
and from PC Week, MacWeek, and other Ziff news magazines. A subscription
gives you all the news, full-text, plus the most comprehensive database
of past computer stories online. The keyword-searchable database dates
from today back through 1983. Subscriptions are $24.95 for three months.
Questions? Send to '[e-mail]'  For Japanese Newsbytes
and additional services, see the Newsbytes Pacifica Website at
http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

BROADCAST Video News Roundup......................................... 16

BUSINESS  Samsung Targets India As Emerging Market................... 17

BUSINESS  Intersolv Buys Belgian Software Firm....................... 23

BUSINESS  Matsushita First Half Profits Up........................... 25

CHIPS     Intel Plans $1Bil Flash Memory Plant In Israel............. 09

CHIPS     Japan & US Clash Over Semiconductor Agreement.............. 21

GENERAL   Czech Republic -- Spider Contact Manager Intro'd........... 18

IBM       IBM Soups Up European Global Net With VSAT................. 04

NETWORK   Novell's 2Mbps Electric Mains LAN Technology............... 07

ONLINE    Electric Industry To Use Internet For Transmission Info.... 01

ONLINE    PSI Offers Virtual Neighborhoods Local Content Program..... 02

ONLINE    AGIS Provides Additional Internet Bandwidth................ 08

ONLINE    "Muse" Photos On Web For "Instant Secure Transactions...... 10

ONLINE    Coloradans Talk To Utility Firm Via The Internet........... 11

ONLINE    Unabomber Manifesto Draws Limited Comment Online........... 19

ONLINE    CATA Puts Canadian High-Tech Info On The Web............... 20

ONLINE    Internet Update............................................ 22

ONLINE     ****SafeSurf & Guardian Angels Patrol Internet............ 27

ONLINE     ****Innovations Make Net Usage Hard To Track.............. 31

ONLINE     ****E-mail, Not Web, Is Killer App........................ 32

PC        DG Intros Intel-Based Servers Running NT & DG-UX........... 28

TELECOM   British Telecom Offers Frame Relay In Philippines.......... 03

TELECOM   Ericsson Receives African Digital Phone Order.............. 06

TELECOM   NEC & Bellcore To Develop New Wireless Comms Technology.... 26

TRENDS    UK - New Technology & IT Consultants Examined - Report..... 05

TRENDS    Internet E-mail Relayed To PCN Mobile Phones............... 13

TRENDS    Report Claims Info Revolution Leaving Some Behind.......... 14

TRENDS    "Laser Tag" Game Arrives In Thailand....................... 15

TRENDS    Microsoft Hot On Software Hit Parade....................... 24

TRENDS    Intel Leads Intercast Alliance For Digitized TV............ 29

TRENDS    "Windows 95 In Business" Survey............................ 30

TRENDS     ****Ad Exec Lukewarm On Multimedia Penetration Levels..... 33

TRENDS     ****IDG's McGovern Defines Online Publishing Success...... 34

WINDOWS   Now Intros Windows 95 Scheduler/Contact Manager............ 12

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 -> Electric Industry To Use Internet For Transmission Info -- The
electric power industry will use the Internet to provide a real-time
information network proposed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
as part of its plan to turn privately-owned long-distance, high-voltage
electric transmission lines into common carriers.

2 -> PSI Offers Virtual Neighborhoods Local Content Program -- PSINet's
Pipeline Internet service is planning on expanding the local content
service it pioneered in New York City to other metropolitan areas through
what it calls its "virtual neighborhoods" program. Pipeline, a New
York-based Internet service provider PSI acquired earlier this year, has
offered localized content for the New York metropolitan area since 1993.

3 -> British Telecom Offers Frame Relay In Philippines -- Officials from
British Telecommunications Inc. (BT) and Philippine Global Communications
(PhilCom) recently hosted the launch of a frame relay service from
Concert, the joint global communications venture between BT and MCI,
formed in 1993.

4 -> IBM Soups Up European Global Net With VSAT -- IBM has announced
plans to greatly enhance its IBM Global Network service in Europe, using
VSAT (very small aperture terminal) technology. Using VSAT technology
will allow IBM to "massively increase" its European network capacity
within a very short space of time, officials said, in order to take
advantage of the impending free European market for telecoms services.

5 -> UK - New Technology & IT Consultants Examined - Report -- The
Computing Services & Software Association (CSSA) Business Advisory Group
of information technology (IT) directors from a broad cross-section of
British industry has met up twice in recent months to provide feedback to
the industry on two topics: the impact of new technologies, and the use
and value of consultants.

6 -> Ericsson Receives African Digital Phone Order -- The Digital
American Mobile Phone System (D-AMPS) has been a great success in the US,
but has only gained limited acceptance. Most recently, D-AMPS got its
first orders from Russia and Vietnam, and now, the technology

7 -> Novell's 2Mbps Electric Mains LAN Technology -- Novell has unveiled
a mains-borne LAN (local area network) technology, known as Nested
NetWare Powerline. The technology allows NetWare connections to be
achieved across conventional electricity lines.

8 -> AGIS Provides Additional Internet Bandwidth -- Apex Global
Information Services (AGIS) said it is introducing "Upscale 2000," a
scalable Internet bandwidth product which enables businesses to purchase
a set amount of bandwidth, with the option of upgrading to a higher speed
at a later date.

9 -> Intel Plans $1Bil Flash Memory Plant In Israel -- Intel
(NASDAQ:INTC) has announced plans to build a $1 billion fabrication plant
in Kiryat Gat, Israel. The site, named Fab 18, will be the first
constructed by Intel exclusively for flash memory manufacturing.

10 -> "Muse" Photos On Web For "Instant Secure Transactions -- Beyond
being the first World Wide Web site to permit digital photo transactions
that encompass search, licensing, downloading, and "secure payment"
elements, the newly opened "Muse" is one of the first Web-based services
of any kind to enable secure payment transactions in "real time," claimed
Richard P. Groman, president of West Stock, during a meeting with
Newsbytes on a Boston press tour.

11 -> Coloradans Talk To Utility Firm Via The Internet -- In Colorado
Springs, Colorado city utilities officials are as close as a few clicks
of the computer mouse since the department launched its home page of the
World Wide Web earlier this month.

12 -> Now Intros Windows 95 Scheduler/Contact Manager -- Now Software
Inc. has introduced Now Up-to-Date for Windows 95, a time and contact
manager program.

13 -> Internet E-mail Relayed To PCN Mobile Phones -- Thorcom Systems, a
radio and data communications company, is working on a Unix application
that, when plugged into a PCN (personal communications network) digital
mobile phone, will allow inbound electronic-mail across the Internet to
be relayed to PCN mobile phones using the SMS (Short Message System) text
messaging service.

14 -> Report Claims Info Revolution Leaving Some Behind -- The
International Telecommunications Union (ITU) claims that a report it will
publish next month shows that poorer countries will find it a struggle,
if not impossible, to keep up with the "information revolution" over the
next 10 years.

15 -> "Laser Tag" Game Arrives In Thailand -- Thanks to an enterprising
franchisee, the brilliant colors of thousand-year old temples will soon
compete with the color of laser beams, because the "laser tag" game is
going in Thailand.

16 -> Video News Roundup -- This is a look at the top stories this week
in the world of video news reporting: the future of 3M's Information,
Imaging and Electronic Sector, Tektronix to compete with Avid and Sony,
Fox Network increases SNG (satellite news gathering) Truck Fleet, and
Fujitsu's all purpose Ice3, Fuji's digital capture tool and an
anti-radiation baseball hat.

17 -> Samsung Targets India As Emerging Market -- Samsung Electronics
Corp. (SEC) has targeted investments in several areas in India,
especially in the information technology (IT) segment, which includes
telecommunications, computers and peripherals, and software development.

18 -> Czech Republic -- Spider Contact Manager Intro'd -- Spider Contact
Manager Intro'd 10/24/95 BRNO, CZECH REPUBLIC, 1995 OCT 24 (NB)

19 -> Unabomber Manifesto Draws Limited Comment Online -- A commercial
online service, populated largely by those who know and like technology,
may seem like a strange place to find an anti-technology tract. Yet there
it is: the so-called Unabomber Manifesto is available on the Compuserve
online service.

20 -> CATA Puts Canadian High-Tech Info On The Web -- The Canadian
Advanced Technology Association (CATA) has launched TechnoGate, an online
science and technology database, on the Internet's World Wide Web.

21 -> Japan & US Clash Over Semiconductor Agreement -- Japan reiterated
its position over the extension of a US Japan bilateral semiconductor
agreement this weekend when it said it has no intention of extending the
pact once it expires on July 31st next year. The United States fears
that, without an extension, its chip makers would loose a large market
share in Japan.

22 -> Internet Update -- In this roundup of new resources and services on
the global Internet: New librarian's guide out, Newspaper pictures on the
net, Orbcomm satellites page, New on usenet, Government documents in the
news, New Scientist magazine online, Military missile organization home
page, Making server logs useful, Cure found for bad technology days,
Win95 links.

23 -> Intersolv Buys Belgian Software Firm -- Intersolv (Nasdaq:ISLI) has
acquired Belgian software firm TechGnosis International for a combination
of stock and cash valued at a total of $80 million. The Belgian firm is a
leading provider of data access technology in the Asian Pacific market,
while Intersolv is a leading US open client/server software company.

24 -> Microsoft Hot On Software Hit Parade -- Microsoft's Windows 95
upgrade continues to light up the charts in PC Data's September software
best-seller list. The Windows 95 upgrade leads the list in three of PC
Data's categories, with Microsoft's 95 Plus package in second place on
the same three lists: CD-ROM, Business Software for Windows, and the
Windows 95 category itself.

25 -> Matsushita First Half Profits Up -- Matsushita Electric Industrial
Co. (TSE:6752) has announced financial results for the first half of the
current fiscal year and revised predictions for the entire year which
ends on March 31. The figures shows a 41.2 billion yen ($412 million), a
10% increase on the same period last year.

26 -> NEC & Bellcore To Develop New Wireless Comms Technology -- NEC
Corporation and Bellcore will team up to develop a new wireless
communications system for business and personal use in the US market. The
two will work together to establish customized software to accompany the
equipment NEC will produce for the new system.

27 ->  ****SafeSurf & Guardian Angels Patrol Internet -- SafeSurf,
claimed to be a "parents' online organization," has donated a site on the
World Wide Web to CyberAngels, the Guardian Angels Internet chapter. The
site will be used to provide information to both members and new
volunteers concerning CyberAngel activities.

28 -> DG Intros Intel-Based Servers Running NT & DG-UX -- All five of
Data General's first Intel-based Aviion servers are able to run Windows
NT Server and DG-UX Unix applications, and the two entry- level workgroup
models can run Native NetWare, UnixWare, and SCO (Santa Cruz Operation)
Open Server applications, as well, officials said, during a worldwide
videoconference in which the servers were introduced, and a phone
interview with Newsbytes.

29 -> Intel Leads Intercast Alliance For Digitized TV -- The Intercast
Industry Group has been announced to promote Intercast, a new technology
linking television to the Internet. Intel, developer of the underlying
technology, spearheads the Group that also includes major technology
providers, systems manufacturers, broadcasters, and cable companies,
Internet access providers, and software developers.

30 -> "Windows 95 In Business" Survey -- Stream International has
released the results of a new survey that claims 82 percent of its
corporate customers that participated in the Windows 95 Preview beta
testing program will migrate to that platform. A Stream official also
said she expects a similar number of companies that did not participate
in the beta program to move to the new operating system (OS).

31 ->  ****Innovations Make Net Usage Hard To Track -- Webmasters who set
up World Wide Web sites, and the companies who advertise on them, look to
usage-measuring companies to track how many people are coming to their
site. But the ever-increasing sophistication of Web browser programs is
creating new challenges for accurate tracking.

32 ->  ****E-mail, Not Web, Is Killer App -- According to a leading
provider of online game shows, it's a better idea to run game-like
contests for advertisers on the Internet through electronic-mail than
through the World Wide Web.

33 ->  ****Ad Exec Lukewarm On Multimedia Penetration Levels -- Joseph
Serino, new media manager for Jordan, McGrath, Case & Taylor, a New York-
based ad agency, predicts household penetration of CD-ROM users will only
climb from seven to 25 percent in the next five years, while households
using one or more online services will increase from today's eight
percent to 18 percent in five years.

34 ->  ****IDG's McGovern Defines Online Publishing Success --
Proclaiming "The New Media is here, and the time to profit is now,"
Patrick McGovern, the man who founded International Data Group (IDG),
gave his vision of online publishing success to an audience of magazine
publishers at the Folio: Show conference in New York City.

(Ian Stokell/19951024)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD



Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/23/95
TELECOM
MFS Enters Hong Kong Telecom Fray

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(HKG)(00001)
MFS Enters Hong Kong Telecom Fray 10/23/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 OCT 23 (NB) -- Half billion dollar telephone
company MFS has announced it will join the telecom services market in
Hong Kong. A ship, loaded to the gunnels with switching and fiber
equipment, is already reportedly on its way to Hong Kong.

Officials insisted local operations targeting the finance sector
will be up and running by year-end. Hong Kong, they said, is the
first center in the company's sweeping 90-city expansion plan.

Colin Williams, managing director for International Operations, said
MFS focused primarily on Europe, which becomes a free market in 1998
by EC mandate. "Hong Kong was particularly attractive to us because it
does not have the same level of access to advanced global services as
financial centers in Europe and the US."

MFS's Mark Weeks told Newsbytes from London: "We've been talking to
all the new fixed line license holders especially, New T&T and
Hongkong Telecom."

But he said nothing had been signed in the territory -- although the
company had firmed up a deal on a new transatlantic link through
Japan's IDC.

MFS began in North America in 1987 and is unusual in that it
owns its own fiber networks. In centers where it doesn't install fiber,
it buys it. It never leases bandwidth from local carriers, Weeks said.
MFS (UK) is behind the move to Hong Kong. In London its clients
include Morgen Grenfell, Chase, Daiwa, and Bloomberg.

The company currently has its own fiber networks in 40 North American
cities, as well as in key European centers like London, Frankfurt, and
Stockholm. It is now piping through Paris and Zurich. "As you can see
we are hitting the main financial centers -- with guarantees that they
are using our own network," Weeks said. But he said MFS would likely
buy bandwidth rather that tunnel through already provider-crowded
Hong Kong.

The company offers point-to-point voice services for dealers, ATM
(asynchronous transfer mode) standard data transfer and other services.
Williams put the business telecom market in the territory at US$200
million, a figure he expects to see double in five years. "The
expansion of Hong Kong was largely driven by the needs of our customers
in other financial centers. As a cornerstone of the Asia-Pacific region,
Hong Kong is one of the 25 international financial centers targeted as
part of our accelerated expansion plan."

(Nigel Armstrong & I.T. Daily/19951020)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/23/95
BUSINESS
Unisys Sells System To China Bank

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00002)
Unisys Sells System To China Bank 10/23/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 OCT 23 (NB) -- China's fifth largest bank has
bought a banking system from Unisys to run its New York operations.

China's Bank of Communications paid an unknown amount to buy a system
known as FBA Urbis to run its treasury and finance operations.
Newsbytes understands a full system runs up to US$2 million.

Ironically, while Unisys has a strong presence in China and contracts
with the Agricultural Bank, Construction Bank, and Bank of China, the
US deal is Unisys' first with this institution. But according to the
company, a consideration for choosing the Unisys package was the
potential for its implementation in other branches.

The Bank of Communications claims to have US$35 billion in
assets, supported by 90 branches around China. It provides wholesale
banking services to the industrial and commercial sectors in China.

The FBA Urbis system is Unix based and operates using Oracle
relational database technology and a Windows interface. It supports
international banking requirements and provides risk monitoring and
reporting capabilities.

(Nigel Armstrong & I.T. Daily/19951020)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/23/95
BROADCAST
Video News Roundup

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(MSP)(00003)
Video News Roundup 10/23/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 23 (NB) -- This is a look at
the top stories this week in the world of video news reporting: stock
image searching on the Net, "Can you find good desktop audio
monitors," and, in new products, the Panasonic Multimedia Bundle
and Fast Electronics' Portable Quad.

Searching For Stock Footage And Photos On The Net

October's Videography features an article on footage.net. It
organizes access to most of the world's stock footage libraries.
It is not a stock library itself, but a clearing house for those
services. The address is http://www.footage.net . It has fully
implemented search capabilities. Companies like On Demand Stock
Footage even offer QuickTime samples of video and film footage.
Founder John Tariot notes that the QuickTime movies utilized are
cross-platform. Tariot says that you get access to "darn near
everybody" in the stock footage business. ABC News VideoSource
and the CNN ImageSource libraries are expected to be added by
year's end.

The "Sound" In Sound And Vision

Now that multimedia authoring is taking off along with various
desktop media, don't forget about audio. A perennial favorite of
video magazines is features on that dilemma. Electronic Musician's
November issue covers the problem of reference audio monitoring for
the desktop media producer. Michael Molenda's article -- "Little
Monsters" -- finally gives the current crop of desktop two-way and
three-way systems (satellite and subwoofer) a thorough going over
not often seen in video and film publications. The two main
conclusions: these speakers should not be used for primary reference
but for secondary reference, and for gaming playback the three-way
systems offer the best low-end frequency punch and crunch.

New Products

Panasonic Communications & Systems Company (PCSC) announced a new
multimedia bundle targeted at portable computer owners. The
KXL-D721 bundle includes Panasonic's KXL-D720 PCMCIA portable CD-ROM
drive, a sound/SCSI (small computer systems interface) card, a
battery-powered speaker system, and the ESS Audio Sound SuiteTM
software. The ESS Audio Sound Suite software offers play and record
capabilities with a mixer, audio clip library, talking calendar and
clock, audio reminder for appointments and a stop watch/timer.

October's Videography Product Introductions column noted the
Portable Quad by Fast Electronic. The PC is a broadcast quality
non-linear edit studio about the size of airline carry-on baggage.
It can control up to 29 other drives. The Quad uses Fast's Video
Machine software.

(Newsbytes Staff/19951023)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/23/95
ONLINE
 ****Targeted Daily News For "Rent" To Websites

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00004)
 ****Targeted Daily News For "Rent" To Websites 10/23/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 23 (NB) -- Adding fast-
breaking news content aimed at a Website's target audience is one
way to increase "hits" on a site. That news content is now
offered to Websites by Newsbytes News Network's "Top Stories"
program which gives Websites a license to publish up to five
daily technology stories from 21 categories.

"Daily, changing news content enhances a Website's value to readers,
prevents a site from getting 'stale,' and polishes a company's
image in the eyes of its customers," said Newsbytes Editor-in-Chief
Wendy Woods. "Newsbytes' Top Stories enables our Web partners to
publish five stories daily from 21 high-tech categories, as well
as the Newsbytes Daily Summary, which offers the first paragraph
from every story we cover."

Among the categories the reports cover are: Apple, IBM, Unix,
Government, Telecom, Trends, Business, PC, DOS, Windows, Network,
Legal, Health, Education, General, Online, Broadcast, and Chips.

Websites are charged a nominal fee for the service and must
provide "hotlinks" back to the Newsbytes US Website at
http://www.nbnn.com .

A complete reference resource for insiders or those following the
computer, telecom, and interactive services industries, the Newsbytes
US Website provides free access to the top stories each day and news
summaries covering the daily and weekly news. Readers can quickly
scan headlines to see the latest developments covered by Newsbytes
and major Ziff news sources. Subscribers can keyword search the
Newsbytes database dating back to 1983, the most extensive technology
news reporting archive on the Internet.

The Newsbytes US Website compliments the Newsbytes Pacifica Website,
located at http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/ , where readers can
access a variety of other features, such as Japanese language Newsbytes,
and subscriptions to the entire news wire by direct electronic-mail.

The Newsbytes US Website was developed in conjunction with Associated
Information Services (AIS), a Minneapolis-based Web publishing firm.

Newsbytes' team of 19 reporters are based in bureaus in the
following cities: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Atlanta, New
York, Washington, Boston, Minneapolis, Chicago, Toronto, London,
Tokyo, Hong Kong, Beijing, Sydney, Manila, and New Delhi.

Newsbytes has five times won the prestigious reporting awards for
Best Online Publication from the Computer Press Association, the
world's largest professional association of computer journalists.
Newsbytes has been published continuously since 1983.

The Newsbytes URL is http://www.nbnn.com .

For more information, contact Wendy Woods, editor in chief,
Newsbytes News Network, Carriage House, 406 W. Olive St,
Stillwater, MN 55082, tel [phone], fax: [phone].
Internet address is [e-mail]

For more information on Associated Information Services, contact
Stephen Laliberte, president, Associated Information Services,
17280 Uplander Street, Andover, MN 55304, PH: 612-753-3994, fax
612-753-3995 Internet: [e-mail]

(Newsbytes Staff/19951023)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/23/95
TELECOM
HP In Mobile Comms Deal With Nokia

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00005)
HP In Mobile Comms Deal With Nokia 10/23/95
BRACKNELL, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 23 (NB) -- Claiming to be
seeking to capitalize on their "mutual expertise" in handheld computers
and telecommunications devices, Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Nokia Mobile
Phones have announced that they plan to co-develop handheld devices
that will offer "convenient voice, data, and facsimile communications."

According to Shaun Hobbs, the company's manager of emerging handheld
devices, the companies' goal is to develop next-generation handheld
devices that combine leading technologies in both the computer and
mobile telephone markets.

These devices, he said, will enable users to make use of the
comprehensive communications services that are becoming standard
across the world. Initial co-developed products are expected to be
introduced some time next year.

"People are becoming more mobile and thus require devices that support
the way they work. These devices must be convenient, standard and
highly portable. Using our standard palmtop platform, the devices we
will develop with Nokia will enable users to take full advantage of
the emerging services provided by operators worldwide and allow
customers to fully utilize the global communications network," he
said.

Commenting on the deal, Reijo Paajanen, Nokia Mobile Phones' vice
president, said that customers require a "convenient communications
solution" that enables them to communicate regardless of their
location. "Together we will deliver information products that
comfortably and conveniently provide customers with all the tools
they require for remote voice, data and fax communications," he said.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951019/Press Contact: PA Consulting, [phone];
Reader Contact: Hewlett-Packard, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/23/95
BUSINESS
Gateway Targets Australia Top Spot In Osborne Comeback Bid

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SYD)(00006)
Gateway Targets Australia Top Spot In Osborne Comeback Bid 10/23/95
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 1995 OCT 23 (NB) -- Is it a plane or a bird? No, it's
Gateway 2000's Super-Ted, flying to the rescue of the ailing Osborne
Computer company in Australia.

Decked out in distinctive black-and-white cowspot tights, gold cape and
pony-tail flying, Gateway 2000 founder, chairman and Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) Ted Waitt features personally -- alongside a caped Australian
WonderWoman -- in ads in most Australian PC magazines and newspapers this
month, as the company makes its local launch in typically spectacular
fashion.

The new company, to be known as Osborne Gateway 2000, will spend $1 million
on advertising in the first month alone, as Sioux City-based Gateway seeks
to establish itself as a major player in the Australian PC market.

Specialist UK agency Finex was called in to handle the comic-strip style
campaign, featuring the adventures of The Dynamic PC Duo -- a reference
to the dual personality of the new company.

Gateway 2000 acquired 80 percent of Osborne, after the top Australian
maker was placed in voluntary receivership. The other 20 percent was
picked up by US motherboard maker Micronics, as principal creditor. The
opportunity to grab a sizable share of the booming Australian PC market
for a relative song was too good to resist -- even though it came almost
a year before Gateway's planned entry to the market, Waitt told a Sydney
press conference.

Osborne was the number one desktop vendor in Australia in 1994, but sales
have slumped since the financial crash. Now Waitt and Osborne Gateway
2000 Managing Director John Morrissey are out to grab the top spot again
from Compaq and Apple. Waitt said he also sees Acer as an up-and-coming
competitor.

First they will have to gain re-admittance to the Australian Government's
endorsed supplier scheme: Osborne was dropped from government purchasing
lists earlier this year due to its financial instability. Getting back in
the government good books is not a simple affair of re-establishing a
healthy bank account, Morrissey has found in two meetings with officials.
Canberra is leaning on Osborne Gateway to join its Partnership for
Development scheme.

"We're happy to join, but we won't rush. We want to set up a plan with
long-term viability," Morrissey said. Waitt hinted that part of the plan
could well be a large-scale Australian-based telephone support center for
the Asia-Pacific region.

Meanwhile the new company will pursue state government, corporate, and
small-medium business orders, as well as consumer business, selling
direct to customers either via the phone, Gateway style, or via
established retail centers, Osborne fashion.

Some models will continue to be made in Osborne's Sydney plant,
but others are being imported to supplement the aging Osborne line.

(David Frith and Computer Daily News/19951020)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/23/95
TELECOM
UK - Digital Mail Offers Universal Mailbox System

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00007)
UK - Digital Mail Offers Universal Mailbox System 10/23/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 23 (NB) -- Digital Mail, a London-based
electronic-mail company, has announced the availability of Digital
Mailbox, a voice, fax, and e-mail mailbox system operating on a
single number.

According to Robert Darwin, Digital Mail's managing director, the
service involves subscribers having a London phone number which
terminates on Digital Mail's server system for voice and fax
messages.

Voice messages are stored by the server for later retrieval by the
user. Faxes are translated into a binary image file that is itself
encoded using the company's Distributed Object Language (DOL) and
relayed across the Internet to the mailbox of the user's choice. Using
a simple Windows application, the fax is then reassembled and can be
printed out on the user's PC.

E-mail is addressed to the same London phone number, using the suffix
@digitalmail.com. For example, your Digital Mailbox voice and fax
number may be [phone], while your e-mail address is 44-171-
[e-mail]. A World Wide Web page would also be available
to customers on http://www/digitalmail.com/44-171-827-0000 .

"The service is quite revolutionary and can be used in a variety of
ways," Darwin told Newsbytes, adding that faxes can either be held by
the system on a "store and retrieval" basis, or relayed across the
Internet. Likewise, e-mail can be stored on the system for dial-in
customers, or reflected on to another Internet mailbox.

"We have one subscriber who commutes between Edinburgh in Scotland and
California, and he uses the system for all his voice and fax messages.
He finds it invaluable," Darwin said, adding that the service costs
UKP5 per month, which includes the first 20 minutes of use. Extra
minutes cost 10 pence per minute. For e-mail purposes, a minute allows
about two pages of text to be received or transmitted.

"The cost is quite minimal and the majority of our customers use the
service without worrying about the cost. For example, they may be a
small business that does not want anyone to know they do not have a
fax machine. Others use us as an office facility for when they are on
the move, using BT's Network services to divert their voice and fax
calls as appropriate," he explained.

(Steve Gold/19951023/Press & Reader Contact: Digital Mail,
tel [phone], fax [phone], Internet e-mail
[e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/23/95
PDA
UK - Hewlett-Packard Intros OmniGo 100 Pocket Organizer

(NEWS)(PDA)(LON)(00008)
UK - Hewlett-Packard Intros OmniGo 100 Pocket Organizer 10/23/95
BRACKNELL, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 23 (NB) -- Hewlett-Packard
(HP) has unveiled the OmniGo pocket organizer, a rival to the Psion
Series 3. Like the Series 3 unit, the machine uses a proprietary DOS
operating system, with patches to allow Windows clipboard files to be
transferred between a PC and the handheld.

The machine has a PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International
Association) type II slot into which suitable software can be inserted.
The machine comes with Pocket Quicken in PCMCIA format.

A key feature of the handheld organizer is an innovative 360-degree
rotatable hinge that allows the user to fold back the front cover to
reveal a keyboard or screen. Internally, the machine has one megabyte
(MB) of RAM and 3MB of ROM, and has a serial port for PC and printer
connectivity.

Powerwise, the OmniGo needs two standard AA batteries, and has a
lithium backup battery as well. The machine, including batteries, tips
the scales at 11.6 ounces, and sells for UKP290 including sales tax.
Plans call for the machine to offered across Western Europe later this
year, and it is anticipated that the machine will be offered in due
course to the US marketplace.

Software available for the unit includes Clip & Go, which links the
OmniGo 100 organizer clipboard to a Windows-PC clipboard through a
serial-port connection, and HP OmniGo 100 organizer Strategy Games,
which features six strategy games to take on the road.

The machine can use keyboard or pen-based input -- hence its foldround
screen unit -- and has internal HP financial-analysis tools and
spreadsheet capabilities, as well as a notepad and jotter. There are
also the usual appointment, address and telephone books seen on
organizers of this type, as well as a database facility.

(Steve Gold/19951019/Press Contact: PA Consulting, [phone];
Reader Contact: Hewlett-Packard, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/23/95
TRENDS
ICL Claims World's Fastest Sparc Workstation

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00009)
ICL Claims World's Fastest Sparc Workstation 10/23/95
BRACKNELL, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 23 (NB) -- ICL Volume
Products
has unveiled the Halstation 300 Series, which it claims is the world's
faster Sparc workstation. The company plans to ship the machine in
Western Europe, Africa, and the Middle East later this year.

According to John Robinson, manager of the HALstation series,
ICL's experience in the field and facilities market have prepared the
company to hit the market "strongly" with the new HALstation family.

Robinson said that he believes the company will achieve its goals over
a relatively short period of time, keeping in mind the size of the whole
operation

"With over six years' experience in the Sparc market with the world's
leading Sparc server products, we have the ideal infrastructure,
logistics and service capability to market and support the HALstation
series. We intend to become one of the leading players in the
technical workstation field within five years," he explained.

According to Robinson, the HALstation systems provide "highly advanced
solutions" designed for customers operating in specific market sectors.

In collaboration with Master Resellers, all ICL Volume Products will
be aiming at value-added resellers (VARs) through a HALstation
Accreditation process. The resellers with Sparc/Solaris knowledge and
record in CAD/CAM (computer-aided design/manufacturing), electronic
design automation (EDA), mechanical computer-engineering (MCAE),
scientific research and development (SR&D), and financial modeling and
trading (FM&T) will become the potential targets.

The Halstation 300 has been eagerly awaited by the RISC (reduced
instruction set computing) user community, Newsbytes notes. Originally
scheduled for a 1993 launch, the 64-bit workstations may be
overshadowed by the Sun 64-bit UltraSparc system that is expected
later this year.

The Halstation Model 330 uses a 100 megahertz (MHz) version Fujitsu's
seven chip Sparc64 central processing unit that is rated at 181
SPECint92 and 230 SPECfp92. The 118MHz Model 350, meanwhile, has a
speed rating of 212 SPECint92 and 271 SPECfp92.

The Model 330 is priced from $23,000 upwards and comes with 64 megabytes
(MB) of memory, two gigabytes of hard disk space, four S-bus slots, and
a 17-inch color screen. The Model costs from $33,000.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951019/Press Contact: Leading Edge Communications,
[phone]; Reader Contact: ICL Volume Products, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/23/95
TELECOM
India - TCIL Plans Telephone Service Consortium

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEL)(00010)
India - TCIL Plans Telephone Service Consortium 10/23/95
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1995 OCT 23 (NB) -- Telecommunications Consultants
India Ltd. (TCIL) plans to boost business by forming a consortium with
multinationals interested in capitalizing on the deregulation of basic
telephone services in the country, according to A.S. Bansal, chairman
of TCIL.

TCIL anticipates that the proposed long-term consortium will push
business growth of the R362 crore company to R1,000 crore within the
next five years. The project will be implemented by TCIL's telecom
infrastructure division, organized specially to reinforce the company's
domestic operations following the Indian government's decision to lift
its monopoly over the basic telecom sector, Bansal said.

TCIL currently has a R500 crore joint venture turnkey project in Saudi
Arabia in which the Indian company's share is R200 core. Its future
engagements abroad include planning and implementation of the telephone
infrastructure in underdeveloped countries, in association with the
World Tel Organization.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19951023)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/23/95
BUSINESS
India - Analog Devices Plans Software Operation

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00011)
India - Analog Devices Plans Software Operation 10/23/95
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1995 OCT 23 (NB) -- Analog Devices Inc., the US-based
semiconductor giant, will be setting up a software and systems technology
division at Bangalore to develop next-generation microchips -- to be used
in electronic products worldwide.

The move was disclosed by Ray Stata, chairman and chief executive officer
(CEO) of the firm. "Analog Devices has been in India for over 20 years and
the opening of a design center in the country is a confirmation of our
commitment to India and also a recognition of the tremendous potential
and talent we see here," said Stata.

The subsidiary, which will be a fully owned subsidiary of Analog Devices
and one of the four product development centers outside the US, will
commence operations from November 1. The initial focus of the design
center will be on digital signal processing (DSP).

Outlining the firm's plans for the future, Stata said that ADI will clock
a "little less than $1 billion by the end of 1995." He further added that
"plans are on the anvil to increase capacity all around the company to
service customers better, besides taking full advantage of the
opportunities".

(C.T. Mahabharat/19951023)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/23/95
ONLINE
Marketing Lists Via The Internet

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00012)
Marketing Lists Via The Internet 10/23/95
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 23 (NB) -- WolfBayne
Communications is offering a free copy of its October 1995 issue of
"Marketing Lists on the Internet" for business marketers who have
electronic-mail accounts to connect with others who have similar
interests.

Marketing lists are discussion groups conducted via e-mail, said Kim
M. Bayne, president of WolfBayne Communications. The lists cover a
variety of topics, including public relations, market segmentation,
marketing in general, and Internet marketing in particular. "All
of the lists are related to marketing, but to different aspects"
of marketing, Bayne told Newsbytes.

Discussions in the groups are wide ranging, she said, from "how-to"
articles to high-level marketing strategies and tactics, with most
lists covering several different subjects simultaneously.
Participation is not required.

Bayne said an advantage of these lists is they act like traditional
luncheon meetings of professional organizations, but without the
travel and time commitments.

One of the changes on the way for marketing lists comes under the
category of revenue, Bayne said. Until now, most of the list providers
have been donating their time to moderate the lists, Bayne said. But
those attitudes are changing. "List owners are starting to look at
this as a revenue producing venture," she said. "People who are
offering lists for sponsorships aren't letting advertisers get out
of control. They're putting some restraint on it. The users like it,
because they don't have to pony up the money to participate."

Other changes Bayne sees include list "spin-offs" focusing on trade
shows, sales leads, agency management, sports marketings, and
advertising planning and placement.

Bayne's "Marketing Lists on the Internet" will receive a mention in the
upcoming book "World Wide Web Marketing - Integrating the Internet Into
Your Marketing Strategy" by Jim Sterne. WolfBayne Communication's own
high-tech marketing communications list "HTMARCOM" has received several
mentions in both books and periodicals, Bayne said.

Single copies are available through the US mail, in exchange for a
self-addressed stamped #10 business sized envelope, to "WolfBayne
Communications," P.O. Box 50287, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80949-0287.
Also, WolfBayne Communications can be reached via Internet e-mail at
[e-mail], or via its Internet World Wide Web presence at
http://www.bayne.com/wolfBayne/ .

(Bob Woods/19951020/Press Contact: Kim M. Bayne, WolfBayne
Communications, 719-593-8032, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/23/95
NETWORK
LCI Intros New Laser Networking Product

(NEWS)(NETWORK)(MSP)(00013)
LCI Intros New Laser Networking Product 10/23/95
LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 23 (NB) -- Laser
Communications Inc. (LCI) said it has developed a new line of
wireless network connectivity products that work via a laser
beam instead of traditional wiring.

The "S" Class works at Ethernet speeds of 10 megabits-per-second
(Mbps) and Token Ring links of 4Mbps and 16Mbps, Dick Guttendorf,
president of LCI, told Newsbytes. The system works with line-of-
sight laser transmissions up to 700 feet (210 meters), he said.

Newsbytes has covered other product developments at LCI, including
the OmniBeam 2000 Data/Voice Link, which combines digital voice
trunk and local area network (LAN) connectivity, and other
networking products that use a single beam of laser light.

The main difference between those products and the new "S" Class
is distance, Guttendorf said. The OmniBeam and other products can
connect sites up to a kilometer (4,000 feet) away, while the "S"
Class works up to 700 feet. Beyond the distance difference,
Guttendorf said the "S" Class is virtually the same as LCI's other
systems when it comes to performance. "This is just a modification
of the range of the product," he said.

The "S" Class is available at a price of around $7,500, because of the
shorter distance. This pricing should appeal to customers who need
to connect LANs across a street, but don't want to dig up the street
in the process, he said. The system aligns with a simple bar graph
and tone lock procedure, LCI officials said, and requires solid
supporting locations for mounting.

Laser Communications Inc., which maintains an Internet World Wide
Web presence at http://www.lasercomm.com/lasercom/ , is a unit of
Safeguard Scientifics (NYSE:SFE).

(Bob Woods/19951020/Press Contacts: Phil Hall or Robert A. Toledo,
Open City Communications, 212-714-3575; Public Contact: Laser
Communications, 800-LASER-40, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/23/95
TRENDS
Colorado Utility To Get Remote Meter Reading

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(WAS)(00014)
Colorado Utility To Get Remote Meter Reading 10/23/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 OCT 23 (NB) -- Public Service of
Colorado has signed a $62 million contract with Itron (NASDAQ:ITRI)
of Spokane, Wash., that will result in automated electric and gas
meter reading in the entire Denver area. When the systems are
completely installed in two years, the utility will have the
largest automatic meter reading system in the world.

PSColo began installing its high-tech wireless meter reading
system in the fall of 1994, contracting with Itron for 333,000
encoder, receiver, transmitter modules. The utility says this
phase of the project is ahead of schedule and is expected to be
completed by the end of 1995.

The new order is for another one million meter modules, bringing
the total for the utility to 1.3 million. Denver-based PSColo
serves about 1.9 million gas and electric customers in Colorado
and the Cheyenne, Wyo., area.

The utility reads the meter with Itron's van-based mobile
reading system. The modules are also compatible with Itron's
fixed network, which PSColo is testing. The utility says it
hopes to build on the Itron system for other applications,
including energy management.

"The results of our initial (automated meter reading)
installation surpassed all expectations," says Wayne Brunetti,
PSColo president and chief operating officer. "We're looking
forward to being able to leverage our mobile and fixed network
system for other applications that will offer our customers a
wider array of services in the future."

Itron is a leading supplier of energy information and
telecommunciations products to the utility industry. The
company's revenues for the year ended June 30 were $141 million.

(Kennedy Maize/19951020/Press Contact: Cathy Hart, 303-294-8688)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
2 10/23/95
GENERAL
Micrografx Intros Crayola Art Studio

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00015)
Micrografx Intros Crayola Art Studio 2 10/23/95
RICHARDSON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 23 (NB) -- Micrografx Inc.
NASDAQ: MGXI) is now shipping Crayola Art Studio 2, a software
suite on CD-ROM for Macintosh and Windows platforms that
Micrografx spokesperson Angela Hooper told Newsbytes combines the
earlier releases of Crayola Art Studio and Crayola Amazing Art
Adventure. Those programs were released on disk in May, 1994, and
on CD-ROM in August, both for Windows only.

The new release, like its predecessors, has two age-appropriate play
areas. One is for children ages 3-6, and the other for kids 6-12. It
also has a new multimedia art playroom where the young uses can draw,
color, paint, and play various activities. They can even turn their
artful creations into moving picture shows or add sounds.

Micrografx said it used the expertise of Binney & Smith, the
company that makes Crayola brand products, in the design of
the Crayola Art Studio programs. Child development experts were
also consulted during the development of the product in which
kids learn to recognize letters, spell, do some math and perform
observation, evaluation and comparison skills.

The children get creative tools that include crayons, markets,
watercolor paints, more than 300 stickers that can be placed on
their art, crazy lines, shapes, exploding erase, and more than 150
animations. There are more than two dozen activities available in
the program which include coloring and activity books like Fashion
Designer and Monster Maze Craze, crafts, games and a picture show
maker.

The CD-ROM also includes a video tour through the Binney & Smith
plant that explains how Crayola products are made by the 90-year old
Easton, Pennsylvania company. A crayon named Tip, which Micrografx
calls "the Crayola Amazing Art Adventure mascot," conducts the
tour. Other videos on the disk feature Professor Markeroni and Sir
Lawrence Periwinkle.

Crayola Art Studio 2 has an estimated street price of $39.95.

A recent Newsbytes story reported on the release by Micrografx of
Hallmark Connections Card Studio, a greeting card creation
program. The company will soon ship version 4 of its popular
Windows Draw program. The new release of Draw will include
templates for common household tasks like creating newsletters,
drawing a family tree, making space plans and drawing maps.

(Jim Mallory/19951020/Press contact: David Wilson, Micrografx,
214-994-6534; Public contact: Micrografx, 800-676-3110)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
95 10/23/95
TELECOM
Ericsson Plans Wireless Systems For Windows

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00016)
Ericsson Plans Wireless Systems For Windows 95 10/23/95
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, 1995 OCT 23 (NB) -- Plug and Play is becoming de
rigor for Windows 95-compliant hardware, now that users are becoming
used to the idea they can slot in a peripheral and have the operating
system automatically recognize its presence. Now Ericsson has revealed
it is taking the integration one stage further, developing a series of
plug-in wireless systems for use under Windows 95.

The concept means that, when a user plugs in a wireless data device,
the device will be auto-recognized by Windows 95, and gateway software,
whether pseudo local area network (LAN) or simple fax/messaging
applications, will spring into action.

Taking Plug and Play to its limits will mean that the device can be
present at all times on the PC, but only "recognized" by Windows 95
when the wireless device is within range of its network. This feature
is an important step forward in mobile comms, Newsbytes notes, since
it would mean that wireless applications software need not hog
valuable resources on the laptop -- and only be booted up when Windows
95 "sees" the device as being present and ready for transmission.

According to Bengt Carlstrom, Ericsson's general manager for mobile
data terminals, the hardware technology being developed by the
company, is both Windows 3.1- and Windows 95-compliant, and makes
extensive use of ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) and MAPI (Microsoft
Application Programming Interface) technology to ensure connectivity
across Mobitex and GSM (global system for mobile communications)
digital mobile networks.

Using these technologies has allowed Ericsson to develop software
technology it calls "middleware" that interfaces between Windows 95
mainstream applications and the wireless technology devices. The
technology, which was demonstrated in an early form at Telecom 95 in
Geneva earlier this month, is now being developed for a commercial
launch in April of next year.

"Database access, electronic-mail, fax, and file transfer are just as
essential on the road as they are in the office. Because the application
mix needed by different users results in varying data communications
requirements, it is important to support both packet-switched Mobitex
and circuit-switched GSM networks," explained Carlstrom.

"With Ericsson's software and support for Plug and Play in Windows 95,
the transport method can vary. Users can hot swap a Mobidem PC card
modem, a GSM modem card or a PC card for the office LAN as need vary,"
he said.

Ericsson is working closely with Microsoft on the Plug and Play wireless
technology. According to Rolf Skogland, Microsoft Europe's vice
president, the wireless office platform effectively combines
Ericsson's wireless technology with the advanced facilities of the
Windows 95 operating system.

According to Skogland, a beta version of the wireless system has
already been tested and is currently being used internally by
Ericsson. Commercial shipments worldwide of the technology, which has
not yet been named, will occur in the second quarter of next year.

(Steve Gold/19951020/Press Contact: Bengt Carlstrom, Ericsson
Mobile, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Per Bengtsson,
Ericsson, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/23/95
TELECOM
UK - Dataflex's Windows 95 Speakerphone Modem

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00017)
UK - Dataflex's Windows 95 Speakerphone Modem 10/23/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 23 (NB) -- Dataflex Design has announced the
PC Comms Office, a UKP129 modem that offers hands-free speakerphone
and voice-mail facilities in addition to the normal 14,400 bits-per-
second (bps) data and fax facilities. The system is a price breaker,
as well as offering comms facilities never before seen in a UK modem
bundle.

The PC Comms Office is billed as Windows 95 Plug and Play-compliant, and
includes a raft of applications software free of charge. The system is
the second in a series of "Office" modem bundles from Dataflex, which
released a desktop version of the system, without speakerphone
facilities, for UKP199 last year.

The PC Comms Office is a bundle of a PC fax/data modem card, a
microphone that mounts on top of the monitor, a copy of Prometheus'
Cyberworks for Windows, a trial subscription to the Tel-Me online
business information service, a free copy of the Netscape Web Browser,
and 30 days free access to Pipex's Internet services.

Phil Benge, Dataflex's marketing director, claims that the system
builds on the success of the original comms office. "We opted to base
our design on Sierra's Plug and Play Business Audio chip and invested a
great deal of time with them getting it ready for market. We can't see
anyone else being ready with an equivalent product this side of
Christmas," he explained.

According to Benge, the decision to go with Sierra Business Audio
chipset was taken after the company looked at the Cirrus Logic and
Rockwell TAD chipset technologies.

"The Cirrus Logic chipset cannot be approved for Europe as it's a
masked chip, while the Rockwell Business Audio technology is not as
good as Sierra's. Rockwell's system is not Plug and Play-compliant, nor
does it store the audio files as WAV files. This means you have to
wait extra time for the file to be translated and played back," he
told Newsbytes.

"In addition, the Rockwell TAD system does not produce as clear an
audio signal as Sierra's. It's only a four-bit sound system, whereas
Sierra's chipset is 12-bit and works at 11 kilohertz," he explained.

In use, the PC Comms Office can automatically answer an incoming call
with a pre-recorded message, identify the calling device, and then
store incoming faxes, data and voice messages to disk. In addition,
the system provides calls with access to private voice-mail boxes,
message and fax retrieval facilities, faxback services, and fax
redirection.

Users can make or receive calls from the desktop and switch handsfree
speakerphone operation by clicking the mouse. The software can also
cope with alternative telecom carriers (ATCs) such as Energis, ACC,
Worldcom or Mercury.

(Steve Gold/19951020/Press Contact: Bridson & Bridson, tel +44-1869-
338832, fax [phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail];
Reader Contact: Dataflex Design, tel [phone], fax +44-181-
543-7029)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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10/23/95
TRENDS
Rumarson's New PCs For Old Program

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TOR)(00018)
Rumarson's New PCs For Old Program 10/23/95
KENILWORTH, , NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 23 (NB) -- Adding consulting
services to its existing equipment trade-in program, Rumarson Technologies
Inc., is out to capitalize on PC users' struggles to keep up with the pace
of technology change, through a program called PC Reality Asset Management.

The backbone of the PC Reality program is taking old computers as trade-ins
on new machines. Paul Baum, president of the company, told Newsbytes
his firm has been doing this for about four years, and has now added some
consulting services -- such as advising its clients on which PCs to buy now
so as to ensure ease of upgrading later -- to create what Rumarson claimed
is the first full-service program that covers auditing, tracking,
investment recovery, trade-in, reallocation, and disposal.

According to Rumarson Technologies, the program can reduce a company's
PC acquisition costs, simplify asset tracking, and also result in tax
savings thanks to a Federal Tax Code provision that says businesses are
not taxed when they continue an investment in "like" property through
an exchange.

Rumarson takes the older PCs a client no longer wants, and refurbishes
them to be sold as "nused" computers, Baum said. The refurbishing may
include replacement of older processors with more powerful ones and the
exchange of other components, he explained, though he said that many of
the PCs his company receives in trade-in are based on 486 processors
and still in demand in some organizations. Rumarson also sometimes
refurbishes a company's PCs for resale to the client's own employees.

(Grant Buckler/19951020/Press Contact: Therese McCabe, EBS Public
Relations for Rumarson Technologies, tel [phone] ext 229,
fax [phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/23/95
LEGAL
 ****Corel Faces Lawsuit Over Software Bugs

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(TOR)(00019)
 ****Corel Faces Lawsuit Over Software Bugs 10/23/95
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 OCT 23 (NB) -- Corel Corp. (TSE:COS;
NASDAQ:COSFF) is facing a lawsuit over problems that a Pennsylvania man
claims to have had with the company's CorelDraw graphics software. A
Philadelphia law firm is seeking to turn the case into a class-action
lawsuit, while Corel maintains the action amounts to "ambulance-chasing."

The suit, first filed in June and just amended to include Corel's recently
released CorelDraw 6 package, names as its plaintiff Jeffrey Fishbein of
Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, and says that Fishbein will represent all users
having problems with the software. It alleges that CorelDraw 4 and
CorelDraw 5 were not properly tested before release, were released in
defective condition, were unmerchantable and unable to pass as suitable in
the trade, and failed to load or execute properly.

Though the charges are sweeping, the fact that a user had problems with a
software package will come as no surprise to anyone in the industry.
Virtually all of today's complex software packages contain bugs which
cause problems for users, and some Corel customers have complained
publicly in the past.

However, company spokeswoman Fiona Rochester told Newsbytes, some three
million people use CorelDraw and it has won more than 200 awards. "Why
are they continuing to buy Corel software if they're so disappointed
with it?" Rochester asked.

Rochester said the suit is "not all about servicing Corel customers. It's
all about putting money in the pockets of lawyers." She claimed that some
Corel customers have told the software firm about being approached by
Levy, Angstreich, the Philadelphia law firm representing Fishbein, to join
in the case. She also said the law firm is "mounting a pretty aggressive
campaign online" to recruit further plaintiffs.

Rochester said Corel "has been diligent" in its efforts to improve quality
control. Earlier this year the company began paying some beta testers for
their help in trying out pre-release versions of its software. Rochester
said Corel also dropped a third-party customer support contractor used by
many software firms after finding that customers were not satisfied with
the support they were receiving.

(Grant Buckler/19951020/Press Contact: Levy, Angstreich, 215-735-1616;
Fiona Rochester, Corel, 613-728-8200)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/23/95
PC
Key Tronic Shipping More Windows Keyboards

(NEWS)(PC)(DEN)(00020)
Key Tronic Shipping More Windows Keyboards 10/23/95
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 23 (NB) -- Key Tronic Corp.
(NASDAQ: KTCC) has introduced a full line of Microsoft
Windows-compatible keyboards the company said will make it easier
to use both current and future versions of Windows 95.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95102320.PCX
Click here for photo

What makes Key Tronic keyboards specific to Windows 95 are the
three special function keys. One is marked with the Windows flag
logo, and one with a list superimposed with a cursor arrow. The
two keys access the Windows 95 Task Manager which allows the user
to switch to any application or file. The third key is an application
key used to create context sensitive shortcuts and other
application-specific tasks.

The Key Tronic Windows keyboard family includes the company's new
ConnectKey keyboard that has a smaller than average footprint but
still includes 104 keys, measuring 17.9-inches long, 6.75-inches
deep, and weighing 1.9 pounds. The ConnectKey unit has a large
L-shaped return key, twelve function keys and separate cursor
control and numeric keypad keys.

The company is also shipping its EuroTech keyboard, the KB101, KB101
Plus, and KT2000 keyboards. The EuroTech unit has a more rounded
design than the other keyboards. It requires an adapter if used
with PCs that have PS/2 type keyboard ports. The KB101 has a
rectangular ENTER key, 101 keys and LED (light emitting diode)
indicators for the NumLock, CapsLock, and ScrollLock functions. It
also has the special Windows keys.

The KB101 Plus is similar to the KB101, but can swap the function
of the CTL and CAPS Lock keys, an enlarged Backspace key, and a
large L-shaped ENTER key. You can even have the keyboard personalized
with your name on a nameplate in the upper right corner.

Key Tronic provides a two-year warranty and free technical support
for the ConnectKey keyboard, which is set to ship in November with
a suggested retail price of $39.

(Jim Mallory/19951018/Press contact: Anja Krammer, Key Tronic,
509-927-5309; Public contact: Key Tronic, 800-262-6006 or
509-928-8000/KEYTRONIC951023/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/23/95
BUSINESS
France - Bull Looking For Extra Business Partner

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00021)
France - Bull Looking For Extra Business Partner 10/23/95
PARIS, FRANCE, 1995 OCT 23 (NB) -- Compagnie des Machines Bull has
announced it is looking for another European partner to take a 17
percent stake in the company as part of the second stage of its
privatization.

As reported previously by Newsbytes, France Telecom, Motorola, and NEC
have all agreed to take 17 percent shares in the company's equity. Dai
Nippon Printing, IBM, and IPC have also taken smaller shares in the
company.

The news comes as Bull has announced its half-year results, which show
that losses have been trimmed to FF125 million from FF1.55 billion
for the first six months of 1994. The first-half 1994 figures,
Newsbytes notes, included a restructuring change of FF710 million.

In a prepared statement, Bull said that the first-half 1995 figures
were in line with the company's plans to break even from the beginning
of 1996.

"Historically, the operating result of the second-half has always been
much more profitable than the first-half because of seasonal factors,"
said the statement, adding that "productivity efforts have to be
continued without let-up in order to reach rapidly the financial
equilibrium which is necessary for the future of the company."

Announcing the results, Jean-Marie Descarpentries, the company's
chairman, said that he aimed to reach a sales figure of FF100 billion
by the year 2000, a figure that would produce a profit of around FF4
billion, so requiring annual growth of around 30 percent a year.

Descarpentries told journalists that he expects to generate this
level of growth -- 15 percent internally, and 15 percent externally.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951019/Press Contact: Text 100, [phone];
Reader Contact: Bull Information Systems, tel [phone],
fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/23/95
GENERAL
Japan Newsbriefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00022)
Japan Newsbriefs 10/23/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 OCT 23 (NB) -- In this roundup of news from Japan:
Credit card data network fails, PC shipments to soar in 1995, PHS
Internet Access Forum established, Japanese to produce GSM for Europe,
Matsushita plans new semiconductor plants, Fujitsu and AMD establish
new memory plant.

Credit Card Data Network Fails

NTT's nationwide credit card verification network was taken out of
service seven times on Friday afternoon after problems at the central
computer center. The main servers running the system, which connects
210,000 stores and banks, experienced software problems which forced
the interruptions. A further two hour maintenance shut down was
carried out early on Saturday morning. Stores were forced to call the
credit card issuers for verification after in-store terminals failed.
Bank card cashing services were, however, unavailable.

PC Shipments To Soar In 1995

International Data Corp. (IDC) predicts domestic personal computer
shipments in Japan will reach 5.55 million units in calendar year
1995. The forecast, if true, would mean an increase of 63.6% on 1994.
Sales of computers for home use are rising particularly strongly and
IDC says they will jump 80 percent on the year to 1.72 million units.
As IDC released details of its forecasts, Dataquest Japan K.K., the
Japanese unit of America's Dataquest Inc., predicted domestic sales
would rise 58.4% to 5.3 million units. The company went on the
anticipate sales of 7.26 million units in 1996. The average price of
a PC in Japan is currently 238,000 yen ($2,380), according to Dataquest.

PHS Internet Access Forum Established

A consortium of 50 companies and the Ministry of Posts and
Telecommunications has set up the PHS Internet Access Forum, a group
that will study use of the personal handyphone system for Internet
access, according to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun. The newspaper said KDD,
Intel Japan, Matsushita, NEC, Sharp, and TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power
Company), were among the 50.

Japanese To Produce GSM For Europe

Three Japanese companies have recently announced their intention to
produce GSM (global system for mobile communications) mobile telephone
handsets for the European markets. The French subsidiary of Mitsubishi
is to begin production in November after the Japanese parent invested
50 million francs in a new production line with expectations of sales
of 500,000 units in the first year and double in the next. NEC Corp.
will make the telephones in the UK and join Matsushita as producers
of the telephones. Kenwood will begin production of GSM telephones,
in Yamagata, Japan.

Matsushita Plans New Semiconductor Plants

Osaka-based Matsushita Electric will add capacity to a memory plant in
the US to meet rising demand for the semiconductors. The US plant in
Puyallup, Washington State, will receive 60 billion yen ($600 million)
of additional investment. From late 1997, the site will begin
production of 12,000 eight-inch silicon wafers per month. In
Indonesia, a brand new microprocessor plant will be built in early
1997 for an investment of six billion yen ($60 million).

Fujitsu And AMD Establish New Memory Plant

Fujitsu and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) are to build a second
flash memory plant in Japan. The plant, to be located in Fukushima,
will produce memory chips using 0.35 micron technology, an improvement
on the current 0.5 micron technology and one that allows more components,
and thus more memory, to be squeezed onto a chip. A Japanese newspaper,
the Nippon Kogyo Shimbun, put total investment at 115 billion yen.

(Martyn Williams/19951023)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/23/95
BUSINESS
 ****Siemens Takes 75% Stake In UK's Mercury Communications

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00023)
 ****Siemens Takes 75% Stake In UK's Mercury Communications 10/23/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 23 (NB) -- Germany's Siemens has taken a 75
percent stake in Mercury Communications, the subsidiary operation of
Cable & Wireless in the UK. The deal will cost Siemens UKP80 million
and, according to Juergen Gehrels, Siemens' chief executive officer
(CEO), will lead to other involvements in telecoms services.

"We can't say whether this will lead to other things, but history has
shown it will," Gehrels told journalists as the news was announced to
the press and City analysts.

According to Cable & Wireless, the deal will change nothing in the day-
to-day operations of Mercury Communications, as far as customers are
concerned. Siemens, meanwhile, said that it is considering linking the
Mercury's voice and data comms operations with its telecommunications
services back home in Germany.

Although Siemens is not talking any specifics about the deal, it
seems certain that the German information technology (IT) giant will
actively promote Cable & Wireless' Fax Plus service. The Fax Plus
service, which was announced in February of this year, routes calls
from German businesses to the US via Mercury Communications in the UK,
and can offer fax and voice calls up to 40 percent cheaper than if
routed by Deutsche Telecom, and even up to 25 percent on calls routed
to other European countries. Some internal calls made during peak
times in German are even cheaper when routed via London, Newsbytes
notes.

According to Hans-Rudi Koch, Cable & Wireless' general manager for
Germany, announcing the service earlier this year, the Fax Plus
service is being marketed at fax machine users, under the Fax Plus
name. Callers are also free to route ordinary voice calls over the
London calling route.

Despite the increasingly liberalized European telecoms market, which
has changed dramatically under the guidance of the European Commission
(EC) this past few years, the German market remains one of the most
closed. Despite an EC dictate that markets must be opened up by
January 1, 1998, the German government has decreed that "equal access"
to long distance companies, regardless of the local loop service
provider (the company the basic line is rented from), as is seen in
the US and UK, will not apply in Germany until 1998.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951023/Press & Reader Contact: Cable & Wireless
Germany, [phone]; Siemens, tel [phone],
fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/23/95
APPLE
Apple Announces Newton 2.0 Operating System

(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00024)
Apple Announces Newton 2.0 Operating System 10/23/95
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 23 (NB) -- After plans to
announce a new operating system (OS) for its hand-held Newton personal
digital assistant (PDA) were unexpectedly published, Apple Computer
Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) held a quick press conference to announce Newton
2.0. Highlights include improved organizational and communications
capabilities, and integration with Windows and Mac-based desktop
computers.

Apple says 2.0 is the result of two years of "extensive research and
testing." Beginning December, Newton 2.0 will be available
worldwide for Apple's Message Pad 120. Besides the customer features,
Apple says the new architecture provides developers with more flexible
and extensive support. This additional support should open the hand-
held platform to new applications by third party developers using
either Mac or Windows-based computers.

Apple remains committed to the Newton in spite of a warm market
response when the PDA first appeared. Early complaints centered on its
hand-writing technology and a hefty retail price. "PDA technology is
increasing and its acceptance in the marketplace is growing. We have
already improved the early hand-writing technology and with this new
operating system we are creating a platform which will easily allow
developers to create new and exciting applications. These new
applications will build an even greater audience for the Newton,"
said an Apple spokesperson.

Customers using Newton MessagePad 120 will be able to upgrade their
systems in December. Specific plans will be announced at Comdex/Las
Vegas, but Apple says the upgrade will cost $109. The upgrade requires
a random access memory (ROM) change performed by Apple, and the price
of the upgrade includes round-trip overnight shipping. The entire
process is expected to take two or three days.

Currently, the MessagePad 120 has an Apple price of $699. The unit
can be found at various retail outlets for approximately $550 with
applications.

Apple confirmed the news was unexpected made public in a story
published by Macworld.

(Patrick McKenna/19951023/Press Contact: Jeni Johnstone, Apple,
408-974-2589)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/23/95
ONLINE
 ****CERT Releases "Syslog" Attack Alert

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00025)
 ****CERT Releases "Syslog" Attack Alert 10/23/95
PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 23 (NB) -- The Computer
Emergency Response Team (CERT) has issued an alert concerning attacks
to the "syslog" sub-routine, a program that writes messages to the
system log. The alert notes the number of such attacks are growing and
the weakness is being used by remote users to hack into systems.

In a typical attack, the hacker users the program to force the system
log, a key component in monitoring a computer's operations, to
overflow. Once done, the hacker can then take control of what all
programs were writing to the log.

The CERT Advisory warns of the attacks and includes details of how to
modify "sendmail," a Unix electronic-mail program, to make the system
immune to such attacks. Apparently hackers are exploiting a vulnerability
in sendmail to perform this attack, although the Carnegie Mellon
University-based CERT warns other software that uses the syslog
sub-routine will still be vulnerable. Such programs include telnetd,
ftpd, httpd, and others, says CERT.

Once the attacker is in control of the sendmail program, they can take
control of the entire system. What makes the attack more serious is
the ability of users on other computers to connect, typically over the
Internet, and perform the attack. Some hacks are confined to users
logged onto the system locally, while others can be carried out
remotely. The latter is more dangerous as the system is open to any
hackers connected to the Internet, not just those in the building.

Such an attack was warned about in the October 1 edition of "Internet
Guardian," a publication by Secure Computing, the world's largest
computer security company, for its Security Alert Service clients. The
company's Dan Thomsen, who wrote the article, noted that, although CERT
typically does not release numbers and details of specific attacks,
the new advisory indicates that there have been enough successful
attacks to cause concern.

He added, "It has long been known that the sendmail program has a
number of vulnerabilities, so it is not surprising that someone has
found yet another way to break into systems using sendmail."

Just three versions of the Unix operating system are safe from the
attack. They are Sony's NEWS-OS 6.X, SunOS 5.5 (Solaris 2.5), and Linux
with libc version 4.7.2, released in May, 1995.

CERT recommends all system administrators immediately install patches,
which are available, or will be soon, from all vendors. The computer
security organization also recommends the installation of sendmail
8.7.1 and the installation of the sendmail restricted shell program
(smrsh).

Secure Computing's Thomsen warns that users of popular operating systems
are most at immediate risk because to carry out the attack, hackers
must first understand how the sendmail program operates on a
particular computer system. If the hacker has access to an identical
system, he can run the experiments he needs to take over someone
else's computer. The more popular a system is, Thomsen explained, the
more likely the hacker is to have access to an identical system.

Full details of the CERT Advisory, number 95-13, are available via ftp
from ftp://info.cert.org/pub/cert_advisories/CA-95:13 . Additional
updates will be placed in a file named
ftp://info.cert.org/pub/cert_advisories/CA-95:13.README .

If you believe that your system has been compromised, contact the CERT
Coordination Center or your representative in the Forum of Incident
Response and Security Teams (FIRST). The organization accepts e-mail
to address [e-mail], and operates a 24-hour telephone hotline at
412-268-7090, or by fax at 412-268-6989.

(Martyn Williams/19951023/Press contact: CERT, Internet e-mail
[e-mail]; Jo Murray, Jo Murray Public Relations for Secure
Computing, 510-238-8430)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/23/95
BUSINESS
Japan - Financial Roundup

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00026)
Japan - Financial Roundup 10/23/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 OCT 23 (NB) -- The end of October signaled the
half way point in the fiscal year for most of Japan's companies.
Over the next few weeks, hundreds of companies will issue financial
statements, results and forecasts for the current financial year that
ends in March.

Better-than-expected results already reported are causing investors to
buy electronics stocks on the expectation of higher than anticipated
results for the majority of companies reporting this week.

In quiet Monday trading of 297 million shares, the Nikkei 225 Index
closed down 1.09 points at 18,156.24.

Shares in electronics shares are already rising ahead of expectations
of good results due to be announced this week.

Last week heavy volume in the sector made OKI Electric the most
heavily traded stock on the market. A total of 28.39 million shares
changed hands with the issue ending the week at 968 yen, a rise of 48
yen, or 5.22% on the week.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries came in second with Toshiba Corporation
ranking third. Toshiba stocks rose 43 yen, or 6.06%, to 753 yen on
volume of 20.39 million shares. Fujitsu stocks rose 20 yen, to 1,240
yen. Volume of 19.29 million shares made it the fourth most traded
issue.

This morning the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported ASCII Corporation
(TOKYO:9473) had received an order from Dome mail-order for 700,000
Japanese language manuals for Windows 95. Despite a denial by the
company, saying it had only received a 5,000 manual order from Dome,
shares in the company jumped 250 yen on the day to end at 5,600 yen
on volume of 199,000 shares.

Memorex Telex Japan released revised figures for the current fiscal
year Monday. For the first six months of the year, the company is
forecasting sales of 8.90 billion yen, a drop from the previous
forecast of 11.10 billion yen and from last year's actual figure of
10.49 billion yen. Despite the drop in sales, net profit is forecast
to be 87 million yen, a large jump from last year's 12 million yen.
For the entire year, the communication and information systems company
predicts parent company sales of 21.70 billion yen and net profits of
200 million yen.

NTT Data Communications Systems Corp., a unit of Nippon Telegraph and
Telephone, has revised its financial forecasts for the current fiscal
year ending March 31 next year. The company predicts pretax profits
of 25 billion yen ($250 million), a large increase on the previous
figure of 16 billion ($160 million). Net profit is expected to reach
14 billion yen ($140 million) on sales of 537 billion yen ($5.37
billion). On those figures, net profits are expected to almost double
in the current financial year on a sales increase of just over 14%.

Fujitsu Ltd. (TOKYO:6702) has revised its profits forecast upward,
based on results from the first six months of the fiscal year. The
company says net income is projected to increase by 30 billion yen
($300 million) to a record-high 90 billion yen ($900 million). Sales
forecasts for the Fujitsu Group worldwide was also revised upward to
3,750 billion yen ($37.5 billion), representing a 140 billion yen
($1.4 billion) increase from the company's earlier projections made
in May of this year and an increase of almost 500 billion yen ($5
billion) on last year's results.

NTT's biggest competitor, DDI Corporation (TOKYO:9433), says net
profits will hit 20.00 billion yen in the current fiscal year, an
increase on the previous prediction of 16.50 billion yen and its last
year profits of 16.06 billion yen. A big increase in the number of
people using cellular telephones and the new PHS telephones are
expected to boost sales to 448.00 billion yen from 377.87 billion yen
last year. The new sales forecast represents an increase of 68 billion
yen from the previous forecast.

Major national electronics retail chain Best Denki (TOKYO:8175) has
revised upwards its sales predictions for its financial year which
ends February 29th. The company says sales will reach 235.00 billion
yen against last year's actual sales of 216.92 billion yen. Net
profits are forecast at 4.60 billion yen from 4.34 billion yen last
year.

Shares in Sanyo Denki (TOKYO:6516) slid in Tokyo after the company
said parent company profits would be 430 million yen, a drop of 320
million yen from the original forecast of 750 million yen. Full year
current profits were revised to a new forecast of 1.60 billion yen
from 1.75 billion yen. Shares in the company were "buy only" this
morning after sellers vastly outnumbered buyers on the second section
of the Tokyo bourse. Share had risen strongly, from 943 yen on October
9th to Thursday's closing at 1,300 yen on hopes for the company's
microprocessors and cooling fans in the expanding computer market.

Koa Corporation, an electronic goods manufacturer, reported pretax
profits for the first six months of the year of 2.55 billion yen, an
increase of over 50% on the same period last year. Strong demand was
attributed as the cause for the increase.

This week, Matsushita, Fujtisu, NEC, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, and Toshiba
are all scheduled to announce results.

(Martyn Williams/19951023)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/23/95
BUSINESS
Indonesia's PT Telekom Begins Public Offering

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00027)
Indonesia's PT Telekom Begins Public Offering 10/23/95
JAKARTA, INDONESIA, 1995 OCT 23 (NB) -- One of the largest
international floatations of the year begins this week as PT
Telekomunikasi Indonesia (PT Telekom) heads for the Jakarta, London,
and New York markets.

The company's initial public offering (IPO) begins October 23rd in
London and New York, and will continue until November 10th. In
Indonesia, it will commence on October 27th and run until November 2nd.
The IPO will place shares worth between $1.4 billion and $1.7 billion
on the international markets and up to $1.0 billion on the domestic
bourse. Altogether, the shares make up 27.5% of the company with 15%
of Telekom ending up in foreign hands when shares begin trading on
November 14th.

A stumbling block to the successful IPO was the delay in signing of
five cooperative operation scheme (KSO) agreements awarded in June.
The deals were signed with five consortia in which international
companies such as Telstra Corporation of Australia, France Telecom,
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone of Japan, Malaysia Telecom, Singapore
Telecom, and US West International all hold interests.

Total value of the contracts, which are for the installation of two
million additional telephone lines in Indonesia and their operation
over the next 15 years, are estimated to be worth around $3 billion
and will begin in January, 1996.

The consortia include: Pramindo Ikat, which will build 460,000 lines in
Sumatra; Tiga-A, which will construct 500,000 lines in West Java; and
Mitra Gions, which will add lines in greater Jakarta area and East
Java.

Demand for the shares is expected to be higher following the vital
deals which will expand the telephone network throughout Indonesia and
bring in more money for the operator. PT Telekom predicts it will make
828 billion rupiah (363.6 million dollars) in the current financial
year, up from 794.55 billion rupiah in 1994.

On the New York market, the stocks hold an indicative price of between
$19.50 and $24.50 with the final price to be fixed on November 14th.
The price values PT Telekom at around $9 billion according to analysts.

Late last week, however, the company president appeared to contradict
the previously announced information. On Thursday the Antara news
agency and other local press quoted Setyanto Santosa, president of PT
Telekom, as saying a total of 35% of the company would be listed, 10%
domestically and 25% overseas, in contrast to the 27.5% figure
submitted to the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) in the US.

A company spokesman later told Agence France Presse the lower figure
was correct. He continued that the president was responding to
questions before being fully briefed on the subject and that it was
just a simple mistake.

The international listing of PT Telekom follows those of PT Indosat, a
satellite operator and PT Tambang Timah, a mining company that listed
in Jakarta and London on Thursday October 19th. The latter listing was
unimpressive and suffered because of the impending PT Telekom debut
and a lack of money in the local market, said analysts. On the London
market, Timah shares registered a 1 cent rise on the day from $1.28 to
$1.29.

(Martyn Williams/19951023)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/23/95
ONLINE
Russia Online Announces Service Details

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00028)
Russia Online Announces Service Details 10/23/95
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1995 OCT 23 (NB) -- Russia will get its own online
service later this year when Russia Online begins operations. The new
service has been set up by Sovam Teleport, the most famous name in
computer and Internet communications in Russia and will operate from
offices in Moscow.

Russia Online offer services on par with Internet providers in many
other countries such as electronic-mail, newsgroups, ftp file archives,
World Wide Web access, and more. The company also boasts the first
commercial Web server in Eastern Europe and, through agreement with
Netscape Communications and RSA, the company is using the Netsite
Commerce Server to offer companies the ability to security accept
orders from Internet users.

The service will target two user groups: Internet users around the
world, and users throughout Russia.

The company's basic services will be provided to users already hooked
up to the Internet and include unlimited access to several services
including an electronic edition of the Izvestia newspaper, weather
reports, a Russian TV guide, regional news, and the company's own
Internet catalog.

Advanced Services are value-added services that are paid for
separately, and charges are based on time used. The data available
will include major databases, financial news, and media digests.

Subscribers to Russia Online inside the country will receive an e-mail
package, Web browser, and a TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet
Protocol) stack and dialer program to connect to the Internet via Sovam's
nationwide network. The company is supporting the Macintosh, Windows 3.1,
and Windows 95 platforms.

More specific details of the package, including prices, will be
announced this fall, said the company.

Sovam Teleport has been operating since the early 1980s and was
founded by: Russia's Institute for Automated Systems, creator of
FSU, the first packet switched network in the country; UK telecoms
giant Cable and Wireless PLC; and America's GTS, a company that was
formerly the San Francisco/Moscow Teleport.

The company also has a computer network and dial-up access points in
major Russian cities and is the first Russian member of CIX, the
Commercial Internet Exchange. Through the SOVAM network, users can
access Compuserve, Dow Jones News Service, MCI Mail, and several other
international networks.

For more details on Russia Online, users already connected to the
Internet can access http://www.online.ru/ . Sovam Teleport's home
page is at http://www.sovam.com/ .

(Martyn Williams/19951023)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/23/95
BROADCAST
Panamsat Wins Japanese Satellite License

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(TYO)(00029)
Panamsat Wins Japanese Satellite License 10/23/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 OCT 23 (NB) -- Panamsat has been awarded an
international class one carrier license by the Japanese Ministry of
Posts and Telecommunications, allowing the US company to directly sell
its services to customers in Japan. It is only the second such license
issued to a foreign company and signals the further opening of Japan's
telecommunications market.

The Greenwich, Connecticut-based satellite operator says it will
receive the license in early November, just in time to begin
operations with broadcasts from the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation forum) summit being held in Osaka in late November.

Until now, it has been forced to sell its services via associate
telecommunications companies in the country, although the license means
it can now deal direct. Analysts are predicting Panamsat will offer
lower prices than Japanese operators, bringing more competition.

The awarding of the license comes as part of a government effort to
open up sectors of the telecommunications market to more competition.
In September, Singapore's Pacific Century Corporation Access gained a
license to provide data links from Japan to the rest of Asia.

Panamsat already has several customers in Japan. Most notably it
distributes programming worldwide for NHK, Japan's state TV network.
The company attributes the opening of the sector, and its new license,
to pressure from its customers as Frederick A. Landman, Panamsat's
president and chief executive officer, explained, "We're witnessing a
profound liberalization of the Japanese telecommunications market.
This revolution is fueled in part by Panamsat's Japanese broadcast
customers, who have expressed strong desire for direct access to our
international video services without an intermediary.

"This major breakthrough will fuel Panamsat's ever-increasing
business in Asia, and will enable us to better serve our present and
future customers worldwide," he continued.

David P. Berman, Panamsat's vice president of program distribution,
agreed and added, "Our efforts over the two-year process have been
rewarded, thanks to the work of our Japanese customers and the
Japanese government. It's appropriate that one of our first
applications will be coverage in November of the APEC conference in
Osaka, where Asia-Pacific leaders will discuss plans for increasing
trade and commerce."

The company operates the largest international satellite network in
the world, with three craft already in orbit and four more planned.
From Japan, two of the organization's satellites will be available.
The new PAS-4 satellite above the Indian Ocean will link Japan with
other areas of Asia, Australia, and areas as far east as Europe. Above
the Pacific Ocean, PAS-2 will provide links to Asia and the Americas.

The other satellite in orbit, PAS-1, sits above the Atlantic Ocean and
will be supplemented by PAS-3, PAS-5 and PAS-6, all of which will be
launched by early 1997. A seventh satellite, PAS-7, will be placed in
orbit above the Indian Ocean in 1997.

(Martyn Williams/19951023/Press contact: Kevin Burgoyne, Panamsat,
203-622-6664)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/23/95
ONLINE
 ****Nynex Puts US Business Phone Listings On Web

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(BOS)(00030)
 ****Nynex Puts US Business Phone Listings On Web 10/23/95
MIDDLETON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 23 (NB) -- The World Wide
Web-based Nynex Interactive Yellow Pages, listing 2.1 million businesses
in New England/New York since its initial launch in May, has now
"gone national," bringing user access to listings on 16.5 million
businesses throughout the US. It has also added a stronger search
engine -- the McKinley Internet Directory -- and new World Wide
Web-based advertisements, said Kathy Ives, director of interactive
services, in a conference call with Newsbytes.

Meanwhile, Nynex is also "transitioning" the Nynex Yellow Pages
on Prodigy to the Web, noted Ives. The service on Prodigy, which
represented the first GUI (graphical user interface)-based online
edition of the Nynex directory, had also been limited to New
England and New York State listings. Now though, users accessing
the Web through Prodigy as well as from other commercial online
services, such as America Online (AOL) and Microsoft Network
(MNS), will be able to click to the nationwide phone directory
service through new hotlinks, according to Ives.

Ives told Newsbytes that the two previous online Yellow Pages
services were both based on Nynex business listings for
Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, and
New York State, together with listings for Connecticut from SNET
(Southern New England Telephone).

But with the new and expanded service on the Web, she continued,
Nynex has supplemented its regional online listings on the Web
with nationwide listings supplied through Database America.

In addition, a more powerful search engine is allowing users
to search two states simultaneously, as well as to conduct
"Boolean-type" searches. "You might want to search for all car
dealerships that are in Massachusetts, but not in Boston or
Worcester," she illustrated.

A new section of the online Yellow Pages known as "Your World"
gives users direct links to Web sites in categories ranging from
generic subjects like travel, films, children, and music to
sections on holidays and other special events, such as Halloween
and the upcoming 1996 Olympics.

Nynex has also added the McKinley Internet Directory, for a
summary and rating of linked Web sites, according to the Nynex
exec.

But the new nationwide service also retains some of the elements
of the original regional service on the Web, including: the "Hot
Sites" list of "new and exciting" Web sites; navigation of the
Nynex site through "familiar A-Z shopping headings;" the ability
of businesses to hotlink to the Nynex site; and a special
text-based viewing option, according to the Nynex interactivity
director.

As previously reported in Newsbytes, Nynex's text-based option
is designed to permit access to permit with sight impairments,
as well as to users of "low-end" computers such as 286s that
are unable to accommodate GUIs. Individuals with visual
disabilities can use the text option with a screen reader, a
system for converting ASCII text to audio, maintained Deborah
Kaplan, VP of the World Institute on Disability, during an
earlier interview with Newsbytes.

Ives told Newsbytes this week that, although the nationwide
Yellow pages are up and running already, the advertising
component of the new Web-based service is still in beta. Nynex
intends to test Web-based advertising among New York State-based
businesses first, before rolling out services to advertisers in
other states, she elaborated. The regional edition of the
Interactive Yellow Pages on Prodigy has been accompanied by ads
from the start.

Nynex does not plan to add GUIs to two older, text-only editions
of the Yellow Pages, operating on Delphi and Minitel, according
to Ives.

As with Nynex's previous, regional listings on the Web, the
nationwide directory services are available to Web users
throughout the world free of charge, together with all related
services on the Web page, she asserted. You can access the Nynex
Interactive Yellow Pages on the Web at http://www.niyp.com .

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951020/Reader Contact: Nynex Interactive
Yellow Pages, 800-356-9639; Press Contacts: Phil Santoro, Nynex,
508-762-1326; Heidi Creighton, Creamer Dixon Basford for Nynex,
617-467-1573)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/23/95
BUSINESS
MCI Revenue Up, But Records Net Loss

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(MSP)(00031)
MCI Revenue Up, But Records Net Loss 10/23/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 OCT 23 (NB) -- MCI Communications Corp.
(NASDAQ:MCIC) said it is posting a $240 million dollar loss for the
third quarter of 1995, due to previously-announced charges totaling
$831 million, relating to consolidating business operations. Without
the charge, MCI officials said the company would have posted a net
income of $275 million.

The overall loss is equal to 35 cents a share, which compares to a
profit of $220 million, or 38 cents a share, for the same quarter last
year. If it weren't for the charge, net income would have been equal
to 40 cents a share.

The $831 million in pre-tax charges included "decommissioning
unproductive and non-strategic assets," separation costs for about
3,000 employees, and legal contingencies.

The results were announced during a news teleconference this morning,
which Newsbytes attended.

Despite the overall loss, "MCI demonstrated exceptional revenue and
volume growth in the third quarter," said Gerald H. Taylor, MCI
president and chief operating officer. "MCI will continue to leverage
its core strengths -- marketing and merchandising, intelligent network,
high volume transactional billing, and customer service -- to
capitalize on new market opportunities."

The company said its revenue saw increases from all segments of its
market, including 800 service, MCI Vnet, and MCI Vision. International
business traffic was especially strong. Consumer demand was also
strong for personal 800 services, calling card offerings, and its
1-800-COLLECT collect calling service.

Package services like Friends and Family Connections and networkMCI
solutions also continued to grow, the company said, especially when
grouped with wireless paging services. In addition, MCI has more than
300,000 cellular customers in 10 major markets, after MCI completed
acquisition of Nationwide Cellular Service and the introduction of
networkMCI cellular.

In the business market, MCI showed data revenues increasing by more
than 30 percent, and virtual data services growing by more than 200
percent.

On Wall Street, MCI's stock was down $0.125 at $24.875 at 11 AM EDT.

(Bob Woods/19951023/Press Contacts: Ray Allieri, Vice President of MCI
Investor Relations, 202-887-2068; Kevin Inda, Senior Manager of MCI
Financial Public Relations, 202-887-2196)


(ADVISORY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00032)

NewsPix Images For Newsbytes Publishers 10/23/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A.,1995 OCT 23 (NB) -- These photos
correspond to recent Newsbytes stories. They are online in the
Newsbytes menu on America Online, NiftyServe, and the Newsbytes
private bulletin board system in Minneapolis.

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) files are larger in size,
PICT files are designed as thumbnails for onscreen viewing.
The photos are titled with name/year/month/day.

PICT/thumbnail pictures are black and white (gray scale). File
message will indicate color if the JPEG image is color.

Some of the "for use" images, may be PICT files. To distinguish
these files from the thumbnail preview PICT images, the tag for the
color "for use" image will have PICT, all caps. The thumbnail will
remain noted as "pct."

To become a licensed Newsbytes publisher, call Newsbytes at
612-430-1100 (US) or write to [e-mail] on the
Internet. Licensing applies to any medium.

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

Week of OCTOBER 23 - OCTOBER 27,1995

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

- NEW THIS WEEK -

RACOM951011 - color / Partnership Targets Billion Dollar Smart Card
Market: shot of the smartcard and security box.

OPTI-G951017 - color / Dell Intros New Optiplex Line, Server:
picture of the Optiplex GX5100; corporate network ready pc. This
is not one of the multimedia pcs mentioned in the article, but one
of the others in the new line.

ZNOTE951017 - color / Zenith Data System's New Pentium Desktops,
Notebooks: the Z-Note GT.

PLANET951016 - color / New Web Site Encourages Family Interneting:
screenshot of homepage.

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

- PARTIAL LISTING OF PREVIOUS ITEMS -

CAERE951010 - b&w / Caere To Acquire ViewStar: photo of Dean Hovey,
vice president of business development for Caere quoted in story.

GPT-CHINA951010 - color / UK's GPT To Supply First Smart Card Phones
To China: Asian businessman at phone.

TELECOM*spx1,2,3 - b&w / three photos taken at Telcom: for general
use. 1) opening entry, 2) main floor - horizontal format, 3) main
floor - vertical format

SUPERDECK951013 - b&w / Video News Roundup:New Products-Panasonic
Model AF-DS550 SVHS VCR, dubbed the 'superdeck.'

PCCARD951013 - color / Compaq To Support Third-Party PC Cards:
shot of two of the cards, one with connection cable running off frame.

T2-951004 - color / Thrustmaster Intros New Game Steering Console:
shot of the unit on limbo white, steering wheel and pedals.

ABC-3D951005 - color / ABC Graphics Goes 3-D: screen shot of text
illustrating the "Instant 3D."

KODIAK951002 - color / Storagetek Intros New Product, Settles Old
Lawsuit: the Kodiak 9890 Scalable Storage Facility.

LAT-LX951004 - color / Dell Ships New Latitude Portables: unit with
nice color Dell logo on screen.

THINKPAD951003 - color / IBM Aims New ThinkPads At Desktop Market:
shot of the 760CD unit, with flowers on screen and cd tray open.

FUJITSU950914 - color / Fujitsu Develops New Display Panel: the large
lcd panel with model.

VCON950922 - color / VCON Intros Desktop Videoconferencing For LANs:
woman at desk with desktop videoconferencing.

DITOEASY950925 - color / Iomega's $150 800MB Tape Backup Drive:
the unit on a tabletop with pen for scale.

SKYTEL950926 - color / Microsoft/Skytel Offer 2-way Paging Via
Microsoft Network: the unit on limbo tabletop.

ZENOGRAPHICS950928 - color / Zenographics' SuperPrint 4.0 Speeds Win
95 Printing: shot of the software package.

MACROMEDIA950928 - color / Macromedia Upgrades FreeHand For Macs:
shot of the box.

TRIMBLE950925 - color / Trimble Wins Japanese Anti-Earthquake Network
Order: nice shot of surveyor and Golden Gate Bridge in SF.

AMDAHL950915 - b&w / Amdahl To Acquire Canada's DMR Group: head shot
of Amdahl's president and chief executive officer (CEO), Joseph Zemke.

MS_BOB950919 - color / What Ever Happened To Microsoft Bob?: the
Bob logo, smiley face with glasses.

MS_PROJ950919 - color / Microsoft Project For Windows 95 To Ship Next
Week: shot of package graphics.

GAZETTEER950920 - color / Global Post Code & Demographic Info On The
Web: screenshot of home page.

D3SEA950922 - color / Video Update: photo of Panasonic D3 camcorder
used by Scuba Diver for underwater photography. Actual shot of camera
in action, diver is Capt. Steve Hogan, president of Sea Eagle
Productions, Maui, Hawaii.

APTIVA950912 - color / IBM Updates Aptiva PC Line: the PC with
logo onscreen.

GATEHOUSE950913 - color / Tour Bill Gates' Showplace Home Via
The Internet: shot of house under construction.

MEDIAKIDS950908 - color / Apple Japan Holds MediaKids Summer Camp:
screen shot of kids homepage, with lots of kanji.

ENIAC950912 - b&w / ENIAC 50th Anniversary Set For 1996: great
archive photo of the original ENIAC room.

PRESARIO950915 - color / Compaq Intros New Home PCs, Fall Ad Campaign:
the Presario 9500, tower not seen, just keyboard & monitor on tabletop.

CYRIX_M1950906 - color / M1 Fastest Chip For Windows 95, Says Cyrix:
the M1 chip with Cyrix logo on it.

VINEYARDS950906 - color / Virtual Vineyards' CyberCash Credit Card
Security: shot of Peter Granoff and Robert Olson, principal founders
with a table of wine before them. Photo credit: Anne Hamersky.
& Hotel Walkabouts On The Web:
the food page with salsa ad, looks good!

(Newsbytes/19951023)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/23/95
GENERAL
Canadian Product Launch Update

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00033)
Canadian Product Launch Update 10/23/95
KINGSTON, ONTARIO, CANADA 1995 OCT 23 (NB) -- This regular feature,
appearing on the first day Newsbytes publishes each week, provides
further details for the Canadian market on announcements by international
companies that Newsbytes has already covered. This week: Compaq's new
ProLiant servers and support plans and Hewlett-Packard's OmniGo 100
hand-held organizer.

Compaq Canada Inc., of Richmond Hill, Ontario, has announced three new
ProLiant servers using 133 megahertz (MHz) Intel Pentium processors
(Newsbytes, Oct. 17). Compaq is also offering upgrade boards for existing
ProSignia servers, and said it will be providing upgrades to Intel's new
P6 processors for its ProLiant systems. In Canada, a typical configuration
of the new ProLiant 4500 5/133 server with 64 megabytes (MB) of memory will
have a suggested list price of C$22,029. A typical 64-MB configuration of
the ProLiant 4500/NT Array Model will list at C$26,149. A typically
configured ProLiant 1500 5/133, with 32MB of memory, will list at C$13.069.

Compaq Canada also joined its Houston-based parent in announcing a new
worldwide service and support strategy (Newsbytes, Oct. 17), incorporating
an alliance with third-party service provider Digital Multivendor Customer
Services and new Compaq-branded service and support options. Compaq
Canada said it will be improving its service to Canadian resellers.

Hewlett-Packard (Canada) Ltd., based in Mississauga, Ontario, unveiled the
OmniGo 100 (Newsbytes, Oct. 17), a hand-held organizer with both pen and
keyboard input. The OmniGo also has a rotatable screen that allows
horizontal or vertical display, and comes with built-in software for
tracking appointments and expenses, taking notes, recording addresses
and phone numbers, and calculating. It uses the GEOS operating system
from Geoworks. The OmniGo 100 is to be available in Canada in November,
through a variety of retail outlets including computer stores and
consumer electronics superstores, at a suggested list price of C$616,
Hewlett-Packard Canada said.

(Grant Buckler/19951023/Press Contact: John Challinor II, Compaq
Canada, 416-229-8936; Linda Blakely, Hewlett-Packard Canada,
905-206-3742; Public Contact: Hewlett-Packard Canada, 800-367-3867)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/23/95
BUSINESS
BDM Int'l Hangs On In DMR Group Takeover Battle

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00034)
BDM Int'l Hangs On In DMR Group Takeover Battle 10/23/95
MCLEAN, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 23 (NB) -- BDM International,
Inc. (NASDAQ:BDMI) has extended its offer for Class B shares of DMR
Group Inc. (TSE:DR) by 10 days, refusing to back down after rival
Amdahl Corp. (AMEX:AMH) last week took up the 36 percent of DMR shares
tendered to it by the Montreal consulting firm's major shareholders.

BDM officials made the best of Amdahl's move, saying the fact that the
Sunnyvale, California, computer manufacturer now controls 36 percent of
DMR's shares makes it impossible for the third suitor, IBM Canada Ltd. of
Markham, Ontario, to meet its publicly stated goal of obtaining 90 percent
of DMR's shares. BDM, on the other hand, has said it will be happy with
50.1 percent of DMR's shares.

In a press conference Friday, Michael Poehner, vice-president and general
manager of Amdahl's Business Solutions Group, said his company's 36
percent control would stop any other buyer from merging DMR into its own
operations or taking the company private, since either of those options
would require a two-thirds majority vote of shareholders.

Tom Faulders, chief financial officer of BDM, told Newsbytes this is not
a problem for his company because BDM does not plan to merge DMR into
its own operations anyway. However, he acknowledged that a scenario
where BDM owns slightly more than 50 percent of DMR's stock and
Amdahl 36 percent would be "inherently unstable" and the two companies
would have to work out some arrangement in the longer term. He observed
that this would be easier for BDM and Amdahl than for IBM and Amdahl,
which are traditional rivals in the mainframe computer market.

At present, Amdahl controls 80 percent of the voting rights of DMR shares.
However, a ruling by a Quebec court has said DMR's Class A shareholders
can convert their shares to Class B, which could dilute Amdahl's voting
control. This ruling opened the way for BDM's bid and for IBM Canada's,
which followed.

Faulders said the appeal court has indicated it will be December or
January before the appeal can be heard. This leaves all the bidders in
an awkward position, he said. One option may be for Amdahl, BDM, and
IBM to extend their offers until the appeal is heard, Faulders said.

All three suitors have said they plan to run DMR as a separate subsidiary.
Both Amdahl and BDM said they planned to fold some of their own existing
operations -- in Amdahl's case, the Business Solutions Group that
Poehner now heads -- into DMR after a takeover.

BDM is offering C$9 per share, higher than Amdahl's C$8.25 offer but
lower than IBM Canada's C$11. Poehner said Friday that Amdahl sees no need
to raise its offer, and that the company is banking on its appeal of the
court ruling to block the conversion of Class A shares and clinch its
control of DMR. Faulders also said his company sees no need to raise
its offer at present.

Last week, DMR's board of directors recommended to its shareholders that
they not tender their shares to either Amdahl's or BDM's offer, and
reserved its judgment on the IBM bid. Like Amdahl, BDM played down the
importance of this move. Faulders said DMR's board was simply "doing its
fiduciary duty" and did not want to recommend his company's offer or
Amdahl's because IBM's higher offer is on the table.

(Grant Buckler/19951023/Press Contact: Michel Gelinas, DMR, 514-877-3301;
John Radewagen, The Benjamin Group for Amdahl, 408-559-6090; Mike
Quinn, IBM Canada, 905-316-2255; Todd Stottlemyer, BDM, 703-848-5115,
Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/23/95
BUSINESS
 ****AMD & NexGen Merger To Compete Against Intel

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00035)
 ****AMD & NexGen Merger To Compete Against Intel 10/23/95
SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 23 (NB) -- Long-time nemesis to
Intel, Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE:AMD) has laid the groundwork to
continue its pursuit of the giant chipmaker through a merger with NexGen
(NSADAQ:NXGN). AMD fought a hard battle over 386 and 486 microprocessors,
but has fallen behind as Intel's Pentium series became the dominant
processor for the DOS and Windows operating systems.

The merger is an all-stock agreement which offers NexGen shareholders
0.8 of an AMD share for each share of NexGen stock. With approximately
41 million outstanding shares of NexGen stock, the deal is valued at
$840 million. Directors of both boards have given their approval and
with shareholder approval and positive regulatory review, the merger is
expected to close in the first calendar quarter of 1996.

Under the agreement, NexGen becomes a wholly-owned subsidiary of
AMD. S. Atiq Raza, president and chief executive officer (CEO) at
NexGen will continue as head of NexGen through the "transition phase."
He will take a seat on the AMD board of directors as an AMD
corporate vice president and he becomes the chief technical officer at
AMD, reporting directly to W.J. Sanders III, AMD's chairman and CEO.

No major location changes are expected as a result of the merger.
NexGen's Milpitas, California location will continue as headquarters
for the new subsidiary after the approval process. AMD says personnel
layoffs are not projected.

AMD spokesperson, Chuck Mulloy, told Newsbytes, "This is a strategic
merger. This means it has long-term implications to the computer
industry. We do not expect to see any major technology announcements
until the second half of 1996, and by 1997, the marketplace will see
major product availability as a result of this merger."

Asked whether the NexGen name will continue to be used by the new
subsidiary, he said, "It is too early to tell at this time. That is
something we will know more about at a later date as the transition
takes place."

The relatively young NexGen became known for its 586 microprocessor
technology which was marketed as an alternative to Intel's Pentium
processor. In the X86 processor market, AMD and NexGen competed against
each other. Now, the merger agreement of the two companies calls for
fifth, sixth, and future processor technology to be incorporated into
AMD's AMD-K86 Superscalar series of processors.

Both companies "remain committed" to the 586 processor and will
continue to promote and sell the line with new products in early 1996,
but it appears the long-term view centers on 686 processor technology
which is designed to compete with Intel's Pentium Pro. Announced
earlier this year, the Pentium Pro processor is the next-generation
of the popular Pentium line.

AMD's 686 research, currently performed in Austin, Texas, will be
integrated into NexGen's California offices. The 686 product will
be called the AMD-K6. "In its announcement of the 686 processor,
NexGen said it will outperform the Pentium Pro. With our combined
strengths, we will have the technology and the manufacturing
capabilities to seriously compete with Intel as future processors
come to the marketplace," said Mulloy.

He also said both companies' X86 processors are built with
micro-architecture based on reduced instruction set computing (RISC)
technology which rapidly decodes X86 instructions. This means
consumers have the power of RISC processing while using standard
DOS and Windows applications. The sixth generation design will
feature more advanced decode/execution, larger caches, and seven
execution units, including one dedicated to high-performance
multimedia software applications.

Mulloy also said the AMD-K6 processor will focus on desktop
environments. "We understand the early versions of the Intel's
Pentium Pro will focus on the server environment. That is not to
say they are not going to bring the Pro to the desktop, but it is
our intention to focus on the desktop from the very beginning."

Specific marketing plans for the AMD-K6 line have not been formed,
but with AMD's manufacturing and marketing strength, NexGen steps
into a much larger marketplace with its technology. Sometime in 1996,
consumers might see head-to-head advertising as AMD and Intel get
closer to shipping the K6 and Pro products, respectively.

(Patrick McKenna/19951023/Press Contact: Chuck Mulloy, AMD,
408-749-5481)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00036)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 10/23/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 23 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|            Monday, October 23, 1995            |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

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free daily top stories from Newsbytes and its affiliate publications,
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and additional services, see the Newsbytes Pacifica Website at
http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

APPLE     Apple Announces Newton 2.0 Operating System................ 24

BROADCAST Video News Roundup......................................... 03

BROADCAST Panamsat Wins Japanese Satellite License................... 29

BUSINESS  Unisys Sells System To China Bank.......................... 02

BUSINESS  Gateway Targets Australia Top Spot In Osborne Comeback Bid. 06

BUSINESS  India - Analog Devices Plans Software Operation............ 11

BUSINESS  France - Bull Looking For Extra Business Partner........... 21

BUSINESS   ****Siemens Takes 75% Stake In UK's Mercury Communications 23

BUSINESS  Japan - Financial Roundup.................................. 26

BUSINESS  Indonesia's PT Telekom Begins Public Offering.............. 27

BUSINESS  MCI Revenue Up, But Records Net Loss....................... 31

BUSINESS  BDM Int'l Hangs On In DMR Group Takeover Battle............ 34

BUSINESS   ****AMD & NexGen Merger To Compete Against Intel.......... 35

GENERAL   Micrografx Intros Crayola Art Studio 2..................... 15

GENERAL   Japan Newsbriefs........................................... 22

GENERAL   NewsPix Images For Newsbytes Publishers.................... 32

GENERAL   Canadian Product Launch Update............................. 33

LEGAL      ****Corel Faces Lawsuit Over Software Bugs................ 19

NETWORK   LCI Intros New Laser Networking Product.................... 13

ONLINE     ****Targeted Daily News For "Rent" To Websites............ 04

ONLINE    Marketing Lists Via The Internet........................... 12

ONLINE     ****CERT Releases "Syslog" Attack Alert................... 25

ONLINE    Russia Online Announces Service Details.................... 28

ONLINE     ****Nynex Puts US Business Phone Listings On Web.......... 30

PC        Key Tronic Shipping More Windows Keyboards................. 20

PDA       UK - Hewlett-Packard Intros OmniGo 100 Pocket Organizer.... 08

TELECOM   MFS Enters Hong Kong Telecom Fray.......................... 01

TELECOM   HP In Mobile Comms Deal With Nokia......................... 05

TELECOM   UK - Digital Mail Offers Universal Mailbox System.......... 07

TELECOM   India - TCIL Plans Telephone Service Consortium............ 10

TELECOM   Ericsson Plans Wireless Systems For Windows 95............. 16

TELECOM   UK - Dataflex's Windows 95 Speakerphone Modem.............. 17

TRENDS    ICL Claims World's Fastest Sparc Workstation............... 09

TRENDS    Colorado Utility To Get Remote Meter Reading............... 14

TRENDS    Rumarson's New PCs For Old Program......................... 18

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 -> MFS Enters Hong Kong Telecom Fray -- Half billion dollar telephone
company MFS has announced it will join the telecom services market in
Hong Kong. A ship, loaded to the gunnels with switching and fiber
equipment, is already reportedly on its way to Hong Kong.

2 -> Unisys Sells System To China Bank -- China's fifth largest bank has
bought a banking system from Unisys to run its New York operations.

3 -> Video News Roundup -- This is a look at the top stories this week
in the world of video news reporting: stock image searching on the Net,
"Can you find good desktop audio monitors," and, in new products, the
Panasonic Multimedia Bundle and Fast Electronics' Portable Quad.

4 ->  ****Targeted Daily News For "Rent" To Websites -- Adding fast-
breaking news content aimed at a Website's target audience is one way to
increase "hits" on a site. That news content is now offered to Websites
by Newsbytes News Network's "Top Stories" program which gives Websites a
license to publish up to five daily technology stories from 21
categories.

5 -> HP In Mobile Comms Deal With Nokia -- Claiming to be seeking to
capitalize on their "mutual expertise" in handheld computers and
telecommunications devices, Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Nokia Mobile Phones
have announced that they plan to co-develop handheld devices that will
offer "convenient voice, data, and facsimile communications."

6 -> Gateway Targets Australia Top Spot In Osborne Comeback Bid -- Is it
a plane or a bird? No, it's Gateway 2000's Super-Ted, flying to the
rescue of the ailing Osborne Computer company in Australia.

7 -> UK - Digital Mail Offers Universal Mailbox System -- Digital Mail,
a London-based electronic-mail company, has announced the availability
of Digital Mailbox, a voice, fax, and e-mail mailbox system operating on
a single number.

8 -> UK - Hewlett-Packard Intros OmniGo 100 Pocket Organizer --
Hewlett-Packard (HP) has unveiled the OmniGo pocket organizer, a rival
to the Psion Series 3. Like the Series 3 unit, the machine uses a
proprietary DOS operating system, with patches to allow Windows
clipboard files to be transferred between a PC and the handheld.

9 -> ICL Claims World's Fastest Sparc Workstation -- ICL Volume Products
has unveiled the Halstation 300 Series, which it claims is the world's
faster Sparc workstation. The company plans to ship the machine in
Western Europe, Africa, and the Middle East later this year.

10 -> India - TCIL Plans Telephone Service Consortium --
Telecommunications Consultants India Ltd. (TCIL) plans to boost business
by forming a consortium with multinationals interested in capitalizing
on the deregulation of basic telephone services in the country,
according to A.S. Bansal, chairman of TCIL.

11 -> India - Analog Devices Plans Software Operation -- Analog Devices
Inc., the US-based semiconductor giant, will be setting up a software
and systems technology division at Bangalore to develop next-generation
microchips

12 -> Marketing Lists Via The Internet -- WolfBayne Communications is
offering a free copy of its October 1995 issue of "Marketing Lists on
the Internet" for business marketers who have electronic-mail accounts
to connect with others who have similar interests.

13 -> LCI Intros New Laser Networking Product -- Laser Communications
Inc. (LCI) said it has developed a new line of wireless network
connectivity products that work via a laser beam instead of traditional
wiring.

14 -> Colorado Utility To Get Remote Meter Reading -- Public Service of
Colorado has signed a $62 million contract with Itron (NASDAQ:ITRI) of
Spokane, Wash., that will result in automated electric and gas meter
reading in the entire Denver area. When the systems are completely
installed in two years, the utility will have the largest automatic
meter reading system in the world.

15 -> Micrografx Intros Crayola Art Studio 2 -- Micrografx Inc. NASDAQ:
MGXI) is now shipping Crayola Art Studio 2, a software suite on CD-ROM
for Macintosh and Windows platforms that Micrografx spokesperson Angela
Hooper told Newsbytes combines the earlier releases of Crayola Art
Studio and Crayola Amazing Art Adventure. Those programs were released
on disk in May, 1994, and on CD-ROM in August, both for Windows only.

16 -> Ericsson Plans Wireless Systems For Windows 95 -- Plug and Play is
becoming de rigor for Windows 95-compliant hardware, now that users are
becoming used to the idea they can slot in a peripheral and have the
operating system automatically recognize its presence. Now Ericsson has
revealed it is taking the integration one stage further, developing a
series of plug-in wireless systems for use under Windows 95.

17 -> UK - Dataflex's Windows 95 Speakerphone Modem -- Dataflex Design
has announced the PC Comms Office, a UKP129 modem that offers hands-free
speakerphone and voice-mail facilities in addition to the normal 14,400
bits-per- second (bps) data and fax facilities. The system is a price
breaker, as well as offering comms facilities never before seen in a UK
modem bundle.

18 -> Rumarson's New PCs For Old Program -- Adding consulting services
to its existing equipment trade-in program, Rumarson Technologies Inc.,
is out to capitalize on PC users' struggles to keep up with the pace of
technology change, through a program called PC Reality Asset Management.

19 ->  ****Corel Faces Lawsuit Over Software Bugs -- Corel Corp.
(TSE:COS; NASDAQ:COSFF) is facing a lawsuit over problems that a
Pennsylvania man claims to have had with the company's CorelDraw
graphics software. A Philadelphia law firm is seeking to turn the case
into a class-action lawsuit, while Corel maintains the action amounts to
"ambulance-chasing."

20 -> Key Tronic Shipping More Windows Keyboards -- Key Tronic Corp.
(NASDAQ: KTCC) has introduced a full line of Microsoft
Windows-compatible keyboards the company said will make it easier to use
both current and future versions of Windows 95.

21 -> France - Bull Looking For Extra Business Partner -- Compagnie des
Machines Bull has announced it is looking for another European partner
to take a 17 percent stake in the company as part of the second stage of
its privatization.

22 -> Japan Newsbriefs -- In this roundup of news from Japan: Credit
card data network fails, PC shipments to soar in 1995, PHS Internet
Access Forum established, Japanese to produce GSM for Europe, Matsushita
plans new semiconductor plants, Fujitsu and AMD establish new memory
plant.

23 ->  ****Siemens Takes 75% Stake In UK's Mercury Communications --
Germany's Siemens has taken a 75 percent stake in Mercury
Communications, the subsidiary operation of Cable & Wireless in the UK.
The deal will cost Siemens UKP80 million and, according to Juergen
Gehrels, Siemens' chief executive officer (CEO), will lead to other
involvements in telecoms services.

24 -> Apple Announces Newton 2.0 Operating System -- After plans to
announce a new operating system (OS) for its hand-held Newton personal
digital assistant (PDA) were unexpectedly published, Apple Computer Inc.
(NASDAQ:AAPL) held a quick press conference to announce Newton 2.0.
Highlights include improved organizational and communications
capabilities, and integration with Windows and Mac-based desktop
computers.

25 ->  ****CERT Releases "Syslog" Attack Alert -- The Computer Emergency
Response Team (CERT) has issued an alert concerning attacks to the
"syslog" sub-routine, a program that writes messages to the system log.
The alert notes the number of such attacks are growing and the weakness
is being used by remote users to hack into systems.

26 -> Japan - Financial Roundup -- The end of October signaled the half
way point in the fiscal year for most of Japan's companies. Over the
next few weeks, hundreds of companies will issue financial statements,
results and forecasts for the current financial year that ends in March.

27 -> Indonesia's PT Telekom Begins Public Offering -- One of the
largest international floatations of the year begins this week as PT
Telekomunikasi Indonesia (PT Telekom) heads for the Jakarta, London, and
New York markets.

28 -> Russia Online Announces Service Details -- Russia will get its own
online service later this year when Russia Online begins operations. The
new service has been set up by Sovam Teleport, the most famous name in
computer and Internet communications in Russia and will operate from
offices in Moscow.

29 -> Panamsat Wins Japanese Satellite License -- Panamsat has been
awarded an international class one carrier license by the Japanese
Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, allowing the US company to
directly sell its services to customers in Japan. It is only the second
such license issued to a foreign company and signals the further opening
of Japan's telecommunications market.

30 ->  ****Nynex Puts US Business Phone Listings On Web -- The World
Wide Web-based Nynex Interactive Yellow Pages, listing 2.1 million
businesses in New England/New York since its initial launch in May, has
now "gone national," bringing user access to listings on 16.5 million
businesses throughout the US. It has also added a stronger search engine

31 -> MCI Revenue Up, But Records Net Loss -- MCI Communications Corp.
(NASDAQ:MCIC) said it is posting a $240 million dollar loss for the
third quarter of 1995, due to previously-announced charges totaling $831
million, relating to consolidating business operations. Without the
charge, MCI officials said the company would have posted a net income of
$275 million.

32 -> NewsPix Images For Newsbytes Publishers -- These photos correspond
to recent Newsbytes stories. They are online in the Newsbytes menu on
America Online, NiftyServe, and the Newsbytes private bulletin board
system in Minneapolis.

33 -> Canadian Product Launch Update -- This regular feature, appearing
on the first day Newsbytes publishes each week, provides further details
for the Canadian market on announcements by international companies that
Newsbytes has already covered. This week: Compaq's new ProLiant servers
and support plans and Hewlett-Packard's OmniGo 100 hand-held organizer.

34 -> BDM Int'l Hangs On In DMR Group Takeover Battle -- BDM
International, Inc. (NASDAQ:BDMI) has extended its offer for Class B
shares of DMR Group Inc. (TSE:DR) by 10 days, refusing to back down
after rival Amdahl Corp. (AMEX:AMH) last week took up the 36 percent of
DMR shares tendered to it by the Montreal consulting firm's major
shareholders.

35 ->  ****AMD & NexGen Merger To Compete Against Intel -- Long-time
nemesis to Intel, Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE:AMD) has laid the
groundwork to continue its pursuit of the giant chipmaker through a
merger with NexGen (NSADAQ:NXGN). AMD fought a hard battle over 386 and
486 microprocessors, but has fallen behind as Intel's Pentium series
became the dominant processor for the DOS and Windows operating systems.

(Ian Stokell/19951023)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
10/20/95
APPLE
Spindler Makes Video Visit To Australia

(NEWS)(APPLE)(SYD)(00001)
Spindler Makes Video Visit To Australia 10/20/95
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- Apple Computer President and Chief
Executive Michael Spindler believes he has the key to making the Macintosh
once more the world's best-selling personal computer, and ensuring Apple's
long-term survival. In a video conference with Australian journalists
yesterday, he forecast a potential global market share for the Apple brand
"in the mid-teens," almost double the Mac's current penetration rate.

Spindler sees the company storming back from its current supply problems
with new models, especially laptops, and aggressive new marketing plans.
And he predicted the Mac platform will achieve even higher market share,
"north of the teens," as he put it, if other manufacturers adopt the
radical new CHRP "common platform" computing concept jointly devised by
Apple and IBM. Spindler declined to put a timetable on achieving his lofty
goals.

The first CHRP, common hardware reference platform, machines are
due in 1996. Using PowerPC RISC processors, they will be capable of running
almost any application on the market including those designed for Macintosh,
Windows NT, OS/2 and Unix operating systems. So far no company apart from
Apple and IBM has announced its intention to market CHRP PCs.

The Apple chief executive appeared in a live video link from his Cupertino
HQ, after cancelling a planned personal visit due to a boardroom crisis
earlier this month, which saw chief financial officer Joe Graziano resign.
He said Apple's fourth quarter, ended September 29, had been its toughest
ever and blamed the company's woes partly on too-fast a transition to the
PowerPC RISC architecture, combined with "industry-wide component
constraints," price wars in the PC market, especially in Japan, and a
shortage of laptops, an area where Apple has traditionally been strong.

"No apologies -- we must do better," he told those gathered in both Sydney
and Melbourne. On laptops, he said: "New products in this sector in 1996,
including PowerPC models, will see us regain our share of this market."

"Here's where the good news begins," he said, pointing to expected high
growth rates in four key markets where Apple traditionally does well: the
home market, education, publishing and mobiles. Spindler stressed that,
despite its supply problems and eroded profits, Mac sales were at record
levels. Apple remains one of the world's top three computer companies.
"It's reasonable to believe we can regain the number 2 spot soon," he said.
He declined invitations to comment on speculation about takeovers or the
boardroom coup.

Clearing Back Orders

Apple Computer Australia has been carrying "significant" back orders of
up to $10 million over the past year as the parent company's
well-publicized supply problems impacted the local scene, Australian
Apple Computer Managing Director Steve Vamos told yesterday's meeting
of the IT press. But the problems are now at an end, he said, and Apple
has good supplies of all models for the coming Christmas season.
"We ordered big six months ago... if you want a Mac, feel free to place
an order," he said. Apple's financial year ends in September.

Vamos said that despite the backlogs, Apple Australia had a record year,
with sales of AUS$345 million, up 10 percent from last year's $313 million.
Some $80 million of business came from large-enterprise orders. Vamos
forecast bigger sales ahead, spurred by aggressive pricing and Apple's
current TV spending. Apple also planned to capitalize on growing confusion
as Microsoft starts a "hype cycle" on Windows NT. "We'll be doing a lot of
talking about the cost of upgrading for Windows versus the Mac," smiled
Vamos. Fear, uncertainty and doubt: nothing like it!"

(David Frith and Computer Daily News/19951020)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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10/20/95
TRENDS
Australian IT Exports On Track To $10 Billion

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SYD)(00002)
Australian IT Exports On Track To $10 Billion 10/20/95
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- Most sectors of Australia's IT
industry are in booming good health, judging by results of a survey
presented to Wednesday's annual general meeting and conference of the
Australian Information Industry Association.

The figures come from AIIA's annual statistical survey of its 300-plus
member companies, claimed to represent the bulk of the Australian IT and
telecommunications industry. They show revenues increased by 17 percent to
almost AUS$25 million in 1994-95, while exports by members soared 29 percent
to $1.6 billion. According to AIIA Chairman Neville Roach, this growth rate
is well above that required to meet the association's target of generating
$10 billion in exports and offshore revenues by the year 2000.

Imports in the year climbed 17 percent, in line with revenues, to $2.3
billion. The ratio of exports to imports has been steadily increasing, and
now stands at 56 percent. However the export results were patchy
between sectors. Services exports jumped 120 percent from $204 million in
1993-94 to $$449 million. But hardware exports, at $617 million, recorded
only a two percent rise, and software dropped a disappointing three per
cent, from $147 million to $143 million.

Some 98 member companies, almost one in three, reported exports in 1995,
five more than last year. AIIA says the results show Australia's IT industry
is increasingly export oriented and gives the partner-country exhibition at
CeBIT 95 much of the credit. The association says confidence in the industry
is high, pointing to a 60 percent jump in capital investment, up from $2.7
billion to $4.3 billion. Another 17 percent rise is tipped in the current
year, taking the total investment to just over $5 billion.

However the association warned that the government must ensure Australia
remains competitive, by reducing the costs of doing business in Australia,
as rival economies in Asia strive to attract technology funds. Neville Roach
also called on government to lift the quality of IT statistical reporting,
which he said was lagging behind the efforts of other countries such as
Taiwan.

(David Frith and Computer Daily News/19951020)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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10/20/95
TELECOM
Poland Confirms New Cellular Net Plans

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00003)
Poland Confirms New Cellular Net Plans 10/20/95
WARSAW, POLAND, 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- The Polish Government has opened
tenders for two of the three planned new cellular networks in Poland.
According to Communications Minister Andrzej Zielinski, the licences
will be awarded in February of 1996 and foreign companies, including
Ameritech (already a partner in the state Centertel project), AT&T,
Deutsche Telecom and Sprint, can enter the tender application list.

Companies intending to bid for the licenses should contact the
Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications and purchase a "starter kit"
for 10,000 ECUs (European Currency Units -- about $12,000), and must
file applications by January 3, 1995, Zielinski told journalists.

According to Zielinski, successful applicants must comply with current
Polish legislation that mandates that foreign companies must form a
joint venture company in Poland with Polish investors taking a
majority stake in the company.

Despite this limitation, the potential rewards are massive, Newsbytes
notes. The state joint venture operation, Centertel, which provides
analog service, is widely regarded as overpriced, congested and sells
clunky handheld mobiles for around $1,000 each. Nevertheless, the
service is a great success in sales terms as there is no competition.

The two new networks will offer GSM (Global System for Mobile
communications) services, working at 900 megahertz. A third private
company is expected to be tendered next year for a PCN (Personal
Communications Network) service operating at 1,800 megahertz.

Zielinski said that he expects at least one of the two successful
applicants will have experience in running a GSM network elsewhere in
the world. "We think at least one partner in the successful applying
company should have the experience of running a network of 100,000
telephones," he said.

The aim, Zielinski went on to say, is to ensure that Poland has four
cellular networks up and running by the end of 1998: one analog, two
GSM and one PCN. "We hope Poland will have about one million cellular
phones be the year 2000," he explained.

Centertel, a joint venture between the state, Ameritech (24.5 percent)
and France Telecom (51 percent), has around 60,000 subscribers on a
congested network that covers around three quarters of Poland's
population.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951019)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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10/20/95
BROADCAST
Microsoft Launches European Satellite TV Program

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(LON)(00004)
Microsoft Launches European Satellite TV Program 10/20/95
WOKINGHAM, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- Microsoft has
launched its own regular TV show on NBC Superchannel, the European
satellite TV channel broadcast on the Astra and Eutelsat satellites.
The weekly program is also available on videotape, as well as over
phone lines using Picturetel standard equipment.

According to Debbie Walsh, Microsoft's marketing manager for education
and certification, the hour-long programs, which are broadcast at 9am
Central European Time (CET) every Saturday on NBC Superchannel, aim to
offer a wealth of business, educational and technical information to
IT (information technology) managers and end users.

"In this rapidly changing industry, a major growth in the need for up
to date information and advice has provoked a huge demand for long
distance learning. Microsoft shows on TV mean that the IT manager
now has the opportunity to learn about Microsoft products through and
alternative and often more accessible medium," she explained.

In parallel with the programs, Microsoft is producing a series of
program guides and listings resources. These can be obtained by e-mail
from [e-mail], via CompuServe and Microsoft Network (MSN)
using, respectively, the GO MSTV and Microsoft TV menu options, as
well as via the Internet at http://www/microsoft.com/mstv/ .

The Autumn program schedule, which runs through until Christmas,
covers the latest developments and issues that surrounds Windows 95,
Office 95, Microsoft Back Office and MSN.

Newsbytes caught the show last Saturday on satellite and can report
that, far from being a soft sell for Microsoft, the programs appear to
be a genuine attempt to service the TV computing viewer market. The
last two shows, on the Internet and working with Windows 95, obviously
mentioned the Microsoft product, particularly MSN, but also offered
some degree of unbiased news reporting.

Furthermore, the programs are not designed for a US TV schedule, that
is, they are structured for ad breaks every few minutes. Instead, the
programs have natural segments which last for 10 to 15 minutes, with
ad breaks occurring naturally at this interval.

Topics scheduled for the upcoming weeks including Working with Windows
95 - Issues; Windows 95, a product overview; Microsoft Access and
PowerPoint; Excel and MS-Word; and developing custom solutions.

Videotapes are available in PAL, Secam and NTSC formats, subset into
VHS, Super VHS, Betacam (including SP) and D2, with pricing including
shipping rates varying by country. Microsoft describes the videotape
costs as modest. Audiotapes are also available. Details can be
obtained from Microsoft's MSTV order line on 805-295-0504.

The Picturetel versions of the programs are available from Link VTC on
303-473-0200. The programs can be transmitted across a standard phone
line to Picturetel or any H.320 compliant videoconferencing system.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951019/Press Contact: Samantha Young, Text 100 UK
[phone]; Internet E-mail: [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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10/20/95
BUSINESS
Dutch Investment Company Acquires QMS Europe, Australia

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00005)
Dutch Investment Company Acquires QMS Europe, Australia 10/20/95
UTRECHT, THE NETHERLANDS, 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- QMS has announced the
sale of its shares in QMS Europe and QMS Australia to Jalak
Investments, a Dutch investment house. The deal will generate more
than $10 million for QMS, but the company claims that no appreciable
change will take place in day-to-day administration of the two former
divisions of QMS.

According to Peter van Schaick, the head of Jalak Investments, QMS
Europe will act as an exclusive master distributor for QMS' products
and both former divisions will continue to service dealers and
customers in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, India, Australia and New
Zealand.

Iain Friar, QMS UK's marketing manager, told Newsbytes that van
Schaick was previously the managing director of finance and operations
with QMS Europe, which is the parent of QMS UK.

"QMS Inc., the US company, announced recently that it was looking for
a buyer for the two non-US division of the company in order to raise
cash to pay off bank credit arrangements. Those arrangements are due
to be paid off this coming January, so this deal is rather like a
management buyout, and Jalak has been created specifically to acquire
the two companies," he said.

Friar added that the European operation of QMS is the most profitable
operation in QMS' global portfolio, so selling the division was a
logical decision to raise capital to settle the bank credit
arrangements.

"Obviously things have been a little uncertain for ourselves this past
few weeks, between QMS Inc.'s announcement and the announcement about
Jalak investments this week," he explained, adding that the day-to-day
operations as far as dealers and customers are concerned has not
altered, nor will it alter in future.

"There are no plans to change the names of the companies. QMS will
remain in the European and Australian companies' names," he told
Newsbytes.

Andy King, general manager of QMS UK, confirmed Friar's comments,
noting that the European operation, and the UK in particular, "has
always been one of the most profitable divisions of QMS, particularly
in recent years."

"Financial independence now means we can look forward to investing in
all aspects of our business. We've established a loyal sales channel
who will continue to play a key role in the development of the market
for QMS products," he said.

(Steve Gold/19951019/Press Contact: Sue Stride, Charwood House PR +44-
181-878-8871; Reader Contact: QMS UK [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
10/20/95
TELECOM
Ericsson In On Russia's Telecoms Planning

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00006)
Ericsson In On Russia's Telecoms Planning 10/20/95
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- Ericsson has signed up as a new
member of the Telecommunications Forum, an international non-
commercial organization, which aims to assist in the development of
the Russian Federation's telecommunications infrastructure.

According to the Swedish telco, the membership confirms the company's
involvement in the development of the Russian telecommunications
infrastructure. Lars Ramquist, Ericsson's CEO, said that
the company has been sponsored by Vladimir Bulgak, the Russian
Minister for Posts and Telecommunications.

The Telecommunications Forum, Newsbytes notes, consists of Russian and
several foreign telcos, as well as a number of East European telecoms
equipment suppliers. Membership of the forum is not normally open to
Western companies but, as the effects of the Cold War dissipate, so
the forum is coming more into the international arena.

According to Ramquist, members of the forum are encouraged to share
their experiences in investment operations and activities at the
international level, along with the experience of local markets and
its demands, as well as the knowledge and training related to the
Russian telecom networks.

Ramquist said that membership of the forum came as the result of the
Swedish telecoms giant contracting to supply many different parts of
the telecoms infrastructure of the Russian Federation. As reported by
Newsbytes, Ericsson has been a major contractor with the Federation,
notably for the supply of mobile phone systems in the Moscow, Irkutsk,
Krasnoyarsk, Vladivostok and St. Petersburg regions.

Thanks to its membership of the Forum, Ericsson hopes to pitch for new
contracts in Arkhangelsk, Barnaul, Izhevsk and Stavropol. The company
says its also plans to further its collaboration with telecom operator
VimpelCom in Moscow and Vladimir. The value of all of these new
contracts is expected to top the US$40 million mark.

The first result of joining the Forum is a new agreement between
Ericsson and AO Electrosviaz Tver, the Russian telecoms operator for
the area between Moscow and St. Petersburg. The initial contract,
which is worth around US$7 million, calls for Ericsson to deliver AXE
switch equipment to form the basis of a new telecoms network in the
region.

Plans call for Ericsson to assist the Russian telecoms operator in the
development of telecommunications in the city of Tver, which has
population of 1.9 million.

At present the density of fixed telephones is only 12 percent. With
the growing demand for telephones, the goal is set to achieve 30
percent telephone market penetration before the year 2010.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951018/Press & Reader Contact: Johan Wiklund,
Ericsson Business Area Public Telecommunications [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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10/20/95
CHIPS
GEC Plessey Readies UK Chip Plant

(NEWS)(CHIPS)(LON)(00007)
GEC Plessey Readies UK Chip Plant 10/20/95
PLYMOUTH, CORNWALL, 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- GEC Plessey Semiconductors has
announced plans to expand its CMOS (complimentary metal oxide
semiconductor) facility in Plymouth to manufacture 0.5 micron chips.
The expansion will cost the company $16 million but pushes the firm
into the forefront of chip fabrication, as it is the first facility of
its type in the UK, Newsbytes notes.

Applied Materials Incorporated (AMI), a Californian-based company, has
been commissioned to install the production line, which should start
production of the CMOS chips during the second quarter of next year.

Charles Lewis, a spokesman for AMI, told Newsbytes that the GEC
Plessey order, as chip production facilities go, is a fairly small
one, but significant for GEC Plessey, since it expands the company's
CMOS production facilities to include 0.5 micron chips.

Lewis went on to say that the US has maintained its lead in the supply
of chip fabrication plants worldwide. "If you look at the companies in
our field, you get around 50 percent of the companies in Silicon
Valley and the other half from Japan," he said, adding that there are
also a few companies in Europe that supply this type of technology.

Announcing the expansion of the company's facilities, John Hambidge,
GEC Plessey Semiconductors' worldwide director of operations, said
that the systems, which were sourced from AMI, covered a variety of
technologies and include AMI's Precision Implant 9500 xR and 5000 WCVD
technologies. Other systems included in the order are the Centura HDP
Dielectric Etch, Poly Centura, Metal Etch MxP Centura, Endura IIP PVD
and Precision 5000 DCVD.

The production facility for the 0.5 micro CMOS chips could propel GEC
Plessey Semiconductors into the big time as far as chip fabrication
facilities go. The company, despite being part of the
General Electric group, has been viewed as a poor relation to US
Silicon Valley companies by many industry observers. The move to 0.5
micron CMOS production is expected to silence these critics.

Commenting on the deal with GEC Plessey Semiconductors, Rodney
Griffiths, the president of AMI's European operation, said that the
company has had an ongoing arrangement for some time with GPS, which
has helped AMI understand its market requirements.

(Steve Gold/19951018/Press Contact: GEC Plessey [phone];
Charles Lewis, Applied Materials Incorporated 408-748-5819)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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10/20/95
TELECOM
Europe Running Out Of Phone Numbers

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00008)
Europe Running Out Of Phone Numbers 10/20/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- As in the US, the numbering
schemes employed by countries in Europe are running out. But, unlike
the US, where the 3+3+4 numbering scheme reigns supreme, the disparate
numbering systems in Europe are causing telecom administrators
headaches.

On the 10th of October, much of the Netherlands' numbering schemes
were changed, although those starting with 020 (Amsterdam), 010
(Rotterdam) and 070 (The Hague), as well as cities of Almelo and
Almelo, were unchanged. As a result the Dutch PTT has been busy
distributing renumbering guides and computer programs to tell the
populace that six millions number have been changed.

To make life easier, a six-month period of parallel running has been
implemented, after which time callers will get a recording in most
cases, advising them to dial again using a new code. The renumbering
will allow 112 to be used as the emergency number -- 112 is being
implemented on a Pan-European basis.

In the UK, meanwhile, Oftel, the Government-appointed telecoms
watchdog and the organization that has assumed responsibility for
telecoms numbering scheme, has admitted that the numbering changes it
implemented in April of this year in the UK were incomplete, and that,
from next April, citizens of Reading will see their dialling
code change from 0734 to 0118 and have the normal six-digit numbering
system change to seven digits with a 9 inserted before all numbers.

Oftel has also admitted that other cities -- notably Belfast, Cardiff,
Portsmouth and Southampton -- are under active consideration for a
change in their numbering schemes because numbers are running out.
Even more incredibly, London, which split into two zones, 0171 and
0181 a few years ago, is also running out of numbers... again.

The problem, according to Don Cruikshank, Oftel's director general, is
that the current UK numbering system only allows 40 percent of the
available numbers to be used. The switch of inserting a 1 after the
leading zero in April of this year did not create any new numbers, but
it did allow an additional eight billion new numbers to be used in the
future.

Cruikshank claims that the changes in UK numbering are nothing new.
"Code changes have been happening since the 1950s. You used to get a
circular stuffed through your door advising of the changes," he said.
"What has changed is that we are being up front about the changes and
consulting people," he added.

Announcing the changes, Cruikshank admitted that Oftel's earlier
proposals, which including the splitting of area codes in metropolitan
areas, and a new type of "regional numbering" which was to use the
02 range of codes, had not met with general support. It now seems
likely that the 02 range of codes -- created by the insertion of 1
after the leading 0 in a trunk code in April of this year -- have been
shelved.

Included in this week's announcements by Oftel is a program of further
strategic research on the general levels of demand for numbers in the
UK, as well as the establishment of a new and more effective numbering
advisory body to replace the current "Telecommunications Numbering and
Addressing Body."

Newsbytes notes that Oftel will expect the new organization to provide
feedback that is more vigorous and representative of both the industry
and its customers. There will also be a new code of practice on number
conservation which, together with number portability which is due to
start in 1996, will help maintain the supply of numbers in those areas
where significant shortages have already been identified.

There will be a further period of public consultation next summer, and
Oftel will report on the results, and if necessary modify the existing
Numbering Scheme and Conventions by October 1996.

(Steve Gold/19951019/Press Contact: Oftel [phone]; fax: +44-
171-634-8943)




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10/20/95
CHIPS
Intel's Major Plant Expansion For Ireland

(NEWS)(CHIPS)(LON)(00009)
Intel's Major Plant Expansion For Ireland 10/20/95
DUBLIN, IRELAND, 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- Intel has announced provisional
plans to expand its Leixlip, Dublin-based chip production facility to
become one of Europe's largest chip fabrication plants. A formal
announcement on the plan, which will be Ireland's biggest foreign IT
(information technology) investment ever, is expected early next week.

According to Richard Bruton, the Irish Minister for Employment, the
project could bring as many as 2,000 more jobs to the region, and cost
Intel several hundred million dollars.

Speaking on Irish radio, Bruton said that the Government has been
working closely with Intel on the plan, adding that the project is "one
of the most exciting prospects we have ever secured."

Bruton added that the expansion of the plant could also
create around 1,000 new jobs in the construction industry.

The deal could cost Intel as much as $1.2 billion, however. The sheer
size of the project has meant that the expansion will be phased over a
five-year period, adding another 2,000 staff to the existing 4,000-
strong workforce.

The Intel project is a major feather in the Irish Government's cap,
and comes after a year of success in attracting industry to Ireland.
The stampede of companies looking to invest in IT in Ireland stems
from the Government's decision two years ago to set up a Government
agency, the Irish Development Agency (IDA) to attract such ventures.

When the agency was announced in the spring of 1993, rather than set
up a business enterprise operation, as had been done in the past, the
Irish Government set up two development boards to handle domestic and
overseas investment, as well as competition for the state-run utility
corporations. The idea was to attract more foreign companies to
Ireland, as well as force the state-run companies to run on more
commercial lines.

At the time, according to Ruairi Quinn, the Irish Employment Minister,
the aim of the project was to create an environment in which
businesses can "perform effectively and efficiently."

Quinn, then faced with an unemployment rate of 17 percent of the Irish
workforce, said that the reforms will reverse the trend of the past
few years, allowing the Irish Government to "reap rich dividends over
time in the form of increased levels of sustainable jobs and improved
living standards for the people of Ireland."

With a current unemployment rate of 14 percent, the Government is not
claiming victory in its plans to attract foreign investment, just a
partial success.

(Steve Gold/Press Contact: Text 100, [phone]; Reader Contact:
Intel [phone]; fax [phone])




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10/20/95
GOVT
China Moves To Restrict Radio-Emission Devices

(NEWS)(GOVT)(PEK)(00010)
China Moves To Restrict Radio-Emission Devices 10/20/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- The State Radio Regulatory
Commission (SRRC) has urged provincial branches to implement
regulations to curb the chaotic import of radio emission
devices. The regulations, announced in July, require that
imported radio-emission devices get approval based on their type
from SRRC, beginning next year.

The regulated devices are those used for radio communication,
navigation, radar, remote control, telemetering, and radio broadcasts.

This is a necessary step to exercise better control over the radio
spectrum, SRRC said.

SRRC said that failure to follow frequency control regulations might
lead to inefficient utilization of China's radio spectrum and
interference between radio systems.

According to the import regulations, foreign producers intending to
export their products to China must apply to SRRC for approval
certificates. In their applications, producers must declare the
apparatus name and function, ways of modulation and other technical
parameters, such as the frequency range, necessary bandwidth and
transmission power.

The certificate also requires the date at which the equipment passed
through customs. SRRC will implement random tests or demand a test
report on the imported devices.

The certification will help standardize transmission equipment, SRRC
said, and will also help the foreign trade department crack down on the
smuggling of radio transmission devices.

SRRC in considering holding a conference next month for foreign
producers or their China agents to inform them of the import regulation
details.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951014/Reader Contact: The State Radio
Regulatory Commission, tel [phone])




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10/20/95
ONLINE
Philippines' Manila Times Online

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00011)
Philippines' Manila Times Online 10/20/95
MANILA, PHILIPPINES, 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- Online commercially
since September 25, the Manila Times will also go on the World Wide
Web early in 1996.

Manila Times Research Director Roel Landingin said that no definite date
next year has yet been set for the national newspaper to go on the Web.
But he said that such a move has already been decided by management
to expose the newspaper to a wider range of readers worldwide.

The move has been prompted by the Manila Times management's desire
to explore the possibility of selling customized information through the
Internet based on daily's editorial content.

Landingin, appointed also by the daily's management to supervise all the
newspaper's IT-related information gathering and dissemination activities,
said that its electronic online edition will continue to be among the
files subscribers to the Internet access and online services provider,
Portal Inc., will be able to download.

After its soft launch last May, Portal went on full launch last September
25. Its launch has also enabled the Manila Times to have a full online
version of its daily print editions. Portal will also serve as the host of
the Manila Times Web page.

Landingin admitted that the manner in which the Manila Times will be
offered on the Web has still to be decided. Among the options
being mulled over are summaries of stories carried in each daily edition
with each story available only on demand or full text of selected stories
from selected sections of each daily edition available also only on
demand.

Landingin also revealed that the online edition has so far only 300
readers. "But this is much better than when we first went on soft launch
last May and had only 30 readers," he added. According to him, the target
is to increase online readership this year to 1000.

He stressed that while another Philippine newspaper, the Times Journal,
carries a daily online edition of its business section, it is only the
Manila Times that has a full online edition in the country.

He further revealed that Manila Times has also been receiving letters to
the editor through e-mail. When asked if public relations practitioners
had also begun to send the newspaper press releases through e-mail, he
replied that this still had to happen. "But it would not be a bad idea,
because it would lessen the clutter on editors' desks," he added.

From 1945 up until the declaration of martial law by then-President
Ferdinand Marcos in September 1972, Manila Times was the largest
circulated English language daily in all of Southeast and East Asia.
Then the flagship of the Roces chain of publications, it was regarded
as one of the most influential newspapers in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Manila Times resumed publication on February 5, 1986 shortly
before Marcos' overthrow and the restoration of Philippine democracy
with the ascension of Corazon Aquino into the presidency. In mid-1989,
the Chinese-Filipino taipan John Gokongwei purchased the newspaper
from the Roces family.

The e-mail address of Manila Times is: [e-mail] .

(Ike Suarez and Metropolitan Computer Times/19951016/Internet e-mail
[e-mail])




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10/20/95
GOVT
Australia Spending Big On Outsourcing

(NEWS)(GOVT)(SYD)(00012)
Australia Spending Big On Outsourcing 10/20/95
CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA, 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- Get ready for an outsourcing boom
in NSW state Government. The results of an IT&T survey conducted by the
Department of Public Works and Services earlier this year show that
around AUS$55 million was spent by 42 agencies during the 1993-94 financial
year, and 64 percent of the 100-odd agencies which responded to the survey
have tested the outsourcing waters.

The survey is a profile of the whole-of-government IT environment as of
February 28 this year. Of the $55 million reportedly spent on outsourcing,
$18 million went to data center operations, $9 million each on training
and technical support, $5 million each on applications development and
network management, and $9 million on other functions.

Fifty five percent of respondents are contemplating market testing of
outsourcing IT&T during 1994-95. Key areas will be applications development,
training and hardware maintenance.

Overall IT&T expenditure by NSW Government agencies came out at a whopping
$620 million, with $260 million, or 42 percent, spent on IT&T internal
costs such as operations and development. Nearly $200 million was spent on
IT&T acquisitions, $93 million on maintenance and licensing, and $68 million
on external services.

(Computer Daily News/19951013)




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10/20/95
EDUCATION
Kids' Computer Habits Studied

(NEWS)(EDUCATION)(SYD)(00013)
Kids' Computer Habits Studied 10/20/95
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- Children do not talk about brands
when discussing computers, they talk about playing. In the five to
12-year-old age group, there is little evidence of computer addiction
and the kids learn computer skills by trial and error, fiddling
and watching others, according to a study conducted by Toni Downes from
the University of Western Sydney's faculty of education.

In a preliminary report jointly sponsored by the university and Compaq,
"Children's use of Electronic Technologies in the Home," Downes studied
190 children who use computers regularly. She found that 20 percent of
their homes have two or more computers, and there are virtually no
modems. Children's perceptions of who owns the family computers spreads
fairly evenly between the family, the father, and the child itself.
Mum is nowhere to be seen in the ownership stakes. However, Dowes
says, "Mum plays games." She mostly plays the ones that come bundled with
the computer, says Downes. No expensive memory-chugging games for her. Top
of the pops for mum? Solitaire.

(Computer Daily News/19951013)




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10/20/95
GENERAL
World IT Conference Set For Bangkok In November

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00014)
World IT Conference Set For Bangkok In November 10/20/95
BANGKOK, THAILAND, 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- The World Bank, the Global
Information Infrastructure Commission (GIIC) and the leading Thai
information technology agency will stage an international conference
at the United Nations building in Bangkok November.

Co-ordinating the event, titled "National Information Infrastructure
for Social and Economic Development in Asia: Government Management,
Health Care and Education," will be the National Electronics and
Computer Technology Centre (NECTEC).

The conference will be held between November 28 to 30 and it
is designed to promote the application of information services and
communications networks for economic and social development.

Conference themes will be the national information infrastructure
experience in Asia; opportunities for improving government management
through IT; trends and patterns for IT support in health care and
education; the role of human resources in developing information
infrastructures; contributions of information infrastructures to social
and economic development.

(Tony Waltham and Post Database-Bangkok Post/19951020/Public, Press
contact: Dr Pichet Durongaveroj of NECTEC at 662 248-8078-84, Fax
662 247-1335 E-mail: [e-mail])




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10/20/95
TELECOM
US West In India

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEL)(00015)
US West In India 10/20/95
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- Unfazed by the opposition to its
entry into India, the American telecom giant US West promises the usage of
the latest in digital switching technology here. In a workshop organized
in New Delhi last month, US West (India) Ltd. and BPL Systems and
Projects Ltd. announced that they will use Hybrid-Fibre Coax technology
for their telecom projects in Tamil Nadu. Experts from both the companies
demonstrated how voice, video and data get integrated using Hybrid-Fibre
Coax.

Boli Medappa, managing director, US West (India), said: "US West has always
been in the forefront of developing and implementing new technology. The
advanced broad-band wireline Hybrid-Fibre Coax technology will not only
ensure an ultra-modern enhanced services and multimedia network in
Tamil Nadu but also improve the quality of life of the rural and urban
population."

The new technology is a configuration of fiber optic and coaxial cable
of local broad-band communications. Hybrid-Fibre Coax networks rely
upon radio frequency modulation of the information onto a carrier
that connects the information supplier with the information user.

The US West-BPL combine will provide cellular services in five states
and basic services in Tamil Nadu. It is awaiting announcement on allotment
of licences. The US multinational plans to invest about $2 billion in
India over the next few years.

(C. T. Mahabharat/19951020)




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10/20/95
TELECOM
India - Alcatel Eyes Ailing ITI

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEL)(00016)
India - Alcatel Eyes Ailing ITI 10/20/95
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- Alcatel, the French telecom equipment
company, has an eye on the Indian Telephone Industries (ITI) Ltd., the
Bangalore-based public sector undertaking (PSU) manufacturing telecom
equipment. However, according to Josef Cornu, vice-chairman of Alcatel,
the company, which is presently undergoing restructuring of its operations
worldwide, would not seriously move in this direction unless the ailing
ITI Ltd. is divided into smaller units.

"30,000 employees is a big number to handle. If the number in a unit is
about 5,000, we can think of doing something with ITI," Cornu pointed out.

He admitted that his company has a proposal to acquire some portion of ITI.

At present, Alcatel has a technology transfer agreement with ITI for the
manufacture of its E-10 family of telephone exchange equipment. It also
has a collaboration with the Modi group, the Alcatel Modi Network Systems
Ltd., for the manufacture of switches.

Alcatel, which had been wiped out from the supply of equipment in the
four metro cellular phone services, is also planning a major offensive
in the mobile telephone market in India.

(C. T. Mahabharat/19951020)




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10/20/95
GENERAL
Personnel Roundup

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00017)
Personnel Roundup 10/20/95
MINNESOTA, MINNEAPOLIS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- This week saw
comings and goings at the following firms: VeriFone Inc., TCSI Corp., Dell
Computer Corp., Blyth Software Inc., Quark Inc., Unisys Corp., Psion
Inc., and Oracle Corp.

VeriFone Inc. (NYSE: VFI - 415-696-8823) announced the election of
Thomas E. Peterson to its board of directors. Peterson currently serves
as vice chairman of Bank of America, responsible for the bank's retail
business activities worldwide. He is also a director of Visa
International, Visa U.S.A., and MECA Software, Inc. Before joining
Bank of America in 1987, Peterson spent more than 30 years with
Wells Fargo Bank.

Hatch Graham has been named senior vice president of the Personal
Communications Group for TCSI Corporation (Nasdaq: TCSI - 510-649-3800).
As general manager, he will be responsible for the direction of the
group as it enters emerging digital wireless markets. Prior to joining
TCSI, Graham was corporate vice president and general manager of the
Telecom Products Group of Stanford Telecom..

Dell Computer Corporation (Nasdaq: DELL - 512-728-4100) has named
former Apple executive Tom Fitzgerald, director, education, state and
local government sales. Fitzgerald will assume responsibility for both
the inside and field sales organizations. He will report to Brian Wood,
vice president of education, state and local sales. Prior to joining
Dell, Fitzgerald was the national markets sales manager in the education
division for Apple Computer. Before his twelve year association with
Apple, Fitzgerald served with Digital Equipment Corporation and Western
Union Corporation in a variety of sales and sales management positions.

Blyth Software Inc. (Nasdaq: BLYH - 415-286-7174) has announced
the promotion of Marietta Klein to vice president of sales and marketing.
Klein will have responsibility for sales and marketing in North America,
Latin America, and Asia Pacific, for Blyth's Omnis family of client/server
application development tools. She will also lead Blyth's channel
management and development activities, which are focused on providing
customizable packages of products, services, and support to value added
resellers.

Cheryl Gordon has been named director of corporate communications at
Quark Inc. (303-894-3204). Gordon has 15 years of corporate
communications experience in both the consumer electronics and high-tech
industry. Before joining Quark, she served as vice president of
communications for Pioneer Electronics Inc. in Long Beach, Calif.
She also spent six years at advertising and public relations agencies
that served high-tech companies such as AST Computers and CalComp in
Orange County, Calif.

Unisys Corporation (NYSE: UIS - 703-556-5370) announced the
appointment of I. Gary Bard as vice president and general manager,
Solutions Integration, for its Federal Systems Division. Bard will be
responsible for managing the division's Solutions Integration business,
which develops system integration solutions for federal and state clients.
Bard, 58, goes to Unisys from Bard Technology, a professional consulting
and venture capital practice specializing in high-technology companies.
Prior to launching his own business, Bard spent eight years as president
of Computer Sciences Corporation's (CSC) Integrated Systems Division.

Psion Inc. (508-371-0310), the US subsidiary of Psion PLC, has announced
the appointment of Ben Cesare to the position of vice president, Retail
Sales Division. Cesare will spearhead the company's drive for US market
leadership in the personal digital assistant/palmtop computer category.
He joins Psion from Apple Computer where he was a 10 year veteran of
Apple's channel management team and most recently the national sales
manager of the Computer Superstore Division. Prior to Apple, Cesare
was a buyer for Macy/Bamberger in their personal computer division.

Oracle Corp. (Nasdaq-NNM: ORCL - 415-506-2700) has announced the
promotion of Marc R. Benioff to senior vice president of Oracle's
Web/Workgroup Systems Division. As senior vice president overseeing
Oracle's Internet and workgroup strategy, Benioff is responsible for
Oracle's worldwide Internet and workgroup development, marketing and
distribution activities. He reports to Dirk Kabcenell, executive vice
president of Oracle's Product Division. Benioff is specifically
chartered to extend Oracle's leadership position in both the workgroup
and Internet markets.

(Ian Stokell/19951020)




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10/20/95
WINDOWS
Czech Version Of Worldgroup BBS Package

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(LON)(00018)
Czech Version Of Worldgroup BBS Package 10/20/95
BRNO, CZECH REPUBLIC, 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- Infima s.r.o., the
Prague-based BBS supplier and operator, is wrapping up its translation
of the Czech version of Galacticom's new Worldgroup package, which
should be on the shelves within a couple of months.

Marek Janous, a member of the Infima team, said the server software
is fully translated but some work remains on the client package.
"We might be selling them by the end of the year of early next
year," he said.

The four-year-old company is primarily known as a supplier of
Major BBS, the Galacticom precursor to Worldgroup. Translating
Worldgroup, which has become one of the most popular BBS
systems in the US, is a logical next step. The intended market
is the Czech Republic and Slovakia, using only a minimum of
partner VARs, due to Infima's demand that all resellers offer
high-quality service support.

The Czech Worldgroup package is expected to sell for about
$700," he said. "It may be significantly higher than in the US,
but we had to get back the effort we put into the translation."

Worldgroup isn't the only egg in the Infima basket, however. The
company, originally a division of Tesla Eltos' Institute for
Microelectronics Applications, split amicably from its parent
nearly four years ago, taking the BBS the team had designed
with it. According to Marek, the Infima online BBS now has
approximately 5,000 subscribers using 15 telephone lines.

Though the company has doubled its staff over the last 12
months, it remains a relatively compact operation, employing
just 10 people full-time. Other projects are in the works, though.
The Infima BBS, for example, is scheduled to enhance its
Internet access, which is supplied by CESNET, within a few
weeks. Its current Internet services are limited to telnet, FTP and
e-mail.

"The first SLIP lines ought to be available in November. But
that's not a promise, just a hope," Marek said.

(James Hrynyshyn, IntelliTech/19951018/Press & Reader
Contact: Marek Janous, Infima s.r.o., tel [phone], fax +42
2 3115820, Internet e-mail: [e-mail])




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10/20/95
BUSINESS
HP Authorizes Support Providers In Czech Republic

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00019)
HP Authorizes Support Providers In Czech Republic 10/20/95
BRNO, CZECH REPUBLIC, 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- Hewlett-Packard s.r.o. has
signed on its first three Authorized Support Providers in the Czech
Republic.

Simona Rackova, support marketing and communications specialist at HP,
says the new support providers are as follows: CSc Computer Services,
Dialog MTS, and Expert & Partner Engineering.

"Since 1989 when Hewlett-Packard was founded we were servicing
customers ourselves, exclusively," said Ms. Rackova. "Now it is changing
because service is getting more and more important to everybody --
and a greater market differentiator."

The new Authorized Support Provider program started in the USA earlier
this year and is now being realized in Central and Eastern Europe.
Hewlett-Packard is reacting to meet an increasing demand for
high-quality, customer-focused support in its PC and peripherals
business. The program has not been implemented for RISC-based
workstations and other products.

(Steven Slatem, IntelliTech/19951018/Media & Reader Contact:
Simona Rackova, Support Marcom Specialist, Hewlett-Packard
s.r.o., Prague)




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10/20/95
GENERAL
Japan Newsbriefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00020)
Japan Newsbriefs 10/20/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- In this roundup of news from Japan,
NTT, affiliate, plan price cuts, IPA offers software company home
pages, NTT to replace telephone circuits, Mecklermedia takes Internet
World east, Sharp announces new Viewcam, Sega ties US distribution deal
with Softbank, Sega unveils Web browser add-on, interactive TV venture
planned.

NTT, Affiliate, Plan Price Cuts

Today NTT DoCoMo, the nation's largest cellular telephone and
pager operator, announced price cuts. From November 1st the company
will charge 7,400 yen per month for connection to the analog network,
a 1,000-yen cut. Subscribers to the more modern 1.5 GHz digital network
will soon pay 5,800 yen a month, down from 6,900 yen. Monthly fees for
the 800 MHz digital network will be 6,800 yen, a fall from 7,800 yen.
According to the Mainichi Shimbun, a national daily newspaper, NTT
will soon cut installation charges for domestic ISDN lines. A report
said the connection charge would soon be 50,000 yen, a 70% drop from
the current 190,000 yen charge. The Mainichi also said it would soon
extend its late night and early morning fixed rate call scheme to
ISDN.

IPA Offers Software Company Home Pages

The Information Technology Promotion Agency (IPA) will begin providing
home pages on the Internet for software companies. The pages will
offer profiles, investment plans and samples of the technology and
software produced by each company. The current IPA Web server,
http://www.ipa.go.jp/ , will offer details of over a thousand companies
over the next 18 months.

NTT To Replace Telephone Circuits

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone will replace circuits in telephone
exchanges to avoid the swamping of operation centers during times of
emergency, NHK News has reported. The TV station explained that when
customers lose telephone service, such as when an earthquake cuts or
destroys lines, an automatic alert message is sent from local
equipment back to the exchange to warn engineers of the situation. A
fault in the exchanges has meant that such calls have been patched
through to emergency centers. When the calls arrive they cause
telephones to ring as if a real call is being placed but when
answered, the operator hears nothing but silence. NTT engineers have
been working on the problem since an earthquake hit north Japan two
years ago and the fault was first witnessed. The TV station said over
10,000 such calls were sent to an emergency center in the first few
hours after the Great Hanshin Earthquake in January, blocking lines for
people calling for help.

Mecklermedia Takes Internet World East

Mecklermedia has said it will bring the Internet World expos to Tokyo,
Seoul and Manila next year. For each event the company is partnering
with a local show organizer, Expo Library Inc. in the case of the
Tokyo show which will take place from May 15th to 17th.

Sharp Announces New Viewcam

Osaka-based Sharp Corporation has announced a new model in its View
Cam range of camcorders. The LCD Digital ViewCam VL-DH5000 features a
5-inch color LCD monitor on the side of the camera to facilitate easy
viewing of shot material. Sharp say the new display is the largest
available so far on camcorders and follows similar cameras produced by
Sony. The company hopes to sell 3,000 units a month at a price of
350,000 yen ($3,500).

Sega Ties US Distribution Deal With Softbank

Sega and Softbank, two of the biggest names in computer software, have
signed a distribution agreement covering the United States market. The
two companies will set up a joint venture company, GameExpress LLC, in
California on November 1st to promote and distribute computer games
with the creation of 100 jobs.

Sega Unveils Web Browser Add On

Computer game and player manufacturer Sega and Nissan Motor Company
have unveiled an add-on device for Sega game computers that allows
users to access the World Wide Web. Sega said many people are familiar
with the word "Internet" but few people have used it. The add-on unit
will be available from early next year and is expected to retail for
less than 30,000 yen ($300).

Interactive TV Venture Planned

A consortium of around 40 companies including the Nippon Television
Network and Tokyo FM will begin trials of a new partially interactive
television service in 1996. Users of the service, which will be
available on a membership basis, will be sent details of special
events, concerts, music and other information based on a personal
profile submitted on joining. The service will send information to
consumers across the FM and TV signals from each station and their
network affiliates. A special unit will be offered to order tickets
and products advertised.

(Martyn Williams/19951020)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/20/95
TRENDS
Mini Disc Sales Take Off As Million Mark Approaches

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00021)
Mini Disc Sales Take Off As Million Mark Approaches 10/20/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- It has taken almost four years but
sales of players for the Mini Disc audio format are about to break the
one million mark helped by a recent sales campaign and a range of new
players coming to the market from manufacturers that have adopted the
system.

From its beginnings in November 1992, the system, developed by Sony
Corporation, was hampered by a standards battle with the Digital
Compact Cassette (DCC) invented by Philips and Matsushita. It also
faced general consumer content with conventional analog compact
cassettes for recording purposes and the widespread use of CDs in the
home and car.

Now, as the newly standardized Digital Video Disk (DVD) is tipped to
replace video tape and compact discs, the Mini Disc is being touted
with new vigor as the natural successor to the compact cassette.

Mini Discs are 64mm diameter discs encased in a plastic shell that are
roughly a quarter the size of compact discs. Two versions of disc are
available, one is a fully optical read only disc intended for
pre-recorded music and the other is a magneto-optical disc for
read-write applications.

Sales of players, produced largely by Sony and Sharp in recent years,
are expected to pass the one million mark this year and could reach as
high as 1.5 million according to the two mainstays of the hardware
market.

Continued high sales by those two companies has been making
competitors sit up and pay attention to a part of the market that many
had been written off.

Sony are also increasing the range of products featuring Mini Disc in
its lines. The company said that half the units in its 1996 range
would have Mini Disc players on hopes that the format will replace
compact cassettes. Sharp is increasing monthly production of the
players from 5,000 units a month to 100,000 units a month.

A significant break through in the fortunes of the format came in
early September when Matsushita, witnessing 10 Mini Disc player sales
for every one DCC sale, announced it would source 1,000 players a
month from Victor Co. of Japan, Ltd. (JVC). The mechanisms, being
incorporated in a new portable player-recorder to be marketed under
the Panasonic brand name by Matsushita, are also the basis for a
similar product released by JVC in August.

JVC is producing 5,000 units a month, including the ones destined for
Matsushita, which are retailing for 69,800 yen ($698).

Pioneer Electronic Corporation is also entering the market with a
Mini Disc recorder-player sourced on an OEM basis from Sharp and selling
at the same price, 59,000 yen. Analysts say Pioneer have entered the
market because it is growing so rapidly and can no longer be ignored
by a home audio product maker. Pioneer is said to be considering
manufacturing its own units in the future.

The increase in range of the hardware and greater availability of
software will boost sales of the format. Sharp's Toshishige Hamano,
manager of the audio products division, said in a recent newspaper
interview that he expects annual sales of 3 million units next year.

One part of the originally anticipated market that is not expanding is
the computer data field. The discs were originally intended to be
suited to computer applications due to the ability to store several
hundred kilobytes of information on a read/write disc. Recent advances
in technology, particularly the new DVD format and the rapidly growing
MO (magneto optical) drive system have ensured Mini Disc a future as
an audio only format contend many.

(Martyn Williams/19951020)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/20/95
LEGAL
 ****Feds Bust Huge Cell Phone "Cloning" Ring

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(DEN)(00022)
 ****Feds Bust Huge Cell Phone "Cloning" Ring 10/20/95
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- New York officials
have cracked what they call "the biggest illegal cellular
telephone cloning operation in the country" with the arrest of
three individuals this week. If convicted the suspects could receive
up to 15 years in state prison.

"Cloning" is the process of retrieving the electronic serial
numbers (ESNs) of legitimate phones off the airwaves and programming
the purloined numbers into stolen phones. Thieves capture the
numbers using special scanners placed near busy highways and
airports. ESNs can also be obtained from stolen phones.

Denver-based Secret Service agent Bill Bresnahan told Newsbytes
the Secret Service is tasked with investigating cellular phone
fraud, Bresnahan says investigative techniques include
monitoring cell activity for an unusually high number of long
distance calls, and the use of direction finding equipment to track
down the illicit phones while they are in operation.

US West spokesperson Wendy Carver-Herbert and Bresnahan say there
are some steps that cell phone users can employ to help foil phone
theft or catch thieves. They encourage cell phone users to step up
the physical security they provide their phones. "If you are going
to leave your car with a parking attendant or parked on the street
for several days, remove the handset and the antenna to avoid
drawing attention," says Carver-Herbert. She also recommends
activating the electronic lock when you are away from the phone.

They also recommend monitoring your cell phone bill closely. If you
see calls you are sure you didn't place, contact your service provider
immediately, and if your phone is stolen the company can block calls
from that number. US West Cellular has programmed its computers
to watch for anomalies in each customer's calling pattern as another
way to foil this high tech crime, and the company employs security
personnel to contact customers when calls fall outside the normal
pattern.

The New York raid seized cloning software, 46 cell phones and
various equipment including computers officials said contained
legitimate cell phone access numbers which when programmed into
cloned phones allows the purchaser to illegally use cellular service
without paying. They often make expensive long distance calls to
other parts of the world.

Officials said as many as 27,000 phones have been cloned over the
last seven months and at least 3,000 usable legitimate access
numbers were stored in the computers seized in the raid. Authorities
estimate losses from the latest scam may have cost phone companies
as much as $27 million. Cell phone service providers lose an
estimated $1.5 million a day nationwide because of phone cloning.
Authorities said it costs a thief about $50 to get a stolen cell
phone activated with a cloned number. The phone can then be sold on
the street for about $100.

The Manhattan District Attorney, Robert Morgenthau, was particularly
interested in this case. He said his own phone has been cloned
twice by thieves recently. The first time the bill exceeded
$3,000 and the second time more than $5,000 in calls were charged
to his number. The legitimate holder of the cell phone number that
is cloned isn't aware the phone has been cloned until the bill
arrives.

In an attempt to stop losses cell service provider Bell Atlantic
NYNEX Mobile (NYSE: NYN) recently introduced the use of personal
identification numbers, which the company said has cut phone fraud
by an estimated 80 percent. The user punches in the
unique PIN and presses the send button on the phone after
dialing the desired number. Authorities say the cellular phone
industry spends $5 million annually to stop sophisticated cellular
phone fraud.

(Jim Mallory/19951020/Press contact: Kim Ancin, 914-365-7573,
or Jim Gerace, 914-365-7712, both of NYNEX)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/20/95
BUSINESS
CTP Buys Axiom, Opens Object Showcase, Adds Partners

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BOS)(00023)
CTP Buys Axiom, Opens Object Showcase, Adds Partners 10/20/95
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- At a press
conference at company headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts,
Cambridge Technology Partners (CTP) unveiled pacts with eight
packaged software vendors, plus the opening of a new "CMS
(Customer Management Systems) Center of Excellence" envisioned by
officials as a combination "think tank," repository, and showcase
for object frameworks supporting business process re-engineering
(BPR).

With these announcements and other developments, CTP is "creating
a new company" that adds packaged software and new BPR approaches
to CTP's existing strengths in BPR, CMS, rapid application
development (RAD), and systems integration, maintained Jim Sims,
president and chief executive officer (CEO), speaking at the
press conference, which was attended by Newsbytes.

Earlier this week, CTP posted financial results showing revenues
of $31.2 million for the third quarter, for a 68 percent gain
over the same quarter last year, and revenues of $83.5 million
for the first nine months of this year, up 73 percent from the
same period in 1994.

Also this week, he noted, CTP announced the acquisition of Axiom
Management Consulting Inc., a San Francisco-based specialist in
"business renewal." In August, CTP bought Systems Consulting
Group (SCG) of Miami, Florida, a maker of shrink-wrapped software
for financial reporting and consolidation, remote workforce
automation, human resources/payroll, manufacturing, and retail
distribution.

Sims told the reporters and analysts that, since CTP's founding
four years ago, the firm has evidenced a "consistent" financial
growth rate of about 70 percent per year. This kind of growth is
"highly unusual" in the client-server software market, asserted
the company chief. About half of CTP's revenues are derived from
CMS, according to a spokesperson.

The newly announced CMS Center for Excellence and industry
partnerships are part of a new strategic initiative by CTP
targeted at reducing the industry average CMS development cycle
by as much as 75 percent, from two to three years to between six
and nine months.

In related activities, CTP has just won major CMS customer
contracts with Charles Schwab and ReliaStar Financial, said the
CEO of CTP.

Malcolm Frank, VP of marketing for CTP, told the press conference
attendees that CMS brings "a tremendous competitive advantage to
our customers."

Organizations across a variety of industries are coming to
recognize the importance of customer satisfaction to a company's
"bottom line." As a result, corporations are starting to engineer
their business practices around customer management, and to model
these practices in object-oriented software, according to Frank.

Although many people associate CMS with help desks, CMS
applications actually include a wide range of application areas
where the customer becomes the focal point, including sales force
automation and service management, maintained the VP.

Hugh Bishop, director of emerging technologies for the Aberdeen
Group, informed the journalists and analysts that, by and large,
client-server software is not delivering on the promise of
"reducing costs" for businesses.

But, said the analyst, the Aberdeen Group has found that
"customer interaction software" (CIS) is allowing customers to
achieve cost effectiveness by "differentiating their products in
a commodity market." Aberdeen's "CIS" category is virtually
synonymous with CTP's "CMS," he explained.

The Aberdeen Group pegs the CIS market at $1.1 billion in 1994,
and projects market growth to $2.74 billion by 1998, according to
Bishop.

The Aberdeen Group's research also indicates that organizations
seek software that allows for customization and rapid
implementation, supports remote access, and offers an "open
architecture" for integration with outside applications such as
Peoplesoft's financial software, reported Bishop.

Maureen Ellenberger, director of CTP's Re-Use and Customer
Management Systems Domain, said that CTP's new CMS Center for
Excellence will house a series of frameworks featuring reusable
business objects.

The first two frameworks from CTP are SpeedWorks, for RAD, and
CMS Domain ObjectWorks, an application framework for CMS, the
director told the press. CTP's SpeedWorks framework will include
application development, middleware, database connectivity, and
"knowledge" components.

"The idea is to keep building objects," Ellenberger commented.
The CTP exec also pointed to unique application frameworks from
other vendors, including Hewlett-Packard's Customer Care, Rand
Technologies' Call Center, and Microsoft's Foundation Classes.

During a Q&A session, the journalists were told that CTP will
keep developing object-oriented software for business
applications other than CMS, such as logistics, for example. "We
want to be known as leaders in CMS, but not simply as a CMS
shop," remarked Chris Greendale, senior VP of marketing.

CTP plans to shorten the BPR application development life cycle
by combining its own methodology with newly acquired Axiom's
five-step "business renewal" methodology for achieving business
change, said Axiom President and CEO Mike Korchinsky, speaking
with Newsbytes during the event.

CTP Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Arthur Toscanini told Newsbytes
that the recently purchased SCG has "strong contacts" in the
southern region of the US, as well as in Latin America. About 75
percent of SCG's employees speak Spanish, according to Toscanini.
With the passage of NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement),
Mexico is a particularly promising market for software right now,
he added.

At the conclusion of the press conference, CTP held a Vendor Fair
featuring its eight newly named packaged software partners:
Scopus Technology (specializing in sales automation and call
center applications); Graham Technologies (call center, business
process, and workflow); FileNet (document imaging and workflow);
Clarify (help desk, service, and product quality); Siebel Systems
(sales force automation); Aurum (customer asset management and
sales force automation); The Vantive Corp. (customer support,
logistics and field service, sales and marketing, internal help
desk, and quality management); and Metrix (service management for
medical, computer, telecommunications, and office equipment
applications).

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951019/Reader Contact: Cambridge Technology
Partners, 617-374-9800; Press Contacts: Colleen Irish, CTP, 617-
374-8705; Doug Black or Michael Bayer, Miller/Shandwick
Technologies for CTP, 617-536-0470)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/20/95
LEGAL
 ****"Not Guilty" Declares Alleged Chip Spy

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(DEN)(00024)
 ****"Not Guilty" Declares Alleged Chip Spy 10/20/95
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- A former Intel
Corp. (NASDAQ: INTL) employee who said federal agents set him up
told a US District Court judge this week he is not guilty of
giving valuable industrial secrets to an Intel competitor.

Guillermo Gaede, also known as William Gaede, is accused of giving
videotapes containing confidential information about Intel's 486 and
Pentium microprocessors to advanced Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD).
AMD immediately told Intel about the tapes. Gaede, 43, was indicted by a
federal grand jury earlier this week on counts of mail fraud and
interstate transportation of stolen property.

Federal prosecutors had previously filed a criminal complaint
charging Gaede with the same offenses, but the law also requires an
indictment in felony cases according to Lee Altschuler, a
spokesperson for the US Attorney's office. A trial date will be
set at a November 20 hearing.

Gaede, also known as William Gaede, was arrested September 23, 1995
by Federal Bureau of Investigation agents at his home in Mesa,
Arizona where he has reportedly been living since he returned from
Buenos Aires this summer. He was later transported to California
where he was charged.

Federal agents allege that in mid-January 1995 the Argentine
national sent a package via Federal Express to AMD in Sunnyvale,
California that contained three videocassettes and a letter.
Authorities said the tapes contained Intel proprietary information
relating to the fabrication process of the company's computer chips.
The letter contained information about that processing,
according to the FBI.

Authorities allege that the information defrauded Intel Corp. The
complaint says Gaede conducted his criminal activity while
employed first by AMD and later Intel. The FBI said Gaede was a
software engineer for Intel in Chandler, Arizona, a Phoenix suburb,
from September 1993 to June 1994. He reportedly worked for AMD for
ten years prior to joining Intel.

An FBI spokesperson told Newsbytes if convicted on the mail
fraud charge Gaede faces a maximum penalty of up to $1,000 or up to
five years in jail, or both. The interstate transportation of
stolen property charge carries a maximum $10,000 fine or up to 10
years in jail or both. The value of the stolen information was
placed at "tens of millions of dollars," according to an FBI
document.

In a jailhouse interview last month Gaede spun a complicated tail of
international intrigue, telling reporters he acted as a go-between
for Cuban and US intelligence agencies. He said the US
government wanted Cuban military secrets in exchange for information
about US technology.

In an earlier interview Gaede said he had passed on information
stolen from AMD to Cuba, China, North Korea and Iran. He also
claimed to have given data to the Soviet Union and East Germany
during the final years of the Cold War.

(Jim Mallory/19950926/Press contact: George Grotz, Federal Bureau of
Investigation, 415-553-3716)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/20/95
TELECOM
 ****Budget Battle Slows Telecom

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(WAS)(00025)
 ****Budget Battle Slows Telecom 10/20/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- The tug-of-war
between Congress and the White House over the federal budget has
put telecommunications reform legislation in a holding pattern.
As a result, a House-Senate conference committee to work out
differences in the two bills could start work as the clock begins
to run out on the first session of the 104th Congress.

"The conference committee has to get going real soon, or they
could fail to get something out this year," a Senate staffer
told Newsbytes. "And if it slides over into next year, it could
get caught up in election-year politics."

If President Clinton vetoes the budget reconciliation package,
as appears likely, attempting to restructure the budget to
withstand White House scrutiny will take even more time from the
Congress as the clock ticks down toward a December adjournment.

Sen. Larry Pressler (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Commerce
Committee, and Rep. Thomas Bliley (R-Va.), head of the similar
committee in the House, had hoped to get the conference going
early in September. But the budget battle, plus an internal
House dispute between Bliley's Commerce Committee and the House
Judiciary Committee, pushed the conference off the fast track.

The Republican leadership finally appointed conferees earlier
this week. But no schedule for conference committee meetings has
been set.

Pressler will lead the Senate conferees. Other Senate
Republicans on the conference committee include Ted Stevens of
Alaska, John McCain of Arizona, Conrad Burns of Montana, Slade
Gorton of Washington and Trent Lott of Mississippi. Senate
Democratic conferees include Ernest "Fritz" Hollings of South
Carolina, Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, Wendell Ford of Kentucky,
James Exon of Nebraska, and Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia.

The list of House conferees reflects the split between the
Commerce and Judiciary committees. Bliley will lead the House
conferees, joined by Commerce Committee Republicans Jack Fields
of Texas, Mike Oxley of Ohio, Dan Schaefer of Colorado, Joe
Barton of Texas, Dennis Hastert of Illinois, Bill Paxton of New
York, Scott Klug of Wisconsin, Dan Frisa of New York, Rick White
of Washington, and Cliff Stearns of Florida.

On the Democratic side, Commerce Committee conferees include
John Dingell of Michigan, Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Rick
Boucher of Virginia, Frank Pallone of New Jersey, Sherrod Brown
of Ohio, Bart Gordon of Tennessee, Bobby Rush of Illinois, Anna
Eshoo of California, and Blanche of Lincoln of Arkansas.

But the Judiciary Committee, after heavy lobbying of the
leadership, also has a slate of conferees, beginning with
Chairman Henry Hyde (R-Ill.). Other Judiciary Republicans
include Carlos Moorhead of California, Bob Goodlatte of
Virginia, Steve Buyer of Indiana, Michael Flanagan of Illinois,
Elton Gallegly of California, Bob Barr of Georgia and Martin
Hoke of Ohio.

Democratic conferees from the Judiciary Committee include John
Conyers of Michigan, Pat Schroeder of Colorado, John Bryant of
Texas, Howard Berman of California, Robert Scott of Virginia,
and Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas.

The presence of the members of the Judiciary Committee indicates
that the fight between the two House committees over the role of
the Justice Department will be refought in conference. The
Judiciary Committee wants to give Justice a role in determining
when telecommunications markets are competitive, while the
Commerce Committee wants to put the authority at the Federal
Communications Commission.

Another difficult issue in the conference is likely to be how to
deal with obscene material contained in online services and the
Internet. The Senate bill would make smut on the Net a crime,
while the House measure contains no such provisions.

(Kennedy Maize/19951020)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/20/95
ONLINE
 ****IEEE Backs Online Smut Filters

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(WAS)(00026)
 ****IEEE Backs Online Smut Filters 10/20/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- Joining the fray
over online smut, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers is backing filtering technology, not criminal law, as
the best way to protect children in cyberspace.

"Internet filters work as a child-safety cap on the personal
computer," says Joel Snyder, chair of IEEE-US Activities
(IEEE-USA). "This technology can give users and their families
control over choices on the Internet, without government having
to resort to unnecessary and ineffective controls on the free
flow of information."

IEEE-USA says that the approach advocated by the Senate in its
version of telecommunications reform -- criminalizing obscene
content -- is an exercise in futility. The group that represents
electronics engineers says that "government censorship attempts
will not work on the transnational Internet," and warns that
government controls could "choke a vibrant medium founded on
free information exchange."

The group notes that filtering technology is developing rapidly.
The Internet Engineering Task Force meeting in Stockholm this
summer, chaired by Internet pioneer Vinton Cerf, created a
working group to develop technical standards for reader filters.
US industry has promised to develop a consensual
content-labeling system by early next year.

IEEE says most content filter approaches fall into one of three
categories. Host access control features software packages that
run on the user's computer and exclude access to sources known
to contain objectionable material. Information filtering using
source labels allows specific materials to be rated by their
source and then filtered. Information filtering using
third-party ratings offers the ability to sort material within
even a single document.

In the near future, says IEEE, adults may be able to combine a
variety of the three technical approaches to customize an
environment for their kids. But IEEE's Snyder notes that
"technology alone is not a substitute for conscientious
parenting, adult supervision and common sense."

(Kennedy Maize/19951020/Press Contact: Christopher Currie,
202-785-0017, ext. 342)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/20/95
BUSINESS
Amdahl Takes Up Shares Though DMR Board Cool To Offer

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00027)
Amdahl Takes Up Shares Though DMR Board Cool To Offer 10/20/95
MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA, 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- As the
three-way takeover battle for consulting firm DMR Group Inc. (TSE:DR)
continues, Amdahl Corp. (AMEX:AMH) has taken up shares already
tendered to it by DMR's major shareholders. But DMR's board of
directors has chosen not to recommend to its shareholders either
Amdahl's offer nor a rival one by BDM International, Inc.,
(NASDAQ:BDMI) of McLean, Virginia.

Meanwhile, DMR's board reserved its judgment on a third offer, which
came from IBM Canada Ltd. in Markham, Ontario. The IBM (NYSE:IBM)
subsidiary has offered C$11 per share, versus Amdahl's C$8.25 and
BDM's C$8.77.

In a teleconference with reporters Friday morning, Michael Poehner,
vice-president and general manager of Amdahl's Business Solutions Group,
said his company does not currently plan to raise its offer. "We're
not renouncing that option," he said, "but at this point in time we don't
see any need to do it."

The reason for that, according to Poehner, is that Amdahl now controls 80
percent of the voting rights attached to outstanding DMR shares. The
shares the Sunnyvale, California computer maker has taken up account
for 99 percent of the Class B shares and about 15 percent of the Class A
shares.

The snag for Amdahl is a Quebec court decision that said Class A
shareholders can exercise an option to convert their shares to Class B
shares. That decision, made in response to BDM's legal challenge of DMR's
interpretation of its own bylaws, makes it possible that the Class B
shareholders' control of DMR could be diluted to the point where Amdahl
would be left with 27 to 28 percent of the voting rights, DMR spokesman
Michel Gelinas told Newsbytes. Amdahl is appealing the decision, and
Poehner maintained the company will win its appeal.

As long as a conversion of Class A shares does not reduce Amdahl's share
of the voting rights, the company is in control and its offer for DMR
appears likely to succeed. Poehner pointed out that Amdahl is in a
position to block any rival from taking DMR private or merging it into
its own operations, since either course would require two thirds of the
equity in DMR and Amdahl now has 36 percent of the equity.

All three suitors have said they plan to run DMR as a separate
subsidiary. Both Amdahl and BDM said they planned to fold some of their
own existing operations -- in Amdahl's case, the Business Solutions
Group that Poehner now heads -- into DMR after a takeover.

Poehner described the DMR board's decision not to recommend his
company's offer or BDM's and to reserve judgment on IBM Canada's offer
as a neutral announcement. Despite the board's failure to recommend the
Amdahl offer, Gelinas said the agreement of the company's major
shareholders to tender their shares to Amdahl was "irrevocable."

(Grant Buckler/19951020/Press Contact: Michel Gelinas, DMR,
514-877-3301; John Radewagen, The Benjamin Group for Amdahl,
408-559-6090; Mike Quinn, IBM Canada, 905-316-2255; Todd
Stottlemyer, BDM, 703-848-5115, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/20/95
ONLINE
12 Million-Entry Business Directory Free On The Web

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LAX)(00028)
12 Million-Entry Business Directory Free On The Web 10/20/95
EL CERRITO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- World Yellow
Pages Network has placed a list of 12 million businesses on the World
Wide Web, with business name, address, phone number and ZIP Code.
In addition World Yellow Pages Network offers to create, at no charge,
an unique Web home page for any business that requests one.

Businesses can enter a 300-word description of their services at no
cost and update the information as necessary. A listing in the World
Yellow Pages Network is also free, can be updated anytime, and can be
accessed from anywhere in the world via the Internet.

Visitors to the World Yellow Pages Network site can search the over
12 million entries in the business directory. According to the
company, over the next few weeks additional search criteria will be
added, such as a classification of business type.

Speaking to Newsbytes, Edwin Rutsch founder of the World Yellow
Pages Network, said, "We are prepared to give any business who asks
their own home page, with their own unique Web address. I believe
every business in the world should be on the Internet. This service
will go a long way toward fulfilling that vision. The Yellow Pages will
never be the same again."

World Yellow Pages Network also has provided links to all other on-
line yellow pages around the world. According to Rutsch he intends to
build a global Yellow Pages that can be accessed from one source.

The World Yellow Pages Network is both an on-line Yellow Pages and
Web development company. They offer Web development services
including secure transaction capabilities, text, graphics, maps, forms,
e-mail, video and audio. While the initial home page and the 300
words are free, the Network hopes to make its money on add-on Web
development services.

Some of the additional features a business might use, and the rates
charged for those services are currently on display at http://wyp.net .

(Richard Bowers/19951020/Press Contact: Joan Kuenz, World Yellow
Pages Network, 510-528-9895)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/20/95
ONLINE
Pipex Offers Software Amnesty To Unlicensed NetScape Users

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LON)(00029)
Pipex Offers Software Amnesty To Unlicensed NetScape Users 10/20/95
CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- Pipex, the UK Internet service
provider and distributor of NetScape Navigator, has announced it is
offering an amnesty to any unlicensed user of Navigator in the UK. The
amnesty, which is being organized in conjunction with Internet
magazine, allows anyone buying the November issue of the magazine to
register their copy of NetScape navigator for UKP 15.00, a saving of
UKP 34.95 on standard pricing.

Neil Ellul, Internet magazine's editor, said that only other charge
for the deal is the UKP 2.50 cover price of the magazine. "This is a
unique opportunity for UK NetScape users to make honest men and women
of themselves at a greatly reduced price," he said.

NetScape Navigator, like many applications on the Web, is freely
downloadable across the Internet. The package can be used freely by the
user for up to 30 days, after which time its license conditions require
it to be deleted or officially registered. According to Pipex, since
the software was released last year, an estimated one million
unlicensed users of the package exist.

To encourage users to register through the Internet magazine deal,
Pipex is offering a special deal until the end of the year. The deal
includes "guilt free Web surfing," a discounted upgrade to Navigator
2.0, a complete Navigator 1.2 handbook on disk, and a free copy of
"The Internet Guide to NetScape, a booklet published in associated
with Internet magazine.

Further details of the the offer can be found on Pipex's Web site at
http://www.unipalm.pipex.com/netscape/ . or by calling UK toll-free to
0500-474739.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951020/Press Contact: Mandy Hassall, GBC [phone]-
7022; Internet Email: [e-mail]; Reader Contact: Neil Ellul,
Internet magazine [phone]; Internet Email:
[e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/20/95
BUSINESS
Sema Group To Acquire France's CISI

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00030)
Sema Group To Acquire France's CISI 10/20/95
PARIS, FRANCE, 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- The Sema Group, the computer
services provider company, has announced plans to acquire CISA, the
French systems integration and outsourcing company owned by CEA
Industrie. The deal is significant, as it is unusual for a UK company
to make an acquisition of this type in Europe.

More often, it is the European companies that snap up company
divisions within the UK, Newsbytes notes.

The plans are still at an early stage, Newsbytes understands, and no
price or confirmation of the deal being approved by CISA nor CEA has
been made. Nevertheless, an announcement has been made by Sema,
together with a warning to stockholders that the deal may impact the
company's earnings in the medium term.

In a prepared statement for the London Stock Exchange, Sema said that
the deal will exclude CISI's Spanish operations, and will almost
certainly include a degree of reorganization that will leave the group
with net assets of around FF 170 million.

According to Sema, the acquisition, which must first be approved by
the French Ministry for Trade & Industry's privatization committee,
will be financed from the group's borrowing facilities on a current
and deferred term basis.

Sema's half yearly figures to June 30, 1995, show the company's
profits as rising 11 percent to UKP 11.6 million on a turnover of UKP
321.9 million -- up eight percent on the same period last year.
Detailed examination of the figures shows that pre-
tax profits rose by 21 percent to UKP 15.2 million.

CISI, meanwhile, seems to have recovered from the doldrums it
experienced in the summer of 1992, when the company announced job cuts
of 142 owing to a serious decline in profits that could have
threatened the company's future. The company saw net profits plummet
to $2.3m for 1992, down from $12.6m the year before.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951020/Press Contact: Sema Group [phone];
Fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/20/95
GENERAL
Tiny Data Storage Device Gets Advocacy Group

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00031)
Tiny Data Storage Device Gets Advocacy Group 10/20/95
REDWOOD CITY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- The
CompactFlash Association (CFA) has been formed by twelve
computing, imaging, communications and consumer electronics
companies. CompactFlash technology, developed by SanDisk, is said
to be the world's smallest removable data storage system so far
aimed at the digital photography market.

A CompactFlash storage standard is based on a solid-state cartridge
about the size of a matchbook and is manufactured in 2, 4, 10 and 15
megabyte (MB) capacities. The cards are characterized as rugged and
require low power. Toru Takahashi, director and senior general
manager for Canon's research and development headquarters, said,
"We believe CF cartridges will become the film for the next generation
of digital cameras."

SanDisk introduced CF technology about a year ago. A company
spokesperson told Newsbytes, "One of its (CF cartridges) main
advantages is its size. It is considerably smaller than a PC Card and
represents the next level of compact storage. It's primary use has been
with digital cameras, but it is also being used with cellular phones,
beepers and computers."

SanDisk also developed an adapter which allows CF cartridges to
interface with a standard PC Card slot common to notebook computers.
SanDisk says compact storage technology is indicative of an electronics
industry trend to produce more performance on smaller, lighter and less
expensive form factors.

Founding members are Apple Computer, Canon, Eastman Kodak,
Hewlett-Packard, LG Semicon (formerly Goldstar) Matsushita
(Panasonic), Motorola, NEC, Polaroid, SanDisk, Seagate and Seiko
Epson. Each company will designate a representative to serve as CFA
board members. SanDisk says it expects more companies to support and
join the new association.

According to SanDisk, CFA is designed to encourage other storage and
semiconductor manufacturers to develop CF cartridges to meet the
projected demand. SanDisk agrees to transfer the CompactFlash
trademark and specifications to the association so the property is
available under a royalty-free license to third party manufacturers will
to participate in the propagation of this new technology.

(Patrick McKenna/19951020)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/20/95
IBM
 ****IBM Names Data Warehousing Partners, Lowers Pricing

(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00032)
 ****IBM Names Data Warehousing Partners, Lowers Pricing 10/20/95
SOMERS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- In a press
teleconference, IBM unveiled data warehousing activities that
include a price reduction and repackaging of its upcoming Visual
Warehouse product, plus partnerships with five third-party
software vendors, Arbor, Pilot, Information Advantage, Business
Objects, and Vality, and seven education and consulting
services.

"(This data warehousing) alliance will make it much easier for
our mutual customers to leverage the expertise of the `best of
breed' in data warehousing to attract every bit of insight from
the business information they've amassed, and to put that insight
to work in faster, smarter business decisions that will make them
more money," said Tim Negris, VP for sales and marketing in the
IBM Software Solutions Division, speaking during the
teleconference, which was attended by Newsbytes.

Visual Warehouse, a product first announced earlier this year,
will become commercially available on November 17, according to
Negris. Pricing for Visual Warehouse as a stand-alone product has
been reduced from $24,000 to $19,950. In addition, IBM has
lowered the price for the Visual Warehouse Solution to $22,950,
and has modified the ingredients of the package to include
"everything required to install a Visual Warehouse system in an
OS/2 LAN (local area network) environment."

Components of the Visual Warehouse Solution will include DB2 for
OS/2, DataGuide, DDCS for OS/2/ Visualizer Query, Visualizer
Charts, OS/2 Warp Connect, and Communications Manager/2. Visual
Warehouse host adapters, needed for accessing IBM, VSAM, and flat
file "legacy databases," are now separately priced at $9,450
apiece.

IBM arrived at the new packaging and pricing policies to gain a
stronger presence in the VAR (value-added reseller) and SI
(systems integrator) channels with an "out-of-the-box" product,
according to Negris.

IBM has traditionally focused on larger VARs, Negris
acknowledged. "But a VAR is in a good position, even if small, to
help a (larger business) build" a data warehouse, he told the
journalists. "As part of (the VAR recruitment effort), there is a
very large array of specific support programs and tools," the VP
added.

IBM is also providing "tighter integration," both within its
various data warehousing components, and between the IBM products
and third-party tools, Negris contended.

DataGuide, IBM's data cataloging and search engine tool, now
incorporates metadata ("data about the data") and the ability to
invoke applications from DataGuide, according to the VP.

Meanwhile, Visual Warehouse will serve as a "backplane" that
allows easy "plug-ins" from third-party tools, he asserted.
DataGuide, for example, now includes a "generic data model of
MDDS structures" for integration with outside MDDS tools. In
addition, IBM's DataJoiner now provides access to non-IBM
databases.

Negris characterized IBM as the "brain trust" for data
warehousing. "But data warehousing is a big challenge, and there
are a lot of other people out there who have developed expertise
in extremely important domains. A lot of what we're talking about
today is putting smart people together with other smart people,"
he added.

Of the five third-party tool companies now named as IBM partners,
Arbor Software Corp., Pilot Software, and Information Advantage
are part of the MDDS arena. Business Objects provides decision
support tools for accessing relational database management
systems (RDBMS) for the desktop. Vality produces a data
reengineering or "data cleansing" products known as Integrity.

"The people at Essbase and Arbor (are people) who know the
intimate details of how time series data on Wall Street is very
different from time series data in a manufacturing plant, or in a
retail distribution supply plan. Other smart people would be (the
people) at Vality, who have been making quite a splash in the
industry recently saying that -- as our mothers all told us as
children, (and) data is the same way -- `hygiene is important,'"
noted Negris.

Through the new pacts, users will be able to employ Arbor's
Essbase, Pilot's LightShip Server, the DecisionSuite product from
Information Advantage, and Business Objects' tools to access and
analyze DB2 data, according to the IBM exec.

Also on the DB2 front, IBM has updated its support of DB2 2.1 for
OS/2 and AIX, and that DB2 for OS/400 has been pinpointed as a
"target database" for the future.

The seven education and consulting services now appointed as IBM
data warehousing partners will receive early information on IBM's
"product direction and development," training at advanced
technical workshops, and access to pre-release software and
documentation.

The services include IBM Consulting and Services; SHL Systemhouse
Inc.; Price Waterhouse LLP; Database Associates International;
Syllogic; IMI Systems Inc.; and The Indica Group. Syllogic is
based in Nouten, Netherlands. Data Base Associates has offices in
the UK as well as the US. The other third-party education and
consulting services are US-based. IBM will also consider other
third-party toolmakers and education/consulting services as data
warehousing partners in the future, according to Negris.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951020/Reader Contact: IBM, 914-765-1900;
Press Contacts: Rick Bause, IBM, 914-766-1750; Susan Scott-Ker,
IBM, 914-766-1463; Parna Sarkar or Margaret Bonilla, Brodeur &
Partners for IBM, 617-622-2833)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/20/95
GENERAL
Newsbytes Week In Review

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00033)
Newsbytes Week In Review 10/20/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- This is a
look at the top stories this week, listing with their category code:
Newsbytes Launches 2nd Web Site - Full Keyword Searching, Silicon
Graphics Workstations Get Productivity Bundle, Sprint Records Record
3Q Results, Networks Everywhere Says Compaq Boss Following Record 3Q,
Six Newspapers Announce Internet Job Listings, HP On The Go With
OmniGo - New Organizer, Motorola Sets PowerPC 603e Chip Prices,
Microsoft 1Qtr Profits Hit Record, Jump 58%, BBC Discovers Faxes
Are Not Secure, Lotus Buyout Puts IBM In Red In Qtr, Softbank Purchase
Of Ziff Davis Publishing Imminent, Profits Down 48% At Apple, 77%
of US Firms In Cyberspace By 1997 - Study, Feds Bust Huge Cell Phone
"Cloning" Ring, Not Guilty" Declares Alleged Chip Spy, Budget
Battle Slows Telecom, IEEE Backs Online Smut Filters, IBM Names Data
Warehousing Partners, Lowers Pricing.

Newsbytes Launches 2nd Web Site - Full Keyword Searching (ONLINE)

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- Finding the
raw data for that term paper, research project, or coming computer
purchase from today's, or the past 12 years of technology news
coverage has never been easier on the Internet with the new,
online version of Newsbytes News Network's archives and subscription
service. At http://www.nbnn.com , readers can also access free daily
top stories from Newsbytes and its affiliate publications, and from
PC Week, MacWeek, and other Ziff news magazines, making the site
a comprehensive source of computer and telecom technology reporting.

Silicon Graphics Workstations Get Productivity Bundle (UNIX)

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- Silicon Graphics
(NASDAQ:SGI) says its Indy and Indigo2 workstations are shipping with a
Unix productivity bundle which includes videoconferencing, World Wide Web
browsing and editing, the ability to run Windows and DOS applications,
and an Acrobat Reader utility. The company maintains the new bundle
"increases personal productivity and group collaboration."

Sprint Records Record 3Q Results (TELECOM)

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- Sprint Inc.
(NYSE:FON) reported record results for the third quarter of this
year. Net income increased almost 17 percent for the year overall to
$269 million, and operating income rose almost 16 percent to $544 million
from a year ago.

Networks Everywhere, Says Compaq Boss Following Record 3Q (BUSINESS)

HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- There will be networked
PC servers "in nearly every office, manufacturing facility, store,
school and home" by the end of the decade, according to Eckhard
Pfeiffer, president and chief executive officer of Compaq Computer
Corp. (NYSE: CPQ). Pfeiffer made his prediction during his keynote speech
at Innovate Forum 95, a three-day Compaq-sponsored event, following a
record third quarter in which Compaq increased sales by 27 percent
to $3.6 billion for the period.

Six Newspapers Announce Internet Job Listings (ONLINE)

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- A national interactive
employment service based on the Internet's World Wide Web is being
started by six of the US's largest newspapers. Called
"CareerPath.com," the new site is billed as having the most
comprehensive listing of jobs on the Internet.

HP On The Go With OmniGo - New Organizer (PEN)

PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- Hewlett-
Packard (NYSE:HWP) has introduced OmniGo 100 as an affordable
handheld organizer with pen and keyboard input for under $350. The
software operating system was developed by Geoworks
(NASDAQ:GWRX), the well-known developer of hand-held computer
operating systems.

Motorola Sets PowerPC 603e Chip Prices (CHIPS)

AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 18 (NB) -- Motorola Inc. (NYSE:MOT)
has announced pricing and general availability of its 100 megahertz
(MHz) and 120MHz RISC (reduced instruction set computing) PowerPC
603e microprocessors. The chips are designed for use in notebook and
entry-level desktop systems.

Microsoft 1Qtr Profits Hit Record, Jump 58% (BUSINESS)

REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 18 (NB) -- Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ: MSFT) has announced that its quarterly profits jumped
more than 58 percent for the first quarter of the company's fiscal
year, with the results fueled by sale of more than seven million
copies of the Windows 95 operating system and graphical user
interface. The period ended September 30, 1995, with the results
exceeding many financial analysts' expectations.

BBC Discovers Faxes Are Not Secure (LEGAL)

BLACKPOOL, LANCASHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- The British
Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) found out late last week that faxes are
not a secure transmission system. After faxing a copy of a top secret
internal management document to a BBC senior staying at the Pembroke
Hotel in Blackpool, where the Conservative Party Conference took place
all last week, BBC executives were aghast to discover that the fax was
sent to the room of Nigel Nelson, a journalist with The People
newspaper, who was also staying at the hotel.

Lotus Buyout Puts IBM In Red In Qtr (IBM)

ARMONK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- A one-time charge
related to its takeover of Lotus Development Corp. left IBM (NYSE:IBM)
with a loss in the third quarter, but before the $1.8 billion charge the
company's earnings were up significantly over the same quarter a year
earlier. Revenues rose nine percent versus the third quarter of 1994.

Softbank Purchase Of Ziff Davis Publishing Imminent (TYO)

TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- Softbank Corporation confirmed in
Tokyo this evening that it is in talks over the purchase of Ziff
Davis Publishing. Softbank president, Mayoshi Son, told assembled
journalists that the company is in negotiations over a final price
for the deal and has already reached agreement on several terms.

Profits Down 48% At Apple (APPLE)

CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- Apple Computer
Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has released its fourth quarter results with a
record $3 billion in revenues and a 25% increase in unit shipments
over the same quarter last year. In spite of record setting numbers,
the company's income suffered a 48% decrease compared to the same
quarter last year.

77% of US Firms In Cyberspace By 1997 - Study (TRENDS)

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- A new survey
from Straightline International claims that more than three
quarters of US companies are either already on the Internet or
will be on the Net within two years. Seventy-seven percent of the
companies surveyed said they would be in cyberspace by 1997.

Feds Bust Huge Cell Phone "Cloning" Ring (LEGAL)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- New York officials
have cracked what they call "the biggest illegal cellular
telephone cloning operation in the country" with the arrest of
three individuals this week. If convicted the suspects could receive
up to 15 years in state priso

Not Guilty" Declares Alleged Chip Spy (LEGAL)

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- A former Intel
Corp. (NASDAQ: INTL) employee who said federal agents set him up
told a US District Court judge this week he is not guilty of
giving valuable industrial secrets to an Intel competitor.

Budget Battle Slows Telecom (TELECOM)

WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- The tug-of-war
between Congress and the White House over the federal budget has
put telecommunications reform legislation in a holding pattern.
As a result, a House-Senate conference committee to work out
differences in the two bills could start work as the clock begins
to run out on the first session of the 104th Congress.

IEEE Backs Online Smut Filters (ONLINE)

WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- Joining the fray
over online smut, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers is backing filtering technology, not criminal law, as
the best way to protect children in cyberspace.

IBM Names Data Warehousing Partners, Lowers Pricing (IBM)

SOMERS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- In a press
teleconference, IBM unveiled data warehousing activities that
include a price reduction and repackaging of its upcoming Visual
Warehouse product, plus partnerships with five third-party
software vendors, Arbor, Pilot, Information Advantage, Business
Objects, and Vality, and seven education and consulting
services.

(Ian Stokell/19951020)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00034)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 10/20/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 20 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|            Friday, October 20, 1995            |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network's on the Web! Check out http://www.nbnn.com for
free daily top stories from Newsbytes. and its affiliate publications,
and from PC Week, MacWeek, and other Ziff news magazines. A subscription
gives you all the news, full-text, plus the most comprehensive database
of past computer stories online. The keyword-searchable database dates
from today back through 1983. Subscriptions are $24.95 for three months.
Questions? Send to '[e-mail]'  For Japanese Newsbytes
and additional services, see the Newsbytes Pacifica Website at
http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

APPLE     Spindler Makes Video Visit To Australia.................... 01

BROADCAST Microsoft Launches European Satellite TV Program........... 04

BUSINESS  Dutch Investment Company Acquires QMS Europe, Australia.... 05

BUSINESS  HP Authorizes Support Providers In Czech Republic.......... 19

BUSINESS  CTP Buys Axiom, Opens Object Showcase, Adds Partners....... 23

BUSINESS  Amdahl Takes Up Shares Though DMR Board Cool To Offer...... 27

BUSINESS  Sema Group To Acquire France's CISI........................ 30

CHIPS     GEC Plessey Readies UK Chip Plant.......................... 07

CHIPS     Intel's Major Plant Expansion For Ireland.................. 09

EDUCATION Kids' Computer Habits Studied.............................. 13

GENERAL   World IT Conference Set For Bangkok In November............ 14

GENERAL   Personnel Roundup.......................................... 17

GENERAL   Japan Newsbriefs........................................... 20

GENERAL   Tiny Data Storage Device Gets Advocacy Group............... 31

GENERAL   Newsbytes Week In Review................................... 33

GOVT      China Moves To Restrict Radio-Emission Devices............. 10

GOVT      Australia Spending Big On Outsourcing...................... 12

IBM        ****IBM Names Data Warehousing Partners, Lowers Pricing... 32

LEGAL      ****Feds Bust Huge Cell Phone "Cloning" Ring.............. 22

LEGAL      ****"Not Guilty" Declares Alleged Chip Spy................ 24

ONLINE    Philippines' Manila Times Online........................... 11

ONLINE     ****IEEE Backs Online Smut Filters........................ 26

ONLINE    12 Million-Entry Business Directory Free On The Web........ 28

ONLINE    Pipex Offers Software Amnesty To Unlicensed NetScape Users. 29

TELECOM   Poland Confirms New Cellular Net Plans..................... 03

TELECOM   Ericsson In On Russia's Telecoms Planning.................. 06

TELECOM   Europe Running Out Of Phone Numbers........................ 08

TELECOM   US West In India........................................... 15

TELECOM   India - Alcatel Eyes Ailing ITI............................ 16

TELECOM    ****Budget Battle Slows Telecom........................... 25

TRENDS    Australian IT Exports On Track To $10 Billion.............. 02

TRENDS    Mini Disc Sales Take Off As Million Mark Approaches........ 21

WINDOWS   Czech Version Of Worldgroup BBS Package.................... 18

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 -> Spindler Makes Video Visit To Australia -- Apple Computer President
and Chief Executive Michael Spindler believes he has the key to making
the Macintosh once more the world's best-selling personal computer, and
ensuring Apple's long-term survival. In a video conference with
Australian journalists yesterday, he forecast a potential global market
share for the Apple brand "in the mid-teens," almost double the Mac's
current penetration rate.

2 -> Australian IT Exports On Track To $10 Billion -- Most sectors of
Australia's IT industry are in booming good health, judging by results
of a survey presented to Wednesday's annual general meeting and
conference of the Australian Information Industry Association.

3 -> Poland Confirms New Cellular Net Plans -- The Polish Government has
opened tenders for two of the three planned new cellular networks in
Poland. According to Communications Minister Andrzej Zielinski, the
licences will be awarded in February of 1996 and foreign companies,
including Ameritech (already a partner in the state Centertel project),
AT&T, Deutsche Telecom and Sprint, can enter the tender application
list.

4 -> Microsoft Launches European Satellite TV Program -- Microsoft has
launched its own regular TV show on NBC Superchannel, the European
satellite TV channel broadcast on the Astra and Eutelsat satellites. The
weekly program is also available on videotape, as well as over phone
lines using Picturetel standard equipment.

5 -> Dutch Investment Company Acquires QMS Europe, Australia -- QMS has
announced the sale of its shares in QMS Europe and QMS Australia to
Jalak Investments, a Dutch investment house. The deal will generate more
than $10 million for QMS, but the company claims that no appreciable
change will take place in day-to-day administration of the two former
divisions of QMS.

6 -> Ericsson In On Russia's Telecoms Planning -- Ericsson has signed up
as a new member of the Telecommunications Forum, an international non-
commercial organization, which aims to assist in the development of the
Russian Federation's telecommunications infrastructure.

7 -> GEC Plessey Readies UK Chip Plant -- GEC Plessey Semiconductors has
announced plans to expand its CMOS (complimentary metal oxide
semiconductor) facility in Plymouth to manufacture 0.5 micron chips. The
expansion will cost the company $16 million but pushes the firm into the
forefront of chip fabrication, as it is the first facility of its type
in the UK, Newsbytes notes.

8 -> Europe Running Out Of Phone Numbers -- As in the US, the numbering
schemes employed by countries in Europe are running out. But, unlike the
US, where the 3+3+4 numbering scheme reigns supreme, the disparate
numbering systems in Europe are causing telecom administrators
headaches.

9 -> Intel's Major Plant Expansion For Ireland -- Intel has announced
provisional plans to expand its Leixlip, Dublin-based chip production
facility to become one of Europe's largest chip fabrication plants. A
formal announcement on the plan, which will be Ireland's biggest foreign
IT (information technology) investment ever, is expected early next
week.

10 -> China Moves To Restrict Radio-Emission Devices -- The State Radio
Regulatory Commission (SRRC) has urged provincial branches to implement
regulations to curb the chaotic import of radio emission devices. The
regulations, announced in July, require that imported radio-emission
devices get approval based on their type from SRRC, beginning next year.

11 -> Philippines' Manila Times Online -- Online commercially since
September 25, the Manila Times will also go on the World Wide Web early
in 1996.

12 -> Australia Spending Big On Outsourcing -- Get ready for an
outsourcing boom in NSW state Government. The results of an IT&T survey
conducted by the Department of Public Works and Services earlier this
year show that around AUS$55 million was spent by 42 agencies during the
1993-94 financial year, and 64 percent of the 100-odd agencies which
responded to the survey have tested the outsourcing waters.

13 -> Kids' Computer Habits Studied -- Children do not talk about brands
when discussing computers, they talk about playing. In the five to
12-year-old age group, there is little evidence of computer addiction
and the kids learn computer skills by trial and error, fiddling and
watching others, according to a study conducted by Toni Downes from the
University of Western Sydney's faculty of education.

14 -> World IT Conference Set For Bangkok In November -- The World Bank,
the Global Information Infrastructure Commission (GIIC) and the leading
Thai information technology agency will stage an international
conference at the United Nations building in Bangkok November.

15 -> US West In India -- Unfazed by the opposition to its entry into
India, the American telecom giant US West promises the usage of the
latest in digital switching technology here. In a workshop organized in
New Delhi last month, US West (India) Ltd. and BPL Systems and Projects
Ltd. announced that they will use Hybrid-Fibre Coax technology for their
telecom projects in Tamil Nadu. Experts from both the companies
demonstrated how voice, video and data get integrated using Hybrid-Fibre
Coax.

16 -> India - Alcatel Eyes Ailing ITI -- Alcatel, the French telecom
equipment company, has an eye on the Indian Telephone Industries (ITI)
Ltd., the Bangalore-based public sector undertaking (PSU) manufacturing
telecom equipment. However, according to Josef Cornu, vice-chairman of
Alcatel, the company, which is presently undergoing restructuring of its
operations worldwide, would not seriously move in this direction unless
the ailing ITI Ltd. is divided into smaller units.

17 -> Personnel Roundup -- This week saw comings and goings at the
following firms: VeriFone Inc., TCSI Corp., Dell Computer Corp., Blyth
Software Inc., Quark Inc., Unisys Corp., Psion Inc., and Oracle Corp.

18 -> Czech Version Of Worldgroup BBS Package -- Infima s.r.o., the
Prague-based BBS supplier and operator, is wrapping up its translation
of the Czech version of Galacticom's new Worldgroup package, which
should be on the shelves within a couple of months.

19 -> HP Authorizes Support Providers In Czech Republic --
Hewlett-Packard s.r.o. has signed on its first three Authorized Support
Providers in the Czech Republic.

20 -> Japan Newsbriefs -- In this roundup of news from Japan, NTT,
affiliate, plan price cuts, IPA offers software company home pages, NTT
to replace telephone circuits, Mecklermedia takes Internet World east,
Sharp announces new Viewcam, Sega ties US distribution deal with
Softbank, Sega unveils Web browser add-on, interactive TV venture
planned.

21 -> Mini Disc Sales Take Off As Million Mark Approaches -- It has
taken almost four years but sales of players for the Mini Disc audio
format are about to break the one million mark helped by a recent sales
campaign and a range of new players coming to the market from
manufacturers that have adopted the system.

22 ->  ****Feds Bust Huge Cell Phone "Cloning" Ring -- New York
officials have cracked what they call "the biggest illegal cellular
telephone cloning operation in the country" with the arrest of three
individuals this week. If convicted the suspects could receive up to 15
years in state prison.

23 -> CTP Buys Axiom, Opens Object Showcase, Adds Partners -- At a press
conference at company headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts,
Cambridge Technology Partners (CTP) unveiled pacts with eight packaged
software vendors, plus the opening of a new "CMS (Customer Management
Systems) Center of Excellence" envisioned by officials as a combination
"think tank," repository, and showcase for object frameworks supporting
business process re-engineering (BPR).

24 ->  ****"Not Guilty" Declares Alleged Chip Spy -- A former Intel
Corp. (NASDAQ: INTL) employee who said federal agents set him up told a
US District Court judge this week he is not guilty of giving valuable
industrial secrets to an Intel competitor.

25 ->  ****Budget Battle Slows Telecom -- The tug-of-war between
Congress and the White House over the federal budget has put
telecommunications reform legislation in a holding pattern. As a result,
a House-Senate conference committee to work out differences in the two
bills could start work as the clock begins to run out on the first
session of the 104th Congress.

26 ->  ****IEEE Backs Online Smut Filters -- Joining the fray over
online smut, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is
backing filtering technology, not criminal law, as the best way to
protect children in cyberspace.

27 -> Amdahl Takes Up Shares Though DMR Board Cool To Offer -- As the
three-way takeover battle for consulting firm DMR Group Inc. (TSE:DR)
continues, Amdahl Corp. (AMEX:AMH) has taken up shares already tendered
to it by DMR's major shareholders. But DMR's board of directors has
chosen not to recommend to its shareholders either Amdahl's offer nor a
rival one by BDM International, Inc., (NASDAQ:BDMI) of McLean, Virginia.

28 -> 12 Million-Entry Business Directory Free On The Web -- World
Yellow Pages Network has placed a list of 12 million businesses on the
World Wide Web, with business name, address, phone number and ZIP Code.
In addition World Yellow Pages Network offers to create, at no charge,
an unique Web home page for any business that requests one.

29 -> Pipex Offers Software Amnesty To Unlicensed NetScape Users --
Pipex, the UK Internet service provider and distributor of NetScape
Navigator, has announced it is offering an amnesty to any unlicensed
user of Navigator in the UK. The amnesty, which is being organized in
conjunction with Internet magazine, allows anyone buying the November
issue of the magazine to register their copy of NetScape navigator for
UKP 15.00, a saving of UKP 34.95 on standard pricing.

30 -> Sema Group To Acquire France's CISI -- The Sema Group, the
computer services provider company, has announced plans to acquire CISA,
the French systems integration and outsourcing company owned by CEA
Industrie. The deal is significant, as it is unusual for a UK company to
make an acquisition of this type in Europe.

31 -> Tiny Data Storage Device Gets Advocacy Group -- The CompactFlash
Association (CFA) has been formed by twelve computing, imaging,
communications and consumer electronics companies. CompactFlash
technology, developed by SanDisk, is said to be the world's smallest
removable data storage system so far aimed at the digital photography
market.

32 ->  ****IBM Names Data Warehousing Partners, Lowers Pricing -- In a
press teleconference, IBM unveiled data warehousing activities that
include a price reduction and repackaging of its upcoming Visual
Warehouse product, plus partnerships with five third-party software
vendors, Arbor, Pilot, Information Advantage, Business Objects, and
Vality, and seven education and consulting services.

33 -> Newsbytes Week In Review -- This is a look at the top stories this
week, listing with their category code:  Newsbytes Launches 2nd Web Site
- Full Keyword Searching, Silicon  Graphics Workstations Get
Productivity Bundle, Sprint Records Record  3Q Results, Networks
Everywhere Says Compaq Boss Following Record 3Q,  Six Newspapers
Announce Internet Job Listings, HP On The Go With  OmniGo - New
Organizer, Motorola Sets PowerPC 603e Chip Prices, Microsoft 1Qtr
Profits Hit Record, Jump 58%, BBC Discovers Faxes  Are Not Secure, Lotus
Buyout Puts IBM In Red In Qtr, Softbank Purchase  Of Ziff Davis
Publishing Imminent, Profits Down 48% At Apple, 77%  of US Firms In
Cyberspace By 1997 - Study, Feds Bust Huge Cell Phone  "Cloning" Ring,
Not Guilty" Declares Alleged Chip Spy, Budget  Battle Slows Telecom,
IEEE Backs Online Smut Filters, IBM Names Data  Warehousing Partners,
Lowers Pricing.

(Wendy Woods/19951020)








Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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10/19/95
GENERAL
China - Newsbriefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(PEK)(00001)
China - Newsbriefs 10/19/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- In this news roundup from China: pager
services in many cities will be linked, optical cable links 50 railway
stations in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Ericsson sells mobile
phone systems to Hunnan and Liaoning, and one million computers will be
sold this year in China.

Pager Services To Be Linked In Cities

Pager services provided by Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications in
31 cities are scheduled to be hooked up at the beginning of next year,
the ministry announced recently. The Telecommunications Administration
of the ministry has signed a contract with a US company for the link-up.

Optic Cable Links 50 Railway Stations In Guangxi

The Liuzhou-Lengshuitan long-distance fiber-optic cable communication
project was put into service recently in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous
Region. As a result, the 50 stations along the 400 kilometer railway
line, which are managed by Liuzhou Railway Bureau, have been connected
by modern communication tools. With an investment of more than RMB82
million (US$9.8 million) it is a major project taken by the Ministry of
Railway during the Eighth Five-Year Plan period (1991-1995).

Ericsson Sells Mobile Phone Systems To Hunnan & Liaoning

Swedish telecommunications giant Ericsson has signed two major contracts
totaling $77.5 million with two provinces. The first contract, worth
US$43 million, is for the expansion of a TACS (Total Access
Communications System) analog mobile cellular system in Hunnan province.
The other is a US$34.5 million deal for similar purpose in Liaoning
Province. Deliveries for the contracts are expected to begin in late
1995.

One Million Computers To Be Sold This Year In China

The Asia-Pacific personal computer market is expected to grow 24.3
percent year-on-year in 1995, with sales reaching 6.66 million units,
the Xinhua News Agency reported. China, Thailand, and Malaysia are leading
the boom, with China breaking the one-million unit level for the first
time. The PC market in China is poised to expand by more than 60 percent,
while the growth rate in Thailand will top 40 percent and Malaysia
Singapore 30 percent, according to industry research firm, Dataquest.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951019)




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10/19/95
TRENDS
China - AST Posts Strong PC Sales

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(PEK)(00002)
China - AST Posts Strong PC Sales 10/19/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- Although loosing in its native land,
AST's sales in China increased in the first half of this year, and the
company has introduced new personal computer models, complete with
Windows 95, to further tap the huge Chinese market.

While Compaq and IBM are introducing their new multimedia computers to
China, AST is presenting a new series of notebook and desktop products
priced in the US$1,500 to US$2,500 range. Some analysts contend that
this reflects a strategic shift by the company due to its poor results
in the US.

The company lost about $40 million this quarter in the US. However,
problems in the US will not affect the company's operation in China
because the China operation operates alone, is profitable, and is
running well, said AST officials.

In China, AST showed a 40 percent increase in sales in the first half of
the year, as compared to the same period last year. July and August saw
a growth rate of 144 percent in sales, said Robert Mcfarland, vice-
president of the company's Asia-Pacific and Mid-East operations.

AST's Chinese partner, Legend Group, is expected to sell over 10,000 AST
computers by the end of this year, according to their agreement. AST and
Microsoft signed an agreement for pre-installation of the Windows 95
operating system on AST's new products, which will have Intel's Pentium
processor or P6 as the central processors.

Since it first entered China in 1986, AST has experienced several ups
and downs. In 1993, AST's computers, which were designed specifically
for the Chinese home education market, did not sell well.

In the United States, AST's main competitors are Compaq and Hewlett-
Packard. Compaq and IBM are the strong competitors for AST in China.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951019)




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10/19/95
GOVT
China - Large-Scale Electronics Firms Planned

(NEWS)(GOVT)(PEK)(00003)
China - Large-Scale Electronics Firms Planned 10/19/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- China's electronics industry will
focus on large-scale production during the Ninth Five-Year Plan period
(1996-2000), Vice Minister of Electronics Industry Liu Jianfeng said.
Large group companies will play a more important role in the industry's
development.

The electronics industry must be developed in large scale production to
meet international competition, which will become more fierce if China
becomes a member of the World Trade Organization, the vice Minister said.
The ministry will foster three to five large enterprises with an annual
sales value of over RMB20 billion by the year 2000.

During the Five-Year Plan period, the capital for development will be
raised by various means, such as issuing stocks, and using loans and
funds from both home and abroad, the senior government official said.

The ministry has set up a foreign investment office under the Department
of Overall Planning, he declared, saying it will keep cooperating with
foreign companies. Overseas investors are encouraged to develop new and
high technology and to renovate existing enterprises with their Chinese
partners, he added.

During the ninth five year plan period, the ministry will be developing
integrated circuits, new types of components and devices, computers,
software, and communications equipment, the vice minister said.

The ministry hopes to achieve an average annual growth rate of more
than 20 percent by 2000. The industry's annual output value is expected
to reach RMB500 billion to RMB600 billion (US$59 billion to US$71
billion) in 2000, from RMB185.9 billion (US$22 billion) in 1994.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951019)




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10/19/95
SUPERCOMPUTER
Top Ten Supercomputers

(NEWS)(SUPERCOMPUTER)(LAX)(00004)
Top Ten Supercomputers 10/19/95
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- The Top 500
Report, issued each year by researchers at the University of Tennessee
and the University of Mannheim, tallies the top 500 supercomputer
installations around the world. The list is led by Fujitsu's wind tunnel
supercomputer installed in 1993.

The Top 500 report is released annually by professors Jack Dongarra,
University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Hans
W. Meuer and Erich Strohmaier of the University of Mannheim, Germany.

The present list ranks supercomputers by their performance on the
"LINPACK Benchmark" -- the benchmark used is to solve a dense system
of linear equations. For the TOP 500 a version of the benchmark was
used that allows the user to scale the size of the problem and to
optimize the software in order to achieve the "best performance for
a given machine."

This performance reportedly does not reflect the overall performance
of a given system, but it does, however, reflect the performance of a
dedicated system for solving a dense system of linear equations.

The ranking is based on the speed which the system operates at while
performing the LINPACK Benchmark.  It is measured in mega floating
point operations per second(MFLOPS)

The following are the top ten sites listed with manufacturer,
installation site, general field of use, number of processors,
and the ranked speed in MFLOPS.

First: Fujitsu, Numerical Wind Tunnel, Japan, Aerospace, 140
processors, 170400 MFLOPS.

Second: Intel, Sandia National Labs, United States, Research, 3,680
processors, 143400 MFLOPS.

Third: Intel, Oak Ridge National Lab, United States, Research, 3,072
processors, 127100 MFLOPS.

Fourth: Cray, Government, United States, Classified, 1024 processors,
100500 MFLOPS.

Fifth: Fujitsu, National Lab for High Energy Physics, Japan, Research,
80 processors, 98900 MFLOPS.

Sixth: TMC, Los Alamos National Lab, United States, Energy, 1056
processors, 59700 MFLOPS.

Seventh: Fujitsu, Japan Atomic Research, Japan, Research, 42
processors, 54500 MFLOPS.

Eighth: TMC, Minnesota Supercomputer Center, United States,
Academic, 896, 52300 MFLOPS.

Ninth: Cray, Los Alamos National Lab, United States, Energy, 512
processors, 50800 MFLOPS.

Tenth: Cray, Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center, Academic, 512
processors, 50800 MFLOPS.

Five-hundredth: Silicon Graphics, Westinghouse, Industrial, 8
processors, 1955 MFLOPS (this is actually a 52 system tie with 52
Silicon Graphics systems all with the same result).

(Richard Bowers/19950916/Press Contact: Ginny Babbitt, Silicon
Graphics, 415-390-2527)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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10/19/95
TRENDS
Compaq Tops PC Sales In Thailand

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(HKG)(00005)
Compaq Tops PC Sales In Thailand 10/19/95
BANGKOK, THAILAND, 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- Compaq was ranked number one in
PC sales in Thailand for the first half of this year, according to a
survey by Dataquest.

In the survey, Compaq topped the list with 12.57% market share, followed
by IBM 10.46%, Acer 9.13%, Laser 8.39%, and DEC 6.28%. Dataquest did not
disclose total unit sales.

Not all vendors agreed with the survey results. With IBM being displaced
to the number two position in the Dataquest survey, IBM Thailand Managing
Director Wanarak Eckachai said he did not believe Dataquest's survey was
accurate. He said he felt confident that IBM Thailand had done the best in
the first half of this year and deserve the number one spot. "There must
be some missing information," he added.

IBM Thailand PC Manager Suphajee Suthumpun said IBM sold more then
11,000 PCs in the first half of this year. "Our sales growth continues.
In the third quarter alone, we had sold some 10,000 PCs," she said, adding
that she expected to sell another 10,000 PCs in the last quarter of this
year.

Digital Equipment (Thailand) Corp is also unhappy with the results, as
the company expected to finish the year in a better position since some
20,000 units were expected to be sold.

Dataquest said Compaq's success came from the fact that it was able to
distribute ProLinea models to many businesses and had many distributors.
IBM's strength was in the banking sector and it had won a contract to
supply 5,000 PCs to the Thai Farmers Bank this year, the survey said.
Acer came third in sales because its major distributor, the Sahaviriya
OA Group, has a strong distribution channel and the ability to win
government projects. A surprising number four, Laser, did the best in
provincial markets with its low-cost 486 DX2 PCs, Dataquest noted.

In the first half of this year, major customers were medium businesses,
accounting for 26% of sales, small businesses (22%), then organizations
(21%), followed by home users (14%), government offices 5%, and
educational institutes with 8%.

Dataquest further predicted that PC growth would be around 18%-22% on
average from 1997-1999, with total PC sales as high as 550,000 units in
1999.

Four brandnames -- AST, HP, Packard Bell, and Samsung -- will be worth
keeping an eye on in the Thai marketplace as they are expected to grow
sales by more than 100%, Dataquest said. The company noted that AST had
a local subsidiary, HP was opting for a competitive price policy,
Packard Bell had no problem with service, and Samsung's prices were
very low at about 20% cheaper than Compaq.

(Tony Waltham and Post Database-Bangkok Post/19951019)




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10/19/95
ONLINE
Thailand - KSC Plans Internet Service Expansion

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(HKG)(00006)
Thailand - KSC Plans Internet Service Expansion 10/19/95
BANGKOK, THAILAND 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- KSC Commercial Internet (KSC
ComNet)
plans to invest an additional 200 million baht (US$8 million) to expand
its Internet service to 76 provinces and to upgrade its international
telephone line to six 2Mb lines, according to KSC ComNet Executive Board
Chairman Dr. Srisakdi Charmonman.

He said there was Internet demand outside Bangkok and that the project
would serve as the first step in learning more about the demands of rural
areas.

After the company has increased its registered capital to 100 million
baht with a new shareholder, Jasmine International, it will use fiber
optics and satellite telecommunications, as well as setting up corners for
registration and Internet demonstrations in 10 branches of Jasmine's Smart
Shops.

It will also invest another 200 million baht to expand its service
nationwide. He said Internet users upcountry would be able to access the
Internet through the X.25 line of the Communications Authority of Thailand
(CAT).

He expects the rate will be one to two baht (between 4 and 8 US cents)
a minute.

(Tony Waltham and Post Database-Bangkok Post/19951019)




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10/19/95
TRENDS
China - Computer Associates Targets Businesses

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(PEK)(00007)
China - Computer Associates Targets Businesses 10/19/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- As a latecomer to China,
compared with other business software companies, Computer Associates
International (CA) is pushing hard to increase its share of the market.
The company is confident about its success in the huge market, Charles
Wang, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of CA, told Newsbytes
in an exclusive interview in Beijing.

Compared with other business software companies, such as System Software
Associates (SSA) and SAP, CA entered China rather late. However, CA will
provide Chinese users with "unique integrated solutions" to run their
businesses, said Wang.

Wang visited China recently in his first trip back since he left Shanghai
in 1944 to emigrate to the United States with his family at the age of 8.

Wang held a series of high-level meetings with clients and government
officials. He also presented a keynote speech in '95 China ComputerWorld
Expo, the largest annual computer exhibition/conference in the country.

CA is expanding its business in China. After setting up its Shanghai
office last April, the company will open a Beijing office in November,
Wang said. He is quite sure that the company will do well in China
because the country needs business software in its modernization.

CA's major products are software for system management, database and
application development manufacturing, distribution, and finance,
Wang said. CA's software has been used by several major Chinese
government departments and banks, such as the General Administration of
Customs, Ministry of Energy, Bank of China, and Agricultural Bank of
China.

Like An Wang of Wang Laboratories, Charles Wang inspires Chinese
technical professionals and business entrepreneurs with his Chinese-
American technology success story. On October 10, a new book in Chinese
on Wang was published, entitled "Software Dragon: Charles Wang and his
CA Empire."

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951019/Reader Contact: Bob Gordon, CA,
516-342-2391)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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10/19/95
GENERAL
Australian News Briefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00008)
Australian News Briefs 10/19/95
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- In this roundup of news from
Australia: Sun Microsystems Establishes SunSITE, IDC Australia
Releases Research Bulletin, Oracle Australia Gets New Head, Telstra
Signs With ABB Asea Brown Boveri, Applied Micro Systems Revenues Up,
Music By Fax Service Launched, AT&T Offers Internet Backbone In Asia.

Sun Microsystems Establishes SunSITE

Sun Microsystems has established a SunSITE (software information and
technology exchange) at the Australian National University, to develop
better tools for Internet access and to promote the Internet among
community and cultural groups. It is the nineteenth SunSITE around the
world, the third in the southern hemisphere. The ANU site is based on
a SPARCserver with 512 megabytes (MB) of memory and 20 gigabytes (GB)
of disk storage. It should be operational next year.

IDC Australia Releases Research Bulletin

IDC Australia has released a research bulletin, which gives a half year
update on the Australian PC market. The bulletin reviews and forecasts
the 1995-1999 period, and identifies the Pentium processor, the home
market, and price movements as the most powerful market drivers this year.
"The first half of 1995 saw total shipments amounting to 601,254 units,"
said a company analyst. Based on that trend, a 21 percent increase in
the PC market across 1995 is forecast.

Oracle Australia Gets New Head

Former Oracle marketing director in Australia, Len Augustine, is to head
up the company's new Australasian media division. Oracle says the new
area will concentrate on the development of local content in Australia
and New Zealand, and engage government and business in the use of Oracle
products in major online service projects. The product suite includes
Oracle Media Server, Media Exchange, Media Objects, and Internet Server
and Browser.

Telstra Signs With ABB Asea Brown Boveri

Telstra has a new international customer in ABB Asea Brown Boveri, a giant
electrical engineering group. A press release from Telstra claims that
Anders Gorannson, ABB's Asia Pacific information services center manager,
has been chosen as preferred supplier for ABB's virtual private network for
voice and data. Telstra says ABB is the umbrella for around 1,000 companies
worldwide, and employs around 208,000 people. Under the agreement, Telstra
says it will supply a meshed international virtual private network (IVPN)
infrastructure for China, Japan, Taiwan, and other Asia Pacific countries.

Applied Micro Systems Revenues Up

Computer and communications company Applied Micro Systems (AMS) is looking
forward to revenues of around AUS$180 million this financial year. The
company says that this is a 40 percent increase on last year. AMS had
revenues of $129 million in the last financial year, a $31 million hike on
the previous year. The company specializes in corporate and government
markets and is looking to new markets in SE Asia. According to an AMS press
release, the Australian-owned company now has 200 employees. "Our aim is to
maintain a competitive edge in product pricing and professional services
and to ensure that continuing strong growth is properly managed," says
Managing Director Allan Brackin.

Music By Fax Service Launched

Telstra Multimedia is offering more than 1,000 songs and arrangements by
facsimile. The Music by Fax service was launched in conjunction with the
Music Sales Group. The service provides a range of computer-generated
scores suitable for piano, guitar, wind instruments, strings, or voice.
Customers with a fax machine dial up on a 190 number, enter in the
five-digit number code in the catalog and press the button. The Infofax
service costs $2 a minute, which means that a two-page score costs about
$6. Next year Telstra aims to double the number of pieces available to
about 2,000.

AT&T Offers Internet Backbone In Asia

AT&T has announced an Internet backbone in Asia. Available in Hong Kong
now, it will reach Australia later in the year, the company says. The
backbone network will be a dedicated connection for Internet customers in
Australia, Hong Kong, and Japan, and will provide dial-up access to the
Net on leased lines at 64kbps or faster.

(Paul Zucker/19951017)




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10/19/95
BUSINESS
Hong Kong - Banyan In Training Alliance

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00009)
Hong Kong - Banyan In Training Alliance 10/19/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- In a move that gives the
enterprise network maker deep reach into southern China's economy, Banyan
Systems signed the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) to lead its
training programs. Until now, Hong Kong courses were conducted by
visiting Banyan personnel.

The HKPC, which runs extensive training courses for industrial and business
managers from across Hong Kong and South China, will run two courses. The
Certified Banyan Specialist (CBS) and Certified Banyan Engineer (CBE)
programs both target individuals who design and support enterprise
networks based around Banyan's Vines network operating system. Qualifying
examinations will be independently administered by the Drake Training
Company.

"HKPC is an important technology transfer organization in Hong Kong and has
a very strong track record in technical software support training. We are
extremely pleased to have the Council's professional support for the Banyan
Technical Certification Programs in Hong Kong," said James Yao, managing
director of Banyan Systems' Greater China region.

"Over the years, Banyan Education Services has developed a robust
curriculum of courses and training products that enable individuals to
become proficient in the use, administration and maintenance of our
various products. These will now be available through HKPC as part of
its extensive information technology (IT) training calendar."

According to Nelson Tse, senior consultant with HKPC's Computer Services
Division, the courses will initially be offered on a six-weekly basis.
The frequency will be increased as market demand dictates. "Networking
is one of our key target areas," Tse said. "Adding the Banyan Technical
Certification Program to our training activities is very complementary
to the training we do in other areas of IT.

Added Tse, "We are keen to develop our relationship with Banyan and
offer more courses and non-technical seminars to promote such things as
management awareness of enterprise networking."

(Nigel Armstrong & I.T. Daily/19951019)




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10/19/95
TELECOM
India - British Telecom Offers Global Data Services

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEL)(00010)
India - British Telecom Offers Global Data Services 10/19/95
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- British Telecommunications plc.
(BT), and Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (VSNL), have launched the Concert
Packet Services (CPS) in New Delhi. Concert is a value-added, end-to-end
managed data network service offering instant connectivity to more than
1,300 cities in over 100 countries and over 200 public data networks
worldwide.

Speaking to Newsbytes at the launch of CPS, Ian Alston, regional manager,
Middle East and Indian subcontinent for BT, said: "With the launch of
CPS in New Delhi, Indian corporations will be able to get the benefits of
end-to-end data connectivity worldwide." The benefits of using Concert
include complete management of the network from a single network control
center. The entire network follows the same data transfer protocols
which enables smooth seamless transfer of data worldwide.

Concert is already available in Bombay and Madras. "After getting a
very good response in the two cities, we have decided to expand our
services in India. Shortly, the service will be extended to Bangalore,"
said Ian Gordon Cumming, marketing manager, Africa, India and the
Middle East.

Concert is a joint venture company of BT and the American long
distance carrier, MCI.

The private telecom major is also in the process of setting up an
exclusive regional head office in New Delhi to oversee its expanding
businesses in South Asia. According to Alston, this decision stems
from the "faith BT reposes in the demand for telecommunications in
India, and the desire to better serve its global clients operating
in the country." BT's South Asia operations will be headed by Arun
Seth, who has been appointed managing director, South Asia (SAARC
region).

(Nigel Armstrong & I.T. Daily/19951019)




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10/19/95
BROADCAST
India - Tektronix Plans Digital Studio

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(DEL)(00011)
India - Tektronix Plans Digital Studio 10/19/95
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- Tektronix (India) Ltd., the
Indian subsidiary of Tektronix Inc., has announced plans to set up a
television studio in Bombay to expand into the growing market for
studio equipment in the country. Tektronix has similar facilities in
Hollywood, New York, and London.

According to Tim Thorsteinson, president, Pacific Operations, the
digital studio in Bombay, which would demonstrate Tektronix' studio
equipment, will offer systems integration capabilities and train
users. The company's video systems will provide the video and
television industries with products covering a range of applications
from production and storage, to systemization and transmission.

Tektronix has already strengthened its presence in this segment
through its acquisition of Lightworks Editing Systems, a leader
in film and video editing.

Tektronix, which has been strong in post production studio equipment
will be "partnering with people to set up complete TV and film studio,"
said Brijesh Wahi, managing director, Tektronix India. He said
investment on the studio will be around R5 crore.

The US major is also looking at setting up a technology center in the
country which will essentially look at customizing Tektronix products
for the Indian market, undertake design activity in both hardware and
software, take up product development, and offer training to customers.
"The investment will depend on the kind of demonstration equipment the
company needs and the applications and designs that can be done here,"
said Thorsteinson.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19951019)




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10/19/95
GENERAL
India - Citicorp Intros Asset Mgt Software

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEL)(00012)
India - Citicorp Intros Asset Mgt Software 10/19/95
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- Citicorp Information Technology
Industries Ltd. (CITIL), an affiliate of Citicorp, and Microsoft India,
have introduced FundsPower -- a software product designed to provide
investor services.

Developed by CITIL and targeted to meet the growing needs of the mutual
funds business, the product is designed to enable asset management
companies to attract, retain, and grow their investor base by providing
single-window service through a countrywide network of investor centers.
The product supports both open-ended and close-ended fund transactions
and has fully integrated registrar functions. CITIL is a Microsoft
Solution Provider partner in India.

Bombay-based CITIL specializes in providing information technology (IT)
systems to the financial services industry worldwide. The company's
suite of financial products includes: MicroBanker, an integrated banking
system; Finware, a retail banking solution; and MoneyMaker, a dealing
automation system. CITIL has alliances with Microsoft Corp., Sun Micro
Systems, AT&T Corp., Sybase Inc., and Oracle Corp.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19951019)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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10/19/95
ONLINE
UK - "Internet Explained" CD-ROM Intro'd

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LON)(00013)
UK - "Internet Explained" CD-ROM Intro'd 10/19/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- You can certainly buy enough
books explaining the Internet, computer bookstores' shelves are
bursting with such books, but how about a ready reference CD-ROM?
Instant Access claims to have released the industry's first
"demystifying CD-ROM" about the Internet, priced at UKP24.99 from
its UK office.

According to Gillian Robertson, a spokeswoman for the company's London
office, the CD-ROM is ideal for every home and business computer users
that wants to learn about the Internet quickly and easily, and without
becoming frustrated by a maze of jargon and unfamiliar software.

"The disk was developed primarily in the US, although, initially it is
being sold in the UK. A date on the US launch, along with a price, has
yet to be decided," she told Newsbytes.

Although the disk can be used totally offline, the user is encouraged
to move online using the supplied software and subscription discounts
plus freebies, using a series of live links in the package's World
Wide Web tour guide.

The software on the disk includes a registered copy (worth $35) of
Netscape Navigator, as well all the necessary software to connect to
the Internet, including automated setup routines, a month's free trial
(of up to three hours access) to the IBM Global Network's Internet
service. The IBM service normally costs UKP10 a month for up to
three hours, or UKP20 a month for up to 30 hours.

Greg Rice, managing director with Instant Access, claims that
searching for specific software on the Internet is normally difficult
and time-consuming, but the CD categorizes all the software
editorially by name, type, use or level of experience, so reducing
the search to a "swift and uncomplicated process."

"As the Internet hype intensifies, and the range of Internet services
constantly increases, the problem still remains that new and potential
users have no idea how these online services may be useful or, indeed,
even how to get involved," he explained. He added that the Internet CD
solves this problem by explaining and demonstrating what the Internet
is really about.

Instant Access admits that the IBM Global Network is not the cheapest
Internet service around, but claims it is superior to many. In use,
the software sets up an automatic step-by-step registration process,
allowing users to get online within five minutes. Because IBM's Global
network is an international service, the starter kit is valid in
most countries worldwide, where Internet access is available for
the price of a local call.

Full details of Instant Access' Internet CD can be found on the
company's Web pages at http://www.instantaccess.com .

(Steve Gold/19951018/Press & Reader Contact: Instant Access UK,
tel [phone], fax [phone]; Instant Access US,
415-453-7192, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/19/95
TELECOM
Dutch Firm Intros Advanced Comms Server

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00014)
Dutch Firm Intros Advanced Comms Server 10/19/95
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS, 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- Centigram Communications
Corporation (CCC), a company which claims to be a leading global
provider of communications systems, has unveiled its Series 6 comms
server.

According to the company, the server is a next-generation hardware
and software platform for integrated voice, fax, and data messaging
that uses Pentium processors, digital signal processor (DSP) technology,
and TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) links to
offer a wide range of comms technologies to users.

The idea behind the Series 6 server is that it functions as a "black
box" that sits on a company's network, offering voice- and fax-mail
services, plus access to the Internet from the LAN (local area
network), and interfacing to the company's PABX (private automatic
branch exchange), as well as to the telephone company's switch.

Bundled with the Series 6 server is a Windows package called OneView
Remote that allows mobile users to dial into the company net, via the
server, accessing the LAN remotely, as well as using voice, fax, and
data -- or a compound of all three -- facilities. Using OneView as the
recipient of inbound calls from the server allows callers to the
company to use one single number (on the server) to place voice, fax,
and data calls to the mobile user, using store and forward techniques.

Announcing the development of Series 6, George Sollman, CCC's
president, said that the server is a giant step forward in meeting
customers' current and future communications needs.

"By supporting industry standards and incorporating advanced
technology in Series 6, we have not only provided our current and
future customers with applications that will greatly increase their
communications productivity, but have achieve a new level of price
performance that is unique in this industry," he explained.

The Series 6 can be supplied in a variety of configurations, pricing
from UKP8,000 upwards, and capable of servicing up to 240 ports,
28,800 hours of message storage, and more than 300,000 mailboxes on a
single system.

Using TCP/IP, the Series 6 can do a lot more than simply access the
Internet. Using TCP/IP allows access to other CCC Series servers
across the Internet, as well as more than 1,500 system nodes around
the world, moving data at speeds of up to 10 megabits-per-second.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951018/Press Contact: Shandwick Technologies,
[phone]; Reader Contact: Centrigram Communications Corp.,
[phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/19/95
GENERAL
UK - British Telecom Slashes CD-ROM Directory Prices

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00015)
UK - British Telecom Slashes CD-ROM Directory Prices 10/19/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- British Telecom (BT) seems to
have come to its senses as regards pricing on its CD-ROM directory of
UK phone numbers. After launching the disk with quarterly updates a few
years ago with a four figure price tag, the telecoms giant has pushed
the price down to UKP199 for a year's subscription to the disk, with
a quarterly update subscription included.

The monthly update disk, meanwhile, falls from UKP1,600 to UKP600 for
a year's subscription, while the Network Phone Disk package, for very
high-volume users with multi-server applications, falls from UKP4,000
to UKP3,000.

The price reductions come in the wake of a flood of unauthorized disks
originating from the Far East, typically selling for UKP30 to UKP50 at
UK street markets, which are the result from scans made of BT's paper
phone directories in "boilerhouses" in the Far East. The disks, though
infringing on BT's copyright, have been snapped up by businesses who
are not prepared to pay BT's official prices.

The disks, one of which Newsbytes has seen, use a slightly different
software interface than the legitimate BT version, and also suffer
from errors due to the OCR (optical character recognition) software
not capturing the correct alphabetic character. Numeric characters,
i.e. the numbers, tend to be correct in the database, however.

A key feature of the pirate CDs is their ability to reverse lookup
numbers and their related data. Thus, for example, a user can key in a
number and get back the listed entry for that number. BT's software,
due to a policy decision and claimed limitations of the UK's Data
Protection Act, does not allow such reverse lookups.

According to a BT spokesman, the price cuts will allow Phone Disk
customers to benefit from the cost savings, as well as lowering the
cost-effectiveness point at which companies should switch from pay-as-
you-go directory assistance via BT, and using the CD-ROM at the
switchboard or across the company network.

(Steve Gold/1995118/Press Contact: British Telecom Corporate
Communications [phone]; Public Contact: BT, toll-free
0800-526281)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/19/95
LEGAL
European Patent & Technology Law Shelved

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(LON)(00016)
European Patent & Technology Law Shelved 10/19/95
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- Wide-ranging proposed
legislation over patents and technology licensing proposed by the
European Commission (EC) has been shelved owing to discord.

The proposed legislation, while allowing companies within the EC to
transfer technology and patents providing the companies involved do
not hold a dominant position in their respective markets, seems to have
hit the buffers because the EC has proposed that any company holding
more than a 40 percent share of the market must undergo an EC
investigation before selling or transferring its technology to
another company or individual.

According to the EC, the proposed legislation is not being dumped, but
a decision on when to reintroduce it to the legal committees has not
yet been taken. Officials said that the proposals may have to be
altered before they can be considered for legislation.

Industry experts have been predicting that the proposed legislation
may fall at the first hurdle, since it allows major companies to sit
on patents which they would previously have licensed or sold to
smaller third-party companies. Under the new rules, critics said that
the submissions to the EC for such small revenue-generating patents
and technology transfers would make the transactions uneconomic.

Interestingly, Martin Bangemann, the EC's industry commissioner, as
well as the commissioners for Research and the Single Market, Edith
Cresson and Mario Monti, have previously stated their opposition to
the proposed legislation.

Bangemann has been gaining quite a following in EC circles in recent
months, owing to his pro-Europe stance on competition. Sources suggest
that his disdain for the proposal may well have been the final straw
for any chance the bill may have reached the committee stage.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951018/Press & Reader Contact: European
Commission, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/19/95
LEGAL
 ****BBC Discovers Faxes Are Not Secure

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(LON)(00017)
 ****BBC Discovers Faxes Are Not Secure 10/19/95
BLACKPOOL, LANCASHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- The British
Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) found out late last week that faxes are
not a secure transmission system. After faxing a copy of a top secret
internal management document to a BBC senior staying at the Pembroke
Hotel in Blackpool, where the Conservative Party Conference took place
all last week, BBC executives were aghast to discover that the fax was
sent to the room of Nigel Nelson, a journalist with The People
newspaper, who was also staying at the hotel.

The mis-route for the fax was caused by the fact that Nelson had
advised hotel staff that he was expecting an urgent fax, while the BBC
did not notify the recipient that a fax was on its way. Reception
staff at the hotel assumed that the incoming fax was meant for Nelson
and passed it along to him.

Like all good journalists, Nelson realized he had a potential scoop
and passed along the story to the paper, which duly published details
of the fax, along with a brief mention of how the fax came into its
hands.

The BBC, meanwhile, has complained loudly that the fax should have
been dispatched to Colin Browne head of the BBC's corporate affairs
office, who was hosting a reception for conference delegates at the
hotel.

The fax was send from Leigh Jackson, head of the BBC's Communication
Planning office, and outlined management's worries over job losses and
the potential effects of a likely strike if the British Government
goes ahead, as many think it will, with privatizing the BBC's TV and
radio transmitter network in the UK.

The fax also allegedly said that the BBC would press the government to
pass along at least some of the expected UKP100 million that the sale
of the 1,400-strong transmitter network would generate, to the BBC as
income for the state TV service.

Neither the hotel nor the BBC is making any comment about the
incident, but the paper claims that it ran the story with the interest
of the public in mind and that how the fax fell into its reporter's
hands was not its concern.

In an editorial in The People newspaper, which was published on
Sunday, Nelson said that "firing off secret faxes to busy hotels
without someone ready to receive them is asking for trouble."

Nelson went on to say that the story was printed, as it was in the
public interest to know what the country's TV company was planning to
do with its assets. In the UK, any TV owner or user has to pay the BBC
a license fee of around $150 a year to receive any form of terrestrial
TV transmissions.

Nelson claims that privatizing the transmitter network, while not
impinging on the BBC's operations itself, may not be in the public
interest in the long run. "Privatization could lead to foreign
companies muscling in on the most famous broadcasting network in the
world," he said in his editorial.

In a prepared statement, the BBC said that the document was not policy
and was written by a junior member of staff, and therefore was not as
sensitive as the newspaper had made out.

"We were victims of technology," the BBC said.

(Steve Gold/19951018)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/19/95
ONLINE
CMP's TechWeb To Use Information-Agent Technology

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00018)
CMP's TechWeb To Use Information-Agent Technology 10/19/95
MANHASSET, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- CMP's TechWeb
said a new service called "TechWeb Direct" will use information-
agent technology to deliver tech news directly to a user's
desktop or network, without having to log onto the Internet.

Using TechWeb Direct involves installing client software, which
employs digital delivery's information-agent technology. The
program will record the user's news preferences and areas of
interest. From that list, all relevant articles from CMP's editorial
database will be delivered to the user's computer via a dial-up
connection.

Computer users won't have to tell the software to dial into TechWeb
Direct, Jeff Pundyk, CMP Interactive Media Group spokesperson, told
Newsbytes. "Invisibly to you, it will dial out periodically
throughout the day, and query our Web page, and bring back results
only if they are appropriate to the profile you've filled out," he
said.

Users will be alerted by the software as news arrives, and the
information will be delivered in several formats, including Adobe
Acrobat, hypertext markup language (HTML), Microsoft Word, Quark
Xpress, or other formats. "It's more than just an electronic-mail
delivery system," Pundyk said. "It retains the page geometry, design,
look and feel, and the art. You can do some pretty nice things with
it. It's just not e-mail text."

The software can be downloaded from TechWeb at URL (uniform resource
locator) http://techweb.cmp.com when it is available in mid-November.
TechWeb members will be able to use Direct for free during the beta
testing period. All comments from testers will be evaluated during
the first quarter of 1996, when pricing will be determined, Mitchell
York, managing director of the CMP Interactive Media Group, told
Newsbytes.

York also said advertising might be sent to customers through TechWeb
Direct, to possibly help defray costs. In addition, he said "news
bulletins" that might not necessarily be normally sent to an individual
customer because of their registered preferences could be broadcast to
all TechWeb direct users.

When it comes to the TechWeb site in general, usage of CMP's Web
presence has grown 20 percent, company officials said. The site
also allows visitors to access back issues of CMP's publications,
like Computer Retail Week, Windows Magazine, NetGuide, and HomePC,
through TechSearch.

(Bob Woods/19951018/Press Contact: Catherine Jarrat Koatz, CMP,
516-562-7827, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/19/95
ONLINE
Shopping For Cars On The Web

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00019)
Shopping For Cars On The Web 10/19/95
DAYTON, OHIO, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- Cyberspace is becoming a
new avenue for people who are shopping for cars, via a database on
the Internet's World Wide Web. Dealernet offers information on
more than 350 current and 1996 model year cars, trucks, vans, and
other vehicles.

At the site, car shoppers will find specifications, manufacturer's
suggested retail prices, and details about options, safety features,
and warranties about the vehicles mentioned. Some of the multimedia
features of the site include photos, graphics, and even video footage.

Various car dealerships from around the US are also featured. From
the "virtual showroom," buyers can arrange for test drives, or inquire
about models and specific prices using the service's electronic-mail
feature.

"What we see Dealernet doing is being able to reach out to customers
and save them a lot of time," Marty Rood, director of Dealernet
operations, told Newsbytes. "What you have to do now is get into your
car on a Saturday morning and start visiting car lots, and normally
you're greeted with ten salespeople as you go into the showroom. So
initially, it's an unpleasant experience." Now, information can be
sought on the Internet, so when the customer reaches the dealership,
they can make a more informed decision, he said. However, Rood said
the Web site won't replace the auto dealership.

When Newsbytes surfed to the site, we found many different areas,
including specialty cars, used cars, credit check services, a section
on boats and recreational vehicles, and a new car searchable database.
In using the search engine to look for a new Saab between $20,000 and
$30,000 the database listed three models, and included pictures,
details, and pricing.

The Dealernet database uses information from Reynolds and Reynolds,
which recently bought Dealernet.

Rood said future plans for the site include a searchable database for
used car listings, and the ability to search for new car mechanical
specifications.

Dealernet is located at http://www.dealernet.com . The service can
also be e-mailed at [e-mail].

(Bob Woods/19951018/Press Contacts: Paul Guthrie, Reynolds and
Reynolds, 513-449-4216; Public Contact: Dealernet, Internet e-mail
[e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/19/95
TRENDS
Oracle Helps Police

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00020)
Oracle Helps Police 10/19/95
MIAMI, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- Database giant, Oracle
(NASDAQ:ORCL) has announced the immediate availability of Oracle Special
Investigative Unit Support System (SIUSS) Release 1.0 for Microsoft Windows.
Designed to store, organize, and manage information related to criminal
activity, SIUSS incorporates the latest database advancements to reduce
investigation time and solve cases.

Announced at the annual International Association of Chiefs of Police
Conference, SIUSS actually develops leads by combining the known
facts contained in the database.

"Police departments and other law enforcement departments have used
computers mainly for information storage and retrieval," said an Oracle
spokesperson. "SIUSS changes the entire concept though its ability to
offer insights into a case. SIUSS uses automated link analysis to
assemble the data gathered through standard investigative procedures."

Continuing, he said, "Most people do not realize a case can easily
contain hundreds of pieces of data which often become difficult to store
in an organized fashion. The chances of losing a piece of data are high
and this is one of the many problems SIUSS addresses."

Based on Oracle 7, SIUSS offers users a scalable security system which
allows a department to determine who can access various levels of data
in a particular case. Case information can be shared or kept secret to
almost any degree of detail. Oracle says this type of scalable security
makes SIUSS an excellent tool for joint investigations where a number
of different local, state, and federal agencies are involved.

Offering an example of SIUSS's analytical capabilities, Oracle said
the program could analyze telephone records of a suspect to determine
probabilities that a certain number or numbers may indicate other
parties involved with a specific crime.

In response to questions about data security, Oracle said SIUSS is
built with data protection technology which makes concerns about
data security through connectivity and portability a "non-issue."

SIUSS runs on Windows-based personal computers connected to almost
any type of file server. The entry-level price is $6,900 and includes
the Oracle 7 database.

(Patrick McKenna/19951018/Press Contact: Chip Coyle, Oracle,
301-907-2228)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/19/95
CHIPS
Fujitsu Joins Ramtron FRAM Project

(NEWS)(CHIPS)(TYO)(00021)
Fujitsu Joins Ramtron FRAM Project 10/19/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- Almost two months to the day since
announcing an agreement with Toshiba, Ramtron (NASDAQ:RMTR) has gained
another Japanese partner in its plans to develop FRAM (ferro-electric
random access memory) technology. The Colorado Springs-based company
has signed a memorandum of understanding with Tokyo's Fujitsu Ltd.
stating that both companies intend to jointly develop semiconductor
products.

A final agreement is anticipated in late November, after which, joint
development efforts will begin. They will include a feasibility study
for high-density FRAM products, and include test chip design and
evaluation. The two companies will work towards the development of
a 1 megabit (Mb) FRAM chip and, after that, a 16Mb device.

Under the deal, which also covers sales and marketing in Japan,
Fujitsu will be entitled to sell the products under its own name and
supply them on an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) basis to
other manufacturers.

FRAM chips have the ability to retain data stored in memory when the
power is removed giving them the high speed of dynamic random access
memory (DRAM) and static random access memory (SRAM) with the
non-volatility of read-only memory (ROM) according to Ramtron.

Ramtron already has agreements with Hitachi, Rohm, and Toshiba over
development and use of the same technology.

In the future, the chips are expected to find applications in all sorts
of electronics devices, especially small hand held units such as
personal organizers, which currently require memory backup batteries
to retain configuration when switched off.

A spokesman for Toshiba, which signed an agreement with Ramtron in
August, told Newsbytes the company expects the price of chips to equal
those of SRAM chips when mass production begins in two to three years
time.

"As a top ten semiconductor company, Fujitsu possesses expertise in a
number of areas that will greatly aid the emergence of FRAM memory as
a mainstream memory solution," said L. David Sikes, Ramtron's chairman
and chief executive officer (CEO). "Fujitsu's high-volume manufacturing
expertise and semiconductor marketing experience should prove to be of
tremendous benefit," he added.

Fujitsu's Shirai, general manager for memory products, commented, "I
expect that ferro-electric memory technology will enable us to open
more markets and increase the activity in our memory business. The
cooperation between our companies will expand the availability of
high-density FRAM products."

On Tuesday, Ramtron stock ended the day up 87.5 cents on the news at
$11.00

(Martyn Williams/19951019/Press contact: Mike Beirne, Fujitsu Ltd.,
tel [phone], fax [phone], Internet e-mail
[e-mail]; Lee Brown, Ramtron, tel [phone],
fax [phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail] ; Reader
contact: Ramtron, 800-545-FRAM, Internet World Wide Web
http://www.csn.net/ramtron )




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/19/95
ONLINE
Internet Update

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00022)
Internet Update 10/19/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- In this roundup of new services and
resources on the global Internet: In the news: The Swiss elections,
MCI brings banned music online, US yellow pages directory, Internet
tips mailing list, PC-Card association, Hurricane damage information,
Weather and climate data online, Netherlands Energy Research
Foundation, Small satellite information.

In The News: The Swiss Elections

This Sunday, the nation of Switzerland goes to the polls. Internet
users worldwide can follow the federal elections online and view
candidate lists, party information, election laws, see interactive
opinions and follow links to the personal homepages of the candidates.
World Wide Web: http://www.hebdo.ch/ef/elections.html

MCI Brings Banned Music Online

MCI and News Corporation are helping to remove political barriers by
bringing the sounds of Cuba's best jazz artists to the Internet. The
new site, "Jamming in Havana," features a number of Cuban jazz
musicians, many of whom have been banned from performing in the US.
Audio clips by Jesus "Chucho" Valdes, Los Van Van, Gonzalo Rubalcaba,
and Issac Delgado, among others, are featured, in addition to links to
Cuban related sites and articles about the current political situation
in the country by Newsweek Senior Writer Tom Masland.
World Wide Web: http://www.delphi.com/
World Wide Web: http://www.internetmci.com/

US Yellow Pages Directory

A couple of weeks ago Newsbytes listed the new US Business Yellow Pages
directory, a searchable database of all US businesses. The World
Yellow Pages Network is a similar service offering access to 14
million American business listings. A unique feature is the ability
of each listed business to create a homepage alongside its listing.
World Wide Web: http://wyp.net/

In addition to the new US yellow pages site, there are several other
similar directories available across the Internet and a new page now
brings them all together with links from a single source.
World Wide Web: http://www.buttle.com/tel/

Internet Tips Mailing List

From October 30th, a new mailing list begins, aimed at providers of
services on the network. Internet Tips aims to provide "helpful tips
on how and where you can announce your resource on the Internet." The
list, a one-way mailing list, will be suitable for providers of all
types of resources from business information and mailing lists to
online magazines, newsletters, and Web sites.
Email: [e-mail]
Message Body: subscribe 4him-internet-tips <your e-mail address>

PC-Card Association

The most comprehensive PC Card-related site on the Web was announced
this week by PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International
Association). The site is designed to be a "one-stop-shop" for
information about PC Cards and the association. The organizers
promise an online version of the PC-Card directory, listing related
publications and services, will soon be available.
World Wide Web: http://www.pc-card.com/

Hurricane Damage Information

The tourist board in The French West Indies Tourist Board has posted
press releases concerning the recent Hurricane and the damage it
caused. Visitors can find details of beach and vegetation damage and
lists by name hotels of restaurants in St. Bart and St. Martin which
have damage, which are open, and which will be open by the date given.
World Wide Web: http://www.crl.com/~philip/fwipr.html

Weather And Climate Data Online

The European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts now has a Web
server. Visitors can access forecast charts for the next six days.
World Wide Web: http://www.ecmwf.int/

In the United States, The Southeast Regional Climate Center is one of
six regional weather centers and is located within the South Carolina
Department of Natural Resources in Columbia, South Carolina. One of
the goals of the center is to promote and emphasize weather and
climate science education to teachers and students. As part of the
goal, the center provides a Web page for teachers with links to
climate associated information.
World Wide Web: http://sercc.dnr.state.sc.us/education.html

Netherlands Energy Research Foundation

The Netherlands Energy Research Foundation has a new Web server on the
Internet. The organization, which is engaged in research of energy,
environment, nuclear energy, renewable energy, fossil fuels and energy
policy, develops technologies for a safe, clean and efficient energy
supply. The site offers information about the foundation's activities
and a comprehensive database of energy-related Internet information
sources.
World Wide Web: http://www.ecn.nl/

Small Satellite Information

Surrey University, one of the world leaders in small satellite
technology, is now offering information about the subject on the
Internet. The International Journal of Small Satellite Engineering is
an electronic refereed journal, dealing with all aspects of the small
satellite field and will be published on the Web regularly. In
addition to the magazine, links to other related sites are also
available. World Wide Web:
http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/EE/CSER/UOSAT/SSHP/sshp.html

(Martyn Williams/19951019)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/19/95
UNIX
Unix Vendors Intro AS/U For Windows/NT Interoperability

(NEWS)(UNIX)(BOS)(00023)
Unix Vendors Intro AS/U For Windows/NT Interoperability 10/19/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 19 NB) -- Advanced Server
for Unix lets organizations combine the GUI (graphical user
interface) of the Windows environment and security features of
Windows NT with the scalability and "robustness" of Unix, said
Data General, Bull, Olivetti, and Pyramid officials, during new
product introductions and meetings with Newsbytes at AT&T
Connections in Boston. Also at the show yesterday, these Unix
vendors joined with companies that included Digital Equipment
Corp. and SCO (Santa Cruz Operations) in a demo of mutual
interoperability with Windows NT.

Initially announced in August, 1994, Advanced Server represents a
joint agreement by AT&T and Microsoft to develop products for
Unix that are compatible and interoperable with Microsoft's
networking technology, said Leonard J. LuPriore, speaking
with Newsbytes at the World Trade Center in Boston, where AT&T
and its sub-licensees joined together for their first
collaborative presentation concerning Advanced Server for Unix
(AS/U).

A total of four ports of AT&T and Microsoft's collaboratively
developed architecture were announced at AT&T Connections
yesterday, including: Data General's DG/Advanced Server 3.5 for
Unix, for DG's Aviion servers; Bull's Advanced Server 3.5 for
Unix, operating on AIX 4.1 on Bull as well as IBM RS-6000 and
PowerPC servers; Olivetti's Advanced Server for Unix, running on
Olivetti Unix workstations and servers under Unix SVR4; and
Pyramid's Advanced Server for Unix, designed for Pyramid and
Siemen-Nixdorf's RM200, RM400, and RM600 workstations and
servers.

Also at AT&T Connections, Digital demonstrated an upcoming
Advanced Server for Unix capability. In a meeting with Newsbytes
at the show, Rob Emsley, Digital's marketing manager for Network
Integration Software, said that Digital plans to integrate the
capability into the next edition of Polycenter for Digital Unix,
a product that will be announced in the spring of 1996.

"We'll then roll the same code base into OpenVMS," Emsley told
Newsbytes. Shortly after shipping the next release of Polycenter
for Digital Unix next spring, Digital will incorporate AS/U into
Polycenter for OpenVMS running on Alpha as well as VAX, the
Digital exec revealed.

The Unix vendors that are supporting Advanced Workstation for
Unix sell products into "enterprise environments" that are
typified by large numbers of Unix servers and Windows clients, as
well as by the increasing appearance of Windows NT servers,
according to Emsley.

These environments are starting to be populated by Windows 95
clients, too, noted Marie-France Ligeret, marketing director for
Bull's Distributed Computing Solutions, during the same meeting
at the show. "But we don't expect large-scale deployments of
Windows 95 until next year," she added.

As a general rule, Bull's enterprise customers are seeking
environments that provide the ease-of-use of the Windows desktop
client, together with the "reliability, scalability, and high
availability" of Unix servers, Ligeret told Newsbytes. "But some
customers prefer Windows NT servers over Unix," she acknowledged,
pointing in particular to trusted domain.

During one of several sessions at the show in Boston, the AT&T
sub-licensees demonstrated mutual interoperability with NT's
trusted domain.

In another session, Michael A. Goulde, senior consultant for the
Patricia Seybold Group, advised the journalists, analysts, and
large Unix customers attending the event that Unix vendors can
support Advanced Workstation's underlying architecture, while
still differentiating products on the basis of tools provided on
top of this architecture, and the chips, buses, and other
hardware components below.

"Users want Unix and NT integration," Goulde maintained, citing
reasons that included "a common set of services, common
management, and common application deployment."

AS/U is "the best way" of obtaining this integration, Goulde
added. The alternative approach of integrating Unix support
within Windows NT would be much less workable, since the
"scalability, system and network management of NT are too
immature to challenge Unix at the high end," he elaborated.

Companies like Bristol and MainSoft have ported the Win 32 API
(application programming interface) to Windows NT, while Data
Focus's Nutcracker provides Unix APIs on NT, Goulde allowed. But
still, these tools are "proprietary," and "coverage of Posix on
NT remains incomplete," he asserted.

Data General started shipping its DG/Advanced Server about six
months ago, noted David S. Wagner, product manager, System and
Network Management, in another meeting with Newsbytes at the
show.

AS/U originally came about through an OEM (original equipment
manufacturer) agreement between AT&T GIS and Microsoft, and AT&T
has maintained its commitment to the architecture despite the
recent sale of GIS, the DG exec pointed out.

DG/Advanced Server provides file and print services to all
Microsoft desktop clients, according to Wagner. With the
introduction of DG/Advanced Server, DG has also extended the
"lights-out" system administration of Aviion servers and Clariion
storage systems to include NT servers as well as DG/UX Clusters
based on Windows NT.

Some 50 to 60 organizations are already using DG/Advanced Server,
Wagner told Newsbytes. The customers come from industries that
include finance, telecommunications, and government.

Olivetti, a company that sold $25 billion in systems last year,
"needs AS/U even more than other vendors," contended Brian Tomlin
of Olivetti's Systems & Services Division, during another
interview with Newsbytes at the event in Boston.

Olivetti's customers want to achieve interoperability and
clustering within an installed base of Unix servers and Windows
clients, according to Tomlin. Many of these customers are
European banks, the Olivetti exec told Newsbytes. Olivetti plans
to ship its product on CD-ROM later this month. The new AS/U
products from Bull and Pyramid are available immediately.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951119/Reader and Press Contacts: Martha
Cowles, AT&T, 908-576-4884; DEC, 508-493-5111; Reader Contacts:
Data General, 508-366-8911; Bull, 508-294-6000; Pyramid, 408-428-
9000; Press Contacts: Jim Dunlap, Data General, 508-898-6546;
Margaret Taylor, Data General, 508-898-6393; Peter Stavropolos,
Bull, 508-294-5654; Richard Stone, Olivetti North America,
509-927-5718; Stacy Welsh or Ka Wai Leung, Pyramid, 408-428-9000;
Christopher Castillo or Abby Parower, Neale-Maye & Partners for
Pyramid, 415-328-5555)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/19/95
TRENDS
PC Apps Will Drive High-Density CD - Report

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TOR)(00024)
PC Apps Will Drive High-Density CD - Report 10/19/95
WOODSTOCK, VERMONT, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- Personal computer
multimedia applications will be the strongest force driving the
acceptance of new high-density compact disk technology, according to
research firm InfoTech. The firm predicted that in 1997, the first full
year the new 4.7 gigabyte (GB) technology is available, more than two
million of the high-density CD drives will be sold.

InfoTech expects the drives will have three main uses: as high-density
CD-ROM drives for personal computers; as digital videodisk (DVD) systems
for home video; and as high-density CD-ROMs for interactive television
set-top video game systems.

Of the more than two million high-density drives it expects to be sold in
1997, InfoTech predicts that about 1.2 million will be sold for personal
computers. Julie Schwerin, president of InfoTech, told Newsbytes that the
4.7GB disks will be popular for multimedia content such as games and for
reference titles containing such information as stock data and patent
information. Both these types of titles often need more than one of
today's CD-ROM disks, she said.

InfoTech expects that, when the price of the new high-density drives falls
to within about $50 of the price of existing CD-ROM drives, personal
computer makers will start building them into their systems as standard
equipment. Schwerin said that will probably happen within 12 to 18 months
after the drives are introduced. Exactly when the first drives will hit
the market is still uncertain, as is the introductory price, though
Schwerin said previous generations of CD-ROM drives have started out
in the $800-to-$1,000 range and fallen from there.

Schwerin said InfoTech's projections are based on a study of about a
dozen previous introductions of new consumer technologies, from
videocassette recorders to home satellite systems, and on interviews with
industry experts. However, she also warned that there is no exact
precedent for the introduction of the new CD technology.

In the home, InfoTech expects digital videodisks will replace analog
laser videodisk systems, but will not take the place of videocassette
recorders because consumers cannot record to the disks. Schwerin said
consumers are likely to buy the DVD systems because of their better
reproduction but keep their videotape machines so that they can record
their own material. This is much like the way people buy prerecorded
music on audio compact disks but also own audio cassette recorders so
they can make their own tapes or play those made for them by friends.
The difference, Schwerin said, is that there is no widely used older
technology for DVD to replace the way audio CDs have replaced vinyl
records.

(Grant Buckler/19951019/Press Contact: Ted Pine, InfoTech,
802-763-2097)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/19/95
CHIPS
World's Smallest Embedded AT Attachment Storage

(NEWS)(CHIPS)(LAX)(00025)
World's Smallest Embedded AT Attachment Storage 10/19/95
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- SanDisk Corp.
has introduced the Flash Chipset, claimed to be the world's smallest
embedded solid-state ATA (AT attachment) data storage system. The
chipset contains memory and a flash controller chip.

Targeted at the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) market, the
chipset provides product developers with a low power, higher
capacity, small footprint storage device that can be used in new,
lightweight, mobile electronics products.

These products include palmtop and handheld computers, personal
digital assistants (PDAs), cellular phones, digital PBXs (private
branch exchanges), audio recorders, printers, digital cameras,
medical monitors, and multi-function PC cards.

Jeff Ellerbruch, SanDisk product marketing manager, told Newsbytes,
"Flash storage is non-volatile and very rugged. If power goes out
you retain memory with flash storage. With DRAM (dynamic random
access memory) you lose memory when you lose power, even with
SRAM (static RAM) you lose memory when power and battery go out.
With flash the memory stays.

"This is also the industry's first 32 megabit (Mb)-based flash product
being shipped in volume. Because 32Mb flash has denser memory than
previous flash generations, we are able to lower the cost of data
storage to customers," said Ellerbruch.

The chipset is available in 2 megabyte (MB), 4MB, and 10MB capacities.
OEM volume pricing is $60 for 2MB, $85 for 4MB, and $195 for the 10MB
chipset.

Leon Malmed, SanDisk's senior vice president of marketing and sales,
said, "With its extremely low power requirements, the Flash Chipset
will extend the battery life of these new, small mobile products. The
chipset will enable these products to be smaller, lighter, and less
expensive, while maintaining the highest data reliability through the
intelligent controller.

This chipset is designed to operate on only 3.3-volts which means
that it is perfect for products that will use AA or other low-power
batteries. The chipset also can be operated with a five-volt power
supply.

This controller was developed jointly with Motorola Corp., employing
a 68000 core processor and the associated logic, buffer memory, and
microcode ROM (read-only memory). It is packaged in a small footprint
100-pin plastic QFP. The flash chips are packaged in an LCC or a
three-chip module. All parts are under 1.2 millimeters (mm) in height.

With full ATA and IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) disk drive
compatibility in a chipset format, the chipset can be designed into
any platform and operating systems that have built-in BIOS (basic
input/output system) and driver support for IDE-ATA storage devices,
including Windows 95, DOS, GEOS, OS/2, and Apple System 7.

(Richard Bowers/19951019/Press Contact: Bob Goligoski, SanDisk,
408-562-3463)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/19/95
IBM
****Lotus Buyout Puts IBM In Red In Qtr

(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00026)
****Lotus Buyout Puts IBM In Red In Qtr 10/19/95
ARMONK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- A one-time charge
related to its takeover of Lotus Development Corp. left IBM (NYSE:IBM)
with a loss in the third quarter, but before the $1.8 billion charge the
company's earnings were up significantly over the same quarter a year
earlier. Revenues rose nine percent versus the third quarter of 1994.

Before the special charge, IBM reported earnings of $1.3 billion, or $2.30
per common share, on revenues of $16.8 billion in the quarter ended Sept.
30. These figures compare with earnings of $710 million, or $1.18 per
common share, on revenues of $15.4 billion in the corresponding 1994
quarter.

IBM said it took the $1.8 billion charge for the Lotus acquisition because
it concluded that certain Lotus technology did not meet accounting
definitions of completed technology and thus should be written off under
accounting rules.

The company also said it is pleased with Lotus' performance since the
acquisition in June, pointing in particular to sales of Lotus' Notes
workgroup development software and its cc:Mail electronic-mail software.

Bob Djurdjevic, a veteran IBM-watcher and editor of Annex Computer
Report in Phoenix, Arizona, is also cautiously positive about the Lotus
buyout. "Strategically speaking it was a good idea," Djurdjevic told
Newsbytes, although he added that integrating Lotus into IBM will be a
test of IBM's management style. IBM will need to use a "velvet glove"
rather than an "iron fist," Djurdjevic said, and at this point "you
can hardly even begin to decide whether it's working out."

IBM expressed disappointment in its hardware sales in the third quarter,
putting most of the blame on supply problems with its System/390 servers
and high-end storage products. However, Djurdjevic said hardware sales
were about as he had expected and said that if IBM Chairman Louis
Gerstner was disappointed it was because he had "inflated expectations."

IBM also said its revenues from services and from its original equipment
manufacturer (OEM) business continued to grow strongly, as did software
sales. Meanwhile, expenses were two percent lower than in the
corresponding quarter last year, the company said.

The area showing the strongest revenue growth was services, up 36 percent
year-over-year at $3.1 billion. Over-all software revenues grew 14 percent,
rentals and financing 11 percent, maintenance two percent, and hardware
revenues remained roughly the same. Djurdjevic commented that IBM's
service sector is "the best part of their business" and does not get the
attention it deserves on Wall Street.

IBM said its sales of personal computers increased in the quarter, but
revenues from its mainframe and AS/400 lines fell.

(Grant Buckler/19951019/Press Contact: Rob Wilson, IBM, 914-765-6565)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/19/95
BUSINESS
 ****Softbank Purchase Of Ziff Davis Publishing Imminent

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00027)
 ****Softbank Purchase Of Ziff Davis Publishing Imminent 10/19/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- Softbank Corporation confirmed in
Tokyo this evening that it is in talks over the purchase of Ziff
Davis Publishing. Softbank president, Mayoshi Son, told assembled
journalists that the company is in negotiations over a final price
for the deal and has already reached agreement on several terms.

Final announcement of the deal is expected soon. An article on Ziff's
PC-Week Online service Wednesday night quoted sources as saying, "The
talks are progressing quite well, keep your eye on the wire tomorrow."

However, Greg Jarboe, director of public relations for Ziff Davis, told
Newsbytes this morning, "There is no definitive agreement yet, but we
anticipate one before the week of Comdex." Comdex, a computer industry
trade show run by Softbank Expos, takes place in the week of November
14 in Las Vegas.

Jarboe anticipates no big changes in the company under the new
ownership, saying, "They have a good track record. When they acquired
Comdex they kept the management team in place. In fact, we have heard
from many of our former colleagues at Comdex that they have been a
good owner."

On Friday, Softbank announced a public share offer of 2.8 million
additional shares which, the company said, would raise part of the
costs involved in a company take-over, although at the time no
announcement was made of which companies. The Nihon Keizai Shimbun,
Japan's top business newspaper, in its Sunday edition revealed the
talks were with Ziff Davis.

Jarboe revealed to Newsbytes the talks between Softbank and Forstmann
Little only began at the weekend.

Financial analysts estimate the extra share issue will raise 63.31
billion yen ($633 million) for the company. At today's press
conference, Son declined to reveal any details about the value of the
bid.

The Wall Street Journal estimated the figure at $2 billion in a report
this week and Sunday's Nihon Keizai Shimbun article quoted a price of
around $1.5 billion. Forstmann Little, the company that beat Softbank
to buy Ziff Davis Publishing, paid $1.4 billion last October.

Softbank is Japan's biggest publisher and distributor or computer
software and magazines, and the purchase of the publications arm of
Ziff Davis would add some important titles and services to the company
which already produces Japanese versions of PC-Week and Mac-User under
license in Japan.

In addition to the licensing from Ziff Davis to Softbank, Jarboe also
noted a similar agreement in the opposite direction, "We know Softbank
very well, we publish Networld+Interop Daily News (a daily newspaper
for the show of the same name) with Softbank." The two have also
jointly staged the Computer Mania series of consumer shows across the
United States.

He added, "Our chairman, Eric Hippeau, and Softbank's chairman,
Mayoshi Son, know each other well. It's a coming together of old
friends."

Softbank tried to buy the unit last year, but was unsuccessful. It did
manage to walk away with Ziff's exhibition arm for $202 million that
included the Networld+Interop, Windows Solutions, and other computer
trade shows.

The company followed with the purchase of the exhibitions arm of the
Interface Group, renamed as Softbank Comdex, early this year, which
got the company the Comdex and Windows World exhibitions.

In addition to being the country's largest computer magazine and book
publisher, Softbank is also Japan's distributor of computer systems,
software, and peripherals.

Softbank has also just entered into a joint venture, Gamebank Corp.,
with Microsoft Corporation to produce and distribute games software
for the Windows 95 operating system.

(Martyn Williams/19951019)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/19/95
TELECOM
Ericsson Intros Dual-Mode Cellular Portable Phone

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00028)
Ericsson Intros Dual-Mode Cellular Portable Phone 10/19/95
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- Ericsson, the Swedish telephone
company, has unveiled a dual-mode digital mobile, suitable for use on
both GSM (global system for mobile communications) and DECT (digital
European cordless technology) networks.

While GSM is the international "roamable" digital network, allowing
mobiles to be used in dozens of countries around the world, DECT is a
cordless technology that is found in many cordless PABX (private
automatic branch exchanges) across Europe. The idea is that, in the
office, the phone acts as a cordless extension from the office
network, while out and about, it operates as a conventional GSM phone.

Thanks to its DECT compliance, the mobile can be registered on several
DECT-compliant networks, provided the PABX administrator allows this.
This is useful, Ericsson claims, for companies with multiple offices
where staff move between them. A user's home "extension" can be
diverted to other PABXs, with a fallback of diversion to the public
GSM network.

Ericsson claims that the phone, the first of its type, will be
extremely useful to business people in several European countries
where DECT is taking off. It will also act as a catalyst, the telco
claims, for companies considering upgrading their PABX to cordless
interworking.

According to Ericsson, DECT is a better alternative than CT-2
(cordless type two) local digital mobile technology, since its packet
transmission mode is superior in terms of resilience to interference.

Ericsson also claims that the dual-mode approach is better than some
companies' solutions, where a local private GSM base station is used,
since DECT is far better at handling calls indoors than GSM, which is
prone to distortion.

Ericsson isn't saying how much the new portable, which has been dubbed
the DH337, will cost, but sources suggest the unit will not cost much
more than the current EH337 GSM handportable, which sells for around
$500 without an airtime contract attached.

Plans call for the new mobile to be tested by Telia, the Swedish
telecoms company, which markets Ericsson DECT-compliant exchanges in
Sweden. If the trials of the phone are successful in early 1996, the
phones will be sold to the public by early 1997.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951018/Press Contact: Per Bengtsson, information
Director, Ericsson Business Area Radio Communications, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/19/95
GOVT
Pakistan - Govt's Software Investment Initiative

(NEWS)(GOVT)(LON)(00029)
Pakistan - Govt's Software Investment Initiative 10/19/95
KARACHI, PAKISTAN, 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- With the assistance of the
Business Software Alliance (BSA) in Europe, the Pakistan Government
has announced an incentives program to attract foreign investment in
the country's software industry. According to the Ministry of the
Interior, the plan is the brainchild of Benazir Bhutto, the Prime
Minister of Pakistan and aims to service the software needs of both
Pakistan and other Asian countries.

The ultimate aim of the program, officials said, is to encourage
partnerships between Pakistani companies and foreigners, to develop
applications that can be sold worldwide, so generating foreign revenue
for the country, as well as profits for all parties concerned.

Announcing the program, Khalid Ahmad-Kharal said that the scheme
allows tax breaks, financial support, and waiving of legislation that
currently prohibits companies being wholly owned by foreigners.

Ahmad-Kharal, Pakistan's popular Information and Broadcasting
Minister, said that the country aims to follow the lead set by India
in becoming a major international source of business software. India,
Newsbytes notes, has carved out a high-tech niche for itself, thanks
to the efforts of a number of entrepreneurs who have established large
software operations which employ staff far more cheaply than in the US
or Europe.

Announcing the scheme to journalists at a news conference this
week, Ahmad-Kharal said that the program will "tap foreign investment
from major software producers and stimulate activity in this field of
high technology."

According to Ahmad-Kharal, the Government is looking seriously at
establishing joint venture industrial parks around Pakistan, to offer
low-cost and tax-free accommodations to new information technology
(IT) companies. This approach has been tried to great effect by
the Chinese Government, Newsbytes notes.

The Pakistani Government is taking the program very seriously,
Newsbytes notes. As part of the ongoing scheme, the Government has set
up a private Software Export Board to establish a clearly defined set
of guidelines and policies for Government agencies in all aspects of
dealing with the tax-exempt IT companies. In return for this high
level of cooperation, the Government expects any IT company on the
program to register with the Board.

Pakistan has some way to go before it persuades foreign investors to
submit themselves to the inevitable Government red tape that the Board
will apply to program companies, Newsbytes notes. As in India, one of
the blowbacks to British colonial rule has been that any business will
find it easier to conduct its affairs by paying baksheesh to
officials, rather than going through official and time-consuming
channels. Whether Prime Minister Bhutto can dispel such business
practices remains to be seen.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951018)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/19/95
TELECOM
Cable & Wireless In $44.4Mil Brazilian Cable Deal

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00030)
Cable & Wireless In $44.4Mil Brazilian Cable Deal 10/19/95
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL, 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- Cable & Wireless has secured
a major contract for the installation of the Brazilian Domestic cable
system, a 2,430 kilometer (mm) undersea fiber optic network that will
form part of Brazil's backbone telecoms infrastructure.

Kris Taylor, a spokeswoman for Cable & Wireless Marine (CWM), the
international operations division of Cable & Wireless that negotiated
the contract with Schahin Cury Engenharia e Comercio, told Newsbytes
that the deal is worth US$29.6 million and is one of the most
ambitious undersea cabling projects undertaken by the company.

The cable will be owned and operated by Embratel, the national and
international carrier in Brazil and will include two festoon systems
and two terrestrial cables to run from Rio in the South to Fortaleza in
the North, where it will provide connections to existing submarine
cable systems connecting to Europe and Central/North America. The
cable link will be supplied by Simplex in the north and Pirelli in the
south.

Announcing the contract deal, David Hughes, managing director of CWM
installation services, said that the company's parent, Cable &
Wireless, has had a long history of involvement with the Brazilian
telecom network, having installed a coastal looping telegraph system
in the 1870s, which was maintained until it was decommissioned in the
1970s.

"Two ships of the CWM fleet, Mercury and Cable Venture, were used in
the late 1970s and early 1980s to install Brazil's two international
co-axial systems to Europe," he said. He added that the cable will be
the world's longest unrepeatered undersea cable network.

Installation of the cabling is due to start early next year and is
expected to be completed by the late summer of 1996.

(Steve Gold/19951018/Press Contact: Krus Taylor, Cable & Wireless
Marine, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/19/95
GOVT
High-Tech Execs Back Securities Bill

(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00031)
High-Tech Execs Back Securities Bill 10/19/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- The nation's
high-tech companies are trying to persuade President Clinton to
back legislation that would make it more difficult for investors
to bring securities fraud lawsuits.

The American Electronics Association has put together a letter
to the White House, signed by more than 200 high-tech companies,
urging support for a Senate version of the securities
legislation. Legislation has passed both the House and Senate
and is awaiting consideration by a joining House-Senate
conference committee.

Clinton in the past has said he supports legislation that would
make it more difficult to bring allegedly frivolous securities
suits, a high legislative priority for AEA and its members,
concentrated in Silicon Valley.

The high-tech companies complain that under current law, any
time a company's stock price changes -- a common occurrence
among volatile technology companies -- the company is ripe for a
lawsuit from a disgruntled investor. The companies say they
waste enormous assets fighting such suits, often brought by
lawyers who are specialists in investor suits and who work for a
percentage of the recovery.

In the letter to Clinton, the executives say that plaintiffs
lawyers "seize upon the inherent volatility in our industry to
create a false picture of 'fraud' where none exists."

The electronics executives said they are troubled because White
House lobbyists have expressed reservations over the Senate
bill, which includes a "safe harbor" provision protecting
executives from lawsuit when they make financial projections
which turn out wrong. Critics, including the trial bar, charged
that the safe harbor is a "license to lie."

But the AEA executives say that the "proliferation of class
action lawsuits has prompted companies to conclude that the
legal risks of providing projected earnings, revenue and market
information to Wall Street analysts or the investing public are
too high."

The AEA letter said the safe harbor provision is "most
critical," because it encourages honest forward projections of
earnings without fear of being sued.

The industry expects the Senate version will prevail in the
conference committee. The House passed its version of the bill
by a vote of 325-99 and the Senate passed its bill by a vote of
70-29.

Whether a conference committee will actually produce a
compromise bill is not clear at this moment, as Congress is
currently tied into knots over the budget reconciliation bill.
The budget measure is occupying the exclusive attention of the
congressional leadership, a situation that is unlikely to change
if the president vetoes the budget bill, which he has said he
will do.

(Kennedy Maize/19951019/Press Contact: Greg Garcia, 202-682-9110)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/19/95
LEGAL
Info Group Offers Contracts Compendium

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(WAS)(00032)
Info Group Offers Contracts Compendium 10/19/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- With legal
contracts a key issue in the information business, the
Information Industry Association has published the third volume
in its series, "Contracts in the Information Industry III."

The volume contains a compilation of actual contracts in use
today by information service companies. The contracts include a
wide range of areas, from licensing agreements, distribution,
marketing to end user contracts. Among the companies that
contributed to the document are IBM, Prodigy, Dun & Bradstreet,
Dow Jones, Newsweek, the Bureau of National Affairs, and the New
York Stock Exchange.

Peter Marx, chairman of the Marx Group, compiled and edited the
book. The Marx Group is a legal and consulting company and Marx
is honorary counsel to the IIA board.

The lobbying group for the information business says the book
will be valuable to industry executives and legal counsel as
they seek to play solid legal foundations for their business
relationships in the rapidly changing industry. It provides an
opportunity to see how major industry companies have structured
their agreements.

The IIA represents some 550 companies, including Fortune 500
firms, entrepreneurial start up companies, online services,
telecommunications companies and Internet providers.

(Kennedy Maize/19951019/Press Contact: Emily Pilk, IIA,
202-639-8262)


NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00033)

 ****Profits Down 48% At Apple 10/19/95
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- Apple Computer
Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has released its fourth quarter results with a
record $3 billion in revenues and a 25% increase in unit shipments
over the same quarter last year. In spite of record setting numbers,
the company's income suffered a 48% decrease compared to the same
quarter last year.

Three weeks ago, Apple prepared the financial community, with a
statement saying demand for its products was very high, but due to
product availability problems it would not meet analysts' projections
for the fourth quarter. Fourth quarter results confirmed Apple's
earlier statement, but shocked many analysts with a 6.5% decrease
in gross margins.

Revenues for the fourth quarter were $3 billion, which is 20% more
than the same period a year ago, and unit shipments for this quarter
exceeded 1.25 million units. However, net income was $60.1 million,
or $0.48 per share, compared with $114.7 million, or $0.95 per share,
in the fourth quarter of 1994.

Apple says the expected dramatic decrease in income was the result of
a number of factors. The company experienced lower gross margins as a
percentage of net sales when gross margins for this quarter were
reported at 20.7% of net sales, compared to 27.2% in the same period
last year. Additionally, Apple said its "aggressive pricing" on Power
Mac products, component availability problems, delays in Power Mac
product ramps, and increased competition in the Japanese market
contributed to its income decrease.

Adding to its problems, Apple also said it expects margins to remain
low into 1996. A combination of lower margins, lower income, and
projected lower margins into 1996 sent Apple's stock down 2 1/4 points
this morning at 11:00am. The stock opened at 37.5 per share.

Michael Murphy, editor and publisher of the California Technology
Stock Letter, told Newsbytes, "The collapse in gross margins is shocking
and the projections of low margins into 1996 is equally shocking. Until
Motorola solves the chip production problems it is having with the
high-end PowerPC chips, Apple will continue to have these problems."

Asked how Apple posted record revenues while dropping income by
48%, Murphy replied, "They (Apple) spent a lot of money advertising
older products such as the Performa to convince consumers to purchase
them. At the same time, they had to cut margins to move these
computers. This cannot go on forever. They may get through the
holiday season, but early next year they have to have the high-end
machines shipping in volume."

Most of the older models were purchased by home users who are
influenced by their children's experience with Macs in an educational
setting. Referring to the campaign to move existing inventories of
older Macintosh computers, Murphy said, "This is like getting people
to buy a Nash-Rambler."

Murphy also said Apple's operating system problem with Open
Transport is becoming more widely acknowledged. "Even if they had
the computers to sell, they still have this problem with Open Transport
which they say will not be fixed until January," said Murphy. The
problem causes high-end Power Macs to fail to operate when a user
goes online and later needs to print a document. The only way to
complete the printing process is to perform a hard boot of the computer.
Murphy said the problem is so bad that the reset button does not solve
the problem and users end-up having to unplug and then restart their
computers.

Apple holds a 25% market share in Japan, a country where personal
computers have traditionally held high profit margins. But the
picture is beginning to change with the growing success of Microsoft
Windows-based computers and an accompanying competitive pricing
structure. Again, Apple is faced with tighter profit margins to
place its products in a more competitive market.

On a positive note, Apple did say the demand for its products remains
high. In June, the company said the demand for its products totaled
$1 billion. The current fourth quarter report says Power Mac products
accounted for 70% of units shipped and Apple says it has made
improvements on meeting the demand.

No figure was given to estimate the existing dollar value for product
demand at this time, but Michael Spindler, Apple's chief executive
officer said, "Demand for Apple products has been stronger than
we've ever experienced in the company's history."

Murphy continued, "If Apple can get the chips from Motorola and solve
the Open Transport problem, they can turn this difficult time around.
The company cannot allow this to go beyond the quarter ending March,
1996."

During this fourth quarter, Apple also accepted the resignation of
Joseph Graziano, its chief financial officer. He resigned his duties as
director immediately, but remains with the company through the end of
the year. Apple has not mentioned a possible successor, but the
company's standing with Wall Street will be affected by the decision.

Commenting further, Murphy said, "They (Apple) need to find someone
who has the respect of Wall Street. It is not easy to replace a
superstar like Graziano when a company is having the difficulties
Apple is experiencing."

Meanwhile, analysts speculate how long Macintosh developers who
have invested extensive capitol developing native applications for
high-end Power Macs can support the Macintosh platform while product
availability problems continue. "Lack of software sales could drive
developers to the Windows platform in greater numbers than expected,"
concluded Murphy.

(Patrick McKenna/19951019/Press Contact: Pam Miracle, Apple,
408-974-0688)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/19/95
TRENDS
 ****77% of US Firms In Cyberspace By 1997 - Study

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(MSP)(00034)
 ****77% of US Firms In Cyberspace By 1997 - Study 10/19/95
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- A new survey
from Straightline International claims that more than three
quarters of US companies are either already on the Internet or
will be on the Net within two years. Seventy-seven percent of the
companies surveyed said they would be in cyberspace by 1997.

In the survey "Corporate Communications and the Internet," 38 percent
of the companies polled said they already had Internet World
Wide Web sites, while 39 percent said they'll have Web presences
within two years.

Jane Gundell, executive vice president of Straightline, called the
77 percent number an "astonishing statistic," and said the greatest
aspect that's driving the rush to the Web is a perceived need to be
on the Web. "Any responsible company has to be looking into this,
because the greatest fear is that you're going to be left in the dust
by your absence," she said. "Because it's still an unproven media in
some areas, I think that some people think if they don't get in on
the ground floor, they will miss the experience and the exposure."

The 23 percent of the companies saying they wouldn't be on the Web in
two years because they either were taking a "wait and see" attitude
(81 percent), had security concerns (16 percent), or had "other
reasons" (3 percent), Straightline officials said. The "wait-and-see"
approach is understandable, Gundell said, because "it's unclear the
degree to which people felt (getting on the Web) would achieve any
tangible results. A lot of them said its just too early to tell."

The survey was conducted to get a feel about how companies were
either planning on or already using the Internet for marketing,
communications, and information exchange.

One survey result Gundell found a bit surprising is the fact that
many of the sites are being initiated by investor relations (IR) or
management information systems (MIS) departments, instead of marketing
departments. Of the companies planning sites, 42 percent were being
started by IR, and 44 percent from MIS. "Obviously a lot of
companies are not just viewing this as an opportunity to promote their
product or service, but to promote their stock and communicate with
current and prospective shareholders," she said.

Other information these companies are either planning or already
providing on Web sites include customer support or educational
information (37 percent) and employment listings (33 percent). In
addition, more than half of the sites already up have Internet
electronic-mail addresses, but few (16 percent) use their sites to
capture data such as names and addresses of users accessing
information, another factor Gundell found surprising.

(Bob Woods/19951019/Press Contact: Andrew Lavin, A. Lavin
Communications, 212-354-2266, Internet e-mail [e-mail])


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00035)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 10/19/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 19 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|           Thursday, October 19, 1995           |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network's on the Web! Check out http://www.nbnn.com for
free daily top stories from Newsbytes. and its affiliate publications,
and from PC Week, MacWeek, and other Ziff news magazines. A subscription
gives you all the news, full-text, plus the most comprehensive database
of past computer stories online. The keyword-searchable database dates
from today back through 1983. Subscriptions are $24.95 for three months.
Questions? Send to '[e-mail]'  For Japanese Newsbytes
and additional services, see the Newsbytes Pacifica Website at
http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

BROADCAST India - Tektronix Plans Digital Studio..................... 11

BUSINESS  Hong Kong - Banyan In Training Alliance.................... 09

BUSINESS   ****Softbank Purchase Of Ziff Davis Publishing Imminent... 27

CHIPS     Fujitsu Joins Ramtron FRAM Project......................... 21

CHIPS     World's Smallest Embedded AT Attachment Storage............ 25

GENERAL   China - Newsbriefs......................................... 01

GENERAL   Australian News Briefs..................................... 08

GENERAL   India - Citicorp Intros Asset Mgt Software................. 12

GENERAL   UK - British Telecom Slashes CD-ROM Directory Prices....... 15

GOVT      China - Large-Scale Electronics Firms Planned.............. 03

GOVT      Pakistan - Govt's Software Investment Initiative........... 29

GOVT      High-Tech Execs Back Securities Bill....................... 31

IBM       ****Lotus Buyout Puts IBM In Red In Qtr.................... 26

LEGAL     European Patent & Technology Law Shelved................... 16

LEGAL      ****BBC Discovers Faxes Are Not Secure.................... 17

LEGAL     Info Group Offers Contracts Compendium..................... 32

ONLINE    Thailand - KSC Plans Internet Service Expansion............ 06

ONLINE    UK - "Internet Explained" CD-ROM Intro'd................... 13

ONLINE    CMP's TechWeb To Use Information-Agent Technology.......... 18

ONLINE    Shopping For Cars On The Web............................... 19

ONLINE    Internet Update............................................ 22

SUPERCOMP Top Ten Supercomputers..................................... 04

TELECOM   India - British Telecom Offers Global Data Services........ 10

TELECOM   Dutch Firm Intros Advanced Comms Server.................... 14

TELECOM   Ericsson Intros Dual-Mode Cellular Portable Phone.......... 28

TELECOM   Cable & Wireless In $44.4Mil Brazilian Cable Deal.......... 30

TRENDS    China - AST Posts Strong PC Sales.......................... 02

TRENDS    Compaq Tops PC Sales In Thailand........................... 05

TRENDS    China - Computer Associates Targets Businesses............. 07

TRENDS    Oracle Helps Police........................................ 20

TRENDS    PC Apps Will Drive High-Density CD - Report................ 24

TRENDS     ****77% of US Firms In Cyberspace By 1997 - Study......... 34

UNIX      Unix Vendors Intro AS/U For Windows/NT Interoperability.... 23

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 -> China - Newsbriefs -- In this news roundup from China: pager
services in many cities will be linked, optical cable links 50 railway
stations in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Ericsson sells mobile
phone systems to Hunnan and Liaoning, and one million computers will be
sold this year in China.

2 -> China - AST Posts Strong PC Sales -- Although loosing in its native
land, AST's sales in China increased in the first half of this year, and
the company has introduced new personal computer models, complete with
Windows 95, to further tap the huge Chinese market.

3 -> China - Large-Scale Electronics Firms Planned -- China's
electronics industry will focus on large-scale production during the
Ninth Five-Year Plan period (1996-2000), Vice Minister of Electronics
Industry Liu Jianfeng said. Large group companies will play a more
important role in the industry's development.

4 -> Top Ten Supercomputers -- The Top 500 Report, issued each year by
researchers at the University of Tennessee and the University of
Mannheim, tallies the top 500 supercomputer installations around the
world. The list is led by Fujitsu's wind tunnel supercomputer installed
in 1993.

5 -> Compaq Tops PC Sales In Thailand -- Compaq was ranked number one in
PC sales in Thailand for the first half of this year, according to a
survey by Dataquest.

6 -> Thailand - KSC Plans Internet Service Expansion -- KSC Commercial
Internet (KSC ComNet) plans to invest an additional 200 million baht
(US$8 million) to expand its Internet service to 76 provinces and to
upgrade its international telephone line to six 2Mb lines, according to
KSC ComNet Executive Board Chairman Dr. Srisakdi Charmonman.

7 -> China - Computer Associates Targets Businesses -- As a latecomer to
China, compared with other business software companies, Computer
Associates International (CA) is pushing hard to increase its share of
the market. The company is confident about its success in the huge
market, Charles Wang, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of CA,
told Newsbytes in an exclusive interview in Beijing.

8 -> Australian News Briefs -- In this roundup of news from Australia:
Sun Microsystems Establishes SunSITE, IDC Australia Releases Research
Bulletin, Oracle Australia Gets New Head, Telstra Signs With ABB Asea
Brown Boveri, Applied Micro Systems Revenues Up, Music By Fax Service
Launched, AT&T Offers Internet Backbone In Asia.

9 -> Hong Kong - Banyan In Training Alliance -- In a move that gives the
enterprise network maker deep reach into southern China's economy,
Banyan Systems signed the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) to lead
its training programs. Until now, Hong Kong courses were conducted by
visiting Banyan personnel.

10 -> India - British Telecom Offers Global Data Services -- British
Telecommunications plc. (BT), and Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (VSNL), have
launched the Concert Packet Services (CPS) in New Delhi. Concert is a
value-added, end-to-end managed data network service offering instant
connectivity to more than 1,300 cities in over 100 countries and over
200 public data networks worldwide.

11 -> India - Tektronix Plans Digital Studio -- Tektronix (India) Ltd.,
the Indian subsidiary of Tektronix Inc., has announced plans to set up a
television studio in Bombay to expand into the growing market for studio
equipment in the country. Tektronix has similar facilities in Hollywood,
New York, and London.

12 -> India - Citicorp Intros Asset Mgt Software -- Citicorp Information
Technology Industries Ltd. (CITIL), an affiliate of Citicorp, and
Microsoft India, have introduced FundsPower

13 -> UK - "Internet Explained" CD-ROM Intro'd -- You can certainly buy
enough books explaining the Internet, computer bookstores' shelves are
bursting with such books, but how about a ready reference CD-ROM?
Instant Access claims to have released the industry's first
"demystifying CD-ROM" about the Internet, priced at UKP24.99 from its UK
office.

14 -> Dutch Firm Intros Advanced Comms Server -- Centigram
Communications Corporation (CCC), a company which claims to be a leading
global provider of communications systems, has unveiled its Series 6
comms server.

15 -> UK - British Telecom Slashes CD-ROM Directory Prices -- British
Telecom (BT) seems to have come to its senses as regards pricing on its
CD-ROM directory of UK phone numbers. After launching the disk with
quarterly updates a few years ago with a four figure price tag, the
telecoms giant has pushed the price down to UKP199 for a year's
subscription to the disk, with a quarterly update subscription included.

16 -> European Patent & Technology Law Shelved -- Wide-ranging proposed
legislation over patents and technology licensing proposed by the
European Commission (EC) has been shelved owing to discord.

17 ->  ****BBC Discovers Faxes Are Not Secure -- The British
Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) found out late last week that faxes are
not a secure transmission system. After faxing a copy of a top secret
internal management document to a BBC senior staying at the Pembroke
Hotel in Blackpool, where the Conservative Party Conference took place
all last week, BBC executives were aghast to discover that the fax was
sent to the room of Nigel Nelson, a journalist with The People
newspaper, who was also staying at the hotel.

18 -> CMP's TechWeb To Use Information-Agent Technology -- CMP's TechWeb
said a new service called "TechWeb Direct" will use information- agent
technology to deliver tech news directly to a user's desktop or network,
without having to log onto the Internet.

19 -> Shopping For Cars On The Web -- Cyberspace is becoming a new
avenue for people who are shopping for cars, via a database on the
Internet's World Wide Web. Dealernet offers information on more than 350
current and 1996 model year cars, trucks, vans, and other vehicles.

20 -> Oracle Helps Police -- Database giant, Oracle (NASDAQ:ORCL) has
announced the immediate availability of Oracle Special Investigative
Unit Support System (SIUSS) Release 1.0 for Microsoft Windows. Designed
to store, organize, and manage information related to criminal activity,
SIUSS incorporates the latest database advancements to reduce
investigation time and solve cases.

21 -> Fujitsu Joins Ramtron FRAM Project -- Almost two months to the day
since announcing an agreement with Toshiba, Ramtron (NASDAQ:RMTR) has
gained another Japanese partner in its plans to develop FRAM
(ferro-electric random access memory) technology. The Colorado
Springs-based company has signed a memorandum of understanding with
Tokyo's Fujitsu Ltd. stating that both companies intend to jointly
develop semiconductor products.

22 -> Internet Update -- In this roundup of new services and resources
on the global Internet: In the news: The Swiss elections, MCI brings
banned music online, US yellow pages directory, Internet tips mailing
list, PC-Card association, Hurricane damage information, Weather and
climate data online, Netherlands Energy Research Foundation, Small
satellite information.

23 -> Unix Vendors Intro AS/U For Windows/NT Interoperability --
Advanced Server for Unix lets organizations combine the GUI (graphical
user interface) of the Windows environment and security features of
Windows NT with the scalability and "robustness" of Unix, said Data
General, Bull, Olivetti, and Pyramid officials, during new product
introductions and meetings with Newsbytes at AT&T Connections in Boston.
Also at the show yesterday, these Unix vendors joined with companies
that included Digital Equipment Corp. and SCO (Santa Cruz Operations) in
a demo of mutual interoperability with Windows NT.

24 -> PC Apps Will Drive High-Density CD - Report -- Personal computer
multimedia applications will be the strongest force driving the
acceptance of new high-density compact disk technology, according to
research firm InfoTech. The firm predicted that in 1997, the first full
year the new 4.7 gigabyte (GB) technology is available, more than two
million of the high-density CD drives will be sold.

25 -> World's Smallest Embedded AT Attachment Storage -- SanDisk Corp.
has introduced the Flash Chipset, claimed to be the world's smallest
embedded solid-state ATA (AT attachment) data storage system. The
chipset contains memory and a flash controller chip.

26 -> ****Lotus Buyout Puts IBM In Red In Qtr -- A one-time charge
related to its takeover of Lotus Development Corp. left IBM (NYSE:IBM)
with a loss in the third quarter, but before the $1.8 billion charge the
company's earnings were up significantly over the same quarter a year
earlier. Revenues rose nine percent versus the third quarter of 1994.

27 ->  ****Softbank Purchase Of Ziff Davis Publishing Imminent --
Softbank Corporation confirmed in Tokyo this evening that it is in talks
over the purchase of Ziff Davis Publishing. Softbank president, Mayoshi
Son, told assembled journalists that the company is in negotiations over
a final price for the deal and has already reached agreement on several
terms.

28 -> Ericsson Intros Dual-Mode Cellular Portable Phone -- Ericsson, the
Swedish telephone company, has unveiled a dual-mode digital mobile,
suitable for use on both GSM (global system for mobile communications)
and DECT (digital European cordless technology) networks.

29 -> Pakistan - Govt's Software Investment Initiative -- With the
assistance of the Business Software Alliance (BSA) in Europe, the
Pakistan Government has announced an incentives program to attract
foreign investment in the country's software industry. According to the
Ministry of the Interior, the plan is the brainchild of Benazir Bhutto,
the Prime Minister of Pakistan and aims to service the software needs of
both Pakistan and other Asian countries.

30 -> Cable & Wireless In $44.4Mil Brazilian Cable Deal -- Cable &
Wireless has secured a major contract for the installation of the
Brazilian Domestic cable system, a 2,430 kilometer (mm) undersea fiber
optic network that will form part of Brazil's backbone telecoms
infrastructure.

31 -> High-Tech Execs Back Securities Bill -- The nation's high-tech
companies are trying to persuade President Clinton to back legislation
that would make it more difficult for investors to bring securities
fraud lawsuits.

32 -> Info Group Offers Contracts Compendium -- With legal contracts a
key issue in the information business, the Information Industry
Association has published the third volume in its series, "Contracts in
the Information Industry III."

34 ->  ****77% of US Firms In Cyberspace By 1997 - Study -- A new survey
from Straightline International claims that more than three quarters of
US companies are either already on the Internet or will be on the Net
within two years. Seventy-seven percent of the companies surveyed said
they would be in cyberspace by 1997.

(Ian Stokell/19951019)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD



Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/18/95
TELECOM
Japanese PC-Linked Pager Debuts In UK

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00001)
Japanese PC-Linked Pager Debuts In UK 10/18/95
NEWBURY, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 18 (NB) -- Vodapage, the
radiopaging division of Vodafone, has launched a message pager with a
difference. The Wordcall Plus is a pager that can be linked to a PC
and have data transferred across a PC serial link.

Corinne Norris, a spokeswoman for Vodapage, told Newsbytes that the
pager is a lot more than a simple beeper, since its features allow the
device to function as an electronic organizer, organizing user's time.

The pager is a NEC-made unit that has a four line, 80 character LCD
(liquid crystal display) screen and can store up to 99 messages in the
main directory. There are also three other directories, each with a 40
message store.

As with most message pagers of this type, Wordcall Plus is sold with a
subscription service that offers an operator bureau to answer calls on
the designated pager number. It is also possible to send messages
to the pager across TAP-compliant dial-up or PDN (packet data network)
links.

The pager has a choice of no less than 14 alerts, including "silent" and
"vibrate," as well as a programmable auto-mute facility, which allows a
silent mode to be pre-set for when messages need to be received, but
for when an alert is not required.

When plugged into a PC running the supplied Windows software, the
pager allows nine notes of up to 40 characters to be entered and
stored. In addition, the contents of all the messages in their various
directories can be downloaded across the PC link.

Announcing the WordCall Plus pager and services, Ken McGeorge,
Vodapage's managing director, said that the system is the new flagship
of the company's paging range. "The WordCall Plus offers full message
capability, as well as the ability for users to remain up to date with
details of appointments, sales figures, the latest news or requests
for action and enables the user to decide how and when to respond," he
said.

Now the slightly bad news. The pager sells for UKP225, while
the PC link cabling and software sells for a hefty UKP149, although
this does include two cables. Vodapage does offer the option for
customers to rent pagers for UKP9.45 per month as an alternative to
buying the unit, although the UKP149 PC Link package will still have
to be bought.

The service rental, meanwhile starts at UKP13.50 for one of 10
regions in the UK, rising to UKP26.50 per month for national
coverage.

(Steve Gold/19951016/Press & Reader Contact: Vodafone,
[phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/18/95
WINDOWS
Windows Application Reveals All On UK Dialing Codes

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(LON)(00002)
Windows Application Reveals All On UK Dialing Codes 10/18/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 18 (NB) -- Texis UK has announced the
development of a Windows version of its popular DOS dialing code
package. According to Nick Mutton, the managing director of the
company, the package, which will be called Texis for Windows, acts
as a database of everything users want to know about UK dialing codes.

The idea behind Texis, the software, is that users can do string
entries and searches based on dialing codes and get back lists of
exchanges and place names to geographically identify where the
dialing code is located. By keying in the place name, a dialing code
for that area is also returned.

The details in the database include sub-codes on exchanges, together
with what the exchange type is, and what facilities subscribers on
that exchange can use, for example, network services and call waiting.

Texis for Windows will be formally launched at the TMA (Telecom
Manager's Association) show in Brighton on November 27-29 this
year.

Mutton told Newsbytes, "One of the most useful features of the package
is the ability to intelligently search on dialing code data. For example,
if you know a number, but have forgotten its dialing code and where it
is in the UK, Texis will search the exchange data and return all dialing
codes where the number in question is actively in use."

According to Mutton, plans are in hand to release data for Texis for
Windows to allow the package to offer similar exchange searches on other
European countries.

Texis for Windows runs under Windows 3.x, and requires an 80486-based
PC with four megabytes (MB) of memory. The package sells for UKP79.95,
and existing DOS users can upgrade to the new package for UKP39.95
from version 3.x, and UKP49.95 from version 2.x. A subscription to a
year's worth of data updates is included in this price.

(Steve Gold/19951017/Press & Reader Contact: Texis UK, tel +44-181-
429-3111, fax [phone]; Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/18/95
TELECOM
Europe - MFS To Offer Telecoms Service In Hong Kong

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00003)
Europe - MFS To Offer Telecoms Service In Hong Kong 10/18/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 18 (NB) -- MFS has announced the launch of
an international telecoms service, targeted at the financial center of
Hong Kong. According to Colin Williams, managing director of the
company's International operations, the new service forms part of the
expansion plan carried out by MFS in the Asia Pacific region.

According to Williams, although MFS's operations are primarily focused
on Europe in preparation for the January, 1998, free telecoms market
mandated by the European Commission (EC), the company is concentrating
a high degree of its resources into offering services into Hong Kong.

Williams claims that Hong Kong has a lot to offer in terms of telecoms
service take-up, when compared with the potential customer base in the
US and Europe.

"Our primary focus for international expansion remains on Europe, with
an eye toward the opening of the European Union to full competition in
January, 1998. However, Hong Kong was particularly attractive to us
because, even though it is an important financial center, it does not
have the same level of access to advanced global services as financial
centers in Europe and the US," he explained.

According to Williams, the value of business telecommunications market
in Hong Kong is around the US$200 million a year mark, but this figure
is expected to double within the next five years.

"The expansion of Hong Kong was largely driven by the needs of our
customers in other financial centers. As a cornerstone of the Asia-
Pacific region, Hong Kong is one of the 25 international financial
centers targeted as part of our accelerated expansion plan," he
explained.

MFS's services into Hong Kong will offer cut-price phone calls to most
destinations around the world from the end of the year. In the near
future, the company plans a further expansion of its telecoms services
to take in 90 cities around the world, including 25 financial centers.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951017/Press & Reader Contact: Pat Chapman-Pincher,
MFS, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/18/95
PC
24 Hour Data Hook-up For ISDN

(NEWS)(PC)(LAX)(00004)
24 Hour Data Hook-up For ISDN 10/18/95
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 18 (NB) -- Patriot Scientific
Corporation (OTC: PTSC) has introduced the CyberShark I, a PC-compatible
ISDN (integrated services digital network) plug-in terminal adapter card.
By allowing full use of an ISDN line to achieve up to 128 kilobits-
per-second (Kbps), the CyberShark I terminal adapter provides over four
times the data rate of the fastest analog modems.

The CyberShark I terminal adapter can allow around-the-clock
connectivity to the Internet for electronic-mail, news, file transfer
and Internet phone or videoconferencing. An ISDN line consists of
bearer channels (B channels) and a separate data channel (D channel).
A basic ISDN line installed in a business or home by the local telephone
service provider normally includes two 64 Kbps B channels (for voice
or data) and one 16 Kbps D channel.

Clay Douglas, senior staff engineer for Patriot, told Newsbytes,
"Telephone companies charge by the minute over the B channels, but
charge by amount of data transferred on the D channel. The
CyberShark I terminal adapter is unique in that it utilizes the D
channel, and it can switch back and forth depending on the amount of
data being transferred. Because the D channel charges for data only it
can be left open all the time."

With the D channel open 24 hours a day, information can be stored on
the computer as it comes in. Douglas pointed out that Pac Bell charges
about $4 per minute on the B channels, and around $2 per megabyte
on the D channel. CyberShark I will go to the B channel if the data
download is more cost-effective by the minute rate.

"Twenty-four hour hook-ups are commonplace in the corporate world,
this allows the small office or home user the same advantage," said
Douglas.

ISDN is a set of digital transmission protocols that virtually all of
the world's communications carriers have adopted as a standard. ISDN
brings the digital network to the individual user by turning the same
twisted-pair copper telephone line into a high-speed high-capacity
ISDN lines can have the capacity for three transmissions (two voice,
fax or PC conversations and one data conversation) at the same time.
Further, up to eight separate devices (telephones, computers, fax
machines, etc.) can be connected to the same ISDN line and each
assigned separate telephone numbers.

The CyberShark I will be available in the fourth quarter of 1995, and
should sell for under $400 per unit.

(Richard Bowers/19951016/Press Contact: Elwood G. Norris, Patriot
Scientific 619-679-4428)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/18/95
TELECOM
Novell To Sponsor Telephony Services Conference

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEN)(00005)
Novell To Sponsor Telephony Services Conference 10/18/95
OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 18 (NB) -- Novell Inc. (NASDAQ: NOVL)
says it will join with other companies to sponsor the second annual
conference on the development and marketing of telephony applications
based on its TSAPI (Telephone Services Applications Program Interface).
Netware Telephony Services integrate telephone networks and data
networks.

Joining Novell in sponsoring the two-day event at the Grand Hyatt
Hotel in San Francisco are AT&T, Nortel, Siemens ROLM
Communications, and Versit. The conference opens October 24.
The telecom and system manufacturers will meet with developers,
resellers, system integrators, and end users.

Novell said the theme of this year's conference is "Partners Enabling
The Vision." According to Paul Armstrong, director of marketing for
Novell's telephony products, the products and technologies to
deploy network telephony are all available. "Customers need the
vendor community, resellers and system integrators to come together
to deliver complete solutions. That's what this conference is all
about" said Armstrong.

Novell said a dozen or more companies will deliver tutorials
offering insight into present and future network telephony
strategies and directions. Development and marketing tracks will
cover subjects like the future of telephony switching, software and
hardware development, and telephone-integrated voice platform
development. Keynote speakers include Novell Chief Scientist Drew
Major, and Dataquest Senior Analyst Gary Andresen.

The cost for the two-day event is $195 per person. Novell has made
arrangement for conference rates at the Grand Hyatt Hotel.

(Jim Mallory/19951017/Press contact: Amanda Berman, Alexander
Communications for Novell, 415-923-1660; Public contact: Novell
for conference registration, 800-733-9673 or 801-429-5281)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/18/95
TRENDS
Technology Partly To Blame For Jobless Recovery - Report

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TOR)(00006)
Technology Partly To Blame For Jobless Recovery - Report 10/18/95
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 OCT 18 (NB) -- In Canada, the recession
of 1990-91 was not as long or as deep as that of the early 1980s,
but ordinary people suffered much more because employment did not
recover as well. That was partly because of increased use of technology,
according to a recent report from the Conference Board of Canada.

Four years after the 1981-82 recession, there were 720,000 more jobs in
Canada than there had been at the pre-recession peak in June, 1981, says
the report, entitled "Why The Jobless Recovery: Youth Abandon Labour
Market." Now, four years after the 1990-91 recession officially ended
in the spring of 1991, there are only 276,000 more jobs than at the
pre-recession peak. Also, the average period of unemployment is longer
now. On average, workers were staying unemployed for 25.6 weeks as of
April, 1995, versus 12.3 weeks in January, 1980.

The report gives several reasons for this. One is free trade. Due to the
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and provisions of the General
Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), Canadian companies are facing
tougher competition from abroad than before and they are being forced to
re-think the way they do business. "Increasing efficiency and effectiveness
is a business imperative," the report says, "and it has often translated
into consolidations and factory shutdowns, increasing machinery and
equipment expenditures, and a reduction in unit labor costs."

Technology is contributing to the jobless recovery because many employers
are relying more on capital equipment and less on labor. One reason for
that, the report notes, is that changes in regulation and taxation have
boosted the cost of hiring people -- for instance, in Ontario, which is
Canada's largest manufacturing province, employers now pay 100 percent
of the premiums for government-run health insurance. The cost of
unemployment insurance and the Canada Pension Plan have also gone up.

Real machinery and equipment expenditure growth has averaged six percent
over the past five years and is expected to reach seven percent by the
end of the decade, the Conference Board said. As a result, the
capital-to-labor ratio -- the value of machinery and equipment per
employed person -- has almost doubled.

Increasing use of technology has also put new demands on employees, who
are increasingly likely to be expected to be computer-literate and able
to operate complex machines. The Conference Board report says that
inadequate training is leaving many workers without the skills to get
jobs, even as some technically demanding jobs go begging.

The report also notes that part-time employment is increasing, at the
expense of full-time employment, and that young people and those in their
50s and 60s are dropping out of the labor force. So are women, whose
participation rate has fallen since 1991, reversing a 40-year upward
trend.

Despite the pain caused by changes such as trade liberalization, the
Conference Board maintains the changes were necessary, and have
produced some benefits such as lower consumer prices.

(Grant Buckler/19951017/Press Contact: Paul Thomson, Conference Board
of Canada, 613-526-3280, fax [phone], Internet e-mail
[e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/18/95
TRENDS
Smart Battery Needed For Longer Life

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00007)
Smart Battery Needed For Longer Life 10/18/95
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 18 (NB) -- Exar Corporation
(NASDAQ: EXAR), a supplier of mixed-signal integrated circuits, has
announced the XR-8100 "smart battery" High IQ chipset. The High IQ
chipset displays how full a rechargeable battery is, and it also controls
charging and discharging of the battery pack to prevent damage and
extend the life of the battery.

Exar's High IQ chipset can be used with nickel-cadmium, metal-
hydride, or lithium-ion batteries and offers a number of interface
options including the Intel/Duracell Smart Battery Data (SBD)
specification.

Rick Riefer, operations group manager for Exar, told Newsbytes, "The
market is moving to the lithium ion battery. It gives longer life, but
it is a delicate battery that needs carefully monitored charging. The
lithium ion battery can be damaged if it is over- or under-charged.
Intelligent battery monitoring is essential."

In the next five years, Exar predicts Americans will buy 116 cordless
phones, 48 million pagers, 88 million cellular phones, 38 million
portable computers, and seven million high-end electronic organizers.
These products will need more than $700 million of battery
management integrated circuits (ICs).

The new lithium-ion batteries might double the battery operating
time of current equipment and increase the number of battery life
charging cycles. However, this improvement comes with the
requirement for very careful control of the charging process and
carefully balancing each individual lithium-ion cell.

Exar says its High IQ XR-8100 chipset provides this sophisticated
charging control while providing "fuel gauging" capabilities as well.

"Unlike other battery management chipsets on the market, Exar's
smart battery High IQ chipset provides a complete battery management
system," claimed Jean Claude Zambelli, Exar's business unit director.
"It offers fuel gauging and such advanced features as charger control,
charge, and self discharge compensation as well as a number of choices
in communication protocols."

The High IQ smart battery chipset consists of the XR-8101 digital
controller band the XR-8115 analog front-end. According to Exar, the
XR-8105 Lithium-Ion protection system is designed to work in
conjunction with the XR-8100 chipset to meet the critical cell
balancing as well as under and over voltage protection requirements
of Lithium-Ion batteries. The XR-8105 can also be used by itself for
"non-smart" Lithium-Ion systems.

Prices in 10,000 unit quantities are $7.95 per XR-8100 chipset and
$1.65 per XR-8105 lithium-ion protection integrated circuit. To add
this system in volume will cost a manufacturer around $10 per unit.

(Richard Bowers/19951016/Press Contact: Jean Claude Zambelli, EXAR
Corporation, 408-434-6400)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/18/95
BUSINESS
India's Pentafour Expands Thai Presence

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00008)
India's Pentafour Expands Thai Presence 10/18/95
BANGKOK, THAILAND, 1995 OCT 18 (NB) -- Indian-based Pentafour
Software & Exports has announced a joint-venture to set up
Pentafour AG (Thailand) to provide software services, products,
and training.

In an interview with Newsbytes, Pentafour Software & Exports
Senior President V. Mohan said that his company had a worldwide
network of offices and business associates that included
representatives in the US, Mauritius, Singapore, Hong Kong,
Australia and UK, and thus could bring expertise to Thailand.

The local partner, Thakral, has worked with Pentafour for three
years through local subsidiary, A.G. Software Consultants, to
provide information technology (IT) services and products to
Indo-Thai business houses and institutions in Thailand. A.G.
Soft is also an authorized distributor of Oracle Systems.

Pentafour Software is India's third largest software exporter.
After going international in 1992, the company has been carrying
out projects on IBM ES/9000, AS/400, RS/6000, and HP/9000
platforms and claims to have been a pioneer in the field of
client/server-based application development, multimedia, and
imaging.

A.G. Soft Director Y.S. Rao noted that the company had some 20
customers in Thailand, such as Thai-Oil, Chase Manhattan Bank,
Bharat Overseas Bank, Usha Siam Steel, Medicap Limited, President
Park Hyundai Development, and some proposed projects such as a
life-insurance package for Thai-Prasit Insurance and the
integrated management information sYstem of Thai-US Leather.

Mr Rao noted that the company will concentrate on the banking,
insurance, and manufacturing industries.

(Tony Waltham and Post Database-Bangkok Post/19951018)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/18/95
GOVT
Australia Laws Going Online

(NEWS)(GOVT)(SYD)(00009)
Australia Laws Going Online 10/18/95
CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA, 1995 OCT 18 (NB) -- The Australian Federal
Attorney-General's Department has signed a $1 million contract with
a Canberra computer distributor for equipment to put Australian laws
and regulations on the Internet.

Approved Systems will supply Macintosh computers, support hardware,
and Tower software and hardware to set up the electronic Federal
Register of Legislative Instruments. This will hold Commonwealth
regulations and secondary legislation which back up the laws approved
by the Federal Parliament.

Parliament now has before it a bill which makes lodgment of these
instruments with the Attorney-General's Department compulsory -- if
they are not lodged, they won't be enforceable. In the past such
regulations were gazetted, but were often not recorded elsewhere,
making public access difficult.

AG plans to store images of legislative instruments electronically.
It will make these rules and regulations available to the public
through the Internet and other online services.

(Paul Zucker/19951017)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/18/95
ONLINE
UK Firm Offers Low-Cost Internet Access

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LON)(00010)
UK Firm Offers Low-Cost Internet Access 10/18/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 18 (NB) -- Global Internet, a new company
based in Putney, London, has begun offering a full range of Internet
services, including World Wide Web and SLIP dial-up access, but at a
low price, just UKP7.50 per month. The company is also offering an
Internet suite of software known as Total Internet, for UKP34.99.

Laurence Blackall, Global Internet's founder and managing director,
told Newsbytes that he expects a number of new Internet customers to
sign up for service solely on price, but admits that profits are not
great at this price level.

"It's a way of differentiating ourselves in this market and gaining
attention," he said, adding that the main aim was to carve out a name
for the company in what is already a crowded marketplace.

Interestingly, Blackall told Newsbytes that the all-you-can-eat
Internet pricing currently applicable in the UK may not last much
longer, as British Telecom (BT) is reported to be working on a
portfolio of price changes that may include free off-peak local calls
to selected numbers.

"It's well known in the industry that BT is looking at this. The big
question is what BT will offer in this respect," he said, adding that
his own inquiries had led him to believe that "blanket" free off-peak
local calls was something that BT is unlikely to offer.

"BT could not afford to offer all off-peak local calls free of
charge," he explained, adding that some of selected calls to nominated
numbers being free of charge is the most likely scenario for BT to
offer to its customers.

So where does this leave Internet service providers such as Global
Internet? Blackall replied that, if BT does offer free off-peak local
calls to nominated numbers, then service providers like Global would
have to look at the way they charge, possibly switching to timed
hourly billing like Compuserve currently charges its subscribers.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the way in which off-peak local
calls will be billed in the UK, Blackall told Newsbytes that he is
extremely bullish on the Internet's prospects in the UK online market.

"The Internet is fast becoming one of the most important forms of
communication in today's society. The market is being driven by
innovative and creative multimedia content and falling hardware
prices. Moreover, thousands of leading brands, and most of the best-
known high street retailers, have recognized the Internet as the
powerful medium that it is for reaching the 18 to 35 age group," he
said.

According to Blackall, with 65 percent of all households forecast to
own a PC within the next 10 years, the PC user without an Internet
connection will become a rare breed.

"Until now, accessing the Internet has been both expensive and
unnecessarily complicated, and most service providers have clearly
targeted the technical user. We have launched Global Internet to open
the door for a much wider audience who we are convinced will become
mainstream Internet users," he explained.

Blackall claims that Global Internet is a national UK service
provider, and has completed a deal with Energis to use the alternative
telecoms carrier to route Internet-bound calls on a local basis from
around the UK to its modem pool in London.

"Although we're based in London, we see ourselves as a national
company, as demonstrated by our agreement to use the Energis network,"
he said, adding that regional Internet service providers cannot
compete in the national Internet market effectively.

"I think regional Internet service providers that only offer their
dial-up service in a specific area are going to find it difficult
against the nationals," he said, adding that the nature of the
Internet requires companies offering services to offer national
local call access.

Further details of Global Internet's services can be found on the
company's Web site, which is at http://www.globalnet.co.uk .

(Steve Gold/19951016/Press Contact: Rebecca Atherley, Words,
tel [phone], fax [phone], Internet e-mail
[e-mail]; Reader Contact: Global Internet,
tel [phone], fax [phone], Internet e-mail
[e-mail]/BANKER19951018/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/18/95
GOVT
Aussie Laws Going Online

(NEWS)(GOVT)(SYD)(00011)
Aussie Laws Going Online 10/18/95
CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA, 1995 OCT 18 (NB) -- The Australian Federal
Attorney-General's Department has signed a $1M contract with a Canberra
computer distributor for gear to put Australian laws and regulations
on the Internet.

Approved Systems will supply Macintosh computers,
support hardware and Tower software and hardware to set up the
electronic Federal Register of Legislative Instruments. This will hold
Commonwealth regulations and secondary legislation which back up the laws
approved by the Federal Parliament.

Parliament now has before it a bill which makes lodgment of these
instruments with the Attorney-General's Department compulsory --
if they're not lodged, they won't be enforceable. In the past such
regulations were gazetted but were often not recorded elsewhere,
making public access difficult. AG plans to store images of
legislative instruments electronically. It will make these
rules and regulations available to us all through the Internet and
other online services.

(Paul Zucker/19951017)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/18/95
ONLINE
UK - FTP Software's "Explore Anywhere" Internet Software

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LON)(00012)
UK - FTP Software's "Explore Anywhere" Internet Software 10/18/95
BRACKNELL, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 18 (NB) -- FTP Software has
taken the wraps off Explore Anywhere 2.0 for Windows. According to
Mike Hibbert, a spokesman for the company, the UKP199 package is
designed to offer all the usual features of an Internet suite --
World Wide Web browser, telnet, Usenet, Gopher Plus, and FTP -- but
with the option of using remote link Internet access.

Hibbert claims the package is unique in the marketplace. This is
because the software has been designed to work both locally to the
TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) link, either
via dial-up, across leased lines or ISDN (integrated service digital
network) circuit, or by remote access from another site.

Put simply, this means that, even if your TCP/IP link into the
Internet is located on your desktop or the company LAN (local area
network), you can still access this over remote synchronous or
asynchronous links, such as modem or ISDN links.

"The advantage is that, whether you're at home or the office, or
anywhere else, providing you can dial into the office network, you can
carry out all the usual Internet functions you are used to," he told
Newsbytes.

Integral to the Explore Anywhere packages is a new technology known as
Keyview, which allows Internet users to view and print filly formatted
word processor, graphics, image and spreadsheet files received across
an Internet link.

Standalone pricing on Explore Anywhere has been set at UKP199, but
five-user packages are available for UKP900. The package is being
sold FTP's UK and German offices in Europe, as well as through the
company's US distribution channels.

"This package is very much aimed at NetWare users who want to move out
of the office, but still have access to the Internet and other desktop
functions, across a modem or similar connection," Wesley told
Newsbytes, adding that the software is designed to operate locally or
remotely without the need to adjust any PC settings.

Further information on Explore Anywhere is available from FTP's Web
pages, which are on http://www.ftp.com .

(Steve Gold/19951012/Press Contact: Ruth Kelion, A Plus,
[phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Reader Contact:
FTP Software Worldwide, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/18/95
GENERAL
HP Intros 8.7GB Drive, Plus 6 Other Storage Products

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00013)
HP Intros 8.7GB Drive, Plus 6 Other Storage Products 10/18/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 18 (NB) -- Hewlett-
Packard's new C3653A, a product ultimately destined for both the
mainframe and PC server markets, is the industry's first shipping
hard disk drive in the 9 gigabyte (GB) capacity range, maintained
Roger Archibald, at a press conference in Boston where HP
introduced seven new storage products.

Also at the HP press briefing, which was attended by Newsbytes,
Stuart W. Murray, product manager, said that the C3653A marks the
debut of a new recording head design known as DSMR (dual-stripe
magneto-resistive), co-developed with EMC Corp. for more accurate
recording of data. The new hard drive is also the second disk
drive from HP to feature PRML (Partial-Read/Maximum-Likelihood),
another technology targeted at higher accuracy, according to
Murray.

Holding a sample of the new C3653A in the palm of his hand to
underscore his point, Archibald told the assembled reporters and
analysts that the new disk drive provides 450 times the storage
capacity of the room-sized "data center" disk drives that HP
initially produced back in the early 1970s. The new 7,200 rpm
(revolutions-per-minute) 3.5-inch disk drive is roughly half the
size of a standard-sized tape recorder cassette.

HP is aiming the C3653A at the mainframe OEM (original equipment
market) first, but the product will later be migrated to the
"enhanced PC servers and multi-user computers," according to
Archibald, who is marketing manager for HP's Information Storage
Group.

Also in the disk drive arena, HP rolled out Enhanced IDE
interface drives for PC servers, workstations, and high-end
desktop PCs. Other products announced at the briefing in Boston
included the SureStore Archive Server; the SureStore Optical
165st optical jukebox; the HP Colorado T400s and 100e QIC back-up
tape drives; and the Model C1537A DAT (digital audio tape)
network back-up storage drive.

Archibald pointed out to the journalists that, last year at about
this time, HP introduced four new storage products. The disk
drive, tape and optical offerings of HP's Storage Systems Division
contributed $1.5 million to company revenues in fiscal 1994, he
added. Sales of HP's storage products are growing at about three
times the industry average, according to the marketing manager.

In a meeting with Newsbytes following the presentation, Archibald
contended that HP tailors each of its storage products to two
markets: end users, who want to concentrate on application
"content," rather than storage mechanics; and "information
service providers," who need storage products that are easy to
administer, reliable, and worthy of employers' investments.

Also during the meeting, Murray said that the DSMR technology
debuting in the C3653A produces two signals in the read channel,
allowing automatic selection of the stronger of the two. "Two
heads are better than one," Murray quipped.

HP's new HP SureStore Hard Disk 1080A (1GB) and HP SureStore Hard
Disk 1600A (1.6GB) drives feature an enhanced PIO Mode 4 IDE
interface that is designed to provide a 16.6 megabyte-per-second
(Mbps) data transfer rate. MBTF (meantime-between-failure) is
300,000 hours, according to the HP officials.

Murray told Newsbytes that the Enhanced IDE drives will be
supported by HP SureStore "brand benefits" that include Express
Exchange, for drive replacement within 24 hours, and worldwide
technical support via phone, fax, BBS (bulletin board system),
and the Web. The Enhanced IDE drives are expected to be available
through HP VARs (value-added resellers) on November 1, in 1 GB
and 1.6GB capacities. Pricing will be available through HP VARs.

HP shipped its first 8.7GB C3653A drive in July, and plans to
enter volume production for OEMs in the first quarter of 1996.
Volume pricing to initial OEM customers is expected to be in the
$1,500 to $1,700 range. The 8.7GB drive will be available at
first with a 20 MB/sec SCSI (small computer systems interface)-2
interface. HP expects to add an FC-AL (fiber channel-arbitrated
loop) edition next year, according to Archibald.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951017/Reader Contact: Hewlett-Packard, 800-
826-4111; Press Contacts: Doug Cole, HP, 208-396-2515; Laurel
Redden, The Hoffman Agency for HP, 408-286-2611)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/18/95
NETWORK
HP "Archive Server" Combines Jukebox With Built-In Chip

(NEWS)(NETWORK)(BOS)(00014)
HP "Archive Server" Combines Jukebox With Built-In Chip 10/18/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 18 (NB) -- HP's new
SureStore Archive Server combines an optical jukebox with a
built-in processor and related hardware and software to let
departmental administrators add optical storage to Netware and
Unix networks without the need for a separate file server, said
Pamela L. Ingmire, during an HP press conference in Boston.

Also at the press briefing, which was attended by Newsbytes, HP
rolled out six other storage products, including, in the optical
category, the SureStore Optical 165st, a smaller yet expandable
edition of the 300 gigabyte (GB) SureStore Optical 300st that HP
introduced in August for networked imaging and data warehousing
applications.

Meanwhile, HP's new SureStore Archive Server is "the first
storage product of this kind that we know of," Ingmire reported,
during a demo for Newsbytes at the briefing.

Like the new breed of database servers, print and fax servers,
and application servers, the new archive server reflects a
growing trend toward the distribution of specialized servers
throughout the network, she acknowledged.

Available in 20 gigabyte (GB), 40GB, 80GB and 100GB 5.25-inch
magneto-optical (MO) configurations, the "archive server" is
designed to ease storage management and reduce maintenance costs
by offering an optical jukebox with an integrated hard disk,
"direct LAN (local area network) attachment hardware," and
jukebox-management software, said Ingmire, who is market
development manager for the HP Storage Systems Division in
Greeley, Colorado.

The administrator can add up to 100GB of storage space to a PC
network without concern over buying the "right" software packages
and licenses, or acquiring enough RAM (random access memory) or
hard-disk cache, for example, according to the HP exec. The
archive server is designed to support up to 50 users on the 20st
model and up to 100 users on the 40st, 80st, and 100st models
without requiring the purchase of Netware licenses.

Additionally, the administrator can partition, or assign, various
portions of the archive server to different users and tasks on an
"on-the-fly" basis, without downing other servers, Newsbytes was
told.

The archive server can also be backed up to a local HP DAT
(digital audio tape) drive or HP DAT autoloader without
interfering with the flow of network traffic, according to
Ingmire. Through another special feature, called "automatic space
management," the archive server "transparently adds capacity from
a pool of available disks as disks fill up."

HP's new SureStore Optical 165st optical jukebox provides 165GB
to 300GB of storage space, in contrast to the 300GB of the
previously introduced HP SureStore Optical 300st, a product
"about the size of a refrigerator," Ingmire told Newsbytes.

The 165st is designed to let companies start out with a smaller
jukebox carrying a lower pricetag, and then to upgrade on an as
needed basis, added the HP official.

HP's latest jukebox, which is priced at $40,000, uses four
optical drives plus 128 optical disks to manage 165GB of data. HP
will also offer upgrade kits, consisting of two drives and 100
cartridge slots, which can be installed at customer sites by an
HP-certified engineer. The new SureStore Archive Server is priced
from $8,950 to $22,500, depending on capacity. HP's new optical
storage products are slated for shipment on November 1.

HP's umbrella storage announcement in Boston also included two
new QIC-compatible back-up tape drives; a 24 gigabyte (GB) DAT
(digital audio tape) network back-up storage drive; an 8.7 GB
hard disk drive for mainframes and servers; and Enhanced IDE hard
disk drives for servers and PCs.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951017/Reader Contact: Hewlett-Packard, 800-
826-4111; Press Contacts: Karla Nelson, HP, 970-350-4683; Laurel
Redden, The Hoffman Agency for HP, 408-286-2611)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/18/95
PC
HP's External "Plug-In" & Internal PC Back-Up Drives

(NEWS)(PC)(BOS)(00015)
HP's External "Plug-In" & Internal PC Back-Up Drives 10/18/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 18 (NB) -- Retail stores
and VARs (value-added resellers) are the two intended channels
for the HP Colorado T1000e, an external back-up drive installable
by "computer literate but non-technical users," plus the HP
Colorado T4000s, an internal back-up drive that uses SCSI (small
computer systems interface)-2 for faster recording, reported
Kerry Monroe, at an HP press conference in Boston.

The pair of new QIC products for data back-up on standalone PCs
and peer-to-peer networks will ship to HP VARs in December, and
to retail stores during the first quarter of 1996, Monroe added,
during a meeting with Newsbytes at the press briefing, where HP
unveiled a total of seven new storage products.

The new HP Colorado T1000e is outfitted with a plug-in parallel
port interface that lets the user connect the drive without
opening the PC, much like installing a printer, according to
Monroe, a product manager at HP's Colorado Memory Systems. The
external drive supports both standard parallel and EPP (Enhanced
Parallel Port), for back-up speeds of up to 9.5
megabytes-per-minute (MB/min).

In contrast, the new HP Colorado 4000s employs a SCSI-2 interface
and Fast-ATA to obtain up to 62MB/min back-up, Monroe told
Newsbytes. When it comes to hands-on installation, most end
users will feel more comfortable with the "plug-and-play"
interface of the T4000s, the HP exec acknowledged.

But these days, some users are starting to be more self-confident
about exposing the interior of the PC, through personal
experience working with sound cards and other PC boards, he
asserted. And for less hardware-savvy users, retail stores and
VARs alike are able to install the internal drive.

Also during the meeting, Joe Gersch, product marketing manager
for HP's Colorado Memory Systems, showed Newsbytes HP's new CD-
Recordable, a CD reader/recorder system, introduced in September,
which is designed to let "typical PC and Mac users" write and
copy data, including audio and video files, to CDs.

Monroe told Newsbytes that, unlike makers of competing internal
back-up drives, HP "skipped" directly from TR-1 mini-cartridges
to TR-4 for the new T4000s drive, thereby expanding capacity to 4
gigabytes (GB) compressed and 8GB uncompressed. Users can also
achieve 2.1GB capacity compressed, or 4.2GB uncompressed, with
QIC-3095 Wide tapes.

The T1000e external drive, on the other hand, reads and writes to
TR-1, in addition to QIC-80 and QIC Wide 340 megabyte (MB) and
420MB mini-cartridges. The external drive also reads QIC-40
formatted mini-cartridges. The T1000e provides capacity of up to
400MB native and 800MB with data compression. UPS (Universal
Power Supply) is another feature of the external drive.

In a demo, Monroe showed Newsbytes how the backup management
software that ships with the T4000s allows the user to perform
"one-button back-up," scheduled backup, and automated daily
backup.

HP was the first in the industry to offer one-button back-up,
Monroe maintained. With the T4000s, the user can request either
"back-up of all files" or "back-up of only changed or new files,"
just by clicking on a single button, Newsbytes was told.

Through scheduled back-up, the user can pre-schedule a single
back-up session. In contrast, automated daily backup lets the
user stipulate back-up to be performed at a designated time every
day. One-button and scheduled back-up are fairly commonplace
across the industry by now, but automated daily back-up is still
relatively new, according to the product manager.

Monroe also revealed that, in the future, HP plans to enhance the
T4000s with IFS (Installable File System), a capability that will
permit MPEG (Motion Picture Experts Group) playback by "making
the tape appear as a disk" to the PC. "We might be showing this
at (Fall) Comdex," he noted.

In another demo at the briefing, Gersch showed Newsbytes how the
Alchemy software that comes with CD-Recordable permits the user
to index and search for files that have been written on or copied
to the CD.

CD-Recordable is also bundled with several other software
programs, including Magic Lantern, for viewing Photo CD photos,
and Easy-CD, for preparing custom audio disks, Gersch added.

In addition, CD-Recordable is well suited to preparing
"personalized" presentations, according to Gersch. Materials that
might be included in a presentation include spreadsheet data, as
well as multimedia files downloaded off the Web, for example, the
product marketing manager told Newsbytes.

HP's new Colorado T4000s internal back-up drive is slated for
availability in the first quarter, at expected street pricing of
under $400. The T4000s will support the Windows 95, Windows 3.1,
and DOS operating systems, with peer-to-peer network support for
NetWare 2.x and 3.x (from DOS and Windows 3.1), NetWare Lite,
LANtastic, Windows 95, and Windows for Workgroups. The HP
Colorado T1000e external drive is targeted for availability on
November 1 with support for DOS and Windows. T1000e drives
shipped after November 15 will also include Windows 95 support.
Free upgrades to Windows 95 will be available through BBS
(bulletin board system) and FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
downloads.

Also at the press briefing in Boston, HP introduced a 24 gigabyte
(GB) DAT (digital audio tape) drive for network backup; the
SureStore Archive Server; the SureStore Optical 165st optical
jukebox; a new 8.7 gigabyte (GB) hard disk drive for mainframes
and servers; and new Enhanced IDE hard disk drives for servers
and PCs.

(Reader Contact: Hewlett-Packard, 800-826-4111; Press Contacts:
Dave Fowler, Hewlett-Packard, 970-635-6472; Kathy Tanabe, Hi-
TechInk Public Relations Agency for HP, 303-694-6411)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/18/95
NETWORK
HP Network Back-Up DAT Drive Brings DSS-3 Support

(NEWS)(NETWORK)(BOS)(00016)
HP Network Back-Up DAT Drive Brings DSS-3 Support 10/18/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 18 (NB) -- With the new
24 gigabyte (GB) Model C1537A, Hewlett-Packard will be the first
vendor to sell a DAT (digital audio tape) network backup storage
drive that supports the DSS (Digital Data Storage)-3
specification for 100 percent faster data transfer, asserted
Robert Hill, at a press conference in Boston that revolved around
the announcement of seven new storage products from HP.

HP has been a "major driver" behind DSS and other storage
industry standards for years, Hill told Newsbytes during the
press briefing. DSS-3, the latest incarnation of that standard,
brings new technologies for enhanced data transfer that include
PRML (Partial-Read/Maximum-Likelihood), for greater accuracy in
reading bits, as well as "timing tracking," according to the HP
exec.

HP holds the majority of the DAT market, Hill added, pointing to
a pie chart based on market research from IDC that gives HP a 55
percent share of this market, in comparison to 30.2 percent for
Conner, 9.9 percent for Sony, 5.1 percent for Rexon, and 2.7
percent for Exabyte.

The recent acquisition of second-place Conner by Seagate could
have two possible kinds of outcomes for HP, predicted Hill, who
is marketing manager for computer peripherals at the HP facility
in Bristol, UK.

On the one hand, as a disk drive specialist, Seagate might not
"emphasize" Conner's tape technology, according to Hill. On the
other hand, the merger with Seagate could "strengthen" the Conner
line-up. "But either way, it's good for us. We like strong
competition," Hill contended.

DDS provides "reliable, high-performance back-up" at lower
pricing than either DLT (digital linear tape) or 8 millimeter
(mm) technologies, he maintained.

HP's new Model C1537A DAT drive will provide a native capacity of
12GB with a 1 MB/sec data transfer rate. The new DAT drive will
also include built-in hardware compression that will allow
storage of 24GB on a single 125 meter (m) tape at the rate of 2
MB/sec, according to Hill.

HP will bring out the new DDS-3 DAT drive for the OEM (original
equipment manufacturers) market first, before introducing the
drive to HP VARs (value-added resellers), he noted.

HP's DAT drives are packaged with backup management software from
Cheyenne, added Hill, during a demo for Newsbytes. The new Model
1537A comes with Read-After-Write data verification, plus a new,
"intelligent error-recovery" capability. MBTF (meantime between
failures) is 200,000 hours. The new DDS-3 drive provides "full
read and write compatibility with all DDS-2 and DDS drives." HP's
latest DAT drive is currently available to "key OEM accounts" for
evaluation.

Also in the tape drive arena, HP introduced the HP Colorado T400s
and 100e QIC back-up tape drives. The two QIC drives can be used
for peer-to-peer network backup, as well as for back-up of
standalone PCs, said Kerry Monroe, a product manager for HP's
Colorado Memory Systems, during another meeting with Newsbytes at
the HP press conference.

Other HP storage products announced at the press conference in
Boston included the SureStore Archive Server; the SureStore
Optical 165st optical jukebox; a new 8.7 gigabyte (GB) hard disk
drive for mainframes and servers; and Enhanced IDE hard disk
drives for servers and PCs.

(Reader Contact: Hewlett-Packard, 800-826-4111; Press Contacts:
Rebecca Dyer, HP/UK, 44-117-0229072; Laurel Redden, The Hoffman
Agency for HP, 408-286-2611)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/18/95
GENERAL
Japan Newsbriefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00017)
Japan Newsbriefs 10/18/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 OCT 18 (NB) -- In this roundup of news from Tokyo:
Japan digitizes trial seating, KDD announces rate cut, Pioneer signs
Kodak screen deal, Pippin player delayed, JVC announces multimedia TV,
Word processor sales slump.

Japan Digitizes Trial Seating

It was a strange sight, hundreds of people lining up outside a Tokyo
courthouse hoping to get a seat in the trials of followers of Aum
Shinrykyo, the Japanese sect charged with releasing poison gas on the
Tokyo subway earlier this year. How was the allocation of seats being
determined? By nothing more hi-tech than a mass drawing of straws.
Japan, the country that has given the world so much computer technology,
is often behind the times itself, although officials at the
courthouse have now upgraded the seating system. A computer is now
controlling seat allocation, cutting 20 minutes off the previous half
hour-long procedure. It may be more efficient but, as someone lining up
commented to Reuter, "It's kind of sad because we don't get a thrill
from drawing lots."

KDD Announces Rate Cut

Japan's largest international telephone company, KDD, has applied to
the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications for a cut in subscriber
rates effective from January next year. The company says daytime rates
will fall 6.7% and some other rates will fall even more. KDD claims
after the rate cut, it will be cheaper to call the US from Japan than
a call placed in the opposite direction. The company's two
competitors, ITJ and IDC, are both expected to file a request for
reduced rates with the MPT shortly.

Pioneer Signs Kodak Screen Deal

Pioneer has signed a licensing agreement with Eastman Kodak to
commercialize its Organic Electroluminscent Display technology. The
new displays are much thinner than previously developed screens and
consume much less energy. Kodak holds 18 US patents and foreign
equivalents in the technology and has a number of other patents
pending. Under the deal, which is non-exclusive, Pioneer will be free
to make use of the technology in all areas except those associated
with photographic products, for which Kodak retains all rights. In its
first year, Pioneer expects to make around 10,000 to 20,000 units with
the number rising to as many as half a million a year in the future.

Pippin Player Delayed

The Pippin multimedia CD-ROM player will not be introduced in Japan
until next March, according to a newspaper report. The product, which
Bandai is making under contract from Apple Computer, will also be
delayed in the US market, where it will debut next June. The newspaper
said a "large-scale market survey" was needed before the product would
be launched in either country.

JVC Announce Multimedia TV

Victor Company of Japan (JVC) has released details of a new television
set, the AV-32EM, which it will begin selling in December. The set
uses a high definition picture tube and is capable of displaying
television programs and computer images simultaneously. The set also
includes a BS/CS satellite tuner and is capable of displaying MUSE
system high definition broadcasts with an add-on unit. It also accepts
direct links from all major home computer systems including Apple
Macintosh, NEC PC-98, Fujitsu FM Series, and IBM compatible PCs. The
set is priced at 380,000 yen ($3,800) and JVC hopes to sell around
1,000 units a month, initially.

Word Processor Sales Slump

Sales of word processors, electric typewriter-like devices with
notebook size LCD (liquid crystal displays) screens and integrated
printers, have slumped to a ten-year low, according to an industry
association estimate published by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun on Sunday.
The growing increase in popularity of personal computers mean less
than two million word processors are expected to be sold this fiscal
year.

(Martyn Williams/19951018)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/18/95
ONLINE
Second Pan-Asian Internet Backbone Planned

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00018)
Second Pan-Asian Internet Backbone Planned 10/18/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 OCT 18 (NB) -- Three of Asia's top Internet
providers, and a fourth company, are jointly establishing a new
pan-Asian Internet backbone that will link Japan, Singapore, Hong
Kong, and the United States together with high-speed lines.

Internet Initiative Japan (IIJ), Hong Kong Supernet, and Pacific
Internet of Singapore have teamed up with Sumitomo Corporation of
Japan to build the link which will be operated by Asia Internet
Holding, a $6 million company to be established in Tokyo next month
and held jointly between the four partners.

AIH will build an Internet backbone network centered around a main hub
in Tokyo. The network will consist of T3 (45 megabits-per-second)
links between the Tokyo hub and the United States, Singapore, and Hong
Kong.

The other Asian countries will have smaller hubs from where local
Internet providers and companies can connect onto the backbone and
benefit from a high-speed path between the countries and the United
States.

Previously, all Asian countries were linked to the United States,
meaning that inter-Asian traffic traveled across the Pacific and back
with the effect of congesting the expensive trans-Pacific links and
offering a slower performance than otherwise possible. The new backbone
network will keep a lot of inter-Asian traffic within the continent
resulting in faster access and better response, plus less congested
international links.

The companies explained, in a statement, the philosophy behind the new
venture, saying: "Many multinational corporations operating in Asia are
looking upon the Internet as the platform on which to build their own
private networks linking offices, factories and staff all over Asia
and the world. Asia Internet Holding will work with Internet service
providers in Asian countries to provide reliable and secured
communication via the Internet for these MNCs."

AIH will draw on all four partners for its board of directors.
Philip Yeo, chairman of Sembawang Corporation of Singapore, which owns
a controlling interest in Pacific Internet, and chairman of the
Economic Development Board of Singapore for the last eight years, has
been elected the chairman.

One of the two vice chairman is Eugene Wong, vice-president for
Research & Development at the Hong Kong University of Science &
Technology. Wong has also served as associate director of the White
House Office of Science and Technology Policy in the US.

The other vice president is Yasuo Kimura, vice-president of
Sumitomo Corporation. He has supervised the Media Business Division
in Sumitomo since 1988 and became a company executive vice
president this year.

Koichi Suzuki, president of Internet Initiative Japan, will assume
the position of president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Asia
Internet Holding. Suzuki established IIJ, Japan's largest Internet
service provider and also acts as president of IIJ's regional
Internet access companies in Japan.

The announcement comes less than a week after America's AT&T
Corporation announced it would begin work on a similar project,
initially connecting Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, and the United
States. The AT&T project was announced as Asia's first Internet
backbone link.

(Martyn Williams/19951018/Press contact: Maureen Tseng, Sembawang
Media, tel [phone], fax [phone], Internet e-mail
[e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/18/95
ONLINE
 ****Internet Update

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00019)
 ****Internet Update 10/18/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 OCT 18 (NB) -- In this update of new services and
resources on the global Internet: Your link to the Japan Electronics
Show, Hong Kong exclusive robot index, CD-ROM magazine online, Telecom
information clearinghouse, News from the Russian far east, Toyota test
drives the Web, US Government Energy Information Administration,
Election America online for 1996, East Asian environmental information,
Agriculture information database.

Your Link To The Japan Electronics Show

The annual Japan Electronics Show in Osaka has seen the launch of the
Sony Walkman, the video cassette recorder, and the compact disk in
previous years. This year's expo opened Tuesday and continues through
to Saturday in the western Japanese city. For those that can't make
it, you can travel in spirit by visiting the show's World Wide Web site.
World Wide Web: http://www.infoweb.or.jp/jes95

Hong Kong Exclusive Robot Index

There are several robot generated Web indexes available which attempt
to cover the entire World Wide Web, but fall short because of the
amount of information. A new index at the Hong Kong University of
Science and Technology has searched and indexed all known sites in the
hk domain, a much smaller job which means a better index.
World Wide Web: http://www.cs.ust.hk/cgi-bin/IndexServer

CD-ROM Magazine Online

Covering the entire world of CD-ROM game, utility, and information
disks, CD-ROM Magazine is now on the Internet. Visitors can read news &
reviews of the hottest selling software on the market, plus see the top
20 list of the best-selling software for the month as well as
information on where to get it at the lowest possible prices. You can
read the magazine via the Web or subscribe via electronic-mail.
World Wide Web: http://www.li.net/~nsi/cdrom
Email: [e-mail]
Message Body: subscribe

Telecom Information Clearinghouse

This site aims to be "your best telecom resource on the 'net." As part
of the attempt, visitors can find daily news, a telecoms database,
companies listing, and a glossary. The site is provided by Telecom
Publishing Group, a specialist telecoms industry newsletter publisher.
World Wide Web: http://www.telecommunications.com/info.htm

News From The Russian Far East

A five-year-old business newsletter covering developments and news in
the Russian Far East, the area of the country near China, Korea, and
Japan, is now online. Back issues of the magazine, plus a chance to get
a sample copy of the hardcopy magazine, are offered as well as links to
other related Web sites.
World Wide Web: http://www.russianfareast.com/wistar/homepage.html

Toyota Test Drives The Web

The US sales arm of Japan's Toyota Motor Company has established a
Web server offering complete company and product information with
lifestyle information in seven categories. Full product information is
available on one half of the server, while the other service offered is
HUB - an interactive collection of lifestyle information of interest
to Toyota owners and prospects under subjects such as LivingHome,
Modern Man, Women's Web Weekly, alt.Terrain, SportsZine, LivingArts,
and Car Culture.
World Wide Web: http://www.toyota.com/

US Government Energy Information Administration

The Energy Information Administration, a part of the US Department
of Energy in Washington, offers domestic and international energy
data, analysis, and forecasting from its Web server. Also available
are the administration's press releases and the Highway service offers
hypertext files and downloadable executable Windows energy analysis
tools.
World Wide Web: http://www.eia.doe.gov/index.html

Election America Online For 1996

The local, state, regional and national elections are less than a year
away and already Web servers have begun to offer coverage of the races
leading up to each vote. Bringing them all together and offering a
comprehensive index to the election orientated services is Election
America. Links are already provided to Presidential election related
sites and a growing number of states are already offering information.
World Wide Web: http://electionamerica.com/

East Asian Environmental Information

The East-West Center Program on Environment and the Asia Foundation
have collaborated to produce "envgov," a Hawaii-based server providing
Internet users with information on environmental governance and policy
issues affecting Asia and the Pacific region. Links to associated Web
sources of information are also included.
World Wide Web: http://envgov.ewc.hawaii.edu

Agriculture Information Database

The National Agricultural Library of the US Department of Agriculture
is providing a directory of agriculture-related databases, datasets,
and information systems available via the Internet. The AgDB offers
links to sources though an alphabetical or subject sorted list and a
search engine allows more flexible access to the database index.
World Wide Web: http://www.agnic.nal.usda.gov/agdb/

(Martyn Williams/19951018)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/18/95
TRENDS
Canadian Scientists Claim World's Largest Pi Number

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00020)
Canadian Scientists Claim World's Largest Pi Number 10/18/95
BURNABY, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, 1995 OCT 18 (NB) -- Just 2 months
after computer scientists at the University of Tokyo claimed a new
world record by calculating pi -- the ratio of a circle's circumference
to its diameter -- a team of mathematicians from Simon Fraser University
in Canada have broken the record by working with the Japanese record
holders.

Just a few months ago, the world's most accurate calculation ran to
2.2 billion decimal places, the Japanese trumped that by working the
figure out, generally written as 3.14, to 3.22 billion decimal places.

The SFU team used a HITAC S-3900/480 vector supercomputer and 56 hours
to calculate PI to 4,294,967,286 decimal places. The previous record
used a pair of HITAC S-3800/480 computer and ran for almost 37 hours.
To give some perspective on the number, the Canadian scientists say a
print-out of the number, expressed at six digits per centimeter, would
stretch more than 7,000 kilometers.

To break the previous record, brothers Jonathan and Peter Borwein, of
SFU's center for experimental and constructive mathematics, wrote a
new algorithm - a computer formula used to calculate the figure.

Not content with breaking just one record, Peter Borwein, working with
SFU colleague Dr. Simon Plouffe, and Dr. David Bailey of the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration's Ames Research Center
(NASA-Ames) in California, has calculated the 40 billionth binary
digit of pi , which is 1.

The second record skips all the digits in between and works out just
the 40 billionth. Peter Borwein, one of the scientists, explained, "It
has long been believed that if you want to compute the 40 billionth
digit of pi, you have to compute all the preceding digits first. What
we're doing is picking off the 40 billionth digit by itself. We don't
know or see what's in-between."

Continued Borwein, "The beauty of all this is in the new software and
mathematics we've developed. They allow calculations that previously
required supercomputers to be performed on quite modest workstations.
I predict some smart kid working on a home computer will now use these
methods to compute the 100 billionth digit of pi in the very near
future."

Details of the methods and formula used are available on the World
Wide Web at http://www.cecm.sfu.ca/~pborwein .

(Martyn Williams/19951017/Press contact: Dr. Peter Borwein, SFU,
604-291-4376; Ken Mennell, Director Media and Public Relations,
SFU, 604-291-3210, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/18/95
ONLINE
 ****AT&T Business Network & CNN Interactive In Online Alliance

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TOR)(00021)
 ****AT&T Business Network & CNN Interactive In Online Alliance 10/18/95
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 18 (NB) -- The recently
launched AT&T (NYSE:T) Business Network has formed an alliance with
Cable News Network's CNN Interactive. The two companies said they will
offer a range of multimedia and online services.

The alliance calls for information provided by CNN Interactive to be
included in the AT&T Business Network's basic subscription package,
meaning there will be no extra cost to Business Network subscribers, AT&T
spokeswoman Jennifer Christensen told Newsbytes. That information will
include business news and information and online discussions hosted by
business and subject experts, company officials said.

AT&T Business Network, a service based on AT&T's Interchange Online
Network, will also contain direct links to CNN Interactive's site on
the World Wide Web. This site, which is also free, carries news, sound
clips, and photographs. It is located at http://www.cnn.com .

The first results of the alliance will be visible within weeks, AT&T
said. The AT&T Business Network is scheduled to start operating in
November. As Newsbytes reported in September, the network is to provide
assorted business news and information from various sources, including
Dow Jones & Co., Dun & Bradstreet Information Services, the Bureau of
National Affairs, the Kiplinger Washington Editors Inc., and others.

With 24 information providers named at launch, Michael Kolowich, newly
appointed president of AT&T New Media Services, promised "a steady
stream of additional announcements...between now and the end of the year."

Christensen told Newsbytes the company plans other alliances like the one
with CNN, and more such announcements can be expected in November and
December.

CNN, meanwhile, said the deal with AT&T complements its impending
launch of CNN Financial Network on television in December in an effort
to appeal to business people.

More information about the AT&T Business Network is available from
AT&T Interchange's World Wide Web site at http://www.ichange.com .

(Grant Buckler/19951018/Press Contact: Jennifer Christensen, AT&T New
Media Services, 617-252-5477; Andy Mitchell, CNN Interactive,
404-827-5021; Public Contact: AT&T, 800-660-2299)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/18/95
EDUCATION
Co-op Students To Promote Computer Literacy In Schools

(NEWS)(EDUCATION)(TOR)(00022)
Co-op Students To Promote Computer Literacy In Schools 10/18/95
WATERLOO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 OCT 18 (NB) -- Students from the
University of Waterloo's computer science department will spend their
work terms in Ontario classrooms helping build computer-literacy programs
under a program just announced by the university and Ontario's school
boards, with financial backing from Xerox Canada Inc.

The students will come from a university program that prepares students
to teach mathematics and computer science in secondary schools. The first
four students have already taken up their duties with three Ontario school
boards. In each four-month term for the next five years, four students
will go out to Ontario schools as part of the Xerox Co-op Teaching
Internships Program.

Martin van Nierop, a spokesman for the University of Waterloo, told
Newsbytes that each student will begin by working with a staff advisor at
the school to conduct an audit of the way the school is using and teaching
information technology. Then the student will help develop new computer-
literacy projects. Students will use their own initiative rather than
following a predefined program, van Nierop said.

The idea of the program arose from brainstorming by University of Waterloo
faculty and development staff, van Nierop explained. Xerox Canada had
been looking for an opportunity to work with the university in some way,
so "we proposed this to them and they liked it," he said. Xerox will put
C$250,000 into the program over the next five years.

Once the five-year term of the initial program is up, van Nierop said the
university hopes to be able to continue it with additional funding from
Xerox or another partner. For the present at least, the scope of the
program is limited to the province of Ontario.

(Grant Buckler/19951018/Press Contact: Martin van Nierop, University of
Waterloo, 519-888-4881; Susan Cornell, Xerox Canada, 416-733-6216;
Louise Armstrong, Peel Board of Education, 905-890-1010 ext 2817)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/18/95
ONLINE
 ****AMEX Launches Internet Index-Based Options

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00023)
 ****AMEX Launches Internet Index-Based Options 10/18/95
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 18 (NB) -- Two months after
launching a new stock index based on the performance of Internet
related companies, the American Stock Exchange (AMEX) has begun
offering options trading based on the index.

The new index, known as the "Interactive Week Internet Index" consists
of 37 companies in the sector and is the first such index launched
exclusively covering the Internet business. It was launched by the
exchange on August 15th with a base value of 200. Yesterday the index
stood at 215 points, up just under 10% in two months.

The companies include service providers, commercial online services
companies, Internet software companies, multimedia publishers, and
networking companies. The index also includes providers of
technology expected to shape the future of the Internet, such as
videoconferencing and interactive television.

Stock indexes measure the overall performance of the companies that
make up the index and are intended to give a broad view of how the
entire sector is doing. The new index, which will also be known as
the "@net Index" is available from today under the ticker symbol IIX.

Paul Noglows, business editor for Interactive Week, said, "The @Net
Index is intended to track the industry as it evolves from a
collection of start-up companies and independent initiatives into an
increasingly cohesive and important sector of the of the overall
economy."

Gary Gastineau, senior vice president of New Product Development at
the AMEX commented, "The Internet Index serves as a benchmark for the
Internet business sector and a way to invest in that sector. The idea
to list options on an Internet index stems from an overwhelming
interest in technology among the traders and specialists on our
trading floor."

Interest in companies involved in the Internet business has been
growing over the past two years as the network has grown from
something few people knew about to a entity that it is almost
impossible to go a day without seeing mention of it in the news media.

Interest peaked two months ago when Netscape Communications debuted on
the market and became the third best performing debut stock in history
by jumping from its issue price of $28 a share to over $75 a share
before settling at $58 1/4 at the end of the day, up $30 1/4 on the
day.

Options are contracts for the sale or purchase of a stock at a
specified price and date in the future if one party wants to go ahead
with it. The specialist unit for the new options will be Susquehanna
Investment Group, said the exchange.

Specifically, the index is made up of 3Com Corporation, Acclaim
Entertainment, Inc., Activision, Inc., Adobe Systems, Inc., America
Online Inc., Avid Technology, Inc., Bolt Beranek & Newman Inc.,
Broadband Technologies, Inc., Broderbund Software, Inc., C-Cube
Microsystems Inc., Cabletron Systems, Inc., Cisco Systems Inc.,
Compression Labs, Inc., CUC International Inc., Davison & Associates,
Inc., Electronic Arts, FTP Software, Inc., H&R Block, Inc., Metricom,
Inc., MicroTouch Systems, Inc., Netcom On-Line Communication Services
Corp., NetManage, Inc., Netscape Communications, Inc., Newbrdge
Networks Corp., Novell, Inc., NTN Communications, Inc., Optical Data
Systems, Inc., Performance Systems International, Inc., PictureTel
Corp., Qualcomm Inc., Sierra On-Line, Inc., Silicon Graphics, Inc.,
Spectrum HoloByte, Inc., Spyglass, Inc., Stratacom, Inc., Sun
Microsystems, Inc. and UUNET Technologies Inc.

Readers with access to financial online services can track the index
under ticker symbol IIX. World Wide Web users can follow the value by
visiting the American Stock Exchange at http://www.amex.com/ , or
Interactive Week at http://www.interactive-week.com/~intweek .

(Martyn Williams/19951018/Press contacts: Dan Noonan, American Stock
Exchange, 212-306-1647, Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Greg Jarboe,
Interactive Week, 617-225-3500, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/18/95
APPLE
Apple's System 7.5 Users Get Free E-Mail Utility

(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00024)
Apple's System 7.5 Users Get Free E-Mail Utility 10/18/95
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 18 (NB) -- With a licensing
agreement sealed, Apple Computer Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has announced the
free distribution of StarNine Technologies' PowerTalk gateways. All
Macintosh users of System 7.5 are invited to download the electronic-
mail utility from Apple's World Wide Web site.

PowerTalk includes gateways for Mail Link Internet for PowerTalk,
Mail Link MS for PowerTalk, and Mail Link QM for PowerTalk. The
package also allows users to access Internet mail, StarNine Mail or
C.E. Software's QuickMail.

Under the terms of the licensing agreement, Apple will provide product
support and add enhancements as they are developed. Apple plans to
build PowerTalk into future versions of the Macintosh operating
system.

Working out of Berkeley, California, StarNine Technologies began
providing its Macintosh products two years ago. Currently, System 7.5
includes PowerTalk personal gateways for direct dial-up, fax, pager,
and Compuserve.

The new PowerTalk additions extends communication and collaboration
features already present in System 7.5. An Apple spokesperson told
Newsbytes, "This announcement shows our commitment to continue enhancing
the Macintosh platform. These connectivity features increase our support
of the Internet and group communications."

PowerTalk provides users with a universal mailbox to most electronic-
mail systems and allows users to send mail from any PowerTalk-enabled
application. It also offers the capability to digitally "sign" documents
and share files over an AppleTalk network.

PowerTalk may be coupled with Apple's electronic-mail and directory
server, PowerShare, enabling it to be used as a workgroup collaboration
system.

Once the new modules are downloaded, users can access an Internet or
Unix mailbox using SMTP (Simple Mail Transport Protocol) and POP3
protocols through Mail Link Internet for PowerTalk. Mail Link MS for
PowerTalk enables users to access StarNine Mail or Microsoft Mail for
AppleTalk mailbox and directory. Mail Link QM for PowerTalk provides
access to QuickMail.

Apple says the free download is immediately available for users of
System 7.5 at the following Web site:
http://www.info.apple.com/dev/evangelism/powertalk/powertalk.html.

(Patrick McKenna/19951018/Press Contact: Benita Kenn, Apple,
408-974-5784)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/18/95
BUSINESS
Compaq Acquires Network Interface Card Firm

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00025)
Compaq Acquires Network Interface Card Firm 10/18/95
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 18 (NB) -- Compaq Computer Corp.
(NYSE: CPQ) has announced that it will acquire Thomas-Conrad Corp., a
privately held maker of network interface cards (NICs) and hubs.
Thomas-Conrad will become a part of Compaq's new Internetworking
Products Group (IPG)

Compaq said Thomas-Conrad will become a wholly-owned entity under
the management of the new group. The company said the deal, which is
still subject to anti-trust clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino
Antitrust Improvements Act, is expected to be completed by the end
of the month.

Compaq said creation of the IPG, which will be part of the
company's Systems Division, is part of its overall strategy to
create a full-service Compaq-branded network products family to
include clients, servers, network interface cards, routers, hubs and
network management. Compaq claims 41 percent of the x86-based server
market worldwide.

Acquisition of Thomas-Conrad gives Compaq an established product
line, manufacturing capacity and a sales, service, and distribution
network. The company said it will merge its existing NetFlex family
of network interface cards with the Thomas-Conrad Sectra NIC product
line. Compaq sees the merging of the products as an opportunity for
additional NIC market penetration and an additional source of
revenue from the sale of NICs for use in third-party computing
platforms, including desktops and servers.

Thomas-Conrad has about 200 employees and can turn out as many as
100,000 printed circuit boards per month.

Compaq has named Doug Pushard as vice president of the Internetworking
Products Group. Pushard joined Compaq in 1989 and was most recently
director of product planning for the Systems Division, where he was
responsible for formulating the division's long terms strategic direction.
Prior to that he was manager of Unix systems marketing at Compaq.

In June of this year, Compaq announced a strategic partnership with
Cisco Systems. The deal calls for integration of Cisco's
internetworking operating system software on an x86-based Compaq
platform. Compaq said the router based on that agreement will be
announced in the first half of 1996.

Compaq said it expects to ship 1.6 million NICs this year including
options and embedded NICs in servers, commercial desktops, and
portable docking stations. International Data Corp. has estimated
the total market for NIC shipments in 1995 at 28 million units.

(Jim Mallory/19951018/Press contact: Mike Berman, Compaq,
713-514-0484)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/18/95
CHIPS
 ****Motorola Sets PowerPC 603e Chip Prices

(NEWS)(CHIPS)(DEN)(00026)
 ****Motorola Sets PowerPC 603e Chip Prices 10/18/95
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 18 (NB) -- Motorola Inc. (NYSE:MOT)
has announced pricing and general availability of its 100 megahertz
(MHz) and 120MHz RISC (reduced instruction set computing) PowerPC
603e microprocessors. The chips are designed for use in notebook and
entry-level desktop systems.

The 603e is the 32-bit extension of the PowerPC 603 product line.
Motorola said it has increased performance of the chip by doubling
the caches and raising the clock frequency more than 80 percent over
the original 603 microprocessor. Motorola claims the 603e will
provide better performance than Intel's Pentium processor.

The 603e uses a 16 kilobyte (KB) on-chip instruction set and 2.6
million transistors. It was designed using 0.5 micron CMOS
(complimentary metal oxide semiconductor) processor technology.
Power dissipation is 1.2 watts. The chip was developed jointly by
Apple, IBM, and Motorola to compete with Intel's Pentium chip.

Apple Computer Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) said its new line of Power
Macintosh 5300 PCs announced in late August will use the 100MHz 603e
chip. The line is the Apple's first PowerPC-based portable family of
Power Macs.

In June of this year, Canon, IBM, and Motorola's own Computer Group
introduced their PowerPC 603e-based systems, and FirePower Systems
and Power Computing Corp. have also committed to incorporating the
chip into their systems.

Both the 100MHz and 120MHz chips are immediately available, said
Motorola. PC makers will pay $207 each for the 100MHz version and
$260 each for the 120MHz model when buying in lots of 1,000. That's
considerably less expensive than the OEM (original equipment
manufacturer) cost of Pentium chips, claims the company.

A Motorola public relations representative told Newsbytes the
Pentium 120MHz chip was recently reduced to $357, while the cost
of the 100MHz Pentium was cut to $300. Cyrix Corp. one of two
challengers to Intel's dominance in the x86 chip market, doesn't
produce a microprocessor that is in direct competition with the 100MHz
and 120MHz Pentium chips. However, Cyrix spokesperson, Michelle Moody,
told Newsbytes the company's next-generation chip, expected to ship
in the fourth quarter, will be price-competitive at $450 in lots of
1,000 with Intel's recently announced 133MHz Pentium microprocessor.

Motorola maintains a home page on the Internet at
http://www.mot.com/PowerPC/ , where it posts information about its
products.

(Jim Mallory/19951018/Press contact: Elisa Klosterman, Cunningham
Communication for Motorola, 617-494-8202 or Michelle Moody, Cyrix
Corp., 214-968-8302; Public contact: Motorola, 800-845-6676)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/18/95
BUSINESS
AT&T Puts Paradyne Subsidiary Up For Sale

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(MSP)(00027)
AT&T Puts Paradyne Subsidiary Up For Sale 10/18/95
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 18 (NB) -- In a move that's
similar to the announced split of AT&T (NYSE:T) last month, the
telecommunications giant said it will sell off its AT&T Paradyne
subsidiary to another company.

Officials said AT&T Paradyne sells about $300 million worth of goods
and services in more than 90 countries, and employs about 1,300 people.
The subsidiary produces and develops products, and licenses
technologies providing network access for multimedia communications.
One of those technologies include the recently announced Globespan
transceivers, which provide high-speed access to global networks for
video-on-demand and Internet access, among other applications.

AT&T officials said selling Paradyne will benefit both parent company
and subsidiary. "By separating Paradyne from AT&T's other equipment
businesses, Paradyne avoids possible conflicts in selling to AT&T's
competitors," Dan Coulter, AT&T Multimedia Ventures and Technologies
spokesperson, told Newsbytes. "We don't have to own Paradyne to take
advantage of its products. In this case, selling Paradyne will help
ensure its future success and our access to its products and services."

This type of strategy is the same as what motivated last month's
divestiture of AT&T, Coulter said. "When AT&T Paradyne moves off,
they can begin selling to people who wouldn't necessarily buy their
products (from an AT&T subsidiary) right now, because they're
competitors of AT&T, like Northern Telecom, Alcatel, Siemens, and NEC,"
he said. "The company is even more valuable outside of AT&T than it
is inside of AT&T."

Last month, Newsbytes covered AT&T's split from one huge company
into three smaller companies: a telephone services business, a
communications equipment manufacturer, and a computer company.

Coulter also said AT&T anticipates developing a preferred supplier
relationship with Paradyne. Morgan Stanley & Co. is handling the
offer and subsequent inquiries.

(Bob Woods/19951018/Press Contacts: Dan Coulter, AT&T Multimedia
Ventures and Technologies, 908-221-7406, Internet e-mail
[e-mail]; Eileen Connolly, AT&T, 908-361-4615,
Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/18/95
BUSINESS
 ****Microsoft 1Qtr Profits Hit Record, Jump 58%

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00028)
 ****Microsoft 1Qtr Profits Hit Record, Jump 58% 10/18/95
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 18 (NB) -- Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ: MSFT) has announced that its quarterly profits jumped
more than 58 percent for the first quarter of the company's fiscal
year, with the results fueled by sale of more than seven million
copies of the Windows 95 operating system and graphical user
interface. The period ended September 30, 1995, with the results
exceeding many financial analysts' expectations.

The results also fueled a demand for Microsoft shares. Microsoft
stock rose steadily in after hours trading Tuesday, reaching 95 from
the day's regular trading hours closing at 91-1/8. Stock prices
had sagged somewhat following the August 24 rollout of Windows 95
based on fears that the software might not live up to its
promotional hype.

Earnings per share for the first quarter were $0.78, compared to $0.51
for the same period last year. Microsoft was in good company with
its favorable results, joining Intel, Sun Microsystems, Compaq
Computer, and IBM in reporting good quarters.

Microsoft said it earned $499 million on revenue of $2.02 billion, up
62 percent over the $1.24 billion in revenue from the first quarter
last year. About $260 million of the company's earnings were from
Windows 95. Another $130 million in revenues from Windows 95 were
booked in the quarter, but will be recognized over the life of the
product. Currently that's estimated at about 18 months, according to
Mike Brown, Microsoft chief financial officer.

Microsoft said it had revenues of $780 million from desktop
applications during the quarter and it deferred another $120 million
in desktop revenues to recognize the effect of its Microsoft Office
applications upgrade. Brown said most of the deferred Office revenue
would be recognized in the current quarter.

Brad Silverberg, senior vice of Microsoft's personal systems division,
told the British news service Reuters that about three million end-users
have purchased Windows 95 since the late August product rollout, with
another four million copies being pre-installed on PCs sold by original
equipment manufacturers like Dell, Compaq, Gateway 2000, and other
companies. "I don't think anybody thought we would sell this much
product this quickly," said Silverberg.

Microsoft said Windows 95 is already shipping in 17 of the 30
planned languages, and the Japanese version was sent to
manufacturing last week. The company said the Chinese and Korean
language versions will go to manufacturing this week. All three
Asian languages are expected to be available by November.

However, as reported earlier this week by Newsbytes, Microsoft missed
the October 12 scheduled launch date of the Thai language version of
Windows 95 and was giving away copies of the beta version instead. A
Microsoft Thailand executive said the delay was due to bugs in the
software.

The company also said this week it is "very happy" with the sign-up
rate for its new online service Microsoft Network, even though
subscriptions still haven't reached the self-imposed temporary
limit of 500,000 members. Microsoft isn't saying how long the
temporary halt will last while it evaluates the service, nor when it
projects the sign-up limit might be reached.

(Jim Mallory/19951018/Press and public contact: Microsoft,
206-882-8080 or 800-426-9400)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/18/95
ONLINE
 ****USAir & British Airways Land On The Desktop

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SFO)(00029)
 ****USAir & British Airways Land On The Desktop 10/18/95
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 18 (NB) -- Members of USAir's
and British Airway's frequent flyer programs will receive Windows
software which will allow them to access a wide range of travel
information and make reservations. The new service, called Priority
TravelWorks and Executive TravelWorks, respectively for each company,
includes hotel and car rental information.

Once online, users of the software access the Apollo computer
reservations system which offers real-time information on flights and
fares from more than 740 airlines. Additionally, users also receive
access to 24,000 hotels and 37 rental car companies worldwide.

A spokesperson for USAir told Newsbytes, "The announcement of our
Priority TravelWorks program is just the first step in a program to build
a system which involves faster and easier flying arrangements for our
customers. Automated ticketing machines can be tied into this
reservations system, enabling a customer to pick-up their ticket at the
airport already knowing the fare and their seat selection and without
waiting in a long line. Eventually, there will be a ticketless form of
travel and this is one step in that direction."

The software allows users to access more detailed USAir and British
Airways information and features such as arrival times and gate
information (USAir only), seat selection, upgrade possibilities, and
frequent flyer information.

Using a credit card, users can purchase tickets and have them mailed or
ready for pick-up at an airport, travel agency, or ticket office.

Along with providing additional service, both airlines say the new program
is designed to reduce the costs of providing flight information through
800 numbers and ticketing transactions over telephones and at airports
and local offices.

Both the software and the service will be free to USAir's and British
Airways' "selected" customers. The program requires users to have a
modem, but does not require an online service. Currently. the program
is not available to European travelers.

By the end of November, USAir says it plans to distribute more than
10,000 copies of the software.

(Patrick McKenna/19951018/Press Contact: David Castelveter, USAir,
703-418-5116)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00030)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 10/18/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 18 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|          Wednesday, October 18, 1995           |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network's on the Web! Check out http://www.nbnn.com for
free daily top stories from Newsbytes. and its affiliate publications,
and from PC Week, MacWeek, and other Ziff news magazines. A subscription
gives you all the news, full-text, plus the most comprehensive database
of past computer stories online. The keyword-searchable database dates
from today back through 1983. Subscriptions are $24.95 for three months.
Questions? Send to '[e-mail]'  For Japanese Newsbytes
and additional services, see the Newsbytes Pacifica Website at
http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

APPLE     Apple's System 7.5 Users Get Free E-Mail Utility........... 24

BUSINESS  India's Pentafour Expands Thai Presence.................... 08

BUSINESS  Compaq Acquires Network Interface Card Firm................ 25

BUSINESS  AT&T Puts Paradyne Subsidiary Up For Sale.................. 27

BUSINESS   ****Microsoft 1Qtr Profits Hit Record, Jump 58%........... 28

CHIPS      ****Motorola Sets PowerPC 603e Chip Prices................ 26

EDUCATION Co-op Students To Promote Computer Literacy In Schools..... 22

GENERAL   HP Intros 8.7GB Drive, Plus 6 Other Storage Products....... 13

GENERAL   Japan Newsbriefs........................................... 17

GOVT      Australia Laws Going Online................................ 09

GOVT      Aussie Laws Going Online................................... 11

NETWORK   HP "Archive Server" Combines Jukebox With Built-In Chip.... 14

NETWORK   HP Network Back-Up DAT Drive Brings DSS-3 Support.......... 16

ONLINE    UK Firm Offers Low-Cost Internet Access.................... 10

ONLINE    UK - FTP Software's "Explore Anywhere" Internet Software... 12

ONLINE    Second Pan-Asian Internet Backbone Planned................. 18

ONLINE     ****Internet Update....................................... 19

ONLINE     ****AT&T Business Network & CNN Interactive In Online Alli 21

ONLINE     ****AMEX Launches Internet Index-Based Options............ 23

ONLINE     ****USAir & British Airways Land On The Desktop........... 29

PC        24 Hour Data Hook-up For ISDN.............................. 04

PC        HP's External "Plug-In" & Internal PC Back-Up Drives....... 15

TELECOM   Japanese PC-Linked Pager Debuts In UK...................... 01

TELECOM   Europe - MFS To Offer Telecoms Service In Hong Kong........ 03

TELECOM   Novell To Sponsor Telephony Services Conference............ 05

TRENDS    Technology Partly To Blame For Jobless Recovery - Report... 06

TRENDS    Smart Battery Needed For Longer Life....................... 07

TRENDS    Canadian Scientists Claim World's Largest Pi Number........ 20

WINDOWS   Windows Application Reveals All On UK Dialing Codes........ 02

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 -> Japanese PC-Linked Pager Debuts In UK -- Vodapage, the radiopaging
division of Vodafone, has launched a message pager with a difference. The
Wordcall Plus is a pager that can be linked to a PC and have data
transferred across a PC serial link.

2 -> Windows Application Reveals All On UK Dialing Codes -- Texis UK has
announced the development of a Windows version of its popular DOS dialing
code package. According to Nick Mutton, the managing director of the
company, the package, which will be called Texis for Windows, acts as a
database of everything users want to know about UK dialing codes.

3 -> Europe - MFS To Offer Telecoms Service In Hong Kong -- MFS has
announced the launch of an international telecoms service, targeted at
the financial center of Hong Kong. According to Colin Williams, managing
director of the company's International operations, the new service forms
part of the expansion plan carried out by MFS in the Asia Pacific region.

4 -> 24 Hour Data Hook-up For ISDN -- Patriot Scientific Corporation
(OTC: PTSC) has introduced the CyberShark I, a PC-compatible ISDN
(integrated services digital network) plug-in terminal adapter card. By
allowing full use of an ISDN line to achieve up to 128 kilobits-
per-second (Kbps), the CyberShark I terminal adapter provides over four
times the data rate of the fastest analog modems.

5 -> Novell To Sponsor Telephony Services Conference -- Novell Inc.
(NASDAQ: NOVL) says it will join with other companies to sponsor the
second annual conference on the development and marketing of telephony
applications based on its TSAPI (Telephone Services Applications Program
Interface). Netware Telephony Services integrate telephone networks and
data networks.

6 -> Technology Partly To Blame For Jobless Recovery - Report -- In
Canada, the recession of 1990-91 was not as long or as deep as that of
the early 1980s, but ordinary people suffered much more because
employment did not recover as well. That was partly because of increased
use of technology, according to a recent report from the Conference Board
of Canada.

7 -> Smart Battery Needed For Longer Life -- Exar Corporation (NASDAQ:
EXAR), a supplier of mixed-signal integrated circuits, has announced the
XR-8100 "smart battery" High IQ chipset. The High IQ chipset displays how
full a rechargeable battery is, and it also controls charging and
discharging of the battery pack to prevent damage and extend the life of
the battery.

8 -> India's Pentafour Expands Thai Presence -- Indian-based Pentafour
Software & Exports has announced a joint-venture to set up Pentafour AG
(Thailand) to provide software services, products, and training.

9 -> Australia Laws Going Online -- The Australian Federal
Attorney-General's Department has signed a $1 million contract with a
Canberra computer distributor for equipment to put Australian laws and
regulations on the Internet.

10 -> UK Firm Offers Low-Cost Internet Access -- Global Internet, a new
company based in Putney, London, has begun offering a full range of
Internet services, including World Wide Web and SLIP dial-up access, but
at a low price, just UKP7.50 per month. The company is also offering an
Internet suite of software known as Total Internet, for UKP34.99.

11 -> Aussie Laws Going Online -- The Australian Federal
Attorney-General's Department has signed a $1M contract with a Canberra
computer distributor for gear to put Australian laws and regulations  on
the Internet.

12 -> UK - FTP Software's "Explore Anywhere" Internet Software -- FTP
Software has taken the wraps off Explore Anywhere 2.0 for Windows.
According to Mike Hibbert, a spokesman for the company, the UKP199
package is designed to offer all the usual features of an Internet suite

13 -> HP Intros 8.7GB Drive, Plus 6 Other Storage Products -- Hewlett-
Packard's new C3653A, a product ultimately destined for both the
mainframe and PC server markets, is the industry's first shipping hard
disk drive in the 9 gigabyte (GB) capacity range, maintained Roger
Archibald, at a press conference in Boston where HP introduced seven new
storage products.

14 -> HP "Archive Server" Combines Jukebox With Built-In Chip -- HP's new
SureStore Archive Server combines an optical jukebox with a built-in
processor and related hardware and software to let departmental
administrators add optical storage to Netware and Unix networks without
the need for a separate file server, said Pamela L. Ingmire, during an HP
press conference in Boston.

15 -> HP's External "Plug-In" & Internal PC Back-Up Drives -- Retail
stores and VARs (value-added resellers) are the two intended channels for
the HP Colorado T1000e, an external back-up drive installable by
"computer literate but non-technical users," plus the HP Colorado T4000s,
an internal back-up drive that uses SCSI (small computer systems
interface)-2 for faster recording, reported Kerry Monroe, at an HP press
conference in Boston.

16 -> HP Network Back-Up DAT Drive Brings DSS-3 Support -- With the new
24 gigabyte (GB) Model C1537A, Hewlett-Packard will be the first vendor
to sell a DAT (digital audio tape) network backup storage drive that
supports the DSS (Digital Data Storage)-3 specification for 100 percent
faster data transfer, asserted Robert Hill, at a press conference in
Boston that revolved around the announcement of seven new storage
products from HP.

17 -> Japan Newsbriefs -- In this roundup of news from Tokyo: Japan
digitizes trial seating, KDD announces rate cut, Pioneer signs Kodak
screen deal, Pippin player delayed, JVC announces multimedia TV, Word
processor sales slump.

18 -> Second Pan-Asian Internet Backbone Planned -- Three of Asia's top
Internet providers, and a fourth company, are jointly establishing a new
pan-Asian Internet backbone that will link Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong,
and the United States together with high-speed lines.

19 ->  ****Internet Update -- In this update of new services and
resources on the global Internet: Your link to the Japan Electronics
Show, Hong Kong exclusive robot index, CD-ROM magazine online, Telecom
information clearinghouse, News from the Russian far east, Toyota test
drives the Web, US Government Energy Information Administration, Election
America online for 1996, East Asian environmental information,
Agriculture information database.

20 -> Canadian Scientists Claim World's Largest Pi Number -- Just 2
months after computer scientists at the University of Tokyo claimed a new
world record by calculating pi

21 ->  ****AT&T Business Network & CNN Interactive In Online Alliance --
The recently launched AT&T (NYSE:T) Business Network has formed an
alliance with Cable News Network's CNN Interactive. The two companies
said they will offer a range of multimedia and online services.

22 -> Co-op Students To Promote Computer Literacy In Schools -- Students
from the University of Waterloo's computer science department will spend
their work terms in Ontario classrooms helping build computer-literacy
programs under a program just announced by the university and Ontario's
school boards, with financial backing from Xerox Canada Inc.

23 ->  ****AMEX Launches Internet Index-Based Options -- Two months after
launching a new stock index based on the performance of Internet related
companies, the American Stock Exchange (AMEX) has begun offering options
trading based on the index.

24 -> Apple's System 7.5 Users Get Free E-Mail Utility -- With a
licensing agreement sealed, Apple Computer Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has
announced the free distribution of StarNine Technologies' PowerTalk
gateways. All Macintosh users of System 7.5 are invited to download the
electronic- mail utility from Apple's World Wide Web site.

25 -> Compaq Acquires Network Interface Card Firm -- Compaq Computer
Corp. (NYSE: CPQ) has announced that it will acquire Thomas-Conrad Corp.,
a privately held maker of network interface cards (NICs) and hubs.
Thomas-Conrad will become a part of Compaq's new Internetworking Products
Group (IPG)

26 ->  ****Motorola Sets PowerPC 603e Chip Prices -- Motorola Inc.
(NYSE:MOT) has announced pricing and general availability of its 100
megahertz (MHz) and 120MHz RISC (reduced instruction set computing)
PowerPC 603e microprocessors. The chips are designed for use in notebook
and entry-level desktop systems.

27 -> AT&T Puts Paradyne Subsidiary Up For Sale -- In a move that's
similar to the announced split of AT&T (NYSE:T) last month, the
telecommunications giant said it will sell off its AT&T Paradyne
subsidiary to another company.

28 ->  ****Microsoft 1Qtr Profits Hit Record, Jump 58% -- Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ: MSFT) has announced that its quarterly profits jumped more than
58 percent for the first quarter of the company's fiscal year, with the
results fueled by sale of more than seven million copies of the Windows
95 operating system and graphical user interface. The period ended
September 30, 1995, with the results exceeding many financial analysts'
expectations.

29 ->  ****USAir & British Airways Land On The Desktop -- Members of
USAir's and British Airway's frequent flyer programs will receive Windows
software which will allow them to access a wide range of travel
information and make reservations. The new service, called Priority
TravelWorks and Executive TravelWorks, respectively for each company,
includes hotel and car rental information.

(Ian Stokell/19951018)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD



Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/17/95
PC
Zenith Data System's New Pentium Desktops, Notebooks

(NEWS)(PC)(MSP)(00001)
Zenith Data System's New Pentium Desktops, Notebooks 10/17/95
BUFFALO GROVE, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- Furthering its
penetration into the Pentium market, Zenith Data Systems (ZDS) is
introducing new high and mid-range notebook computers, along with
high-end desktop models. One of the new notebook models, the Z-Note
GT, will have what the company bills as the largest thin film
transistor (TFT) active-matrix screen currently available in notebooks.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95101701.PCX
Click here for photo

The Z-Note GT is aimed at the market that "requires no compromise,
desktop performance in a portable package," Mike Wilson, ZDS senior
director of portable products marketing, told Newsbytes. "A lot of
these companies are looking to take a much more 'powerful' message on
the road, and products like the Z-Note GT allow them to do that," with
full-motion Motion Pictures Experts Group (MPEG) video, audio, and
other features, he said.

The TFT active-matrix screen measures 11.3 inches diagonally, Wilson
said, and will allow for an SVGA resolution at 800x600, which allows
users to see over 50 percent more information than a comparable VGA
screen. The notebook will run for two hours on one nickel metal
hydride (NiMH), Wilson said, after Newsbytes noted that TFT screens
tend to drain battery power more quickly than other types of notebook
displays. He also said additional batteries and higher-quality
batteries can be added to make the unit run even longer.

The Z-Station GT is also available with an 11.3-inch dual-scan
display that runs at the higher-resolution SVGA. The units are
available with either a Pentium 75MHz or 90MHz processor, 810MB
or 1.3GB disk drives, and 8MB of RAM, a modular CD-ROM drive, and
either Windows 95 or Windows for Workgroups, among other features.
Other software titles that come pre-installed include Netscape
Navigator Personal Edition, Norton Navigator, and Norton Anti-Virus.

Pricing starts at $3999 for the entry model in the Z-Note GT line,
which includes a Pentium 75MHz processor, an 11.3 inch dual-scan
screen, 8MB of RAM, a dual-speed CD-ROM drive, and an 810MB hard drive.
The units will be available in late October through authorized
resellers.

Also, ZDS is introducing the Z-Note MX, described as a mid-range
Pentium-based performer. It comes with a Pentium 75MHz processor,
hard drive options up to 810 MHZ, and 10.4 inch active-matrix and dual-
scan screens. The entry unit for this model costs $2899.

ZDS officials said with the GT and the MX, the company is aiming to
capture a "large portion" of the Pentium portable PC market.

In addition to notebooks, ZDS said it is introducing the Z-Station GT
high-performance desktop models, which will include Pentium 133MHz
processors, among other Intel processors. Features of the high-end
line include Z-Live, a videoconferencing solution, 64-bit high-
performance graphics, and an optional rewritable optical disk/quad
speed CD-ROM drive.

Prices start at $2579 for an 100MHZ Z-Station GT in a desktop cabinet
with an 850MB disk drive, 256K asynchronous level 2 cache, and Windows
for Workgroups.

ZDS maintains an Internet World Wide Web site for additional
information on its products, at http://www.zds.com . ZDS is a Bull
company.

(Bob Woods/19951016/Press Contacts: Glynis Gibson, Zenith Data
Systems, 312-868-9400 or 708-808-4276. Public Contact: Zenith Data
Systems, 800-533-0331/ZNOTE951017/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/17/95
PC
Compaq Launches New Server Line

(NEWS)(PC)(DEN)(00002)
Compaq Launches New Server Line 10/17/95
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- Compaq Computer Corp.
(NYSE: CPQ) has announced three new midrange servers and some
processor upgrade boards for ProLiant and ProSignia models.

Compaq has introduced the ProLiant 4500 5/133, ProLiant 4500
5/133 NT/Array and ProLiant 1500 5/133 systems. The 4500 5/133 is
based on the new Intel 133 megahertz (MHz) Pentium processor and
can have up to four processors installed. Standard configuration is
with 64 megabytes (MB) of advanced ECC memory which can be expanded
to one gigabyte (GB). It has a starting price of about $13,000 and
is shipping immediately.

The system includes a NetFlex-3/E Ethernet network interface
controller (NIC) and eight expansion slots, three removable media
bays and four (in the tower version) or five (in the rack-mounted
version) 3.5-inch half-height hot-pluggable drive bays with up to
21.5GB of internal storage, for a total storage capacity of 301GB.
Hot-pluggable peripherals can be changed while the system is
running.

The ProLiant 4500 5/133 NT/Array Model is the first Compaq server
to ship with SmartStart integration of Microsoft BackOffice, which
comes with the system. It also comes with Cheyenne ARCserve for
Windows NT and a Compaq SMART SCSI Array Controller. BackOffice
includes Microsoft SQL Server version 6.0, Microsoft SNA Server
version 2.11, Microsoft Systems Management Server 1.1 and Microsoft
Mail Server 3.5. It's also available now and starts at about
$15,600.

The ProLiant 1500 5/133 server comes with a Flex/SMP Dual
Processor Board, 32MB of ECC memory expandable to 256MB, a 512-
kilobyte (KB) cache memory and the NetFlex-3/P NIC. ProLiant 1500
5/133 is shipping now with a starting price of $7,200.

Compaq also announced some new processor options. The Flex/SMP
5/133 Dual Processor Board is supported on the 1500 and includes
one 133MHz Pentium chip and an open socket for a second processor.
You also get a 512KB write-back cache and 32MB of ECC memory that can
be expanded to 256KB.

Compaq also offers a 133MHz Pentium System Processor Board upgrade
for its ProLiant 4500 5/100 and a upgrade board with a 120MHz
Pentium chip for the ProSignia 300 and ProSignia 500.

All Compaq servers include SmartStart version 2.4, which supports
Microsoft Windows NT 3.51 in French, German and Spanish; Novell
Unixware-2 in Japanese; IBM OS/2 Warp Connect version 3; Cheyenne
ARCserve Database Agents for Novell Netware for online backup;
Cheyenne ARCserve for Windows NT version 2.0; SCO Open Server Release
5 and support for Microsoft BackOffice products.

Compaq also announced a new enterprise service and support
program that includes a selection of a global service and support
provider, enhancements to its reseller channel service programs,
significant investment in the company's worldwide service
infrastructure and new Compaq-branded service and support
offerings.

Digital Multivendor Customer Services has been selected
as the new Compaq worldwide service and support provider. Compaq
said the company has 21 customer support centers for telephone
support worldwide and service personnel operating in more than 450
locations in over 100 countries.

The new support program includes designated accounts engineers,
enhanced response and restore contracts, and 7X24 (seven days a
week around the clock) support. Users will also be able to select
from various onsite response plans. Compaq is also offering
value-added services like system health checks quarterly,
semi-annually or annually; capacity planning and performance tuning;
upgrade/migration planning; remote systems management and alert
monitoring and other services.

(Jim Mallory/19951016/Press contact: Compaq Public Relations,
713-514-0484; Public contact: Compaq, 800-345-1518)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
10/17/95
GENERAL
Australian News Briefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00003)
Australian News Briefs 10/17/95
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- In this roundup of news from
Australia, a Cray for Melbourne, Madge Australia gets new manager,
legislators use laptops, man charged with stealing credit card records,
one million Australians online, India roadshow hits Australia.

A Cray For Melbourne

Melbourne's Cray supercomputer got officially blessed this week when
Small Business Minister Senator Chris Schacht stopped by to sprinkle a
few platitudes. The Cray is 80 percent owned by the Royal Melbourne
Institute of Technology, where it is housed, and Melbourne University.
Computer center director, Graeme Knox, said the Cray J916, which has been
up and running since July, is a vector machine with 12 processors, 4GB
of RAM and about 220GB of disk storage. It trots along at a rate of about
2.4 gigaflops. The Cray gives engineering and science students hands-on
training in senior courses, is used for industrial functions ranging from
air tunnel analysis to designing kitchen sinks, and also for research.
Knox said about 10 percent of the computer's time is available for outside
use, principally by other universities.

Madge Australia Gets New Manager

Madge Australia has a new business development manager on board, deftly
plucked from the grasp of arch rival Bay Networks. Madge Australia's Carmelo
San Gil, newly appointed as marketing manager, announced the recruitment of
none other than Bay's regional marketing manager Colin Kempter to the Madge
fold. Other local news from Madge is an imminent Fixed Term Arrangement
(FTA) with the Federal Government. "We expect to submit that by the end of
the month," San Gil said. Madge also plans to move its customer support
center from Hong Kong to Sydney. Visiting UK VP Martin Taylor was on hand to
talk about international developments at Madge, the biggest of which is the
recent purchase of Tel Aviv Ethernet outfit LanNet. Together, Taylor hopes
the companies can offer large corporate customers a smooth transition to
switching environments. "We are coming to the switching world without the
baggage of the whole switching thing," he said.

Legislators Use Laptops

Another tradition has fallen by the wayside in the face of technology,
with members of the NSW Legislative Assembly (parliament) gaining permission
to use laptops in the chamber. Speaker John Murray has ruled that laptops
are okay, and will not interfere with business in the chamber. Many pollies
will now be putting away their notepads and pens for the last time.

Man Charged With Stealing Credit Card Records

The net has closed around a hacker who allegedly broke into credit card
records at Internet service provider AusNet earlier this year. The attack
cost AusNet an alleged $2 million in lost contracts and hundreds of credit
cards had to be rapidly replaced after their details were published. The
Australian Federal Police have arrested and charged a 23-year-old man over
the offences.

One Million Australians Online

Telstra Chairman David Hoare told delegates at the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecom 95 strategies summit in Geneva that
one million Australians will be connected to the Internet by the end of the
year (almost six percent of the population) and 46 percent of Australian
households own a PC. "Seven hundred thousand Australians are now linked to
the Internet and the figure will rise to around a million by the end of this
year, the highest per capita participation rate in the world," Hoare told
the telco crowd.

India Roadshow Hits Australia

In Sydney and Melbourne next week 17 top executives from Indian software
companies join with Australian IT industry reps to spread the word about
the possibilities of the Indian market. The Software India '95 seminars
will also see Australian and Indian government representatives take
part under the auspices of Big Six accountant KPMG at their offices.
Organizers point out that India has the second biggest pool of
English-speaking scientific manpower in the world and a software industry
growing at an annual rate of about 46 percent. Working in the industry are
3.5 million technical staff. The AUS$50 price tag for each session also buys
lunch.

(Paul Zucker/19951017)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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10/17/95
TRENDS
Australian PC Shipments Strong

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SYD)(00004)
Australian PC Shipments Strong 10/17/95
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- IDC predicts that precisely
1,328,249 PCs will be sold in Australia in 1995, resulting in a AUS$3,615
million spent by Australian buyers, and $3,042 million in vendor revenues.

A compound annual growth rate of 14.3 percent will see this number climb to
2,136,912 units in 1999, says the computer research firm IDC in its latest
research bulletin, The Australian PC Market Review and Forecast,
1995-1999. IDC's projected growth rate for this year is 21.3 percent, down
on 1994's 25.3 percent, announced earlier this year by IDC.
Total shipments for 1994 were 1,095,000.

Compaq shipped more PCs than any other vendor in the first half of 1995,
with 58,491 units going to market. This compares to 105,900 for the whole
of 1995, giving Compaq's a stable market share of 9.7 percent.

Apple Computer is in second place with 9.1 percent of the market or
55,707 units shipped in the first six months of the year. IBM clips
Osborne for third place, with 5.9 percent of market or 35,613 units.
Ipex is next with 5.6 percent, or 33,910 units. Digital and Acer are
making strong bids for a placing, shipping a reported 28,312 and 23,333
units respectively this year.

Copies of the bulletin are available from IDC. Phone [phone] for
further details.

(Paul Zucker/19951017)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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10/17/95
BUSINESS
Australia - Osborne Becomes Gateway

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SYD)(00005)
Australia - Osborne Becomes Gateway 10/17/95
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- Osborne's troubles earlier this year,
and the fact that the new Osborne Gateway 2000 is still off the Federal
Government's endorsed supplier list, may lead to a reshuffled top five
when figures for the whole year are available.

Osborne Gateway 2000 plans to keep a local manufacturing base and
will continue to badge the existing Osborne range of PCs with the original
Osborne logo. However, any new range will carry the Gateway badge, and an
undisclosed proportion of Osborne Gateway's machines will be manufactured
offshore.

"Basically, there will be local manufacture, but not of all machines,"
a spokesperson from Hill and Knowlton, Osborne Gateway 2000's PR
agency, tells Newsbytes.

Machines in the existing Osborne Gateway 2000 range are being assembled in
the same way as they were by Osborne, says Terry Halward from Osborne
Gateway. He declined to give details about any future manufacturing plans.

More enlightenment may be forthcoming from visiting Gateway 2000 CEO Ted
Waitt, who is visiting from Sioux City. (AUS$1 is around US$0.76)

(Computer Daily News/19951017)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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00 10/17/95
TELECOM
HK Telecom Blood-letting Could Chop 3,

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(HKG)(00006)
HK Telecom Blood-letting Could Chop 3,000 10/17/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- Peter Howell-Davies' snap
departure should have come as a warning. Blood-letting in Hongkong
Telecom's top ranks is on the cards again, and word is that a
further 3,000 employees could be dumped in the next two years.

Howell-Davies was recalled from the number two slot at Hongkong Telecom
to London to take over parent company Cable & Wireless's troubled
Mercury unit when its chief executive quit after a series of major
reverses.

Linus Cheung, Hongkong Telecom's chief executive, replaced Howell-Davies
with Norman Yuen and Alistair Grieves as two de-facto deputy chiefs.

Grieves was transferred from C&W's Japanese unit, with sources saying
that he will serve as hatchet-man in the next round of cutbacks.
Although Telecom is currently chopping 2,500 employees, mostly through
natural wastage, it is understood that more redundancies are on the
cards.

The axing of 2,500 people was in part due to the computerization of its
billing system under what was known as the Dragon project. The next level of
"retrenchment" is expected to come from a rationalization of the network
staff as Telecom moves over to an all-digital system. As many as 3,000 more
redundancies are expected.

Yuen was formerly managing director of corporate development and an
integral part of Linus Cheung's management committee.

Several senior Telecom people have already faced the chop. Sources say
that Peter Hamilton has been forced out of heading up the multimedia arm
and has returned to a slot within Cable and Wireless.

David Andrew, formerly with corporate marketing, has also been shown the
door. And an unhappy Hubert Ng, currently director of the mobile division,
has reportedly been told he has to go to Singapore to head up Mobile One.

Sources say that further changes and sackings are likely over the next six
months.

(Nigel Armstrong & I.T. Daily/19951017)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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10/17/95
ONLINE
World's First Interactive Banking Net Launched

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LON)(00007)
World's First Interactive Banking Net Launched 10/17/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- The Bankers Network (TBN) has
launched an online virtual private network (VPN) using the Internet
for banks and other financial institutions worldwide. The aim of the
service, which costs $100 per terminal per month linked into the VPN,
regardless of where in the world the terminal is situated, is to offer
sensibly priced financial services information to the global banking
community.

Simon Macey, a spokesman for TBN, told Newsbytes that the company aims
to fill the gap between the full portfolio of Reuters financial news
feeds and the budget services that use either dial-up modem or TV
teletext links.

TBN's network splits into two parts. The first is a dedicated and
separate (from the Internet) VPN that works to TCP/IP (Transmission
Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) transmission standards, working
over leased line from the bank's premises in a financial center around
the world, and linking into TBN's global VPN.

The other side, Macey explained, is based around dial-up or
leased line access to the Internet and is solely for information
broadcast, rather than transactions.

Both "networks" make use of various degrees of encryption for part or
the full data call. The company is working with software based around
NetScape's SSL, Protek's Raptor and a number of other encryption
mechanisms.

Since TBN's dedicated network operates to TCP/IP standards, hardware
and software to access the service costs very little. Since the
service is a closed forum, even on the Internet side of the service,
the aim is that member banks can "talk" confidentially with their own
chosen counterparts worldwide. They can also link their branch network
into a global newsgroup on the Internet.

The VPN also supports one-to-one realtime communications between
member banks. And, if a bank wishes, it also has the option of
advertising, using Web pages, to the whole Internet audience.

Macey told Newsbytes that TBN aims to offer a variety of services to
customer banks, ranging from basic VPN facilities, through commercial
information services, consultancy and support for Internet, and
publication hosting of Web pages.

The basic portfolio of services that TBN offers includes access to
various database services such as forex.net (currency dealing ),
treasury.net (trading of deposits and CDs), bank.net (a banking
directory), and eco.net (a database of economic, financial, political
and social information on most countries of the world.

So why not simply use the Internet for its international VPN, using
encryption to keep hackers at bay? Macey replied that there are
several issues at stake, not least being the security, slowness and
lack of organization issues.

"Using a secure VPN for the bulk of the data transmissions solves most
of these problems, and allows us to offer a secure service to customer
banks. But by using TCP/IP as the network protocol, this keeps the
costs down," he told Newsbytes.

According to Macey, considerable interest in TBN has been expressed
from Eastern European banks, many of whom pay substantial amounts for
access to the Reuters feed.

"One customer in Moscow is paying several thousands of pounds a month
for Reuters' feeds. Using TBN will help that bank cut the cost of its
information feed, as well as allow high-speed two-way data
transmissions," he explained, adding that, rather than rely on
conventional PDN (Packet Data Network) or X.25 links, the company is
working with VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminals) satellite
facilities.

(Steve Gold/19951016/Press Contact: Bridgett Vane PR [phone];
Fax [phone]; Reader Contact: The Bankers Network [phone]-
8833; Fax [phone]; Internet Email: [e-mail]; US
Office 703-684-4427; Fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
10/17/95
TRENDS
Technology Fails To Deliver Greater Leisure Says Report

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00008)
Technology Fails To Deliver Greater Leisure Says Report 10/17/95
SLOUGH, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- According to a report
issued by Motorola, people in Britain are working harder today than
they were five years ago, despite the promise that IT (information
technology) would herald a new age of leisure.

In the report, entitled "Prepared for the Future? The British and
Technology -- a Motorola Report," which was conducted by MORI on
behalf of Motorola, more than half (55 percent) of people working in
the UK claim to be working longer hours than they were five years ago.

People who are IT-literate, meanwhile, are more likely to be working
longer hours than those who are not, with 62 percent of IT-literate
respondents claiming to work longer these days, compared with 45
percent of those who way they are not knowledgeable about IT.

Despite the move to longer hours for most people, only five percent
feel that the impact of IT in the home has been for the worse, and
only four percent see a deterioration in their working lives due to
IT.

"People who are IT-literate have better job prospects than those who
are not. The real danger is not that IT is somehow going to destroy
leisure, but that people who don't have proper access to IT training
and equipment will find themselves increasingly marginalized on the
job market and fail to reap the benefits that technology offers in our
everyday lives," explained Paul Strzelecki, vice president and regional
director for Motorola's UK and Ireland semiconductor markets.

One interesting finding of the report is that British people seem to
be eager for online services. According to the report, 71 percent are
happy with using online directory assistance services, while 52
percent feel the same way about using computerized home banking
services, and 63 percent are happy about using an online service to
make train reservations.

Only seven percent of people are worried about computer errors, and
one percent about breakdowns. According to the report, certain
activities have more of an acceptance hurdle to jump -- only 33
percent of respondents are happy about using a computer to shop, while
38 percent would feel happy about seeking medical advice using a
computer.

Those respondents under the age of 25 are more receptive to online
services, the report said, adding that this was the same age who are
worried about missing out on human contact.

Strzelecki said that the British public is being held back from using
online services due to lack of experience and availability.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951012/Press Contact: Burston-Marsteller [phone]-
6262; Fax [phone]; Reader Contact: Motorola [phone];
Fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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10/17/95
GENERAL
Taiwanese UKP 199 Mini-Fax, Scanner, Copier Device

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00009)
Taiwanese UKP 199 Mini-Fax, Scanner, Copier Device 10/17/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- Plustek Electronics, a Taiwanese
electronics manufacturer, has launched the Pagereader, a UKP 199
multi-function scanner/copier/fax system into Europe. The unit
interfaces with a host PC and comes as a "black box" roughly the same
size as a desktop stapler.

Two versions of the Pagereader are available: the Model 800, which
sells for UKP 199 and comes with a half length ISA (Industry Standard
Architecture) PC card, and the Model 801, at UKP 209, which interfaces
with the host PC using the parallel port.

Essentially, the Pagereader is a multi-function 256-grey scale
sheetfed scanner, with photocopying and fax modem facilities built in.
The photocopier prints out on the PC's printer, while the fax modem
facility is enabled by plugging in a fax modem to the host PC -- the
Pagereader acts as an optical scanner in this configuration.

The Pagereader is supplied with both Recognita Plus OCR (optical
character recognition) software, allowing users to convert scanned
documents to editable text files, and an imaging application, iPhoto
Plus, for the management, manipulation and conversion of graphical
files. Documents and images are scanned using Pagereader at
resolutions of up to 800 dots per inch (DPI).

Announcing the unit in Europe, Abdul Karim Tebtoub, Plustek's
International sales manager, said that the scanner is increasingly
seen as one of the essential peripheral devices for a PC, along with a
printer and modem. "That is all to the good but it does mean that
people's desks are getting rather crowded," he said.

"Our approach is that the equipment should not only provide the best
quality at the lowest possible price but that it should have multiple
uses and provide users with several facilities out of the same box,
while maintaining as discreet a presence as possible," he explained.

"That, in a nutshell, is why we've built an imaging, OCR, fax and
photocopy scanner that is barely larger than a desktop stapler," he
added.

Interested customers can obtain further information and locate their
nearest supplier by calling Solution Point, Plustek's distributor, on
[phone].

(Steve Gold/19951012/Press Contact: Lexicon Communications +44-171-
490-2973; Fax [phone]; Internet Email:
[e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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95 10/17/95
WINDOWS
Microsoft Misses Release Date For Thai Windows

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(HKG)(00010)
Microsoft Misses Release Date For Thai Windows 95 10/17/95
BANGKOK, THAILAND, 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- Microsoft failed to complete its
localization of the Thai-language version of Windows 95 in time for the
official launch October 12 and was giving away 3,000 copies of its beta
version instead to mark an exhibition arranged in conjunction with the
event.

Microsoft (Thailand) Country Manager Arporn (Paul) Sribhibhadh said
that bugs were delaying the commercial release of the localized product,
despite a three-day extravaganza that began here on October 12.

While the Windows 95 Thai Edition was formally introduced and
demonstrated at the event, copies would not be available for customers
until around the end of October, Mr Arporn said.

"We want to make sure that the program will have as few bugs as
possible before we release it," he said, adding that one bug was
causing application compatibility problems.

Some 16-bit Thai applications such as accounting and personal
management software were not yet running properly on Windows 95, he
noted.

"We want all applications that run on Windows 3.1 and Windows for
Workgroups Thai editions to be compatible with Windows 95," he said,
adding that more applications remained to be tested.

The price of the Thai Edition will be the same as the English version,
which is 5,700 baht for a full package (US$228) and 2,700 baht ($108)
for an upgrade kit, but a special discount was being offered to those
who ordered their copies at the Windows 95 Expo.

Microsoft was offering 3,000 sets of beta versions of the Windows 95
Thai Edition to visitors during the exhibition.

Microsoft also expects to launch Microsoft Office 95 Thai Edition at
approximately the same time as the Windows 95 Thai Edition.

A team of 10 developers, both from International Research Corporation
(IRC) and from Microsoft, jointly handled the coding of the local
version, while another 10 engineers reviewed the code. Yet a further
eight were engaged in product testing, according to Mr Arporn.
The work has been done both in Thailand and in the United States, he
explained, and stressed that the main message that Microsoft wanted to
convey at the product launch was that 32-bit computing was here for the
general desktop computer user.

Mr Arporn noted that Microsoft had tried to isolate the
language-dependent pieces of the operating system to avoid touching the
source code wherever possible, and that a modular approach had been
taken, even with drivers, thereby making the testing much more
localized.

There have been 20,000 customers requesting the Thai Edition so far,
added a spokesman for IRC.

(Tony Waltham and Post Database-Bangkok Post/19951017)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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10/17/95
LEGAL
BSA Raids Bangkok Software Outlets

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(HKG)(00011)
BSA Raids Bangkok Software Outlets 10/17/95
BANGKOK, THAILAND, 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- Acting on information provided by
the Business Software Alliance (BSA), the Economic Crime Investigation
Division conducted raids on four shops in the largest cluster of computer
hardware and software outlets at Pantip Plaza recently.

The raids led to the arrest of one shop owner and the confiscation of
445 pirated CD-ROMs, according to a BSA spokesman. An additional six
CD-ROMs and 13 computer diskettes were found hidden in a bathroom at the
scene but the proprietor of a nearby shop denied ownership of the
illegally copied software. The seized software had a retail value of
almost US$1 million, the report said.

The raids took place September 26 following a tip-off and trap purchases
made by BSA undercover investigators. Search warrants ware issued based on
this evidence, and executed by officers of the Copyright Subdivision of
the Economic Crime Investigation Division.

The alleged owner of a shop called New Applications was arrested after
police officers claimed they found 445 pirated CD-ROMs on the premises.
BSA member software titles seized were said to include Microsoft Windows
95, Autodesk AutoCAD 1 AutoCAD 2, and Novell Netware 4.1. Multimedia
titles seized include Microsoft Cinemania'95 and Encarta'95.

Agents also reportedly confiscated numerous compilation CD- ROMs, which
contain as many as 60 different software titles.

Suspicious software packaging was found at another shop, but the alleged
owner of the outlet declined to cooperate with the investigating officers
and denied ownership of 6 unpackaged CD-ROMs and 13 computer diskettes
found hidden in a nearby bathroom.

"In view of the results of our investigations and recent BSA warnings
and publicity about the legal penalties for software piracy, we had no
choice but to take action against these software dealers," said Vice
President of the BSA Ron Eckstrom.

(Tony Waltham and Post Database-Bangkok Post/19951017)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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10/17/95
TELECOM
Thai-Canadian Satellite Venture For Laos

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(HKG)(00012)
Thai-Canadian Satellite Venture For Laos 10/17/95
BANGKOK, THAILAND, 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- Telesat Canada has signed a
contract in Geneva with Asia Broadcasting and Communications Network
Company Limited (ABCN) for a range of consulting and management services
on its planned satellite venture to be launched in cooperation with the
Government of Lao PDR.

ABCN is a subsidiary of Thailand's The M. Group Public Company Limited.
The contract covers the provision of consulting services, the
preparation and evaluation of a request for proposal (RFP), and
contractual negotiations with a selected bidder for the L-STAR Satellite
Program on behalf of ABCN.

"The project, which will be closely monitored by ABCN and its consultant
Telesat Canada, is planned to be in operation by December 1997," said Mr
Suradet Mukyangkoon, senior vice president of M. Group and president of
ABCN.

The L-STAR satellite system will be owned and operated by ABCN under a
30-year concession for the provision by satellite of communications and
broadcasting services in the Asia region.

(Tony Waltham and Post Database-Bangkok Post/19951013)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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10/17/95
TELECOM
ICN International To Open Thai Subsidiary

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(HKG)(00013)
ICN International To Open Thai Subsidiary 10/17/95
BANGKOK, THAILAND, 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- A new company to address
modern telecommunications systems and high-speed networks
formally made its debut last week when Executive Chairman of ICN
International Rex L. Benning introduced ICN Data (Thailand) in
conjunction with a seminar on groupware, Internet systems and new
networking concepts.

ICN Data (Thailand) Technical Director James Zellerbach said
that the Internet was the most prevalent of modern communications
systems and the company addresses how executives can use
such advanced capabilities within an organization to maximum
benefit.

The presentation covered the areas of groupware, new
Internet systems and new networking concepts such as frame relay,
ATM, voice/data/video integration and multiplexing.

ICN International Executive Chairman Benning, who has been
involved in research and development of X.25 systems, ATM
(Asynchronous Transfer Mode) and Frame Relay, addressed these
new networking concepts.

The presentation covered effective corporate strategy and
the tools for implementing this, as well as user-friendly system
solutions, Mr Zellerbach said.

(Tony Waltham and Post Database-Bangkok Post/19951013)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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10/17/95
ONLINE
Add - Web Address For Cable TV's Travel Channel

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00014)
Add - Web Address For Cable TV's Travel Channel 10/17/95
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- In an article entitled
"Cable TV's Travel Channel On The Web," from October 12, Newsbytes
left out the URL (uniform resource locator) of the new
Internet World Wide Web site. The Travel Channel is located at
http://www.travelchannel.com/ .

Newsbytes regrets the omission.

(Bob Woods/19951011/Press Contact: Denise Jenkins, Alexander
Communications, 404-897-2300)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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10/17/95
UNIX
China - Unix-like System Software Developed

(NEWS)(UNIX)(PEK)(00015)
China - Unix-like System Software Developed 10/17/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- China's first computer system
software, COSA (China Open System Alliance), recently got approval
from the Ministry of Electronics Industry (MEI).
COSA was developed by China Software and Service Corp (CS&S), the
country's largest domestic supplier, and 18 key universities and
research organizations.

Supported by the government, COSA is the result of three years' work
of more than 300 scientists and engineers.

COSA consists of a set of software including the Unix-like operating
system COSIX V1.1, database management COBASE V1.0, network system CONET
V1.0, and language compiler COLANG V1.0. The system provides the
computer with reliable control and good information organization,
experts said.

A software engineer with CS&S told Newsbytes that COSA adopted some
technologies from Unix SVR4.0 by USL, and is completely compatible with
Unix SVR4.0. It supports Chinese GB2312 fonts and ISO/IEC fonts. COSIX
also includes a DOS simulator allowing DOS software to be operated under
COSIX.

COSA will soon be available on market at a price of about RMB3,000
(about US$360), the CS&C engineer told Newsbytes. The more advanced
version, COSIX V2.0 is still under development.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951006/Reader Contact: China Software and
Service Corp, tel [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/17/95
TELECOM
 ****Sprint Records Record 3Q Results

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(MSP)(00016)
 ****Sprint Records Record 3Q Results 10/17/95
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- Sprint Inc.
(NYSE:FON) reported record results for the third quarter of this
year. Net income increased almost 17 percent for the year overall to
$269 million, and operating income rose almost 16 percent to $544 million
from a year ago.

The third quarter 1995 results were released during a news
teleconference, which Newsbytes attended.

Sprint officials also said the company's operating cash flow grew
12.5 percent to $942 million, while revenues grew 6.4 percent to $3.44
billion compared to the third quarter of 1994.

William Esrey, Sprint's chairman and chief executive officer, called
the quarter "outstanding," and said the company has "achieved an
acceleration in operating profit across all of our business units,
with each reporting double-digit growth in operating income and solid
revenue gains."

In the long distance unit, operating income increased a little over
12 percent to a record $185 million, up $20 million from the third
quarter a year ago, and up $14 million from the second quarter of 1995.
Revenues in the long distance unit increased 5 percent to $1.83
billion, and minutes of use increased 6.6 percent compared with last
year's third quarter.

Sprint's local markets also saw big gains. Operating income rose
almost 16 percent to $292 million as compared to the same quarter in
1994, while revenues increased six percent to a record $1.18 billion.
The number of customer access lines grew almost 5 percent over the
past 12 months to nearly 6.65 million, officials said.

The biggest percentage gains were seen in the company's cellular and
wireless units, where operating income was up 34 percent to $43
million, and revenues increased 33 percent to $246 million, from the
year ago quarter. Sprint's cellular customer base grew 53 percent
over the past 12 months, and overall customer penetration is about
7 percent, which the company said is one of the highest rates in the
country.

During the teleconference, Esrey revealed European Union Competition
Commissioner Karel Van Miert reached an agreement with Sprint, Deutsche
Telekom, and France Telecom for the previously announced international
telecommunications venture. He also said the spin-off of the company's
cellular unit, which Newsbytes has previously covered, to Sprint
shareholders should happen during the first half of 1996.

(Bob Woods/19951017/Press Contact: Bill White, Sprint, 913-624-2226,
Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/17/95
BROADCAST
Japan Set To Become Next Satellite Battleground

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(TYO)(00017)
Japan Set To Become Next Satellite Battleground 10/17/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- Hughes Electronics Corp. Chairman
Michael Armstrong said in Tokyo yesterday that his company hopes to
begin offering a localized version of the US DirecTV service in Japan
in 1997. The planned service will compete against a similar digital TV
package due to launch next year and, coupled with a recent relaxation
of broadcasting laws, will make Japan the next battleground in an
international quest to win the world's television viewers.

The Hughes venture will bring the American company's subsidiary Hughes
Communications Inc. together with Culture Convenience Club, a major
video rental chain, which will each hold 42.5% of the company.
Mitsubishi owned Space Communications Corporation, operators of the
Superbird C satellite from where the venture will beam its signal,
will also hold a 10% share and Dai Nippon Printing Co. Ltd.,
(TOKYO:7912) will hold the remaining 5% stake.

The new company plans to offer Japan's 40 million television households
a similar service to that available in the United States -- a multi-
channel digital television service picked up with small dishes and
simple, cheap, all-in-one receiver-decoder units.

It will face competition from DMC, a multi-company consortium that
plans to begin broadcasting a 50-channel package of digital television
from the recently launched JCSat-3 in spring next year. If all goes
according to plan, DMC will enjoy a year's head start on the new Hughes
venture which, if DMC lines up a strong programming package, may prove
insurmountable.

DMC is jointly held by several major trading companies, Itochu Corp.,
Nissho Iwai Corp., Mitsui & Co. and Sumitomo Corp., which each has a
23% stake. Japan Satellite Systems, operators of JCSat-3, holds the
remaining 8%.

The two new operators face a lucrative potential market. Most of Japan
can receive two state channels from NHK and four commercial networks
but cable and satellite penetration is low. The only satellite that
enjoys widespread reception is the country's BS bird, mainly because
most televisions come with built-in receivers that simply require the
addition of a dish. The satellite beams down two extra channels
provided by NHK -- a pay movie channel, and a channel broadcasting
twelve hours a day of high definition programming -- to people with
television sets equipped with MUSE system decoders.

The new digital packages will largely replace existing analog
broadcasts available direct to home on JCSat-2 and Superbird B,
so-called CS television. Due to Japan's broadcasting laws, many of the
available channels are scrambled and restricted to cable pickup only.
This results in each satellite offering just five or six channels, and
each satellite requires a different decoder in addition to expensive
reception equipment. All this means CS satellite TV reception is rare.

Not only will the new systems change this, by offering tens of
channels all via a single unit, but recently revised broadcasting laws
also now allow foreign broadcasters to transmit directly into Japan
where they previously had been prohibited from doing so. Apart from
CNN and the BBC, which each set up local joint ventures to get around
the regulations, the multitude of foreign satellite channels targeting
Asia had bypassed the Japanese market.

With the new regulations in place, several broadcasters have already
announced a future launch to Japan. Amongst them, Ted Turner's TNT &
Cartoon Network, Rupert Murdoch's Hong Kong-based Star TV Network,
General Electric's NBC and CNBC Asia, and Country Music Television.

Japan's NTV network, already an operator of a cable news channel, has
also said it is studying the possibility of joining such a digital
satellite system as a way of getting its signal into areas previously
unserved or badly served by terrestrial transmitters.

(Martyn Williams/19951017)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/17/95
TELECOM
Liazon Gets Canada's 1st Nationwide Narrowband PCS License

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00018)
Liazon Gets Canada's 1st Nationwide Narrowband PCS License 10/17/95
MARKHAM, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- Liazon Communications
Solutions Inc., a subsidiary of long-distance reseller Upper
Canada Communications Group Inc., is the first company to receive a
license for narrowband personal communications services (PCS) in Canada
and the first to offer North American coverage through an alliance with
a PCS carrier in the United States.

Narrowband PCS allows wireless paging and text messages over a wireless
connection. It should not be confused with wideband PCS, which is the
technology used in short-range cordless telephones.

Robert Koven, president of Upper Canada Communications Group and
Liazon, said in a teleconference with reporters this morning that his
company plans to offer two-way paging and various other communications
services, such as Internet information, news, and weather over wireless
connections.

"Paging has been a wonderful technology, but its main inhibition has
been that it has been one-way," Koven said. "Now you can respond and
verify the messages on the pager."

Koven said his company's customers may use pagers, personal digital
assistants, or personal computers to connect to the Liazon network, which
is due to go into service in Canada's three largest cities -- Toronto,
Montreal, and Vancouver -- in the third quarter of 1996, and in 29 other
cities over the following three years.

He said regulators in both Canada and the United States have given the
green light for an alliance between Liazon and American Paging Inc.,
(AMEX:APP) of Minneapolis, to offer narrowband PCS services throughout
North America on the same set of frequencies. This will allow the two
companies to offer their customers coverage in both countries.

The two companies also plan to cooperate on developing new applications
for their narrowband PCS networks, though Koven said Liazon also believes
it can develop unique applications for the Canadian market.

Liazon has not yet chosen an equipment supplier but is talking with
Canadian-based Glenayre Technologies and with Motorola Inc., Koven said.
Upper Canada Communications Group is a Canadian-owned company, he
noted.

(Grant Buckler/19951017/Press Contact: Greg Bandler, Upper Canada
Communications Group, 905-771-7870; Kevin Ellis, Atkins & Ellis for
Upper Canada Communications Group, 416-368-6880, fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/17/95
TELECOM
India - Airtel Debuts Cellular Service

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEL)(00019)
India - Airtel Debuts Cellular Service 10/17/95
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- Delhi's first and India's second
cellular mobile phone service became operational when Bharti Cellular
Ltd.'s AirTel launched its service. The first cellular service was launched
in Calcutta by Modi Telstra Ltd. a couple of months ago.

Speaking at the occasion, chairman of Telecom Commission, R.K. Takkar,
said cellular services will soon be launched in Madras, and later in
Bombay.

The first formal call on AirTel's network was made by minister of state
for non-conventional energy, P.J. Kurien, to the minister of state for
communication, Sukh Ram, who had just returned from the US. The full-fledged
service allows users to make and receive calls from their cellular
handsets to any other cellular phone, or any other land phone within the
city or anywhere else in the world via the normal STD and ISD routes.

According to Sunil B. Mittal, chairman and managing director of Bharti
Cellular Ltd., AirTel will not charge its subscribers any air time until
October 23. "This is to give subscribers some time to familiarize with
the system. Meanwhile, we will also activate additional cell sites to
enhance our coverage and service quality."

In addition, AirTel has announced a 40 percent reduction in air time
charges after October 23 for all incoming calls.

AirTel has also signed roaming agreement with the cellular services
licensees in Calcutta, Bombay and Madras, and also France, Mauritius,
UK, and La Reunion Island.

AirTel is a consortium of companies comprising Bharti Telecom,
Compagnie Generale Des Eaux of France, Emtel Ltd. of Mauritius, and Mobile
Systems International of UK. The company also has a technological
alliance with Ericsson of Sweden.

Essar Cellphone, the second licencee for Cellular service in Delhi, is
also readying its operations for the launch soon.

(C. T. Mahabharat/19951017)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/17/95
TELECOM
Motorola India Pagers for Europe

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEL)(00020)
Motorola India Pagers for Europe 10/17/95
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- Motorola's paging manufacturing
facility at Bangalore in India is likely to export pagers into Europe
for the first time, under the "Made in India" label, revealed Dr. Percey P.
Batlivala, executive director, India Paging, Motorola. He further added
that the company wants to promote the Made in India label abroad to prove
that Indian goods are in no way inferior in quality.

"We also plan to raise the indigenized content in our pagers soon, to bring
down their cost and also to encourage the Indian component industry," he
said.

The $17 million facility at Bangalore has the capacity to manufacture
about one million pagers per annum, but the Indian public is not aware
of this value-added service, felt Batlivala. To create more awareness,
Motorola plans to launch a sales-cum-education campaign.

"Motorola sees India as the next explosive market for our paging
products after China," Batlivala said. Quoting a recent study, he
added that India was projected to have over 23 million paging
subscribers by 1999, making it one of the top five Asia-Pacific
markets, with a more-than 100 percent annual growth.

(C. T. Mahabharat/19951017)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/17/95
BROADCAST
India - Odyssey Satellite Venture Scouts For Partner

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(DEL)(00021)
India - Odyssey Satellite Venture Scouts For Partner 10/17/95
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- Odyssey Telecommunications
International Inc., a joint venture between TRW and Teleglobe, unveiled
Odyssey, a satellite-based wireless cellular telecommunications system
in India. The companies said they are scouting for a "strategic Indian
partner."

"We are looking for a potential Indian partner who can provide and
distribute our services in India. However, we understand the
requirements and magnitude of the Indian market and are in the process
of developing an appropriate business strategy for India," said
John Feneley, director, international development and regulatory
affairs of Odyssey. "We are in touch with a few major Indian
companies and will finalize the Indian partner soon," he said,
adding that the purpose of a current visit was to hold a road show
to demonstrate Odyssey's capabilities of cheaper and reliable
communication services in even far-flung areas.

The new system will offer electronic messaging services, electronic
mail, call-waiting, besides other services, linking the technology
of satellites to a small, pocket-size telephone.

India is among the markets that will be benefited by this system. Other
countries include: China, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and countries
in Africa, Latin America and in the Middle East.

R. Bruce Gerding, managing director, Odyssey Telecommunications, said
the company planned to launch the first satellite-based communications
system in 1998, with the help of just 12 satellites, "compared to 66
satellites planned by Motorola's Iridium project."

Odyssey's global system of mobile phones would be in place by 1999,
he said, adding that the total cost of the project had been estimated
at $2.5 billion.

Explaining the working of Odyssey, he said the satellite-based mobile
communication system would combine the reach of satellites with the
personal access of individual pocket phones and the utility of fixed
wireless stations.

Odyssey consists of a constellation of 12 medium-earth orbit satellites
providing simultaneous, multi-regional service to users around the world.
The configuration ensures that at least two satellites will be "in sight"
at all the times, providing flexibility and reliability of satellite
coverage and services.

(C. T. Mahabharat/19951017)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/17/95
BUSINESS
HK's Jardine Gobbles Up SystemPro

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00022)
HK's Jardine Gobbles Up SystemPro 10/17/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- In a series of secretive moves,
Hong Kong's Jardine Office Systems (JOS) acquired SystemPro
last week, although staff  weren't given the bombshell until late
last night.

Toward evening, System Pro GM Michael Wang waved aside inquiries from
Newsbytes' affiliate publication I.T. Daily with a "no comment." He
suggested the man to reach was SystemPro Chairman Roger King. Senior
executives of both companies were locked in meetings yesterday.

I.T. Daily understands JOS purchased only the Hong Kong arm of SystemPro.
That's not small beer -- the buyout puts JOS firmly in first place in Hong
Kong's crowded PC reselling market. It also gives it SystemPro's Unix and
networking businesses.

The deal is expected to come as a blow to SystemPro staff. In Hong Kong's
fast maturing market, and with uncertainty over 1997 slowing IT
investments to a crawl, staffers have been doggedly trying to build up PC
sales over the past three years.

Chairman King, who also heads up Orient Overseas Container Lines (OOCL), is
understood to be unhappy with the business. While profitable under him, and
founder-MD Paul Mak, its performance has been less than stellar recently and
King was said to be keen to either lose or list the company.

King is expected to hold on to parent firm Oriental Data Systems to
concentrate on expanding its China activities. It's unclear where this
leaves Paul Mak.

(Nigel Armstrong & I.T. Daily/19951018)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/17/95
TELECOM
Nortel Gets $200M China Contract

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(HKG)(00023)
Nortel Gets $200M China Contract 10/17/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- Canada's Northern Telecom, or
Nortel, as they're calling it, has established a new subsidiary in China.
And just as the firm announced its new Chinese-registered company,  a
status rarely granted, officials announced they'd won a new US$200
million contract.

Guangdong-Nortel Telecommunications Switching Equipment Ltd., signed an
agreement to supply 2.5 million lines of switching gear over the next two
years, thanks to financing by the Bank of China and Canada's Export
Development  Corp.

The company now has over five and half million lines installed or on order
in China. Earlier this month, Nortel had won a US$14.5 million contract
to supply a fiber radio system to China National Postal &
Telecommunications Appliances Corp.

(Nigel Armstrong & I.T. Daily/19951018)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/17/95
IBM
IBM Rolls Power Personal Systems Into RS/6000 Unit

(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00024)
IBM Rolls Power Personal Systems Into RS/6000 Unit 10/17/95
SOMERS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- IBM (NYSE:IBM)
has quietly closed up its Power Personal Systems operation, consolidating it
with the RISC System/6000 division. This means all IBM hardware built on
PowerPC chips -- including PowerPC-based systems in the company's
personal computer line -- will now come from the RS/6000 unit.

IBM spokeswoman Madeline Mansfield told Newsbytes the Power Personal
Systems unit had accomplished the mission for which it was created by
bringing PowerPC-based systems to market. "We decided to leverage those
investments across other parts of our business," she said.

IBM seemed eager to downplay the change. The company did not announce
the move publicly, though it told employees last week. Mansfield said IBM
regarded the closure of the Power Personal Systems operation as a matter of
"internal plumbing."

No IBM jobs will be lost and nobody will have to relocate as a result of
the reorganization, Mansfield said, since PowerPC systems manufacturing is
already in Austin, Texas, where RS/6000 systems are also built, and the
marketing operations of both groups are in Somers, New York. "It's really
just a matter of some people now have new managers," she said.

PowerPC-based personal computers will continue to be sold through the
IBM Personal Computer Co.'s distribution channels, Mansfield said, but
now they will also be sold through the RS/6000 division's channels.

One IBM official who asked not to be named told Newsbytes the move was
logical and expected if not overdue. "As an IBMer I always wondered why it
existed to begin with," he said. "It seemed like a bit of a redundancy." He
likened the move to IBM's earlier decision to make its Power Parallel
Systems operation part of the RS/6000 division.

(Grant Buckler/19951017/Press Contact: Madeline Mansfield, IBM,
919-543-0530; Alison Johnson, IBM, 914-766-3457)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/17/95
ONLINE
 ****Internet Update

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00025)
 ****Internet Update 10/17/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- In this roundup of new services and
resources on the global Internet: coming solar eclipse data available,
Nobel prize database, live from the stratosphere, Quark debuts site,
Polaroid develops pages, used computer trading, computer
communications e-book, Dutch newspaper database, Gaelic on the net,
European parallel computer center, new on Usenet.

Coming Solar Eclipse Data Available

Next week, on October 24, a total solar eclipse will take place
viewable across southern Asia from Afghanistan to Vietnam, and over
Borneo and the Celebes. The eclipse will be observed from earth orbit
by the Japanese spacecraft Yohkoh. NASA's Solar Data Analysis Center
is now offering maps, observation tips and climate figures.
World Wide Web: http://umbra.nascom.nasa.gov/eclipse/951024/rp.html

Nobel Prize Database

The Nobel Foundation, responsible for the awarding of the famous Nobel
prizes, have set up a Web server to offer up-to-the-minute information
on award winners and the foundation. Since the site went live on
October 5th, the site has received over 115,000 hits and is
registering more everyday. In addition to the main site, the
information is mirrored at seven SunSITEs worldwide.
World Wide Web: http://www.nobel.se/

Live From The Stratosphere

Throughout October Internet users can connect with NASA's Kuiper
Airborne Observatory (KAO) at 41,000 feet above the earth's surface.
The observatory is studying planets, stars and galaxies with its
infrared telescope. During missions, the station is beaming back live
video to NASA which is making the feed available on the Internet in
addition to a two way audio link to the station.
World Wide Web: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/livefrom/stratosphere.html

Quark Debuts Site

Quark, Inc., has established a home page on the World Wide Web. In
addition to news about forthcoming software packages, the pages
feature worldwide contact details for Quark offices and technical
support plus a user file area with updates and patches. A technical
library and company news section are also available and the entire
site is keyword searchable.
World Wide Web: http://www.quark.com/

Polaroid Develops Pages

Polaroid Corporation has opened a server on the Internet featuring
mainly corporate data and sales information. A history of the company
is supplemented by the latest news releases and a product catalog. Of
interest to photography enthusiasts is the Creative Uses magazine with
how-to articles on new creative ways to use instant photography.
World Wide Web: http://www.polaroid.com/

Used Computer Trading

The new Used Computer Mall contains listings and links to hundreds of
dealers that buy, sell, trade, service and supply parts for used
computer equipment. The dealers are listed by brand and type of
equipment they sell, and alphabetically. Full contact details for each
dealer are also listed enabling visitors quick contact.
World Wide Web: http://www.usedcomputer.com/

Computer Communications E-book

Everything you ever wanted to know about computer communications but
were afraid to ask! The Modem Workshop is a shareware electronic book
available for DOS and Windows platforms that explains the ins and outs
of computer communications hardware and software.
World Wide Web: http://turnpike.net/emporium/C/celestial/mod.html

Dutch Newspaper Database

For the next three months the Nederlandse Pers Databank (Dutch Press
Database) is available via the Internet. The NPD covers around 20
national, regional and business newspapers in the Netherlands. The
test allows a full text search of  the entire database in the Dutch
language.
World Wide Web: The address is: http://www.twinfo.nl:8002/npd

Gaelic On The Net

The old language of Gaelic is alive and well on the Internet! BBC
Scotland's Gaelic language programming unit, which still produces
broadcasts in the old language of Scotland, has opened a Web site with
information about the programs and links to audio and video files in
English and Gaelic.
World Wide Web: http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/bbcalba/

European Parallel Computer Center

The European Center for Parallel Computation at Vienna has just
announced its new Web site. The center, funded by the European Union,
as a part of the EU's ESPRIT research and development programs in the
area of Information Technology, was established this year and offers
information about the hardware and software at the center, activities
under way and details of services offered and how to get an account.
World Wide Web: http://www.vcpc.univie.ac.at/

New On Usenet

The following Usenet newsgroups have recently passed the voting
procedure and should begin appearing on news-servers soon:
soc.atheism.moderated, talk.atheism, news.admin.censorship,
soc.support.depression, rec.music.artists.debbie-gibson,
rec.music.iranian, soc.culture.jewish.parenting, sci.med.midwifery

(Martyn Williams/19951017)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
10/17/95
BUSINESS
 ****Networks Everywhere, Says Compaq Boss Following Record 3Q

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00026)
 ****Networks Everywhere, Says Compaq Boss Following Record 3Q 10/17/95
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- There will be networked
PC servers "in nearly every office, manufacturing facility, store,
school and home" by the end of the decade, according to Eckhard
Pfeiffer, president and chief executive officer of Compaq Computer
Corp. (NYSE: CPQ). Pfeiffer made his prediction during his keynote speech
at Innovate Forum 95, a three-day Compaq-sponsored event, following a
record third quarter in which Compaq increased sales by 27 percent
to $3.6 billion for the period.

The period ended September 30, 1995.

Pfeiffer told Innovate Forum 95 attendees the boundaries between
private and public networks and between personal and corporate
computing, as well as between the computer and the network, will
dissolve as we head towards the 21st Century.

"Wherever you may be, with whatever kind of device you have, the
network will adapt to your level of interest and to the
capabilities of your device," said the Compaq boss.

Pfeiffer also predicted the evolution of a new distributed
enterprise computing model in which "corporations would run their
businesses using an array of hundreds, even thousands, of
specialized application servers: mail messaging servers, gateway
servers, decision support servers, video and Internet servers."

Pfeiffer said a key to his envisioned new wave of computing is a
paradigm shift from expensive, proprietary computers to powerful
and secure servers based on an industry standard, a move he said
will provide corporations with affordable computers able to handle
the applications critical to their businesses.

Earlier this week Newsbytes reported on new Compaq servers and
support programs aimed at strengthening Compaq's position in the
enterprise computing market. The company claims about 40 percent of
the PC server and superserver market, citing International Data
Corp. figures.

Compaq shareholder earnings per share for the third quarter rose 19
percent to $0.89 per share compared to $0.75 for the same period
last year. Pfeiffer said strong product demand led to the record
sales.

The company introduced several new products during the third
quarter, including the LTE 5000, a Pentium-based notebook. It also
hired Michael Heil, a former top executive with Sony and Los
Angeles Cellular Telephone Company, as its general manager of the
Consumer Products Division and recruited Michael Winkler, formerly
with Toshiba, as general manager of Compaq's Portables Division.
Winkler reports for duty November 6.

(Jim Mallory/19951017/Press contact: Mike Berman, Compaq,
713-514-0484; Public contact: Compaq, 800-345-1518)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
10/17/95
TELECOM
Norway - NERA Acquires Continental Microwave Technology

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00027)
Norway - NERA Acquires Continental Microwave Technology 10/17/95
BERGEN, NORWAY, 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- Nera, the Norwegian telecoms
company, has announced plans to buy Spectra-Physics AB's UK
subsidiary, Continental Microwave Technology Limited (CMTL) for UKP
7.4 million.

According to Nera, the acquisition will allow the company to gain an
instant foothold in the British telecoms market, as well as boosting
Nera's overall market share in the UK, and allowing Nera to offer
CTML's products on a pan-European basis.

Announcing the acquisition plan, Asbjorn Birkeland, president of Nera
AS, said that the deal will increase the company's research and
development (R&D) resources.

"The acquisition will reinforce Nera's position in a rapidly expanding
market and enable the company to increase its market share over the
next two to three years. The acquisition will also establish a center
of expertise comprising our own products and our own manufacturing
within the EU (European Union)," he said.

Nera's success to date in Europe has been based on microwave equipment
for long distance transmissions, operating at low frequencies, and
over the last few years, the company claims it has become an important
provider of high capacity equipment, which provides signalling
equipment capable of supporting up to 2,000 telephone communications
at the same time.

Birkeland claims that the acquisition offers Nera considerable
opportunities on the R&D front. Birkeland claims that the company is
one of the market leaders in the world telecoms market and the link-up
with CTML's R&D operation will assist the company in the development
of the next generation of high capacity radio link equipment. The
technology currently being researched by CTML is expected to become
actual products within the next two to three years.

CTML, Newsbytes notes, is based in Luton, a town some 30 miles north
of London. The company was established in 1989 and current has around
90 staff.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951017/Press Contact: Susan Rizello, The Rowland
Company [phone]; Fax [phone]; Internet Email:
[e-mail]; Reader Contact: Nera [phone];
Fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/17/95
PC
Dell Intros New Optiplex Line, Server

(NEWS)(PC)(DEN)(00028)
Dell Intros New Optiplex Line, Server 10/17/95
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- Dell Computer Corp.
(NASDAQ: DELL) has launched 24 new PC models, including the entire
Dell Optiplex GX family. The company also announced faster versions
of its recently introduced OPtiplex G line and a new server.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95101728.PCX
Click here for photo

Dell said the Optiplex systems are designed for corporate and
government accounts including users who need high performance
graphics. Dell spokesperson Bill Robbins said the Optiplex G's are
the first corporate network-ready multimedia PCs built from the
ground up for networking and multimedia applications. The use of
MPEG (Motion Picture Experts Group) video and a board level video
controller that improves and increases throughput both enhance
performance of the new Optiplex GX, Robbins told Newsbytes.

Dell said the Optiplex GX systems are available equipped with 90
megahertz (MHz), 100MHz, 120MHz and 133MHz Pentium chips, with
prices starting at $2,095. The basic configuration includes a
slimline chassis, eight megabytes (MB) of RAM (random access
memory) memory, 2MB of video memory, a 256-kilobyte pipeline burst
cache, a 540MB hard drive, a high-resolution color monitor, a mouse
and Microsoft Windows for Workgroups 3.11 or Windows 95 installed.

You also get a 3COM Etherlink III connection which uses 3Com's
Parallel Tasking technology that enables your PC to send and receive
data simultaneously on the network. The systems also include
Creative Labs SoundBlaster Vibra 16 audio, and an optional Imagine
video board provides 4MB of video memory and 128-bit video.

The Optiplex G line, which debuted in August of this year, now
includes 90-, 100-, 120- and 133MHz-based systems using Pentium
chips. The price range for the "G" line starts at $2,300 and the
units are configured with 8MB of memory, a mouse, a 540MB hard
drive, high-resolution color monitor, and Windows for Workgroups or
Windows 95. The 3Com Etherlink III is an option across the "G" line.

(Jim Mallory/19951017/Press contact:Dean Kline, Dell Computer,
512-728-4100; Public contact: Dell Computer,
512-23804400/OPTI-G951017/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/17/95
TELECOM
AT&T, Sprint Lead Telecom Customer Satisfaction - Study

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(MSP)(00029)
AT&T, Sprint Lead Telecom Customer Satisfaction - Study 10/17/95
AGOURA HILLS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- Conventional,
mainstream residential long-distance users prefer AT&T, while so-called
"power users" like Sprint, according to J.D. Power and Associates. The
company has released a new study focusing on customer satisfaction
among consumers and their residential long distance telecommunications
providers.

The study also found that heavy users are more prone to jump companies
if the offerings are greener on the other side of the phone line. In
fact, 25 percent of heavy users have switched carriers in the past
twelve months, almost double the rate of mainstream users. Zaiba
Nanji of J.D. Power and Associates says that Sprint did well among heavy
users because of the company's sensitivity to cost factors.

Mainstream users represent 82 percent of US households, the survey
showed. But heavy users account for more than 50 percent of
residential long distance dollars, making them a "highly desirable"
segment for long distance carriers.

AT&T did well with the mainstream customers because "a lot of these
households grew up with AT&T," Nanji said.

J.D. Power researchers define heavy users as those who spend an average
of $50 or more each month on long distance calls, while mainstream
users spend less than $50.

The survey is based on a nationally representative sample of more than
3,000 AT&T, MCI, and Sprint customers who evaluated their carriers on
more than 30 areas of customer satisfaction. The study showed that
cost of service is the most important aspect of customer satisfaction
to long distance dialers, followed by quality assurance, customer
communication, and having operators on duty.

J.D. Power and Associates said Sprint ranks high among heavy users
because of cost of service, which includes competitive pricing and
"honesty/no gimmicks" in its business dealings. With mainstream
long distance users, AT&T did well primarily in the areas of quality
assurance, with it's strong reputation, and customer communications,
and the company's efficient operators, J.D. Power officials said.

Nanji said this study is a syndicated one, meaning J.D. Power and
Associates sponsored the survey on its own. Mainly known for its
automotive surveys, the company also conducts studies for individual
companies, as well as other syndicated research projects for business
segments like airlines.

(Bob Woods/19951017/Press Contact: Patricia A. Patano, J.D. Power
& Assoc., 8187-889-6330)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/17/95
WINDOWS
Open Market Intros "Secure" Web Storefront

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(BOS)(00030)
Open Market Intros "Secure" Web Storefront 10/17/95
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- Probably
within the next six months, and certainly over the next year,
Open Market will introduce a fifth component to Merchant
Solution, its new turnkey package for creating "self-hosted"
storefronts and managing "secure" electronic transactions over
the Web, revealed Cliff Utstein, director of commerce products,
in an interview with Newsbytes.

Utstein told Newsbytes that, unlike competing Web offerings, Open
Market's newly announced "first product for electronic commerce"
allows users to build their own Web storefronts, without the need
to write "complicated" CGI (Common Gateway Interface) scripts to
run on top of HTTP on secure Web servers.

Open Market's modular Merchant Solution package initially
consists of two existing products from Open Market -- Secure Web
Server and the Web Reporter reporting tool -- together with the
newly added Store Builder and Transaction Link components.

Web Reporter provides customers with reports on "customer
browsing patterns," according to Utstein. Store Builder is an
"easy to use" HTML (hypertext markup language)-based application
for building online stores from PCs running Windows.

Transaction Link connects the Unix-based Secure Web Server and
its "front office" contents to Open Market's Integrated Commerce
Service, for "back office customer support and transaction
management services," Newsbytes was told.

The Integrated Commerce Service, which currently resides at Open
Market, carries out functions that include electronic
order-taking, credit card authorization, and "automatic
computation of sales taxes for all 50 states," Utstein reported.

The new Merchant Solution system also employs new URLs known as
the "digital offer" and the "digital receipt," he added. "The
digital offer is a URL containing the parameters of everything
you're buying. After you've paid for the merchandise, you get a
digital receipt."

The digital receipt is also used for automated online delivery of
software purchases from the merchant's server, and to track
shipments of hard good purchases, he maintained.

Also under the new Open Market model, users can "collect" goods
from multiple Web sites in "customer shopping carts," permitting
them to consolidate all their Web-based purchases into a single
electronic transaction, Utstein said.

Open Market, he noted, will add support for new methods of
electronic payment "as they emerge and become standards." Open
Market has already announced a deal that calls for support of the
Cybercash system. Other methods of payment that might be
supported include SEPP (Secure Electronic Payment Protocol) and
STT (Secure Transaction Technology), he illustrated.

In addition, within the next year, the company plans to
move its back office Integrated Commerce Services component to
the Secure Web Server, for on premises WebMaster control over
electronic transactions, divulged the Open Market exec.

Open Market will preview Merchant Solution at Internetworld show
in Boston at the end of this month. The new turnkey electronic
commerce system for the Web will become generally available in
early November for Digital Unix, Solaris, SunOS (operating
system), HP/UX, AIX, and BSDI, according to Utstein.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951017/Reader Contact: Open Market, 617-621-
9500; Press Contacts: Wendy Ziner, Open Market, 617-374-6508;
Dawn Geary, Schwartz Communications for Open Market,
617-431-0770)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/17/95
LEGAL
British Law Lord Discovers That Portable PCs Are Too Portable

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(LON)(00031)
British Law Lord Discovers That Portable PCs Are Too Portable 10/17/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- Lord Steyn of Warfield, formerly
known as Mr Justice Steyn, has had his laptop PC stolen from his
offices in the House of Lords in London. Police are treating the theft
as routine, but several portables have gone missing recently and the
possibility that the data on the machine, rather than the hardware
itself, was targeted, has not been ruled out.

According to Superintendent Bob Wood, deputy head of security for the
Palace of Westminster, the theft occurred last Wednesday, but has now
been made public in the hope that the portable can be recovered. The
machine, ironically, was a replacement for an early portable owned by
Lord Steyn that was stolen earlier this year.

Superintendent Wood told journalists that small items such as notebook
computers have a habit of being stolen in the Palace, and despite
their value, fall into the category of petty pilfering.

Wood said that, although security is tight at Westminster, the problem
is that the Palace can never be totally secure, owing to the large
numbers of MPs (Member of Parliament) walking around. "We are
constantly walking a tightrope... the public wants to come
in and see Members," he explained.

Wood also said that the notebook PC may not have been stolen. "Very
frequently we find that allegations of theft are not theft at all," he
explained.

The disappearance of Lord Steyn's notebook PC is being taken seriously
as it may have parallels with the case of David Farquhar, a senior
RAF (Royal Air Force) officer who, in 1991, had his portable computer
stolen from his car. The computer, which was later returned after a
Government appeal, contained secrets from the Gulf War which was
taking place at the time.

The case, which did more to encourage portable PC users to use
encryption systems on their machines, involved the theft of a
notebook PC from Farquhar's car around a month before the Allied
attack on Bagdhad.

(Steve Gold/19951017)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/17/95
BUSINESS
Olivetti Announces Backed Cash Call In Recovery Plan

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00032)
Olivetti Announces Backed Cash Call In Recovery Plan 10/17/95
MILAN, ITALY, 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- Olivetti has announced that a
consortium of eight banks, including Mediobanca, have backed its
recent cash call, with an offer of $1.4 billion in loans to support
the troubled computer and electronics giant. The availability of the
loan facility will allow Olivetti's shareholders to breathe a sigh
of relief, as the company had announced its intention to relaunch
itself with an ambitious and potentially expensive media campaign.

Some reports had suggested that the company was considering spinning
off its various divisions, including the computer operation, as an
alternative method of raising cash.

The eight banks involved in the backup deal -- Banca Comerciale
Italiana, Credito Italiano, Banca di Roma, San Paolo, IMI, Banca
Nazionale di Lavoro, Mediobanca and Banco di Napoli -- could end up
having to loan the full amount to Olivetti, as the Italian electronics
giant may need this level of cash infusion to get itself back on its
feet.

Under the restructuring plan, Olivetti plans to lay off around 4,000
staff over the next year, as a way to stem its losses. Recently, the
troubled Italian company reported losses of around $115 million for
the first six months of this year.

Interestingly, Olivetti has ruled out the possibility that
shareholders may be called upon for a cash call. Only a month ago,
company Chairman Carlo de Benedetti had suggested that a cash call --
the second in two years -- was looking inevitable. The eight banks
were originally expected to offer a $925 million loan deal, but the
$1.4 billion arrangement may now be enough to curtail plans for a
second shareholder cash call.

As reported by Newsbytes last month, Olivetti plans to shave around
4,000 staff from its global payroll. Roughly half of the staff cuts
will affect the company's operations in Italy, while the other 50
percent will outside of Italy in its international operations.

The financial deals come just as Olivetti has launched its range of
Echos 75 and 90 megahertz (MHz) Pentium-based notebooks. The range
consists of three models, the P75, the P90 and the P90S, with a choice
of different processors and video displays, including the first 11.8-
inch SVGA display screen.

The Echos range are based on PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect)
technology and start from UKP 2,199 in the UK. This price gets users a
P75 with 520 megabyte (MB) removable hard disk and a 10.4-inch color
screen. Pricing on the new machines rises to UKP 3,879 for a 90MHz
Pentium machine with 1.2-gigabyte (GB) hard disk.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951017/Press Contact: Luciano Luffarelli, Olivetti,
[phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/17/95
ONLINE
 ****Six Newspapers Announce Internet Job Listings

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00033)
 ****Six Newspapers Announce Internet Job Listings 10/17/95
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- A national interactive
employment service based on the Internet's World Wide Web is being
started by six of the US's largest newspapers. Called
"CareerPath.com," the new site is billed as having the most
comprehensive listing of jobs on the Internet.

The six newspapers, where the job database will be drawn from, are
The Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Times, The
New York Times, The San Jose Mercury News, and The Washington Post.
CareerPath.com is located on the Web at http://www.careerpath.com/ .

"We believe (the Web site) will make job hunting easier and more
efficient," said Timothy J. Landen, vice president and director of
marketing and development for the Chicago Tribune. He made his remarks
during a news teleconference, which Newsbytes attended.

Landen said CareerPath.com makes it easier for people to look for work
around the country, without having to leaf through newspapers from
across the nation. "For example, an employee in Chicago who wants to
re-locate to San Jose or Los Angeles can have immediate, real-time
access to all the job listings in the San Jose Mercury News and the
Los Angeles Times." The same is true of companies looking for
qualified workers around the country, Landen added.

Future plans call for advertisers to place job listings directly and
exclusively on CareerPath.com, without buying a print ad. Each
newspaper will set its own pricing for both inclusion of print ads on
the Web site, along with "Internet-only" ads. For job seekers,
features like a resume data base, employer/job seeker matching
services, company profiles, and "alerts" when a job opportunity comes
on the market that matches a profile, are planned.

The new Web site will also coordinate with the New Century Network
(NCN), an Internet content development and distribution company
founded by nine major media companies, including the parent
corporations of the newspapers in the CareerPath.com venture. NCN
and CareerPath.com will develop a marketing and distribution approach
that will make the site attractive for other newspapers to participate
in the Web site.

Job seekers are expected to come from both direct Internet accounts and
through online services like Compuserve and Prodigy, Landen said, using
any kind of browser. When Newsbytes surfed to the site, the content
stated CareerPath.com is "Lynx-friendly," meaning it would work with
text-based browsers. It also said the site works best with Netscape,
and Newsbytes did notice several features of the site that are
specific to Netscape and the latest versions of other browsers,
including Microsoft Explorer and Spyglass Mosaic.

Landen said he doesn't expect the Web site to make any money for the
newspapers involved. But he does anticipate significant revenues in
the long-term.

(Bob Woods/19951017/Press Contacts: Jeff Bierig, Chicago Tribune, 312-
222-3920; Laura Morgan, Los Angeles Times, 213-237-4715; Nancy
Nielsen, The New York Times and The Boston Globe, 212-556-7078; San
Jose Mercury News, 408-920-5990; Guyon Knight, The Washington Post,
202-334-6642)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/17/95
BUSINESS
Remote Access Seminar Goes On The Road

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00034)
Remote Access Seminar Goes On The Road 10/17/95
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- Wave Technologies
International Inc., kicks off its second round of Local Area
Network/Remote Access Methods seminars in San Jose, California
on November 14, 1995 with a program titled "Remote Access: Delivering
Distance On Demand." The one-day show moves on to Los Angeles;
Reston, Virginia; New York; Chicago; Dallas and Atlanta between then
and December 18th.

John Walter, vice president of Wave's custom solutions group, said
the seminar series is part of a continuing program called
Connections that was launched last year in 13 cities. Wave
spokesperson Marjorie Pingel told Newsbytes another series with a
different topic will probably be presented in the spring. Steve
Seyer, Wave's senior telecom trainer and a major developer of the
company's training programs, will be the presenter and also
co-developed the presentation.

Seyer will conduct live demonstrations of multiple remote access
products from Lotus cc:Mail Division, US Robotics, Digi
International, Citrix and Digital Pathways during the seminar. Most
of the vendors are expected to have representatives on hand to
answer questions about their equipment. Walter said the seminars
try to avoid being a sales presentation and lean towards the
informative. While the demonstrations aren't hands-on for every
participant most will have the opportunity to try out some of the
equipment, Walter told Newsbytes.

The company said key topics of this fall's program will include
"Remote Access Security," "Improving Online Efficiency," and
"Cost-effective Remote Access Methods through Integrated Services
Digital Networks."

Pingel said the seminar costs $295 and recommends early
registration. The company said the seminar is recommended for
technical managers who design and deploy connectivity solutions,
network administrators and business managers interested in
telecommuting.

(Jim Mallory/19951017/Press contact: Marjorie Pingel, Wave
Technologies, 314-692-1910; Public contact: Wave Technologies,
800-994-5767 for general information or 800-828-2050 for seminar
info or registration)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/17/95
PEN
 ****HP On The Go With OmniGo - New Organizer

(NEWS)(PEN)(SFO)(00035)
 ****HP On The Go With OmniGo - New Organizer 10/17/95
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- Hewlett-
Packard (NYSE:HWP) has introduced OmniGo 100 as an affordable
handheld organizer with pen and keyboard input for under $350. The
software operating system was developed by Geoworks
(NASDAQ:GWRX), the well-known developer of hand-held computer
operating systems.

OmniGo 100 is designed for mobile business professionals who want a
feature-rich hand-held device but do not need sophisticated applications
such as Lotus 1-2-3 or CC:Mail which are found in the HP 200LX. HP
says the real impact of OmniGo 100 is its expected street price of $349.

"We found the business community is open to hand-held devices, but our
studies show many users are not willing to pay $500 to $700 for small
portable device. The features of OmniGo are the same as some other
more expensive devices, but then it provides additional features such as
its horizontal and vertical display modes which allow easy pen input for
longer messages," said Larry Sennett, spokesperson for HP.

Continuing, Sennett said, "high-end hand-held computing devices like
our 200LX have been very successful with customers who need full
applications like Lotus 1-2-3 and have the device supplied by their
company. The OmniGo 100 is designed for those on-the-go business
users who have to pay for the computer out of their own budgets."

OmniGo 100 offers business and financial productivity features
including Graffiti handwriting recognition, drawing capability, HP
spreadsheet and financial tools for computing cash flow, loan payments,
currency conversions, percentages and margins, a notepad, calendar,
address and appointment book and other features.

A 360-degree rotatable hinge allows the case to fold-over completely and
permits the user to take notes as if the device were a standard writing pad.
One megabyte (MB) of RAM is standard with the device and a Type II
PC Card (PCMCIA) slot allows users to add extended storage and other
services. A serial port allows the device to connect to printers and
desktop PCs.

A number of additional applications for OmniGo 100 are available from
third-party developers. Intuit's Pocket Quicken is available free to
purchasers of the new device. Notable Technologies offers Septor, a
financial information service and WyndMAIL from Wynd
Communications offers a two-way wireless messaging service which
integrates e-mail, pager and phone messages along with wireless faxing.

HP and Geoworks are offering HP OmniGo 100 Clip & Go and HP
OmniGo 100 Strategy Games as additional applications for
the new device. Clip & Go allows users to transfer data between
Windows-based PCs and OmniGo 100 (price: $69.95). Strategy Games
is a collection of six brain-teasers selling for $49.95.

With 3MB of RAM, OmniGo 100 weighs 11.6 ounces. It is powered by
two AA batteries and one lithium backup battery. HP says OmniGo 100
should appear in many computer hardware outlets by the first of
November. Later this year, HP says SkyTel's two-way, wireless
messaging service will be available to users of OmniGo 100.

(Patrick McKenna/19951017/Press Contact: Larry Sennett, HP, tel 408-
553--2916/HP951017/PHOTO)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00036)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 10/17/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 17 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|           Tuesday, October 17, 1995            |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network's 1995 Update CD-ROM for Mac, DOS, and Windows is
now available for $29.95 (includes s&h). Contains 1983-1995 news stories,
more than 64,000 keyword searchable stories and 475 digitized images. For
more information or to order, fax to 612-430-0441 or e-mail to
'[e-mail]' -- MC, Visa, Amex accepted.

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

BROADCAST Japan Set To Become Next Satellite Battleground............ 17

BROADCAST India - Odyssey Satellite Venture Scouts For Partner....... 21

BUSINESS  Australia - Osborne Becomes Gateway........................ 05

BUSINESS  HK's Jardine Gobbles Up SystemPro.......................... 22

BUSINESS   ****Networks Everywhere, Says Compaq Boss Following Record 26

BUSINESS  Olivetti Announces Backed Cash Call In Recovery Plan....... 32

BUSINESS  Remote Access Seminar Goes On The Road..................... 34

GENERAL   Australian News Briefs..................................... 03

GENERAL   Taiwanese UKP 199 Mini-Fax, Scanner, Copier Device......... 09

IBM       IBM Rolls Power Personal Systems Into RS/6000 Unit......... 24

LEGAL     BSA Raids Bangkok Software Outlets......................... 11

LEGAL     British Law Lord Discovers That Portable PCs Are Too Portab 31

ONLINE    World's First Interactive Banking Net Launched............. 07

ONLINE    Add - Web Address For Cable TV's Travel Channel............ 14

ONLINE     ****Internet Update....................................... 25

ONLINE     ****Six Newspapers Announce Internet Job Listings......... 33

PC        Zenith Data System's New Pentium Desktops, Notebooks....... 01

PC        Compaq Launches New Server Line............................ 02

PC        Dell Intros New Optiplex Line, Server...................... 28

PEN        ****HP On The Go With OmniGo - New Organizer.............. 35

TELECOM   HK Telecom Blood-letting Could Chop 3,000.................. 06

TELECOM   Thai-Canadian Satellite Venture For Laos................... 12

TELECOM   ICN International To Open Thai Subsidiary.................. 13

TELECOM    ****Sprint Records Record 3Q Results...................... 16

TELECOM   Liazon Gets Canada's 1st Nationwide Narrowband PCS License. 18

TELECOM   India - Airtel Debuts Cellular Service..................... 19

TELECOM   Motorola India Pagers for Europe........................... 20

TELECOM   Nortel Gets $200M China Contract........................... 23

TELECOM   Norway - NERA Acquires Continental Microwave Technology.... 27

TELECOM   AT&T, Sprint Lead Telecom Customer Satisfaction - Study.... 29

TRENDS    Australian PC Shipments Strong............................. 04

TRENDS    Technology Fails To Deliver Greater Leisure Says Report.... 08

UNIX      China - Unix-like System Software Developed................ 15

WINDOWS   Microsoft Misses Release Date For Thai Windows 95.......... 10

WINDOWS   Open Market Intros "Secure" Web Storefront................. 30

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 -> Zenith Data System's New Pentium Desktops, Notebooks -- Furthering
its penetration into the Pentium market, Zenith Data Systems (ZDS) is
introducing new high and mid-range notebook computers, along with
high-end desktop models. One of the new notebook models, the Z-Note GT,
will have what the company bills as the largest thin film transistor
(TFT) active-matrix screen currently available in notebooks.

2 -> Compaq Launches New Server Line -- Compaq Computer Corp. (NYSE: CPQ)
has announced three new midrange servers and some processor upgrade
boards for ProLiant and ProSignia models.

3 -> Australian News Briefs -- In this roundup of news from Australia, a
Cray for Melbourne, Madge Australia gets new manager, legislators use
laptops, man charged with stealing credit card records, one million
Australians online, India roadshow hits Australia.

4 -> Australian PC Shipments Strong -- IDC predicts that precisely
1,328,249 PCs will be sold in Australia in 1995, resulting in a AUS$3,615
million spent by Australian buyers, and $3,042 million in vendor
revenues.

5 -> Australia - Osborne Becomes Gateway -- Osborne's troubles earlier
this year, and the fact that the new Osborne Gateway 2000 is still off
the Federal Government's endorsed supplier list, may lead to a reshuffled
top five when figures for the whole year are available.

6 -> HK Telecom Blood-letting Could Chop 3,000 -- Peter Howell-Davies'
snap departure should have come as a warning. Blood-letting in Hongkong
Telecom's top ranks is on the cards again, and word is that a further
3,000 employees could be dumped in the next two years.

7 -> World's First Interactive Banking Net Launched -- The Bankers
Network (TBN) has launched an online virtual private network (VPN) using
the Internet for banks and other financial institutions worldwide. The
aim of the service, which costs $100 per terminal per month linked into
the VPN, regardless of where in the world the terminal is situated, is to
offer sensibly priced financial services information to the global
banking community.

8 -> Technology Fails To Deliver Greater Leisure Says Report -- According
to a report issued by Motorola, people in Britain are working harder
today than they were five years ago, despite the promise that IT
(information technology) would herald a new age of leisure.

9 -> Taiwanese UKP 199 Mini-Fax, Scanner, Copier Device -- Plustek
Electronics, a Taiwanese electronics manufacturer, has launched the
Pagereader, a UKP 199 multi-function scanner/copier/fax system into
Europe. The unit interfaces with a host PC and comes as a "black box"
roughly the same size as a desktop stapler.

10 -> Microsoft Misses Release Date For Thai Windows 95 -- Microsoft
failed to complete its localization of the Thai-language version of
Windows 95 in time for the official launch October 12 and was giving away
3,000 copies of its beta version instead to mark an exhibition arranged
in conjunction with the event.

11 -> BSA Raids Bangkok Software Outlets -- Acting on information
provided by the Business Software Alliance (BSA), the Economic Crime
Investigation Division conducted raids on four shops in the largest
cluster of computer hardware and software outlets at Pantip Plaza
recently.

12 -> Thai-Canadian Satellite Venture For Laos -- Telesat Canada has
signed a contract in Geneva with Asia Broadcasting and Communications
Network Company Limited (ABCN) for a range of consulting and management
services on its planned satellite venture to be launched in cooperation
with the Government of Lao PDR.

13 -> ICN International To Open Thai Subsidiary -- A new company to
address modern telecommunications systems and high-speed networks
formally made its debut last week when Executive Chairman of ICN
International Rex L. Benning introduced ICN Data (Thailand) in
conjunction with a seminar on groupware, Internet systems and new
networking concepts.

14 -> Add - Web Address For Cable TV's Travel Channel -- In an article
entitled "Cable TV's Travel Channel On The Web," from October 12,
Newsbytes left out the URL (uniform resource locator) of the new Internet
World Wide Web site. The Travel Channel is located at
http://www.travelchannel.com/ .

15 -> China - Unix-like System Software Developed -- China's first
computer system software, COSA (China Open System Alliance), recently got
approval from the Ministry of Electronics Industry (MEI). COSA was
developed by China Software and Service Corp (CS&S), the country's
largest domestic supplier, and 18 key universities and research
organizations.

16 -> Sprint Records Record 3Q Results -- Sprint Inc. (NYSE:FON) reported
record results for the third quarter of this year. Net income increased
almost 17 percent for the year overall to $269 million, and operating
income rose almost 16 percent to $544 million from a year ago.

17 -> Japan Set To Become Next Satellite Battleground -- Hughes
Electronics Corp. Chairman Michael Armstrong said in Tokyo yesterday that
his company hopes to begin offering a localized version of the US DirecTV
service in Japan in 1997. The planned service will compete against a
similar digital TV package due to launch next year and, coupled with a
recent relaxation of broadcasting laws, will make Japan the next
battleground in an international quest to win the world's television
viewers.

18 -> Liazon Gets Canada's 1st Nationwide Narrowband PCS License --
Liazon Communications Solutions Inc., a subsidiary of long-distance
reseller Upper Canada Communications Group Inc., is the first company to
receive a license for narrowband personal communications services (PCS)
in Canada and the first to offer North American coverage through an
alliance with a PCS carrier in the United States.

19 -> India - Airtel Debuts Cellular Service -- Delhi's first and India's
second cellular mobile phone service became operational when Bharti
Cellular Ltd.'s AirTel launched its service. The first cellular service
was launched in Calcutta by Modi Telstra Ltd. a couple of months ago.

20 -> Motorola India Pagers for Europe -- Motorola's paging manufacturing
facility at Bangalore in India is likely to export pagers into Europe for
the first time, under the "Made in India" label, revealed Dr. Percey P.
Batlivala, executive director, India Paging, Motorola. He further added
that the company wants to promote the Made in India label abroad to prove
that Indian goods are in no way inferior in quality.

21 -> India - Odyssey Satellite Venture Scouts For Partner -- Odyssey
Telecommunications International Inc., a joint venture between TRW and
Teleglobe, unveiled Odyssey, a satellite-based wireless cellular
telecommunications system in India. The companies said they are scouting
for a "strategic Indian partner."

22 -> HK's Jardine Gobbles Up SystemPro -- In a series of secretive
moves, Hong Kong's Jardine Office Systems (JOS) acquired SystemPro last
week, although staff  weren't given the bombshell until late last night.

23 -> Nortel Gets $200M China Contract -- Canada's Northern Telecom, or
Nortel, as they're calling it, has established a new subsidiary in China.
And just as the firm announced its new Chinese-registered company,  a
status rarely granted, officials announced they'd won a new US$200
million contract.

24 -> IBM Rolls Power Personal Systems Into RS/6000 Unit -- IBM
(NYSE:IBM) has quietly closed up its Power Personal Systems operation,
consolidating it with the RISC System/6000 division. This means all IBM
hardware built on PowerPC chips

25 ->  ****Internet Update -- In this roundup of new services and
resources on the global Internet: coming solar eclipse data available,
Nobel prize database, live from the stratosphere, Quark debuts site,
Polaroid develops pages, used computer trading, computer communications
e-book, Dutch newspaper database, Gaelic on the net, European parallel
computer center, new on Usenet.

26 ->  ****Networks Everywhere, Says Compaq Boss Following Record 3Q --
There will be networked PC servers "in nearly every office, manufacturing
facility, store, school and home" by the end of the decade, according to
Eckhard Pfeiffer, president and chief executive officer of Compaq
Computer Corp. (NYSE: CPQ). Pfeiffer made his prediction during his
keynote speech at Innovate Forum 95, a three-day Compaq-sponsored event,
following a record third quarter in which Compaq increased sales by 27
percent to $3.6 billion for the period.

27 -> Norway - NERA Acquires Continental Microwave Technology -- Nera,
the Norwegian telecoms company, has announced plans to buy
Spectra-Physics AB's UK subsidiary, Continental Microwave Technology
Limited (CMTL) for UKP 7.4 million.

28 -> Dell Intros New Optiplex Line, Server -- Dell Computer Corp.
(NASDAQ: DELL) has launched 24 new PC models, including the entire Dell
Optiplex GX family. The company also announced faster versions of its
recently introduced OPtiplex G line and a new server.

29 -> AT&T, Sprint Lead Telecom Customer Satisfaction - Study --
Conventional, mainstream residential long-distance users prefer AT&T,
while so-called "power users" like Sprint, according to J.D. Power and
Associates. The company has released a new study focusing on customer
satisfaction among consumers and their residential long distance
telecommunications providers.

30 -> Open Market Intros "Secure" Web Storefront -- Probably within the
next six months, and certainly over the next year, Open Market will
introduce a fifth component to Merchant Solution, its new turnkey package
for creating "self-hosted" storefronts and managing "secure" electronic
transactions over the Web, revealed Cliff Utstein, director of commerce
products, in an interview with Newsbytes.

31 -> British Law Lord Discovers That Portable PCs Are Too Portable --
Lord Steyn of Warfield, formerly known as Mr Justice Steyn, has had his
laptop PC stolen from his offices in the House of Lords in London. Police
are treating the theft as routine, but several portables have gone
missing recently and the possibility that the data on the machine, rather
than the hardware itself, was targeted, has not been ruled out.

32 -> Olivetti Announces Backed Cash Call In Recovery Plan -- Olivetti
has announced that a consortium of eight banks, including Mediobanca,
have backed its recent cash call, with an offer of $1.4 billion in loans
to support the troubled computer and electronics giant. The availability
of the loan facility will allow Olivetti's shareholders to breathe a sigh
of relief, as the company had announced its intention to relaunch itself
with an ambitious and potentially expensive media campaign.

33 ->  ****Six Newspapers Announce Internet Job Listings -- A national
interactive employment service based on the Internet's World Wide Web is
being started by six of the US's largest newspapers. Called
"CareerPath.com," the new site is billed as having the most comprehensive
listing of jobs on the Internet.

34 -> Remote Access Seminar Goes On The Road -- Wave Technologies
International Inc., kicks off its second round of Local Area
Network/Remote Access Methods seminars in San Jose, California on
November 14, 1995 with a program titled "Remote Access: Delivering
Distance On Demand." The one-day show moves on to Los Angeles; Reston,
Virginia; New York; Chicago; Dallas and Atlanta between then and December
18th.

35 -> HP On The Go With OmniGo - New Organizer -- Hewlett- Packard
(NYSE:HWP) has introduced OmniGo 100 as an affordable handheld organizer
with pen and keyboard input for under $350. The software operating system
was developed by Geoworks (NASDAQ:GWRX), the well-known developer of
hand-held computer operating systems.

(Wendy Woods/19951017)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD



Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/16/95
LEGAL
Hong Kong - Injunctions Extended By High Court

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(HKG)(00001)
Hong Kong - Injunctions Extended By High Court 10/16/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- In Hong Kong, the Business
Software Alliance (BSA) has won extensions on all original 22 ex parte
injunctions served against software vendors operating in the notorious
Golden Arcade Shopping Centre in Hong Kong's Shamshuipo district.

None of the temporary stop orders was contested, quickening the decision
that makes them permanent. The ruling, made by Justice Rogers recently,
dramatically ups the ante in the BSA's continuing war on the vendors
alleged to be selling pirated goods.

Over and above risking being charged with selling stolen intellectual
property, the 22 vendors now risk contempt of court charges -- which
carry still higher fines and possible imprisonment -- if they try
going back into business.

In related news, when the BSA officials visited the Golden Arcade
recently to oversee the serving of another round of ex parte
injunctions, they reportedly found shops -- just raided by Customs
officers hours earlier -- back in business.

(Nigel Armstrong & I.T. Daily/19951016)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/16/95
TRENDS
Mixed Results For Apple Cost Study

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00002)
Mixed Results For Apple Cost Study 10/16/95
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- A survey of
technical support costs for corporate computing just completed by
the Gartner Group Consulting has found no additional costs for
companies supporting dual platform computing (Apple Macintosh and
Windows-based PCs) versus the cost of supporting Windows alone. The
research was conducted in the first half of 1995, prior to the
public release of Windows 95.

The report entitled "Technical Support Costs in Dual-Platform
Computing Environments: Managing Diversity," analyzes data collected
from a broad range of United States companies. It analyzed companies
with varying mixes of Macintosh (up to and including the Mac
operating system (OS) version 7.5.1) and Windows-based desktops (up
to and including Microsoft Windows version 3.11). The research does
not include data on Windows 95.

The report's main conclusion is that, contrary to some opinions,
companies with a mix of Macintosh and Windows have no increased costs.
When asked by Newsbytes if the addition of Windows 95 would change
this conclusion, Mike Gartenberg, research director for Gartner, said,
"Preliminary research indicates that the addition of Windows 95 seems
not to affect the main conclusion regarding a corporate mix of Macs
and Windows"

"This report contains a large amount of significant data for
information systems (IS) managers looking to reduce the cost of their
computing resources," said Dr. H. Walter Johnson, Gartner Group vice
president of Consulting Services, and author of the study. "And the
major conclusion is that, while conventional wisdom might suggest that
standardization on a single platform would lower technical support
expenses, there is no premium associated with supporting both
Macintosh and Windows."

Gartner did have some bad news for Apple. Their research concludes
that, for the first time since they have compiled the total cost of
ownership for the competing systems, Apple was not the leader.

Gartnenberg points out, "Our current research indicates that Windows
NT, Windows 95, and Macintosh have almost identical cost of ownership
for corporate buyers. Windows 3.1 is still far behind, but this is
the first time Macintosh has not been the leader by itself."

(Richard Bowers/19951013/Press Contact: Keith Toleman, Apple
Computer Inc., 408-974-4104)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/16/95
ONLINE
America Online Adds Health Area

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00003)
America Online Adds Health Area 10/16/95
VIENNA, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- America Online Inc.
(NASDAQ:AMER) has created a new Health Area to provide information and
resources on healthcare, fitness, "well-being," and diseases to the
service's members.

The new health area is home to more than 30 community forums, spanning
a variety of topics and special interest groups from AIDS to women's
health. Easy-to-access sites on the Internet's World Wide Web, message
boards, chat rooms, software libraries, and information from national
voluntary health organizations are also in the area.

Health Responsability System's Better Health & Medical Forum is also a
part of the new health area. Margaret Ryan, AOL spokesperson, told
Newsbytes that the Forum has been on AOL since 1993, and is also a
"Greenhouse" partner. The forum offers a home medical guide, along with
information about men's, women's, and children's health. Details about
various addictions and alternative medicine are also available in the
Forum.

The Greenhouse partner program is designed to help so-called
"infopreneurs" in creating unique online content and interactive
services for both AOL and the Internet.

The National Library of Medicine's "Medline" is also a part of the new
health area, accessible through the Better Health & Medical Forum.
Medline is the world's leading bibliographic database of medical
information, AOL officials said. "It's the first time this database
has been available online to consumers," Ryan said.

"We're expanding the health area, in addition to the Better Health &
Medical Forum," Ryan said. Other features are on the way, she added.

Health content can also be accessed from magazines, including Elle,
Scientific American, Bicycling Online, Consumer Reports, Woman's Day,
and later this month, Health Magazine. Also, later this month, AOL
members will have access to Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary and
a drug reference handbook.

AOL subscribers can reach the new area by entering the keyword: Health.

(Bob Woods/19951013/Press Contact: Margaret Ryan, America Online,
703-883-1625; Public Contact: America Online, 800-827-6364)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/16/95
ONLINE
Internet Access Via Teletext Offered

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00004)
Internet Access Via Teletext Offered 10/16/95
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, 1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- Sweden's Infral AB has
developed a system that allows television companies to offer viewers
the ability to send and receive electronic-mail and "surf" the World
Wide Web via the channel's teletext service.

Teletext is an information service broadcast by the majority of
television channels in Europe. It sends data in several unused lines
in the VBI (vertical blanking interval) space of a TV picture frame. A
teletext decoder, now standard inside most sets, allows viewers access
to the service which typically features news, sports, weather, TV
guides, and advertisements. All pages are transmitted in sequence and
users typically wait a few seconds to see requested pages.

The system was launched at the IBC (International Broadcasting
Conference) in Amsterdam recently and allows users to interact with
the normally one-way service by tapping in number combinations into
telephone keypads linked to the system across the telephone network.

At the launch, Michael Ghneim, managing director of Infral AB, said,
"Broadcasters the world over have been anticipating the day when the
fun and interactivity of Internet browsing could be brought to
traditional television. That day has arrived, and, as a bonus,
broadcasters, and broadcasters alone, can now offer consumers the
excitement of the World Wide Web and e-mail without the costs of a
personal computer modem, and without any monthly fees to an Internet
service provider."

Although the signal from the Internet is carried across a TV channel
to the viewer, at no additional cost to the user, the link into the
service is across a telephone line which would typically be a premium
rate line as a way of paying for the service.

The total cost of the service looks likely to deter most users though.
For e-mail, users will type in messages by entering two-digit codes for
each letter, for example, A is 1,0 and B is 1,1. This will make typing
out even moderately short e-mail messages a long job, which will
translate to a high cost on premium rate telephone lines. The complete
system can handle up to a million e-mail boxes.

Infral AB is commercializing the system with Interactive Television AB
(ITV). ITV's Magnus Granqvist, a product manager for the system, told
Newsbytes that all TV networks need is an Internet connection and a
computer running the Unix operating system. "The only thing viewers
need is a touch-tone telephone and teletext TV and access to the TV
station that offers the service."

Responding to comments about the possible cost of the system to the
user, Granqvist said, "It's for people that are interested in the
Internet for light use."

ITV is part of the Modern Times Group, previously known as Kinnevik --
one of Scandinavia's largest media companies. Modern Times operates
the TV3, TV1000, ZTV, and TV6 television channels, and P6 Radio, in
addition to owning Metro, Pa TV, Z Magazine, City Nytt, and Moderna
Tider magazines.

With such a media organization behind it, it is no surprise where the
system will first appear. Renqvist added, "We launched it on TV3
Sweden. We have two services on TV3, one to send and receive e-mail,
and one to send faxes." Both operate on premium rate telephone lines.

Renqvist said interest was high, "We had a lot of interest (at IBC).
This is an interactive service that can be offered today. We are doing
as much as technology allows today. Most interest has come from Europe,
but we have also had inquiries from Saudi Arabia and South Korea."

(Martyn Williams/19951013/Press contact: Magnus Granqvist,
Interactive Television, tel [phone], fax [phone],
Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Per Leine, Infral AB, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/16/95
ONLINE
Austrian Bank Customers Discover Phone Banking

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LON)(00005)
Austrian Bank Customers Discover Phone Banking 10/16/95
VIENNA, AUSTRIA, 1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- After two years of promoting
their telephone banking services, Austrian banks are reporting that
their services are being taken seriously by customers, and that
sign-ups are now "on target."

Three main banks in Austria -- Bank Austria, Creditanstalt Bankverein,
and Oesterreichische Postsparkasse (PSK) -- all report that their
telephone banking services are now acknowledged as a usual adjunct
and even a replacement to existing personal banking services.

Plans now call for the banks to expand their range of telephone
services beyond the current balance, transaction queries and changes,
to standing order instructions. According to Creditanstalt Bank,
customers' initial fears about the security of the services offered
have proven to be ill-founded, and customers are now accepting that
telephone banking is an extension of existing face-to-face banking.

Interestingly, while all three banks offer phone banking services to
their customers, Creditanstalt is the only one of the trio to use
computerized voice recognition systems as an interface to the
customer, and to identify them. As in the US, Bank Austria and PSK
use human operators to fulfill this function.

Bank Austria claims to be heading the fledgling Austrian phone
banking market with around 50,000 customers on the service. Meanwhile,
Creditanstalt claims around half that figure, while PSK has just half
that figure again, at 12,500 customers.

The take-up of phone banking is in stark contrast to the UK, where
services have taken off extraordinarily, Newsbytes notes. First
Direct, the pioneer in the UK, having been on the market for six
years, now reports it has around quarter of million customers and
expects that to rise to a half a million by the end of the decade.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951013/Press & Reader Contact: Bank Austria,
[phone]; Creditanstalt Bankverein, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/16/95
GOVT
British Police Use Voice-Mail For Mobile Comms

(NEWS)(GOVT)(LON)(00006)
British Police Use Voice-Mail For Mobile Comms 10/16/95
FLEET, HAMPSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- The Staffordshire
police force has contracted with Octel for the supply of 5,000 voice
mail-boxes for use by police officers, the media, and the general
public.

According to Octel, the deal is worth around UKP60,000 and has
allowed the Midlands police force to improve its rural policing,
increase the information flow to the media, provide a confidential
and anonymous service for witnesses to report crime incidents, and
generally increase police time "on the beat."

The aim of using a voice-mail system is to replace the force's
disparate collection of answerphones. The force claims to take around
35,000 calls a week from the public, many of which can be handled by
the Octel system, which will free up the 2,215 police officers to do
their job.

According to Superintendent Phil Lovell, unit leader with
Staffordshire's Information Technology unit, voice messaging will help
to increase the force's ability to convey information to officers on
the beat.

"In many rural areas, for example, it is becoming increasingly
difficult to justify officers traveling to their main police stations
for briefings. However, with voice messaging, police officers do not
need to visit the station, they simply call into the mailbox to
receive briefings -- which allows them more time on the beat," he
explained.

Lovell went on to explain that voice messaging also allows the public
to leave or obtain information from the force on special dedicated
voice-mail phone lines.

"Now witnesses, the press, or anyone with a query concerning
employment opportunities, for example, can call a specially designated
information line or mailbox -- and that also means that officers and
civilian staff can concentrate on core business," he said.

Commenting on the deal, Mike Persky, Octel's marketing director, said
that rising crime and growing concern about law and order has put the
police forces in the UK under the microscope.

"Minimal budget increases mean that forces have to be more and more
innovative and creative -- stretching those funds to combat crime in
the most practical way. Clearly technology can play a key role in
getting more policemen back on the street -- Staffordshire's use of
voice messaging is a perfect demonstration of this," he said.

Staffordshire police force is staffed by 2,215 officers and 900
civilian support staff. The division polices more than a million people
across nine districts spanning both rural and urban areas, including
72 kilometers of freeway and part of the Peak District National Park.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951013/Press Contact: Jon Carter, Firefly
Communication, [phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail];
Reader Contact: Octel Communications, tel [phone],
fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/16/95
TRENDS
UK Internet Surfers Want To Buy British - Survey

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00007)
UK Internet Surfers Want To Buy British - Survey 10/16/95
SHEPTON MALLET, SOMERSET, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- "I'm backing
Britain" and "Buy British" used to be buzzwords of the late 1970s. Now
UK Online, ironically the Italian Olivetti-backed UK consumer online
service, is resurrecting the ideas, claiming that independent research
shows that the majority of UK families would rather subscribe to a
British online service.

The survey, which was carried out by UK Online, claims to show that 64
percent of British families would prefer to receive their online
services from a British-based company, rather than the variety of US
online service providers.

According to Jennifer Perry, a spokeswoman for UK Online, unlike other
online services, all UK Online subscribers are from the UK. All
products, shopping, information, and editorial is aimed specifically
at a UK audience, so creating a "community of online services."

The survey also claims to show that around 70 percent of parents worry
about their kids having access to adult material on the Internet. The
overwhelming majority -- 93 percent -- claimed they would prefer to
have some parental control over what their kids find in cyberspace.
Around half were also worried that "going online" may interfere in
their homework from school.

Over half of British families feel that boys and girls are equally
likely to benefit from online computer services. However, 21 percent
of respondents still felt that boys were more likely to benefit than
the three percent who thought that girls would benefit the most.

Interestingly, Perry told Newsbytes that UK Online's research had
found that price was not as major an issue to modem users. Referring
to Compuserve's recent introduction of a budget Internet account in
the US, which offers an account plus three hours of usage a month, in
return for $4.95 monthly, she said that reliability and ease of
access were the main concerns.

"The availability of local calls also has a lot to do with people's
choice of online service provider," she said, adding this feature is
one that UK Online has implemented across most of the UK.

One interesting statistic that came out of UK Online's research is
that more than 75 percent of the UK population have access to the UK
Online services -- and the Internet services -- for the price of a
local call. Seventy-nine percent of respondents in the study were
unaware that electronic-mail messages could be sent anywhere in the
world, via the Internet, for the price of a local call.

UK Online's family membership currently costs UKP14.99 per month for
up to four e-mail addresses, as well as unlimited access to the
service. A personal account costs UKP9.99 monthly and offers up to 10
hours of access per month. Existing users of the Internet can gain
Weband telnet accounts on UK Online for UKP4.99 per month.

Further details of UK Online can be found on the company's Web pages,
which are located at http://www.ukonline.co.uk .

(Steve Gold/19951013/Press Contact: Caraline Brown, Midnight
Communications, tel [phone], fax [phone], Internet
e-mail [e-mail]; Reader Contact: UK Online,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/16/95
NETWORK
Bosch's Wavelength Division Multiplexing Technology

(NEWS)(NETWORK)(LON)(00008)
Bosch's Wavelength Division Multiplexing Technology 10/16/95
UXBRIDGE, MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- Everyone talks about
fiber optic as the universal panacea to network congestion problems,
but even fiber optic has its limits. Now Bosch claims that it has the
answer to even this problem with its Wavelength Division Multiplex
(WDM) technology, which it claims can squeeze four 2.5 gigabits-per-
second (Gbps) channels onto one single mode fiber.

The technology, which was demonstrated at Telecom 95 in Geneva earlier
this month, is still in its early stages, although it should be
available to fiber optic and network vendors in its current
technology release. According to Bosch, the restriction to four
wavelengths on to one is no principal limitation, because in future,
the company claims, it will be feasible to increase this number to
32 or even more.

Nick Spencer, a spokesman for Bosch, told Newsbytes that, despite the
newness of the fiber optical data compression system, the system is
available immediately to Bosch customers who install the company's
optical fiber systems. "Prices depend on the systems that customers
elect to install," he explained.

Existing fiber optic transmission systems are single-channel systems,
Newsbytes notes. They tend to use single wavelength light (1,300 or
1,550 nanometers) as the main carrier, with a maximum transmission
speed of 2.5 Gbps, with regenerators spaced at between 40 and 80
kilometers (km). If optical amplifiers are used, this spacing rises
to 160km.

The WDM technology, meanwhile, consists of wavelength transponders,
an optical transmitter, and an optical receiver. The wavelength
transponders convert the wavelength of an input signal into the
wavelength of the third optical window required for transmission. The
wavelengths of the four simultaneously transmitted signals are only a
few nanometers apart.

An optical coupler in the transmitter assembles the four light signals
whose wavelengths have been suitable converted and injects them into
the optical fiber. In the receiver, an optical amplifier amplifies the
in-bound light signals before they are separated by optical filters
into independent single light waves, which are sent down four separate
transmission paths.

To keep the whole show on the road, network management functions are
taken over by a special optical supervisory channel. This has a bit
rate of 2.048 megabits-per-second and up to 32 subchannels, each of
64,000 bits-per-second. These channels can be used for many different
supervisory functions, discrete to each optical channel, if required.

(Steve Gold/19951013/Press Contact: Arc Communications, [phone];
Reader Contact: Robert Bosch, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/16/95
ONLINE
The Shade Family - An Internet Clan

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00009)
The Shade Family - An Internet Clan 10/16/95
APPLE VALLEY, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- The Shade family
claims to be one that "Webs together." The fact that each member of
the clan has his or her own Internet World Wide Web pages (except for
their cats) seems to support their claim to electronic fame.

Each family members' site focuses on an interest or a business they're
interested in. Heather, almost six years old, looks at the holidays,
specifically focusing on the scary day of Halloween. Jason is into
things with scales and that slither, so his site focuses on snakes
and reptiles. Mom Susan has a thriving Avon business going, so guess
what her page focuses on. And Dad Gary runs a bulletin board system
(BBS) and his "Shades Landing" Web design firm, which is what his site
is all about.

Heather, who Gary thinks is the youngest administrator on the Internet
with a full site, told Newsbytes her site is the first one she's
designed (with Dad doing all of the hypertext markup language, or
HTML, coding). She said she learned about the Web from watching her
family members work it, especially her brother. One feature of her
site, the "Halloween Wall," lists what kids will be wearing for
Halloween this year, from the electronic-mail she has received.

Son Jason is 13 years old, and has combined his two favorite hobbies,
snakes and the Web, into one information-filled site. He said he got
involved in the Web after an unsuccessful search for information about
snakes in the traditional forms of reference material. "So my dad
told me to go on the Internet, and there was information on there. So
I thought it would be neat to have information on my own."

Besides information on snakes and things reptilian, Jason's page
features hotlinks to related sources. He's even signed up a paying
sponsor, which is helping fill his college fund. Jason is also
stashing away the cash to pay for a notebook computer.

Both of the kids have received accolades through both the traditional
and the cyberspace-based media. Gary said Heather's page was judged
"Best of the Web" and "Featured Site of the Week" earlier this month,
and was listed in USA Today's cyberspace listing earlier this week.
Jason's site was featured on WCCO TV, Minneapolis, and in the Minnesota
Sun Publications. In addition, Jason has just inked an agreement with
Knowledge Media. The company will include content from Jason's page on
its new Virtual Web CD-ROM, Gary said.

The Shade clan's kids like to get e-mail, Gary said. In fact, they
average about four to five e-mails a day, with as many as 30 coming in
on some days. Susan's Avon page does well, too, both in accesses and
e-mail volume. But Susan said Avon is making her take the ordering
capabilities off the Web, "because it is against their policy to sell
over the Internet." She'll continue to recruit and take catalog
requests via cyberspace, though.

Dad Gary said his family has taken well to Web design, sometimes
spending an hour a day either surfing the Web for research or for
Web design. He sees the Internet as a focal point for families in
the future, similar to the roles television and radio have played in
the past. "It's a big paradigm shift in not just one area, technology,
but in the way we market our services, and how we look at the world in
general. I think it's going to affect things a lot."

"Watching Heather get all excited when she gets e-mail, or when Jason
talks to teachers about snakes, it's a lot of fun," he said.

Heather's Happy Holidaze page is located at
http://www.shadeslanding.com/hms/ , but Heather says you have to be a
kid to enter the site. Jason's Snakes and Reptiles is at
http://www.shadeslanding.com/jas/ . The Avon by Susan page, minus the
order form, is at http://www.shadeslanding.com/avon.htm . And the main
page by Pop Gary, featuring his "Shade's Landing" Web development firm,
can be accessed at http://www.shadeslanding.com/ . All family members
can be e-mailed directly from each of their sites.

Judging by their Web pages, along with their attitudes towards both the
Web and each other, it can safely be said that "The family that Webs
together, stays together."

(Bob Woods/19951013/Press Contact: Gary Shade, Shade's Landing,
612-891-1537, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/16/95
NETWORK
SilCom Claims ATM Speeds With Wireless Link

(NEWS)(NETWORK)(TOR)(00010)
SilCom Claims ATM Speeds With Wireless Link 10/16/95
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- SilCom Technology Inc.
has launched an inter-building wireless network link into the North
American market that the company said can move data at speeds as
high as 155 megabits-per-second (Mbps) -- the speed of asynchronous
transfer mode (ATM) technology.

SilCom's new Freespace Turbo, which uses infrared transmission, is a
follow-on to the company's 10Mbps Freespace product, launched in May.
Mike Parker, president of SilCom's sister company Freebird Communications
Ltd., which designed Freespace Turbo, said probably about 80 percent of
the market for such wireless links continues to be Ethernet-oriented,
but "as time goes on" there will be more demand for higher-speed
connections.

The advantages of a wireless link over an optical fiber or leased T1
line include the fact that it can be installed faster, especially if the
connection must cross public land such as a city street, and the fact
that the equipment can easily be moved to another site later. If a
company digs a trench to install fiber and then moves a year later, he
pointed out, "you've lost the investment."

As for T1 lines, Parker said the cost mounts up more than many people
realize, since there are ongoing costs and a T1-to-Ethernet bridge will
usually be needed. SilCom will be selling FreeSpace Turbo for US$18,995
or C$26,195.

Though many people think of wireless links as slower than conventional
wired connections, Parker said the infrared technology used in Freespace
is capable of higher speeds than the spread-spectrum radio technology
often found in wireless local area networks (LANs). Infrared does require
a direct line-of-sight and works over a relatively short range, making it
best suited for links between nearby buildings. Parker also said bad
weather can interfere with transmission to a degree, but claimed that the
average statistical availability of Freespace Turbo is about 99.9 percent.

Freespace Turbo is due to be available late in November. Parker also told
Newsbytes that SilCom will also launch this fall Freespace Lite, which will
be designed for a range of no more than 300 feet and support only Ethernet,
Freespace Tradewinds, which will be aimed at regions with relatively good
weather, and Freespace Skyvoice, with integrated support for Ethernet and
as many as four T1 lines.

Both SilCom and Freebird Communications are subsidiaries of Microvitec
plc of Bradford, England.

(Grant Buckler/19951012/Press Contact: Brad Casemore, SilCom,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/16/95
BROADCAST
Putting GPS On The Consumer Map

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(MSP)(00011)
Putting GPS On The Consumer Map 10/16/95
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- If Sirf Technology Inc.'s
optimistic predictions come to fruition, today's $1,000 consumer global
positioning systems will become $500 products sometime next year, reports
Junko Yoshida in Electronic Engineering Times ("GPS in consumer orbit,"
Aug. 21, 1995, pp. 25, 28).

Sirf, a 15-person Santa Clara, California, company, aims to bring GPS
navigation devices to the mass market by redesigning the entire system
architecture for consumer GPS and developing a low-cost GPS chip-set
that can be embedded in car navigation systems, portable computers,
personal communicators, and wristwatches, the author says.

Yoshida points out, however, that Sirf's plans are based on a key
assumption: that the US Department of Defense will continue to
provide accurate GPS data for free.

"Now, the Air Force's 24-satellite network provides GPS data accurate
to less than five meters -- but only for the military," Yoshida writes.
"For commercial use, that information is scrambled, downgrading its
accuracy to 100 meters. And that could reduce the value of GPS
systems." Yoshida also notes that "GPS data will become useful to
consumers only when it is linked with digital mapping, which suffers
from a lack of standardization."

For background information on GPS and the overhaul of commercial
aircraft navigation systems, turn to, "A second revolution for air
navigation and landing," in the August, 1995, Aerospace America
(pp. 18-20, 27).

"We are entering an era in which the thousands of ground-based navigation
aids installed since WW II will be replaced by a much smaller number
of ground sites plus a constellation of 24 global positioning system
(GPS) navigation satellites and several communications satellites,"
writes author Theodore R. Simpson. "Not surprisingly, the most
challenging aspect of this new service for aircraft will be its use
during precision approaches and landings under poor visibility
conditions."

And for a look at how GPS data can be displayed on car stereo
displays, consult Computer Design's "Dick Tracy watches bring mobile
messaging home" (Alex Mendelsohn, Aug. 1995, pp. 34-38). The piece
covers Seiko Communications of America's ACTTIVE (Advanced
Communications and Timekeeping Technology) system which allows GPS,
paging, and news information to be piggybacked onto existing commercial
FM stereo broadcasts. The data can be received by special car stereos
and by Seiko's $80 MessageWatch (the watch can't receive the GPS data,
but it can receive weather, financial, sports, voice-mail, and
electronic-mail alerts). The short article describes trials underway
in Los Angeles, Seattle, and Portland, and notes that IBM, Delco
Electronics, the University of Washington, and Etak are participating
in the project.

Also coming to a stereo display near you is RBDS (radio broadcasting
data system), a technology that enables FM radio stations to transmit
messages -- such as station call letters, song titles, or
advertisements -- via an FM subcarrier to a digital display on
specially equipped home and car stereos. According to a short item in
Broadcasting & Cable, the Electronic Industries Association plans to
make the service available to 86% percent of the country's FM station
listeners by March, 1996 ("RBDS shoots for top 25 markets by spring,"
by Donna Petrozzello, July 17, 1995, p. 51). While Denon Electronics
has been selling the RBDS-compatible receivers since 1991, the article
notes, models are also available from Delco Electronics Corp. in GM
cars and JVC Electronics in Europe.

This story is republished with permission from the October 1995
Cybernautics Digest, a 20-page monthly summary of reports about
converging information technologies.

(Contact: Terry Hansen, Cybernautics Digest, c/o KFH Publications
Inc., 3530 Bagley Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103; 206-547-4950; Fax:
206-547-5355; E-mail: [e-mail]. U.S. rate: $24;
$2 sample issue)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/16/95
GENERAL
Will New Media Be Good For Us?

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00012)
Will New Media Be Good For Us? 10/16/95
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- Promoters often suggest
that we'll become better informed as a result of the coming age of
interactive multimedia. Not everyone is so sure, however.

Jim Willis, Hardin Professor of Journalism at the University of
Memphis, inquires into the possible social implications of new-media
journalism in "The Age of Multimedia and Turbonews" (The Futurist,
Sept./Oct. 1995, pp. 18-22).

Willis says the emerging information media may result in less accurate
news and make us dumber, instead of smarter. Furthermore, since
emerging media are not free, knowledge gaps may develop among social
groups with differing levels of income.

Citing television analyst Neil Postman, Willis suggests we may need a
new educational system to make certain citizens retain critical thinking
skills in the face of increasingly slick and manipulative presentations.
He says exposure to information overload may result in splintering of
the self. Finally, by catering to narrow niches, future media may create
a society of special-interest consumers who have little to say to each
other.

The article is based on his book of the same title.

This story is republished with permission from the October 1995
Cybernautics Digest, a 20-page monthly summary of reports about
converging information technologies.

(Contact: Terry Hansen, Cybernautics Digest, c/o KFH Publications
Inc., 3530 Bagley Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103; 206-547-4950; Fax:
206-547-5355; E-mail: [e-mail]. U.S. rate: $24;
$2 sample issue)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/16/95
TRENDS
Oregon Hits The High-Tech Recruiting Trail

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(DEN)(00013)
Oregon Hits The High-Tech Recruiting Trail 10/16/95
MEDFORD, OREGON, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- The Oregon Trail was
once a route to new opportunities in the west. Now economic
development officials in two Southern Oregon counties hope it will
soon be the trail to the new locations for small- and medium-sized
software development companies tired of lousy weather, few cultural
activities, and limited recreational opportunities in their current
locations, and have launched an ad campaign to attract them.

To attract the software companies, Rogue Valley officials have
launched an ad campaign set to run in Dr. Dobbs Journal, a software
developer's journal, from December, 1995, through February, 1996,
with the theme: "We're wired and ready for business."

To fulfill that promise, the area has invested in an infrastructure
that includes six Internet pipes, ISDN (integrated services digital
network) phone lines, software business information and marketing
resources, the Oregon Multimedia Institute, and a host of
business development resources. "All that's left for us to do is
begin recruiting. This campaign is the logical next step."

The Oregon Multimedia Institute is a state lottery-funded economic
development project chartered to provide multimedia education and
to provide tools for multimedia developers. State lottery funds
also paid for an information resource within the Jackson county
library system to archive journals, books and information relating
to intellectual properties for software developers.

The recruiting campaign is being managed by Southern Oregon Regional
Economic Development Inc. with the support of the local chapter of
the Software Association of Oregon (SAO). It is anchored by
tightly-targeted display ads and a home page on the World Wide Web
at http://www.opendoor.com/oregon/ which organizers said is designed
to attract "net surfers" and provide an online presence for the
region's economic development efforts.

Like other areas of the country known for their spectacular scenery,
the region's developers will also feature famous recreational and
cultural attractions on the Web page. According to Rich Berman, a
Medford software attorney, "Southern Oregon is not only
entrepreneurial heaven, its an outdoor paradise as well." The Rogue
Valley boasts a ski resort, six lakes, three rivers, and miles of
forest. It also has a Shakespearean festival, Jacksonville's
Britt Festival concert season, the local symphony, a state college
and three public radio services.

A spokesperson for the campaign told Newsbytes the cost of living
in the Rogue Valley is considerably less than in California's
Silicon Valley. He said a three bedroom, two bath home that might
sell for $200,000 in Silicon Valley would sell for about $95,000
in Southern Oregon. The area has an airport and is on the
Interstate Highway 5 corridor.

Sandra Hogan, executive director of SAO, said software companies
offer several advantages to local communities that aren't
available to hardware and chip companies. "Software is an
easy-to-host, clean industry that provides the highest living
wages in Oregon. Additionally, software firms do not need the kind
of tax incentives or community giveaways that are frequently
involved in relocating hardware manufacturers."

The recruiting drive is funded by an $11,000 cash grant and
$30,000 in in-kind donations from local businesses.

(Jim Mallory/19951013/Press contact: Charles McHenry, McHenry &
Associates, 503-772-2382; Public contact: Southern Oregon
Regional Economic Development, 800-805-8740, Internet World Wide
Web http://www.opendoor.com/oregon/ )




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/16/95
ONLINE
New Web Site Encourages Family Interneting

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(DEN)(00014)
New Web Site Encourages Family Interneting 10/16/95
BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- Starwave Corp.
has launched a new online service on the Internet, called "Family
Planet," that the company said includes "expert parenting advice,"
news, and new ideas and fun activities "for the whole family."

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95101614.PCX
Click here for photo

According to David Grady, publisher of Family Planet, until now the
World Wide Web has offered very little content geared to families,
and Family Planet fills that void. "Our goal is to make sure we
cover the essentials of parenting and go that extra mile to
provide fresh new ideas for busy parents," according to Christine
Olson, Family Planet editor. Olson said Family Planet also offers
expert advice on health, development and other family issues.

Family Planet content includes: the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, a
review of toys, books, video, audio tape and software; the Parents'
Resource Almanac, a listing of more than 7,000 family resources;
the Penny Whistle books; and the Parents' Choice consumer guide to
children's toys and media. Starwave said new content is being added
daily.

The new online service includes the monthly event guides from 17
regional parenting newspapers from across the US so you can find
out what events are happening in your area. It also offers daily
family-oriented news, movie, and television review and evaluations
of, and pointers to, other Web sites that contain "family-oriented"
information and activities. Current offerings include Halloween
costumes and party ideas, and articles by parenting "experts"
Penelope Leach, T. Berry Brazelton, and Marguerite Kelly.

Family Planet welcomes questions and answers some of them
online. Currently there is a Q&A about the "Daddy track" that
addresses the question "Can a man stay home with the young
child while the mother works outside the home?" and another on the
pros and cons of working versus staying at home with the children.

Family Planet online is located at http://family.starwave.com .

Starwave's other online offerings include: the ESPNET SportsZone,
a sports information service created in collaboration with ESPN;
Outside Online, developed with Outside magazine for outdoor
enthusiasts; and Mr. Showbiz, which Starwave describes as "an
entertainment news and features (electronic) magazine that
integrates elements of a daily newspaper, a humor magazine, and a
television variety show." The company also produces Ticketmaster
Online, a Ticketmaster online service.

A Starwave spokesperson told Newsbytes that Internet users should
be able to purchase tickets online within the next year or so.

(Jim Mallory/19951013/Press contact: Jason Hunke, Waggener Edstrom
for Starwave, 206-637-9097; Public contact: Starwave,
206-957-2000/PLANET951016/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/16/95
TELECOM
UK's MFS Communications Receives ISO Quality Award

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00015)
UK's MFS Communications Receives ISO Quality Award 10/16/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- MFS Communications, the cable
telephony company, has become one of the first telecoms companies to
be awarded the British Standard quality assurance standard. According
to MFS, this ISO 9002 quality standard certificate will allow customers
of the company to "have a high level of confidence" in the services
from the firm.

According to Micheal Storey, the company's managing director, the
accreditation received from the British Standards Institute (BSI), was
based on the MFS's "Metro" communications services and took into
consideration sales, installation, maintenance of operational facilities,
and customer services. After "careful examination," the Commission
agreed to issue MFS with the BSI certificate.

The awarding of the certificate is made all the more unusual,
Newsbytes notes, because the company has only been operating in the UK
telecoms market for the last 15 months. According to Storey, the
company has highly set quality standards.

"We've striven to be a quality organization from the outset. The BSI
Certification testifies to the technical effort put into the process
of compliance and to the fact that quality is always foremost on the
minds of our employees -- an overriding awareness that has always set
MFS head and shoulders above its competition," he explained.

Storey went on to say that, with the tough competition on the European
communications market, the company has established its position by
operation of international services in London, Frankfurt, and Paris.

MFS has just announced the opening of a new non-facilities based
telecoms service in Zurich. Altogether, MFS' subsidiaries now offer
various communications services in 47 large cities in America and
Europe. Since March of this, the company's fiber optic network in
London has been fully operational, and works on the Frankfurt network
begun at the same time.

In summer of this year, MFS started work to build a fiber optic
network in Stockholm, Sweden, and received a license for a new Paris,
France-based network in June of this year.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951012/Press & Reader Contact: Pat Chapman-Pincher,
MFS Communications, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/16/95
TRENDS
UK - Low-Cost Security For PCs

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00016)
UK - Low-Cost Security For PCs 10/16/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- Barracuda Security Devices has
unveiled, what the company claims is, the industry's first light- and
motion-sensitive security system for computers and peripherals. Known
as the Barracuda Security Device (BSD), the UKP70 system protects the
PC or its component with a deafening 117 decibel alarm, which also
sprays the innards of a computer with an indelible red dye.

The dye does not affect the workings of the computer or its
peripherals, but clearly IDs the device as a stolen unit to the Police
or other interested parties. According to Colin McLean, a founder of
Barracuda, this is the first computer alarm with a "bite every bit as
bad as its bark."

"Faced with a worldwide shortage of computer chips, and the ease with
which the chip technology can be interchanged amongst different
machines, theft of chips, CPUs (central processing units) and SIMMs
(single inline memory modules) is now outstripping theft of computers
themselves," he explained.

According to McLean, the chip resale value can be anything up to
UKP1,000 and, with identifications numbers easily obliterated, once
the PCs are stolen, they are almost impossible to trace.

McLean claims that the BSD represents a "significant deterrent" to
criminal acts. "The alarm will pin-point a stolen computer, wherever
it is taken, and the color marking of the components will radically
reduce resale value, clearly indicating to a potential buyer that they
are handling stolen goods," he said.

The BSD system interfaces with a PC using the Windows File Manager.
A password enables and disables the unit. If a PC alarm is set off
accidentally, providing the system stops moving within 10 seconds, the
alarm only fires up. After 10 seconds, the alarm continues to run and
the dye spray is triggered.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951011/Press Contact: Jo Foster, [phone];
Reader Contact: Colin McLean, West Coast Management, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/16/95
TRENDS
Workflow Technology Is Not A Cure-All - Report

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00017)
Workflow Technology Is Not A Cure-All - Report 10/16/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- Ovum has issued a new report
entitled "Ovum Evaluates: Workflow." Perhaps surprisingly, given the
level of enthusiasm the information technology (IT) industry places in
workflow, the report concludes that workflow is not the universal
panacea that some people think it is.

Heather Stark, the lead author of the report, claims that many
products differ greatly in their capabilities, and currently available
products have some significant limitations. "Workflow is not a cure-
all and it is definitely not appropriate for every type of business
process," she claimed.

According to Stark, the report offers advice to users on whether or
not to use workflow, as well as on product selection, and suggests
developments to suppliers in order to achieve wider market acceptance
of workflow tools.

Ian Wesley, one of the co-authors of the report, told Newsbytes that,
while workflow was originally sold as a shrink-wrapped software
concept, most vendors and users now acknowledge the high degree of
customization needed to tailor a system to the needs of a business.

"These days, there aren't that many shrink-wrapped packages around,
except perhaps at the entry-level point," he explained, adding that
there is a lot of misunderstanding surrounding workflow technology in
the marketplace.

According to Ovum, as is usually the case with any hot buzzword,
workflow means different things to different people. The report aims
to dispel the confusion by identifying the five key capabilities of
workflow systems: matching people and tasks; information resources for
tasks; process design; process management; and the scope of a project.

These five core competencies of workflow systems are used to evaluate
12 products in detail, using more than 100 functional criteria. In the
report, Ovum uses core dimension rating tables that can also be used
to evaluate other tools not included in the report, which includes a
directory of other suppliers to assist in the selection of a suitable
product.

The aim of the report, which costs UKP995 in Europe, AUS$2,395 in
Australia, and US$1,850 elsewhere in the world, is to put the
workflow market in context. According to Ovum's market scenario for
the evolution of workflow, the entrance of business applications such
as SAP in the workflow market will have a profound effect on the
development of the market.

By the year 2000, the report claims that users will be spending more
than US$7,000 million on workflow-enabled business applications, as
opposed to US$1,000 million on general purpose workflow.

(Steve Gold/19951012/Press Contact: Jennie Morales, Ovum, +44-171-
312-7258, Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Reader Contact:
Ovum, tel [phone], fax [phone], Internet e-mail
[e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/16/95
ONLINE
 ****Newsbytes Launches 2nd Web Site - Full Keyword Searching

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00018)
 ****Newsbytes Launches 2nd Web Site - Full Keyword Searching 10/16/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- Finding the raw
data for that term paper, research project, or coming computer
purchase from today's, or the past 12 years of technology news
coverage has never been easier on the Internet with the new,
online version of Newsbytes News Network's archives and subscription
service. At http://www.nbnn.com , readers can also access free daily
top stories from Newsbytes and its affiliate publications, and from
PC Week, MacWeek, and other Ziff news magazines, making the site
a comprehensive source of computer and telecom technology reporting.

A complete reference resource for insiders or those following the
computer, telecom and interactive services industries, the Newsbytes
US World Wide Web site provides free access to the top stories each
day and news summaries covering the daily and weekly news. Readers can
quickly scan headlines to see the latest developments covered by
Newsbytes and major Ziff news sources.

The Newsbytes US Web site compliments the Newsbytes Pacifica Web
site, located at http://www.islandtel.com/newsbytes/ , where readers
can access a variety of other features, such as Japanese language
Newsbytes, and subscriptions to the entire news wire by direct
electronic-mail.

The Newsbytes US Web site was developed in conjunction with Associated
Information Services (AIS), a Minneapolis-based Web publishing firm.

At the Newsbytes US Web site, the Top Stories, Daily Summary, and Week
In Review are freely available online to anyone. Stories containing
references to other Web sites are hotlinked for easy access. This is
particularly useful with the weekly "internet in review" story that
covers new Web announcements.

AIS President Stephen Laliberte says, "This is a great value to the
Internet. To see a concise summary of the day's technology news is
very helpful." The daily summary is organized by industry
segment making it easy for readers to target their area of interest.

The "members only" area provides powerful full-text and headline-
scanning databases of all the Newsbytes stories published since
Newsbytes began in 1983 -- 66,000 stories. "This is a researcher's
dream," says Laliberte. "It combines the power of a CD-ROM with the
convenience of the World Wide Web." The database is updated every day,
adding between 30 and 50 new stories. The new stories are dynamically
indexed into the Web database.

Newsbytes Newspix, digitized pictures of the people, places and
items in the reports, are attached to stories and included when a
story is viewed.

Newsbytes' team of 19 reporters are based in bureaus in the
following cities: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Atlanta,
New York, Washington, Boston, Minneapolis, Chicago, Toronto,
London, Tokyo, Hongkong, Beijing, Sydney, Manila, and New Delhi.

Newsbytes has five times won the prestigious reporting awards for
Best Online Publication from the Computer Press Association, the
world's largest professional association of computer journalists.
Newsbytes has been published continuously since 1983.

The subscription price is $24.95 for three months for individuals.
Special group pricing is also available.

The Newsbytes URL is http://www.nbnn.com .

For more information, contact Wendy Woods, editor in chief,
Newsbytes News Network, Carriage House, 406 W. Olive St,
Stillwater, MN 55082, ph: 612-430-1100, fax: [phone],
Internet [e-mail]

For more information on Associated Information Services, contact
Stephen Laliberte, president, Associated Information Services,
17280 Uplander Street, Andover, MN 55304, PH: 612-753-3994, fax
612-753-3995, Internet: [e-mail]

(Newsbytes Staff/19951016)


(ADVISORY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00019)

NewsPix Images For Newsbytes Publishers 10/16/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A.,1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- These photos
correspond to recent Newsbytes stories. They are online in the
Newsbytes menu on America Online, NiftyServe, and the Newsbytes
private bulletin board system in Minneapolis.

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) files are larger in size,
PICT files are designed as thumbnails for onscreen viewing.
The photos are titled with name/year/month/day.

PICT/thumbnail pictures are black and white (gray scale). File
message will indicate color if the JPEG image is color.

Some of the "for use" images, may be PICT files. To distinguish
these files from the thumbnail preview PICT images, the tag for the
color "for use" image will have PICT, all caps. The thumbnail will
remain noted as "pct."

To become a licensed Newsbytes publisher, call Newsbytes at
612-430-1100 (US) or write to [e-mail] on the
Internet. Licensing applies to any medium.

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

Week of OCTOBER 16 - OCTOBER 20,1995

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

- NEW THIS WEEK -

CAERE951010 - b&w / Caere To Acquire ViewStar: photo of Dean Hovey,
vice president of business development for Caere quoted in story.

GPT-CHINA951010 - color / UK's GPT To Supply First Smart Card Phones
To China: Asian businessman at phone.

TELECOM*spx1,2,3 - b&w / three photos taken at Telcom: for general
use. 1) opening entry, 2) main floor - horizontal format, 3) main
floor - vertical format

SUPERDECK951013 - b&w / Video News Roundup:New Products-Panasonic
Model AF-DS550 SVHS VCR, dubbed the 'superdeck.'

PCCARD951013 - color / Compaq To Support Third-Party PC Cards:
shot of two of the cards, one with connection cable running off frame.

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

- PARTIAL LISTING OF PREVIOUS ITEMS -

T2-951004 - color / Thrustmaster Intros New Game Steering Console:
shot of the unit on limbo white, steering wheel and pedals.

ABC-3D951005 - color / ABC Graphics Goes 3-D: screen shot of text
illustrating the "Instant 3D."

KODIAK951002 - color / Storagetek Intros New Product, Settles Old
Lawsuit: the Kodiak 9890 Scalable Storage Facility.

LAT-LX951004 - color / Dell Ships New Latitude Portables: unit with
nice color Dell logo on screen.

THINKPAD951003 - color / IBM Aims New ThinkPads At Desktop Market:
shot of the 760CD unit, with flowers on screen and cd tray open.

FUJITSU950914 - color / Fujitsu Develops New Display Panel: the large
lcd panel with model.

VCON950922 - color / VCON Intros Desktop Videoconferencing For LANs:
woman at desk with desktop videoconferencing.

DITOEASY950925 - color / Iomega's $150 800MB Tape Backup Drive:
the unit on a tabletop with pen for scale.

SKYTEL950926 - color / Microsoft/Skytel Offer 2-way Paging Via
Microsoft Network: the unit on limbo tabletop.

ZENOGRAPHICS950928 - color / Zenographics' SuperPrint 4.0 Speeds Win
95 Printing: shot of the software package.

MACROMEDIA950928 - color / Macromedia Upgrades FreeHand For Macs:
shot of the box.

TRIMBLE950925 - color / Trimble Wins Japanese Anti-Earthquake Network
Order: nice shot of surveyor and Golden Gate Bridge in SF.

AMDAHL950915 - b&w / Amdahl To Acquire Canada's DMR Group: head shot
of Amdahl's president and chief executive officer (CEO), Joseph Zemke.

MS_BOB950919 - color / What Ever Happened To Microsoft Bob?: the
Bob logo, smiley face with glasses.

MS_PROJ950919 - color / Microsoft Project For Windows 95 To Ship Next
Week: shot of package graphics.

GAZETTEER950920 - color / Global Post Code & Demographic Info On The
Web: screenshot of home page.

D3SEA950922 - color / Video Update: photo of Panasonic D3 camcorder
used by Scuba Diver for underwater photography. Actual shot of camera
in action, diver is Capt. Steve Hogan, president of Sea Eagle
Productions, Maui, Hawaii.

APTIVA950912 - color / IBM Updates Aptiva PC Line: the PC with
logo onscreen.

GATEHOUSE950913 - color / Tour Bill Gates' Showplace Home Via
The Internet: shot of house under construction.

MEDIAKIDS950908 - color / Apple Japan Holds MediaKids Summer Camp:
screen shot of kids homepage, with lots of kanji.

ENIAC950912 - b&w / ENIAC 50th Anniversary Set For 1996: great
archive photo of the original ENIAC room.

PRESARIO950915 - color / Compaq Intros New Home PCs, Fall Ad Campaign:
the Presario 9500, tower not seen, just keyboard & monitor on tabletop.

CYRIX_M1950906 - color / M1 Fastest Chip For Windows 95, Says Cyrix:
the M1 chip with Cyrix logo on it.

VINEYARDS950906 - color / Virtual Vineyards' CyberCash Credit Card
Security: shot of Peter Granoff and Robert Olson, principal founders
with a table of wine before them. Photo credit: Anne Hamersky.

TLKALONG950901 - b&w / US West Offers Do-It-Yourself Cell Phone
Activation: cell phone and packaging on a limbo background.

ABCGRAPH950901 - color / Micrografx Graphics Suite For Windows 95:
see NewsPix ABCGRAPH950717.

GROLIERGOLF950906 - color / Grolier's Greg Norman Golf Simulation:
screenshot of golf scenario.

COGNOS950829 - color / Cognos On World Wide Web: site graphics.

INTERART950828 - color / 3-D Real Estate & Hotel Walkabouts On The Web:
the food page with salsa ad, looks good!

(Newsbytes/19951016)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/16/95
BROADCAST
 ****And Now The News -- On Your PC Screen

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(TOR)(00020)
 ****And Now The News -- On Your PC Screen 10/16/95
KANATA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- As television channels
proliferate, watching the news is getting to be a full-time job. A
Canadian startup and a California software giant have joined forces to
automate that job, at least in part, by applying computer filtering to
incoming TV news feeds. Televitesse Systems Inc., a year-old subsidiary
of Newbridge Networks Corp. of Ottawa, is working with Oracle Corp. of
Redwood Shores, California, on a news-alerting and news-on-demand
system that the companies hope will appeal to the financial industry
in particular.

The Oracle Media Server -- software announced last year as part of Oracle's
attempt to grab a piece of the interactive TV market -- will be paired
with software from Televitesse that will capture television content based
on user profiles as well as providing a front-end interface that will let
the users manage those profiles.

Televitesse demonstrated its TV-monitoring software, called accesTV, at
the recent Telecom 95 conference in Geneva.

Because the Oracle-Televitesse system actually digitizes the incoming
signal on-the-fly, rather than just displaying the analog signal in a
window on the PC screen, "television becomes just another data feed,"
said Robert Mimeault, president of Televitesse.

Mimeault told Newsbytes that when it spots a TV news item that fits a
customer's profile, his company's software can back up to the beginning
of the item to clip and save it.

Both Televitesse and Oracle will be selling the system, Mimeault said.
They hope to have a pilot system working in the first quarter of 1996.
There will be a version designed for corporate customers, with a $20,000
software server that can digitize and process one TV channel, plus client
software at $600 per client. Customers who want to monitor multiple
channels will need a server for each one, Mimeault said. There will also
be a $6,000 version for small offices, with the client and server
components in a single package and able to monitor one channel.

Mimeault said the early market for the technology will be in business,
but he also envisions consumer applications down the road. Televitesse
is talking to professional sports leagues about using the technology to
support interactive sports pools, he said, though this is unlikely to
be commercial before late 1997 or 1998.

(Grant Buckler/19951016/Press Contact: Robert Mimeault, Televitesse,
613-599-3648; Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Oracle,
415-506-7000)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/16/95
GENERAL
Japan Newsbriefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00021)
Japan Newsbriefs 10/16/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- In this roundup of news from Japan:
NEC video on a card, Hitachi to expand Japan DRAM capacity, Tokyo FM
heads for the web, Electronics show kicks off Tuesday, Toshiba
develops DVD laser.

NEC Video On A Card

NEC Corporation has unveiled a new handheld video player
that stores three to four minutes of video on a memory card. The
"Silicon View" player features a full color screen and audio
capability. Each card contains 40 megabytes (MB) of memory although the
price of memory at present is preventing the commercialization of the
device which will hit the market as soon as prices drop. NEC also said
the device can display still images and text with the possibility of
storing a complete newspaper on each card in the future allowing
people purchase a card, or re-load an existing one, every morning.

Hitachi To Expand Japan DRAM Capacity

Hitachi Electric will increase investment in semiconductor production
capacity. The Tokyo-based company will invest 85 billion yen in a new
production line at its plant in Ibaraki prefecture. The new line will
begin production of 16 megabit (Mb) DRAM memory chips in 1997 with
production scheduled to switch to 64Mb DRAMs in late 1998. The
new capacity will add to a plant being built jointly with General
Instrument in Dallas, Texas.

Tokyo FM Heads For The Web

Tokyo FM will open a site on the World Wide Web next month with
schedules and program details. Several other Japanese radio stations,
including fellow Tokyo broadcaster J-WAVE, also run Internet services.
The station, which broadcasts across Tokyo on 80.0 FM, is already
involved in multimedia activities, as key station of the JFN network
it sends a text service nationwide across the FM channels of its
affiliates with news and information displayed on special radios
equipped with LCD (liquid crystal display) screens.

Electronics Show Kicks Off Tuesday

The 34th annual Japan Electronics Show 1995 begins Tuesday in Osaka,
western Japan. Over 200 of Japan's major electronics companies are
taking part in the five-day exhibition which, exhibitors hope,
will attract 400,000 people. Under the theme "Discover Today's
Multimedia", top attractions will be the recently standardized DVD
(digital video disk), 32-bit gaming systems and Internet-based
multimedia applications.

Toshiba Develops DVD Laser

Toshiba has invented a new laser that will be used in the optic pickup
of DVD players. The self-pulsating, 650-nm red laser joins a similar
product by Matsushita although Toshiba's is the only available at
present making it the first ever laser to directly oscillate the red
light. The self pulsating nature of the laser does away with the need
for semiconductor-based pulse generators which add weight and cost.
The Tokyo-based company has also developed jointly with Sankyo Seiki,
a new pickup mechanism that is also capable of reading today's audio
CDs and CD-ROMs as well as DVDs.

(Martyn Williams/19951016)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/16/95
CHIPS
Japanese Eye Better Chips

(NEWS)(CHIPS)(TYO)(00022)
Japanese Eye Better Chips 10/16/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- Ten of Japan's leading semiconductor
manufacturers are considering pooling resources in the development of
new generation semiconductor manufacturing techniques, according to an
official of the Semiconductor Industry Research Institute Japan.

Taro Okabe, acting executive director, said the institute has proposed
the establishment of a five billion yen joint research center early next
year. Its chief job would be development of machinery to enable ultra
fine chip etching down to 0.1 micron levels (one micron is a
thousandth of a millimeter).

Today, most semiconductors are made with equipment capable of cutting
to 0.5 microns and the next generation of semiconductors will be cut
to 0.3 microns. Such a technique would enable more components to be
placed on a smaller piece of silicon and lead to much more powerful
chips than are currently possible.

The ten companies -- Fujitsu Ltd. (TOKYO:6702), Hitachi Ltd.
(TOKYO:6501), Matsushita Electronics Corp., a division of Matsushita
Electric Industrial Co. (TOKYO:6752), Mitsubishi Electric Corp.
(TOKYO:6503), NEC Corp. (TOKYO:6701), Oki Electric Industry Co.
(TOKYO:6703), Toshiba Corp. (TOKYO:6502), Sanyo Electric Co.
(TOKYO:6764), Sharp Corp. (TOKYO:6753) and Sony Corp. (TOKYO:6578) --
are "nearing the point of concluding an agreement" Okabe told the
Asahi Shimbun.

The main drive for establishing the five billion yen ($50 million)
center, which has the provisional name of the Semiconductor Technology
Research Center, would be a massive saving in parallel investment by
each company and the ability to pool top resources to hopefully gain a
faster development time.

Japanese chip makers are facing competition from around the world on a
scale never seen before. In addition to traditional enemies such as
the United States, several east Asian countries, particularly Taiwan
and South Korea, are fast catching up with the technology used by the
Japanese, and producing competing semiconductors.

New technology would be required in the construction of devices such
as one gigabit DRAM (dynamic random access memory) chips. Development
of a one gigabit DRAM is a goal the industry should set itself said
the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) on Friday.

MITI announced a project to encourage development of the device plus
several others with the earmarking of 10 billion yen ($100 million)
from the recent second supplementary budget to fund the venture which
would also bring together many electronics manufacturers.

(Martyn Williams/19951016)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/16/95
BUSINESS
 ****Japan's Softbank In Ziff Davis Purchase Talks?

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00023)
 ****Japan's Softbank In Ziff Davis Purchase Talks? 10/16/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- Japan's largest publisher of
computer magazines and books, Softbank Corporation (TOKYO:9984), is
in talks with Ziff Davis Communications Co. over the purchase of its
publishing arm, according to a report in the Sunday edition of the
Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Japan's leading business newspaper. The
newspaper said the purchase price would be around 150 billion yen
($1.5 billion).

On Friday Softbank announced a public share offer of 2.8 million
additional shares which, the company said, would raise part of the
costs involved in a company take-over although no announcement was
made of which company.

A Softbank spokesman today confirmed the company was in talks with,
not one, but several companies about take-overs, although declined
to name any or offer any clues as to their identity.

The financial announcement of Friday, rather than the weekend
newspaper reports, sent Softbank shares tumbling on the Tokyo stock
market this morning. Within an hour of opening, Softbank shares were
trading "buy only" after sell orders far outpassed buy requests. The
Reuter news agency reported 80,000 shares were on offer with only
takers for 30,000 early this morning.

Adding to the company's stock market troubles was a downgrading of the
company by an analyst at Smith Barney Securities. The company revised
Softbank from a 3H rating, a high risk stock with average performance
predicted, to a 4H rating, a high risk stock likely to under-perform
in the future.

Softbank stocks closed out the day down 700 yen at 25,600 yen.

Provisionally, the application period for the new shares will run from
November 2nd to 6th with payment due on the 17th. Softbank added that
this date may be brought forward depending on market conditions and
demands.

Financial analysts estimate the extra share issue will raise 63.31
billion yen ($633 million) for the company. More takeovers will add
greater diversity to the company which has been expanding overseas
through a series of recent joint ventures and acquisitions.

It recently raised its earnings forecast for the first six months of
the current fiscal year predicting a parent current profit of 3.90
billion yen ($39 million) against its earlier forecast of 2.40 billion
yen ($24 million) for the half year.

Softbank purchased the exhibitions arm of Ziff Davis in November last
year for $200 million. The company, now known as Softbank Expos, is
operator of the Networld+Interop, Windows Solutions and other computer
trade shows.

The company followed with the purchase of the exhibitions arm of the
Interface Group, renamed as Softbank Comdex, early this year which got
the company the Comdex and Windows World exhibitions.

In addition to being the country's largest computer magazine and book
publisher, Softbank is also Japan's distributor of computer systems,
software, and peripherals.

Softbank has also just entered into a joint venture, Gamebank Corp.,
with Microsoft Corporation to produce and distribute games software
for the Windows 95 operating system.

(Martyn Williams/19951016/Press contact: Softbank Corporation,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/16/95
HEALTH
Corel's CD-ROM Series Just What The Doctor Ordered

(NEWS)(HEALTH)(TOR)(00024)
Corel's CD-ROM Series Just What The Doctor Ordered 10/16/95
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- Corel Corp.
(TSE:COS; NASDAQ:COSFF) has launched its new medical series of
CD-ROMs with the initial title, a disk on epilepsy.

The disk, simply titled "Epilepsy," will work with Windows 3.1, Windows
95, and the Apple Macintosh, Corel said. It will be the first in a series
of CD-ROMs dealing with specific diseases and general health topics.

The Epilepsy disk is aimed mainly at doctors and at people studying
diseases, Corel spokesman Tim Magwood told Newsbytes. Dr. A. Guberman, a
doctor and a professor of neurology at the University of Ottawa, wrote the
Epilepsy title. Other professionals will be writing the other titles in
the medical series, according to Corel. However, Magwood added, some
titles will have broader consumer appeal. "We will be coming out with
other titles that will be more appropriate for the consumer market."

For instance, Corel is planning a title called "Well Beings," which will
be a general guide to promoting the physical health, safety, and emotional
well-being of children in day-care, and another called "Little Well
Beings," which will focus on child-care in the home. There will also be
a disk dealing with headaches, and one on Alzheimer's Disease, Magwood said.

Magwood said Corel hopes to sell some of the disks through retail outlets,
such as drugstores.

Officials said Corel plans to produce more than 50 titles in its medical
series over the coming year. Other topics Corel plans to cover include
AIDS, breast feeding, amputations, and paramedic training.

Corel, best known for its CorelDraw graphics software, has moved rapidly
into CD-ROM titles over the past few months. Magwood said there are no
definite plans for other series of titles aimed at particular
professional groups, but "it's something we're considering."

The Epilepsy title is to ship in November at a suggested retail price
of US$24.95.

(Grant Buckler/19951016/Press Contact: Tim Magwood, Corel, 613-728-0826,
ext. 1164, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/16/95
GENERAL
Canadian Product Launch Update

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00025)
Canadian Product Launch Update 10/16/95
KINGSTON, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- This regular feature,
appearing on the first day Newsbytes publishes each week, provides
further details for the Canadian market on announcements by international
companies that Newsbytes has already covered. This week: an assortment of
server and Internet announcements from IBM.

IBM Canada Ltd., of Markham, Ontario, joined its US parent in
announcing hardware and software products aimed at the server market
across four product lines.

IBM Canada added to its PC Server line with the launch of two PC Server
310 models, six PC Server 320 models, and 10 PC Server 520 models
(Newsbytes, October 6 & 11). The 310 models will be available later this
year with prices starting at C$5,699. The 320 models will be available
before the end of October, with prices starting at C$7,499 for 75 megahertz
(MHz) Pentium models and C$10,799 for 90MHz Pentium models. The PC Server
520 models are to be available in December, with prices starting at
C$13,599. New releases of NetFinity and ServerGuide are to be available
in Canada in November, the company said.

IBM Canada also added to its RS/6000 server line with the Model E20 and
various enhancements (Newsbytes, October 6 & 10). The E20 will sell in
Canada for a list price of C$14,300, and is to be available this week,
IBM Canada said.

In the AS/400 arena, IBM Canada unveiled new client/server applications
for data warehousing (Newsbytes, October 6). DB2 Symmetric Multiprocessing
for OS/400 is to be available in December for systems running Version 3
Release 1 of OS/400, and in the first half of next year for systems based
on PowerPC technology, IBM Canada said. IBM said it also plans soon to
announce DB2 Multisystem for OS/400, a new parallel database product to
be available in the first half of 1996.

IBM also announced Canadian pricing for its AS/400 Advanced Server
models 53S and 530, which were unveiled in June. Canadian prices are
C$74,400 for a 53S with 2154 processor, C$103,000 for a 53S with 2155
processor, C$160,200 for a 53S with 2156 processor, C$393,400 for a 530
with 2150 processor, C$479,200 for a 530 with 2151 processor, C$715,300
for a 530 with 2152 processor, and C$965,600 for a 530 with 2153 processor.

IBM did not neglect its mainframe computers either, announcing OS/390, a
replacement for its MVS/ESA mainframe operating system that will bundle
in some 30 related software products (Newsbytes, October 6). OS/390 is to
be available in the first quarter of 1996, IBM Canada said.

IBM Canada has also announced additions to its Internet Connection
software line (Newsbytes, September 27). New secure server software for
OS/2 Warp is C$4,250 for the first license and C$3,825 for additional
licenses. The AIX secure server software is C$7,080 for the first license
and C$6,375 for additional licenses. The Internet Connection Secured
Network Gateway is C$14,170 for the first license and C$12,750 for
additional licenses.

(Grant Buckler/19951016/Press Contact: Susan Davison, Goodman
Communications for IBM, 416-924-9100; Anne Hay, IBM, 905-316-2251;
Maureen Rourke, IBM Canada, 905-316-4425; Carolyn Luke, Goodman
Communications for IBM, 416-924-9100; Stephen Hewitt, Goodman
Communications, 416-924-9100)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/16/95
TRENDS
Web, Multimedia, Outsourcing Soar In Software Industry

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(BOS)(00026)
Web, Multimedia, Outsourcing Soar In Software Industry 10/16/95
NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- Multimedia
development is soaring, and US software companies are surfing the
Web like never before, but vendors' "major concerns" remain the
same as last year, said Joseph S. Tibbetts, Jr. of Price
Waterhouse, summing up the results of the 1995 Software Business
Practices survey at a recent meeting of the Mass. Software
Council (MSC). This year's study also contains an expanded
section on R&D (research and development), which shows 60 percent
of the vendors considering the use of outsourcing or other
"alternatives to internal development."

"The software industry is still full of experimentation. It's
still a teenager," Tibbetts told the audience at the MSC 1995
Fall Membership Meeting, an event attended by Newsbytes.

Animation led the way for "highest projected growth" among the
848 software companies responding to the survey, followed by
groupware, interactive video, speech processing, tax/personal
finance package, and "language," according to Tibbetts, a partner
at Price Waterhouse.

About 70 percent of the companies told Price-Waterhouse
that they used the Internet in 1994, with virtually all of these
vendors reporting the use of electronic-mail as an Internet
application. More than 30 percent of the vendors said they used
the Internet for support, and another 20 percent for each of the
following applications: recruiting, lead generation, and product
demonstration/marketing.

Not surprisingly, only about one-tenth of the vendors predicted
that they "will not use" the Internet in 1996, according to
Price-Waterhouse's sixth annual survey of the US software
industry.

The results also pointed to definite distinctions between large
and small software companies, vendors engaged in different
horizontal and vertical markets, and even between firms in
various regions. For example, larger companies are ahead of
others in the use of object technology, and so are vendors in the
consumer/home and schools/education markets.

As to regional differences, while only two percent of companies
based in the Southeast reported using "work-at-home" employees,
fully 13 percent of West Coast-based companies said that they now
employ telecommuters.

"But although the industry is changing, the (companies')
concerns are still the same," Tibbetts told the audience. The
vendors' top three concerns were identical in 1994 and 1995,
ranking in precisely the same order, he elaborated. In each of
the two years, the number one concern was "customer satisfaction,"
followed by "cost-effective marketing" and "profitability."
However, "recruiting quality employees," which came in number
five last year, rose to the fourth spot this year, replacing
"short-term cash flow," a factor that fell to number five.

Also as in previous years, the vendors expressed "bullish"
financial projections for the US economy in general and the
software industry in particular. About 70 percent said they
expect the software industry to be "healthier" this year than
last year, and nearly 100 thought that the industry will either
be the same as in 1994, or even healthier.

Accordingly, 77 percent of the respondents anticipated that they
will add new jobs this year, up slightly from the 1994 number of
72 percent. On this question, the Southeast was a standout, with
84 percent expecting to expand their staffing.

Brand new in the 1995 survey was an-depth examination of R&D
practices, said the Price Waterhouse partner. Answers to one
question in this section demonstrated that, of the largest
companies that consider alternatives to internal development,
100 percent look at "buying the technology," while two-thirds
consider "outsourcing the development".

Business-to-business companies were more likely than
consumer/home software companies to consider acquiring the
technology (73 percent) and "partnering with customers" (59
percent).

Consumer/home companies, in comparison, plainly prefer to
outsource, with 85 percent of respondents saying that they look
at this option. Meanwhile, 79 percent of school/educational
software companies told Price-Waterhouse that they consider
"partnering with other development organizations."

Results of the special R&D section also indicated that, despite
efforts to "empower employees below the executive level," new
product decisions are still typically approved by a committee
that includes the CEO (chief executive officer). This trend is
particularly prevalent among the smaller companies.

By an overwhelming margin, the number one factor used by the
vendors in "selecting and prioritizing projects" was "commitment
to a customer/market." Landing second was "technical
feasibility." Ranked close together in the third, fourth, five
and sixth spots were "budgeting/cost considerations, company
development plan, profit target, and revenue target."

Tibbetts noted that most vendors (almost 40 percent) estimated
that it usually takes them between one week and one month "to
decide to commit or not commit to a project." The second most
frequently given answer to this question was "between one day and
one week," while the third most popular was "between one and two
months." Bigger companies, vendors addressing "mature markets,"
and those developing for mainframes tend to take longer to
decide.

More than half of the companies responding to this year's survey
were, in fact, small, with revenues of under $1 million. A total
of 13 percent of the respondents are based in California,
followed by Massachusetts (11 percent), New York, Washington
State, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Utah, Illinois, and Oregon.

About two-thirds of the companies questioned produce packaged
software, and about one-third, custom software products, with
slightly over ten percent listing "bundled hardware and software
products."

The "most frequently cited application categories" were, in
descending order, accounting/financial; database;
communications; customer support; development tools; utilities;
sales support; and scientific/engineering, Tibbetts reported.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951013/Reader Contact: Massachusetts Software
Council, 617-437-0600; Press Contact: Miller Communications for
the MSC, 617-536-0470)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/16/95
GENERAL
Compaq Asia Chief Out

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00027)
Compaq Asia Chief Out 10/16/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- Compaq has announced that
Lim Soon Hock, managing director of its Asia operations, and a central
figure in its manufacturing success, has resigned.

It is not known what sparked his sudden departure -- he officially leaves
Compaq at the end of November -- but he is due to take up a senior board
appointment with a US-backed telecoms company.

In the official statement Lim said, "After spending over 20 years in the
information technology (IT) industry, I felt it was time for a change."
He had been with Compaq for seven years. There is no word on his
replacement.

In other Compaq news, International Data Corp. reported that Compaq
holds nearly three times the PC server and superserver market share of
its nearest competitor. IDC figures for the second quarter of 1995
suggest Compaq held 41% of the market with its nearest rival, IBM,
holding only 14%. In third place, IDC named Hewlett-Packard with 13%,
with Digital Equipment rolling in fourth at 6%.

IDC said Compaq Asia has held top spot in the market since 1993.

(Nigel Armstrong & I.T. Daily/19951016)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/16/95
BUSINESS
Artisoft Scouts Hong Kong

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00028)
Artisoft Scouts Hong Kong 10/16/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- Australian software house
Artisoft is looking to beef up its Asian operations. Asia-Pacific Director
David Thrum told I.T. Daily the company felt now was the time to maximize
its presence in Hong Kong and Singapore.

"We now have to seriously look at markets in Hong Kong and Singapore and
we're looking to invest money and time to do that," he said.

He said he had come to town to talk to prospective partners. "I can't say
who, but we hope to make an announcement by the end of December," Thrum
said. "I will say it's a considerably well-known name in the industry," He
also said he was doing a feasibility study to decide whether Artisoft
would open an office In Hong Kong or in Singapore.

Artisoft's main product is LANtastic, a network operating system for
small businesses with fewer than 100 employees.

"We see this market sector expanding at over 30% during the next financial
year," Thrum said. Asked why it had taken the company so long to get to
Hong Kong, Thrum said that, until recently, Asia had been slow taking to
network technology. "We realize that with our new long-term strategy, we
need a better presence, we need a partner who can help with training and
develop a stronger marketing strategy," he said.

"If our current predictions for the entire region hold true, we expect to
sell over US$300,000 worth of software per quarter," he added. With some
90% of firms in Hong Kong and Singapore having under 100 employees, he
felt the market could be even more profitable than that.

He said the company is set to release a 32-bit version of its
networking application to run under Windows 95 by January next year.

(Nigel Armstrong & I.T. Daily/19951016)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/16/95
BUSINESS
Japan - Fujitsu & Lexmark In Printer Deal

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00029)
Japan - Fujitsu & Lexmark In Printer Deal 10/16/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- US printer manufacturer, Lexmark,
has broken into the Japanese market, thanks to door-opener Fujitsu.

The two firms signed a memorandum of understanding last week, agreeing that
Lexmark's range of inkjet printers will be sold by Fujitsu and branded
"Fujitsu/Lexmark." The units will be manufactured in the US, a precedent in
the Japanese-dominated printer world.

Even successful Hewlett-Packard and Apple laserjet printers rely on Canon
technology. Although the Fujitsu agreement covers only the Japanese market
at present, Newsbytes understands another agreement for the Asia Pacific
market is on the cards.

No figures have been released by either company. It is known that Fujitsu
has been aggressively trying to build up its presence in the PC market,
and a strong alliance with a printer-maker enhances that effort. Earlier
this year, it created a new company with its UK subsidiary, ICL, to sell
PCs throughout Asia. Fujitsu, ICL Trading Asia or FITA, was formed to help
Fujitsu break into a market in which it has virtually no presence, despite
being the world's second largest computer firm.

The deal means Fujitsu will selectively bundle Lexmark's inkjet printers
with its DeskPower PCs and they will be co-branded. The agreement also
outlines plans to co-develop other printer products. This is seen as
formally building on earlier joint efforts -- as when the two firms
developed double-byte character capability for the printers. This
double-byte capability is necessary to be able to print Japanese
characters and support Japanese language software applications.

The agreement comes on the heels of Lexmark's announced intention
to list on NASDAQ.

(Nigel Armstrong & I.T. Daily/19951016)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/16/95
ONLINE
 ****Compaq VP Predicts $500 "Internet Surfer" PC

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(BOS)(00030)
 ****Compaq VP Predicts $500 "Internet Surfer" PC 10/16/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- At some point
in the near future, Compaq and other PC makers will start to produce
a new kind of computer, called something like the "Internet Surfer,"
priced at about $500, but limited in functionality to Web browsing and
"maybe to games," predicted Bob Stearns, a Compaq VP, during a speech
delivered to corporate sponsors of the Computer Museum.

Use of the Internet has doubled each year since 1988, and
applications are expanding to encompass electronic commerce,
telemedicine, and "the ability of everyone to become a
publisher," Stearns pointed out in his talk, which was attended
by Newsbytes.

Compaq, "the leading PC manufacturer," and Intel, "the leading
chip maker," are jointly committed to making the PC more
pervasive than the TV set, added Compaq's VP of technology and
corporate development. But meanwhile, a wide gulf continues to
exist between society's "haves" and "have nots," Stearns
asserted.

The four-figure pricetags of today's PCs are shutting many
potential users out of the market. Other individuals are simply
not interested in applications like word processors and
spreadsheets. And although the Web continues to ease Internet
access, "the skills needed to go online are still not universal."

But the Web is quite popular with teenagers today, who enjoy its
"intense interactiveness," particularly the ability to chat with
other people around the world they "might never know" otherwise.

And with devices like the "Internet Surfer" now down the road,
many more people will be able to enjoy the advantages of the
"Info Highway," the Compaq VP said. The "Internet Surfer" will
use a smaller processsor than a standard PC, making $500 a
realistic price point, according to Stearns. Compaq will offer a
dedicated machine like this, he affirmed during a Q&A session.

In the electronic commerce arena, the Web is leading to
"relationship marketing," along with "atomization," a phenomenon
in which small companies share the share marketing advantages as
large corporations, according to Stearns.

Conceivably, he suggested, the Web will co-opt the roles of
professional "intermediaries" such as stock brokers and real
estate agents, whose job it is to interface to consumers.

"Price and feature comparison are becoming nearly effortless
(over the Web). In the future, companies will become much better
at (marketing via the Web)," Stearns remarked. "I also foresee
customer relations as becoming much better."

In the field of telemedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital now
employs the Web to let students in Europe watch medical
procedures in Boston, as well as to ask questions of the
hospital's doctors, he reported.

Eventually, society will enter an era of "surgical robotics," in
which operations are routinely carried out "remotely" over the
Web. The US Army is already experimenting with surgical robotics,
Stearns noted.

But today, issues like privacy, security, the protection of
intellectual property from "informal reproduction," and the role
of government in the "information highway" remain critical, as
does the availability of adequate bandwidth.

Government should not be permitted to dictate how the "info
highway" will be used, according to Stearns. But government and
the private sector, in partnership, can produce technologies that
are advantageous to society, if not always anticipated.

"Nobody could have predicted that the Internet would (emerge
from) ARPA," the corporate sponsors were told. These days, the US
military is also working on some new display technologies that
could also prove useful when adopted by vendors for use on the
commercial side, he illustrated.

"If you're accustomed to using a LAN (local area network) at
work, you're probably disappointed by (the bandwidth) standard
phone lines give you, even ISDN (integrated services digital
network)," Stearns acknowledged.

But the birth of new broadcast technologies like satellite TV is
putting new kinds of pressure on phone companies to bring higher
bandwidth to homes, the Compaq exec told the audience.

Also on the horizon are two new LCD (liquid crystal display)
technologies, currently under development in Japan, for less
costly production of flat display panels, along with major
progress in the area of LCD projection, according to Stearns.

"Eventually, the PC will become a truly essential tool for both
homes and businesses," the Compaq VP concluded. Just before his
speech, Stearns had donated the first PC ever produced by Compaq
to the archives of the Computer Museum.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951013/Reader Contact: Computer Museum, 617-
426-2800; Press Contact: Gail Jennes, Computer Museum, 617-426-
2800)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
10/16/95
TRENDS
Microsoft To Test Online Software Distribution

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(DEN)(00031)
Microsoft To Test Online Software Distribution 10/16/95
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ: MSFT) has announced a pilot program to test electronic
software distribution that could eventually make floppy disks as
extinct as the dodo bird, used only by a few diehards for backup or
to pass along pirated copies of software. It could also put software
distributors out of business unless they can find a way to adapt
to the new system.

The software giant said the program with resellers calls for
electronic downloading of PC software to customers via the
Internet. If successful technically, and accepted by the public, it
could eliminate mail-order purchasing and even put distributors, the
middleperson in the distribution channel, out of business.

Microsoft said the pilot program is intended to let the company and
resellers evaluate the viability of potential business models designed
to facilitate online sales of software on the Internet. A Microsoft
public relations spokesperson told Newsbytes the program, which is
effective immediately, will involve a very small number of resellers,
probably less than 10, and will run through the end of 1995. No
participating resellers were identified.

"There's been a lot of interest in the computer industry with regard
to the electronic distribution of software, and the Internet in
particular. We expect this trial to give us and our resellers a
better idea of how software will be sold over the Internet," said
Velle Kolde, group manager of emerging channels at Microsoft.

Cooperation and data sharing between Microsoft and the resellers
involved in the pilot will be important in understanding the impact
of online software selling. "We view online selling as a new
environment for resellers to explore. We are fully committed to the
reseller channel in that exploration of how software will be sold
over the Internet," Kolde added.

A variety of resellers are expected to participate in the pilot
program, including those specializing in selling via the Internet, as
well as traditional resellers initiating their own electronic sales
programs. Each participating reseller will provide its own solution
for security, transaction processing, product returns, and other
activities associated with selling software electronically.

The Microsoft representative said products that will be made
available to resellers as part of the pilot program include
the Microsoft Office for Windows 95 office suite applications,
several of Microsoft's consumer software titles such as Microsoft
Flight Simulator, Creative Writer, and software-developer tools
such as the Visual C++ development system.

Microsoft said the software will be sold to resellers at a price
comparable to the fully packaged retail product. That has the
potential to raise profit margins for Microsoft, since the price the
reseller (retailer) pays the distributor (wholesaler) is higher than
what distributors pay Microsoft.

The electronically delivered software will come with electronic
documentation, but if consumers are fond of printed instruction
manuals they will have to be purchased separately. That could be
another source of revenue for Microsoft, since it operates the
Microsoft Press publishing division.

The pilot is not intended to provide definitive answers to every
issue regarding selling software online, according to Kolde. "This is
an emerging area. We wanted to initiate this process now with resellers
so that, together, we can learn about which business models and
approaches work best. This pilot focuses on establishing a foundation
between Microsoft and the reseller channel to accommodate online
selling and downloading."

(Jim Mallory/19951016/Press contact: Phil Missimore, Waggener
Edstrom for Microsoft, 408-986-1140; Press contact: Microsoft,
206-882-8080 or 800-426-9400)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
10/16/95
UNIX
 ****Silicon Graphics Workstations Get Productivity Bundle

(NEWS)(UNIX)(SFO)(00032)
 ****Silicon Graphics Workstations Get Productivity Bundle 10/16/95
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- Silicon Graphics
(NASDAQ:SGI) says its Indy and Indigo2 workstations are shipping with a
Unix productivity bundle which includes videoconferencing, World Wide Web
browsing and editing, the ability to run Windows and DOS applications,
and an Acrobat Reader utility. The company maintains the new bundle
"increases personal productivity and group collaboration."

SGI spokesperson, Eileen Caetano, told Newsbytes, "Unlike desktop
computers using Windows or Macintosh operating systems, Unix-based
computer systems usually do not come with an extensive software bundle.
SGI has decided to extend the value of its systems with this
introduction to bundling without adding to the cost."

Acknowledging the growing trend to incorporate videoconferencing
technology in the desktop environment, SGI offers customers its
own InPerson desktop videoconferencing software. The system
supports real-time, multi-particpant use, and can be used with any
existing TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol)
network. InPerson works on personal computers running Microsoft Windows
through NetManage and will be available through Internezzo Technologies
for all major Unix platforms.

To support Web development and communications, the new SGI bundle
provides customers with its WebMagic Author, WebSpace Navigator, and
MindShare OutBox. Netscape Communication's Navigator, an Internet
browser software, is also included. The authoring tool gives users a
hypertext markup language (HTML) editor for converting documents to
the standard Internet format. WebSpace Navigator is SGI's three-
dimensional browser and OutBox is a drag-and-drop publishing tool
which facilitates document publishing.

The new bundle also contains SoftWindows for Unix from Insignia
Solutions. It allows SGI customers to run Microsoft Windows and DOS
applications. Secondary cache Indy desktop systems carry a fully
licensed copy of SoftWindows, while primary cache Indy and Indigo2
workstations are provided with temporary licenses.

Rounding out the bundle is Adobe's Acrobat Reader. With the Acrobat
file format "becoming so popular," SGI said it decided its customers
"would welcome the ability to easily read documents" originating from
Adobe's Acrobat program .

(Patrick McKenna/19951016/Press Contact: Eileen Caetano, SGI,
415-390-2036)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
10/16/95
ONLINE
Java Programs Get Internet Directory

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SFO)(00033)
Java Programs Get Internet Directory 10/16/95
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- EarthWeb LLC, a
developer of World Wide Web sites, has teamed with Sun Microsystems
(NASDAQ:SUNW) to announce Gamelan, an Internet registry and directory
of programs written in the Java language. Sun's innovative programming
language is now being used by thousands of developers for a wide
variety of Internet and standard desktop applications.

Gamelan (pronounced gam-a-lon), the name of the new Java Web resource,
is actually the name for traditional orchestration music of Java.

Nova Spivack, EarthWeb's co-founder and director of marketing,
explained to Newsbytes, "The idea behind Gamelon is to grow a
development community for Java developers and other interested
parties. In just a few months, more than 20,000 skilled Java
developers have surfaced. I will say they are still learning because
Java is so rich. Gamelon is the place where people will come first to
learn about the very latest Java trends and developments."

He continued, "Java is the paradigm for 21st century network-
enabled computing. It is machine independent. Once it is written it will
run on all platforms with Java-compliant client software. It cuts down
on development costs, development time, and programming complexity.
It is the first language which is fundamentally written for the Internet.
We are witnessing an explosion of programming activity with Java.
Applications include Web publishing, entertainment, education, and
electronic commerce."

While early Java programs center on Internet applications, Sun built
the language to also allow developers to write non-Internet, standard
desktop programs. Its immediate popularity centers around the ability
to incorporate complex multimedia features into Internet applications
and it features extensive, built-in security.

Spivack says users may not even know they are viewing a Java program
when they go to an Internet site and see a homepage with three-dimensional
graphics, sound, audio, and rich links. Once the necessary Java software
is incorporated into a user's browser, the user sees no signs of the
language itself.

Noting the almost overnight, dramatic growth of Java programs, Netscape
Communications announced it will incorporate support for Java applications
in an upcoming version of its browser, Netscape Navigator. Analysts maintain
that users should expect to see other Web browsers with similar upgrades.

"Within six months, no leading Web site will be able to remain
competitive without this (Java) technology," said Spivack. "If you
want to have a Web site with the best graphics and the best interface,
you will have to use Java."

Gamelon is open to all Internet users and Java developers may
register their applications freely. The site, at http://www.gamelon.com ,
contains about 244 registered applications, and there are links to more
developments. Spivack estimates the number of existing Java programs to
be just under 1,000. In less than one week, the site received more than
115,000 hits.

(Patrick McKenna/19951016/Press Contact: Nova Spivack, EarthWeb,
212-725-6550)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
10/16/95
GENERAL
IBM Names Zisman & Papows To Replace Manzi At Lotus

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00034)
IBM Names Zisman & Papows To Replace Manzi At Lotus 10/16/95
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- In a
teleconference late Friday, IBM and Lotus officials announced and
elaborated on the appointment of Michael D. Zisman and Jeffrey
Papows to share the "office of the president" at Lotus left open by
Jim Manzi's resignation last Wednesday, plus the formation of a
reorganized Lotus sales force, to be headed by Deborah Besemer and
expanded with the transfer of sales staff from IBM.

Also during the teleconference, which was attended by Newsbytes,
the officials said that Robert K. Weiler has resigned from the
position of head of international sales at Lotus, and that John
Landry, chief technical officer, is now working on an "integrated
Internet strategy" for IBM, at the request of IBM Chairman Louis
V. Gerstner.

John Thompson, IBM's software chief, led off the teleconference
by saying that, although he was "saddened" by Manzi's resignation as
Lotus president and CEO (chief executive officer), the move was
"a personal decision by Jim, and I respect it."

Thompson then announced that IBM has named Zisman to the position
of chief executive at Lotus, and Papows to the post of chief
operating officer. With the announcement, Zisman and Papows both
become executive VPs of IBM, as well. Zisman and Papows will both
report to Thompson.

Thompson told the journalists that IBM has been impressed with
the previous performance of Zisman and Papows in jointly heading up
Lotus's Communications Business Group, where both previously held
the title of senior VP.

As the newly named senior VP of worldwide sales for Lotus,
Besemer will report to Zisman and Papows, according to Thompson.
Besemer was formerly responsible for North American sales at Lotus.

Thompson said that, although some IBM sales staff will be
transferred to Lotus, Lotus and IBM will remain "separate," and
that Lotus will not be "less autonomous."

"I have tremendous respect for the creativity of the Lotus
organization, of their knowledge of the desktop and client-server
area, and their leadership in the whole collaborative and
teamwork area with the Notes product," Thompson reported.

"And so, I am not interested in doing anything that does not
capitalize on (their) talents. And I would like to keep the Lotus
team to together, and to support the culture," he added. "(And)
having said that, I therefore do not want to assimilate (Lotus)
in. I think, though, that it makes sense having it all report to me.
It allows me to make sure that the middleware and the other parts of
our software strategy dovetail with Notes, and support it."

The IBM and Lotus sales forces will also remain separate, Thompson
noted. "The reason I want to do that is because we have a highly
skilled Lotus sales force, and I want to keep that focus intact. I
don't want to dilute it by adding a whole bunch of adding a whole
bunch of other products and missions into it."

The focus of the Lotus sales force will be broadened slightly,
though, to that of "groupware," and the IBM sales staffers who are
being transferred to Lotus previously sold IBM groupware products,
according to Thompson.

In accordance with a plan by IBM to integrate the Lotus Notes
"front end" with enterprise-strength products from IBM on the back
end, some of the transferred employees will specialize in areas
like message queuing and transaction processing, he asserted.

The officials were also questioned about the roles of Landry and
Ozzie at Lotus and IBM, and about the recent departures of five
VPs from Lotus.

Ozzie continues to be "committed to Notes," Papows said. Ozzie is
currently working on the competition of Notes 4.0, the journalists
and analysts were told. "We have spoken to him," added Papows, who
characterized Ozzie and being "very excited" about the staffing
changes at Lotus.

Thompson elaborated on Landry's activities. The IBM Internet
strategy Landry is working on incorporates elements from Lotus,
including Lotus Notes, as well as from IBM, including the IBM
Global Network and software from other areas of the company that
are "moving toward a more network-centric world," he reported.

"John (Landry) continues to work in that area. There's more work to
do, and I'll expect that he'll continue to work closely with me,
and some of my other colleagues in other parts of IBM on this
strategy. So that's what his next role is, and I don't want to get
into more specifics than that because I can't without getting into
the details of the strategy or the work assignments."

Said Zisman: "To put this all in perspective, of the five people
who have left, two of them were the chief financial officer and the
general counsel, which one would fully expect. Those individuals
had great expertise in publicly held companies, and if you're the
CFO (chief financial officer) of a publicly held company, that's
where you want to be. And the same applies to Tom Lemberg and his
dealings with the FCC (Federal Communications Commission. So it
would have been a shock if those two individuals were still
here."

Zisman added: "In terms of `stemming the tide,' I would say the
answer to that is, `Yes.'" But we've got a lot of work to do. And
right now I think all of us are looking to the future, putting the
past behind us and moving forward. And I can assure you that,
speaking personally, we're enormously excited about the resources
that IBM brings to bear, and I think we're going to do very, very
well."

(Jacqueline Emigh/19950113/Reader Contact: Lotus Development
Corporation, 617-577-8500; Lois Paul & Partners for Lotus,
617-862-4514)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
10/16/95
NETWORK
Vendors Jump On Novell's SMP Bandwagon

(NEWS)(NETWORK)(DEN)(00035)
Vendors Jump On Novell's SMP Bandwagon 10/16/95
OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- Novell Inc. (NASDAQ: NOVL)
has announced support of nearly 20 vendors for the network software
company's Netware 4 symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) technology
scheduled for availability in the fourth quarter.

Netware 4.1 SMP is a Netware Loadable Module (NLM) add-on to
Novell's Netware 4.1 operating system software and allows the
network software to take advantage of multiple processors
installed in a single Netware server.

Multi-threading speeds processing by spreading CPU (central
processing unit)-intensive tasks like local area network traffic
management, security encryption, the SPX (Sequenced Packet Exchange)
protocol transport and the application programming environment used
by developers to write server-based applications across the multiple
processors. Novell said a preemptive SMP kernel in Netware 4.1 SMP
manages the task scheduling among processors, and an enhanced MONITOR
utility lets network administrators track the utilization of each
processor. A series of new SET commands let administrators customize
Netware 4.1 SMP for their environment.

The list of companies jumping on the Netware 4.1 SMP bandwagon
includes Compaq, Dell, Digital, Hewlett Packard, IBM, Sony,
Toshiba, Zenith, Unisys, Acer, AT&T, Fujitsu, Hitachi, and NEC.

Novell said Netware 4.1 SMP benefits users in two key ways: it was
designed to increase network throughput and server bandwidth for
Netware 4.1 installations using existing Netware 4 NLMs, and
to increase network performance and scalability via a new generation
of multithread SMP-enabled NLMs that will use the Netware SMP API
(applications program interface).

The first wave of those SMP-enabled NLMs will include Oracle's
Oracle7 Enterprise Server in November of this year and SQL Server 11
from Sybase in the first quarter of 1996. Novell said SMP support
from Btrieve will be available by mid-1996.

Novell Groupwise can already take advantage of Netware 4.1 SMP.
The Groupwise Post Office, which handles tasks like mail delivery
and database updates has already been SMP-enabled so current
customers can "easily activate SMP capabilities" via a software
switch. Novell said SMP versions of two additional Groupwise
elements -- the message transfer agent and the SMTP Gateway NLM --
are currently in beta test and are expected to ship within 90 days.

Novell said Netware 4.1 SMP will be available in the fourth
quarter, with pricing set by distributors.

(Jim Mallory/19951016/Press contact: Kelly Hindley, Novell,
801-429-5870; Public contact: Novell, 800-638-9273, Internet
World Wide Web http://www.netware.com )


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00036)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 10/16/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 16 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|            Monday, October 16, 1995            |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network's 1995 Update CD-ROM for Mac, DOS, and Windows is
now available for $29.95 (includes s&h). Contains 1983-1995 news
stories, more than 64,000 keyword searchable stories and 475 digitized
images. For more information or to order, fax to 612-430-0441 or e-mail
to '[e-mail]' -- MC, Visa, Amex accepted.

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

BROADCAST Putting GPS On The Consumer Map............................ 11

BROADCAST  ****And Now The News -- On Your PC Screen................. 20

BUSINESS   ****Japan's Softbank In Ziff Davis Purchase Talks......... 23

BUSINESS  Artisoft Scouts Hong Kong.................................. 28

BUSINESS  Japan - Fujitsu & Lexmark In Printer Deal.................. 29

CHIPS     Japanese Eye Better Chips.................................. 22

GENERAL   Will New Media Be Good For Us.............................. 12

GENERAL   NewsPix Images For Newsbytes Publishers.................... 19

GENERAL   Japan Newsbriefs........................................... 21

GENERAL   Canadian Product Launch Update............................. 25

GENERAL   Compaq Asia Chief Out...................................... 27

GENERAL   IBM Names Zisman & Papows To Replace Manzi At Lotus........ 34

GOVT      British Police Use Voice-Mail For Mobile Comms............. 06

HEALTH    Corel's CD-ROM Series Just What The Doctor Ordered......... 24

LEGAL     Hong Kong - Injunctions Extended By High Court............. 01

NETWORK   Bosch's Wavelength Division Multiplexing Technology........ 08

NETWORK   SilCom Claims ATM Speeds With Wireless Link................ 10

NETWORK   Vendors Jump On Novell's SMP Bandwagon..................... 35

ONLINE    America Online Adds Health Area............................ 03

ONLINE    Internet Access Via Teletext Offered....................... 04

ONLINE    Austrian Bank Customers Discover Phone Banking............. 05

ONLINE    The Shade Family - An Internet Clan........................ 09

ONLINE    New Web Site Encourages Family Interneting................. 14

ONLINE     ****Newsbytes Launches 2nd Web Site - Full Keyword Searchi 18

ONLINE     ****Compaq VP Predicts $500 "Internet Surfer" PC.......... 30

ONLINE    Java Programs Get Internet Directory....................... 33

TELECOM   UK's MFS Communications Receives ISO Quality Award......... 15

TRENDS    Mixed Results For Apple Cost Study......................... 02

TRENDS    UK Internet Surfers Want To Buy British - Survey........... 07

TRENDS    Oregon Hits The High-Tech Recruiting Trail................. 13

TRENDS    UK - Low-Cost Security For PCs............................. 16

TRENDS    Workflow Technology Is Not A Cure-All - Report............. 17

TRENDS    Web, Multimedia, Outsourcing Soar In Software Industry..... 26

TRENDS    Microsoft To Test Online Software Distribution............. 31

UNIX       ****Silicon Graphics Workstations Get Productivity Bundle. 32

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 -> Hong Kong - Injunctions Extended By High Court -- In Hong Kong, the
Business Software Alliance (BSA) has won extensions on all original 22
ex parte injunctions served against software vendors operating in the
notorious Golden Arcade Shopping Centre in Hong Kong's Shamshuipo
district.

2 -> Mixed Results For Apple Cost Study -- A survey of technical support
costs for corporate computing just completed by the Gartner Group
Consulting has found no additional costs for companies supporting dual
platform computing (Apple Macintosh and Windows-based PCs) versus the
cost of supporting Windows alone. The research was conducted in the
first half of 1995, prior to the public release of Windows 95.

3 -> America Online Adds Health Area -- America Online Inc.
(NASDAQ:AMER) has created a new Health Area to provide information and
resources on healthcare, fitness, "well-being," and diseases to the
service's members.

4 -> Internet Access Via Teletext Offered -- Sweden's Infral AB has
developed a system that allows television companies to offer viewers the
ability to send and receive electronic-mail and "surf" the World Wide
Web via the channel's teletext service.

5 -> Austrian Bank Customers Discover Phone Banking -- After two years
of promoting their telephone banking services, Austrian banks are
reporting that their services are being taken seriously by customers,
and that sign-ups are now "on target."

6 -> British Police Use Voice-Mail For Mobile Comms -- The Staffordshire
police force has contracted with Octel for the supply of 5,000 voice
mail-boxes for use by police officers, the media, and the general
public.

7 -> UK Internet Surfers Want To Buy British - Survey -- "I'm backing
Britain" and "Buy British" used to be buzzwords of the late 1970s. Now
UK Online, ironically the Italian Olivetti-backed UK consumer online
service, is resurrecting the ideas, claiming that independent research
shows that the majority of UK families would rather subscribe to a
British online service.

8 -> Bosch's Wavelength Division Multiplexing Technology -- Everyone
talks about fiber optic as the universal panacea to network congestion
problems, but even fiber optic has its limits. Now Bosch claims that it
has the answer to even this problem with its Wavelength Division
Multiplex (WDM) technology, which it claims can squeeze four 2.5
gigabits-per- second (Gbps) channels onto one single mode fiber.

9 -> The Shade Family - An Internet Clan -- The Shade family claims to
be one that "Webs together." The fact that each member of the clan has
his or her own Internet World Wide Web pages (except for their cats)
seems to support their claim to electronic fame.

10 -> SilCom Claims ATM Speeds With Wireless Link -- SilCom Technology
Inc. has launched an inter-building wireless network link into the North
American market that the company said can move data at speeds as high as
155 megabits-per-second (Mbps)

11 -> Putting GPS On The Consumer Map -- If Sirf Technology Inc.'s
optimistic predictions come to fruition, today's $1,000 consumer global
positioning systems will become $500 products sometime next year,
reports Junko Yoshida in Electronic Engineering Times ("GPS in consumer
orbit," Aug. 21, 1995, pp. 25, 28).

12 -> Will New Media Be Good For Us -- Promoters often suggest that
we'll become better informed as a result of the coming age of
interactive multimedia. Not everyone is so sure, however.

13 -> Oregon Hits The High-Tech Recruiting Trail -- The Oregon Trail was
once a route to new opportunities in the west. Now economic development
officials in two Southern Oregon counties hope it will soon be the trail
to the new locations for small- and medium-sized software development
companies tired of lousy weather, few cultural activities, and limited
recreational opportunities in their current locations, and have launched
an ad campaign to attract them.

14 -> New Web Site Encourages Family Interneting -- Starwave Corp. has
launched a new online service on the Internet, called "Family Planet,"
that the company said includes "expert parenting advice," news, and new
ideas and fun activities "for the whole family."

15 -> UK's MFS Communications Receives ISO Quality Award -- MFS
Communications, the cable telephony company, has become one of the first
telecoms companies to be awarded the British Standard quality assurance
standard. According to MFS, this ISO 9002 quality standard certificate
will allow customers of the company to "have a high level of confidence"
in the services from the firm.

16 -> UK - Low-Cost Security For PCs -- Barracuda Security Devices has
unveiled, what the company claims is, the industry's first light- and
motion-sensitive security system for computers and peripherals. Known as
the Barracuda Security Device (BSD), the UKP70 system protects the PC or
its component with a deafening 117 decibel alarm, which also sprays the
innards of a computer with an indelible red dye.

17 -> Workflow Technology Is Not A Cure-All - Report -- Ovum has issued
a new report entitled "Ovum Evaluates: Workflow." Perhaps surprisingly,
given the level of enthusiasm the information technology (IT) industry
places in workflow, the report concludes that workflow is not the
universal panacea that some people think it is.

18 ->  ****Newsbytes Launches 2nd Web Site - Full Keyword Searching --
Finding the raw data for that term paper, research project, or coming
computer purchase from today's, or the past 12 years of technology news
coverage has never been easier on the Internet with the new, online
version of Newsbytes News Network's archives and subscription service.
At http://www.nbnn.com , readers can also access free daily top stories
from Newsbytes and its affiliate publications, and from PC Week,
MacWeek, and other Ziff news magazines, making the site a comprehensive
source of computer and telecom technology reporting.

19 -> NewsPix Images For Newsbytes Publishers -- These photos correspond
to recent Newsbytes stories. They are online in the Newsbytes menu on
America Online, NiftyServe, and the Newsbytes private bulletin board
system in Minneapolis.

20 ->  ****And Now The News -- On Your PC Screen -- As television channels
proliferate, watching the news is getting to be a full-time job. A
Canadian startup and a California software giant have joined forces to
automate that job, at least in part, by applying computer filtering to
incoming TV news feeds. Televitesse Systems Inc., a year-old subsidiary
of Newbridge Networks Corp. of Ottawa, is working with Oracle Corp. of
Redwood Shores, California, on a news-alerting and news-on-demand
system that the companies hope will appeal to the financial industry
in particular.

21 -> Japan Newsbriefs -- In this roundup of news from Japan: NEC video
on a card, Hitachi to expand Japan DRAM capacity, Tokyo FM heads for the
web, Electronics show kicks off Tuesday, Toshiba develops DVD laser.

22 -> Japanese Eye Better Chips -- Ten of Japan's leading semiconductor
manufacturers are considering pooling resources in the development of
new generation semiconductor manufacturing techniques, according to an
official of the Semiconductor Industry Research Institute Japan.

23 ->  ****Japan's Softbank In Ziff Davis Purchase Talks -- Japan's
largest publisher of computer magazines and books, Softbank Corporation
(TOKYO:9984), is in talks with Ziff Davis Communications Co. over the
purchase of its publishing arm, according to a report in the Sunday
edition of the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Japan's leading business newspaper.
The newspaper said the purchase price would be around 150 billion yen
($1.5 billion).

24 -> Corel's CD-ROM Series Just What The Doctor Ordered -- Corel Corp.
(TSE:COS; NASDAQ:COSFF) has launched its new medical series of CD-ROMs
with the initial title, a disk on epilepsy.

25 -> Canadian Product Launch Update -- This regular feature, appearing
on the first day Newsbytes publishes each week, provides further details
for the Canadian market on announcements by international companies that
Newsbytes has already covered. This week: an assortment of server and
Internet announcements from IBM.

26 -> Web, Multimedia, Outsourcing Soar In Software Industry --
Multimedia development is soaring, and US software companies are surfing
the Web like never before, but vendors' "major concerns" remain the same
as last year, said Joseph S. Tibbetts, Jr. of Price Waterhouse, summing
up the results of the 1995 Software Business Practices survey at a
recent meeting of the Mass. Software Council (MSC). This year's study
also contains an expanded section on R&D (research and development),
which shows 60 percent of the vendors considering the use of outsourcing
or other "alternatives to internal development."

27 -> Compaq Asia Chief Out -- Compaq has announced that  Lim Soon Hock,
managing director of its Asia operations, and a central  figure in its
manufacturing success, has resigned.

28 -> Artisoft Scouts Hong Kong -- Australian software house Artisoft is
looking to beef up its Asian operations. Asia-Pacific Director David
Thrum told I.T. Daily the company felt now was the time to maximize its
presence in Hong Kong and Singapore.

29 -> Japan - Fujitsu & Lexmark In Printer Deal -- US printer
manufacturer, Lexmark, has broken into the Japanese market, thanks to
door-opener Fujitsu.

30 ->  ****Compaq VP Predicts $500 "Internet Surfer" PC -- At some point
in the near future, Compaq and other PC makers will start to produce a
new kind of computer, called something like the "Internet Surfer,"
priced at about $500, but limited in functionality to Web browsing and
"maybe to games," predicted Bob Stearns, a Compaq VP, during a speech
delivered to corporate sponsors of the Computer Museum.

31 -> Microsoft To Test Online Software Distribution -- Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ: MSFT) has announced a pilot program to test electronic software
distribution that could eventually make floppy disks as extinct as the
dodo bird, used only by a few diehards for backup or to pass along
pirated copies of software. It could also put software distributors out
of business unless they can find a way to adapt to the new system.

32 ->  ****Silicon Graphics Workstations Get Productivity Bundle --
Silicon Graphics (NASDAQ:SGI) says its Indy and Indigo2 workstations are
shipping with a Unix productivity bundle which includes
videoconferencing, World Wide Web browsing and editing, the ability to
run Windows and DOS applications, and an Acrobat Reader utility. The
company maintains the new bundle "increases personal productivity and
group collaboration."

33 -> Java Programs Get Internet Directory -- EarthWeb LLC, a developer
of World Wide Web sites, has teamed with Sun Microsystems (NASDAQ:SUNW)
to announce Gamelan, an Internet registry and directory of programs
written in the Java language. Sun's innovative programming language is
now being used by thousands of developers for a wide variety of Internet
and standard desktop applications.

34 -> IBM Names Zisman & Papows To Replace Manzi At Lotus -- In a
teleconference late Friday, IBM and Lotus officials announced and
elaborated on the appointment of Michael D. Zisman and Jeffrey Papows to
share the "office of the president" at Lotus left open by Jim Manzi's
resignation last Wednesday, plus the formation of a reorganized Lotus
sales force, to be headed by Deborah Besemer and expanded with the
transfer of sales staff from IBM.

35 -> Vendors Jump On Novell's SMP Bandwagon -- Novell Inc. (NASDAQ:
NOVL) has announced support of nearly 20 vendors for the network
software company's Netware 4 symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) technology
scheduled for availability in the fourth quarter.

(Ian Stokell/19951016)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD



Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/13/95
WINDOWS
 ****Lotus 1-2-3 Aims To "Take Back Lead" From Microsoft

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(BOS)(00001)
 ****Lotus 1-2-3 Aims To "Take Back Lead" From Microsoft 10/13/95
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A, 1995 OCT 13 (NB) -- Through a
"complete rebuild" of Lotus 1-2-3 for the Windows 95 environment,
supported by a new $30 rebate plan for current 1-2-3 for Windows
3.1 users, Lotus is squaring off to "take back the lead" from
Microsoft in the spreadsheet market, said Jeffrey Anderholm,
director of product marketing for spreadsheets at Lotus, in an
interview with Newsbytes.

Lotus's newly announced rebate program provides a $30 rebate
to users of 1-2-3 and other qualifying spreadsheets who buy
upgrades to 1-2-3 Release 5 for Windows 3.1 through November 15,
according to Anderholm. Recipients of the rebates on 1-2-3 can
also take advantage of a previously announced plan from Lotus
that gives qualified customers free licenses for Windows 95
applications.

Lotus's new 1-2-3 rebate program is designed for millions of
spreadsheet users, largely in the corporate market, who are
eyeing migration to Windows 95, but are not yet ready to make the
move, Anderholm told Newsbytes.

"Corporate adoption of Windows 95 has been slow so far. But it's
a question of `when' Windows users will switch to Windows 95, not
`if,'" he reported.

The latest release of Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows 3.1 supports "team
computing" through features that include Version Manager,
TeamMail, NotesFlow, and Notes/FX.

"TeamMail allows you to distribute a document to everyone in your
(workgroup) for their comments and `return comments,'" remarked
Kathleen Hayner, SmartSuite marketing manager, in an earlier
briefing for Newsbytes. TeamMail, one the other hand, lets the
user keep more than one set of information in a cel, or range of
cels, at the same time, according to Hayner.

But, said Anderholm, the Windows 95 version of 1-2-3, now on the
verge of entering beta, will bring a "complete rebuild," with
added capabilities that include TeamConsolidate, LotusScript, and
tighter integration with Notes and other members of Lotus
SmartSuite.

LotusScript is Lotus's language for cross-application scripting.
The new TeamConsolidate feature is aimed at reconciling
documents, or portions of documents, from multiple users. Also as
previously reported in Newsbytes, in the Windows 95 edition of
1-2-3, Lotus plans to use TeamConsolidate in conjunction with
Notes 4.0 for production of "consolidated models" from the
"spreadsheet contributions" of multiple users.

In contrast, the first edition of Excel for Windows 95 is "pretty
much a port of the Excel for Windows 3.1 product," according to
Anderholm. "When Microsoft was getting ready to launch Excel for
Windows 95, most of their developers were actually working on
Excel for Windows 96," he maintained.

A competitive analysis report issued by Lotus contends that,
unlike TeamConsolidate, Excel's "consolidate" feature is "not a
workgroup feature."

"In addition to 1-2-3's TeamConsolidate being a complete
workgroup feature offering a solution for the entire
consolidation process, it is also flexible in both layout and
ranges in the spreadsheet, where Excel's consolidate feature is
rigid (and) ranges have to be identical," according to the
analysis.

The Lotus report also charges that Excel lacks a number of other
features, present in 1-2-3, for "team computing, productivity,
and integration." In the "team computing" arena, for example,
Microsoft is faulted for not adopting Notes/FX 1.1 support until
two years after the API (application programming interface) was
made available by Lotus to all vendors.

The report also criticizes Excel for not supporting NotesFlow,
and for failing to contain version management capabilities such
as "secure tracking of changes, versions containing formulas,
group sets of versioned data, and multiple currency formats."

Also during this week's briefing for Newsbytes, Anderholm
observed that, at this point, most sales of Microsoft Office 95
and Windows 95 have gone to home users, as opposed to the
corporate market.

"And the channel hasn't made much money yet, either, even though
(Windows 95) has been priced at a `loss leader' price point,"
Anderholm asserted.

Lotus has not yet issued an anticipated release date for 1-2-3
for Windows 95. "That will depend on results of our beta
testing," Newsbytes was told.

But Lotus, he added, is looking to "take back the lead from
Microsoft" by beating its long-time rival to market with a
spreadsheet that "truly takes advantage of" the 32-bit
environment. "1-2-3 and Excel have been `playing hopscotch' for
years, anyway," the product marketing director pointed out.

Under Lotus's newly unveiled rebate program, users of Lotus 1-2-3
and other qualifying spreadsheets can redeem a coupon for $30 off
the price of an upgrade to Lotus 1-2-3 Release 5 for Windows 3.1.
The coupon is enclosed in the box. Estimated street pricing of
the Lotus 1-2-3 Upgrade is $99, according to Anderholm. Customers
also qualify for a free license upgrade to the upcoming 1-2-3 for
Windows 95 under an existing Lotus Buyer's Assurance Plan.

Also as previously reported in Newsbytes, under Lotus's
"assurance plan," users who buy Windows 3.1 editions of Lotus
applications or SmartSuite through December 31 can upgrade to
either Windows 95 or OS/2 versions of these products in exchange
for a "media charge" only. The "media charge" amounts to $19.95
for "standard" (floppy) disk versions of individual desktop
applications; $29.95 for a standard disk version of SmartSuite;
and $9.95 for a CD-ROM version of any of the desktop products.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951012/Reader Contact: Lotus Development
Corporation, 617-577-8500; Tom Morley, Lois Paul & Partners for
Lotus, 617-862-4514)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
10/13/95
ONLINE
Lucky Lotto On The Internet

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00002)
Lucky Lotto On The Internet 10/13/95
VADUZ, LIECHTENSTEIN, 1995 OCT 13 (NB) -- The tiny European country of
Liechtenstein, nestled between the Swiss and Austrian borders, has
launched the first lotto to be conducted exclusively on the Internet.
The operators hope to entice people with the attraction of the highest
prize pool payout in the world.

The InterLotto has been organized by International Lottery in
Liechtenstein Foundation, a charitable organization chartered by the
government of the country. After prize money has been paid out, a
remaining portion of the profit will be paid to charities decided each
week by players who vote for charities to receive the money.

The lotto guarantees a payout of 65% of total income from ticket
sales and a minimum jackpot of SFr 1,200,000 ($1,000,000) for a ticket
price of SFr 5 ($4.80). There is a minimum purchase of two tickets.

Entering the game is like entering any other lotto, players select six
numbers and prizes are awarded to anyone matching four, five or six of
the week's chosen numbers.

To ensure fair play, the organizers have employed Coopers & Lybrand,
an independent auditor, to supervise the entire operation. The draws
are also held in places around Liechtenstein and people are welcome to
attend. For the first week's prize draw, six winning balls were chosen
from a bag of forty by Caroline Burdet, Liechtenstein's first female
bobsleigh competitor.

InterLotto is making use of Liechtenstein's tax free status and the
low cost of operating such a system to offer a 65% prize pool, a
figure that compares favorably to other lottos in the world. The next
highest prize pool is the Australian lotto which offers 55%, the
French lotto offers 52% and the lottos of Austria, Belgium, Germany,
Norway, Portugal, Switzerland, Georgia, and Texas all offer 50%. The
world's largest lottery, the UK National Lottery offers just 45%.

Readers wishing to try their luck can find the InterLotto home page at
http://www.interlotto.li/ . The server offers a secure registration
and entry service for users with Netscape Navigator browsers.

(Martyn Williams/19951013)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/13/95
ONLINE
Internet Update

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00003)
Internet Update 10/13/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 OCT 13 (NB) -- In this roundup of new services and
resources on the global Internet: The Selena trial on the Web,
APEC official Website, missing kids on the Web, European telework
week, new sites in Asia, Digital Ink: new offerings from newspapers,
Salvador Dali virtual museum of art, Australian Webindex.

In The News: The Selena Trial

The Web version of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times will offer updates
throughout each day of the Yolanda Saldivar trial in Houston. Saldivar
is charged with murder in the March 31 shooting death of Tejano star
Selena Quintanilla-Perez, better known simply as Selena.
World Wide Web: http://www.wtr.com/cchome/selena.htm

APEC Official Web Site

In November a major meeting of the APEC nations takes place in Osaka,
Japan. The country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has opened a special
Webserver, the official server, for the event. The service provides
information and statements as they are released about APEC '95 Osaka.
World Wide Web: http://apec.tokio.co.jp/

Missing Kids On The Web

The National Center For Missing And Exploited Children has opened a
new server on the Web with an extensive database of missing kids
online. Visitors can view the pictures of each child and read data on
each child. The page also provides comprehensive contact information,
support groups, other recognized missing children organizations, and
direct phone numbers to local and national law enforcement centers.
World Wide Web: http://www.missingkids.org/

European Telework Week

In two weeks, from November 9th to 16th, European Telework Week takes
place. The event is organized by the European Commission with the goal
of promoting teleworking and its benefits to the companies and peoples
of the European Union. These pages provide information on events, in
London, Vienna, and Rome, and offer proposals for online activities.
World Wide Web: http://www.mtanet.co.uk/eur/two/etw_int.htm

New Sites In Asia

A new page has appeared with links to Chinese language Websites. The
page maintainer says, "If you want information about China, Hong Kong,
and Taiwan, this is the right place for you."
World Wide Web: http://www.geopages.com/SiliconValley/1250/

On July 1, 1997, Hong Kong will be returned to the Chinese government.
A new Webpage in the colony offers a counter that indicates how many
days, hours and minutes are left. Alongside the countdown clock are
links to local entertainment, information and news sources.
World Wide Web: http://www.ie.cuhk.hk/~whlee4/hongkong.html

Offering "Asia's Premier Worldwide Web site, focusing on the best that
the region can offer," is a new Website with links to sites across the
region including news, financial information, arts and culture,
business partners, educational resources to executive recruitment and
trading opportunities.
World Wide Web: http://www.asiaville.com/

Digital Ink: New Offerings From Newspapers

The Guardian, a British daily, has placed the complete contents of
Connect magazine, given away with Friday's edition, on the Internet.
The magazine joins other computer related Guardian material online.
World Wide Web: http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardian/connect/

Thailand's first international business daily, Business Day, is now
available on the Internet. Content online includes the latest news and
news analysis covering issues of local as well as regional interest.
World Wide Web: http://goldsite.com/~bday/

New York's Jewish Post newspaper is now online. The paper's goal is to
keep American Jews in touch with Israel and the Jewish world through
its print and online editions.
World Wide Web: http://jewishpost.nais.com/jewishpost/

From South Africa, the Johannesburg Star and London-based SA Times
have collaborated to produce the weekly Star & SA Times International
On-line. The newspaper contains South African news, sports and
features.
World Wide Web: http://www.satimes.press.net/

Salvador Dali Virtual Museum Of Art

The Salvador Dali Virtual Museum of Art features what the Web
maintainer claims is "the largest collection of art images by Salvador
Dali anywhere on the Web." The entire site is dedicated to the painter
and his art.
World Wide Web: http://www.nol.net/~nil/dali.html

Australian Web Index

You know things are getting out of hand when indexes of indexes begin
appearing. The new Ausindex page provides a listing and links to all
Australian Webindex and catalog pages.
World Wide Web: http://www.moreinfo.com.au/ausindex/

(Martyn Williams/19951013)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/13/95
BUSINESS
Germany - AT&T Closes Augsberg Facility

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00004)
Germany - AT&T Closes Augsberg Facility 10/13/95
AUGSBERG, GERMANY, 1995 OCT 13 (NB) -- AT&T's Global Information
Solutions (DIS) division has announced plans to close its Augsberg PC
production facility. The closure will involve 450 layoffs and forms
part of AT&T's global strategy of moving out of PC productions,
officials said.

Erich Moser, the company's German financial director, told journalists
that the closure is not due to the costs involved. He said that PC
production is still viable in Germany and were broadly in line with US
production costs. The reason for the closure was the group's decision
to move out of PC production.

The closure is a bitter blow to Germany's PC production. Only
Siemens Nixdorf and Aquarius Robotron now manufacture their PCs
in Germany. In recent statements, Aquarius has said that
salaries only account for around five percent of PC production costs,
but the German PC manufacturer acknowledged that the lower wage costs
in the Far East was probably behind the general move away from Western
PC production and over to the Far East.

Ironically, AT&T's pullout of German PC production comes at a time
when the German PC Industry is perceived to be doing extraordinarily
well. Escom and Vobis are both pushing their PCs heavily into France
and the UK.

Last month, Newsbytes reported that Vobis, the giant German PC vendor,
was teaming up with PowerStore, a UK electrical retailer, to boost its
share of the UK PC marketplace. According to Theo Lieven, Vobis'
managing director in Germany, using a joint venture approach, rather
than take the distributor/dealer path, is a way of boosting the
company's profits and cutting prices.

Siemens Nixdorf, meanwhile, now claims to be Europe's number one PC
vendor and recently introduced a qualified partner program in the UK
and several other European countries. Les Francis, general manager of
channel development with Siemens Nixdorf, claims that the German PC
vendor is trying to move away from the box shifting end of the market,
moving into the value-added side of the business.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951013/Press & Reader Contact: AT&T GIS [phone];
Fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/13/95
LEGAL
"British FBI" Coming

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(LON)(00005)
"British FBI" Coming 10/13/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 13 (NB) -- The British Government, currently
at its annual Conservative Party conference in Blackpool, is reported
to be preparing plans for a British version of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI).

Although the UK has a wide ranging police force covering the whole of
the country, its intelligence agencies, MI5, MI6 and the elite D111
division of Scotland Yard, tend to operate as secret intelligence
divisions, accountable to the government and, in the case of the D111
squad, to the Police Commissioner, there is no "in-between" agency
such as the FBI.

Media reports suggest that Michael Howard, the British Home Secretary,
is putting the finishing touches to a plan to form a British version
of the FBI. British police, meanwhile, have gone on the offensive,
claiming that any FBI clone in the UK must be accountable to the
public, and not, as in the US, accountable to the US government.
Speaking at the annual conference of the Association of Chief Police
Officers, President John Hoddinott said that any British FBI must be
publicly accountable if the organization is to work properly, since it
needs to gain the trust of the public.

"Legality, openness and accountability run across all that we do and I
can't imagine it wouldn't run across anyone else who is involved in
law enforcement," he told his fellow officers.

According to preliminary information released to the press by the
British government press office, the British FBI agency will almost
certainly form part of a coordinated response to the growing threat of
internal organized crime, in particular from the drug barons.

Such a division would dovetail its intelligence gathering systems with
the existing MI5 system, but media reports suggest that the system
would be developed mostly by the existing models used by the National
Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS).

In his speech, Hoddinott said that, before a UK FBI could be created
and brought into operation, several elements of existing British
legislation would need to be updated or replaced.

The police have long been critical of the so-called "lawyers paradise"
of the Offences Against the Person Act, which dates from 1861,
Newsbytes notes.

"We support the idea of bringing the law within the statute more into
the modern age. The law, which should be easily understandable, is
not, and that is not a good thing," Hoddinott said.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951013)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/13/95
TELECOM
UK Firm Slashes UK/US Call Costs To 16c/minute

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00006)
UK Firm Slashes UK/US Call Costs To 16c/minute 10/13/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 13 (NB) -- First Telecom, a new UK telecoms
carrier, has opened a new global calling service for UK telecoms
subscribers. The service claims to be the cheapest on the market,
offering calls to the US for 10 pence (16 cents) a minute at offpeak
times.

To use the "Globally Speaking" service, as it is called, customers
call the company and quote their debit or credit card details. An
account is opened on a pre-payment basis, and a nine-digit PIN code
allocated. When the caller dials a London number, they are asked to
enter the PIN and are then offered a dialtone from the US end of the
link.

No subscriptions are payable to the company, something that Mark
Daeche, the company's international operations director, claims means
the service can be used by anyone with a debit or credit card and are
willing to pre-pay their calls in increments of UKP 10.00.

"Rapid advances in technology, combined with overseas competing
fiercely for business, have resulting in the costs of international
calls dropping significantly," he said, adding, telecom charges have
remained "outrageously high as traditional carriers have not passed on
the resultant cost savings to their customers.

"Not only are we offering our customers substantially reduced calling
rates, but unlike many other telephone companies, we use a network
based on fiber optics which enables connections of superior clarity
and reliability," he explained.

Many of the carriers operating in the dial-through market, which First
Telecom offers, use complex multiplexing techniques to squeeze as many
calls as possible out of multiple 2 or 4 megabits/second links to the
US. As a result, data/fax calls tend to be limited to 9,600 or 14,400
bits per second (bps).

First Telecom claims that its use of fiber optic links to the US
allows all modem calls through, yet the charges are as lower
than the competition.

According to Elena Tusason, a spokeswoman for the company, First
Telecom is taking ads in the national press in the UK to encourage
personal customers to flex their plastic and sign up for service. In
the next few months, plans call for the company to target small to
medium-sized businesses with a new calling service, using unique
billing software developed in conjunction with AT&T.

"Low priced phone calls is something that most people are interested
in and it is a growth area," she said, adding that First Telecom can
offer cut-priced calls on all direct dial destinations in the world.

(Steve Gold/19951013/Press Contact: Nelson Bostock Communications +44-
171-229-4400; Reader Contact: First Telecom [phone]; Fax +44-
171-363-6601)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/13/95
UNIX
Insignia Boosts PC Emulation To 80486 Under Unix

(NEWS)(UNIX)(LON)(00007)
Insignia Boosts PC Emulation To 80486 Under Unix 10/13/95
HIGH WYCOMBE, BUCKS, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 13 (NB) -- Insignia Solutions
has dramatically upgraded its PC emulator for the Unix environment.
SoftWindows 2.0 for Unix now has the ability, the company claims, to
run all DOS and Windows applications, including Windows enhanced modem
packages, as if they were running on a 80486 processor-based system.

This is a double first for Unix users, who previously have not had
access to all DOS/Windows applications, nor the Windows enhanced mode.
In addition, the previous iteration of SoftWindows for Unix ran to the
same speeds as an 80386-based system.

According to David Angwin, European marketing manager for Insignia,
the package combines full 80486 PC compatibility and comprehensive PC
network to offer a complete PC environment to Unix workstation users.
"This means they can effectively have access to any corporate
application at their fingertips, all on a single machine," he
explained.

Insignia is promoting the UK 449 package as a useful application for
business Unix users who want access to personal productivity software
such as Lotus SmartSuite, Microsoft Office and Novell PerfectOffice --
apps which are not available for Unix. The software also allows
companies to standardize enterprise-wide on DOS and Windows
applications such as Lotus Notes and cc:Mail.

Angwin told Newsbytes that SoftWindows 2.0 for Unix can run as fast as
a 100 megahertz (MHz) 486-based system on a high-end DEC Alpha. "On a
typical workstations from the likes of HP, we expect the system to
perform to the same levels as a 25 or 33MHz 486-based PC," he said.

Angwin did not rule out a Pentium emulator version of SoftWindows,
either for the Mac or the Unix environment. "At the moment there are
no Pentium-specific applications around. When (and if) these ship, we
will release a Pentium emulator, but, until then, the majority of
users will be happy with the current version of SoftWindows," he said,
adding that, under the right configurations, a 486-based PC can
actually run faster than a Pentium.

SoftWindows 2.0 for Unix supports all major Unix platforms, including
DEC, HP, IBM, SGI and Sun environments. As well as 486 and full
DPS/Windows compatibility, the package includes advanced utilities
that allows tracking of DOS and Windows applications for software
licensing purposes.

According to Insignia, administrators on a company network can disable
user-configuration options and implement SoftWindows as a system for
running specific PC applications.

As supplied, SoftWindows for Unix comes on a CD-ROM. Now the slightly
bad news -- the package will not ship in Europe nor from the company's
Mountain View or Andover, MA-based offices in the US until the first
quarter of 1996.

Angwin told Newsbytes this is a worst case shipment scenario. "I
expect to see this software available before the end of the year, but
it is possible that release may run into the new year, which is why we
say first quarter," he said.

(Steve Gold/19951013/Press Contact: Amanda Hassall, GBC [phone]-
7022; Internet Email: [e-mail]; Reader Contact: David Angwin,
Insignia Solutions [phone]; Internet Email:
[e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
10/12/95
BROADCAST
ACTV, Sarnoff Center To Develop Digital TV Products

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(MSP)(00008)
ACTV, Sarnoff Center To Develop Digital TV Products 10/12/95
PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 12 (NB) -- The David Sarnoff
Research Center and ACTV Inc. will jointly collaborate in the
developing of individualized television products, both companies
have announced. The agreement will combine Sarnoff's system and
hardware designed with ACTV's individualized programming technology,
officials said.

In the near term, the collaboration will examine what will the market
bear in terms of individualized television programming, and what would
be the most cost-efficient way to bring that content to the home,
William Shumann, Sarnoff spokesperson, told Newsbytes. "This is our
way of bringing our digital television technologies down to the
ordinary viewer," he said.

ACTV already has rolled out individualized TV networks in Montreal,
Canada, London, England, and a new network that's being tested in
Southern California. Its technology is capable of altering on-screen
audio and video through both single and multiple-channel applications.
Using a remote control, a person can "talk" with on-screen instructors
in an educational situation, or program content can be altered to suit
the individual's needs and interests.

ACTV has also been involved with distance learning, having been in
hundreds of classrooms around the country for the past two years. The
company also recently announced an agreement with the state of Georgia
that will see ACTV supplying the state's distance learning products.

Sarnoff brings to the agreement compression technologies, video server
technology, 3D television applications, and distance learning
technologies.

Looking down the road, Shumann told Newsbytes, the agreement could
change the way people look at television in general. "You could,
for example, watch a baseball game, click a remote , and get statistics
on players. You could call up different camera shots. You could even
gamble on TV. The point is it will be a real-time, interactive
exchange." He said this could happen when ACTV's individual television
technologies are mated with digital video technologies.

(Bob Woods/19951012/Press Contact: Alice Archer, David Sarnoff
Research Center, 609-734-2184)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/13/95
ONLINE
ZD Net Offers Free Personalized News On Internet

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TOR)(00009)
ZD Net Offers Free Personalized News On Internet 10/13/95
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 13 (NB) -- World
Wide Web devotees can now read personalized computer industry news
reports online at Ziff-Davis Interactive's ZD Net site.

Now available on ZD Net/World Wide Web Edition, at
http://www.zdnet.com, ZD Net Personal View provides a daily news feed
made up of content from PC Week, MacWeek, Inter@ctive Week, and other
Ziff-Davis publications, as well as Newsbytes and the press release wires
PR Newswire and Business Wire. Ziff-Davis Interactive said it plans to add
other news sources in the near future.

Users of the service cannot browse through the complete content of these
services, company spokeswoman Janice Brown told Newsbytes. Instead,
they set up personal profiles, specifying a maximum of five search terms or
keywords. Stories that match those terms are placed in the user's personal
view, accessible using a password. Users can also see a maximum of seven
of the top stories that match their profiles from each of the past
five business days, using the Week in Review selection.

Brown said ZD Net chose to offer a personalized set of stories selected by
keyword rather than providing unlimited access to the content because this
was what potential users asked for in focus groups. "They wanted to see
stuff that met their needs in kind of a single screen," she said.

The full text of PC Week, MacWeek, and other Ziff publications is
available in other versions of ZD Net, such as the ZD Net Compuserve
Edition.

Ziff-Davis hinted at the possibility that in future, the personal
profiles might be used to target advertising as well as editorial
content and press releases based on users' stated interests. The
company said it would be evaluating user response to the new service
with the idea of developing advertising options that would let
advertisers "target key market segments and develop ads that appeal
to users' specific interests."

There is no charge for access to ZD Net Personal View, Ziff-Davis said.

(Grant Buckler/19951012/Press Contact: Martha Papalia, Ziff-Davis
Interactive, 617-225-3340; Janice Brown, Janice Brown & Associates for
Ziff-Davis Interactive, 603-764-5800)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/13/95
GENERAL
Asia Market Fastest-growing For Lexmark

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00010)
Asia Market Fastest-growing For Lexmark 10/13/95
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 1995 OCT 13 (NB) -- Lexmark unveiled five new
laser printers and an infrared device for mobile computing
yesterday, and visiting US CEO and Chairman Marvin Mann was on
deck at Sydney's Manfredi restaurant to witness the Australian
birth.

"We've come a long way because we've had good people who've done
good work," Mann told the pack of journalists. High value products and
responsive support to customers were the keys to Lexmark's success, he
said.

"That's kinda our strategy," the laconic boss added in his down-home
American drawl. Mann revealed that Lexmark last week filed to become a
public company and is awaiting approval from the US securities
exchange for its application. "I can't talk about that (dollars and
cents) otherwise I'll wind up in the US prison system, and that's
not one of my strategies," Mann joked.

He did reveal, however, that half of Lexmark's revenue
is now generated outside the US, and the Asian market is growing the
fastest. He also said that Lexmark will invest $US200 million dollars in
ink jet printers this year and next year, an indication that Lexmark is
more than serious about the burgeoning color ink jet market.

The new printers comprise four mono lasers, ranging in price from AUS$2,900
to AUS$5,700. According to Lexmark, they all deliver 1200 x 1200 dpi at a
rate of 16 ppm. The MarkNet IR infrared adaptor attaches to either desktop
or printer, and costs AUS$470. Belle of the printing ball, however, is the
Optra C, Lexmark's first color laser, featuring 600 x 600 dpi resolution
and print speeds of 12 ppm in black and white and three ppm in color.
Anticipated list price is AUS$9,995. (AUS$1 is around US$0.76)

(Dorothy Kennedy and Computer Daily News/19951013)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/13/95
PC
Australia - Compaq Opens Christmas Hamper

(NEWS)(PC)(SYD)(00011)
Australia - Compaq Opens Christmas Hamper 10/13/95
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 1995 OCT 13 (NB) -- Compaq Australia is banking on a
Christmas consumer rush, and is already sniffing the lucrative
December air for the aroma of dollars wafting from the wallets of
harried shoppers in search of a new home computer.

"Has IT changed your life yet?" is the captivating slogan accompanying
Compaq's Christmas campaign, and with this week's release of three new
series of consumer multimedia PCs, the box-making giant is hoping
that nobody's life remains untouched. IDC's Bruce McCabe was on
hand to talk about the home PC market at the press launch for Compaq's
new Presarios.

He says there will be five million PCs in the Australian market
by the end of 1995, penetrating one-third of homes. The consumer
market will account for a 39 percent slice of the installed base of
PCs by year's end, followed by business, 35 percent; education,
14 percent; and government, 12 percent.

McCabe says the PC penetration rate will be up to 50 percent by the
end of the decade, at which point the rate of take-up will slow due
to an aging population and socio-economic barriers. He agreed that
the cheap network boxes predicted by Oracle's Larry Ellison may
speed up access for less affluent users, but says even $500 is a
significant outlay for a poor family. "One thing's for sure, we'd
like to see the 50 percent become 100 percent," quipped Compaq
business manager, Geoff Anson.

The price tags attached to the new Compaq Presarios may put the skids
under Anson's wish. The Presario 7100 series, billed as the value line,
will cost AUS$3,299 for the 540 MB 7150 model and $3,699 for the 840MB
machine. The Presario 5500 and 9500 series, with extra software
including MPEG-based titles, start at AUS$3,999 and move up to
AUS$4,999 for the top of the line Presario 9544, a 100MHz Pentium-based
machine. Standard memory across the range is 8MB. (AUS$1 is around
US$0.76)

(Paul Zucker/19951013)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/13/95
ONLINE
Service Shortens Long Internet Addresses

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00012)
Service Shortens Long Internet Addresses 10/13/95
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 13 (NB) -- Long, unwieldy
Internet World Wide Web uniform resource locators (URLs) may
become a thing of the past, if Branch Internet Services Inc., has
its way. The company is offering a new service that will use a
short "vanity" address to point to a Web site that uses long URLs.

The company's new "Internet Image Service" stores the shorter URL,
which either Branch or the customer can apply for through the normal
means, on Branch's server, Jon Zeeff, president and founder of Branch,
told Newsbytes. "When the request comes to our system, we then
re-route it to your Web server, wherever that may be," he said.

Only the "index" page, or the beginning page of a site, needs to be on
Branch's server. The rest of the pages, including hyperlinks within
the index page, can have the longer names, Zeeff said. "All pages and
sub-directories at your site continue to work like they did before,"
he said.

Branch offers the same kind of service for Internet e-mail addresses.
Zeeff cites Compuserve as having one of the most unwieldy of e-mail
addresses, and his system takes care of having to tell people as many
as nine numbers for an address. But, "if you could say '[e-mail],'
that would be much easier," he said. In this case, the e-mail would
actually come to Branch, and then be bounced to whatever e-mail
account the customer specifies. The "bounce" happens in less than 30
seconds, and no one at Branch actually sees the e-mail, he added.

Zeeff said the main reason people, especially businesses, would use the
service is because of prestige. "A lot of these companies are
publishing these URLs ... with addresses like
http://joes-isp.com/~whatever/page.html. I just don't think it gives
the right image for people who know the Internet. It gives an image of
'Oh, you don't have your own server."

The service costs as little as $40 per month. All servers are
connected with T3 connections and have firewall protection, backup
servers, encryption, and 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week monitoring, the
company said.

(Bob Woods/19951011/Press Contact: Jon Zeeff, Branch Internet
Services, 800-349-1747, Internet e-mail [e-mail]. Public
Contact: Branch Internet Services, 800-349-1747)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/13/95
ONLINE
US West's Internet-Based Network For Businesses

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(DEN)(00013)
US West's Internet-Based Network For Businesses 10/13/95
DENVER, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 13 (NB) -- US West has announced
!NTERACT, an Internet-based desktop computer networking service
that lets desktop users share information, messages and networked
programs with colleagues, business partners or customers regardless
of where they are or the type of desktop computers they use.

The telecommunications company said the new service is already being
tested in Omaha and Minneapolis. By the end of the year it's
scheduled to be deployed in major cities across the company's
14-state service area, including Denver, Salt Lake city, Phoenix,
Portland and Seattle.

The system will use Microsoft Corp.'s (NASDAQ: MSFT) NT BackOffice
server suite as the enabling operating system. !NTERACT will also
use technologies from Lotus Development Corporation, Netscape
Communications Corp., and Cisco Systems Inc.

US West said access to the Internet will be with the popular
Netscape Navigator. Lotus Notes will let the network offer Notes
Public Networks services, and Cisco Systems will provide the
underlying enterprise internetworking platform and protocol support
along with security and management features to protect
mission-critical traffic.

!NTERACT consists of four components, including !NTERACT basic,
market and commerce, collaborative computing and transaction
computing services. The basic service, which will be the first part
of !NTERACT introduced, gives you Internet connectivity, including
functions like electronic mail; World Wide Web access; FTP (File
Transfer Protocol), a way of downloading files from the Internet;
and Usenet newsgroups, information areas that each deal with a
particular area of interest.

Market and commerce services options include electronic commerce
features, World Wide Web browsing and premium subscriber services
like firewall security (blocking unauthorized access from the
Internet to your computer system) and secure private networks over
the Internet. US West spokesperson Rebecca Herbst told Newsbytes
security will be provided through the use of passwords,
authentication and encryption.

Collaborative computing services provide businesses with the
opportunity to outsource collaborative computing applications
they would otherwise have to create, manage and maintain by
themselves. US West said those applications will be based on
Lotus Notes. More information will be available about the
applications as the computing services part of !NTERACT is
launched.

!NTERACT's transaction computing services are designed to provide an
infrastructure for secure electronic business transactions between
subscribers for processing of electronic forms, workflow and
financial transactions. Herbst said !NTERACT will be able to handle
financial transactions like credit card purchases and even bank to
bank or user to bank financial transactions securely. Banks in
Minneapolis is currently participating in the test phase of
!NTERACT.

(Jim Mallory/19951012/Press contact: Rebecca Herbst, US West,
303-793-6702; Public contact: US West, 800-562-4154, ext 1020 or
Internet e-mail to [e-mail] )




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/13/95
TELECOM
China Coming Onstream With GSM Mobile Phones

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00014)
China Coming Onstream With GSM Mobile Phones 10/13/95
HELSINKI, FINLAND, 1995 OCT 13 (NB) -- Nokia has announced that its
mobile telecoms division has been contracted to supply a GSM (Global
System for Mobile communications) digital mobile phone net to the
Government of the Chinese Hannan Province.

Terms of the contract, financial details of which have not been
revealed, call for Nokia to supply various EMXs (electronic mobile
exchanges) and associated network infrastructure, including base
stations, in preparation for a formal launch of the network in March
of next year. In phase one of the network, as many as 60,000
subscribers will be supported.

Nokia is catching up rapidly on its main rival Ericsson in the digital
mobile phone stakes. The company has already started supplying three
GSM nets in China and is in discussions regarding several others.

As well as competing with Ericsson, Nokia has to compete with several
other telecoms companies in China, Newsbytes notes. In August of this
year, Newsbytes reported that Italtel had contracted for the
installation of a 150,000-subscriber GSM in the Hebei province of
central China.

Canada's Northern Telecom, meanwhile, has this year signed a contract
with Guangdong Province for a GSM net, as well as with the governments
of Hebei, Shanxi, and Heilongjiang Provinces. Nokia has also signed a
contract with the Beijing Province for a GSM network in the capital.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951011/Press Contact: Nokia [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/13/95
ONLINE
 ****AT&T Interchange Online Links To World Wide Web

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SFO)(00015)
 ****AT&T Interchange Online Links To World Wide Web 10/13/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 13 (NB) --
AT&T Interchange Online Network, a specialized service of
independent publishers, incorporated Netscape Communication's
(NASDAQ:NTSC) Netscape Navigator 1.2 into its online software.
Subscribers to Interchange may now access the service through an
Internet connection.

AT&T subscribers may download the Navigator into their existing
software while signed onto the service. Credit will be given for the time
spent on the download. For Interchange subscribers already using
Navigator, no additional software is necessary.

The addition of Netscape's software allows AT&T subscribers to access
and its publishing partners to develop World Wide Web (Web) links.
AT&T says this enhanced capability is part of a promise made when
the service debuted in August. The company said one of its first
improvements to the service would be an easy and fast access to the
Internet.

In practice, Interchange subscribers may now access the Web through
links provided by the various publishers or through simply typing a
Universal Resource Locator (URL, Web address) into a "Go To"
command line. Users may also "copy and paste" an address into a
dialog box which will take the user to the site.

An AT&T spokesperson told Newsbytes, "access to the World Wide
Web and through the Internet dramatically raises the value we bring to
our members. This is one of many steps we have planned to expand
Interchange as a feature-rich, specialized service."

In addition, members may also access Interchange through an Internet
dial-up connection as opposed to a proprietary or direct phone-in
connection to Interchange. Members using AT&T WorldNet Managed
Internet Service can now also access Interchange Online through an
Internet connection. WorldNet is an AT&T service connecting users to
the Internet without the use of an external or internal modem on the
desktop. The company says a connection through WorldNet is usually
faster the most common modem speeds.

To access Interchange through the Internet members must have a
working Internet connection which supports Winsock.dll-compatible
access programs such as Distinct, LAN Workplace for DOS or
Windows 95 (other TCP/IP stacks are not supported at this time).

(Patrick McKenna/19951011/Press Contact: Jennifer Christensen,
AT&T New Media Services, tel [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/13/95
TELECOM
Russia - Ericsson Installs Cellular Network In Irkutsk

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00016)
Russia - Ericsson Installs Cellular Network In Irkutsk 10/13/95
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, 1995 OCT 13 (NB) -- Ericsson has announced the
successful installation of a D-AMPS (Digital American Phone System)
network, with AMPS capabilities, in the Irkutsk region of Russia. The
network will have an impressive capacity of almost a million
subscribers, Newsbytes notes.

According to Ericsson, the new net is the first cellular network in
the area and will serve the mobile needs of the tourist and business
oriented region. The licensee -- North Crown Corporation -- is
planning further service expansion once the network is fully
operational and approved for opening. The first subscribers to the net
are expected to access the service before the end of the year.

Ericsson claims that D-AMPS/AMPS systems are very popular worldwide,
with around 40 million users already. In Russia, D-AMPS/AMPS networks
now service around 1.5 million subscribers. The Irkutsk network will
join the other seven D-AMPS networks in Russia and roaming, both
within Russia and beyond to the US, is expected to be announced
shortly.

"There are a number of the D-AMPS AND AMPS systems installed in
Russia for a very simple reason: the 800 MHz band is the most widely
used band in Russia for mobile communication. It's not more difficult
to install than the 900 MHz band used for GSM communication,"
explained Per Bengtsson, information director with Ericsson's Business
Area Radiocommunications division.

Bengtsson told Newsbytes that 800 MHz is being used as the
900 MHz frequencies are already used by GSM services. "We also use
450MHz for mobile comms," he explained, adding that the 800 MHz
waveband is relatively under-used in Russia, hence its selection for
use by the D-AMPS networks.

According to Bengtsson, with the constantly growing demand for mobile
communications in Russia, the new system offers a quick and reliable
solution -- quick to install and easy to operate.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951011/Press Contact: Per Bengtsson, Business Area
Radio Communications, Ericsson [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/13/95
TRENDS
Financial Institutions At Risk From Info Strangulation?

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00017)
Financial Institutions At Risk From Info Strangulation? 10/13/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 13 (NB) -- Price Waterhouse, Informix and
Sun Microsystems have formed an alliance to meet what they claim are
the increasing information demands of the financial sector. The idea
behind the alliance is to educate and encourage users to install a
data warehouse in their organization.

According to Price Waterhouse, a data warehouse is an integrated,
consistent set of data representing the knowledge base of the whole
corporation that is accessible by authorized end users and managers to
support business analysis, modelling and decision-making.

Using a data warehouse, the consultancy firm claims, enables financial
organizations to consolidate data from disparate sources and interpret
it to help drive the business forward.

According to Andrew Davies, lead partner with Price Waterhouse's
systems solutions and integration division, access to information has
become a business imperative and is no longer an option. Financial
institutions, the consultancy claims, are suffering from data
strangulation' so that, while they have vast amounts of data, there is
insufficient valid information at the fingertips of those directing
the business.

Price Waterhouse claims that all segments of the finance sector are
affected and information is now a critical requirement for an
increasing range of business processes including marketing, customer
service, compliance and managing risk. The consultancy says that the
ability to command relevant information will determine the success or
failure of these institutions in the future. The ability to enable on-
going business change is based on placing information in the hands of
those directing the business.

"The key to successful implementation is reconciling the business
needs to the technical implementation and placing control in the hands
of those directing the business," Davies explained.

According to Price Waterhouse, while core data warehousing techniques
are valid, early initiatives are in danger of failing, incurring large
write-offs, and, perhaps more importantly, lost opportunity costs that
might never be regained.

The message from the alliance is that the problem of information
strangulation can be addressed through an information management
strategy aimed at business decision makers. The alliance, officials
explained, is built on the mutual recognition of the increasing
importance of information to institutions, the factors determining
successful implementation, and an established track record of success.

So how can companies and organizations approach the task of plugging
their corporate systems into a data warehouse system? The first stage
is to call in Price Waterhouse to undertake a study of an
organization's operations, a task known as study the current Data
Warehousing Methodology and a Proof of Concept Test, Newsbytes was
told. Using this approach allows the company, in a matter of days,
to prototype a client's own data warehouse to validate the investment
and determine the business advantages that may be generated as a result.

Implementing the data warehouse is where Informix and Sun come in,
respectively, to offer the software and hardware system to run a data
warehouse.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951011/Press Contact: Steve Waddington, A Plus +44-
1753-790700; Reader Contact: Price Waterhouse [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/13/95
TELECOM
 ****FCC Grants AT&T Non-Dominant Status

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00018)
 ****FCC Grants AT&T Non-Dominant Status 10/13/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 OCT 13 (NB) -- The Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) has relieved AT&T (NYSE:T) of the
special dominant carrier status the company has had since long-distance
telephone competition began in the United States. The ruling means AT&T
is now subject to the same rules as its newer rivals, notably MCI Corp.
(NASDAQ:MCIC) and Sprint Corp. (NYSE:FON). In particular, AT&T will
now be allowed to change its rates a day after notifying the FCC,
like the other long-distance carriers.

Until now, AT&T had to wait 45 days for FCC approval before a rate
change. This will mean AT&T no longer has to broadcast its
intentions to its competitors, company spokesman Jim McGann told
Newsbytes.

AT&T issued a statement welcoming the change, saying that the FCC ruling
"ends an outdated form of regulation rooted in a predivestiture Bell
System. It does not end the FCC's oversight of AT&T. It merely puts
AT&T on the same regulatory footing as its competitors, who for
years have used AT&T's dominant carrier' status to try to stifle
the company's ability to offer innovative new services and pricing
plans."

Rival MCI had a different reaction, however. In its own statement, MCI
called the change of status premature. MCI said AT&T controls more than
80 percent of the 0+ pay-phone long-distance market. MCI said AT&T
maintains this dominance by paying "huge commissions" to the owners of
premises where pay phones are located. MCI wants regulators to change the
present arrangement by which premises owners choose the long-distance
carriers serving pay phones to one in which the person paying for the call
chooses the carrier.

In its ruling, the FCC took two measures to protect telephone subscribers
against the possibility of higher phone rates resulting from AT&T's new
freedom. For three years, AT&T must guarantee a 15-percent discount to
low-income residential customers. The FCC also ordered AT&T to give
those customers who make less than $10 worth of long-distance calls per
month a special rate of $3 monthly for 20 minutes of calling.

The FCC ruling is to take effect 30 days after the regulatory agency issues
the text of its decision, which McGann said it will probably do next week.

(Grant Buckler/19951013/Press Contact: Herb Linnen, AT&T, 202-457-3933;
Jim McGann, AT&T, 202-457-3942; Michael Lewis, MCI, 202-887-3330 or
800-644-NEWS)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/13/95
GENERAL
Personnel Roundup

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00019)
Personnel Roundup 10/13/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, 1995 OCT 13 (NB) -- This is a regular
feature, summarizing personnel changes not covered elsewhere
by Newsbytes: America Online Inc., Mitsubishi Consumer Electronics
America Inc., Virtual Open Network Environment Corp., Zenith
Electronics Corp., Novell Inc., LSI Logic Corp., Data Broadcasting
Corp., Xerox Corp., Silicon Graphics Inc.

America Online Inc. (Nasdaq-NNM: AMER - 703-556-3746) announced that
Robert Frankenberg and Robert Pittman have been nominated to the
company's board of directors, subject to stockholder approval which
is expected to occur October 31. Frankenberg is president, chief
executive officer (CEO) and chairman of Novell Inc. Prior to joining
Novell, Frankenberg was with Hewlett-Packard Company (HP) since 1969
and held various management positions, including vice president and
general manager of the Personal Information Products Group. Robert W.
Pittman previously served as MTV Network's president and CEO, then
became president and CEO of Time Warner Enterprises, and then
chairman and CEO of Six Flags Entertainment in 1991.

Peter Skerlos has been named vice president and general manager of
Mitsubishi Consumer Electronics America Inc.'s (800-828-6372)
Consumer Electronics Engineering Center (CEEC) in Costa Mesa, Calif.
In his new role, Skerlos will direct the systems integration of the
hardware design process. He will facilitate the engineering teams'
design efforts and will counsel and support both offices in Japan
and the CEEC. Prior to joining MCEA, Skerlos held numerous executive
positions with Zenith Electronics Corporation, where he had worked
for 26 years. His most recent position was vice president of advanced
development.

Marcus Ranum, considered by many to be the father of Internet firewalls
and a leading authorities on network security, is joining Virtual Open
Network Environment Corp. (301-838-8900) as chief scientist. Ranum
has been active in the Unix networking and security community for the
last 14 years as a software engineer, system and network manager and
consultant. For the last six years, Ranum has been designing, developing
and deploying network security applications.

Zenith Electronics Corporation's (NYSE: ZE - 708-391-7713) board of
directors has elected William G. Luehrs president of the Zenith
Network Systems division, where he will be responsible for all
aspects of Zenith's business related to set-top boxes, cable modems,
and related equipment. With overall P&L responsibility for the
division, he oversees its engineering and research, sales and
marketing, and purchasing and manufacturing activities.

Sheri Anderson has been named senior vice president and chief
information officer for Novell Inc. (Nasdaq: NOVL - 415-923-1660).
In the position, Anderson takes responsibility for Novell internal
information systems and networks worldwide. She will focus on the
development, implementation and maintenance of local and wide area
networks, groupware and productivity applications, and integrated data,
voice and video systems designed to expand productivity, communication,
and collaboration among Novell personnel, customers, and business
partners. She reports to James R. Tolonen, Novell executive vice
president and chief financial officer.

Joseph M. Zelayeta has been named the general manager of LSI Logic
Corporation's (NYSE: LSI - 408-433-7139) Gresham manufacturing
campus. Zelayeta, 49, is the LSI Logic senior vice president of
Research and Development and general manager of US Wafer Fab Operations.
He has held several management positions at LSI Logic during the past
14 years.

Edward M. Anderson is now president of the Information Services
Division of Data Broadcasting Corp. (Nasdaq: DBCC - 212-208-7702), an
appointment which consolidates its DBC-West and BMI operations.
The division is a leading US provider of wireless real-time financial
market quotes and news to professional and individual investors.
Anderson succeeds B. Douglas Smith, who has been named executive vice
president, Strategic Planning, for the parent company (DBC). Both
Anderson and Smith will report to Alan Hirschfield and Allan Tessler,
co-chief executive officers of DBC.

William F. Buehler has been elected an executive vice president of
Xerox Corporation (NYSE: XRX - 203-968-3572), effective immediately.
Buehler, who joined Xerox in 1991, had served previously as senior
vice president and chief staff officer. In his new position, he will
continue to serve in the seven-member Corporate Office, which is
responsible for the leadership, management and strategic direction
of Xerox. Buehler, 56, oversees the company's United States Customer
Operations and Xerox Canada Inc., as well worldwide strategies and
policies in the areas of human resources, information management,
external affairs, total quality management, the office of the general
counsel and relations with Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd., the company's Japanese
affiliate. He is also a member of the Fuji Xerox board of directors.

Chu W. Chang has joined Silicon Graphics Inc. (NYSE: SGI - 415-390-3233)
as vice president of the Customer Support Division. Chang, 40,
will be responsible for all aspects of customer support including
revenue attainment, customer satisfaction and consistency in support
practices. Formerly with Hewlett-Packard, Chang received a bachelor's
degree in computer science from Chiao Tung University in Taiwan and
a master's degree in business administration from the University of
Wisconsin.

(Ian Stokell/19951013)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/13/95
BUSINESS
Round 2 In Time Warner-US West Battle

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00020)
Round 2 In Time Warner-US West Battle 10/13/95
ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 13 (NB) -- US West Inc.
(NYSE: USW) and Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX) have come out swinging
in round two of the battle started by US West when it moved to block
the Time Warner-Turner Broadcasting merger.

Time Warner Inc. and US West are partners in Time Warner
Entertainment Co. (TWE). In late September, US West filed suit to
stop the planned $7.5 billion merger on the grounds that it would
violate the terms of that partnership agreement. US West
insists it's opposing the merger because the deal is potentially bad
for its shareholders.

Earlier this week Time Warner countered with a lawsuit of its own,
asking the court to stop US West from pursuing its suit. Time Warner
also asked the court for permission to reform the TWE partnership to
remove final voting control from US West, which owns 25 percent of
TWE.

In its court filing, Time Warner said US West used its position in
the partnership to block major proposed cable and
telephone-related initiatives of the partnership. According to Time
Warner, those failed deals included a joint venture with Sprint
Corp., for local wireline and cellular telephone service, a joint
venture with Tele-Communications Inc., (TCI) to create an online
computer service over cable lines, and a joint venture with a major
telecommunications company to offer telephone and cable services
through TWE cable systems.

Time Warner alleges that US West's actions caused Time Warner to
lose valuable time in the highly competitive and rapidly evolving
cable and telephone industry due to US West's insistence that TWE
operate under the terms of the US anti-trust settlement with AT&T
Corp.

Time Warner also said in the court papers that US West chief
executive, Richard McCormick, once told Time that "US West's
traditional local telephone business is dead meat" because of
competition from cable television and cellular phone companies. A
US West spokesperson told The Denver Post newspaper McCormick
doesn't remember making that remark.

US West called Time Warner's countersuit "a diversion, a public
relations tactic meant to make noise." "When lawyers have the facts
on their side, they pound hard on the facts; when lawyers have the
law on their side, they pound hard on the law; when lawyers have
neither, they pound hard on the table. Time Warner's response is
table-pounding," said US West.

US West is preparing to seek shareholder approval later this month
of a plan that would allow separate trading of US West stock in its
core 14-state phone business and its Media group, which includes the
TWE partnership.

Earlier this month US West announced the new management
organization in conjunction with its cellular operations merger with
AirTouch Communications (NYSE: ATI). Beginning November 1, 1995
Wireless Management Company (WMC), which was formed to serve as a
single management resource, will begin providing support services
for both companies' separate domestic cellular operations. In the
second phase of the merger the two cellular operations will be
merged. That is scheduled for late July 1996 or when regulatory
restrictions related to the Bell system breakup are lifted or at
Airtouch's option, which ever occurs later.

Once the merger is complete the two companies' equally owned PCS
partnership will be contributed to the WMC. The PCS partnership,
which will require large amounts of capital for the buildout of
PCs markets, is expected to lose lots of money for several years.

(Jim Mallory/19951013/Press contact: Steve Lang, US West,
303-754-5441)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/13/95
TELECOM
US West Wants To Offer Phone Service Outside Its Region

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(MSP)(00021)
US West Wants To Offer Phone Service Outside Its Region 10/13/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 OCT 13 (NB) -- The US Justice
Department gave thumbs-up to a plan by US West (NYSE:USW) to offer
long-distance phone service over its cable systems outside its
region. The recommendation now goes to US District Judge Harold
Greene.

If the plan receives Greene's approval, US West could offer a range
of telephone services in dozens of cable television systems it owns
with Time Warner, along with some Atlanta systems it owns outright.

Green is the same judge who issued the order to break up then-monopoly
AT&T in 1984.

The Justice department said US West should only be allowed to offer
long-distance service in areas where it would compete with a carrier
that's already there, and only to customers who buy US West's local
phone service.

US West officials were not available for comment on this story.

In a separate announcement, AT&T (NYSE:T) said it consents with the
Justice department ruling. The company said it sees the US West cable
phone service as a "potentially valuable experiment that could help
further an important goal that AT&T has been advocating for years:
the introduction of real competition and consumer choice in the local
telephone company business that today is a complete monopoly." The
company also said the move would also further the belief that customers
should have the right to choose their long-distance carriers, and long-
distance carriers can obtain access to their customers on a fair basis.

This statement would seem to fall in line with a supposed plan by
AT&T to re-enter the local telephone business. AT&T neither
confirmed nor denied any such plan, which was first reported by
Newsbytes based on a Wall Street Journal article last August.

(Bob Woods/19951013/Press Contact: Lois Leach, U.S. West, 303-793-
6355)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/13/95
BROADCAST
Video News Roundup

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(MSP)(00022)
Video News Roundup 10/13/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 13 (NB) -- This is a
look at the top stories this week in the world of video news
reporting: NBC Desktop Video to use General Electric
compression, desktop video networks growing, ENG safety issues and
in new products; the Panasonic AG-DS550 S-VHS Superdeck, Crestron
touch screens and the Apex optical drive.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95101322.PCX
Click here for photo

New Software for NBC Desktop Video

In a New York Times story by Laurence Zuckerman, it's reported that
NBC will be using a new compression scheme for its Desktop Video
service. Developed by General Electric, the new scheme eliminates
certain inaudible portions of the audio. This will allow audio to be
transferred at 4 kilobits a second. This is about half of the
bandwidth of the most popular audio compression software presently
on the Internet, according to the story. As with most audio
"cheats," it only works well with voice data, not music. The new
software will be supported by Netscape and following Netscape's lead,
NBC intends to offer the audio reader for free on the net, but
charge for the encoding and authoring tools.

Desktop Video Networks Growing

NBC made known its commitment to desktop video by building a new
digital studio. Television Broadcast's September issue reports that
NBC's three services NBC Professional (NBC PRO), NBC Private
Financial Network (NBC PFN), and NBC Desktop Video On Demand is
serviced by a combination production studio and newsroom. Two of the
channels are strictly live so there is no editing equipment.
Meanwhile CNN's "CNN at Work," operating since last fall, is doing
well. TV Broadcast quotes CNN Interactive's Director of Operations
Sandy Bernard, "This is, in a sense, interactive television, except
it shows up on your PC. It's making the analog television signal
interactive." Other publications are looking into the fundamentals
of this trend.

September's Advanced Graphic Imaging reports on Networked
Desktop Video for commercial and industrial end users.
Besides the various technical issues is the use factor. The article
sees it has a benefit for corporate communications and training. It
could revolutionize employee education with "just in time" training
delivered to the employees desktop with a minimum of interruption to
the work schedule. October's Digital Video includes "Managing
Desktop Video on a LAN (Local Area Network)." The Desktop Video
article was written by Nels Johnson, author of How to Digitize
Video, mentioned in the previous Video Roundup. He notes that "you
should be aware that off the shelf LAN solutions have improved
dramatically over the last year or so, allowing QuickTime and AVI
clips played over local networks to rival desktop video played from
double speed CD-ROM drives."

September's Broadcast Engineering also covers the issue.
They see it as a way for broadcasters, who have
content on hand, to compete with cable and telco services. Data
broadcasting is seen as a growing force. "With televisions in
virtually every home and household PC penetration approaching 40%,
it appears that the marriage of the television and computer is
inevitable."

ENG Field Safety

Television Broadcast notes a story about a mast accident in Florida.
A WINK-TV Fort Meyers news photographer and reporter were seriously
injured when the microwave mast hit a power line as it was being
raised. Broadcast Engineering goes in depth with an article on
truck safety. Besides traffic, traffic code and electrical issues,
safety for operators is covered in a sidebar "Safety Awareness for
ENG/SNG Operators" (Electronic and Satellite News Gathering). Mast
problems, lightening, cab equipment, carbon monoxide, and RF energy
(Radio Frequency) are some of the topics addressed.

New Products

Panasonic has announced a beefing up of its S-VHS line
affording middle range pricing for a high performance S-VHS
editing deck. The new model is the AG-DS550 Hi-Fi Editing
Recorder. Dubbed the "Superdeck" it features built in LTC/VITC
(Longitudinal Time Code / Vertical Interval Time Code) time
code generators and readers, time base correction and Y/C
digital noise reduction. A playback model is available,
the AG-DS540 S-VHS Hi-Fi Editing Player.

AV Video's Product Focus for September features the Apex 4.6 GB
drive by Pinnacle Micro. It's said to have the world's highest
capacity on a single 5.35-inch disk. Average seek time is 17 ms.
Video Systems features the Crestron Color Touch. The touch screen
control panels come in a 6-inch diagonal (CT-1500) and 10-inch
(CT-3000) model. For programming, they come with the Crestron
VisionTools PC-based software.

(Newsbytes Staff/19951005/SUPERDECK951013/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/13/95
PC
UK - Apricot Unveils Home PC Range, Goes Retail

(NEWS)(PC)(LON)(00023)
UK - Apricot Unveils Home PC Range, Goes Retail 10/13/95
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 13 (NB) -- Apricot, widely considered to
be a business PC vendor, has gone consumer, unveiling a new range of
MS540 machines, which will be sold through retail channels such as
Currys and Dixons, as well as PC World.

The move is a significant one for Apricot, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi
Electric, since it marks a turning point for the company as it moves
into the booming retail sector and away from the business sector,
which is in a state of great flux.

Backing up the shift to retail, Apricot has announced plans to run a
major TV and national press advertising campaign during November and
December, with the express intention of pushing the company's new
consumer range in the all-important pre-Christmas market

"Traditionally, we have been a business PC company. With the new MS540
range, we have added a clear new consumer focus to this heritage. The
success of our previous multimedia PCs has convinced us that this
Christmas was the right time for us to focus our extensive design
expertise and experience on this new market," explained Chris Buckham,
Apricot's group marketing director.

"Often home computer users are given a choice of a business PC adapted
for the home and multimedia; poorly designed, unattractive and with
compromised quality to keep a low cost. Or they get an over-specified
and over-priced system that relies on bells and whistles the user
doesn't really need -- we believe it is time to listen to customers
and give them what they want," he said.

According Buckham, a veteran of some 10 years in the UK business
computer channel, success in the home market is not just about having
an excellent product -- the channel, he claims, is vital.

"So this Christmas, we have joined forced with the Dixons Group,
putting Apricot PCs into the high street in PC World and selected
Dixons and Currys' stores throughout the UK. To support this drive in
to the home market we are also undertaking our first product TV
advertising -- we're very serious about giving the home customer a
choice of aggressively priced and high quality PCs to choose from," he
explained.

The MS540 series unveiled this week by Apricot consists of an amazing
37 models in total, spanning the low end of the consumer market and
across into the SOHO (small office, home office) side of the market.

The home range kicks off with the MS540e, a 75 megahertz (MHz) Pentium
system with 8 megabytes (MB) of memory, Soundblaster audio, Sony quad
CD-ROM, 20 watt hi-fi speakers, 840MB hard disk and 14-inch VGA
monitor. The pricing of this system is UKP 1,399.

In the SOHO market, the LS550 series starts at UKP 1,419 for the 550E,
a 75MHz Pentium system with 8MB of memory, Ethernet and a 640MB hard
drive.

Topping out the revamped Apricot range is the VS series, aimed at SOHO
and business users. This range is claimed to be designed for the cost-
conscious business user who is not looking for the network-readiness
of the LS series, but wants a robust system. Prices for the VS series
start at UKP 1,349 for the VS550, with the same specifications as the
LS550e, but without Ethernet.

(Steve Gold/19951012/Press Contact: Lisa Francis, Text 100 +44-181-
242-4194; Internet Email: [e-mail]; Reader Contact: Apricot
Computers [phone]; Fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/13/95
TRENDS
 ****Time Warner Sends Hidden Messages In New CD-ROM Game

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00024)
 ****Time Warner Sends Hidden Messages In New CD-ROM Game 10/13/95
BURBANK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 13 (NB ) -- Next week.
Time-Warner Interactive is launching a new CD-ROM game, called
Endorfun. Designed to uplift the spirit and provide entertainment,
Endorfun contains 100 positive affirmations which are subliminally
transmitted while the game is being played.

Time Warner admits there is no scientific evidence which decidedly
proves subliminal messages affect behavior, but Endorfun's motto is "Play
More. Feel Better." The hidden messages are contained on Endorfun
Suite, an original music soundtrack created and performed by The O
Band. Prepared for the fact that some users may object to the
messages, the developer allows a user to turn off the music, but
keep the game's sound effects.

To make sure customers are comfortable with the specific affirmations,
Time Warner lists the entire 100 messages on the CD-ROM packaging.
Michael Feinberg, the developer behind Endorfun and director of Onesong
Partners, spoke to Newsbytes about the affirmations and concepts of his
latest project. "I have worked on games for the past 10 years and always
focused on material which uplifts people. Like my other projects,
Endorfun is an alternative to the many CD-ROM games which stress
violence and tension," explained Feinberg.

Revealing a few of the 100 affirmations, he commented, "They are very
straightforward and simple, such as 'I feel joyful,' 'I feel
abundance,' 'I love being alive.' We have watched people sit and
play the game, people who do not know there are subliminal messages,
and the game makes them smile and feel good. Even people who are
watching the game sometimes begin to feel happy. We are not saying
this is scientific proof. It is just what players report to us and
what we see."

The game requires players to maneuver a three-dimensional, six-colored
cube around an ever-changing grid which contains pulsating, colored
squares called "life forces." The goal is to make a calculated move to
land the cube on a matching life force cell before time runs out
or a player gets trapped by non-matching cells.

The moving of squares is only part of the game. The game's developers
say the entire game is meant to stimulate the mind and uplift
the spirit through a combination of game playing, original music,
kinetic art and subliminal affirmations.

The O Band is lead by Onye Onyemaechi, a Nigerian master drummer and
spiritual teacher and the soundtrack is a homage to the spirit of
the tribal village.

In the early development stage, Feinberg said he showed the game to a
number of different companies. "The people at Time Warner were the least
afraid and the most appreciative of what Onesong is trying to do. They
wanted to do something well-intentioned. Perhaps it has to do with some
of the bad publicity they received from controversial material, but they
have been completely supportive of our efforts to develop a title which is
positive and appealing to males and females, novice gamers and
experienced gamers," he said.

Endorfun should begin to appear on software retail shelves next
week. The $29.95 title is available on a hybrid CD which means
one CD contains Windows and Macintosh versions. Users may install a
Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Macintosh 68040x or a Power Mac version
of the game. Multimedia computer systems with a 300-kilobyte-per-
second CD transfer rate or higher are required and Mac users
need System 7.1 or higher. Feinberg is currently working on a version
for the Sony Playstation and the Sega Saturn system and projects a
first of the year shipping date.

(Patrick McKenna/19951013/Press Contact: Norma Velvikis, Faiola
Davis Public Relations, tel [phone];
/ENDORFUN951013/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
16 10/13/95
GENERAL
Compaq's Innovate Forum 95 Kicks Off Oct

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00025)
Compaq's Innovate Forum 95 Kicks Off Oct 16 10/13/95
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 13 (NB) -- Thousands of
participants from all over the globe will congregate next week in
Houston to explore the world of corporate computing.

The event is the invitation-only Compaq Computer Corp. (NYSE:
CPQ)-sponsored Innovate Forum 95. The company said the forum is
designed to "help management and technical professionals address the
current and upcoming challenges in information technology." The
four-day event will offer technical and strategic roundtable
discussions and keynote speeches by industry luminaries.

The program will consist of a dozen half and full-day sessions that
will highlight case studies and examine how the spotlighted
companies handled their own corporate computing challenges and
technical hurdles. Specific topics will include how companies are
using network management and other tools to lower network ownership
costs, disaster recovery planning and risk management for
client/server platforms and how to justify costs for those plans to
management.

Sessions on mobile computing will highlight how mobile computing can
be used for applications like multimedia, disaster recovery and
desktop replacements. Other sessions include "Enabling Remote
Workers," "The Office of the Future," "Exploiting the Internet,"
"Managing the Transition to Windows 95," and "Reengineering
Business Processes in a Client/Server Environment."

Innovate Forum 95 won't be all lecture and discussion. Participants
will be able to explore products and services on display in the
60,000 square foot display exhibit area. More than 40 vendors,
including Microsoft, IBM, Sybase, Oracle, SAP, Lotus, SCO Cheyenne
and Banyan will be showing their wares. There will also be numerous
technical breakout sessions for engineers who design and develop
advanced technologies.

(Jim Mallory/19951013/Press contact: Compaq Public Relations,
713-374-0484)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/12/95
PC
Compaq To Support Third-Party PC Cards

(NEWS)(PC)(DEN)(00026)
Compaq To Support Third-Party PC Cards 10/12/95
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 12 (NB) -- In a move that will
eliminate confusion over who should provide support for some PC
peripherals, Compaq Computer Corp. (NYSE: CPQ) has announced it will
provide technical support for PC cards from a number of vendors
and will also publish a list of other products that have been
tested for compatibility with its computers.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95101226.PCX
Click here for photo

PC Card is the terminology now in use for what used to be called
PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association)
devices, the credit-card sized cards that slip into expansion slots
in most laptop PCs to provide a data/fax modem, network connections,
sound, additional memory, device emulation and other peripheral
services.

In the past it has been easy for users to become frustrated when
they are told "it's not our device, you need to call the other
company to find out how to configure it." The Compaq policy
eliminates any possibility of that happening if your using one of
that company's computers and have installed a PC card on the tested
and approved list.

Compaq spokesperson John Sweney told Newsbytes the list of devices
either tested by the company or tested by the vendor using Compaq
guidelines will be updated quarterly. You can ask to see the list
when you buy your Compaq PC or obtain it from Compaq's faxback
system. It's also posted on Compaq's home page on the World Wide Web
at the Uniform Resource Locator address http://www.compaq.com .

The list is divided into two parts. Sweney said cards on the Premier
PC Card list have been jointly tested by the company and the vendor
on all Compaq PCs that have PC Card slots and on all Compaq
pre-installed operating systems, including Windows 3.1 and Windows
95. By mid-1996 the cards will also be approved for use with
Windows NT, IBM's OS/2 Warp and Windows for Workgroups. About 20 PC
Cards are currently on the Premier list. Vendors get to put the
Compaq PC Card Solutions logo on their product packaging and in
their advertising for devices on the list. The logo is a vertical
rectangle with the word "Compaq" at the top and "PC Card Solution"
at the bottom. A large check mark occupies the center of the
rectangle. It's devices on that list for which Compaq will provide
technical support.

In addition to well-known vendors like Intel, 3Com, IBM, Xircom and
Compaq, less familiar names like Hotline, Lasat, Psion, Calluna
Technology, SanDisk, New Media and DCI are currently on the Premier
list.

The Compaq support covers questions about device configuration and
installation. "We will support those cards as if they are our own,"
said Sweney. the service does not provide warranty repair of
PC Cards. That will still have to be done through the manufacturer,
said Sweney.

PC Cards on the second list, called Standard PC Card Solutions, have
been vendor-tested at Compaq's lab using Compaq specifications.
Compaq said these cards are qualified on Windows 3.1 and tested on an
ongoing basis on Windows 95 and other popular operating systems.
Sweney said while Compaq doesn't provide technical support for
those products, "They have been tested and we are reasonably sure
they work with our products." Presently there are about 70
products on the Standard list.

(Jim Mallory/19951012/Press contact: Compaq Public Relations,
713-514-0484; Public contact: Compaq, 800-345-1518 or Compaq forums
on America Online, Compuserve and Prodigy or 800-345-1518 for
faxback/PCCARD951013/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/13/95
IBM
IBM Intros TeamConnection "Groupware" For Developers

(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00027)
IBM Intros TeamConnection "Groupware" For Developers 10/13/95
ARMONK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 13 (NB) -- IBM's new
TeamConnection combines IBM-created configuration management with
an object database from Object Design Inc., to let teams of
developers migrate mainframe applications to the client-server
environment, in addition to building enterprise-level "second-
generation three-tier" applications from scratch, said IBM's
Ralph Rodriguez, in a briefing for Newsbytes.

Corporations today are moving away from "brittle, monolithic
applications" to more adaptive, object-oriented environments that
support workgroup enablement, workflow, and "network centricity,"
according to Rodriguez, an exec in IBM's Software Solutions
Division.

"Organizations are also trying in use information about their
businesses in business process re-engineering (BPR). They're also
trying to figure out how to leverage their `value-added'
relationships (in software). And, if they happen to be global,
they are also concerned about multiple platforms and languages,
cost distribution and management, and scalability to the
enterprise," Rodriguez told Newsbytes.

"We are the first to provide this level of scalability to the
client-server development environment. So we regard
TeamConnection as a very important announcement," the IBM exec
maintained.

IBM, he revealed, chose Object Design's ObjectStore as
TeamConnection's object repository on the basis of ObjectStore's
ability to store fine-grained objects, such as intricate GUIs
(graphical user interfaces) with "a multitude of parts," as well
as coarse-grained objects, such as documentation code.

"ObjectStore is a place where you can store all your assets:
data, objects, and code," Rodriguez elaborated. Other kinds of
components that can be stored in the object database include
relational databases, operational data and relationships, objects
representing business processes, and meta data, for "managing the
parts," he illustrated.

On top of ObjectStore, IBM has built configuration services, as
well as data constraints for "defining the information in the
repositories," version control, problem tracking, and change
control, according to Rodriguez. Developers can be notified of
changes to development data, and alerted as to when they should
take action.

TeamConnection also allows for "integrated build" functionality,
permitting teams to split up development into "multiple parallel
tasks" for higher efficiency, he maintained.

Other features include a reporting facility, backup and recovery
of archival storage, and integration with crossplatform tools
from IBM that include VisualGen 2.0, VisualAge for C++, VisualSet
for OS/2 Cobol, and PL/I for OS/2. TeamConnection also includes a
set of APIs (application programming interfaces) for integrating
third- party tools into the team development environment. A
built-in "information model" allows the tools to share data.

Also during the briefing, Patrick Deville, a TeamConnection beta
user, told Newsbytes that his company, Ciba-Geigy Ltd., has
integrated PACBASE/CS -- a life-cycle development environment
first built with VisualGen -- with TeamConnection in a pilot
application.

Ciba-Geigy, a biological and chemical company with 80,000
employees worldwide, is interested in obtaining benefits of the
client-server environment that include reduced costs, "more
robust applications," and crossplatform portability, said
Deville, who is new technologies consultant for Ciba-Geigy, a
firm that moved from the mainframe environment last year.

"We also want to be able to use TeamConnection as the basis for
integrating other client-server tools," he reported. Ultimately,
Ciba-Geigy expects to extend the use of TeamConnection to a
development team of about 40 staffers, according to Deville.

Rodriguez told Newsbytes that client and server components of
TeamConnection for IBM's OS/2 environment will ship on October
24. IBM will deliver a Windows NT server, as well as clients for
"the Windows family," in the first half of 1996. Client and
server functionality will be available for AIX and HP-UX 90 days
from now, and for other Unix platforms within the next six to 12
months, said the IBM exec.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951012/Reader Contact: IBM, 914-765-1900;
Press Contacts: Keith Mary Rantas-Drew, IBM, 914-766-1211; Chris
Webber, Brodeur & Partners for IBM, 617-622-2854)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/13/95
TELECOM
France Telecom Pulls Out Of Austrian GSM License Bid

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00028)
France Telecom Pulls Out Of Austrian GSM License Bid 10/13/95
PARIS, FRANCE, 1995 OCT 13 (NB) -- France Telecom has announced it has
pulled out of the bidding for a third GSM (global system for mobile
communications) digital cellular network in Austria.

The move leaves just two players in the running, Telecom Finland and
a consortium of private investors, for Austrian's proposed third GSM
network. Industry experts are predicting that Telecom Finland is the
likely candidate, but a decision by the Austrian Government is not
expected until later this year.

The news comes just as Motorola's European Cellular Infrastructure
Division has started work on a $50 million Phase 2 expansion of the
PTV (Generaldirektion fur die Post-und Telegraphenverwaltung) private
GSM network in Austria. The project will mean that the PTV network
will have the same coverage as its analog network, and push the state
D-Netz GSM network into second position as far as coverage is
concerned.

According to PTV, the phase 2 installation will increase coverage of
the PTV GSM network on a national scale, building on the Motorola
digital cellular infrastructure already in place in every major
Austrian city and transportation route.

The resources that PTV is pouring into expanding its GSM network in
Austria may pour cold water on Telecom Finland's aspirations to
become Austria's third GSM network provider, since most other
European countries only have two GSM networks. Experts have been
predicting for some time that the Austrian Government's plan to
operate three GSM nets in the country was overly optimistic, given the
costs of installing a GSM network.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951012/Press Contact: France telecom Direction de
L'International [phone]; Fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/13/95
ONLINE
Japan's High-Speed Academic Link To Thailand

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(HKG)(00029)
Japan's High-Speed Academic Link To Thailand 10/13/95
BANGKOK, THAILAND, 1995 OCT 13 (NB) -- Thailand and Japan have
inaugurated a high-speed data communications link to promote joint
international study and research development funded by the
Japanese Government.

Thailand's Minister of Science, Technology and Energy Yingphan
Manasikarn presided at the formal opening of a two megabits per
second (2mbps) link between the ThaiSarn academic network and
Japan's largest computer network, the Science Network (SINET) of
the National Centre for Science Information Systems (NACSIS).

The high-speed link, which will effectively quadruple existing
data communications links between Thailand and the outside world,
is funded by Japan's Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and
Culture to the tune of 160 million yen (40 million baht) a year.

This data link allows computers to "talk" to one another, and
the two-megabit link enables digitized information to be
transferred some 70 times faster than the fastest telephone dial-
up computer modem allows at 28.8Kbps -- effectively allowing many
more simultaneous links to be maintained.

The link will enhance academic Internet access, allow for
teleconferencing, provide access to electronic library services
and for the interconnection of supercomputers, explained NACSIS
Director General Hiroshi Inose.

Signing a memorandum of understanding was Dr Inose and National
Electronics and Computer Technology Centre (NECTEC) Director
Professor Pairash Tachjayapong.

The link will augment Japan's existing high-speed data links
between SINET and the United States and the United Kingdom, and
is the first such link of its kind in the region for the Japanese
Government agency.

Dr Inose said that the government of Japan is now actively
pursuing investment in an information infrastructure, and that
the rapid development in Thailand's economy has helped narrow the
gap between the two countries, thus providing the opportunity for
Japan to assist with this network link.

He added that some 10 years ago, the Japanese economy and those
of its neighbors had vast differences, but that now the
economies of Thailand, Singapore and Korea are growing up more
easily, so it helps the Japanese economy. "If not for the rapid
growth in Thailand's economy, Japan's recession would be much
worse," he noted.

The link between Thailand and Japan will promote joint
international study and R&D experiments aimed at developing
solutions for future academic information systems and networks on
the road to the Global Information Infrastructure, Dr Inose
added.

"We would regard this communications link as the first step
towards globalization," for Japan's communications, he said.

(Tony Waltham and Post Database-Bangkok Post/19951004)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/13/95
GOVT
Thailand - EDI Venture Tradesiam Gets Go-ahead

(NEWS)(GOVT)(HKG)(00030)
Thailand - EDI Venture Tradesiam Gets Go-ahead 10/13/95
BANGKOK, THAILAND, 1995 OCT 13 (NB) -- The Thai Cabinet has
approved the establishment of a joint government and private
sector venture to be called Tradesiam, which will be an
electronic data interchange (EDI) operator.

The 260 million baht (US$10.4 million) in registered capital
for Tradesiam will be funded by the government agencies, with a
49 percent holding, and private investors.

The government shareholders comprise National Science,
Technology Development Agency of the Ministry of Science,
Technology and Environment, the Ministry of Transport and
Communications, the Finance Ministry and the Commerce Ministry.

The National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre
(NECTEC) will be in charge of seeking investors from the private
sector, while related state enterprises and government offices
will consider the jointly investing in the project.

Thai Cabinet ministers also agreed that private investors must
come from the Crown Property Bureau, the transport sector, the
financial and insurance businesses or be industry users such as
the Federation of Thai Industries, Thai Chamber of Commerce, and
Thai Bankers' Association.

Tradesiam, a project of Thailand's National Information
Technology Policy Committee, will receive Board of Investment
privileges.

Dr Pichet Durongaveroj, director of NITC secretariat office,
told Newsbytes that Tradesiam would need a year to prepare for
providing services. The process will comprise setting up a
committee, seeking funds, locating premises, recruiting personnel
and obtaining equipment.

At this stage NECTEC will be responsible for seeking funds from
the private sector and would appoint company board members and a
managing director. After that, other processes will be the
responsibility of the managing director, he said.

The firm will run as a private sector business with the
government to overlook confidential information on international
trading.

He said there might be many EDI systems in a country such as
EDI in banks and department stores. However, Tradesiam will
oversee only international trade.

"Thailand should quickly establish an international EDI service
since our neighboring countries such as Malaysia and Singapore
have already done so," he said, adding it will attract more
foreign investors to Thailand.

Tradesiam will provide EDI services to government offices such
as the Customs Department as well as private sector.

(Tony Waltham and Post Database-Bangkok Post/19951004)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/13/95
GENERAL
Australian News Briefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00031)
Australian News Briefs 10/13/95
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 1995 OCT 13 (NB) -- Here are today's news
briefs from down under: Sydney's Mac Computer Systems saved from
oblivion, PCS Australia records record profits, Sharp says
color computer sales booming, CeBit applications close, Navy offers
charts of Australia's coast, Sydney museum gets antique computer,
awards for best Australian business software, QBE Insurance
standardizes on IBM's Warp.

Sydney's Mac Computer Systems Saved From Oblivion

G.M. Computer Engineering has purchased the failed Sydney Apple
reseller Mac Computer Systems (MCS) from the receiver. According
to a statement from Apple Computer Australia, Gibbons has confirmed
that G.M. Computer will merge its service business with MCS. The doors
have already opened for trade at the old MCS address in Sydney.
Apple says it will honor orders prepaid by customers of the former
MCS. Affected customers are advised to call 1 800 807 495 to make
the necessary arrangements.

PCS Australia Records Record Profits

PCS Australia, computer product distributor and reseller, says it has
turned in record profits to September 30, despite a management buy-out
earlier in the year. According to PCS, the buy-out was finalized in
April, and saw PCS directors sweep up three of the company's seven
partners. "We have cemented our position as NEC Information Systems
Australia's number one reseller in this country," says Syd Borg,
CEO at PCS. PCS claims to be one of the 25 largest computer hardware
retailers in Australia.

Sharp Says Color Computer Sales Booming

Sharp Australia says sales of its Color Star PC 3010 and 3050 486
computers are charging along. Mark Leathan, Sharp's SOHO sales and
marketing manager, says three months' worth of stock was sold in two
weeks when the machines were released in August. On the basis of this
success, Sharp is now planning to launch new models in November based
on what it calls "next-generation processor technology."

CeBit Applications Close

Australian applications for the 1996 CeBit exhibition in Hanover have now
closed. According to InTelligent Australia, there have been more than 100
bookings for display space from companies and industry bodies. "We are
especially encouraged that 20 of the applications from individual
companies are from newcomers," says Dieter Le Comte, Austrade's executive
general manager for Europe. CeBit is scheduled for March 1996. Exhibitors
will be briefed during a national road show kicking off in Perth on
October 31.

Navy Offers Charts Of Australia's Coast

The Australian Navy has launched the first of its new official electronic
computer charts of the Australian coastline. Andy Waddington, survey
manager on HMAS Moresby, said the charts had debuted with the Australian
Navy's new electronic navigation system ECDIS (The Electronic Chart
Display and Information System). Waddington says real-time functionality
is a feature of the charts. "A paper chart tells you where you have
been. You plan on the paper chart where you want to go and fix the ship's
position," he said, adding, "The electronic charts update it every two
seconds and display that information in real time."

Sydney Museum Gets Antique Computer

Sydney's Powerhouse Museum has successfully bid for a nineteenth century
calculating machine designed by British mathematics professor Charles
Babbage, paying a reported AUS$279,265 for the antique, around three times
the value estimated by Christie's auction house. Reuters reports that the
calculating machine was expected to sell for about 50,000 pounds ($79,015),
but went to the Powerhouse after strong bidding. Babbage's Difference Engine
No. 1 was conceived in 1821 and developed between 1823 and 1833 to help
eliminate mathematical errors in navigation, science, surveying, and
banking. Initially government-funded, Babbage's project faltered in 1833
after the funding was revoked. Sections built later according to Babbage's
design showed that it would have worked. According to Reuters, the part of
the Difference Engine sold by Christie's was one of six assembled in 1879 by
Babbage's son, Henry, from pieces of the original.

Awards For Best Australian Business Software

The Nine TV network's Small Business Show in Australia is launching an
award for the best Australian business software. The Nine Network says the
award is worth about AUS$30,000 in cash and prizes. "The award is open to
every type of software for any industry, on either a PC or Mac platform. The
only prerequisite is that it's a business application," says Stephen Rice,
executive producer of the program. Entries close on November 13.

QBE Insurance Standardizes On IBM's Warp

Who said OS/2 Warp is dying? Not QBE Insurance which has revealed plans to
introduce 1000 new PCs running Warp to 70-odd branches round Australia. The
deal is part of a systems upgrade being handled by ISSC Australia (the
IBM-Lend Lease services joint venture). QBE's desktops previously ran under
DOS; now they'll use Warp and Lotus SmartSuite to access the company's core
insurance system, running under MVS/DB2.

(Computer Daily News/19951006)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/13/95
CHIPS
China - Motorola Semiconductor Plant In Tianjin

(NEWS)(CHIPS)(PEK)(00032)
China - Motorola Semiconductor Plant In Tianjin 10/13/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 OCT 13 (NB) -- Motorola will invest US$720 million
to build a semiconductor plant in Tianjin of North China, the company
announced recently in a news conference in Beijing. Construction of the
new plant is expected to begin in November. It is scheduled to be
operational in the first quarter of 1998.

The new plant of 3 million square feet in the Xiqing area represents the
company's increasing interests in Tianjin, bringing the total investment
of Motorola China Electronics Ltd., (MCEL) to more than US$1 billion in
the port city.

Motorola decided that profits earned in China will be reinvested within
the country, the company said. The firm's level of re-investment has
made it a leader among foreign investors in China's electronics
industry, the company noted.

MCEL, located in Tianjin Economic and Technology Development Area,
started up in 1992 with an initial investment of 120 million. It made an
additional investment of 160 million in April 1994. The new investment
designed to enhance the existing capacity in producing semiconductors,
will finance the set up of a high-technology semiconductor plant.

By the end of 2000, the firm's total investment in China should reach
$1.2 billion, the company said. The newly announced investment scheme
will not only include the construction of the plant but also involve
expanding MCEL's capacity regarding radio-pager and cellular phone
production in Tianjin.

Mass production which is expected to start in 1998 will not only be
targeted for Chinese consumers but also for foreign markets.

MCEL is very active in the Chinese market and it earned two awards last
year for being among the top 10 foreign invested firms in exports and in
sales issued by the Chinese Foreign Investment Association. Motorola
was the only electronics company that won two of the association's
awards.

Besides in Tianjin, Motorola also plans to set up a joint venture with
the Nanjing Panda Electronics Group Corporation to produce personal
computers. The two parties expect to sign a contract this October.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951006/Reader Contact: Motorola China
Electronics Ltd., tel [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/13/95
LEGAL
China - 12 Publishing Houses Punished For CD Piracy

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(PEK)(00033)
China - 12 Publishing Houses Punished For CD Piracy 10/13/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 OCT 13 (NB) -- The State Copyright Administration
(SCA) has announced in Beijing that 12 publishing houses and companies
discovered to have pirated CDs and video discs, have been brought
before the courts. The announcement comes just prior to the half-
yearly review of China's piracy crackdown by US negotiators.

A SCA spokesman said that a number of publishing houses and companies
were caught during a recent raid aimed at seizing pirated CDs. Although
there was no release of a complete list of those companies, the
spokesman said that Beijing Video and Audio Corp, Shanghai Video
and Audio Publishing House, Guangdong Provincial Phonograph Corp,
the Nanjing Video and Audio Publishing House, and Shenzhen Video
and Audio Corp, were caught during the raid.

The spokesman said that the pirated works included films from the United
States and other countries and those of some Hong Kong pop singers. Some
of the publishing houses had false authorization papers, and some made
false claims about having legal authorization, he said.

The SCA and local copyright administrations will cooperate in a
new anti-piracy campaign soon, which will focus on video discs
and CD-ROMs, the spokesman said.

The spokesman stated strongly that no copyrighted products will be
allowed to be published until they are authorized by the copyright
owners and he further emphasized that those who break the copyright law
to a serious extent will be caught and handed over to the court.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951006)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/13/95
LEGAL
 ****US/China's Overcrowded Copyright Talks Bogged Down

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(HKG)(00034)
 ****US/China's Overcrowded Copyright Talks Bogged Down 10/13/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 OCT 13 (NB) -- American and Chinese officials
in Beijing are deep into another round of talks on policing
copyright. The half-yearly review is looking at how Beijing is living
up to an agreement to stamp out copyright piracy signed last year.

Newsbytes was told last night that negotiators are still stumped over an
old issue -- control and closure of CD manufacturing plants. "The
consultations have been going along in a positive manner," said Business
Software Alliance (BSA) Director Alix Parlour, just returned to Hong Kong
from Beijing. "[But] there are still differences between the two sides."

The differences arise from the continued operation of plants, which
produce allegedly pirated material. The US side maintains they
should have been shut down -- as China was committed to do.

Following pressure from the US software, film and publishing industries,
which, together, claim they're losing billions through Mainland theft,
US Trade Representative staff entered into tough negotiations with
Chinese officials late last year.

After much huffing and puffing on both sides, the Americans finally got
the Chinese to agree to clamp down hard on violators. A big feature
of that undertaking concerned closing down CD manufacturing plants
which were known to be shipping pirated software and CDs across Asia.

The Chinese assured the Americans they would close these plants, or
at least clean them up, by last July. But, according to Parlour,
22 of the original 27 plants are still in business. Earlier this
year, with much fanfare, Beijing announced the closure of the
infamous Shenyang plant. But that was back in business within
weeks. "Beijing seems unable to get the provincial authorities
to stop the manufacture of illegal copyrighted material," said
Parlour.

As if to make the point, Hong Kong Customs officers have just seized
25,000 CDs smuggled into the territory earlier this week. The BSA
was asked to examine the contraband and declared the entire cache
counterfeit. "Think about it -- 25,000 CDs," Parlour exclaimed.
"Any major publisher would be pleased to ship that amount."

The talks, due to end Friday, have been stretched out to accommodate
the profusion of ministries China has marshalled for the session.
Even the Aviation Ministry has asked to put its oar in. "Everyone
has to have their say," groaned the BSA chief.

The US side is being led by deputy assistant trade representative Lee
Sands.

(Nigel Armstrong & I.T. Daily/19951012)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/13/95
BUSINESS
Shoddy Workmanship Shuts ICL China PC Plant

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00035)
Shoddy Workmanship Shuts ICL China PC Plant 10/13/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 OCT 13 (NB) -- Just months after it opened,
and with just 2,000 PCs to show for the trouble, ICL's Guangdong PC
assembly plant in Panyu has been shut down.

According to John Cohem, ICL's marketing director in Hong Kong, the plant
just wasn't up to turning out quality products -- a sorry record that
threatened to drive the cost of ICL's warranty program through the roof.
The factory, the brain-child of former managing director Kenneth Ng,
assembled the units from knock-down kits.

Cohem wouldn't be drawn on how much ICL dropped on the venture. But he
did say it made a lot of financial sense for ICL to pull out of it
sooner rather than later. "The warranty claims on the computers out
of the factory became painful," said Cohem.

The idea behind setting up the assembly plant was to bypass import duties
on PCs sold in China. "But the cost of the warranty claims meant that,
even with import duties, computers manufactured in Scandinavia made
nearly double the profit -- so we closed it down," Cohem confessed.

The move came a step ahead of the closing of ICL's Beijing office, which
will eventually be replaced by a joint venture office with Fujitsu,
which has a 70% stake in the company once billed as Britain's
largest computer firm.

In July, Fujitsu joined forces with its UK unit and agreed to take charge
of ICL PC sales throughout Asia, under a separate company called FITA --
Fujitsu, ICL Trading Asia. In that role, FITA will support ICL's PC and
mid-range products in China, with the help of third parties like TOP
Asia.

One ICL insider confided the company had trouble getting money and
service out of some of its distributors in China. With Fujitsu
apparently spending heavily to break into the China market, added
to the fact that FITA had just been created, it made more sense
to hand operations over to its Japanese parent, he said.

FITA, based in Singapore and run by Ian Leech of ICL, is a 60/40
Fujitsu/ICL project.

According to ICL, 80% of Beijing office sales revenue came from PCs. Most
mid-range China sales originated in Hong Kong. Customers would buy in the
territory and ship product out themselves.

(Nigel Armstrong & I.T. Daily/19951012)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/13/95
TELECOM
Nortel Snaps Up US$14 Million China Deal

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(HKG)(00036)
Nortel Snaps Up US$14 Million China Deal 10/13/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 OCT 13 (NB) -- Northern Telecom has sold a
US$14.5 million fiber radio system to the China National Postal
and Telecommunications Appliances Corporation (PTAC). Officials said
the system will form the backbone of the country's first major
synchronous digital hierarchy radio transmission network.

The network, which can link to conventional networks, uses digital
technology to transmit more data and voice than is possible on current
lines. The FibreWorld SDH Radio 5/40 system obviates laying hundreds of
kilometers of fibre.

The net will serve Hubei, Jaingxi and Fujian provinces and run 900 km,
spliced by 18 relay points. Nortel said it will be capable of carrying the
equivalent of over 24,000 voice channels simultaneously.

(Nigel Armstrong & I.T. Daily/19951011)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/13/95
GENERAL
Newsbytes Week In Review

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00037)
Newsbytes Week In Review 10/13/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 13 (NB) -- This is a
look at the top stories this week, listing with their category code:
Mentor & Microtec To Merge, Stac Electronics Acquires California
Software, Caere To Acquire ViewStar, Compuserve To Page Users When
E-Mail Is Received, UUNet Technologies Announces Intent To Acquire
Unipalm, Jim Manzi Resigns As Lotus CEO, IBM Senior VP, Viacom &
Tellabs To Offer Cable TV/Phone Service, IBM Germany To Shed 1,200
More Jobs, Lotus 1-2-3 Aims To "Take Back Lead" From Microsoft,
FCC Grants AT&T Non-Dominant Status, US/China's Overcrowded Copyright
Talks Bogged Down, AT&T Interchange Online Links To World Wide Web,
Time Warner Sends Hidden Messages In New CD-ROM Game.

Mentor & Microtec To Merge (BUSINESS)

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 10 (NB) --Mentor Graphics
Corporation (NASDAQ: MENT), and Microtec Research Inc. (NASDAQ:MTEC)
have agreed to merge in a stock swap valued at $130 million. Microtec
Research is a supplier of software products for the development of
embedded systems, and  Mentor Graphics primarily designs, manufactures,
markets and distributes electronic design automation (EDA) software.

Stac Electronics Acquires California Software (BUSINESS)

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 10 (NB) -- Well-known data
compression specialist, Stac Electronics (NASDAQ:STAC) plans to develop
a suite of Internet business applications as data compression becomes
integrated into operating systems. In a move designed to "build an
internal foundation for these new applications," Stac has announced
the acquisition of California Software.

Caere To Acquire ViewStar (BUSINESS)

LOS GATOS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 10 (NB) -- Building
on last year's merger with Calera, Caere, a leader in optical character
recognition (OCR) technology, has announced an agreement to merge with
ViewStar, a developer of workflow, document, and image management
software. The $40 million merger will take Caere technology into the
high-end client/server and minicomputer/mainframe environments.

Compuserve To Page Users When E-Mail Is Received (ONLINE)

COLUMBUS, OHIO, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 11 (NB) -- Compuserve is extending its
reach from the wired world of online services and the Internet to the
wireless realm of paging services. Starting in November, the online
network will page its subscribers when electronic-mail is waiting from
either other members or through the Internet, among other features.

UUNet Technologies Announces Intent To Acquire Unipalm (BUSINESS)

CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 11 (NB) -- UUNet Technologies Inc., the
US Internet service provider (SP), has announced its intention to
acquire Unipalm, the UK Internet group that owns Pipex, which is
widely recognized as being the largest UK Internet SP. Pipex also has
deals with several European Internet SPs for effective pan-European
Internet access.

Jim Manzi Resigns As Lotus CEO, IBM Senior VP (IBM)

CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 11 (NB) -- In a
teleconference today, Jim Manzi publicly announced plans to
resign from his 13-year post as president and chief executive
officer (CEO) of Lotus Development Corporation, as well as from
the role he assumed as senior VP of IBM when IBM acquired Lotus
in June.

Viacom & Tellabs To Offer Cable TV/Phone Service (BUSINESS)

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 12 (NB) -- Cable giant
Viacom, and Tellabs (NASDAQ:TLAB), are combining their respective cable
delivery system and voice and data transport technology to offer full
telephone service alongside standard cable television features. Following
a California Public Utility Commission ruling, Viacom says it is building
a pilot program in Castro Valley, California, which offers cable TV and
full service local and long distance calling.

IBM Germany To Shed 1,200 More Jobs (IBM)

STUTTGART, GERMANY, 1995 OCT 12 (NB) -- IBM has announced plans to
shed 1,200 staff over the next 12 months. According to Horst Richter,
a member of the supervisory board of Big Blue's German operation, and
a senior member of IG Metall, the German trade union, the staff cuts
are on top of the 6,000 positions already lost over the last year.

Lotus 1-2-3 Aims To "Take Back Lead" From Microsoft (IBM)

CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A, 1995 OCT 13 (NB) -- Through a
"complete rebuild" of Lotus 1-2-3 for the Windows 95 environment,
supported by a new $30 rebate plan for current 1-2-3 for Windows
3.1 users, Lotus is squaring off to "take back the lead" from
Microsoft in the spreadsheet market, said Jeffrey Anderholm,
director of product marketing for spreadsheets at Lotus, in an
interview with Newsbytes.

FCC Grants AT&T Non-Dominant Status (TELECOM)

WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 OCT 13 (NB) -- The Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) has relieved AT&T (NYSE:T) of the
special dominant carrier status the company has had since long-distance
telephone competition began in the United States. The ruling means AT&T
is now subject to the same rules as its newer rivals, notably MCI Corp.
(NASDAQ:MCIC) and Sprint Corp. (NYSE:FON). In particular, AT&T will
now be allowed to change its rates a day after notifying the FCC,
like the other long-distance carriers.

US/China's Overcrowded Copyright Talks Bogged Down (LEGAL)

CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 OCT 13 (NB) -- American and Chinese officials
in Beijing are deep into another round of talks on policing
copyright. The half-yearly review is looking at how Beijing is living
up to an agreement to stamp out copyright piracy signed last year.

AT&T Interchange Online Links To World Wide Web (ONLINE)

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 13 (NB) --
AT&T Interchange Online Network, a specialized service of
independent publishers, incorporated Netscape Communication's
(NASDAQ:NTSC) Netscape Navigator 1.2 into its online software.
Subscribers to Interchange may now access the service through an
Internet connection.

Time Warner Sends Hidden Messages In New CD-ROM Game (TRENDS)

BURBANK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 13 (NB ) -- Next week.
Time-Warner Interactive is launching a new CD-ROM game, called
Endorfun. Designed to uplift the spirit and provide entertainment,
Endorfun contains 100 positive affirmations which are subliminally
transmitted while the game is being played.

(Ian Stokell/19951012)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00038)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 10/13/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 13 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|            Friday, October 13, 1995            |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network's 1995 Update CD-ROM for Mac, DOS, and Windows is
now available for $29.95 (includes s&h). Contains 1983-1995 news
stories, more than 64,000 keyword searchable stories and 475 digitized
images. For more information or to order, fax to 612-430-0441 or e-mail
to '[e-mail]' -- MC, Visa, Amex accepted.

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

BROADCAST ACTV, Sarnoff Center To Develop Digital TV Products........ 08

BROADCAST Video News Roundup......................................... 22

BUSINESS  Germany - AT&T Closes Augsberg Facility.................... 04

BUSINESS  Round 2 In Time Warner-US West Battle...................... 20

BUSINESS  Shoddy Workmanship Shuts ICL China PC Plant................ 35

CHIPS     China - Motorola Semiconductor Plant In Tianjin............ 32

GENERAL   Asia Market Fastest-growing For Lexmark.................... 10

GENERAL   Personnel Roundup.......................................... 19

GENERAL   Compaq's Innovate Forum 95 Kicks Off Oct 16................ 25

GENERAL   Australian News Briefs..................................... 31

GENERAL   Newsbytes Week In Review................................... 37

GOVT      Thailand - EDI Venture Tradesiam Gets Go-ahead............. 30

IBM       IBM Intros TeamConnection "Groupware" For Developers....... 27

LEGAL     "British FBI" Coming....................................... 05

LEGAL     China - 12 Publishing Houses Punished For CD Piracy........ 33

LEGAL      ****US/China's Overcrowded Copyright Talks Bogged Down.... 34

ONLINE    Lucky Lotto On The Internet................................ 02

ONLINE    Internet Update............................................ 03

ONLINE    ZD Net Offers Free Personalized News On Internet........... 09

ONLINE    Service Shortens Long Internet Addresses................... 12

ONLINE    US West's Internet-Based Network For Businesses............ 13

ONLINE     ****AT&T Interchange Online Links To World Wide Web....... 15

ONLINE    Japan's High-Speed Academic Link To Thailand............... 29

PC        Australia - Compaq Opens Christmas Hamper.................. 11

PC        UK - Apricot Unveils Home PC Range, Goes Retail............ 23

PC        Compaq To Support Third-Party PC Cards..................... 26

TELECOM   UK Firm Slashes UK/US Call Costs To 16c/minute............. 06

TELECOM   China Coming Onstream With GSM Mobile Phones............... 14

TELECOM   Russia - Ericsson Installs Cellular Network In Irkutsk..... 16

TELECOM    ****FCC Grants AT&T Non-Dominant Status................... 18

TELECOM   US West Wants To Offer Phone Service Outside Its Region.... 21

TELECOM   France Telecom Pulls Out Of Austrian GSM License Bid....... 28

TELECOM   Nortel Snaps Up US$14 Million China Deal................... 36

TRENDS    Financial Institutions At Risk From Info Strangulation..... 17

TRENDS     ****Time Warner Sends Hidden Messages In New CD-ROM Game.. 24

UNIX      Insignia Boosts PC Emulation To 80486 Under Unix........... 07

WINDOWS    ****Lotus 1-2-3 Aims To "Take Back Lead" From Microsoft... 01

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 ->  ****Lotus 1-2-3 Aims To "Take Back Lead" From Microsoft -- Through
a "complete rebuild" of Lotus 1-2-3 for the Windows 95 environment,
supported by a new $30 rebate plan for current 1-2-3 for Windows 3.1
users, Lotus is squaring off to "take back the lead" from Microsoft in
the spreadsheet market, said Jeffrey Anderholm, director of product
marketing for spreadsheets at Lotus, in an interview with Newsbytes.

2 -> Lucky Lotto On The Internet -- The tiny European country of
Liechtenstein, nestled between the Swiss and Austrian borders, has
launched the first lotto to be conducted exclusively on the Internet.
The operators hope to entice people with the attraction of the highest
prize pool payout in the world.

3 -> Internet Update -- In this roundup of new services and resources on
the global Internet: The Selena trial on the Web, APEC official Website,
missing kids on the Web, European telework week, new sites in Asia,
Digital Ink: new offerings from newspapers, Salvador Dali virtual museum
of art, Australian Webindex.

4 -> Germany - AT&T Closes Augsberg Facility -- AT&T's Global
Information Solutions (DIS) division has announced plans to close its
Augsberg PC production facility. The closure will involve 450 layoffs
and forms part of AT&T's global strategy of moving out of PC
productions, officials said.

5 -> "British FBI" Coming -- The British Government, currently at its
annual Conservative Party conference in Blackpool, is reported to be
preparing plans for a British version of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI).

6 -> UK Firm Slashes UK/US Call Costs To 16c/minute -- First Telecom, a
new UK telecoms carrier, has opened a new global calling service for UK
telecoms subscribers. The service claims to be the cheapest on the
market, offering calls to the US for 10 pence (16 cents) a minute at
offpeak times.

7 -> Insignia Boosts PC Emulation To 80486 Under Unix -- Insignia
Solutions has dramatically upgraded its PC emulator for the Unix
environment. SoftWindows 2.0 for Unix now has the ability, the company
claims, to run all DOS and Windows applications, including Windows
enhanced modem packages, as if they were running on a 80486
processor-based system.

8 -> ACTV, Sarnoff Center To Develop Digital TV Products -- The David
Sarnoff Research Center and ACTV Inc. will jointly collaborate in the
developing of individualized television products, both companies have
announced. The agreement will combine Sarnoff's system and hardware
designed with ACTV's individualized programming technology, officials
said.

9 -> ZD Net Offers Free Personalized News On Internet -- World Wide Web
devotees can now read personalized computer industry news reports online
at Ziff-Davis Interactive's ZD Net site.

10 -> Asia Market Fastest-growing For Lexmark -- Lexmark unveiled five
new laser printers and an infrared device for mobile computing
yesterday, and visiting US CEO and Chairman Marvin Mann was on deck at
Sydney's Manfredi restaurant to witness the Australian birth.

11 -> Australia - Compaq Opens Christmas Hamper -- Compaq Australia is
banking on a Christmas consumer rush, and is already sniffing the
lucrative December air for the aroma of dollars wafting from the wallets
of harried shoppers in search of a new home computer.

12 -> Service Shortens Long Internet Addresses -- Long, unwieldy
Internet World Wide Web uniform resource locators (URLs) may become a
thing of the past, if Branch Internet Services Inc., has its way. The
company is offering a new service that will use a short "vanity" address
to point to a Web site that uses long URLs.

13 -> US West's Internet-Based Network For Businesses -- US West has
announced !NTERACT, an Internet-based desktop computer networking
service that lets desktop users share information, messages and
networked programs with colleagues, business partners or customers
regardless of where they are or the type of desktop computers they use.

14 -> China Coming Onstream With GSM Mobile Phones -- Nokia has
announced that its mobile telecoms division has been contracted to
supply a GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) digital mobile
phone net to the Government of the Chinese Hannan Province.

15 ->  ****AT&T Interchange Online Links To World Wide Web --AT&T
Interchange Online Network, a specialized service of independent
publishers, incorporated Netscape Communication's (NASDAQ:NTSC) Netscape
Navigator 1.2 into its online software. Subscribers to Interchange may
now access the service through an Internet connection.

16 -> Russia - Ericsson Installs Cellular Network In Irkutsk -- Ericsson
has announced the successful installation of a D-AMPS (Digital American
Phone System) network, with AMPS capabilities, in the Irkutsk region of
Russia. The network will have an impressive capacity of almost a million
subscribers, Newsbytes notes.

17 -> Financial Institutions At Risk From Info Strangulation -- Price
Waterhouse, Informix and Sun Microsystems have formed an alliance to
meet what they claim are the increasing information demands of the
financial sector. The idea behind the alliance is to educate and
encourage users to install a data warehouse in their organization.

18 ->  ****FCC Grants AT&T Non-Dominant Status -- The Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) has relieved AT&T (NYSE:T) of the
special dominant carrier status the company has had since long-distance
telephone competition began in the United States. The ruling means AT&T
is now subject to the same rules as its newer rivals, notably MCI Corp.
(NASDAQ:MCIC) and Sprint Corp. (NYSE:FON). In particular, AT&T will now
be allowed to change its rates a day after notifying the FCC, like the
other long-distance carriers.

19 -> Personnel Roundup -- This is a regular feature, summarizing
personnel changes not covered elsewhere by Newsbytes: America Online
Inc., Mitsubishi Consumer Electronics America Inc., Virtual Open Network
Environment Corp., Zenith Electronics Corp., Novell Inc., LSI Logic
Corp., Data Broadcasting Corp., Xerox Corp., Silicon Graphics Inc.

20 -> Round 2 In Time Warner-US West Battle -- US West Inc. (NYSE: USW)
and Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX) have come out swinging in round two of
the battle started by US West when it moved to block the Time
Warner-Turner Broadcasting merger.

21 -> US West Wants To Offer Phone Service Outside Its Region -- The US
Justice Department gave thumbs-up to a plan by US West (NYSE:USW) to
offer long-distance phone service over its cable systems outside its
region. The recommendation now goes to US District Judge Harold Greene.

22 -> Video News Roundup -- This is a look at the top stories this week
in the world of video news reporting: NBC Desktop Video to use General
Electric compression, desktop video networks growing, ENG safety issues
and in new products; the Panasonic AG-DS550 S-VHS Superdeck, Crestron
touch screens and the Apex optical drive.

23 -> UK - Apricot Unveils Home PC Range, Goes Retail -- Apricot, widely
considered to be a business PC vendor, has gone consumer, unveiling a
new range of MS540 machines, which will be sold through retail channels
such as Currys and Dixons, as well as PC World.

24 ->  ****Time Warner Sends Hidden Messages In New CD-ROM Game -- Next
week. Time-Warner Interactive is launching a new CD-ROM game, called
Endorfun. Designed to uplift the spirit and provide entertainment,
Endorfun contains 100 positive affirmations which are subliminally
transmitted while the game is being played.

25 -> Compaq's Innovate Forum 95 Kicks Off Oct 16 -- Thousands of
participants from all over the globe will congregate next week in
Houston to explore the world of corporate computing.

26 -> Compaq To Support Third-Party PC Cards -- In a move that will
eliminate confusion over who should provide support for some PC
peripherals, Compaq Computer Corp. (NYSE: CPQ) has announced it will
provide technical support for PC cards from a number of vendors and will
also publish a list of other products that have been tested for
compatibility with its computers.

27 -> IBM Intros TeamConnection "Groupware" For Developers -- IBM's new
TeamConnection combines IBM-created configuration management with an
object database from Object Design Inc., to let teams of developers
migrate mainframe applications to the client-server environment, in
addition to building enterprise-level "second- generation three-tier"
applications from scratch, said IBM's Ralph Rodriguez, in a briefing for
Newsbytes.

28 -> France Telecom Pulls Out Of Austrian GSM License Bid -- France
Telecom has announced it has pulled out of the bidding for a third GSM
(global system for mobile communications) digital cellular network in
Austria.

29 -> Japan's High-Speed Academic Link To Thailand -- Thailand and Japan
have inaugurated a high-speed data communications link to promote joint
international study and research development funded by the Japanese
Government.

30 -> Thailand - EDI Venture Tradesiam Gets Go-ahead -- The Thai Cabinet
has approved the establishment of a joint government and private sector
venture to be called Tradesiam, which will be an electronic data
interchange (EDI) operator.

31 -> Australian News Briefs -- Here are today's news briefs from down
under: Sydney's Mac Computer Systems saved from oblivion, PCS Australia
records record profits, Sharp says color computer sales booming, CeBit
applications close, Navy offers charts of Australia's coast, Sydney
museum gets antique computer, awards for best Australian business
software, QBE Insurance standardizes on IBM's Warp.

32 -> China - Motorola Semiconductor Plant In Tianjin -- Motorola will
invest US$720 million to build a semiconductor plant in Tianjin of North
China, the company announced recently in a news conference in Beijing.
Construction of the new plant is expected to begin in November. It is
scheduled to be operational in the first quarter of 1998.

33 -> China - 12 Publishing Houses Punished For CD Piracy -- The State
Copyright Administration (SCA) has announced in Beijing that 12
publishing houses and companies discovered to have pirated CDs and video
discs, have been brought before the courts. The announcement comes just
prior to the half- yearly review of China's piracy crackdown by US
negotiators.

34 ->  ****US/China's Overcrowded Copyright Talks Bogged Down --
American and Chinese officials in Beijing are deep into another round of
talks on policing copyright. The half-yearly review is looking at how
Beijing is living up to an agreement to stamp out copyright piracy
signed last year.

35 -> Shoddy Workmanship Shuts ICL China PC Plant -- Just months after
it opened, and with just 2,000 PCs to show for the trouble, ICL's
Guangdong PC assembly plant in Panyu has been shut down.

36 -> Nortel Snaps Up US$14 Million China Deal -- Northern Telecom has
sold a US$14.5 million fiber radio system to the China National Postal
and Telecommunications Appliances Corporation (PTAC). Officials said the
system will form the backbone of the country's first major synchronous
digital hierarchy radio transmission network.

37 -> Newsbytes Week In Review -- This is a look at the top stories this
week, listing with their category code: Mentor & Microtec To Merge, Stac
Electronics Acquires California Software, Caere To Acquire ViewStar,
Compuserve To Page Users When E-Mail Is Received, UUNet Technologies
Announces Intent To Acquire Unipalm, Jim Manzi Resigns As Lotus CEO, IBM
Senior VP, Viacom & Tellabs To Offer Cable TV/Phone Service, IBM Germany
To Shed 1,200 More Jobs, Lotus 1-2-3 Aims To "Take Back Lead" From
Microsoft, FCC Grants AT&T Non-Dominant Status, US/China's Overcrowded
Copyright  Talks Bogged Down, AT&T Interchange Online Links To World
Wide Web, Time Warner Sends Hidden Messages In New CD-ROM Game.

(Wendy Woods/19951013)





Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD



Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/12/95
ONLINE
Cable TV's Travel Channel On The Web

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00001)
Cable TV's Travel Channel On The Web 10/12/95
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 12 (NB) -- The Travel Channel
cable TV network is expanding onto the Internet's World Wide Web.
The channel has unveiled "The Travel Channel Online Network," designed
to inform people about places, events, culture, and food from around
the world.

The new online network integrates online and broadcast content so
travelers can access the Web resource for many travel needs. The
site is designed for anyone interested in travel, officials said,
from grandparents to "Generation X-ers."

"We created the Travel Channel Online Network in response to our
television viewers' requests for more in-depth information," said
Kevin Senie, president and chief executive officer, Travel Channel
Networks. "They are looking for an authoritative source for this
information, and are asking us to be that source."

"We had about 6,000 calls last month from viewers who are asking for
more information," Teri Wall Bemis, Travel Channel online producer,
told Newsbytes. She also said the company sees this site as, not only
complementing the cable network, but also standing on its own. "It
will make us the premier travel place, between cable and online," she
said. "We see it as a way to serve travel-interested people, not
just for people who watch the cable network."

The online network is organized into seven separate areas. The
"Spotlight" section focuses on a different topic each week. This
week's spotlight is on Vancouver, British Columbia. "Travel Talk"
contains bulletin boards and a chat room with real-time information
exchange. Ten travel newsletters written by authorities in the
field can be found in the "Travel Facts and Opinions" area.

Net surfers can enter a monthly photo contest in the "Photo Gallery."
Every picture submitted to the Travel Channel Online Network will be
featured in this area, officials added. A virtual online brochure
for various trips is available in the "Vacations, Holidays, and
Getaways" section. "Connections" lists hotlinks to other travel-
related Web sites, while a searchable guide for the Travel Channel's
on-air programming is available through "The Travel Channel Cable
Networks" area.

Bemis also said several search engines are available through the
site, including one that goes through 20,000 Web pages on travel.

When Newsbytes surfed to the site, we found a well laid-out index
page, with all of the sections clearly labeled. The chat room in
the "Travel Talk" area intrigued us, so we went there. The "room"
is actually run by InfiNet's "Talker" program. Unfortunately,
no one was in the room while we were there. But other "rooms" within
Talker (not connected with the Travel Channel) are available.

The channel claims an audience of 17.5 million households. The new
online network was announced this week during simultaneous "Wired
for Adventure" events at cyber cafes in New York and San Francisco.
At the cafes, participants surfed the site for the first time,
officials said.

(Bob Woods/19951011/Press Contact: Denise Jenkins, Alexander
Communications, 404-897-2300)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/12/95
TELECOM
Hong Kong Plans Full Telecom Competition

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(HKG)(00002)
Hong Kong Plans Full Telecom Competition 10/12/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 OCT 12 (NB) -- Hongkong Telecom's new rival in
supplying telephone lines, New T&T, has the first phase of its fiber
optic network and digital switching system up and running.

This comes only three months after getting its license. The firm is
connecting customers in Tsimshatsui, Central, and Causeway Bay districts
to its network.

As part of the Wharf group, New T&T has the advantage of being able to
access the fiber cable network of Wharf Television, which has given it
a head start in competing with Hongkong Telecom.

The company is expecting to compete in high-speed data transmission
services and enhanced messaging, as well as conventional telephony,
using its newly installed Northern Telecom DMS 100 switching system.

The announcement of the completion of its first phase of networking
comes only days after it placed another challenge at the doorstep of
traditional phone carrier, Telecom. In an ongoing tit-for-tat price war,
New T&T further cut rates on its One2One international calling card.
Until the end of next month it is offering bonus days on calls to the
US, Canada, Japan, France, Germany, and the UK, and cutting its prices
by 25%.

Its first round of lower international charges forced Telecom to cut
charges on many overseas destinations.

(Nigel Armstrong & I.T. Daily/19951012)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/12/95
BUSINESS
3Com To Set Up Offices In Thailand & Vietnam

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00003)
3Com To Set Up Offices In Thailand & Vietnam 10/12/95
BANGKOK, THAILAND, 1995 OCT 12 (NB) -- 3Com Corporation plans to
set up representative offices in both Thailand and in Vietnam,
according to 3Com ASEAN Channels Manager Eric Lee.

He said that, after the company had established an office in the
Philippines, it would establish an office in Thailand within six
months. "We are now looking for staff and a location," he said.

The market in Thailand is five times larger than in Vietnam.
Consequently, he said the company planned to cover the market
In Thailand before expanding to Indochina.

Speaking at the High Performance Networking seminar recently
held by The Value System, its distributor, Lee said that 3Com
intended to offer customers all networking product lines
including adapter cards, routers and switching for both local
area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs).

During the seminar, 3Com launched a Fast Ethernet 100 Base-T
Workgroup hub for cooperate companies who require image transfer
and high-speed transaction processing.

The company was targeting banks, financial brokerage houses,
insurance, and hospital sectors, he said, adding that the firm is
working with Novell Inc. to offer customers worldwide a "total
solutions" package for branch office networks that are "reliable,
manageable and scalable."

The partnership includes enhanced interoperability in network
management, routing and desktop technologies. It will offer
products through The Value Systems' partners: Computer Man,
CDG Microsystems, and Multimedia Technology.

According to The Value Systems President Narong Intanate, some
40 percent of existing PCs are connected to networks. "There are
four PCs in ten connected to a network," he said, adding that
the number will increase to 50 percent of the PC market.

The networking technology will move to FDDI (fiber distributed
data interface) and ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) technologies
that support not only data, but sound and image transfer for
multimedia architectures, he noted.

(Tony Waltham and Post Database-Bangkok Post/19951012)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
10/12/95
TRENDS
Color Inkjet Printing Increases In Australia

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SYD)(00004)
Color Inkjet Printing Increases In Australia 10/12/95
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1995 OCT 12 (NB) -- The demand for high quality,
low-cost printing is driving color inkjet sales onward and upward in
what research group IDC Australia is calling a "quiet, but colorful"
revolution.

In its recent report, "The Australian Printer Market, Review and
Forecast 1994-1999," IDC says the gap between the price of monochrome
dot-matrix printers and color inkjets is narrowing fast, and vendors
are shifting their sales efforts to new areas of the market to absorb
the loss of market share in the dot-matrix segment.

IDC reports that the color inkjet market grew faster than any other
in 1994 in terms of unit shipments, increasing by 214.3 percent to
take up 12 percent of 1994's total printer market, up from 4.2 percent
in 1993.

End-user value of the market, says IDC, rose 141.3 percent. Average
prices were down from $1,212 in 1993 to $930 in 1994. According to
IDC's figures, Hewlett-Packard is heading the vendor charge, and
trebled its color inkjet shipments last year, but lost market share
anyway, falling from 77.8 percent to 51.5 percent. Olivetti and Epson,
newcomers to the color inkjet scene in Australia, put in strong showings.
Epson took a reported nine percent of the market, and Olivetti 4.8
percent. Canon chewed up 24.5 percent of the market.

The dot-matrix market, however, is far from dead. "Although in decline in
1994, it remained larger than the laser printer market in unit terms,
despite market perception that it is a small and dying marketplace," said
Martin Ross, IDC's printer analyst. In a press release accompanying the
printer report, he said sales of personal laser printers have also shown
strong growth, with shipments up 41.1 percent last year.

According to the report; the impact printer market will continue to
decline; the page printer and inkjet printer markets will keep growing;
the monochrome inkjet is the new entry-level printer; and growth in the
page printer market will continue for five years.

The hardest hit market will be the 9-pin and 24-pin dot-matrix. By 1999,
these will account for under 10 percent of the total printer market.
Total printer shipments in Australia increased 9.5 percent in 1994, says
IDC, with 583,687 units shipped as against 533,098 in 1993. The total
installed base of printers is estimated at 3,145,000.

Copies of the full report are available from IDC.

(Computer Daily News/19951012/Public Contact: tel [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
10/12/95
TRENDS
Australian Study Says Computer Games Not Bad For Kids

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SYD)(00005)
Australian Study Says Computer Games Not Bad For Kids 10/12/95
CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA, 1995 OCT 12 (NB) -- A Australian study by an
associate professor of psychology claims to show that people worry
unnecessarily about the effects of computer games on children.

Professor Kevin Durkin of the University of Western Australia claims
research did not support "dramatic anxieties" about computer games.
The Federal Attorney-General, Michael Lavarch, launched the report
of Professor Durkin's study in Brisbane recently. The Office of Film
and Literature Classification commissioned the study, "Computer
Games: Their Effects on Young People," to help it classify games.

Professor Durkin claims that computer games might even improve family
relations, encouraging joint activities on a scale rarely seen since
TV came into our lives. He said the games were "unlikely" to harm
young people, and that more boys than girls played computer games.
He added that, "genuinely addictive" game-playing was rare.

he also claims that research had found no link between aggressive
behavior and game play at home, and no indication whether a limited
correlation between aggression and game play in arcades was due to
the games or to the arcade environment.

Lavarch will take the study's findings to State and Territory
censorship ministers in Adelaide on November 3. They will discuss
the future direction for research.

(Computer Daily News/19951005)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/12/95
TELECOM
China - Shanghai Buys SDH System From AT&T

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(PEK)(00006)
China - Shanghai Buys SDH System From AT&T 10/12/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 OCT 12 (NB) -- A US$13 million contract was signed
recently between AT&T and Shanghai Posts and Telecommunications Bureau
(SPTB) for SPTB to buy synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH) equipment
from AT&T within a year. The purchase is reportedly part of the city's
"information superhighway" plan.

Shanghai, the largest city in China, is mapping out an information
blueprint scheduled to go into effect next year, an official with SPTB
said. Building the information highway, together with the Pudong
International Airport and deep-water port, are the city's three huge
infrastructure projects.

The scheme of the information highway is expected to have five aspects:
setting up a high-speed telecommunications and computer network in city
to transmit images and multimedia information; providing public
information services and fostering the local information industry;
providing advanced computers and telecommunications devices; and drawing
up regulations and standards.

The SDH transmission system is a key part of the information
telecommunications platform, the official said. The project will cover
more than 90 telephone bureaus. Along with contracts signed in the first
half of this year, the investment for the first phase of SDH expansion
totals US$20 million, an AT&T official said.

Under the contract, AT&T will supply 170 intelligent synchronous
multiplexers, eight digital cross-connect systems and operation systems
within this year. The SDH system can hold 30,000 telephone channels in a
hair-thin fiber-optical line, four to 16 times more than the previous
digital hierarchy.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19951005)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
10/12/95
WINDOWS
DOS/Windows Welsh Spelling-Checker Intro'd

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(LON)(00007)
DOS/Windows Welsh Spelling-Checker Intro'd 10/12/95
CARDIFF, WALES, 1995 OCT 12 (NB) --The Welsh Language Board
(Bwrdd Yr Iaith Gymraeg) has announced the release of CySill 2.0+, a
Welsh language spelling-checker designed for use with most DOS or
Windows 3.xx word processors. According to the Board, the UKP45
package is compatible with Microsoft Word, WordPerfect. Ami Pro,
Wordstar, and the new Windows 95 operating system.

"The software builds on CySill 1.0, which was a basic word processing
spelling-checker, and can work with a wide variety of word processors,"
explained a spokeswoman for the board to Newsbytes.

The company is not offering demo versions of the package because of
its low cost, but the board is offering a money-back guarantee, and,
if companies are interested in site licenses, then a single-user copy
can be supplied for demonstration purposes.

According to the board, CySill 2.0+ was developed by a team from the
Department of Psychology at the University of Wales in Bangor, Wales.
The aim of the team was to create a spelling-checker that would allow
a user to write in Welsh in their favorite English word processor,
and then run the spelling-checker as normal.

One of the most interesting features of Welsh is its support for
formal and informal words, plus phrases with the same meaning. This
approach is similar to German and Japanese, Newsbytes notes.

According to the board, the package takes account of these different
words and phrases and offers them to the user instead of the more
literary alternatives.

Bundled with the package is a comprehensive bilingual manual, as well
as a short tutorial which outlines some of the basic procedures. In
addition, the software has an online help file, as well as a dedicated
telephone helpline which offers office hours support.

Lord Elis-Thomas, the chairman of the board, said that the development
of the package is one of significant historical importances to the
prosperity of the Welsh language in a world of increasingly
sophisticated technology. "I congratulate all of those involved in
this pioneering work and am confident that this heralds the beginning
of a new relationship in terms of the Welsh language and technology,"
he said.

CySill 2.0+ is available in two discrete editions: DOS and Windows.
The DOS version comes on a single 1.44 megabyte (MB) disk and needs
DOS 5.x or later, plus at least 1.5MB of free hard disk space. The
Windows edition comes on two disks and needs Windows 3.1 or higher,
as well as at least 2.5MB of free hard disk space.

The package costs UKP45 in both editions, and is inclusive of
postage, even for international purchasers. Existing users of the
package (version 1.0) can upgrade to 2.0+ for UKP30 inclusive.

(Steve Gold/19951011/Press & Reader Contact: tel [phone],
fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
10/12/95
BUSINESS
 ****Bill Gates' Company Buys Photo Archives

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00008)
 ****Bill Gates' Company Buys Photo Archives 10/12/95
BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 12 (NB) -- Corbis Corp., a
company owned by Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) Chairman Bill
Gates, has purchased one of the world's largest photo agencies,
the Bettmann Archive. The 16 million photos will be digitized and
distributed and licensed to publishers of magazines, books,
advertisements, films, television programs, newspapers, and other
print and electronic media.

This isn't Corbis' first venture into the world of electronic stock
photography. The company already owns images from the collections
of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Sakamoto Archive, the
National Gallery of London, and the Library of Congress.

Now, with the purchase of the Bettmann Archive, it also owns the United
Press International collection of news photos and photos from the
Olympiads as far back as 1896, a Corbis spokesperson told
Newsbytes.

The deal should be welcome news to online browsers. According to
Corbis spokesperson Scott Sedlik, computer users will eventually be
able to wander the vast collection of photos via the Internet
and the World Wide Web. "With these millions of images, every
individual accessing the archive could browse through images of
the Civil War or travel to Italy" through photographs, said Sedlik.

Bettmann was founded in the 1930s by Dr. Otto Bettmann, a
photojournalist who came to the United States in 1935 as the Nazi
party came into power in Germany.

Stock photos, images recorded by photographers and kept on file for
use and reuse by stock agencies, have long been a source of images for
print publications. While financial arrangements vary, its common
practice for the photographer to receive a payment each time the photo
is used. Currently there isn't much consumer market potential, but
the growth of electronic publishing could change that.

Corbis purchased the Bettmann Archive from Kraus Organization
Limited. The purchase price was not disclosed. "Corbis" is the Latin
word for "woven basket" and was reportedly selected by Gates for
its meaning as a container for storing valuable items.

(Jim Mallory/19951011/Press contact: Jane Vonderembse, Waggener
Edstrom for Corbis, 206-637-9097)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
10/12/95
IBM
IBM To Roll Out More Internet Bundles At Internetworld

(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00009)
IBM To Roll Out More Internet Bundles At Internetworld 10/12/95
ARMONK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 12 (NB) -- IBM's newly
unveiled plans to bundle Web servers from IBM and Netscape with
RS/6000 workstations and servers will be followed by a long list
of other software bundles for a range of IBM hardware, including
additional Internet packages to be announced at the end of this
month, IBM officials reported, during a press teleconference and
follow-up briefing for Newsbytes.

"This is only the first," noted Irving Wladawsky-Berger, general
manager of IBM's RISC System/6000 Division, speaking during the
teleconference, which was attended by Newsbytes this week. In a
Q&A session at the close of the phone event, journalists and
analysts were told that IBM expects to extend its bundling
strategy to other hardware platforms, in addition to more
application areas, including databases.

During a follow-up briefing for Newsbytes, IBM's Tom Fornoff and
Syed Pasha contended that the IBM/Netscape Web server deals for
RS/6000 will provide users who are interested in launching Web
sites with "one-stop shopping," as well as a way of "coming up to
speed quickly" in "one of the hottest application areas today."

IBM is offering the new Web server bundles across its RS/6000
line, noted Fornoff, who is director of workstation marketing for
IBM. The bundles are priced at the cost of the RS/6000 hardware,
plus the cost of the Web server. "But we supply `value-add' in
(factory) pre-testing, installation, and delivery," he told
Newsbytes.

An entry-level workstation/Web browser package from IBM can be
purchased for under $10,000, he continued. Users can select
between four Web browsers: IBM Internet Connection Server 1.0;
IBM Internet Connection Secure Server 1.1; Netscape
Communications Server 1.1; and Netscape Commerce Server 1.1,
Netscape's "secure" Web server.

"Many of our scientific/technical customers are already `Web
savvy,'" Fornoff added. But the IBM and Netscape Web servers are
also "very well suited to business users" who want to set up Web
sites for purposes like marketing or technical support. "These
are servers that you can install with `a few clicks of the
mouse,'" he maintained.

Each Internet bundle also provides AIX 4.1.4, an operating system
that includes: the IBM Web Explorer for AIX browser; a library of
sample Web home pages and templates; all necessary cables;
unlicensed documentation; and an optional backup copy of the
installed software products.

Users are given the choice of building a home page, starting the
Web server, or configuring TCP/IP (Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol).

Although increasing numbers of Web servers are migrating to
Windows NT, AIX is actually a better platform for this purpose
due to its "history and track record in systems management,
security, and scalability," he asserted.

IBM opted to give users a choice between IBM and Netscape
browsers out of a "spirit of openness," Newsbytes was told. "We
felt it was important to (include) the vendor with the largest
(Web server) market share."

Bundles built around the IBM Internet Connection Server will be
available on October 20, according to the IBM exec. Bundles that
include the Netscape Communications Server or the Netscape
Commerce Server will ship on December 1. The IBM Internet Secure
Connection Server is slated for delivery on December 22.

But even before then, IBM will roll out other bundling deals at
the Internetworld show, to be held in Boston from October 30 to
November 1, according to Pasha, who is product planner for IBM's
Internet Power Solutions. Future Internet-oriented bundles from
IBM will include "various other applications, from IBM and
third-parties, that will run on top of these (Web) servers,"
Pasha revealed.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951011/Reader Contact: IBM, 914-765-1900;
Press Contacts: William O'Leary, IBM, 914-766-3642; Marlena
Villafane or Pam Preston, Technology Solutions for IBM,
212-696-2000)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/12/95
IBM
IBM Plans Operating System Combining MVS & Unix

(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00010)
IBM Plans Operating System Combining MVS & Unix 10/12/95
ARMONK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 12 (NB) -- In the first
quarter of 1996, IBM will officially announce and deliver a new
operating system for IBM mainframes that will be able to run MVS-
and Unix applications simultaneously, IBM officials revealed,
during a press teleconference and follow-up interview with
Newsbytes.

Code-named OS/390, the upcoming operating system (OS) represents
a commitment to "transforming (the mainframe) to an open server"
that first began several years ago on the hardware side, with the
introduction of features such as CMOS (complementary metal oxide
semiconductor) technology and air cooling, said Linda Sanford,
general manager of IBM's System 390 Division, speaking during the
teleconference, which was attended by Newsbytes earlier this
week.

"Now, we are taking yet another significant step. This time, it
is to transform (the OS)," the IBM exec told the reporters and
analysts.

The new OS will "preserve the classic strengths" of MVS, such as
"rock solid availability and support for massive transaction
volumes," while also eliminating the current need for more than
30 software products related to MVS, and adding support for Unix
"open systems" and applications, she asserted.

"Writing or porting new applications will be easier, because all
of the component software will be integrated," Sanford remarked.
The OS/390 base server will also incorporate all tools needed for
installation, systems management, communications, and LAN (local
area network) integration, plus SOMobjects and built-in
"multimedia enhancements" able to deliver "hundreds of
simultaneous video streams to workstation users."

In addition, IBM will offer a series of optional functions for
the new OS that will include a Security Server and "extended
development environments in C/C++ and advanced object-oriented
programming" designed to add extra speed and flexibility to
application development and deployment. Customers will be able to
work with the optional functions experimentally, on a "trial
basis," Sanford noted.

In a follow-up interview with Newsbytes, Charles Likel, IBM's VP
of OS/390 development, said that IBM's decision to create OS/390
was prompted by two motives. "It fits into our view that we have
real growth potential in the mainframe arena," Likel maintained.

The inclusion of the OS/390 announcement among a slate of
announcements around IBM's RS/6000 and PC servers was no
accident, he added. OS/390 will give users the chance to choose
between running two-tier and three-tier applications from a
series of smaller servers, or running applications "directly from
one large (mainframe) server."

With the Parallel Enterprise Server introduced in June, IBM
"restructured the (mainframe) cost structure to that of a large
Unix type of server," he contended. Also with the "second
generation of CMOS," IBM doubled the capacity of the mainframe
engine, nearly tripled total SMP (symmetrical multiprocessor)
capacity to ten-way SMP, and added the ability to accommodate
plug-in adapters for "open systems" protocols such as FDDI (fiber
distributed data interface), he pointed out. "We're riding the
CMOS curve," Newsbytes was told.

But although IBM perceives strong potential for its mainframes,
the industry currently faces an increasing shortage of "skilled
(MVS) system programmers," as individuals trained in MVS
programming grow older and retire, according to Likel.

IBM's inclusion of Unix in its new OS will mean that applications
written for AIX as well as other flavors of Unix can be quickly
ported to the mainframe, he predicted.

On the Unix side, the new OS will eventually provide full support
for the X/Open Single Unix specification, according to Likel.
Initially, support will be supplied for DCE (Distributed
Computing Environment), the OSF (Open Software Foundation)'s DFS
(Distributed File System), and extensions to Parallel Sysplex,
along with standards for object-oriented development.

The forthcoming OS will provide communications through an
integrated Communications Server supporting VTAM, AnyNet, and
TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol),
according to Likel. The optional Security Server will supply both
DCE Security Server and RACF (Resource Access Control Facility)
security.

Likel added that developers working with OS/390 in beta have told
IBM that the version of Unix incorporated in the system
represents "one of the easiest (Unix) ports." At the same time,
though, OS/390 will be "fully backward compatible" with earlier
applications written for MVS.

So far this year, membership in IBM's organization for corporate
mainframe developers has about quadrupled, from between 100 and
200 at the beginning of 1995 to over 450 currently, Likel told
Newsbytes. The developers association is "working very closely"
with Unix third-party vendors.

SAP has already committed to port its R/3 middleware to OS/390,
and Oracle is now "looking closely" at migrating Oracle 7, as
well, the VP said. Both third-party vendors already offer
parallel editions of their middleware products for IBM's
RS/6000-based SP parallel computer systems.

Likel told Newsbytes that IBM expects to officially announce its
new mainframe system in January or February of next year, and to
make Release 1 of the system generally available at the end of
the first quarter. System updates will subsequently be issued
about once every six months. "We started this OS/390 concept
about nine months ago. That shows how much (the mainframe
environment) has really changed," the IBM VP maintained.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951011/Reader Contact: IBM, 914-765-1900;
Press Contacts: Marta Decker, IBM, 914-892-7358; Kathryn
Lancioni, Technology Solutions for IBM, 212-696-2000)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
1999 10/12/95
BROADCAST
Inmarsat P Satellite Phone Set For

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(LON)(00011)
Inmarsat P Satellite Phone Set For 1999 10/12/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 12 (NB) -- Inmarsat, the UK-based satellite
phone and data comms network provider, has announced plans to launch
Inmarsat P (for Personal), a personal satellite phone services aimed at
consumers rather globe-trotting businesspeople. Although it is still
far too early to talk specifics, the idea behind Inmarsat P is that
terrestrial GSM (global system for mobile communications) digital nets
will provide service in most countries, switching to a GSM hybrid
service from 12 satellites ringing the globe to offer total coverage
anywhere on the earth's surface.

Using the approach will allow Inmarsat to undercut Iridium's satphone
pricing, since dual-modem GSM handsets can be used, rather than
satellite-specific phones. This approach will also allows calls to
be priced at consumer, rather than business, rates, Newsbytes notes.

Liz Hess, of Inmarsat's UK office, told Newsbytes that Inmarsat P is
just one of the planned family of digital mobile satellite communications
services being planned under the working title of Project 21. Consumer
phone services will be complemented by pager, datacomms, fax, and other
mobile comms services, using hand-held terminals.

Rather than going for 60-plus satellites spinning around the globe at
high speed, as the rival Iridium project calls for, Project 21 centers
around 12 satellites -- 10 operational and two backup -- in an
intermediate circular orbit (ICO) satellite ring, which will start
operations in 1999.

By locating the 12 Project 21 satellites at 10,000 kilometers (km)
above the earth's surface, the satellites will slowly pass across
the sky, with at least two in line of sight of the mobile.

Inmarsat has applied for, and obtained, membership of the GSM
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) group, making it the only satphone
service provider to be a member. The group consists of 138 licensed
mobile network operators and national regulatory authorities from 77
countries.

Commenting on the membership and official unveiling of Project 21 with
Inmarsat P, Olof Lundberg, Intelsat's director general, explained that
the aim of the project is to complement, rather than compete with, the
GSM nets.

The GSM MoU group was established in 1987 and aims to act as an
information group among mobile operators and regulatory authorities
in Europe.

So how will Inmarsat P phones differ from today's phones? According to
Inmarsat, the phones will be very similar to the GSM or PCN (personal
communications network) digital handsets of today, with a short "rubber
duck" style aerial. In areas where GSM is available, the phone will
perform as any other, but, where GSM is unavailable, the phone will
"lock on" to one of the 10 available Project 21 satellites orbiting
the earth.

Although the phones will use a GSM time-slot system, the timing
periods will be relaxed from their current 50km from basestation
maximum to allow for signals to traverse the 10,000km to the satellite.
The timing limit of 50km is imposed on GSM mobiles because each
available digital channel has eight time slots available for eight
different mobiles.

If a mobile attempts to lock on to a base station more than 50km away,
then the signal requesting access to a given time-slot will arrive
after the time-slot "wait time" has been passed. By relaxing the time-
slot wait time, a greater distance from the base station can be
achieved, although the downside is that fewer mobiles per available
channel can be supported, Newsbytes notes.

According to Inmarsat, aircraft-based field trials conducted last year
demonstrated that an Inmarsat P handheld phone can automatically
select the best quality link from two or more satellites visible. As
with terrestrial mobiles, if a link is shadowed or blocked out by
trees or buildings, for example, then the mobile automatically selects
the next available satellite.

Inmarsat remains coy on call charges for Inmarsat P, but experts are
predicting a satphone charge of as little as $1 a minute for local
satellite calls -- that is, normally inland calls in the country in
question -- rising to $2 a minute for global calls.

(Steve Gold/19951011/Press Contact: Inmarsat, tel [phone],
fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/12/95
GENERAL
Japan Newsbriefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00012)
Japan Newsbriefs 10/12/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 OCT 12 (NB) -- In this roundup of news from Japan:
PHS subscriptions down, Local authority IT spending up, IBM Japan
unveils new hard disk, NEC extends Internet service, Tax returns via
the Internet, Konami to make Windows 95 games, Sharp develops new LCD.

PHS Subscriptions Down

The number of new subscribers to the new PHS (personal handyphone
system) telephone networks has dropped again. In September, just 23,000
people signed for service to the two operational networks, down by
12,000 on August's figure, which itself was down on July. In August, the
reason given for the drop was a belief that many people went to shops
to buy PHS, but when they arrived decided to go for cellular telephones
instead. In September, a number of technical faults on the networks,
one which took out service in most of Tokyo, were blamed. Subscriber
rates in October are expected to show an increase after Astel joins
NTT Central Personal and DDI Tokyo Pocket in providing service in
Tokyo. The latter two networks will also begin offering the low-cost
service nationwide from this month.

Local Authority IT Spending Up

The Nikkei Research Institute of Industry and Markets released figures
late last week that show local authority spending on information
technology (IT), which includes personal computers and Internet and
cable TV connections, has jumped 92% in the current fiscal year to 52.9
billion yen ($529 million). The Nikkei research, compiled by sending
out forms to 3,250 local governments, received 1,462 responses of
which 77% indicated a belief that such spending was necessary to
improve the local class of life.

IBM Japan Unveils New Hard Disk

IBM Japan is to begin selling a one gigabyte (GB) hard disk drive that
fits inside a standard 2.5-inch package, small enough to be installed
inside a laptop computer. The hard disk was developed at IBM's
Fujisawa center and is scheduled to enter production in Thailand in
the near future. In Japan, the expected sample price will be 41,500
yen to 62,500 yen depending on the model chosen. At the same time, the
Tokyo based company also unveiled a range of 2 GB hard disks in
3.5-inch packages.

NEC Extends Internet Service

NEC Corporation will extend the services it offers via the Internet
from Monday. The company is to begin offering a new product catalog
with details of electronics products and semiconductors. At the same
time, a new online magazine will debut on the Internet Cyber Plaza.
The magazine is currently available on the company's PC-VAN computer
network and features text, images and sound written by well known
authors. It will be available free of charge.

Tax Returns Via The Internet

The National Tax Administration Agency may soon allow people to file
tax returns via computer networks according to tax offices agency
chief Tadashi Ogawa, quoted by news services last week. Initially the
new electronic tax declaration system will be offered to corporations
and may be extended to individuals, in time. The agency have promised
a decision on deployment of the system by March, 1998.

Konami To Make Windows 95 Games

Computer games manufacturer Konami is to begin making computer games
for computers running the Windows 95 operating system. The company
predicts sales of around two billion yen ($20 million) in its first
year. The announcement comes after a deal with Microsoft and Japan's
Softbank was announced in which the Japanese company will make
computer games for the new operating system in a drive to improve the
PCs competitiveness against dedicated games machines.

Sharp Develop New LCD

Sharp Electronics has developed a new design of LCD (liquid crystal
display) that saves energy by doing away with the backlight. The new
units use just 3% of the total power required by previous models,
although they can only be used in well-lit rooms. NEC Corporation has
also developed a similar display, shown to Newsbytes last June,
although commercialization is being held back by the restrictions
on light levels in rooms where it can be used.

(Martyn Williams/19951012)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/12/95
BROADCAST
Major Hughes Investment Follows China Satellite Order

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(TYO)(00013)
Major Hughes Investment Follows China Satellite Order 10/12/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 OCT 12 (NB) -- Hughes Electric Corporation has
announced it will invest $1 billion in China over the next ten years,
following an order received by Hughes Space and Communications
Corporation for a satellite from the Chinese government.

The satellite deal was concluded early this week after Michael
Armstrong, chief executive officer of Hughes Electronics Corp., the
parent of Hughes Space and Communications, met with President Jiang
Zemin on Monday.

The country has agreed to buy a Hughes HS-376 satellite. No details of
the value of the sale were given, but Newsbytes notes previous recent
sales have been worth around $200 million. The Hughes HS-376 is the
company's second best-selling satellite, and will be equipped with 24
transponders in the configuration requested by the Chinese.

As part of the deal, Hughes will also provide ground control equipment
and training for staff of the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, from
where the satellite will be launched aboard a locally made Long March
3 launcher next July.

China has previously manufactured its own satellites for
telecommunications and broadcasting applications in a program known as
Chinasat. The purchase of a Hughes satellite is a first for the Asian
country although not the first time Hughes has dealt with China.

A year ago, the Los Angeles-based company reserved options on ten Long
March rockets that Hughes planned to pass on to customers wishing to
buy satellites and launches. That deal was worth around $600 million
and followed the 1990 launching of a Hughes satellite by a Long March
rocket, the first ever foreign satellite to be launched by the
Chinese.

After the satellite deal was announced, Hughes agreed to invest $1
billion in joint ventures, technology sharing, and direct investment
with Chinese companies over the next ten years. The deal will cover
the telecommunications, automobile, and space industries.

Among the investment plans Hughes already has for the country, Armstrong
revealed that the company hopes it will be possible to launch the
company's DirecTV digital direct to home satellite television service
in China.

The country has been seen for some years as the world's most lucrative
television market leading to several broadcasters, including Home Box
Office, Hong Kong's TVB, the Discovery Channel and ESPN, rushing to
the market and launching Chinese language versions of television
services.

Currently, viewers require large and expensive motorized satellite
dishes to catch all the programming available, although the launch of
a system similar to DirecTV would mean a smaller dish and all-in-one
receiver-decoder could receive most available programming.

Hughes is pursuing such a vision in other regions of the world. In
Latin America, plans are well advanced for the start of a direct-to-
home service and the company is looking at Europe as a possible future
market also.

The new deals are a marked contrast to the relationships between the
two in February this year. A Long March rocket exploded shortly after
take off sending Apstar-2, a long awaited and much need television
broadcasting satellite, into the side of a local mountain.

After the event Ta Kung Pao, a pro-China newspaper in Hong Kong,
denied any faults onboard the rocket and alleged that faults in the
satellite, built by Hughes, caused the accident in which five people
died. The final report put the cause as windshear.

(Martyn Williams/19951012)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/12/95
ONLINE
ICL Offers Commercial Online Publishing Service

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00014)
ICL Offers Commercial Online Publishing Service 10/12/95
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, 1995 OCT 12 (NB) -- ICL is using the Telecom 95
expo to show, for the first time, a new system aimed at organizations
wishing to make a success of commercial publishing on the Internet's
World Wide Web. The system attempts to address problems concerning
such ventures, including copyright protection and product branding.

The ICL Commands system allows a publisher to maintain complete
control over an online publishing service explained ICL's Mark Berner,
publishing services marketing manager for the UK-based company.

The system splits up a publication into individual parts and
components. To each of these components, the publisher can assign the
rights owned and determine the pricing and subscription schemes across
the database.

The software builds Web pages, based on programmed designs, on-the-fly
as users request them. This allows the benefits of pages specifically
tailored for the user to be displayed which can include or exclude
certain links based on certain criteria.

This could be based on the subscription level paid by the user or
their location, in the case of material that was licensed for
particular territories only. Stories could also have release or expiry
times tagged to them and only displayed after, or before, a certain
time.

One of the greatest features of the new system, say ICL, is its copy
deterrents. Because pages are built on-the-fly, the pages can be
programmed to display, for example, the user name and password for the
system. This information, explained Berner, would make users less
likely to pass on the material, because they would be giving away their
passwords.

On demonstration at Geneva, the system's special URLs (uniform
resource locators) that had the time, date, and user name coded into
them, could be observed. This meant the pages could not be bookmarked
or the URLs passed onto others. When another user attempted access,
the system would detect the attempt to access a page that was specially
created, and would return the unauthorized user to a basic home page.

ICL recognizes that no-one will ever be able to prevent copying of
material on Web pages, but by adding small features, the company says
it can help deter the illegal activity.

For the future, the system is also capable of writing the menus and
pages for a variety of access systems. While HTML (hypertext markup
language) would be used to create a page for a user accessing the
database from the World Wide Web, a different type of page is needed
for people accessing the information from a cable set-top box.

The entire system makes use of databases built using Fujitsu's ODB-II
database management system, a system that can support plain text as
well as images, sound and video and handle relationships between all
the individual data formats and links within documents.

(Martyn Williams/19951012/Press contact: Mark Berner, ICL,
tel [phone], fax [phone], Internet e-mail
[e-mail]; Reader contact: ICL Multimedia
Solutions Help Desk, tel [phone], fax [phone],
Internet e-mail [e-mail], Internet World Wide Web
http://www.icl.co.uk/ )




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/12/95
TRENDS
UK Firm Intros Universal Multimedia Comms Unit

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00015)
UK Firm Intros Universal Multimedia Comms Unit 10/12/95
LOUGHBOROUGH, LEICESTERSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 12 (NB) --
Loughborough Sounds Image (LSI) has developed an integrated system
that combines multimedia (voice and audio comms), with fax, data,
electronic-mail and data sharing facilities all in one "black box."
Known as Video Processing Architecture (ViPA), the technology is
currently being sold to multiple PC OEMs (original equipment
manufacturers) around the world, ready for shipment as an integral
part of multimedia systems shipped from next spring.

Ralph Weir, business manage of LSI, told Newsbytes that the ViPA
technology will run over many different comms topologies, including
most networks, leased lines and ISDN (integrated services digital
network) lines. A version is also under development that will work
across dial-up links using high-speed modem technology.

"Dial-up support is the holy grail as far as this technology is
concerned," he said, adding that, in its first iteration, ViPA is
several steps ahead of anything else currently on the market.

"Many companies we have spoken to about this technology have been
working in-house on it. We approached them and asked them what they
wanted and, when we developed ViPA, went back to them with a price for
the OEM quantities and they plan to source ViPA from us instead," he
explained.

According to Weir, ViPA has four primary components: a hardware-
based platform centered around an advanced DSP (digital signal
processing) processor, and a custom-made ViPA media chip; a software
environment to allow multiple media applications to be run at once;
control APIs (application programming interfaces) to handle the
complex different inputs that the device has to deal with; and media
applications that can be added and rewritten to give ViPA its
flexibility.

According to Weir, ViPA has media applications for a videophone, data
conferencing, fax modem, TAM (telephone answering machine), and
business audio. MPEG (Motion Picture Experts Group)-1 and MPEG-2
support will follow in iteration two, to allow compressed video on
CD-ROMs to be played back and recorded by the ViPA system.

Weir told Newsbytes that, despite its planned support for MPEG1 and 2 in
the future, ViPA does not make use of the technology for compressing
data across comms links. "With dial-up, because of the way in which
multimedia data is compressed by the systems, the existing V.42bis and
MNP (Microcom Network Protocol) systems are not appropriate. For
compression, we use the H261 and new H263 standards for
videoconferencing data compression," he explained.

"PC-based videoconferencing is the most obvious application for ViPA
and the one that has generated the most interest amongst OEMs and
PTTs. The leap in performance and reduction in cost that ViPA enables
in videoconferencing is impressive in its own right, but it would be
wrong to look upon ViPA as being simply a videoconferencing
technology," he said.

ViPA is in the process of being sold to OEMs and PTTs and will not be
available as a consumer product as such. The plan is that PC-based
videoconferencing systems, as well as other systems using the
technology, will carry a distinctive ViPA mark, so that consumers can
know they have bought a product that delivers the benefits of ViPA.

According to Weir, ViPA will probably add around $1,000 to the cost of
a suitably-equipped PC, although this cost will fall to around $500
within the first two years.

(Steve Gold/19951011/Press Contact: Firefly Communications,
[phone], Internet e-mail [phone]; Reader Contact:
Loughborough Sound Images, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/12/95
BUSINESS
Netscape & Geac Join Forces In Library Market

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00016)
Netscape & Geac Join Forces In Library Market 10/12/95
MARKHAM, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 OCT 12 (NB) -- Geac Computer Corp.
(TSE:GAC) has announced an alliance with the prominent developer of
Internet access software Netscape Communications Corp. (NASDAQ:NSCP).
Geac will become a Netscape affiliate, selling the California firm's
World Wide Web browser software to its customers pre-installed on
Geac systems.

Geac sells computer systems to a handful of vertical markets, including
libraries. Susan Beck, marketing manager at the company's US subsidiary,
Geac Computers Inc., in Boston, said there is very strong demand for
access to the Internet throughout the library market.

Netscape's World Wide Web browser will work with Geac's existing
GeoPac multimedia client search application, which resides on the client
system and can be used to search for information on the Web. The client
search application also works with other Web browsers, Beck said.

Netscape's Navigator Web browser software will come pre-installed on
Geac systems when the customers request it. Company officials said
Netscape products will complement Geac's own Geos2 client/server line,
including its GeoWeb search and server applications. Geac said libraries
will be able to use the combination of its own and Netscape's software
to provide information their users are demanding.

Netscape has been a darling of high-tech investors in recent months. The
company went public in early August, with an initial share price of $14,
and the stock traded as high as $75 within the first few days after the
offering. Its price is currently in the $65 range. Geac, by contrast, is
a quiet survivor. Despite a brush with bankruptcy in the early 1990s, it
has come through by concentrating on a few niches, including library
automation, systems for the financial industry, and manufacturing and
distribution systems.

(Grant Buckler/19951012/Press Contact: Carolyn Williamson, Geac,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/12/95
BUSINESS
3-Way Contest For DMR Group

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00017)
3-Way Contest For DMR Group 10/12/95
MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA, 1995 OCT 12 (NB) -- Amdahl Corp.'s (AMEX:AMH)
plan to buy DMR Group Inc., (TSE:DR) an information technology consulting
firm, looks less certain of success now that two other bidders have joined
the race. This week, a Quebec court cleared the way for BDM International
Inc. (NASDAQ:BDMI) to proceed with a counter-offer for DMR, and IBM
Canada Ltd., encouraged by the court decision, jumped in with its own
higher offer.

The two new offers both hinge on a decision by the Quebec Superior Court,
which ruled that holders of Class A shares in DMR could convert their
shares to Class B shares in order to tender them in response to Amdahl's
or BDM's offer. Without this ruling, no other bidder would have had much
hope of competing with the Amdahl offer, since it already had the
endorsements of DMR's major shareholders, who hold the vast majority of
the Class B shares. Since the major shareholders control fewer of the
Class A shares, BDM and IBM Canada have at least a shot at defeating the
Amdahl bid.

Amdahl, of Sunnyvale, California, and DMR, had earlier announced plans for
a takeover at a share price of C$8.25 per share. BDM's offer is for a
weighted average purchase price of C$8.77 per share. IBM Canada has
upped the ante significantly, however, offering C$11 per share.

At Newsbytes' deadline, spokesman Todd Stottlemyer of BDM, in McLean,
Virginia, told Newsbytes his company has not yet seen IBM Canada's
official offer and will wait until it does to respond.

Mike Quinn, a spokesman for IBM Canada of Markham, Ontario, said the
official circular will be issued by the end of this week. IBM's offer
will close three weeks after the circular is issued, meaning early in
November, he said. The offer still needs the formal approval of the
board of IBM Canada's parent company, IBM (NYSE:IBM), which meets
October 30.

IBM Canada said its offer is also conditional on the holders of at least 90
percent of DMR's Class B shares -- including those converted from Class
A -- accepting its offer. This means the company needs to bring DMR's major
shareholders around to its side. "We haven't seen the actual agreement
(between DMR and Amdahl) but their circular contemplates that a higher
offer may be made and accepted," Quinn told Newsbytes. Thus, he said,
there must be a mechanism for the key shareholders to back out of the
sale to Amdahl and accept another offer.

All three bidders say they would keep DMR as a separate entity. Amdahl
said it would roll its own Business Solutions Group into DMR. Stottlemyer
said BDM would similarly merge its BDM Technologies subsidiary into a
separate DMR subsidiary. IBM Canada also said it would run DMR as a
separate subsidiary.

DMR this week announced revenues of C$64.89 million and net income of
C$854,000, or six cents per share, in its first quarter, down slightly from
C$66.02 million and C$1.07 million, or 7.6 cents per share, in the same
quarter a year ago.

At Newsbytes' deadline, Amdahl officials were reported to be considering a
challenge to the court decision, but neither Amdahl nor BDM had announced
a higher offer to meet or exceed IBM's price. DMR stock, meanwhile, was
trading at slightly more than C$11 on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

(Grant Buckler/19951012/Press Contact: Mike Quinn, IBM Canada,
905-316-2255; Todd Stottlemyer, BDM, 703-848-5115, Internet e-mail
[e-mail]; John Radewagen, The Benjamin Group for Amdahl,
408-559-6090)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/12/95
WINDOWS
ABI Intros More business Listing CD-ROMs

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(DEN)(00018)
ABI Intros More business Listing CD-ROMs 10/12/95
OMAHA, NEBRASKA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 12 (NB) -- American business
Information Inc. (NASDAQ: ABII) has introduced two more searchable
marketing and reference products on CD-ROM -- one a list of American
manufacturers, and the second a list of 160,000 companies that employ
100 or more workers.

ABI said "American Manufacturers on CD-ROM" includes more than half
a million US manufacturing firms. The listing includes the number
of employees, annual output volume, names of key executives,
multiple SIC codes identifying all lines of business, fax numbers,
and a credit score.

The disk can be searched by almost any criteria, said ABI. The
company said it can be used to find new customers, locate
suppliers, and research competitors. Betts said all ABI CD-ROM,
diskette-based, and online products use the same Windows-based
software interface, called List Wizard, to make searches easier.
Icons representing search categories are shown across the top of
the window, with a sub-category icon toolbar down the right side
of the screen.

The "Big Businesses" CD-ROM includes information about more than
430,000 key executives and directors and lists employment figures,
sales volume, the name of the parent company if appropriate, stock
exchange information and all lines of business. ABI said this disk
is well-suited for sales prospecting, job searches, market
research, or as a general reference on top US companies.

Vinod Gupta, chairman and chief executive officer of ABI, said an
executive search function, which allows a user to search on a name
and get a listing of all the companies that individual is involved
in, is particularly popular.

ABI spokesperson Jack Betts told Newsbytes the credit scores are not
credit ratings in the traditional sense of how promptly companies pay
their bills. Instead, the score is derived from other information
contained in ABI listings such as the number of employees, how long
they have been in business, the stability of the industry in
general, and other similar factors. "It's an indicator of their
probable ability to pay," said Betts. He called the credit score a
supplement to other credit information available in the market,
such as the D&B or TRW credit reports.

ABI also sells a CD-ROM/printed document credit score package that
covers millions of businesses, and offers TRW credit reports to its
customers. The credit score package, which also includes an online
subscription to look up the data online, costs $1,295. TRW credit
reports cost $25 each. You can also subscribe to a $4.95 per month
ABI service that lets you get up to 100 quick lookups on millions of
companies via a toll-free telephone call.

Both new CD-ROM products being introduced carry a $595 price tag,
which includes a semi-annual update. Both are available immediately
in Windows and DOS version. Betts said the DOS version is still
produced because many libraries have not converted to Windows yet.
No Mac version of any of the ABI products is planned.

(Jim Mallory/19951012/Press contact: Jack Betts, ABI, 402-593-4500;
Public contact: American Business Information, 402-593-4500,
Internet e-mail [e-mail] )




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/12/95
BUSINESS
Standard & Poor's Outlook On NTT Is Negative

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00019)
Standard & Poor's Outlook On NTT Is Negative 10/12/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 OCT 12 (NB) -- Standard and Poor's said this
morning in London that it has assigned its preliminary AAA rating to
the 600 billion yen ($6 billion) shelf-registration program of Nippon
Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) in the Japanese market. This is a
refilling of an existing registration that expired Wednesday.

The organization also affirmed its existing AAA long-term and A-1-plus
short-term ratings of NTT. Total rated debt is about two trillion yen
(US$20 billion).

An S&P spokeswoman in London told Newsbytes the rating was the highest
possible and only around ten companies worldwide enjoy such a good
rating.

The credit rating organization explained the ratings were a product of
NTT's "dominant position and important role in the Japanese
telecommunications market, and strong cashflow and financial profile
among major international peers." S&P noted that despite competition
from new private telephone operators, the new common carriers, NTT
still holds a 90% share of the domestic telecommunications market.

"NTT's financial profile remains very strong" said the report which
noted that the operator was making good profits from its mobile
telephone operations and a February rise in basic telephone connection
charges and line rental helped offset money lost from a price decrease
forced by continuing competition.

Of comparable international telecommunications operators, NTT's debt
coverage is over eight times, ranking among the highest of rated
international peers.

On the outlook for the company, S&P have assigned a "negative" tag
due to increased competition from the NCCs and possibilities of a
government ordered break up.

The report said, "NTT announced its plan to allow competitors direct
access to its local telephone network. Depending on the terms and
conditions of the interconnection agreements, the introduction of
competition in the core business could result in a significant
deterioration of NTT's market position and financial performance.
Standard & Poor's will review NTT's ratings, if current discussions by
the Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications
result in the break-up of the national telecom carrier into one
long-distance and several regional telephone companies."

(Martyn Williams/19951012/Press contact: Daisuke Fukutomi, Standard
And Poor's Tokyo, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/12/95
APPLE
 ****Apple Forms New Division

(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00020)
 ****Apple Forms New Division 10/12/95
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 12 (NB ) -- Apple Computer
Inc. (NASDAQ:APPL) has combined its Apple USA and Apple Canada
subsidiaries to form Apple North America. Given the proximity and
similarity of the two divisions, Apple says the strengths of the
two can "more easily be leveraged" through on grouping.

To head Apple North America, the company has chosen James J. Buckley,
currently a senior vice president of Apple, and formerly president of
Apple USA. He assumes the new position as president of Apple North
America.

Apple Canada will remain as a separate subsidiary of Apple Computer and
its existing president, Peter Jones will continue to head the Canadian
office. Jones also retains his vice president position at Apple Computer.
He will report directly to Buckley, but the Apple Canada subsidiary  will
continue its operations with the current Canadian staff. Apple Canada's
commitments to the Canadian government through the MERIT and
Quebec economic partnership programs will continue to be developed and
maintained through the Canadian staff.

Apple says these changes are effective immediately and implementation
should be complete within the next six months.

Buckley said, "There are numerous synergies between our two regions.
Leveraging resources across the US and Canada makes sound business
sense."

Looking at the benefits of the new alignment, Jones commented, "This
move will be of long-term benefit to Apple Canada and our customers.
It will enable us to take advantage of the resources within the US
organization. We expect this alignment to give us even greater capacity
to fully serve the Canadian market."

Apple Canada was originally part of Apple Pacific region. An Apple
spokesperson told Newsbytes, "From a business sense, and a geographical
sense, we think this is a better way to build business in Canada. The
two areas share so many similarities and we can use these facts to
streamline and combine our efforts in both groups."

(Patrick McKenna/19951012/Press Contact: Pam Miracle, Apple
Computer, 408-974-0688)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/12/95
EDUCATION
School "Tech Corps" Education Program "Goes National"

(NEWS)(EDUCATION)(BOS)(00021)
School "Tech Corps" Education Program "Goes National" 10/12/95
NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 12 (NB) -- At a White
House press conference in Washington DC, and again at a meeting of
the Mass. Software Council (MSC) in Newton, Massachusetts, officials
announced that the "Mass. Tech Corps," a volunteer program for
bringing the expertise of computer professionals into school
classrooms, has now "gone national."

Like its Massachusetts forerunner, the new national organization,
formally launched this week by President Bill Clinton, will be
100 percent funded by the private sector, said Virtual
Entertainment CEO (Chief Executive Officer) David Blohm, speaking
at the MSC Fall Membership Meeting, an event attended by Newsbytes.
So far, Blohm noted, the national group is known under two different
names: the National Tech Corps, and the US Tech Corps.

Blohm told the MSC audience that he had just returned from the
White House press conference, where Clinton announced the
nationwide Tech Corps, along with other initiatives for "computers
in the classroom."

Clinton assembled a "very impressive list of people" for the
Washington press conference, including Ted Turner, George Lucas,
and Ron Brown, according to Blohm, who is also chair of the
MSC's Education Committee.

Karen Black, who has headed up the Mass. Tech Corps, is now in
charge of the national Tech Corps effort. Gary Beach, publisher
of Computerworld and a major architect of the volunteer program,
will serve as spokesperson at the national level, Blohm added.

First rolled out at the MSC 1995 Annual Meeting in January, the
Tech Corps matches volunteers to classrooms that need their
skills in areas such as classroom instruction, technology
planning, mentoring, technical support, hardware/software
acquisition, local area networking, and wide area networking.

As previously reported in Newsbytes, many of the first
participants in the Mass. Tech Corps were previously active in
the Switched-On Classroom, a "strategic planning guide" designed
to provide schools with a blueprint for assessing their
technology needs and planning for implementation. The Mass. Tech
Corps is co-sponsored by the MSC, Computerworld, and Deloitte &
Touche.

Blohm also told the MSC members this week that the Mass. Tech
Corps has been expanded this year from the original 12 school
districts of last year's pilot program to an additional 47 school
districts throughout Massachusetts.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951012/Reader Contact: Mass. Software
Council, 617-437-0600; Press Contact: Miller Communications for
the MSC, 617-536-0470)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
10/12/95
TELECOM
LCI Intros Flat-Rate Int'l Calls

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(MSP)(00022)
LCI Intros Flat-Rate Int'l Calls 10/12/95
MCLEAN, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 12 (NB) -- LCI International
(NYSE:LCI) said it will start charging flat rates to its residential
customers for international phone calls. The plan, called "Extend Your
Reach," offers one flat rate around-the-clock, with varying rates for
individual countries.

LCI officials said they started the new plan in response to "growing
demand for simplicity in residential long-distance service," and the
simple pricing is similar to the company's domestic "All America Plan"
calling plan.

For example, company officials said customers who call France or
Germany from the US will pay 46 cents a minute.  Calls to the United
Kingdom will cost 44 cents per minute, and ringing a destination in
Japan would set the customer back 58 cents per minute.

"We're the only carrier, as far as I know, that has this same
(international) rate 24 hours a day," Kelly Seacrist, LCI spokesperson,
told Newsbytes.

In addition, all LCI international calls are rounded to the nearest six
second increment, a feature Seacrist said helps the customer when it
comes to their pocketbooks. "Since the customer isn't using that time,
we don't need to bill them that time," while the major international
phone carriers round up to the nearest minute, she said.

LCI cited industry analysts when it claimed that six-second incremental
billing can save consumers up to ten percent off their domestic long-
distance calls. Because international calls carry a higher per-minute
rate, the savings earned when calling abroad with LCI can be even
greater, officials said.

"We're not doing anything that would be detrimental to our profits,"
Seacrist said. "But, just based on what the price of the call is for
us to originate and terminate, this is something we can offer" in terms
of both lower prices and flat-rates for LCI customers, she added.

The Extend Your Reach plan is the only international calling plan LCI
offers its residential customers, officials said, reaching more than
60 countries with no additional monthly fees.

(Bob Woods/19951012/Press Contacts: Kelly Seacrist, 703-848-4407, or
Gerry Simone, 703-848-4478, both of LCI International. Public Contact:
LCI International, 800-LCI-INTL)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/12/95
ONLINE
Individual To Offer News On Microsoft Network

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00023)
Individual To Offer News On Microsoft Network 10/12/95
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 12 (NB) -- Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ:MSFT) has acquired a minority interest in information
provider Individual Inc. As a part of the agreement, both companies
will collaborate on product development, including the delivery of
personal daily news on The Microsoft Network (MSN).

Rich Vancil, vice president of marketing for Individual, told Newsbytes
he could not reveal any dollar amount regarding the deal, nor could he
say how much of his company Microsoft acquired. He did say Microsoft
would be represented on Individual's board of directors. "We're
delighted not only for the capitol, but for the strategic partnership,"
Vancil said. "We feel this investment that Microsoft is making is a
nice 'seal of approval' that our technologies do represent 'best of
breed' for the personalization of news."

The first product both companies will collaborate on for MSN is called
'iNews." Vancil described iNews as a "low-priced, daily news service
that's delivered to every MSN users' mailbox." Each subscriber to
iNews will have the ability to custom-tailor a news profile, which will
consist of topical and company-oriented material. From there, iNews
uses a SMART (system manipulation and retrieval of text) text
processing technologies to analyze all of the news that Individual
retrieves from its sources, and tailor that news to each subscriber's
profile.

"It'll be a personal newspaper at a low monthly price, that uses
the most advanced text retrieval and recognition technologies," Vancil
said. He didn't have any specific pricing information available for
iNews, but he did say a subscription would cost under $10 a month.

In addition, both companies are looking at the potential of developing
other projects that will take advantage of Individual's proprietary
news-filtering and distribution technologies. Vancil said his company
is looking forward to using Microsoft's upcoming authoring tool
"Blackbird" to enhance the interactivity and the "feel" of online
presentations.

(Bob Woods/19951012/Press Contacts: Rich Vancil, Individual Inc., 617-
273-6000; Beth Winkowski, WTM Advertising and Public Relations, 617-
337-3634; June McLaren Peters or Anne Marshall, 206-637-9097, Waggener
Edstrom)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/12/95
BROADCAST
Video News Roundup

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(MSP)(00024)
Video News Roundup 10/12/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 12 (NB) -- This is a
look at the top stories this week in the world of video news
reporting: Scitex Buys Abekas, Newsgroup for ENG Professionals,
Video storage and server news, The Maxi Sound Multimedia Keyboard,
and A how-to book for computer video.

Scitex To Integrate ImMix And Abekas

The September 25th issue of Broadcasting and Cable Technology reports
that the Israeli digital prepress company Scitex has acquired Abekas
for $52 million in cash. Last September, Scitex bought ImMix, makers
of the TurboCube non-linear edit system, from Carlton Communications
for $21 million cash. The report says that Scitex President and CEO
(Chief Executive Officer) Arie Rosenfeld says that the purchase "will
allow us to achieve our stated goal of a $100 million business in
digital video." ImMix and Abekas will now be a part of Scitex's digital
video division.

Professional Video Newsgroup On The Internet

An article in the September issue of Television Broadcast alerts ENG
(electronic news gathering) professionals to a new newsgroup made for
them, rec.video.professional. Michael Silbergleid, the article's author,
is the newsgroup moderator. Created on August 21, the moderated group,
writes Silbergleid, will not deal with "copying tapes for your niece or
flame wars." Other groups such as rec.video, rec.video production,
and rec.video.desktop are not moderated. Some of the topics will
include; FCC policy, Professional Events, ENG equipment specifications,
New Technology, Tape Formats, Editing (linear and non-linear), Trouble
Shooting and Tips, and Production Formats.

Video Storage And Server News

There are several items regarding digital video. The September 25th
issue of Broadcasting and Cable Technology reports that BTS and the
hard disk manufacturer Micropolis have formed a partnership. The goal
is to develop disk drive solutions targeted to broadcast and pro
video. Many Web sites and persons are dealing with the hassle of huge
video files. The September issue of Advanced Imaging features a story
on Netvideo. The company, based in Sunnyvale, California, has started
a video warehouseing, compression, and Internet transmission service.
Netvideo will be a host server where users can put their video files.

The September issue of Broadcast Engineering has an article on the
emerging technology of video servers. The five parameters for server
technology are: quality (using tape formats as a yardstick); the
storage media and access time; fault tolerance; along with
expandability and upgrading. The August cover story was on video
storage.

New Products

Presentations September New Products mentions the Maxi Sound
Multimedia Keyboard. The two built-in speakers use proprietary
technology from Altec Lansing, the speaker manufacturer. It also has
audio connections to support professional microphones and line outs.

Also in AV Video is a review of How to Digitize Video by Nels Johnson,
Fred Gault and Mark Florence of San Francisco's Canyon Group. Canyon
developed Quicktime for Windows. It's a valuable overview of the
pleasure and pain of video in the computer world. Both Mac and PC
platforms are covered. The reviewer, Cecil Smith, writes, "Pay
particular attention to the section Understanding Cross Platform
Playability Issues -- it could save you big bucks. If you're just
getting started using computers in the television business, How to
Digitize Video is a good book to keep handy."

(Newsbytes Staff/19950929)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/12/95
ONLINE
Internet CD Music Store With 100,000 Titles

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LAX)(00025)
Internet CD Music Store With 100,000 Titles 10/12/95
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 12 (NB) --Pentagon CDs &
Tapes, a 24-hour Internet record store claims the most extensive
music database available on the Internet's World Wide Web. Pentagon's
database contains over 100,000 albums cross-referenced by artist,
album title, song title, and category.

Adam Lilling, president of Pentagon, told Newsbytes, "We have, in our
Oracle 7 database, 100,000 CDs for sale at discount prices -- $11.99 is
our regular price, not our promotional or sales price. We can ship
from our warehouse every title, next day.

"It is our goal to be able to allow sound clips from every album to
be downloaded and played real-time on a PC. For now, we will have
music clips from our 60 featured albums every month. We will
archive those clips so that they can be downloaded from that time
forward. The featured albums will each have three song clips available
to listen to in real-time via StreamWorks, a new version of real-time
audio streaming created by the Xing Corporation," said Lilling.

HuskyLabs has produced all of Pentagon's programming to date, and
configured the database for use over the Internet. According to Lilling,
through the customizing of a Oracle 7 relational databases, Pentagon
is able to process thousands of simultaneous queries online.

Pentagon has also teamed up with SoundScan to provide Internet users
with all the latest SoundScan/Billboard national sales charts for
various genres of music. Pentagon is now a SoundScan reporter,
having its sales count towards chart rankings.

"I set three goals for Pentagon," Lilling said. "First, to disseminate
as much information as is available about an album, artist, or group.
Second, to deliver the music in as fast a turn-around as possible to
maintain the advantage of home shopping. And third, to make the music
available at a price competitive with any music store."

Pentagon CDs & Tapes is headquartered in Los Angeles, California,
and can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.pentagon.net .

(Richard Bowers/19951012/Press Contact: Agent Starling, Pentagon
CDs and Tapes, 800-9Pentagon)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/12/95
BUSINESS
 ****Bosses Picked For Two Fragments Of AT&T

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00026)
 ****Bosses Picked For Two Fragments Of AT&T 10/12/95
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 12 (NB) -- The top managers have
been named for two of the three companies that will emerge from the
breakup of AT&T (NYSE:T). They are current AT&T managers except for
Henry B. Schacht, the 60-year-old former chairman and chief executive
of Cummins Engine Co. Inc., who will head the new communications systems
and technology company.

Schacht, who recently retired from Cummins and is currently an adviser to
investment firm E.M. Warburg-Pincus and a member of the AT&T board of
directors, is to become chairman and chief executive of the still-unnamed
equipment company in the first half of 1996. Richard A. McGinn, currently
chief executive of AT&T's Network Systems Group, will be president and
chief operating officer of the new company. At the same time as both take
office, AT&T said, about 15 percent of the stock in the new company will
be sold through an initial public offering.

The new $20-billion firm will be built around AT&T Bell Laboratories, and
will include the Network Systems Group, Global Business Communications
Systems, Consumer Products, AT&T Paradyne, and the microelectronics
unit. In a press conference announcing the breakup last month, company
Chairman Robert E. Allen said one reason for splitting AT&T's equipment
and technology operations off from its communications services was
growing rivalry between AT&T and the regional Bell operating companies
(RBOCs) separated from it in the earlier divestiture. RBOCs are interested
in getting into the long-distance business in competition with AT&T, he
said, and consequently are growing reluctant to buy equipment from a
company they increasingly see as a future competitor.

The AT&T name will stay with the communications services company, as
will Allen, who is to remain chairman and chief executive of what will
be a $50-billion operation. Alex J. Mandl, currently chief executive of
AT&T's Communications Services Group, has been named president and chief
operating officer of the new and smaller AT&T.

The third unit created by the breakup will be a computer company,
essentially AT&T's Global Information Solutions operation, most of which
was the old NCR Corp. Top management for the independent GIS has not
yet been named, but Lars Nyberg, currently chief executive of GIS, has
been given the responsibility for overseeing that transition. AT&T
earlier assigned the corresponding roles at the other units to McGinn
and Mandl.

(Grant Buckler/19951012/Press Contact: Adele Ambrose, AT&T,
908-221-6900; Jim Byrnes, AT&T, 908-221-7876)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/12/95
BUSINESS
 ****Viacom & Tellabs To Offer Cable TV/Phone Service

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00027)
 ****Viacom & Tellabs To Offer Cable TV/Phone Service 10/12/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 12 (NB) -- Cable giant
Viacom, and Tellabs (NASDAQ:TLAB), are combining their respective cable
delivery system and voice and data transport technology to offer full
telephone service alongside standard cable television features. Following
a California Public Utility Commission ruling, Viacom says it is building
a pilot program in Castro Valley, California, which offers cable TV and
full service local and long distance calling.

Viacom says customers will see no changes in the way their telephone or
cable TV system operate. Standard telephone services such as direct-dial,
local and long-distance calling, custom calling features and choice of
long-distance carriers, are an integral part of the program.

The pilot program, scheduled to begin during January and last through
June, 1996, consists of 200 residential homes in an area Viacom has
previously used to test new technologies and services.

Surprisingly, Tellabs' system, called Cablespan 2300, allows Viacom to
use existing coaxial cables which currently deliver television programming
to residential and business locations.

Expanding on the technological side, Jon Grimes, vice president of
network access systems at Tellabs, told Newsbytes, "For our Cablespan
system, the cable operator does not have to run a fiber-optic line to
each residence. Fiber-optic lines are used to supply nodes which then
distribute programming to anywhere from 500 to 2,000 residences. From the
node, the cable company uses its regular coaxial cable. Our technology,
installed at the cable head and at the residence, allows voice and data
transmission to be sent on the same wire."

Tellabs says its Cablespan technology is capable of delivering data
speeds of 10 megabits-per-second (Mbps). High speed T-3 lines, used as
the backbone of the Internet, handle 45 Mbps, and T-1 lines, used by
many businesses for an Internet connection transmit 1.544 Mbps.

For desktop computer users, 10 Mbps data transmission means wide
bandwidth capabilities which will allow for full video, high-quality
audio, and extremely fast data transmission in both directions. Looking
into the near future, Grimes said, "There will be no need for a modem on
a computer user's desk. The same Cablespan device which connects to each
residence can easily incorporate a modem which will handle high-speed
data transmissions for the Internet and online services."

Viacom serves more than 600,000 California residents and a total of 1.1
million subscribers in five states. Tellabs' Cablespan system is being
tested in a number of locations by other cable providers as deregulation
spreads across various states in the US.

Grimes also said cable companies could possibly provide cheaper phone
service than the Bell companies and customers should expect to see
interesting promotional packages which might include special
pay-per-view features tied to telephone usage.

When asked how soon consumers could expect to see deployment of a
telephony/cable system, Grimes said, "I think Viacom will be pleasantly
surprised with their pilot program. Cablespan 2300 has been thoroughly
tested and is ready to be put into action. If everything else were in
place, wider distribution of this system to Viacom customers could
begin in the second half of 1996."

The pilot program will include a two-line telephone capability, and
additional lines are possible when and if the system is extended. A
pricing structure is still under consideration. Viacom will not actually
put PacBell out of business. It will change who brings the service to
your house or residence. The Viacom telephony/cable TV system still
requires switching technology at a certain level within Viacom's cable
network to complete telephone transmissions through a Bell company's
network.

Grimes added, "From a subjective point of view, we think our tests show
the Cablespan system provides a clearer telephone connection with almost
no noise." Line distortions and noise are often the cause of failure for
data transmitted over the Internet. Along with the tremendous speed
capability, the cleaner lines support even better service for online
users.

(Patrick McKenna/19951012/Press Contact: Thomas Scottino, Tellabs,
708-512-7504)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/12/95
IBM
 ****IBM Germany To Shed 1,200 More Jobs

(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00028)
 ****IBM Germany To Shed 1,200 More Jobs 10/12/95
STUTTGART, GERMANY, 1995 OCT 12 (NB) -- IBM has announced plans to
shed 1,200 staff over the next 12 months. According to Horst Richter,
a member of the supervisory board of Big Blue's German operation, and
a senior member of IG Metall, the German trade union, the staff cuts
are on top of the 6,000 positions already lost over the last year.

Richter told journalists this week that the broad outline for the plan
had been agreed between himself, and other members of the board,
including Personnel Director Hans-Werner Richter.

Rather than simply lay off staff, IBM plans to instigate an early
retirement program which will take around 300 from the 1,200 job
losses figure. Nevertheless, IBM officials said that it expects that
around 900 staff will have to leave over the next year. Currently, IBM
Deutschland employs 21,900 staff.

Interestingly, IBM's German operation, perhaps aware of the need that
it may have to shed staff, has been moving steadily away from open-
ended contracts and moving towards fixed-term agreements, renewable
by negotiation between staff and management. Of the 21,900 staff
currently with IBM, only 16,500 are classed as permanent, with the
remainder having fixed-term or temporary contracts.

According to Big Blue, the staff cuts are almost certain to be in the
back office on the administrative side, and involve jobs which have no
direct contact with customers. According to Richter, the works council
is worried that the bulk of the cuts may hit Stuttgart, although it
seems likely that some of the small units within IBM Deutschland may
be closed down, such as those in Reutlingen or Villingen-Schwenningen.

Richter said that IBM Deutschland has no major control over the cuts,
since the instruction was handed down by the US parent. Under the
guidelines, IBM Deutschland must cut costs by around 30 percent over
the coming year, using 1994 as the base benchmark figure. A further 20
percent cuts are to be achieved by 1997, and IBM has not ruled out
further cutbacks in the 1996/97 time frame.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951012/Press & Reader Contact: IBM Deutschland,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/12/95
IBM
IBM Teams With PictureTel On Global Resale, OS/2 Port

(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00029)
IBM Teams With PictureTel On Global Resale, OS/2 Port 10/12/95
SOMERS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 12 (NB) -- In a teleconference
this afternoon, IBM and PictureTel announced that IBM will resell
PictureTel's complete line of videoconferencing systems on a
global basis, and that PictureTel, in turn, will port its PCS 50
desktop videoconferencing system to IBM's OS/2 Warp.

The deal represents the first "global marketing relationship"
that IBM has forged with any other videoconferencing vendor, said
IBM's Bob Riddle, speaking during the teleconference, which was
attended by Newsbytes.

Jim Gant, VP, Solution Developer Operations for IBM, opened the
teleconference by pointing out that the new pact represents an
earlier reseller agreement with PictureTel, forged in June, 1994,
in which IBM is selling PictureTel videoconferencing products
throughout Europe.

Most of IBM's current customers for PictureTel in Europe are
large corporations, but, as IBM expands distribution of
PictureTel products to other countries, expansion will also occur
in other kinds of markets, Gant added during a Q&A session.

Dom LaCava, VP, Personal Systems Division, for PictureTel, told
reporters that the deal with IBM is "consistent" with PictureTel's
strategy of "aligning with world leaders" in the areas of networking
and telecommunications.

The resale agreement with IBM covers consulting and other
services, plus related products, in addition to videoconferencing
systems, according to LaCava. The deal is not "exclusive" for
either side, he reported.

The IBM and PictureTel officials declined comment on the financial
ramifications of the deal. But IBM's Riddle said that, although IBM
currently resells some other vendors' videoconferencing systems,
"if a vendor demands a single source," IBM does not have any other
relationships in the videoconferencing arena of the same "scope"
as the expanded deal with PictureTel.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951012/Reader Contact: PictureTel, 508-762-
5000; IBM, 914-765-1900; Press Contacts: Kevin Flanagan,
PictureTel, 508-762-5178; Glen Zimmerman, Beaupre & Company for
PictureTel, 603-436-6690; Glenn Rossman, IBM, 914-766-1711)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00030)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 10/12/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 12 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|           Thursday, October 12, 1995           |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network's 1995 Update CD-ROM for Mac, DOS, and Windows is
now available for $29.95 (includes s&h). Contains 1983-1995 news
stories, more than 64,000 keyword searchable stories and 475 digitized
images. For more information or to order, fax to 612-430-0441 or e-mail
to '[e-mail]' -- MC, Visa, Amex accepted.

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

APPLE      ****Apple Forms New Division.............................. 20

BROADCAST Inmarsat P Satellite Phone Set For 1999.................... 11

BROADCAST Major Hughes Investment Follows China Satellite Order...... 13

BROADCAST Video News Roundup......................................... 24

BUSINESS  3Com To Set Up Offices In Thailand & Vietnam............... 03

BUSINESS   ****Bill Gates' Company Buys Photo Archives............... 08

BUSINESS  Netscape & Geac Join Forces In Library Market.............. 16

BUSINESS  3-Way Contest For DMR Group................................ 17

BUSINESS  Standard & Poor's Outlook On NTT Is Negative............... 19

BUSINESS   ****Bosses Picked For Two Fragments Of AT&T............... 26

BUSINESS   ****Viacom & Tellabs To Offer Cable TV/Phone Service...... 27

EDUCATION School "Tech Corps" Education Program "Goes National....... 21

GENERAL   Japan Newsbriefs........................................... 12

IBM       IBM To Roll Out More Internet Bundles At Internetworld..... 09

IBM       IBM Plans Operating System Combining MVS & Unix............ 10

IBM        ****IBM Germany To Shed 1,200 More Jobs................... 28

IBM       IBM Teams With PictureTel On Global Resale, OS/2 Port...... 29

ONLINE    Cable TV's Travel Channel On The Web....................... 01

ONLINE    ICL Offers Commercial Online Publishing Service............ 14

ONLINE    Individual To Offer News On Microsoft Network.............. 23

ONLINE    Internet CD Music Store With 100,000 Titles................ 25

TELECOM   Hong Kong Plans Full Telecom Competition................... 02

TELECOM   China - Shanghai Buys SDH System From AT&T................. 06

TELECOM   LCI Intros Flat-Rate Int'l Calls........................... 22

TRENDS    Color Inkjet Printing Increases In Australia............... 04

TRENDS    Australian Study Says Computer Games Not Bad For Kids...... 05

TRENDS    UK Firm Intros Universal Multimedia Comms Unit............. 15

WINDOWS   DOS/Windows Welsh Spelling-Checker Intro'd................. 07

WINDOWS   ABI Intros More business Listing CD-ROMs................... 18

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 -> Cable TV's Travel Channel On The Web -- The Travel Channel cable TV
network is expanding onto the Internet's World Wide Web. The channel has
unveiled "The Travel Channel Online Network," designed to inform people
about places, events, culture, and food from around the world.

2 -> Hong Kong Plans Full Telecom Competition -- Hongkong Telecom's new
rival in supplying telephone lines, New T&T, has the first phase of its
fiber optic network and digital switching system up and running.

3 -> 3Com To Set Up Offices In Thailand & Vietnam -- 3Com Corporation
plans to set up representative offices in both Thailand and in Vietnam,
according to 3Com ASEAN Channels Manager Eric Lee.

4 -> Color Inkjet Printing Increases In Australia -- The demand for high
quality, low-cost printing is driving color inkjet sales onward and
upward in what research group IDC Australia is calling a "quiet, but
colorful" revolution.

5 -> Australian Study Says Computer Games Not Bad For Kids -- A
Australian study by an associate professor of psychology claims to show
that people worry unnecessarily about the effects of computer games on
children.

6 -> China - Shanghai Buys SDH System From AT&T -- A US$13 million
contract was signed recently between AT&T and Shanghai Posts and
Telecommunications Bureau (SPTB) for SPTB to buy synchronous digital
hierarchy (SDH) equipment from AT&T within a year. The purchase is
reportedly part of the city's "information superhighway" plan.

7 -> DOS/Windows Welsh Spelling-Checker Intro'd --The Welsh Language
Board (Bwrdd Yr Iaith Gymraeg) has announced the release of CySill 2.0+,
a Welsh language spelling-checker designed for use with most DOS or
Windows 3.xx word processors. According to the Board, the UKP45 package
is compatible with Microsoft Word, WordPerfect. Ami Pro, Wordstar, and
the new Windows 95 operating system.

8 ->  ****Bill Gates' Company Buys Photo Archives -- Corbis Corp., a
company owned by Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) Chairman Bill Gates, has
purchased one of the world's largest photo agencies, the Bettmann
Archive. The 16 million photos will be digitized and distributed and
licensed to publishers of magazines, books, advertisements, films,
television programs, newspapers, and other print and electronic media.

9 -> IBM To Roll Out More Internet Bundles At Internetworld -- IBM's
newly unveiled plans to bundle Web servers from IBM and Netscape with
RS/6000 workstations and servers will be followed by a long list of
other software bundles for a range of IBM hardware, including additional
Internet packages to be announced at the end of this month, IBM
officials reported, during a press teleconference and follow-up briefing
for Newsbytes.

10 -> IBM Plans Operating System Combining MVS & Unix -- In the first
quarter of 1996, IBM will officially announce and deliver a new
operating system for IBM mainframes that will be able to run MVS- and
Unix applications simultaneously, IBM officials revealed, during a press
teleconference and follow-up interview with Newsbytes.

11 -> Inmarsat P Satellite Phone Set For 1999 -- Inmarsat, the UK-based
satellite phone and data comms network provider, has announced plans to
launch Inmarsat P (for Personal), a personal satellite phone services
aimed at consumers rather globe-trotting businesspeople. Although it is
still far too early to talk specifics, the idea behind Inmarsat P is
that terrestrial GSM (global system for mobile communications) digital
nets will provide service in most countries, switching to a GSM hybrid
service from 12 satellites ringing the globe to offer total coverage
anywhere on the earth's surface.

12 -> Japan Newsbriefs -- In this roundup of news from Japan: PHS
subscriptions down, Local authority IT spending up, IBM Japan unveils
new hard disk, NEC extends Internet service, Tax returns via the
Internet, Konami to make Windows 95 games, Sharp develops new LCD.

13 -> Major Hughes Investment Follows China Satellite Order -- Hughes
Electric Corporation has announced it will invest $1 billion in China
over the next ten years, following an order received by Hughes Space and
Communications Corporation for a satellite from the Chinese government.

14 -> ICL Offers Commercial Online Publishing Service -- ICL is using
the Telecom 95 expo to show, for the first time, a new system aimed at
organizations wishing to make a success of commercial publishing on the
Internet's World Wide Web. The system attempts to address problems
concerning such ventures, including copyright protection and product
branding.

15 -> UK Firm Intros Universal Multimedia Comms Unit --Loughborough
Sounds Image (LSI) has developed an integrated system that combines
multimedia (voice and audio comms), with fax, data, electronic-mail and
data sharing facilities all in one "black box." Known as Video
Processing Architecture (ViPA), the technology is currently being sold
to multiple PC OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) around the world,
ready for shipment as an integral part of multimedia systems shipped
from next spring.

16 -> Netscape & Geac Join Forces In Library Market -- Geac Computer
Corp. (TSE:GAC) has announced an alliance with the prominent developer
of Internet access software Netscape Communications Corp. (NASDAQ:NSCP).
Geac will become a Netscape affiliate, selling the California firm's
World Wide Web browser software to its customers pre-installed on Geac
systems.

17 -> 3-Way Contest For DMR Group -- Amdahl Corp.'s (AMEX:AMH) plan to
buy DMR Group Inc., (TSE:DR) an information technology consulting firm,
looks less certain of success now that two other bidders have joined the
race. This week, a Quebec court cleared the way for BDM International
Inc. (NASDAQ:BDMI) to proceed with a counter-offer for DMR, and IBM
Canada Ltd., encouraged by the court decision, jumped in with its own
higher offer.

18 -> ABI Intros More business Listing CD-ROMs -- American business
Information Inc. (NASDAQ: ABII) has introduced two more searchable
marketing and reference products on CD-ROM

19 -> Standard & Poor's Outlook On NTT Is Negative -- Standard and
Poor's said this morning in London that it has assigned its preliminary
AAA rating to the 600 billion yen ($6 billion) shelf-registration
program of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) in the Japanese market.
This is a refilling of an existing registration that expired Wednesday.

20 ->  ****Apple Forms New Division -- Apple Computer Inc. (NASDAQ:APPL)
has combined its Apple USA and Apple Canada subsidiaries to form Apple
North America. Given the proximity and similarity of the two divisions,
Apple says the strengths of the two can "more easily be leveraged"
through on grouping.

21 -> School "Tech Corps" Education Program "Goes National -- At a White
House press conference in Washington DC, and again at a meeting of the
Mass. Software Council (MSC) in Newton, Massachusetts, officials
announced that the "Mass. Tech Corps," a volunteer program for bringing
the expertise of computer professionals into school classrooms, has now
"gone national."

22 -> LCI Intros Flat-Rate Int'l Calls -- LCI International (NYSE:LCI)
said it will start charging flat rates to its residential customers for
international phone calls. The plan, called "Extend Your Reach," offers
one flat rate around-the-clock, with varying rates for individual
countries.

23 -> Individual To Offer News On Microsoft Network -- Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ:MSFT) has acquired a minority interest in information provider
Individual Inc. As a part of the agreement, both companies will
collaborate on product development, including the delivery of personal
daily news on The Microsoft Network (MSN).

24 -> Video News Roundup -- This is a look at the top stories this week
in the world of video news reporting: Scitex Buys Abekas, Newsgroup for
ENG Professionals, Video storage and server news, The Maxi Sound
Multimedia Keyboard, and A how-to book for computer video.

25 -> Internet CD Music Store With 100,000 Titles --Pentagon CDs &
Tapes, a 24-hour Internet record store claims the most extensive music
database available on the Internet's World Wide Web. Pentagon's database
contains over 100,000 albums cross-referenced by artist, album title,
song title, and category.

26 ->  ****Bosses Picked For Two Fragments Of AT&T -- The top managers
have been named for two of the three companies that will emerge from the
breakup of AT&T (NYSE:T). They are current AT&T managers except for
Henry B. Schacht, the 60-year-old former chairman and chief executive of
Cummins Engine Co. Inc., who will head the new communications systems
and technology company.

27 ->  ****Viacom & Tellabs To Offer Cable TV/Phone Service -- Cable
giant Viacom, and Tellabs (NASDAQ:TLAB), are combining their respective
cable delivery system and voice and data transport technology to offer
full telephone service alongside standard cable television features.
Following a California Public Utility Commission ruling, Viacom says it
is building a pilot program in Castro Valley, California, which offers
cable TV and full service local and long distance calling.

28 ->  ****IBM Germany To Shed 1,200 More Jobs -- IBM has announced
plans to shed 1,200 staff over the next 12 months. According to Horst
Richter, a member of the supervisory board of Big Blue's German
operation, and a senior member of IG Metall, the German trade union, the
staff cuts are on top of the 6,000 positions already lost over the last
year.

29 -> IBM Teams With PictureTel On Global Resale, OS/2 Port -- In a
teleconference this afternoon, IBM and PictureTel announced that IBM
will resell PictureTel's complete line of videoconferencing systems on a
global basis, and that PictureTel, in turn, will port its PCS 50 desktop
videoconferencing system to IBM's OS/2 Warp.

(Ian Stokell/19951012)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD



Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/11/95
PC
European Firms Happy With PC Industry - Report

(NEWS)(PC)(LON)(00001)
European Firms Happy With PC Industry - Report 10/11/95
BRACKNELL, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 11 (NB) -- European
corporations give the computer industry high marks for its leading-edge
technology, according to a report from Dell Computer's European
operations. According to the survey, corporations in Europe also rate
the provision of other customer priorities, such as pricing, service,
support, and the timing plus delivery of PC products.

The report, which was carried out by Research International by Dell,
also reveals a high level of concern amongst large users over the lack
of compatibility in PC products and standardization in the industry.

According to Dell, the survey was conducted amongst 400 information
technology (IT) purchasers in companies of more than 100 staff across
France, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Spain, and the UK, to
determined the key IT priorities and needs of large users, an area of
the market that Dell is pitching hard at.

Despite a good degree of positive feedback, Martyn Ratcliffe, vice
president and general manager of Dell Europe, Middle East and Africa
(EMEA), said that the computer industry needs to avoid complacency and
further improve the total PC experience for corporate customers.

Specifically, Ratcliffe said that the European PC industry needs to
put the needs of customers before the proprietary interests when
developing products. In addition, the report suggests that PC vendors
need to enhance the scope, quality, and responsiveness of their service
and support programs.

"The European PC industry should be proud of its accomplishments in
meeting the expectations of corporate computer users," Ratcliffe said,
adding that Dell is encouraged that the factors which corporate users
identify as their top priorities -- prompt technical support, technical
expertise of staff, and reliable delivery -- are the strengths of its
direct model.

"Customized service and support before, during and after the sale,
mass customization, competitive pricing, and quick time-to-market are
the hallmarks of the direct model, pioneered more than a decade ago by
Dell," he said.

In the survey, 70 percent of all respondents identified service and
support issues in the aggregate as priorities. European companies said
that they are satisfied with customized service and warranty programs,
extended customer care programs and the expertise of technical support
staff, but said there is room for some improvement in the promptness
of the support they receive.

Interestingly, 60 percent of all respondents felt that customized
service and warranty programs are important in selecting a supplier,
and 89 percent of respondents said that they were happy with the
customized service and warranty programs of their current supplier.

One in four German companies said that their supplier exceeded their
expectations in this area.

Almost two thirds of respondents said that the technical expertise of
support staff was an important factor in their supplier selection
decision-making, and 85 percent were happy with the staff expertise of
their current supplier.

Of the 15 percent who expressed dissatisfaction, public sector
organizations were the most unhappy -- one in five said that the
technical expertise of their supplier's support staff fell short of
their expectations.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951010/Press Contact: Fleischman Hillard,
tel [phone], fax [phone]; Reader Contact: Dell
Computer, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/11/95
GENERAL
Software 2000 To Add Windows 95, NT, Unix To Apps

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00002)
Software 2000 To Add Windows 95, NT, Unix To Apps 10/11/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 11 (NB) -- Products for
Windows 95, Windows NT, and Unix will follow newly released Windows
and OS/2 clients in a major object-oriented (OO) update to Software
2000's AS/400-based business applications software, revealed Erin
Golden, at a meeting with Newsbytes in Boston. Meanwhile, the Cape
Cod-based software company views recent competition from the
likes of SAP and Peoplesoft as "validating" AS/400 as an underlying
platform, she contended.

Software 2000's financial accounting and human resources (HR)
applications have been based on AS/400 ever since the company's
founding in Hyannis, Massachusetts, back in 1981, according to
Golden, who is Software 2000's director of marketing. Since then,
the company has grown from a handful of employees to more than
460.

Till 1994, the software was entirely text-based. But about a year
ago, Software 2000 shipped Infinium:Human Resources (Infinium:HR)
1.0, a graphical client-server application featuring an underlying
architecture built with Smalltalk, the marketing director told
Newsbytes.

Last spring came the release of Infinium: Desktop Manager, an OO
"environment" for managing Infinium applications and sharing
information with Windows- and OS/2-based personal productivity
tools like spreadsheets and word processors. And now, Software
2000 has delivered Infinium:Financial Management (Infinium:FM),
along with the Infinium:HR 1.1 upgrade.

Why the object "renaissance" for Software 2000? Golden told
Newsbytes that object technology has allowed Software 2000 to use
AS/400 as the basis for corporate data warehouses that are easily
accessible to the end user.

The new applications are especially useful in traditional AS/400
strongholds such as finance and manufacturing, because users can
"preserve their investments." But Infinium is also helping to
bring new customers to AS/400, in industries ranging from utilities
to theme parks, according to Golden.

Golden added that the recent entry of SAP and Peoplesoft into the
AS/400 financial/HR software market corroborates Software 2000's
choice of AS/400 as a "robust and cost effective" server. But,
she asserted, Infinium supports processing of "larger volumes of
data," and also permits a greater degree of user customization, than
rival products.

Users and analysts attested to the advantages of Infinium over
Software 2,000's previous text-based interface. In addition,
customers who had "shopped around" told Newsbytes that Infinium
meets their needs better than competing products. Matt Parsons,
project manager for Infinium:FM at EDS, said that EDS looked at
"15 major financial management systems" before signing a recent
licensing deal with Software 2000.

Initially, the deal calls for the integration of Infinium
products with an existing data processing system that EDS operates
for over 300 Saturn car dealerships. Ultimately, EDS plans to market
a system incorporating Infinium to other General Motors dealerships.

Parsons told Newsbytes that the existing system at Saturn was
created in 1989. The ability to continue using AS/400 hardware
was a "big key, so as not to create obsolescence."

But in evaluating applications for AS/400, he added, EDS found
Infinium to provide "the best usability for end users," in
addition to a "GUI that can be customized to many different levels
of users -- from AR (accounts receivables) clerks to top executives,"
according to the EDS exec.

John Millward, another user, told Newsbytes that his company
purchased AS/400 hardware because of Infinium, rather than the
other way around. "Software 2000 is solid and reliable. There are
no `shocks' -- no nasty surprises," remarked Millward, who is
manager of financial services for Alberta Pacific (AL-Pac) Forest
Industries.

Millward recalled that the lumber company assessed a number of
accounting packages, including VAX-based products, a few years
ago, while still in start-up mode. Today, Al-Pac also runs a VAX-
based production system and a Sun-based GIS (geographic information
systems), along with a number of RS/6000 servers and workstations.

"Infinium will also let us import data from Truck Base, a product
we developed in conjunction with another firm, into a program for
our woodlands. And it is really nice to use," noted the financial
services manager.

Bill Gannon Jr., an analyst at Sentry Market Research (SMR), told
Newsbytes that some users previously thought of Software 2000 as
"legacy-based," but that new research results from SMR show
Infinium's GUI (graphical user interface) and object architecture
to be giving the company a strong "bump" upward in user
perceptions.

During a demo of the new Infinium:FM at the meeting with
Newsbytes, Golden showed how users can quickly "drill down" through
layers of information to find needed accounting facts. Infinium:FM,
she maintained, consists of "highly integrated" components for
general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and management
of "global currencies and global taxation."

Golden displayed how the user can access budgets for various
"functional areas" by dragging and dropping an icon for the
"`budgets' business object" on to icons for the functional areas.
Aside from "budgets," objects that can be dragged and dropped
within the "icon view" include invoices, payments, accounting
"notes," journals, companies, vendors, and customers, among
others.

Users can then drill down into a series of screens providing
progressively more detail, she said. You might drill, for
example, from an "account balance, all balances" screen into
another screen giving detail for "travel expenses -- product (line 3.)"

Golden added that ultimately, Infinium will also let users build
three-tier applications, involving a desktop client, an AS/400
server, and a second server for Unix or Windows NT. Software 2000
will release clients for Windows 95 and Windows NT in the first
quarter of 1996, with Unix and Windows NT servers to follow some
time later next year, she told Newsbytes.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951010/Reader Contact: Software 2000,
508-778-2000; Press Contacts: Gail Fulciniti, Software 2000,
508-778-2000; Deb Dionne or Heather Robb, FitzGerald Communications
for Software 2000, 617-494-9500)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/11/95
NETWORK
Novell Technology To Help Manage Energy Consumption

(NEWS)(NETWORK)(DEN)(00003)
Novell Technology To Help Manage Energy Consumption 10/11/95
OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 11 (NB) -- Novell Inc. (NASDAQ: NOVL)
has announced a partnership to "develop and jointly market"
applications that will allow consumers to optimize their use of
energy consumption in their homes and offices. It could also be the
connection that plugs that home or office into the information
superhighway.

The network software company has entered into a partnership with
Utilicorp United, a Kansas City, Missouri-based international energy
generation, transmission and marketing company to form the Smart
Energy Network Alliance. The two companies will use Novell
Embedded Systems Technology (NEST) to exchange information over
conventional power lines. Products are expected to be commercially
available next year.

The partnership announcement is important because electric
companies, with their existing connections into every home and
office in the world, hope to be the pathway to the information
superhighway of the future. However, they are not alone in
seeking that objective, facing opposition with equally well-
positioned providers like the telephone and cable companies.

Novell's NEST Powerline technology will use existing power lines to
transfer data at speeds up to two megabits-per-second. The utility
companies could use NEST to automate and manage functions like
heating and cooling, refrigerators, air conditioners and fax
machines. It can also allow your utility company to remotely read,
activate or deactivate your electric meter, which may be the
first application of the technology.

Novell said the level of control provided by NEST will eventually allow
utility companies to exercise demand-side power management and allocate
energy resources depending on the need of a device at a given time.
In the long-run power officials expect that to benefit consumers and
distributors. "Smart energy network management means that large companies,
businesses of all sizes and the home consumer, will receive more value
for their energy expenditures," according to Robert Frankenberg, Novell
chairman and chief executive officer.

The two companies declined to reveal details of the technology,
saying that would be announced at a later time. They said the NEST
Powerline technology is not intended to replace the need for Ethernet
or Token Ring networks, but augment other networks by extending the
network connections to every wall outlet. Novell also said NEST
Powerline is a higher performance, lower cost network protocol than
ISDN (integrated services digital network).

While the electric, cable and telephone companies fight for
dominance in providing a connection between your house or business
and the world of information, the real question may be whether the
consumer cares, according to Computer Intelligence/Infoworld
analyst Stan Schatt. "The vast majority of the population...
doesn't want anything more complicated than the telephone in the
home," the analyst told Newsbytes. "We haven't really been able to
get to the point through artificial intelligence.. to get it down to
one or two buttons.:"

(Jim Mallory/19951010/Press contact: Shannon Smith, Novell,
800-429-5850 or Ethan Hirsh, Utilicorp,
816-467-3509/SMART951010/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/11/95
GOVT
 ****Electronics Industry Groups Hail Export Decision

(NEWS)(GOVT)(TOR)(00004)
 ****Electronics Industry Groups Hail Export Decision 10/11/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 OCT 11 (NB) -- The Electronic Industries
Association (EIA) and the American Electronics Association (AEA) have both
praised a government decision to loosen restrictions on the export of
high-powered computers, saying the Clinton administration has recognized
the pace at which technology is advancing.

The administration has raised the "supercomputer threshold," which defines
machines covered by strict limits on export, from 1,500 million theoretical
operations per second (MTOPS) to 10,000 MTOPS for many countries, and
7,000 MTOPS for others. It is the first time the threshold has been raised
since September of 1993, when the Clinton government also said it would
periodically review the limit in light of technological advances.

Though both industry associations praised the move, the AEA also said it
would like to see a review of the threshold become routine. The
organization would like the threshold reviewed at least annually, AEA
spokeswoman Beneva Schulte told Newsbytes.

The EIA, meanwhile, suggested that the ultimate goal should be the end of
controls on the export of high-powered computers. And the AEA noted that
while the government can control the export of individual high-powered
computers, it cannot stop smaller computers from being networked together
to provide power equivalent to that of the most powerful single systems.
"The government is realizing that while it may be difficult to restrict the
export of a high-performance computer, it's virtually impossible to restrict
the export of high-performance computing," said Bill Archey, president and
chief executive of the AEA, in a prepared statement.

The AEA said it advised the government in January that it should raise the
threshold to a minimum of 10,000 MTOPS. The association also said
security conditions on the export of supercomputers can cost as much to
implement as the computers themselves cost.

(Grant Buckler/19951010/Press Contact: Beneva Schulte, American
Electronics Association, 202-682-4443; Mark Rosenker, Electronic
Industries Association, 703-907-7790)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/11/95
PC
Europe - Tulip Unveils "Silent Workstation"

(NEWS)(PC)(LON)(00005)
Europe - Tulip Unveils "Silent Workstation" 10/11/95
CRAWLEY, WEST SUSSEX, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 11 (NB) -- Tulip Computers has
taken the seemingly regressive step of removing the fan from its
latest PC, the ID-45 series. According to Steve Roberts, the company's
product marketing manager, the idea isn't a cost-cutting move, but one
based on technology enhancement.

According to Roberts, the 80486-based small footprint system has been
engineered to keep power consumption to a minimum, and keep the heat
of the main board down to a minimum, so meaning a fan -- the noisiest
part of a PC -- is no longer required.

Ironically, the very earliest clone PCs, notably the PC1512 from
Amstrad in the mid- to late-1980s, had a high level of integration on
the motherboard. As the chipsets of the day (8086/8 and 80286) ran at
relatively slow speeds by today's standards, this high level of
integration meant that fans on these machines were not necessary.

These days, only notebook PCs, which are designed to run at lower
power and heat levels, avoid the need for fans. Desktops always tend
to need a fan -- until the ID-45 series, that is.

"Typically, the heat thrown out from a standard PC is of the order of
a couple of joules. That's the equivalent of a 100-watt light burning
every minute -- all wasted energy," explained Roberts, adding that,
what Tulip has done is to reduce the overall power consumption, "using
superior design rules, and using the latest power saving techniques,
so there is less heat generated by the machines.

"The added benefit is that the ID-45 does not require a fan to cool
the insides -- and that makes the whole machines quieter as well," he
said.

According to Roberts, the ID-45 PC produces a noise level typically
around the 30 decibels level, and, on the power front, it consumes
just six watts when running in eco-mode, the lowest power (economy)
setting of five on the machines. The eco-mode is billed as Energy Star-
compliant, for those buyers looking for UK energy-saving compliance.

It's not just in the absence of a fan that the ID-45 is unusual. The
machine comes with an IRDA (Infra Red Data Association) infra red link
as standard. According to Roberts, Tulip sees the IRDA links as a
convenient, wireless communications path between desktops and
notebooks.

Other features of the ID-45 series include very high levels of
integration, with onboard Ethernet, business sound, between eight and
64 megabytes (MB) of memory, 1MB to 2MB of video memory, a 256
kilobyte cache -- for the AMD 486 chipset and Cyrix M1/SC scaleable
architecture processor -- on the motherboard as well.

Pricing on the ID-45 series starts at UKP1,239 excluding monitor in
the UK -- a price point that Jonothan Sultan, Tulip's marcomms manager
said neatly fits in with other machines from the company, "offering a
low cost entry into workstations connected to local and wide area
networks."

(Steve Gold/19951010/Press Contact: Worldview Marketing, +44-
1342-323525; Reader Contact: Tulip Computers, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/11/95
BROADCAST
Skyphone Opens Satellite Earth Station In Singapore

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(LON)(00006)
Skyphone Opens Satellite Earth Station In Singapore 10/11/95
SENTOSA ISLAND, SINGAPORE, 1995 OCT 11 (NB) -- Skyphone, the satellite
phone consortium formed by British Telecom (BT), Singapore Telecom and
Telenor International, has announced the opening of its fifth
worldwide ground earth station in Singapore.

According to officials with Skyphone, the new facility will
considerably strengthen the position of the Skyphone's global network.

Ray Woodfine, aeronautical services manager with Skyphone, explained
that the consortium's members are concerned with the intensive growth
of the network, and to ensure continuous functionality and network's
capacity, they see the need to boost the existing range of services --
hence the opening of the fifth ground station.

According to Skyphone, satellite telephone usage has been growing in
popularity amongst airline passengers in recent months -- since the
beginning of 1994, the number of calls processed by Skyphone has
surged by more than 160 percent and, over the next five years, call
traffic is expected to rise between five or six times, as more
Skyphone comms equipment is installed on board aircraft.

"With eleven major airlines operating Skyphone service, the
consortium's customer base is continuing to expand and we need to
ensure that the networks resilience grows with that demand. The second
GES (Ground Earth Station) facility in Singapore gives us 100 percent
redundancy, which means we can still carry calls as normal, even in
the unlikely event of a catastrophic failure," Woodfine explained.

Skyphone's existing operational Sentosa GES facility will still offer
the priority service provision for passenger satcoms in the Pacific
Ocean Region (POR), while the new GES - the second installation on
Sentosa Island, will give the necessary network enhancement and
diversity in the Indian Ocean region (IOR), in collaboration with the
GES in Norway.

According to Skyphone, the GES at Sentosa Island is the second step of
the Skyphone's managed network plan, due to be completed in 1996. At
the end of the network program, traffic management strategy for
performance prioritization, diversity and restoration will be
implemented.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951010/Press Contact: Spec Communications,
[phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/11/95
ONLINE
UK - Demon Internet Offers RealAudio Service

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LON)(00007)
UK - Demon Internet Offers RealAudio Service 10/11/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 11 (NB) -- Demon Internet has installed a
RealAudio server on its system. According to the Internet service
provider (SP), it is the first time that a commercial Internet SP has
offered this service in the UK.

RealAudio offers real-time playback of a stereo AM radio-quality sound
channel across the Internet. Unlike other "voice across the Internet"
services, the RealAudio links works in real time, since it uses a
simplex (one-way) link and lower audio sampling rates. It also differs
from services such as TalkRadio, since it does not require a download
and subsequent playback, but operates in real time.

RealAudio is available on US-based servers across the Internet, but
the provision of a server on the Demon Internet system means that
subscribers to Demon can upload RealAudio sound files to the Demon Web
server, for download or incorporation into their Web pages.

The RealAudio decoder and encoders, which, respectively, decode and
convert various sound formats into RealAudio format, is
available users of the Apple Mac and PC Windows computing platforms,
are available for download from the RealAudio server which is on
http://www.realaudio.com .

According to Demon, plans call for the RealAudio facility to be
incorporated in future revisions of NetScape and Windows 95.

Demon officials told Newsbytes that there are already many radio
stations broadcasting on the Internet, including stations in Australia,
Japan, America, Italy, Canada, and Hawaii. Receiving information from
these sites, plus the innumerable music sites across the Internet,
will now be faster and more efficient, using RealAudio.

James Gardiner, a spokesman for Demon Internet, told Newsbytes that
the availability of the RealAudio server will be of significant
benefit to subscribers to Demon who host their Web pages on the Demon
services.

"It's a fascinating addition to the visual aspects of the Internet.
The service requires a 10 kilobits/second link into the Internet and,
surprisingly, works better over dial-up modem, rather than leased
lines into the Internet," he said.

Further details of RealAudio, together with the Demon Internet range
of services, can be found on Demon's Web pages, which are located at:
http://www.demon.net .

(Steve Gold/19951010/Press Contact: Foresight PR, [phone];
Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Reader Contact: Demon Internet Svcs,
[phone]; Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/11/95
ONLINE
Oklahoma Firm Launches Virtual Cities

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(DEN)(00008)
Oklahoma Firm Launches Virtual Cities 10/11/95
TULSA, OKLAHOMA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 11 (NB) -- A Tulsa, Oklahoma
company has awarded a four-part contract to various contractors to
develop a complete "interactive city"  for Tulsa on the Internet.

The World Wide Web site, to be called "City-Surf," will feature a
real estate section called "Visual Realty" and a virtual "Yellow
Pages" business directory to be known as the "Merchant Magazine."

The prime contractor for the "virtual city" is Virtual Media
Services Inc. (VMS). The company said City-Surf is designed so
citizens can explore business, entertainment and general
information on the Internet.

The service is scheduled to launch during the first week of
November, and VMS said it plans to roll out City-Surf in five other
cites, with the Web sites eventually expanding nationwide.

In the first phase of City-Surf more than 300 homes currently on the
real estate market will be listed, thanks to the cooperation
of several Tulsa real estate agencies. When the service kicks off
anyone with Internet access can obtain a listing of homes that meet
the user's criteria of price range, construction style and school
district as well a dozen other search criteria in just a few
seconds. A clickable map locator will pinpoint the exact location
of the selected properties within the city.

The user will also be able to check on the latest mortgage rates
from 14 different participating mortgage banks, and Merchant
Magazine will include a business directory of services in the
housing industry for the Tulsa area. Furniture stores, interior
designers, insurance companies and title companies will be
listed in a searchable data base. Phase 1 will also include a Tulsa
restaurant guide complete with coupons.

VMS said eventually the online service will include Chamber of
Commerce services, all components of city government, the arts and
non-profit organizations.

To see City-Surf use a Web browser to reach the Uniform Resource
Locator (URL) address http://www.citysurf.com after the first of
November.

(Jim Mallory/19951010/Press contact: Anthony Cole Link, VMS,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/11/95
TELECOM
Row Over Belgian GSM Net Licensing

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00009)
Row Over Belgian GSM Net Licensing 10/11/95
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1995 OCT 11 (NB) -- A blistering row has broken out
between Belgacom, the privatized telecoms operation formerly owned by
the Belgian Government, and the Belgian Ministry of
Telecommunications, over a license fee payable for the operation of a
GSM (global system for mobile communications) digital mobile phone
net.

The original fee that the Belgian Government asked from Belgacom was
Belgian Francs (BF) 3.5 billion. However, according to John Goosens,
the telecom company's chief executive officer (CEO), when Mobistar, a
private company, approached the Government, it was asked to pay BF9
billion. Now the Government is turning to Belgacom to ask for the
extra BF5.5 billion.

"Originally the Government asked us for 3.5 billion and that is what
we are willing to pay. If tomorrow somebody comes and wants to pay 20
billion for another license and then go bankrupt we do not want to
follow them," he told journalists at a news conference.

Interestingly, Goosens claims that Belgacom should be treated on the
same basis as other European GSM operators, as far its own GSM license
is concerned. "The operators in other countries did not have to
pay anything," he explained.

However, as reported by Newsbytes earlier this month, the European
Commission (EC) has now instructed Telecom Italia that it must now pay
a Lire 750 billion license to the Italian Government, the same fee as
was charged by the Government for Omnitel's operating license earlier
this year.

In April of this year, Telecom Italia was given the go-ahead to
formally launch its GSM service, following an acrimonious legal
dispute with Omnitel Pronto, the second GSM licensee.

Omnitel officials had lodged a formal complaint with the EC over the
Italian Government's dual standards policy -- i.e. charging nothing
for Telecom Italia's GSM license, yet charging Omnitel for the same
privilege.

The Italian GSM saga was itself based on a similar situation with
Telefonica, the GSM network provider in Spain, which again had to pay
a sizeable fee to the Government on the advice of the EC.

Industry experts are now predicting that the Belgian Government has
started back-tracking on its original license fee agreement with
Belgacom GSM, which is only 75 percent owned by Belgacom, the state
telco, and 25 percent owned by Airtouch in the US. Despite all the
bluster, it looks as though Goosens will have to abide by what is an
EC precedent.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951010/Press Contact: European Commission,
[phone]; Belgacom, tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/11/95
TELECOM
Finland's Nokia Opens Japanese R&D Operation

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00010)
Finland's Nokia Opens Japanese R&D Operation 10/11/95
HELSINKI, FINLAND, 1995 OCT 11 (NB) -- Nokia has announced plans to
open a research and development (R&D) operation in Japan, with the
specific aim of furthering the company's cellular services in that
country.

According to the Finnish telecoms company, which has carved out a
significant slice of the GSM (global system for mobile communications)
and PCN (personal communications network) digital cellular markets in
the West, the surge in demand for digital cellular in Japan makes it
necessary to open an R&D, as well as sales/support operation, in that
country.

Nokia claims that it is the only European telecoms company selling
digital cellular phones in Japan. Currently, the phones are sold
through distributors and sales outlets in that country, but the
opening of the new R&D and sakes facility, which will be located in
Akasaka Mitsuke prefecture, will aid Nokia greatly in this respect.

Interestingly, while Nokia has been successful in penetrating the
digital handyphone market in Japan, the company has been having
something of a quiet success in China as well, Newsbytes notes.

Last October, Nokia announced that the first call on its GSM network
in China has been made. The call, the first public digital call ever
made in China, was made at the Expocomm exhibition which took place in
the early part of the month.

According to Nokia, the Chinese GSM network was one of the fastest
installed, with the contract for installation only having been signed
in May, 1994.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951010/Press Contact: Nokia [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/11/95
ONLINE
Pipeline USA Plans More Local Services

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TOR)(00011)
Pipeline USA Plans More Local Services 10/11/95
HERNDON, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 11 (NB) -- Pipeline USA, an
online service and Internet access provider that already operates a local
service in New York, has announced plans to offer local content in seven
more US cities. The unit of PSINet (NASDAQ:PSIX) will launch four of
its new "virtual neighborhoods" by year-end, officials said.

Like the existing Pipeline New York service, the new services will offer
local news, entertainment and event listings, and special features of
interest to local communities, company spokeswoman Aggie Nteta told
Newsbytes. In New York, for instance, subscribers can take courses online
from the New School of Social Research and participate in a newsgroup
run in cooperation with the Authors' Guild.

Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and
Washington DC, are in line to get local Pipeline services over the next few
months. Four of these are to be launched before the end of this year, but
Nteta said it is not yet certain which four.  Pipeline said it will look
at offering such services in other centers that have high enough
concentrations of Internet or online users in the future.

Pipeline USA provides unlimited Internet access and its own content for a
flat monthly fee of $19.95. The new local content will be available at no
extra charge, the company said.

Pipeline also said it will be adding Winsock compliance and a personal
home page authoring tool -- which will carry a surcharge of $5 per month
after the first two months -- later this month. During the holiday
shopping season, Pipeline plans to feature a Holiday Shopping Guide
with links to Web sites and user groups that offer shopping services.

(Grant Buckler/19951010/Press Contact: Aggie Nteta, Pipeline USA,
703-904-4100 ext 1356, Internet e-mail [e-mail] or
[e-mail]; Public Contact: Pipeline USA, 800-453-7473)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/11/95
IBM
 ****IBM Fills Out PC Server Lineup

(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00012)
 ****IBM Fills Out PC Server Lineup 10/11/95
SOMERS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 11 (NB) -- By launching two new PC
Server lines and adding models to a third, IBM (NYSE:IBM) said it has
filled out its personal computer server lineup as promised.

As part of a wide-ranging server announcement Tuesday, IBM added the
new server models along with new releases of its NetFinity systems-
management software and ServerGuide network-operating-system installation
aid.

The PC Server 310 line is a low-priced mini-tower server meant for small
businesses and workgroups. It offers a combination of the Peripheral
Component Interconnect (PCI) bus with either Industry Standard
Architecture (ISA) or IBM's own Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) and
lists from about $3,260.

The new 520 line, which can provide as many as 22 bays for storage devices,
will also be a multi-processor, dual-bus system (PCI with either MCA or
EISA). Prices will start at $7,699. A new PC Server 320 model will come
with one or two 75 megahertz (MHz) Pentium processors and a dual PCI
and Extended ISA (EISA) bus, and will start at $4,250.

The 310 is to ship by the end of October, the 520 in November, and the
320 is already in resellers' warehouses, IBM officials said.

Brian Fullington, manager of the server brand in IBM's PC Server division,
told Newsbytes that the inclusion of the PCI bus in the new models reflects
IBM's belief that this bus will emerge as an industry standard. However, he
said IBM still has many customers who want Micro Channel or the older bus
standards, and the dual-bus systems are meant to address their needs.

Company officials said during a press teleconference Tuesday that ease-of-
use was a common theme of all the server announcements, which included
RISC System/6000, AS/400, and System/390 products. Fullington said this
ease-of-use focus showed up in the PC Server announcements with the
upgrades of ServerGuide, which is designed to simplify the installation
of network operating systems, and NetFinity. IBM added support for Santa
Cruz Operation Inc.'s SCO Unix to ServerGuide, and support for Microsoft's
Windows 95 to NetFinity.

During the press conference, IBM officials reaffirmed that they plan to
continue offering servers in all four of the company's hardware lines,
saying each line has strengths that appeal to particular customers.
Fullington told Newsbytes that the PC Server line's appeal lies primarily
in its low prices and in the familiarity of PC technology -- a "comfort
factor" for many buyers, he said.

Now that IBM has fleshed out its PC Server offerings, the company plans to
continue updating the product line regularly, though Fullington said the
complexity of server technology means complete refreshes every six months
or so, which have become common in the desktop PC market, probably will
not happen in the server arena.

Newsbytes reported on IBM's RS/6000 server announcements on Tuesday,
and today's edition includes coverage of other elements of the
announcements.

(Grant Buckler/19951010/Press Contact: Liz Arends, IBM Server Group,
914-766-4256, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/11/95
ONLINE
 ****Compuserve To Page Users When E-Mail Is Received

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00013)
 ****Compuserve To Page Users When E-Mail Is Received 10/11/95
COLUMBUS, OHIO, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 11 (NB) -- Compuserve is extending its
reach from the wired world of online services and the Internet to the
wireless realm of paging services. Starting in November, the online
network will page its subscribers when electronic-mail is waiting from
either other members or through the Internet, among other features.

An exclusive agreement with RPA, a New Jersey-based automated paging
network provider, is the enabler behind this new service, Compuserve
officials said. The agreement also "lays the foundation for the
development of the next generation in wireless communication,"
officials said.

With the new service, anyone with e-mail capabilities will be able
to send alphanumeric messages and numeric codes to pagers belonging
to Compuserve members.

"We want to extend the Compuserve community as far as we can," Jeff
Shafer, Compuserve spokesperson, told Newsbytes. "One of the big
reasons why people use online services, the Internet, and the like,
is for communication," and the company wants to make its communication
capability as extensive as possible, he said.

Shafer also said the fact that the messages would reach anyone with a
pager, and not just people who have paging services through one
company, is a tremendous advantage for Compuserve. "This is the
ability to page anyone in the country who has pagers," along with a
Compuserve account, he added.

Today's action is the first of many that result from Compuserve's
relationships with wireless business partners, including MoblieComm,
PageMart, PageNet, and SkyTel.

Shafer said any member who has services with Compuserve's partners
will receive their pages at no extra charge above and beyond normal
subscription and hourly rates. Subscribers who have pager services
from other providers will have to pay transaction surcharges, which
have yet to be determined, he added.

Future applications will include "SmartRules," which will enable
members to filter important messages and forward them to their pagers
or other destinations. Also, personalized information like stock
quotes, sports scores, news, and other information from the Compuserve
Information Service will be sent directly to pagers. Further down the
line, Shafer said the company is looking into sending wireless messages
to mini-computers and personal digital assistants (PDAs).

(Bob Woods/19951010/Press Contacts: Jeff Shafer, 614-538-4632, or
R. Pierce Reid, 614-538-4571, both of Compuserve; Dan Hurley, RPA,
201-217-3832)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/11/95
ONLINE
RealAudio Allows PCs To Put Audio On The Internet

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SFO)(00014)
RealAudio Allows PCs To Put Audio On The Internet 10/11/95
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 11 (NB)  -- Progressive Networks,
the company responsible for bringing on-demand audio to the Internet,
has announced RealAudio Personal Server, new software which allows
desktop PC users to deliver their own audio content over the Internet.
A beta version for Windows 95 and Windows NT is currently available
for testing through the company's World Wide Web site.

It was six months ago when attendees at Internet World were astounded
to hear National Public Radio content delivered over the Internet. The
necessary server software could be purchased by a Web site owner and
Progressive provided the client software, called RealAudio Player,
free to the entire Internet community. Once installed on a desktop
computer, the client software allowed users to hear AM radio-quality
music, speeches and other audio content delivered through the server
software on the Web.

To date some 450,000 Players have been downloaded and more than
130 Web sites offer RealAudio content. Earlier types of software
for audio delivery lacked the necessary data compression and
decompression to allow audio content to be delivered in "near-
realtime." A year ago, a computer would take 25 minutes to download a
five-minute speech. Today, Progressive Network software allows users
to deliver what is described as "almost instant," on-demand audio
content.

Speaking for Progressive Networks, Maria Cantwell, vice president of
marketing, told Newsbytes, "The 450,000 Players are just from our own
count. We do not know how many have been downloaded through
arrangements we have with other companies. I expect by the end of the
year, we will have released approximately two million Players."

The original server software was built to handle a large volume of
client calls and depending on specific volume requirements cost
anywhere from $1,500 to $10,000 for a large active commercial site.

With RealAudio Personal Server, a small individual Web site owner is
now able create his or her own audio content and deliver it to the
Internet community. Instead of multiple streams of data, the new
software supports two external streams and one local stream of data
which means two people and the server owner can listen concurrently
in realtime.

For the time being, audio content created by Web site owners using
Personal Server software is most easily delivered across a designated
Web server. John Shay, Progressive Network's product manager, told
Newsbytes, "A user could add audio content to their Web page through
a dial-up provider, but it would require some technical adjustment."

Shay suggested a utility which facilitates audio delivery through a
dial-up provider may be under development. He also said the Personal
Server product could be used to distribute audio content over a local
area network.

Using the RealAudio Personal Server graphical user interface (GUI),
the owner converts standard audio files into the RealAudio format with
a single button. Once converted the files are ready to be accessed by
the RealAudio Player. The owner is also able to monitor who accesses
the content and what content is being accessed.

Describing early adopters of the company's audio technology, Cantwell
said, "We have seen a lot of different uses of this technology, but some
of the most popular have been the delivery of news, information, sports,
and entertainment. Companies with a broadcast background are particularly
interested in providing real-time audio on their Web sites."

With the addition of RealTime Personal Server software, Progressive
has four products in its stable: the Player; a RealAudio Encoder; the
Professional Server software; and Personal Server software. Cantwell
would not provide details about future products but did confirm the
company is researching and developing technology which will increase
the quality of Internet audio content.

The beta version of RealAudio Personal Server is expected to last about
three months. The first 10,000 Internet users to download this new
server software will receive a free upgrade of the final version. The
company says Personal Server will have a suggested retail price of $99.
A Macintosh version is planned for the end of the year.

(Patrick McKenna/19951011/Press Contact: Katie Cotton, KillerApp
Communications, 818-939-5991)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/11/95
GENERAL
Japan Newsbriefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00015)
Japan Newsbriefs 10/11/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 OCT 11 (NB) -- In this roundup of news from Japan:
Mobile telephone subscribers continue to rise, Sony stops TV exports,
Nippon Iridium decides earth station site, Microsoft narrows Windows
95 launch date, Compaq announces new PC models, HDTV sales continue
strong rise, TV, Fujitsu gets first US supercomputer order, VCR export
figures released.

Mobile Telephone Subscribers Continue To Rise

The total number of subscribers to mobile telephone networks in Japan
stood at 6,669,900 by the end of September, according to data just
released. In the first half of the current fiscal year, that ended on
30 September, a total of 2,338,900 new contracts were signed for
mobile telephone services, a number greater than the total number of
new subscribers in all of fiscal 1994. Of the 6.7 million people using
mobile telephones, 3,274,000 held contracts with NTT DoCoMo, the
cellular affiliate of national domestic giant NTT. In second place
with 1,387,300 subscribers were the eight local DDI providers, followed
by 875,300 subscribers on the IDO network. The Digital Phone Group has
584,900 customers, just ahead of the TU-KA Cellular companies with
548,400.

Sony Stops TV Exports

In what has been seen by many as the end of an era, Sony have decided
to stop making television sets in Japan for export. In recent years
the company has been moving production to other plants nearer the
destination markets. Sony sells around 90% of all sets overseas and
has seen the domestic market slowly moving towards widescreen sets, to
the point where it is almost difficult to buy a standard-ratio Sony
television, which have not sold well overseas. At present, around
35,000 small six- and eight-inch sets are produced each month in Japan
and exported, well down from its peak years in the mid-1980s when
over 1.5 million units were exported each year.

Nippon Iridium Decides Earthstation Site

The local affiliate of the planned worldwide satellite telephone
service, Iridium, has chosen a site for the country's Earthstation
into the satellites. Nippon Iridium said it chose the site, in Nagano
prefecture, because it is well suited between Tokyo, Osaka, and
Nagoya -- the three cities that most international telephone calls
originate from, according to the organization. The new telephone service,
planned to begin in late 1998, makes use of 66 low earth orbiting
satellites to offer global mobile telephone coverage.

Microsoft Narrows Windows 95 Launch Date

Microsoft Japan has further narrowed down the launch date for the
localized version of Windows 95. The product, previously with no
launch date, was announced at hitting the streets of Tokyo between
November 23rd and December 8th. The company now says it will release
the package between November 23rd and 26th. Imported copies of the
English version are already on sale, although many users are waiting
for the Japanese language edition before taking the plunge.

Compaq Announces New PC Models

Compaq Japan KK will launch a new range of personal computers in Japan
from October 25. The new computers will add three models to the
existing Presario range. The Presario 5526 is targeted at home users
and priced at 200,000 yen ($2,000), the Presario 7170 is targeted at
light business users and will sell for 230,000 yen ($2,300), and the
Presario 9542 is aimed at serious users and will retail for 300,000
yen ($3,000). The range will also come preloaded with software to
access the Internet. Users simply need enter a few details and the
software, already preconfigured for Internet access, takes care of the
rest.

HDTV Sales Continue Strong Rise

When Japan's NHK began broadcasting programming using the MUSE
Hi-Vision high definition television format in 1983, the nation's set
makers sold just 12,000 units. Last year that number had doubled to
23,000 but this financial year sales of sets that include the
necessary decoder have soared. Already this year 31,000 sets have
been sold, and in August alone 4,000 units were sold representing an
increase of over 640% on the year before. Behind the growth is an
increase in MUSE broadcasting, now totaling 12 hours a day on BS
satellite channel 9, and a big increase in the range of televisions
with built in decoders. A 28-inch set currently costs around 400,000
yen ($4,000).

Fujitsu Gets First US Supercomputer Order

Fujitsu Ltd. says it has received its first-ever direct order for a
supercomputer from an American company. The order, for the new VPP300
model, was placed by Western Geophysical, a Houston, Texas-based
company involved in exploration of oil. Total value of the contract is
put, by Fujitsu, at 200 million yen ($2 million). The Tokyo-based
company makes around 20% of the world's supercomputers, but has always
had a hard time in the US market because of the dominance of Cray.

TV, VCR Export Figures Released

Japan's imports of televisions and video recorders increased in August
while seeing a decrease in the amount of exports of the same products
thanks to the strong yen. That was revealed by figures just released
by the Electronics Industry Association of Japan and the Finance
Ministry. The data shows VCR exports plunged 29.6% to 868,000 against
an increase in imports of 18.3% to 235,000. Television exports dropped
18.3% to 235,000 during the month which saw imports rise 53.4% to
616,000. The total domestic monthly output of video recorders in
August of 897,000 represents the lowest figure in 13 years.

(Martyn Williams/19951011)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/11/95
ONLINE
 ****AT&T Opens Asian Backbone Network

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00016)
 ****AT&T Opens Asian Backbone Network 10/11/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 OCT 11 (NB) -- AT&T has introduced a new Internet
service in several Asian countries made possible by the company's new
Internet Asian backbone. It is the first such major backbone and
inter-regional connection in Asia, says the company.

From today, AT&T Internet Services is offering businesses and
Internet service providers in Hong Kong the opportunity to connect
on to the new network and benefit from a high-speed path into other
Asian countries and the heart of the Internet in the United States.
The service will be offered in Australia within two months.

For the last two years, AT&T Jens Corporation has been involved in
SPIN, a joint venture company between AT&T and 20 Japanese companies,
which has been offering business connections to the Internet in Japan
and the new service builds on the experience the company has in
dealing with Asian countries gained in Japan.

Launching the service in Hong Kong are Jardine Fleming Holdings
Limited, the financial services and consulting firm, and the Asian
Sources Media (ASM) Group, Asia's leading trade publisher.

Initially, the new service will provide a dedicated and secure gateway
to the network for Jardine Fleming, with further plans to open a World
Wide Web server at a later stage. In the ASM project, the company is
using AT&T's new network to connect a Web server to the network
carrying details of the company's products.

Commenting on the new service, Kathleen Earley, AT&T's vice president
of Business Multimedia Groupware Services said, "An increasing number
of Asia/Pacific businesses are gaining a competitive edge through
electronic commerce -- using the Internet and other electronic
technologies to conduct their business, AT&T Internet Services will
provide all the necessary tools for these businesses to not only gain
access to the millions of worldwide Internet users but to set up,
manage and support on-going operations for quick, secure and reliable
service."

A variety of connection options are being offered by the new service
which include both dial-up and dedicated connections. For direct
connections, the company supports speeds from 64 kilobits-per-second
(kbps) upwards on leased lines. Internet mail gateways and batched
services to LAN (local area network) workgroups are also offered.

On the dial-up service side, AT&T are offering connections on speeds up
to 28.8 kbps and LAN access, although these are still aimed at
companies and not individuals. Host Unix-to-Unix Copy Protocol (UUCP)
allows corporate customers to connect a LAN site via dial-up modem for
batch transmissions and reception of data and electronic-mail.

Backbones are high-speed lines connecting many smaller networks
together allowing a high-speed path across the Internet rather than a
route across many small networks. In the United States there are
several backbone networks operated by companies such as MCI, PSI,
UUnet, Sprint. Save for a few exceptions, mostly in Europe, backbone
networks have yet to move outside the United States, especially not
into Asia.

Previously most inter-Asian communications has been routed via the
United States but the new service should speed up traffic by keeping
it within the continent.

Earlier this year, AT&T announced the AT&T WorldNet services in the
United States and AT&T Internet Solutions in Europe.

(Martyn Williams/19951011/Press contact: Scott Horne, AT&T Hong Kong,
[phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Diane Nakamura,
AT&T USA, 201-331-4061)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/11/95
ONLINE
Internet Update

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00017)
Internet Update 10/11/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 OCT 11 (NB) -- In this roundup of new services and
resources on the worldwide Internet: Volcanoes - Live, New online
telephone directories, Travel planning with the Internet, Television
stations continue coming, Web builder software, USDA economic research
service, Comic book art.

Volcanoes - Live!

On September 23, Mt Ruapehu, the largest mountain in the North Island
of New Zealand, started erupting. Wanting more than the TV pictures,
two adventurous climbers placed a video camera on the mountain,
connected it to the Telecom NZ cellular network and are putting new
pictures on the Internet every two minutes.
World Wide Web: http://www.actrix.gen.nz/ruapehu/

New Online Telephone Directories

Two major telephone directories have just debuted on the Internet.
Central Source Inc. has launched the first Yellow Pages directory on
the Internet, listing virtually every business in the United States,
with instant access to more than ten million up-to-date business
listings by yellow page heading, company name and phone number.
World Wide Web: http://www.telephonebook.com/

For the last few years, Japan's NTT has published CitySource - an
English-language white and yellow pages directory covering the major
cities of Japan. In a two-year trial project, that directory is now
available on the Internet. Initially covering Tokyo and Osaka, the
directory lists thousands of businesses in Japan's two largest cities.
World Wide Web: http://www.pearnet.org/jtd/

Travel Planning With The Internet

The new "Hotelanywhere" Web site indexes and lists thousands of travel
related Web sites from all over the world. The listings include Web
sites, usenet groups and many other travel related services available
via the Internet
World Wide Web: http://www.earthlink.net/~hotelanywhere/

The Inn Traveler, an independent resource for travelers and agencies,
has begun an Internet service. The pages offer listings of B&B (bed
and breakfast) and country inns and includes the complete PAII
(Professional Association of Innkeepers International)
"Professional Inn Guide."
World Wide Web: http://www.biddeford.com/inntravel/

Craighead's Business Reports have excerpted information from its
publications to build a Web site of country specific information for
50 countries of particular interest to the business traveler.
World Wide Web: http://www.craighead.com/craighead/

If you are interested in traveling to the Duchy of Luxembourg in
central Europe, the new Web server from Luxair will help you with the
complete flight schedule, fares information, and some details of what
to do in Luxembourg once you arrive.
World Wide Web: http://www.luxair.lu/luxair/index.html

Television Stations Continue Coming

Three television channels have joined the long list of broadcast and
cable programmers that maintain online services. Canada's only sports
channel, The Sports Network, has debuted a site on the Internet at the
same time as The Travel Channel, home of cable travel services in the
UK and the US.
World Wide Web: http://www.tsn.ca/
World Wide Web: http://www.travelchannel.com/

The Discovery Channel's Web site features a different theme each day.
All are related to the channel's programming and cover history,
nature, science, people, exploration, living and "your story." Regular
updates, including photos, sound and video, are added to each themed
area.
World Wide Web: http://www.discovery.com/

Web Builder Software

The final release of HTMLed Pro is now available. The software, for
the Microsoft Windows operating system, can be downloaded as a time-
limited demo version from the maker's ftp server.
World Wide Web: http://www.ist.ca/htmledpro/htprdemo.html

Web Warrior, a new HTML (hypertext markup language) editor for the
Macintosh system has also just become available. Two versions of the
software are available and include drag-and-drop editing, creation
of large Web pages, and more.
World Wide Web: http://www.bact.wisc.edu/WebWarriorTop.html

USDA Economic Research Service

The USDA ERS is an official information source for agricultural
economics. Via the server, the organization provides economic and
other social science information and analysis for public and private
decisions on agriculture, food, natural resources, and rural America.
World Wide Web: http://www.econ.ag.gov/

Comic Book Art

If you love comic books from the forties a new server is available
offering an ever increasing amount of cover art from the comics. The
next big attraction, "an early Superman" is promised for November.
World Wide Web: http://www.ultranet.com/~adjm/

(Martyn Williams/19951011)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/11/95
TELECOM
Japan - Companies Look To New PHS Applications

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00018)
Japan - Companies Look To New PHS Applications 10/11/95
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, 1995 OCT 11 (NB) -- As Japan's PHS (personal
handyphone system) mobile telephones continue to grow in importance
and the system becomes more widely available across the country and
the rest of Asia, Japan's major telecom equipment manufacturers are
already showing new devices that make use of the system's high data
capacity.

The PHS system allows the transmission and reception of data at 32
kilobits-per-second (kbps) across a single channel compared with
9,600 bits-per-second (bps) available on standard cellular telephones.
Currently, the system is being used for voice only, but a panel is
finalizing a standard for data use of the network that should be
completed next March or April.

The higher speed is achieved by by-passing the digital codecs and
pushing data directly into the network. By using a standard PHS
handset and adapter jack, it is possible to transmit data at 9,600
bps -- equivalent to a standard cellular telephone.

Once the data standard is decided on, a whole new range of portable
data devices will become available that may become more important in
terms of use than the voice telephony applications, said some
engineers who spoke to Newsbytes at Telecom 95 in Geneva.

Heading the list of most exciting developments were the portable video
devices that NTT (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone)(TOKYO:9432) and
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. (TOKYO:6752) had on display.

The new Matsushita video telephone marries a PHS handset with a 2.5-
inch color LCD (liquid crystal display) display screen and a small CCD
camera in a handheld package measuring 85 millimeters (mm) by 219mm by
46mm. Company engineers noted that, despite the prototype being
displayed in Geneva, the system would be commercialized in three to
four years, by which time it should be smaller and lighter.

NTT's PHS video system was based around a "mobile multimedia terminal"
that will act as a basis for an information system. On display, the
system allowed access to a traffic information service that sent
pictures from cameras mounted alongside major routes and junctions in
Tokyo.

NTT researchers expect the system could also be used to access a menu
guide for local restaurants or shopping information from a shopping
center, in fact, any information stored on a central server. A
standard telephone keypad is supplemented by a row of four function
keys and three extra keys for use in navigating the information
systems provided.

Operating in a similar manner, although with full-motion video, was
NTT's ATM Wireless Access System. A PHS link from a laptop computer
controlled access to three video cameras. The digitized pictures from
the cameras were communicated back to the computer via a microwave
link operating in the 22 gigahertz (GHz) band where the data speed
could easily be increased to beyond that of PHS according to NTT
engineers.

Redefining the meaning of small when talking about mobile telephones,
Toshiba was proudly showing its latest achievement - the world's
smallest PHS telephone. Measuring just 140mm by 35mm by 12 mm and
weighing only 85 grams, the telephone was smaller than most
television remote control units.

A Toshiba engineer explained to Newsbytes the size was possible
because of new custom chips that replaced many individual components
previously needed. A built-in antenna and lithium-ion battery further
allowed reductions in size and weight.

Waiting for the PHS data standard to be fixed is Toshiba's new
"Advanced Function PHS Terminal" which looks more like a personal
organizer than a telephone. The unit is a small pen computer combined
with a PHS telephone that allows users to send faxes, access PC data
services such as NiftyServe, and utilize the memory for telephone
books, memos, and other such applications.

The memo pad also allows the user to draw on the screen and send this
data directly to a fax machine. All this is accomplished in a package
not significantly bigger than existing PHS handsets.

OKI Electric was one of several companies demonstrating a PHS module
attached to the end of a PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card
International Association) card. Such devices will allow 19.2
kbps access to data services when they become available next year. Not
only does this include laptop computers but also the growing number of
personal organizers and pen computers with PCMCIA card slots. OKI's
card was demonstrated inside the company's MC210 personal communicator
pen computer.

(Martyn Williams/19951011/Press contacts: Matsushita Electric,
tel [phone], fax [phone]; NTT Human Interface
Laboratories, fax [phone], Internet email
[e-mail]; Toshiba Corporation, tel [phone],
fax [phone]; OKI Electric, tel [phone],
fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/11/95
BUSINESS
Dazel Teams With Tivoli/CA/AT&T/4th Dimension

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BOS)(00019)
Dazel Teams With Tivoli/CA/AT&T/4th Dimension 10/11/95
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 11 (NB) -- By teaming with
Tivoli, Computer Associates (CA), AT&T GIS, and 4th Dimension on
integration of its client-server software for managing printer,
fax, electronic-mail, and pager communications, Dazel Corp. is
partnering with companies that would otherwise be competitors,
said Ford Tamer, VP of marketing, in an interview with Newsbytes.

At the same time, he continued, the Dazel (pronounced "Dazzle")
Output Management System competes against IBM's new Printing
Systems Manager (PSM) and Printxchange, a collaborative effort by
Xerox, Digital Equipment Corp., and Sun Microsystems. But unlike
Dazel's offering, PSM and Printxchange are aimed at managing
print output only, he contended.

Tamer told Newsbytes that Dazel was founded in 1991 as "Atrium,"
with venture capital funding. Two years later, the Austin, Texas-
based software vendor started shipping the Dazel product, which
is designed to combine mainframe-style centralized control over
communications output with multi-tier distribution across multiple
platforms.

Dazel extends beyond the three-tier model with an "n"-tier
architecture that allows printing, fax, electronic mail and
paging output functions to be distributed across virtually any
combination of multivendor "output servers" on a client-server
network, the Dazel exec elaborated.

The Dazel client-server system also uses logical addressing, as
opposed to physical addressing, resulting in
"destination-independent" communications, according to Tamer.

The Dazel Output Management System includes the Dazel Output
Server, the Dazel Express client, and Dazel SDK (Software
Developers Kits), in addition to Dazel gateways to mainframes,
Netware, and VAX. The Dazel Server currently runs on Unix-based
platforms that include SunOS (operating system), Sun Solaris,
HP-UX, IBM AIX, and DCE (Distributed Computing Environment).

In addition, through a recently inked deal with AT&T GIS, the
server is being ported to another Unix platform, with
availability on AT&T GIS slated for the first quarter of next
year. A Windows NT server is under development, as well.

At present, the Dazel Output Management System server software
can be controlled through Dazel clients for Windows and Motif.
Also, Dazel has just released Dazel for CA-Unicenter, an
interface designed to provide integration between Dazel's output
management Computer Associates' system management offering
through the Dazel API (application programming interface), he
said.

Available for SunOS, Sun Solaris, IBM AIX, and HP-UX, Dazel for
CA-Unicenter also uses Unicenter's event management capabilities
for delivery of centralized status information on Dazel jobs,
events, and destinations.

Dazel has signed similar pacts with Tivoli and 4th Dimension,
Tamer noted. Also newly available is the Dazel/Tivoli Event
Adapter, a product aimed at providing embedded control over Dazel
from the Tivoli/Enterprise Console (T/EC), a central event
management and automation server for Unix- and PC-based systems
and networks. The new Dazel/Tivoli Event Adapter automates Dazel
tasks, as well as displaying notices and events, according to
Tamer.

Dazel and 4th Dimension are now working together on an upcoming
product, to be called Control-D/Delivery, that will integrate the
Dazel Output Server with 4th Dimension's Control-D and
Control-D/PC for delivering output on Unix and well as mainframes
and PCs.

"4th Dimensions's previous background was as a mainframe report
distribution environment," Tamer explained. Boole & Babbage will
be distributing Control-D/Delivery -- and as a result of the deal
with Dazel, "will effectively be distributing Dazel, as well,"
Newsbytes was told.

In contrast to Dazel, other output management systems for
client-server environments are more or less limited to "print
spool management," he asserted. But because Tivoli, CA, and 4th
Dimension previously provided some output management capabilities
of their own, Dazel regarded these companies as competitors.

PSM and Printxchange also handle print management only, according
to Tamer. "But we believe that, for networks of the future, you
need to support more than print-on-demand."

Dazel's "multi-functionality" is already benefiting users, with
capabilities like the ability to transmit faxes from fax devices
"all around the world," and "to send an alert to the systems
administrator by pager if the printer runs out of paper," the VP
observed.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad has used the Dazel API to
integrate Dazel into an in-house application for providing
employees of the railroad with "mission critical safety-related
information," said Wally Swanson, manager of dispatching systems
for the railroad's network operations center.

Swanson told Newsbytes that the railroad is now beginning to
deploy the 24-by-7 integrated information system on AIX servers
to field offices and other locations enterprise-wide. Dazel is
the only client-server system the railroad could find that is
able to provide integrated management of printing, fax, e-mail
and paging, he maintained.

Dazel's logical addressing is also helpful, according to Swanson.
"You can send a file attached to a program command. The system
then knows what to do with it -- whether to send it to a fax or a
printer, for instance," illustrated the railroad exec.

"I'm impressed by Dazel's ability to manage all kinds of
output," echoed Sylvia Clark, an senior analyst at the Aberdeen
Group, Boston, Massachusetts. The analyst added that she sees
Dazel as one sign that "the client-server environment is finally
starting to get `mainframe' types of tools for in-house,
mission-critical applications." Novadyne's products for
client-server software management represent another example of
this emerging trend, according to Clark.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951010/Reader Contact: Dazel Inc., 512-418-
8338; Press Contact: Laura Beck or Rick McLaughlin, Lois Paul &
Partners for Dazel, 617-860-5640)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/11/95
BUSINESS
Microsoft & Software AG To Offer OLE On Most Platforms

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00020)
Microsoft & Software AG To Offer OLE On Most Platforms 10/11/95
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 11 (NB) -- A deal between
Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Software AG, an international
software and services company, will soon bring Microsoft's object
linking and embedding (OLE) technology to most non-Microsoft
computer operating systems. Microsoft said the deal will provide
"a uniform method of integrating software across an enterprise"
and "help shorten the development cycles."

Microsoft said the agreement also calls for Software AG to
incorporate OLE into its own software products and provide
consulting services and support for the technology worldwide.
Software AG said it will make OLE available on all major variants
of Unix, IBM MVS, OS/400, and other server and mainframe operating
systems. The first platforms are expected to ship in early 1997.

In the meantime, Software AG said it will make products available
"that ease integration of legacy applications" with applications
running on Microsoft platforms by encapsulating the legacy
applications in OLE interfaces. The products will be extensions
to Software AG's Entire middleware products.

Component software allows software applications to be treated as
building blocks that can share information, and be combined to
create new applications. That makes it faster and cheaper to create
new applications.

Microsoft already has a deal with Digital Equipment Corp. to make
OLE available on major industry operating systems through Digital's
own products. It also has license agreements with companies that
participate in the Windows Interface Source Environment program,
which includes Lotus, Mainsoft, Bristol Technology, Insignia
Solutions and Locus Computing, to make the Windows user interface
and programming environments like OLE available on non-Microsoft
operating systems such as Unix.

In its simplest form, OLE allows the developer or user to either
link one object with another or embed an object in another. The
difference is that changes in a linked object are reflected in the
file the object is linked to. Embedded objects do not change as
the original file is edited. For example, a user might link or
embed a spreadsheet in a word processing document.

(Jim Mallory/19951011/Press contact: Ann Goldmann, Waggener
Edstrom for Microsoft, 503-245-0905; Public contact: Microsoft,
206-882-8080 of 800-426-9400)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/11/95
ONLINE
Netscape Offers Rewards To "Bug Catchers"

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LAX)(00021)
Netscape Offers Rewards To "Bug Catchers" 10/11/95
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 11 (NB) -- Netscape
Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: NSCP) has announced the "Netscape
Bugs Bounty" program that rewards users who help the company find and
report "bugs" in the beta versions of its recently released Netscape
Navigator 2.0 World Wide Web browser software. Users who are the first
to report a particular bug will be rewarded with various prizes
depending on its importance.

The contest begins with the beta versions of Netscape Navigator 2.0
that are already on the Internet. Full rules for the contest will be
available on Netscape's home page at http://home.netscape.com .

Speaking to Newsbytes, Roseanne Siino a spokesperson for Netscape,
said, "As far as we can determine, this is the first contest of its
kind. Netscape's whole approach to broad-based beta testing on the
Internet was new, and we hope the contest will enliven the beta
testing process."

Users who are the first to report a particular bug will be rewarded
with prizes depending on the "bug class." Users reporting "significant
security bugs," as determined by Netscape, will collect cash prizes,
while users finding any security bugs will win Netscape "merchandise."
Users finding other "serious" bugs will be eligible to win "a choice of
items" from the Netscape General Store.

Siino pointed out that there are no caps on winners. Top prize will be
$1,000 for any and all bugs in the top category: Severe Security
Bugs. To win, the finder has to be the first, and, according to the
company, it is important to be constantly using the current versions.

The beta versions are available now for downloading on the Internet
for free evaluation. Netscape's beta testing of 2.0 is already underway.
Users who downloaded previous beta versions of the 2.0 software
should download today's versions, which fix major and minor bugs
identified since its initial release, including security bugs in the
pre-release version of the Java language support integrated in 2.0.

Netscape has released special beta versions of 2.0 that include
Java for users wanting to test it. Because bugs will be reported and
fixed on an ongoing basis, Netscape asks users to stay current on the
beta version they are using, so that the latest software is constantly
being refined.

"We are continuing to encourage users to provide feedback on new
versions of our software, and the Netscape Bugs Bounty is a natural
extension of that process," said Mike Homer, vice president of
marketing at Netscape. "By rewarding users for quickly identifying
and reporting bugs back to us, this program will encourage an
extensive, open review of Netscape Navigator 2.0 and will help us
to continue to create products of the highest quality."

Netscape has created two versions of its Netscape Navigator 2.0
beta, available for downloading from Netscape's home page at
http://home.netscape.com . Version b1J for Windows 95, Solaris, and
Irix platforms includes Java and is for users who want to participate
in the bounty program.

For general users or those on other Unix environments, Windows 3.1,
and Macintosh, Netscape has posted beta versions without Java. After
initial testing is complete, future beta versions for all supported
platforms will contain Java.

(Richard Bowers/19951000/Press Contact: Roseanne Siino, Netscape,
415-254-1900)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/11/95
LEGAL
Compaq-Packard Bell Wars Heat Up Again

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(DEN)(00022)
Compaq-Packard Bell Wars Heat Up Again 10/11/95
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 11 (NB) -- The war between
Packard Bell Electronics Inc. (PB) and Compaq Computer Corp. (NYSE:CPQ)
has heated up again with the filing, by PB, of a suit against Compaq
alleging unfair competition, defamation, and false advertising.

The PB suit alleges Compaq falsely described Packard Bell's return
policies and "purposely misled customers in comparing the two
companies' polices," according to the British news service Reuters.
The suit seeks punitive damages, reimbursement for loss of income,
and a court order requiring Compaq to run corrective advertising. A
Compaq spokesperson said Packard Bell did not specify the amount of
damages it is seeking.

Some details of the suit were sealed because they reveal confidential
business practices, but Reuters said the suit alleges that a Compaq
executive, senior vice president Ross Cooley, made "racist" and
"morally reprehensible" statements about the PB workforce. Compaq
outside counsel Bill Coston of the Washington DC law firm Venable
acknowledged that Cooley did make what Coston characterized as "an
extremely poor choice of words," and said Cooley later issued a
clarification and apology.

Coston told Newsbytes the Packard Bell counterclaim is a standard
move in litigation by a defendant and is not unexpected. "It's
meant to be a distraction to the principal issue in the case,
which is Packard Bell's continued practice of using used returned
parts in machines that they sell as new, without disclosing that
to the customer before they buy," said the attorney.

In April of this year Compaq filed suit charging Packard Bell with
selling products that contain used components and passing them off
as new. Packard Bell called that lawsuit "a public relations
strategy to divert our efforts and slow our growth."

The two companies are in hot competition for computer buyer's
dollars. Compaq finished 1994 as the number one seller of PCs
overall and appears on the road to capturing the 1995 crown as
well. Packard Bell captured the number four position on the
worldwide sales list last year and was third in US sales.

After Compaq filed its suit, a number of consumers filed several
class-action suits against Packard Bell which resulted in PB
agreeing to set up a $1 million fund to reimburse buyers for
out-of-pocket repairs to used components and in extending warranty
contracts. Packard Bell did not admit any wrong-doing in settling
the class action suits.

Coston explained that the class action settlement allows Packard
Bell to sell machines that contain used parts so long as they
include a document with the PC that states used, serviceable parts
are installed. Coston said that still doesn't reveal to the
purchaser that the machine contains used parts until they open the
box and find the disclosure document. "They have no obligation to
tell people before they buy and that is the principal focus of the
Compaq suit against Packard Bell," Coston stated.

He said the class action settlement imposed some limits on the hours
used-parts can have been in use and the number of times a part such
as a hard drive can be installed in various PCs. Coston cited as an
example, a hard drive that can be installed in as many as three
separate Packard Bell PCs sold as new and can have up to 200 hours of
use.

This isn't the first time Compaq and Packard Bell lawyers have
packed their briefcases and headed for court. In December, 1994,
Newsbytes reported Compaq had filed a patent infringement suit
against Packard Bell that alleged willful infringement of three
Compaq patents on desktop and laptop computer power functions and
video displays. Compaq spokesperson Yvonne Donaldson told
Newsbytes that suit is still pending.

Compaq also re-uses PCs that are returned to it, which include
"unsold dealer inventory," allegedly defective products, and what the
company called "convenience returns" from consumers. Compaq said
a computer is considered new if it is returned in an unopened,
original box. If the box has been opened, the company said it tests
the unit to determine if it has been used. If the PC has been used,
said Compaq, it may be sold as "refurbished." If there is no evidence
of use, it might be sold as new, possible with upgraded features,
said the company.

Donaldson told Newsbytes Compaq technicians look for use indicators
such as user-installed software, commands issued to the operating
system, or if software shrink-wrapped packages have been opened.

(Jim Mallory/19950411/Press contact: Yvonne Donaldson, Compaq,
713-514-4463 or Liz O'Donnell, The Bohle Co. for Packard Bell,
310-785-0515)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/11/95
ONLINE
Encyclopedia Britannica Online Now By Subscription

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00023)
Encyclopedia Britannica Online Now By Subscription 10/11/95
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 11 (NB) -- Encyclopedia
Britannica's "Britannica Online" site on the Internet's World Wide Web
is out of its testing phase, and now offers subscription pricing, the
company said.

Subscriptions will cost $150 per year, which amounts to about 41 cents
per day, said Joseph J. Esposito, Encyclopedia Britannica president
and chief executive officer. The service is also offered to businesses
and professional consumers for $300, with site licensing available for
companies and Internet service providers (ISPs). New customers will
get a seven-day free trial before they subscribe, officials added.

Accounts may be started by either calling in via an 800 number
(800-522-8656), or directly at Encyclopedia Britannica's Web site at
http://www.eb.com . The site uses data encryption for Netscape and
other secure browsers, a company spokesperson told Newsbytes. The
actual Britannica Online service is also accessed at that address.

Britannica Online was named 1994 Product of the Year by Database
Magazine, company officials said. The services provides access to text
from the 44 million word encyclopedia, along with 1,200 additional
articles, more than 2,200 illustrations, and hotlinks to other Web
informational sources. The services search engine lets users enter
questions in simple English.

Last June, Newsbytes first reported on the commercial availability of
the site on a test basis through Time Warner's Pathfinder site, at
http://www.pathfinder.com . The service had been available to colleges
and universities by site license since the fall of 1994. A spokesperson
told Newsbytes Britannica Online will still be available through the
Time Warner site, but only for subscribers. In addition, the articles
in the Britannica Online site will still have hotlinks to content in
Pathfinder, as it did during the test phase.

About 25,000 customers had tested Britannica Online through the
Pathfinder site, officials said.

With its Web site, Britannica now publishes information in several
forms, both "traditional" and electronic. Besides its time-honored
32-volume printed set, the company also produces a CD-ROM version of its
encyclopedia. Esposito said the variety of forms in which Britannica
is available reflects "the company's commitment to giving its customers
choice."

(Bob Woods/19951011/Press Contacts: Pam Pesavento, 312-988-3807, or
Cathy Gately, 312-988-3812, for Ogilvy Adams & Rinehart)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/11/95
TRENDS
Partnership Targets Billion Dollar Smart Card Market

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(DEN)(00024)
Partnership Targets Billion Dollar Smart Card Market 10/11/95
DENVER, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 11 (NB) -- Racom Systems Inc.
has entered into a multi-million dollar partnership with Rohm Co.
Ltd, a Japanese company, to manufacture the ferroelectric chips used
in contactless, battery-free smart cards. The deal also calls for
Rohm to manufacture a new generation of advanced microprocessor-based
chips currently under development for use in high-security financial
applications.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95101124.PCX
Click here for photo

Rohm is currently starting up a new 0.6 micron wafer fabrication
operation in Kyoto, Japan, dedicated to the high-volume manufacture
or ferroelectric chips, and has licensed Racom's contactless,
battery-free technology specifically for the Japanese market.
Racom said the cards are already in use in over 100 installations
worldwide.

Racom spokesperson Laura Keane told Newsbytes the ferroelectric-based
smart cards, which exchange information with readers via radio waves
instead of being passed through a reader like a credit card, are used
for electronic ticketing;, automatic fare collection on buses, subways
and trains, electronic point-of-sale, and electronic benefits transfer.

Racom said the new cards are superior to the earlier smart cards that
use conventional semiconductor technologies because of their unique
combination of high-speed, low-power, non-volatile operation, and high
reliability.

The new smart cards have the ability to store as many as 16
different accounts, said Keane. It could hold your checking
account, credit card account, let you pay for a bus or train ticket,
and allow you access to controlled areas within your workplace.

Keane spoke about some of the card's advantages. In automatic fare
collection, users no longer have to carry the correct change or
tokens, waiting times to board are reduced, and the risk of robbery
of bus, subway and train operators is reduced since they have less
cash on board.

"It's a stored value card," said Keane. "You put money on the
card and daily as you use it you wave it over an antenna and it
deducts the fare for that day."

Keane said electronic ticketing primarily benefits the frequent
traveler. The user would simply wave their card over an antenna at
a kiosk in the terminal after selecting their destination and class
of accommodation for immediate ticketing. The card would have your
seating preference and frequent flyer number recorded and would
provide that information to the ticket machine.

According to Jerome Svigals, publisher of Smart Cards & Comments
and a consultant to the electronic banking industry, contactless
technology is very valuable to the user because of its speed,
convenience, ease of use, low cost and perhaps most importantly its
security. "Even more significant is this smart cards' ability to
manage multiple applications with contactless technology that
ensures the highest long-term data integrity, especially important
for electronic purse requirements," said the industry consultant.

(Jim Mallory/19951011/Press contact: Laura Keane, Racom Systems,
800-789-7627; Public contact: 800-789-7627/RACOM951011/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/11/95
BUSINESS
Warner Brothers & Acclaim Entertainment Form Alliance

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00025)
Warner Brothers & Acclaim Entertainment Form Alliance 10/11/95
BURBANK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 11 (NB) -- Warner Bros.
Interactive Entertainment (WB) has extended its working alliance with
Acclaim Entertainment (NASDAQ:AKLM) in an agreement to jointly publish
entertainment titles using WB characters and properties. Anywhere a
video game can be played, WB and Acclaim says they plan to deliver
titles based on next-generation technology.

After a successful participation in the creation of some of the special
effects for WB's Batman Forever film and earlier licensing agreements
with WB, Acclaim says this new agreement will allow both companies
to leverage the strengths of each other as they jointly produce cutting-
edge interactive entertainment. For Acclaim, the agreement provides
access to WB's extensive movie sets, animation cells, costumes and
props. WB says Acclaims technological expertise in interactive games
and titles allows the Interactive Entertainment division to extend the
brand-name of WB's well-know products into a new and wider
audience of customers.

Dan Romanelli, president of Warner Bros. Worldwide Consumer
Products, told Newsbytes, "We expect to see three titles in 1996 from
this agreement. We are not ready to give the details, but I can assure
you we will be producing together some of the best interactive
entertainment in the industry." The public can expect to see these new
titles developed for video arcade games, personal computers, and
standard game systems such as those developed by Nintendo, Sega, and
Sony.

In response to trends in the video game industry, Romanelli
commented, "We will be watching what is favored and what is not
favored by consumers through their choices in the upcoming holiday
season. The strength of Warner Brothers and the technology provided
by Acclaim are a great example of a Hollywood power teaming with an
outstanding multimedia and technology expert."

The agreement also calls for the two companies to work together from
film development and software storyboard stages to project completion.
Their respective strengths in marketing, merchandising, and
distribution are considered additional benefits to both companies.

(Patrick McKenna/19951011/Press Contact: Kim Sudhalter, Warner
Bros. Interactive Entertainment, 818-977-4711)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/11/95
BUSINESS
 ****UUNet Technologies To Acquire Unipalm

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00026)
 ****UUNet Technologies To Acquire Unipalm 10/11/95
CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 11 (NB) -- UUNet Technologies Inc., the
US Internet service provider (SP), has announced its intention to
acquire Unipalm, the UK Internet group that owns Pipex, which is
widely recognized as being the largest UK Internet SP. Pipex also has
deals with several European Internet SPs for effective pan-European
Internet access.

The deal values each Unipalm share at 450 pence, so valuing Unipalm at
around UKP97 million. According to Unipalm, the deal represents a
premium of 38 percent over the median share price of 327 pence per
share for Unipalm as at 17 August this year. On October 10 this year,
the share price stood at 410 pence per share, Newsbytes notes.

Announcing the offer, John Sidgmore, UUNet's chief executive officer
(CEO), said that he is delighted to announce the agreed offer for
Unipalm, "with whom we have developed a good working relationship in
recent years."

"The offers represents a major step in the pursuit of UUNet's
international expansion plans. We look forward to welcoming Unipalm's
employees to UUNet," he said.

Commenting on the deal for Unipalm, David Thorp, the group's chairman,
said that the board has recognized the potential value of
international collaboration for some time.

"Unipalm already has a close working relationship with UUnet, which is
one of the leading Internet service providers in the world. I'm
confident that a combination of the operations of UUnet and Unipalm
will lead to significant benefits for both companies," he said.

Newsbytes notes that Microsoft has a modest stake in UUNet, which
provides North American Internet service facilities to Microsoft for
its Microsoft Network (MSN) online service.

Subscribers outside of the US have been asked to wait for full
Internet services from MSN until next spring, at which time MSN will
launch its Internet services in Europe and the Far East. By acquiring
Unipalm, UUNet, and therefore MSN, will be able to offer European
Internet services to MSN subscribers within this time-frame.

"It's all happening this week. UUNet takes Unipalm and Stac takes
Kelsoft in the US. It illustrates the potential that Internet services
providers have," said one industry observer who, for professional
reasons, asked not be identified.

Roland Perry, business development manager with UK Online, the
Olivetti-backed consumer online service in the UK, told Newsbytes that
he was unsurprised by the UUNet acquisition, but questioned the
repercussions for Pipex resellers in the UK.

"PIpex has never been overly keen on offering their service via
resellers, but because of their position in the market, they do sell
their Internet services through a number of resellers. One has to
question whether the reseller side of the business is now going to get
squeezed, now that MSN effectively has access to the European Internet
SP network," he said.

Rumors surrounding a possible acquisition of Unipalm have been
circulating in Internet circles for several weeks, Newsbytes notes.
Some sources had suggested that UUNet was pitching for Unipalm backed
by Microsoft, but the logic of the deal only now becomes apparent.

(Steve Gold/19951011/Press Contact: Katy Croft, GBC, [phone],
Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Reader Contact: Pipex/Unipalm, tel
[phone], fax [phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/11/95
IBM
 ****Jim Manzi Resigns As Lotus CEO, IBM Senior VP

(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00027)
 ****Jim Manzi Resigns As Lotus CEO, IBM Senior VP 10/11/95
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 11 (NB) -- In a
teleconference today, Jim Manzi publicly announced plans to
resign from his 13-year post as president and chief executive
officer (CEO) of Lotus Development Corporation, as well as from
the role he assumed as senior VP of IBM when IBM acquired Lotus
in June.

"It's been an exhilarating 13 years," Manzi said at the start of
the teleconference, which was attended by Newsbytes. During brief
remarks and a Q&A session that followed, Manzi went on to say
that his move to leave Lotus and IBM is a "highly individual
decision" prompted by a personal recognition that, although he
has the right "attributes" for running a business $1 billion or
larger, these are not the same attributes needed for working
within a much bigger corporation such as IBM.

Manzi told the journalists and analysts that, after tendering his
resignation to IBM President and CEO Lewis Gerstner, he notified
Lotus employees of his decision to resign at a staff meeting
earlier today.

"I don't have any immediate plans," Manzi said, in response to a
question from one reporter about his future plans. But, he joked,
in discussing the future with his wife and three young children
at dinner last night, after returning home from New York, the one
idea that "got unanimous acclaim around the dinner table" was
that he should enter the "shrimping business."

John Thompson will take over daily operations of Lotus on an
interim basis, Manzi reported. Manzi declined comment on the
plans of other senior executives at Lotus, how the company might
be reorganized in the future, and Gerstner's reaction to the
resignation. But, he said, there are "a tremendous number of
talented number of talented people at Lotus, and at IBM."

Added Manzi: "My part of this journey is over. (Now) there will
be a different leader for the next part of the journey."

Manzi also reflected on some of the highlights of his 13-year
career at Lotus. The shipment of Lotus 1-2-3 in 1983 "obviously
helped to define the industry," the journalists and analysts were
told.

Since then, there has been a "tremendous transition from the
eighties to the nineties," a decade in which Lotus has helped to
"transform the way that companies work," Manzi maintained.

"What is very important for me is how we have done it," he
pointed out. Lotus has been committed to principles such as the
"human spirit," openness, teamwork, and integrity, according to
Manzi.

Manzi also said that there was no "single" factor or event that
precipitated his decision to resign. Manzi noted that he had "put
his ideas on the table over the past 100 days" about how to
operate a software company, adding that he had experienced
"tremendously open" discussions with IBM. "It would be silly to
say we agreed on everything, and it would be silly to say that we
disagreed on everything," he observed.

"I'm pretty confident that, on a going-forward basis, IBM and
Lotus can work together to provide the benefits of Notes. (We have
accomplished) lots of good work," Manzi told the press.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951011/Reader Contact: Lotus Development
Corporation, 617-577-8500; Lois Paul & Partners for Lotus,
617-862-4514)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/11/95
APPLE
Oracle Offers Power Objects For Mac

(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00028)
Oracle Offers Power Objects For Mac 10/11/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 11 (NB) -- As part of
its long-term plan to create an "open, cross-platform environment,"
Apple has formed an agreement with Oracle to develop Oracle Power
Objects for the Macintosh. The visual programming tool allows
application development for Macintosh and Windows platforms
simultaneously.

Oracle describes its Power Objects as an object-oriented database
tool for rapid development and deployment of scalable, client/server
applications. Different versions are optimized to run in Windows 3.1,
Windows 95, or Macintosh operating systems (OS). When applications
are developed using Power Objects, they are portable to all three
operating systems without code modification. Oracle says an
additional version supporting OS/2 is planned for later this year.

Apple says Power Objects for the Mac means Macintosh software can
be more integrated into corporate enterprises and database
management systems which are often based on a Windows OS. The
new development tool also means Mac users have access to more
client/server applications.

An Oracle spokesperson told Newsbytes, "This announcement allows
developers of Macintosh applications to easily create applications
for both platforms. If a developer uses Windows to create applications,
Power Objects for Windows allows the developer to easily create the
same application for Windows and Macintosh platforms."

As an introductory offer, Apple says it will market Oracle Power
Objects Standard Edition 1.0 for $99 through Apple developer and
reseller channels. The Standard Edition lists for $395. Oracle also
offers a Client/Server Edition which is bundled with native data
access drivers for any Oracle 7 database, Sybase SQL Server (version
2.4 or higher) and Microsoft SQL Server (also version 4.2 or higher).
The price is $1,995.

Oracle also offers a 90-day free trial of Power Objects Standard Edition
available through its Web site at http://www.oracle.com . The company
is also offering a $99 competitive upgrade to developers using other
tools. Specifics of the competitive upgrade may be found at the Web
site.

(Patrick McKenna/19951011/Press Contact: Tim Marklein, Applied
Communications, 415-375-8881)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/11/95
TRENDS
 ****Sun Lays Foundation For Universal OS

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00029)
 ****Sun Lays Foundation For Universal OS 10/11/95
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 11 (NB) -- Sun
Microsystems has announced the first major piece to the Java puzzle
that the company expects will lead it into a "universal operating
system." Sun's Neo family of network technology will reportedly enable
companies to build applications that run on both the corporate network
and the Internet.

Bryan Croll, director of Object Product Marketing at Sun, told
Newsbytes, "The mantra at Sun is that 'the network is the computer,'
and the Internet is the ultimate network. It is the Internet that will
ultimately thrust the home PC into the network world. Sun, through
the Java operating language, will change how computers are going to
be used. Windows 95 has created a lot of interest, but the future is
in the network. When using Java, you are viewing the computer world
as if there was a universal operating system. Traditional operating
systems won't matter.

"Using the Java language, developers can create dynamic World Wide
Web browsers or expand current Web browsers," said Croll. "Using Java
browsers there is no such thing as installing software. Software
transparently migrates across the network. It shows up when you
need it. It gets there automatically."

Continued Croll, "A Java browser uses the Java language to expand the
capabilities of current browsers by allowing the downloading of small
software programs. Instead of simply reading pages, a browser users
execute computer applications on their screens, so they can interact
in real-time. Together with Java, Sun's language for developing
interactive Web applications, Neo extends the client-server computing
model to the World Wide Web."

According to Sun, the Neo product family will create complete
development, operating and management environment for object-oriented
networked applications. Neo software's networked objects are modular
application components or services that are distributed across a network
and shared by numerous applications. These services are designed to be
accessed by other services, as well as by a variety of clients,
including workstations, PCs, and even Internet browsers.

Applications developed for the Neo environment can be accessed
from many desktop application environments, including SunSoft's
Solaris, Microsoft Windows, and Java-enabled Web browsers such as
Sun's Hot Java or Netscape's Navigator.

The initial release of Solaris Neo 1.0 will include: Neonet and
Neoshare. Solstice administration tools for Neonet and Neoshare will
be bundled with Solaris Neo 1.0. Solaris Neo 1.0 pricing begins at
$990.

WorkShop Neo 1.0. will include: Neoworks, SPARCworks, and SPARC
compilers. WorkShop Neo 1.0 pricing begins at $11,995. Special
promotional pricing will be offered for a limited time at $5,995.

"Our aim is to turn the Web into an interactive and ubiquitous access
point to a world of computing resources," said Janpieter Scheerder,
SunSoft president. "While the Web has emerged as the on-ramp to the
information superhighway, it has provided only limited utility for real
business applications. Now, with Neo, the Web can finally provide a
real opportunity for doing commerce on the Internet."

(Richard Bowers/19951011/Press Contact:  Judy Zimbelman, Sun
Microsystem, 415-336-5091)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00030)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 10/11/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 11 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|          Wednesday, October 11, 1995           |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network's 1995 Update CD-ROM for Mac, DOS, and Windows is
now available for $29.95 (includes s&h). Contains 1983-1995 news
stories, more than 64,000 keyword searchable stories and 475 digitized
images. For more information or to order, fax to 612-430-0441 or e-mail
to '[e-mail]' -- MC, Visa, Amex accepted.

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

APPLE     Oracle Offers Power Objects For Mac........................ 28

BROADCAST Skyphone Opens Satellite Earth Station In Singapore........ 06

BUSINESS  Dazel Teams With Tivoli/CA/AT&T/4th Dimension.............. 19

BUSINESS  Microsoft & Software AG To Offer OLE On Most Platforms..... 20

BUSINESS  Warner Brothers & Acclaim Entertainment Form Alliance...... 25

BUSINESS   ****UUNet Technologies To Acquire Unipalm................. 26

GENERAL   Software 2000 To Add Windows 95, NT, Unix To Apps.......... 02

GENERAL   Japan Newsbriefs........................................... 15

GOVT       ****Electronics Industry Groups Hail Export Decision...... 04

IBM        ****IBM Fills Out PC Server Lineup........................ 12

IBM        ****Jim Manzi Resigns As Lotus CEO, IBM Senior VP......... 27

LEGAL     Compaq-Packard Bell Wars Heat Up Again..................... 22

NETWORK   Novell Technology To Help Manage Energy Consumption........ 03

ONLINE    UK - Demon Internet Offers RealAudio Service............... 07

ONLINE    Oklahoma Firm Launches Virtual Cities...................... 08

ONLINE    Pipeline USA Plans More Local Services..................... 11

ONLINE     ****Compuserve To Page Users When E-Mail Is Received...... 13

ONLINE    RealAudio Allows PCs To Put Audio On The Internet.......... 14

ONLINE     ****AT&T Opens Asian Backbone Network..................... 16

ONLINE    Internet Update............................................ 17

ONLINE    Netscape Offers Rewards To "Bug Catchers................... 21

ONLINE    Encyclopedia Britannica Online Now By Subscription......... 23

PC        European Firms Happy With PC Industry - Report............. 01

PC        Europe - Tulip Unveils "Silent Workstation................. 05

TELECOM   Row Over Belgian GSM Net Licensing......................... 09

TELECOM   Finland's Nokia Opens Japanese R&D Operation............... 10

TELECOM   Japan - Companies Look To New PHS Applications............. 18

TRENDS    Partnership Targets Billion Dollar Smart Card Market....... 24

TRENDS    Sun Lays Foundation For Universal OS....................... 29

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 -> European Firms Happy With PC Industry - Report -- European
corporations give the computer industry high marks for its leading-edge
technology, according to a report from Dell Computer's European
operations. According to the survey, corporations in Europe also rate
the provision of other customer priorities, such as pricing, service,
support, and the timing plus delivery of PC products.

2 -> Software 2000 To Add Windows 95, NT, Unix To Apps -- Products for
Windows 95, Windows NT, and Unix will follow newly released Windows and
OS/2 clients in a major object-oriented (OO) update to Software 2000's
AS/400-based business applications software, revealed Erin Golden, at a
meeting with Newsbytes in Boston. Meanwhile, the Cape Cod-based software
company views recent competition from the likes of SAP and Peoplesoft as
"validating" AS/400 as an underlying platform, she contended.

3 -> Novell Technology To Help Manage Energy Consumption -- Novell Inc.
(NASDAQ: NOVL) has announced a partnership to "develop and jointly
market" applications that will allow consumers to optimize their use of
energy consumption in their homes and offices. It could also be the
connection that plugs that home or office into the information
superhighway.

4 ->  ****Electronics Industry Groups Hail Export Decision -- The
Electronic Industries Association (EIA) and the American Electronics
Association (AEA) have both praised a government decision to loosen
restrictions on the export of high-powered computers, saying the Clinton
administration has recognized the pace at which technology is advancing.

5 -> Europe - Tulip Unveils "Silent Workstation -- Tulip Computers has
taken the seemingly regressive step of removing the fan from its latest
PC, the ID-45 series. According to Steve Roberts, the company's product
marketing manager, the idea isn't a cost-cutting move, but one based on
technology enhancement.

6 -> Skyphone Opens Satellite Earth Station In Singapore -- Skyphone,
the satellite phone consortium formed by British Telecom (BT), Singapore
Telecom and Telenor International, has announced the opening of its
fifth worldwide ground earth station in Singapore.

7 -> UK - Demon Internet Offers RealAudio Service -- Demon Internet has
installed a RealAudio server on its system. According to the Internet
service provider (SP), it is the first time that a commercial Internet
SP has offered this service in the UK.

8 -> Oklahoma Firm Launches Virtual Cities -- A Tulsa, Oklahoma company
has awarded a four-part contract to various contractors to develop a
complete "interactive city"  for Tulsa on the Internet.

9 -> Row Over Belgian GSM Net Licensing -- A blistering row has broken
out between Belgacom, the privatized telecoms operation formerly owned
by the Belgian Government, and the Belgian Ministry of
Telecommunications, over a license fee payable for the operation of a
GSM (global system for mobile communications) digital mobile phone net.

10 -> Finland's Nokia Opens Japanese R&D Operation -- Nokia has
announced plans to open a research and development (R&D) operation in
Japan, with the specific aim of furthering the company's cellular
services in that country.

11 -> Pipeline USA Plans More Local Services -- Pipeline USA, an online
service and Internet access provider that already operates a local
service in New York, has announced plans to offer local content in seven
more US cities. The unit of PSINet (NASDAQ:PSIX) will launch four of its
new "virtual neighborhoods" by year-end, officials said.

12 ->  ****IBM Fills Out PC Server Lineup -- By launching two new PC
Server lines and adding models to a third, IBM (NYSE:IBM) said it has
filled out its personal computer server lineup as promised.

13 ->  ****Compuserve To Page Users When E-Mail Is Received --
Compuserve is extending its reach from the wired world of online
services and the Internet to the wireless realm of paging services.
Starting in November, the online network will page its subscribers when
electronic-mail is waiting from either other members or through the
Internet, among other features.

14 -> RealAudio Allows PCs To Put Audio On The Internet -- Progressive
Networks, the company responsible for bringing on-demand audio to the
Internet, has announced RealAudio Personal Server, new software which
allows desktop PC users to deliver their own audio content over the
Internet. A beta version for Windows 95 and Windows NT is currently
available for testing through the company's World Wide Web site.

15 -> Japan Newsbriefs -- In this roundup of news from Japan: Mobile
telephone subscribers continue to rise, Sony stops TV exports, Nippon
Iridium decides earth station site, Microsoft narrows Windows 95 launch
date, Compaq announces new PC models, HDTV sales continue strong rise,
TV, Fujitsu gets first US supercomputer order, VCR export figures
released.

16 ->  ****AT&T Opens Asian Backbone Network -- AT&T has introduced a
new Internet service in several Asian countries made possible by the
company's new Internet Asian backbone. It is the first such major
backbone and inter-regional connection in Asia, says the company.

17 -> Internet Update -- In this roundup of new services and resources
on the worldwide Internet: Volcanoes - Live, New online telephone
directories, Travel planning with the Internet, Television stations
continue coming, Web builder software, USDA economic research service,
Comic book art.

18 -> Japan - Companies Look To New PHS Applications -- As Japan's PHS
(personal handyphone system) mobile telephones continue to grow in
importance and the system becomes more widely available across the
country and the rest of Asia, Japan's major telecom equipment
manufacturers are already showing new devices that make use of the
system's high data capacity.

19 -> Dazel Teams With Tivoli/CA/AT&T/4th Dimension -- By teaming with
Tivoli, Computer Associates (CA), AT&T GIS, and 4th Dimension on
integration of its client-server software for managing printer, fax,
electronic-mail, and pager communications, Dazel Corp. is partnering
with companies that would otherwise be competitors, said Ford Tamer, VP
of marketing, in an interview with Newsbytes.

20 -> Microsoft & Software AG To Offer OLE On Most Platforms -- A deal
between Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Software AG, an international
software and services company, will soon bring Microsoft's object
linking and embedding (OLE) technology to most non-Microsoft computer
operating systems. Microsoft said the deal will provide "a uniform
method of integrating software across an enterprise" and "help shorten
the development cycles."

21 -> Netscape Offers Rewards To "Bug Catchers -- Netscape
Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: NSCP) has announced the "Netscape
Bugs Bounty" program that rewards users who help the company find and
report "bugs" in the beta versions of its recently released Netscape
Navigator 2.0 World Wide Web browser software. Users who are the first
to report a particular bug will be rewarded with various prizes
depending on its importance.

22 -> Compaq-Packard Bell Wars Heat Up Again -- The war between Packard
Bell Electronics Inc. (PB) and Compaq Computer Corp. (NYSE:CPQ) has
heated up again with the filing, by PB, of a suit against Compaq
alleging unfair competition, defamation, and false advertising.

23 -> Encyclopedia Britannica Online Now By Subscription -- Encyclopedia
Britannica's "Britannica Online" site on the Internet's World Wide Web
is out of its testing phase, and now offers subscription pricing, the
company said.

24 -> Partnership Targets Billion Dollar Smart Card Market -- Racom
Systems Inc. has entered into a multi-million dollar partnership with
Rohm Co. Ltd, a Japanese company, to manufacture the ferroelectric chips
used in contactless, battery-free smart cards. The deal also calls for
Rohm to manufacture a new generation of advanced microprocessor-based
chips currently under development for use in high-security financial
applications.

25 -> Warner Brothers & Acclaim Entertainment Form Alliance -- Warner
Bros. Interactive Entertainment (WB) has extended its working alliance
with Acclaim Entertainment (NASDAQ:AKLM) in an agreement to jointly
publish entertainment titles using WB characters and properties.
Anywhere a video game can be played, WB and Acclaim says they plan to
deliver titles based on next-generation technology.

26 ->  ****UUNet Technologies To Acquire Unipalm -- UUNet Technologies
Inc., the US Internet service provider (SP), has announced its intention
to acquire Unipalm, the UK Internet group that owns Pipex, which is
widely recognized as being the largest UK Internet SP. Pipex also has
deals with several European Internet SPs for effective pan-European
Internet access.

27 ->  ****Jim Manzi Resigns As Lotus CEO, IBM Senior VP -- In a
teleconference today, Jim Manzi publicly announced plans to resign from
his 13-year post as president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Lotus
Development Corporation, as well as from the role he assumed as senior
VP of IBM when IBM acquired Lotus in June.

28 -> Oracle Offers Power Objects For Mac -- As part of its long-term
plan to create an "open, cross-platform environment," Apple has formed
an agreement with Oracle to develop Oracle Power Objects for the
Macintosh. The visual programming tool allows application development
for Macintosh and Windows platforms simultaneously.

29 -> Sun Lays Foundation For Universal OS -- Sun Microsystems has
announced the first major piece to the Java puzzle that the company
expects will lead it into a "universal operating system." Sun's Neo
family of network technology will reportedly enable companies to build
applications that run on both the corporate network and the Internet.

(Ian Stokell/19951011)







Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/10/95
TRENDS
Japan Telecom Shows Next-Generation Public Phone

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00001)
Japan Telecom Shows Next-Generation Public Phone 10/10/95
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, 1995 OCT 10 (NB) -- Japan Telecom used the
Telecom 95 expo in Geneva to show a new, next-generation public
payphone. The unit features videoconferencing, fax, and multimedia
access in a single unit, the company's Toshifumi Nagamatsu told
Newsbytes at the event.

The telephone connects to integrated services digital network (ISDN)
telephone lines that are now available in many countries and looks
like a conventional, upright, public payphone, but with a larger
screen.

At the top of the unit is a small smoked plastic panel behind which,
a CCD camera hides. In videoconferencing mode the camera records the
image of the caller and the large screen displays the image of the
called party.

In addition to videoconferencing, another function the unit can
accomplish is the sending of fax messages. At waist height on the
telephone is what at first appears to be a shelf, that a user can
place a bag or papers on while telephone calls are being made, but the
top hinges up to reveal the bed of a fax machine on which papers can
be laid and then scanned and faxed to others.

The display panel is actually a color LCD (liquid crystal display)
touch-screen with which Japan Telecom was demonstrating another
feature -- an interface to a visual data search system that can offer
local information, maps, and directories of all sorts.

A memo pad function is also a feature of the new phone which puts an
end to the annoying scramble for a pen an paper when messages or a
telephone number are given to you at a public telephone. The
touch-screen allows the user to write down the information using
just their finger.

At the Geneva expo, the telephone on show contained software that
allowed users to buy tickets for the Japanese Shinkansen trains,
better known as "bullet trains." The whole process, from selection of
the railway line to seat reservation, was accomplished via a touch-
screen interface and a printer unit alongside the telephone which
printed the tickets.

A card reader in the telephone allows all telephone charges to be
billed to a credit card along with other charges incurred during use,
such as the purchase of railway tickets.

In the future, Japan Telecom predicts a smart card programmed with the
user's own telephone number would be inserted into the machine, allowing
the reception of telephone calls to take place.

Japan Telecom is one of Japan's new common carriers and competes with
NTT in the domestic long distance market. The Japan Railways Group
(JR) is a major shareholder in the company, and through the association
the company has already placed its own telephones at many JR stations.

The company predicts the telephones will be introduced within the next
two or three years, initially at major railway stations on Shinkansen
lines linking into Japan Telecom's national fiber optic network which
runs alongside the lines.

(Martyn Williams/19951010/Press contact: Japan Telecom,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/10/95
TELECOM
Japan - Int'l Telcos Cautious On Deregulation

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00002)
Japan - Int'l Telcos Cautious On Deregulation 10/10/95
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, 1995 OCT 10 (NB) -- Executives from Japan's two
newest international telephone carriers told Newsbytes in Geneva that
deregulation of the telephone market in Japan must be handled
"carefully" and "cautiously," if the companies are to survive.

The interviews were carried out at Telecom 95, an international
telecommunications expo taking place at Geneva's Palexpo center all
last week and this week.

Japan's 330 billion yen ($3.3 billion) international
telecommunications market is currently dominated by KDD which, until
several years ago, held a monopoly on the market. In 1986 it was
joined by International Telecom Japan (ITJ) and International Digital
Communications (IDC), dubbed new common carriers (NCCs). Users decide
which carrier to use by dialing a different international access
code.

ITJ, known by most Japanese as "0041" after its access number, is
owned by a consortium of over 100 companies, with main investors
Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsui & Co., Sumitomo Corporation, and
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. each holding 9%.

IDC, which has the nickname "0061," has a smaller number of
shareholders. Itochu Corporation, Toyota Motor Corp., and Cable &
Wireless Plc, are the largest shareholders with 17.2% each.

The two NCCs initially began offering business services, but in 1989
started international direct dial services for home users and between
them currently hold approximately 30% of the market.

Recently the Japanese government has been examining the domestic
telephone service, which is structured in a similar way, which NTT
dominates with three smaller NCCs.

Early last week news agencies reported NTT had asked the government
for permission to enter the international market. While KDD flatly
denied that such an application had been made, representatives of the
competing NCCs were more forthcoming.

"If NTT enters the international market we will get damaged," said
Seisuke Nozaki, corporate director of ITJ. "We entered under the
condition that both markets are separate. When the government throws
out the situation, something must be done. You must understand, we
entered the market under certain situations and now they want to
change the situation."

Satoshi Naito, public relations manager at IDC said, "It is natural
and appropriate for NTT to challenge the domestic market. If NTT
joined the international market, the NCCs, and maybe KDD, would
disappear."

To better survive in such a situation would the carriers anticipate
forming alliances with the domestic NCCs to better compete? "We must
enhance our fundamental power before thinking about an alliance,"
said IDC's Naito. "After we can make a good presence in this field and
industry."

"The NCCs may merge and make an alliance as an international giant,"
commented Nozaki, referring to the possibility of IDC and his company
joining together.

With the growing alliances between, competition from, and strengths of
international telephone companies, Nozaki could see the advantage of a
less complicated market. "Many foreign companies are trying to enter
Japan. To compete, NTT is better able to handle them. We need one giant
and only NTT can compete. That's my view as a Japanese (person), as a
member of the staff at a NCC, I hope the regulations continue."

During the first years of operation, business callers made up the
majority of customers, but that has slowly changed, said both companies.

"Five or ten years ago, KDD had a monopoly and international calls
were very expensive. Eighty to 90 percent of our calls were made by
business customers. Now KDD has made drastic discounts and today there
is much consumer demand. For IDC, 60% of our customers are now consumers,"
although, as Naito continued, the business sector would regain its top
position. "The consumer market will not disappear, but business use
will increase in importance" he said.

Calls to the United States make up 20% of all IDC traffic, and are the
top destination for business callers. The top destination for
consumers is China, which accounts for 12% of all calls. Calls to South
Korea make up 10% of all calls, to the Philippines 9%, and to Taiwan
6%. At ITJ the top destinations are similar.

Among growing markets, IDC says it is seeing a rise in call volume to
Vietnam and India principally.

(Martyn Williams/19951010)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
10/10/95
TELECOM
NEC Executive Speaks On Current Japanese Market

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00003)
NEC Executive Speaks On Current Japanese Market 10/10/95
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, 1995 OCT 10 (NB) -- Seijiro Yokoyama, senior
executive vice president of Japan's NEC Corporation, says Japan is on
the verge of a period of expanding growth in the telecoms sector as
the country learns to adopt information technology. He talked to
Newsbytes in a special interview at the Telecom 95 expo in Geneva
last week.

"The American market is two to three years ahead of the Japanese
market, so if we look at the US, we can see what will happen in Japan,"
he said, as he presented his personal view of the business that NEC
will record sales in of 3.35 trillion yen ($33.5 billion) this year
alone.

"Until 1992, the US telecoms sector had showed small growth," he said.
"From 1993 to 1994 the sector recorded a year on year growth of 15%.
For 1995 to 1997, the same large scale growth is forecast.

He continued: "The private business sector re-engineered, which has
given US business extremely large competitive advantages. Re-engineering
has not just improved US telecoms, but all markets. But the largest
movement has been seen in the information technology sector."

Yokoyama attributed the growth to several major reasons. "In 1992,
vice-president Gore announced the information superhighway initiative.
In 1993 the North American Information Infrastructure was put forward
as a concept and in 1994 Gore made the famous Global Information
Infrastructure speech in Buenos Aires.

"In 1992 and 1993, the US became an information orientated society so
in the communications industry this had a big impact. Business became
aware of information technology and it has grown and gone forward
because of this initiative.

"Capital investment in 1992 was 23%, and in 1994 it was 26%. (As a
result), investment has shifted (to the information technology sector).
In Japan in 1994 it was a zero, or even minus growth market. Regulation,
high costs, and no flexibility hampered growth.

"Japan is less used to using information technology. As an example, if
we look at the electronic-mail use of a Japanese business man in the US
and an American business man in Japan, the American would use several
times more e-mail than the Japanese in the US, despite the much higher
costs and difficulties of using such systems in Japan.

"In Japan we have a phrase, 'I'm sorry to use the phone,' when we call
people on business. Meeting face to face is part of our culture. In
Japan I believe we will see a big, fast change in these attitudes. To
survive, business must use information technology.

"In 1994 a Japanese National Information Infrastructure was proposed
and local government was encouraged to use information technology. As
a result, the second half of 1994 saw a several percentage point
growth in information technology.

"I feel a great change is beginning to take place, even though not all
the figures show it. Systems such as Personal Handyphone System (PHS)
telephones and digital cellular being introduced into the market are
causing the growth. This is similar to the US in 1992.

"There are still vast differences between the two (countries), but in
Japan there is change. We have entered the Japanese telecommunications
age."

Yokoyama continued and focused more on the telecommunications market
in Japan, Asia, and the world, saying: "In Europe, there is still a
monopoly in each country, except the UK. From 1998 there will be
liberalization. Europe is also similar to the US in 1992. In developing
countries, it's not multimedia but telephones that are the core technology.
Infrastructure and planning must be in place before investment by foreign
countries can take place.

"Developing countries in Asia and South America are quickly
privatizing the national infrastructure, so if good planning takes
place, quick and good advances and development will happen. Carriers
are investing in developing countries. AT&T and British Telecom, and
other mega carriers, are starting alliances as a base for global
advances and development. Such alliances will fuel a worldwide telecoms
explosion. From the NEC perspective, one of our goals is 'bringing the
global village to life,' so we look at telecoms as a global business
market."

Asked to expand on his views of the barriers to use for information
technology in Japan, Yokoyama responded, "There are many different
factors holding back IT use in Japan. Use in cellular telephones has
jumped because the price has fallen. However, just because something
is cheap, it does not mean it will be used more.

"If we don't use information technology effectively, we won't remain
competitive. As we push to use more e-mail and videoconferencing, that
will change our culture and the way we see technology.

"Five years ago at NEC, e-mail was a hobby for computer researchers.
Now everyone in the entire company uses e-mail. The first thing I do
each day is to check my e-mail. When I first used it, I realized it was
very good and time-saving.

"I also have teleconferencing equipment so now when I need to speak
to people within NEC, I can save time. Instead of having to travel to
factories I can stay in my office and save two or three hours."

The company's best-selling PC-98 range of computers is now selling at
record levels. Yokoyama says user's wanting to use e-mail and computer
communications facilities is one of the reasons behind the growth.

He also believes that, once the private sector adopts the systems, the
government will follow with better legislation, "Business will make
the first moves, and the government after. Multimedia can provide
wonderful systems such as tele-medicine, so existing laws must be
changed."

Growing use of the new technology will mean great benefits to his
company, Yokoyama concluded, saying: "We have a wide variety of products
from ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) switches to fiber and wireless.
Everything is important because communications is a complete system.
Our strength is total integration of such systems. We are strong in
areas from telecoms to semiconductors."

(Martyn Williams/19951010)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
10/10/95
TELECOM
Fujitsu In Talks With Russia Over Future Network

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00004)
Fujitsu In Talks With Russia Over Future Network 10/10/95
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, 1995 OCT 10 (NB) -- Fujitsu's president, Tadashi
Sekizawa, held talks with Russia's Minister of Posts and
Telecommunications at the Telecom 95 expo in Geneva last Thursday over
the possibility of the two working together to build a new national
telecommunications network.

Sekizawa visited Moscow en-route to Geneva to attend the opening of
the new Fujitsu Moscow office. At the time, the previous Friday, the
minister could not attend, but when it was discovered that he was in
Geneva, last Thursday, the company president invited him to the
Fujitsu stand.

The two agreed to "cooperate in the telecoms field to create a
telecommunications network covering all of Russia and CIS
(Commonwealth of Independent States)" said Sekizawa at a news
conference.

To date, Fujitsu has struck no commercial deals with Russia, to which
Sekizawa attributed mainly to problems surrounding type approval in
the country. He said that in Russia, and many emerging democracies,
getting approvals from the government often means long delays. He
added: "Type approval is the big problem."

Asked by Newsbytes what type of systems and network was under
discussion, Sekizawa replied, "We would intend to offer SDH which
would be necessary for multimedia. We would like to offer it over the
whole region. We must offer switching for the plain telephone service
and then upgrade the software and hardware and offer more later. In
Moscow and St. Petersburg a high service should be offered. In the
CIS, we should offer a basic telephone service first," he said.

Sekizawa said the company saw the Telecom 95 as, "An opportunity to
seek new partners. We would like to expand our ventures with others."

Several other Japanese companies are already doing business in the
Russian telecommunications field. Recently, NEC Corporation and
Sumitomo Corporation received a $19 million order for an optical
communications system to link Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Fujitsu's international telecoms alliances include links with
British Telecom, Deutsche Telecom, NTT, and Singapore Telecom.

(Martyn Williams/19951010/Press contact: Mike Bierne, Fujitsu Ltd.,
tel [phone], fax [phone], Internet e-mail
[e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/10/95
CORRECTION TRENDS
Correction - Technology Executives Conservative About Future

(CORRECTION)(TRENDS)(DEN)(00005)
Correction - Technology Executives Conservative About Future 10/10/95
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 10 (NB) -- In a story of this
title which ran on the Newsbytes wire on October 5, Agenda '96
officers reported to Newsbytes that only 8 percent of survey respondents
planned to be developing Macintosh software in 1996, compared to more
than half today. Agenda '96 officers have issued a correction, saying
that 65 percent plan to develop Macintosh software next year, not eight
percent, an increase, not a decrease.

(Newsbytes/19951010)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/10/95
TELECOM
UK's GPT To Supply First Smart Card Phones To China

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00006)
UK's GPT To Supply First Smart Card Phones To China 10/10/95
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, 1995 OCT 10 (NB) -- Britain's GPT has signed
agreements that will put 2,000 smart card payphones on the streets of
Beijing and Guangdong in China.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95101006.PCX
Click here for photo

The contracts were signed with the Beijing Telecommunications
Administration (BTA) and the Guangdong Telecommunications
Administration (GTA) after a field test of the units in the capital
city earlier this year. Full installation of the telephones is
scheduled to be complete by early next year.

The BTA believe the order is another step along the road towards
Beijing becoming an "international metropolis with a popular,
convenient public payphone network to fully meet the needs of the
people," according to a statement.

At the Telecom 95 expo in Geneva last week, Bernard Brooks, managing
director of GPT Payphone Systems commented, "We have the latest
technology and total payphone solutions to assist the Ministry of
Posts and Telecommunications in its aims to build and expand a
state-of-the-art public payphone network across the country."

The cities have ordered GPT's Sapphire payphones, the same units that
are currently deployed in Swindon, England, as part of the Mondex
cashless society experiment that began earlier this year. The Sapphire
was chosen for its wide range of payment options and its ability to
withstand extremes of climate and temperature said GPT.

The Chinese versions will accept prepaid IC cards, China's name for
smart cards, credit cards, and coins as means of payment.

GPT magnetic card telephones have been in use by the Shenda Telephone
Company since the early 1990's in Shenzhen. The contract is the latest
stage in GPT's involvement in the Chinese telecommunications industry
that began in 1986 when the company was involved in the improvement
and upgrade of facilities in the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone in
Guangdong province.

GPT Payphone Systems is owned by GEC of the UK and Siemens of Germany.
In addition to the UK trials and the Chinese order, Sapphire payphones
are in use in Finland, the Isle of Man, Argentina, Thailand, Jersey,
United Arab Emirates, Nigeria, and Macau.

(Martyn Williams/19951010/Press contact: GPT, [phone],
Internet e-mail [e-mail]/GPT-CHINA951010/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/10/95
TELECOM
Personal Handyphones Expand Into Asia

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00007)
Personal Handyphones Expand Into Asia 10/10/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 OCT 10 (NB) -- Japan's PHS (personal handyphone
system) is taking its first steps outside the country with the
establishment of an Asian promotion group and the adoption of the
system by Hong Kong, the first results of an effort by Japan to help
the system become a regional, if not worldwide, system.

Hong Kong Telecom (HKT) announced last week that it had decided
PHS was most-suited to become the standard in a next-generation
mobile telecommunications network in the British colony.

The system has also been adopted by Hutchison Telecom, an HKT rival,
for use in the country. Choice of the system in Hong Kong is seen as
strategically important as it may offer a foot in the door to the
massive Chinese market when the country assumes control of Hong Kong
in 1998.

The HKT announcement was widely expected after the company announced
its part in a four company promotion team two days previously. HKT is
joined with Japan's largest PHS operator, Nippon Telegraph and
Telephone (NTT), Itochu Corporation, and Cable and Wireless PLC of
Britain in the establishment of PHS International, a Hong Kong-based
company.

In addition to the Hong Kong announcement, the system is enjoying a
warm reception in many countries. In Singapore in April, NTT Mobile
Communications Network Inc. carried out joint research on the
suitability of PHS with a local university. The project led to the
nation's adoption of PHS for certain applications from next year.

In Thailand, KDD, Japan's largest international call carrier, began
testing the system with the Communication Authority of Thailand (CAT)
on Monday. KDD has installed 20 PHS antennas inside and around the CAT
building and supplied 30 handsets to workers who will use them over
the next three months.

Last week a Chinese university announced it would conduct the first
experiments with the system in that country in cooperation with Osaka-
based equipment maker Matsushita. Beijing's Qinghua University will
begin testing the system on its campus this week.

The nations of Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, and Vietnam are also being
targeted by Japanese manufacturers and operators.

PHS service only began in July in the Japanese cities of Tokyo and
Sapporo, but already has nearly 100,000 users. The number is
expected to rise to half a million by next March as a new service
provider in Tokyo, coupled with nationwide roll out of the system by
the exiting two operators, begins this month.

It was designed as a low-cost mobile telephone system that offers
almost all of the attractions of cellular telephones. Rather than
contacting cell stations situated every few kilometers, the PHS system
uses base-stations at telephone boxes and on the side of buildings
with a range of around 100 meters.

This makes the system unsuitable for use in a moving vehicle, but more
suited to use in metropolitan areas, such as Hong Kong, where
interference caused by buildings can be a problem.

PHS also offers a much higher data speed, 32 kilobits-per-second
against 9,600 bits-per-second available on standard cellular
telephones, and new multimedia applications are already under
development to make use of the capacity.

(Martyn Williams/19951010)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/10/95
GENERAL
Japan Newsbriefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00008)
Japan Newsbriefs 10/10/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 OCT 10 (NB) -- In this roundup of news from Japan:
Japan Telecom allies with Bellcore, Fujitsu to begin Vietnam operations,
FM paging faces deregulation, Canon to launch advanced camcorder in
Europe, Foreign makers register jump in PC sales, Asahi Kasei
establishes US company, Internet providers cut prices, JVC unveils
Hi-Vision VCR, Nagoya Stock Exchange heads to the Internet.

Japan Telecom Ally With Bellcore

A memorandum of understanding has been signed between Japan Telecom
and Bellcore, covering joint development of services, software systems,
and teaming arrangements. The two will work together and provide
manpower support, training, and consulting. Japan Telecom will also
send a team of engineers to Bellcore and possible technical transfer
was also under discussion. "This MOU is important because Japan
Telecom, as well as its customers, will benefit significantly from
Bellcore's distinguished technical knowledge and experience in the
highly competitive telecommunications market," said Koichi Sakata,
president of Japan Telecom. Japan Telecom is a domestic new common
carrier owned in part by the Japan Railways Group.

Fujitsu To Begin Vietnam Operations

Fujitsu Ltd. has established a wholly owned subsidiary company in
Vietnam. Fujitsu Computer Products of Vietnam Inc. will manufacture
parts for computers and aims for first year sales of $420 million from
its beginning of operations in September next year. It will operate
from a base in an industrial zone near to Ho Chi Minh City.

FM Paging Faces Deregulation

The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications is to introduce more
competition into the FM paging market by allowing more than just
existing paging services to use the frequencies. The service
broadcasts data alongside signals from existing FM broadcasters and is
regarded as having potential to become a nationwide, low-cost network.
Applications for use of the space are now being encouraged from all
companies, except those currently running paging services. Earlier this
year, the JFN network began broadcasting data to "visual radios" from
key station Tokyo FM that included news, weather, programming details,
and urgent information such as earthquake news.

Canon To Launch Advanced Camcorder In Europe

Canon Inc. will begin sales of its Movieboy E2 advanced camcorder in
Europe next week. The unit, known as the EX5000, will be called the
UCX2Hi in Europe and features a focus mechanism that is controlled by
movement of the operator's eye. Canon hope a price tag of around
DM3,700 will generate sales of 10,000 a month.

Foreign Makers Register Jump In PC Sales

Apple Japan has announced total sales in fiscal year 1994 of 700,000
units. The figure represents a 25% rise in sales in Japan and is
delivered against a background of continued growth, said John Floisand,
president of Apple Japan. The local arm of Compaq also announced an
increase in sales for the first nine months of the current calendar
year. Compaq KK said sales doubled. Both companies expect total PC
sales in Japan to amount to five million units this year and six
million the following year.

Asahi Kasei Establishes US Company

The world's largest provider of semiconductors for the cellular
telephone industry, Asahi Kasei, has established AKM Semiconductor
Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary. The new company will be based in San
Jose, California, home of AKM's liaison office for the last three
years. A team of ten will be headed by Yoshihisa Iwasaki, previously
head of the international department. The new company has been set up
to better service the US cellular telephone industry.

Internet Providers Cut Prices

Two of Japan's largest Internet providers are cutting prices in a move
to attract more of the companies that are heading online. Internet
Initiative Japan Inc. (IIJ) is cutting between 2% and 28% off basic
monthly charges for leased circuits from ISDN (integrated services
digital network) to 1.5 megabits-per-second lines. The monthly membership
fee for ISDN connections will fall from 397,000 yen ($4,051) to 285,000
yen ($2,908). IIJ's dial-up service will cut per minute fees from 30 yen
($0.31) to 25 yen ($0.26) between 8am and midnight. Competing Fujitsu,
which runs the Infoweb service, also announced a cut in fees for dial-up
customers who will soon pay 10 yen ($0.10) per minute, rather than the
current 20 yen ($0.20) per minute charge.

JVC Unveils Hi-Vision VCR

Victor Company of Japan (JVC) is to begin selling a new video cassette
recorder capable of recording widescreen, high definition
transmissions broadcast in the MUSE Hi-Vision format, Japan's high
definition broadcasting system, in addition to regular NTSC (North
American Television Standards Committee) format pictures from broadcast
and cable television. The HR-W5 will be priced at 340,000 yen ($3,470),
around half the price of any other Hi-Vision video recorders. A previous
model by JVC sold 4,500 units and the company hopes the lower price will
result in sales of around 2,000 units a month for the new model. This
still compares unfavorably with sales of Hi-Vision television sets which
are expected to top 100,000 in the current fiscal year.

Nagoya Stock Exchange Heads To The Internet

The Nagoya Stock Exchange (NSE) in central Japan will become the first
Japanese exchange on the Internet later this year when it launches a
home page providing price quotes of the 122 companies on the board.
Opening and closing prices plus intra-day highs and lows and trading
volume will all be on offer in English and Japanese.

(Martyn Williams/19951010)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/10/95
BROADCAST
Motorola - TV & Data Are Separate Applications

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(TYO)(00009)
Motorola - TV & Data Are Separate Applications 10/10/95
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, 1995 OCT 10 (NB) -- While many companies are
showing, or dreaming of, all-in-one set-top boxes that bring programs,
data services, and the Internet to the television set at the Telecom
95 expo in Geneva this week, a senior executive at Motorola said such
systems should remain separate.

Jim Phillips, corporate vice president and general manager of the
Multimedia Group, spoke to Newsbytes and gave his views on future
multimedia systems and the strengths of his company in the field.

Phillips believes that personal computers are much more suited to
information applications than an integrated set-top box could ever be.
He argued that computers were much more data-intensive than television,
which is a very one-way medium requiring no input from the user.

"The personal computer is a second appliance, television is much more
passive and entertainment orientated," said Phillips. "Do you really
need anything more than a channel changer when you are watching
television? Would you want to surf an encyclopedia when you are
watching television or when you are doing homework on your PC?"

But will this always be the case? "You won't have an all-in-one
device until there is a file server in the house and an all-in-one
display and data system."

Not surprisingly, Motorola has solutions for cable operators that
believe in such a situation. The company is using RF (radio frequency)
methods to allow operators to offer voice telephony and data services
across an existing co-axial networks.

The use of such technologies comes from Motorola's long history in the
field, "Worldwide we have 140,000 people working in RF, and we are a
world leader. This type of system is a very close cousin to cellular
frequency agility -- the upstream path is very similar," he said.

The system overcomes the two biggest problems companies have had with
such systems, claimed Phillips, "There is very low power consumption --
around half a watt," he said, adding that low noise is achieved through
frequency agility methods.

A single, six megahertz (MHz) wide, channel that would otherwise by
used for television programming is split into ten 600 kilohertz (KHz)-
wide channels, and use of time division multiplexing allows the smaller
channels to be utilized for many calls at once. A single controller
could handle 6,000 homes said Phillips.

"We offer the lowest cost, highest quality, highest speed solution,"
claimed Phillips.

Around the world, Phillips sees developing markets as offering the
best opportunities for the company and system. "Eastern Europe is very
lucrative. In the United States, 95% of homes are passed by cable and
if the communications act goes through 155 million lines will become
available."

In other regions of the world Phillips see regulations holding back
some markets, "I'm sorry to say the information highway will hit
large parts of Asia before a good part of Europe. We are particularly
interested in Malaysia, the Philippines, India, Indonesia, Australia,
and Japan."

Such systems will not just happen though because they can, believes
Phillips, who added, "Competition breeds innovation -- technology is
second." Without compelling content, people will not be interested to
utilize online and data services so, "Motorola has purchased parts of
five or six content builders," said Phillips. "The US currently has the
best content" he said.

(Martyn Williams/19951010/Press contact: Inge Wallage, Motorola,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/10/95
TELECOM
Japan - Govt Panel Urges NTT Break-Up

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00010)
Japan - Govt Panel Urges NTT Break-Up 10/10/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 OCT 10 (NB) -- A research panel established at the
Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications to investigate the advantages
and disadvantages of a break-up of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone
(NTT) has recommended the telecoms giant be broken up.

The research panel was set up by the head of the ministry and
investigated the matter of NTT's breakup in parallel with the
Telecommunications Council, the official ministry "set-up organization"
that will report its findings next February.

The result from such panels is often used in Japan to indicate future
changes in government policy. This, coupled with the ministry's
investigation of the matter, and a previous study several years ago
which concluded the company should be broken up, is being seen by
analysts as a clear sign that the company will be broken up.

NTT, the world's largest telecommunications company, maintains a
monopoly on the local call market in Japan and competes with three
other companies, dubbed new common carriers (NCC), for the long
distance market. It, and its domestic competitors, offer no
international services.

The report calls for the splitting up of NTT into several parts: one
for long distance communications, and several other smaller regional
operators which would provide local call services and offer
connections in customer's homes and businesses.

NTT has been fighting calls for its break-up and has recently announced
several measures that it hoped would persuade the panel it was open to
competition.

These included the separation of several businesses, such as software
engineering, into individual companies, and the opening of the its
local network to the NCCs, which can currently only connect at one
point in each prefecture.

The new system would allow competitors to access NTT's local network
wherever a switch exists, meaning less time is used on the NTT network
and lower charges are levied. NCC pays for use of the local network at
a cost of around 12.57 yen ($0.13) per call. The charges come to
around half the entire annual income of all the NCCs at 300 billion
yen ($3 billion).

Costs of setting up to the new Personal Handyphone System, combined
with the recent rate cut in leased line fees, has led to NTT predicting
a profits down-turn next year.

(Martyn Williams/19951010/Press contact: NTT Corporation,
tel [phone], fax [phone]; Ministry of Posts and
Telecommunications, tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/10/95
TRENDS
 ****New TV Displays A Hit At Telecom 95 Expo

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00011)
 ****New TV Displays A Hit At Telecom 95 Expo 10/10/95
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, 1995 OCT 10 (NB) -- Despite a proliferation of
new delivery methods and technologies, SONET (synchronous optical
network), ATM (asynchronous transfer mode), video-on-demand, and
digital satellite broadcasting, what has been proving more of a hit
with visitors to Telecom 95 in Geneva has been what we will be
watching television on in the future, and not how it gets to our homes.

The show has been one of the first major exhibitions to see the newly
announced plasma display panels (PDP) on display. Conventional LCD
(liquid crystal display) screens are difficult to manufacture is sizes
above 20 inches, so the new technology not only allows for much larger
screens but, through the use of the new technology, better pictures.

A growing list of Japanese companies has the screens in development,
a list that was joined by Pioneer Corporation this week when it
announced the development of a 40-inch PDP screen that should become
available next year.

The main advantage of a PDP is its weight and size. Because the
screens are developments of LCD technology, the television sets they
will sit inside will be much thinner that those of today, just as LCD
screens on laptop computers are thinner than desktop monitors. Fujitsu's
42-inch widescreen display is just 3.2 centimeters (cm) thick and weighs
20 kilograms (kg), a fraction of the weight of today's cathode ray
tubes which include a very thick, and heavy, glass tube.

Mike Beirne, spokesman for Fujitsu, told Newsbytes that the PDP on
display by his company was generating a lot of interest, "Everybody
loves the plasma display."

Fujitsu are investing 60 billion yen in the new product which will
begin appearing in stores next year. A new production line will be
built at the company's existing factory in Miyazaki prefecture that
will produce 20,000 screens a month initially. Sometime in 1997 output
will be increased to 100,000 units a month.

NEC says it plans to pump 10 billion yen into development of PDP
televisions and computer monitors. Some of that will be needed to
build a new plant in Japan to handle production. The displays will
begin rolling off the production line next year at a rate of 10,000
per month, but that figure will be increased to 150,000 units per month
by the turn of the century. Other companies also involved in PDP
development include Sony, Matsushita, and Sharp.

Japan's national broadcaster, NHK (Nippon Hoso Kyokai), is already
heavily involved in widescreen high definition broadcasting through
the Japanese MUSE Hi-Vision television format and twelve hours a day
of broadcasts in the system.

At Telecom 95, NHK was showing a high definition flat screen that was
still in the early prototype stage. Despite the screen showing small
imperfections and faults, reportedly because it was still under
development, the device showed clear and crisp television pictures
that NHK hopes will equal the quality of Hi-Vision sets with picture
tubes that are sold today.

(Martyn Williams/19951010)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/10/95
TELECOM
UK - Cheaper To Fax Than Mail Letters?

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00012)
UK - Cheaper To Fax Than Mail Letters? 10/10/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 10 (NB) -- Equisys, a fax modem and
connectivity specialist, claims that businesses would be better off
faxing their post in the UK (to other UK addresses) than using the
Royal Mail to post the letters.

According to Mike Elms, a spokesman for the company, the company came
to this conclusion when it compiled its own figures, which the firm says
are confirmed by an independent report entitled "Hidden Fax Board Costs
and Secrets to Savings," from Davidson Consulting, a fax consultant in
the US.

"We were going to compile the whole report ourselves until we came
across the report from Davidson Consulting," Elms told Newsbytes,
adding that, by marrying in Equisys' own figures on its own outbound
fax traffic, the company was able to substantiate the assertion that,
for inland mail, fax is cheapest.

According to Equisys, using the most common form of fax technology in
the UK, a typical three-page business letter is estimated to take a
total of 124 seconds to transmit. At current daytime, weekday rates on
British Telecom (BT), this costs 17.2 pence. On weekday nights, the
cost falls to 10.2 pence, and 5.8 pence at the weekend.

These costs, Newsbytes notes, compare with 19 pence for second class
and 25 pence for first class letter post within the UK. If the fax
modem technology is boosted to 14,400 (from 9,600) bits-per-second
(bps), and fast connect fax modems are used, then the time spent
transmitting the fax drops to 52 seconds, which costs 7.2 pence during
office hours to anywhere in the UK.

These calculations extrapolate out, Equisys claims, so that, if an
average 150 documents a week are faxed instead of posted, it produces
a saving of more than UKP1,200 a year. On 50 faxes a week, UKP407.68
savings accrue each year, while on 250 faxes a week, UKP2,038.40
savings accrue each year.

Commenting on the figures, Chris Oswald, Equisys' managing director,
said that he questions anyone who posts letters in the UK. "Even this
simple comparison is weighted in favor of the Royal Mail, as it takes
no account of the consumables involved in posting a letter -- paper,
printer wear and tear, toner, envelope -- that simply do not enter the
equation when sending a fax," he explained.

Oswald, not unexpectedly, sang the praises of Zetafax, Equisys' LAN
(local area network) connectivity system. "Advanced network fax
software like Zetafax can route inbound faxes directly to an
individual's PC, eliminating any argument regarding document
confidentiality," he said, adding that, when using network fax
software, "privacy becomes a PC security issue, not a fax security
issue."

Oswald also argues that there are a number of other less tangible
benefits to be derived from using Zetafax or a similar networked fax
system over postal services, such as the ability to immediately fax a
document across the network, lessening the risk that a letter may be
"put aside" for dealing with later.

"At the end of the day, the post can be missed, but not a fax line.
Scheduling enables non-urgent or lengthy faxes to be sent at off-peak
times, producing the same, overnight result at first class mail. Proof
of delivery, in the form of a transmission report, is `free' with
every fax transmitted," he explained.

BT, not unexpectedly, is keen on Equisys' findings. "It's no secret
that phone lines are an ideal medium for data transmission, but the
secret of its good value seems to have been better bet. A phone line
has got to be a more natural way for an electronic document to travel
than by road or rail," said a spokesman.

(Steve Gold/19951006/Press Contact: Profile PR, [phone];
Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Reader
Contact: Equisys, [phone]; Peter Davidson Consulting,
tel [phone]; Fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/10/95
GENERAL
Exabyte Ships New 8mm Tape Backup System

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00013)
Exabyte Ships New 8mm Tape Backup System 10/10/95
BOULDER, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 10 (NB) -- Exabyte Corp.
(NASDAQ: EXBT) has introduced a new eight millimeter (mm) tape backup
system for local networks that is a complete tape drive kit including a
CD-ROM drive, and can store up to 14 gigabytes (GB) of data in compressed
form.

Exabyte's new EXB-8700 is an 8mm helical-scan system the company
said provides nearly twice the capacity of DDS-2 drives. The
system can store up to 14GB of data in compressed form at a transfer
rate of up to 60 megabytes (MB)-per-minute (MBpm). The EXB-8700 includes
a CD-ROM drive and a choice of several backup software packages for
Novell Netware Loadable Modules (NLMs), DOS, Windows, or Windows NT.
A software "key" unlocks the backup package of choice.

Users can choose from Arcada Backup for DOS/Windows plus either
Arcada Backup Exec for NT, Arcada Backup Exec for NLM, Cheyenne
ARCserve for Netware (Windows edition), or Palindrome Backup
Director for NLM. The user also gets Adaptec's CI/O SCSI (small
computer system interface) management software to remotely monitor
SCSI device performance and diagnose problems from any
Windows-based client. The Arcada and Cheyenne applications are
available in English, French, and German. Full documentation comes
on the CD-ROM disk.

The system comes with an Adaptec SCSI-2 interface card, Adaptec
EX-SCSI installation software, an Exabyte 8mm data cartridge, a
cleaning cartridge, SCSI cable and terminator, power supply and
cord and installation and operation manuals. A two year warranty is
provided.

The suggested retail price of the complete kit is $2,695. Exabyte
said the value of the included CD-ROM drive, software and
accessories represents as much as another $1,695, but is included
with the system at no extra charge.

(Jim Mallory/19951006/Press contact: Vibeke Arentz, Exabyte,
303-417-7038; Public contact: Exabyte, 800-392-2983)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/10/95
ONLINE
Journal Register Newspapers To Go Online Via Interchange

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TOR)(00014)
Journal Register Newspapers To Go Online Via Interchange 10/10/95
TRENTON, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 10 (NB) -- Journal Register
Co., a New Jersey-based publisher, has signed an agreement to put its New
Haven Register, and possibly other newspapers, online through AT&T's
(NYSE:T) Interchange service.

Register Online will start operation in November, providing local news
and sports reports, restaurant listings and reviews, local entertainment
and cultural calendars, and newspaper archives back to 1986. It will
also include discussion groups, searchable classified advertising,
information about local community services and organizations, and
direct access to the Internet.

Diane Pardee, a spokeswoman for Journal Register, told Newsbytes that the
company will "evaluate what happens with the Register" before deciding
whether to launch online editions of others of its 17 daily newspapers
and 98 non-daily publications.

The deal with Journal Register is in line with Interchange's focus to
date on working with publishing interests in general and newspapers in
particular. The other services currently operating through Interchange
include the Washington Post, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, and
computer-magazine publisher Ziff-Davis, which developed the Interchange
service before selling it to AT&T in late 1994. Also on Interchange is
an information service run by the Gartner Group, a computer consulting
firm. AT&T will launch its AT&T Business Network through Interchange
in November.

Jennifer Christensen, a spokeswoman for AT&T New Media Services, told
Newsbytes the company is promoting Interchange as a "publisher's
publishing platform" allowing publishers to create "durable, branded
online franchises." And Pardee said one reason Journal Register selected
Interchange as its means for going online was the service's emphasis on
publishing.

Subscribers to Register Online and to other specific Interchange services
also get access to Interchange Central, which provides material from
other information providers and lets subscribers find out about the other
separate services offered through Interchange, Christensen said.

(Grant Buckler/19951006/Press Contact: Diane Pardee, Journal Register
Co., 609-396-2200; Jennifer Christensen, AT&T New Media Services,
617-252-5477; Public Contact: AT&T Interchange, 800-556-9018)


(ADVISORY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00015)

NewsPix Images For Newsbytes Publishers 10/10/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A.,1995 OCT 10 (NB) -- These photos
correspond to recent Newsbytes stories. They are online in the
Newsbytes menu on America Online, NiftyServe, and the Newsbytes
private bulletin board system in Minneapolis.

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) files are larger in size,
PICT files are designed as thumbnails for onscreen viewing.
The photos are titled with name/year/month/day.

PICT/thumbnail pictures are black and white (gray scale). File
message will indicate color if the JPEG image is color.

Some of the "for use" images, may be PICT files. To distinguish
these files from the thumbnail preview PICT images, the tag for the
color "for use" image will have PICT, all caps. The thumbnail will
remain noted as "pct."

To become a licensed Newsbytes publisher, call Newsbytes at
612-430-1100 (US) or write to [e-mail] on the
Internet. Licensing applies to any medium.

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

Week of OCTOBER 09 - OCTOBER 13,1995

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

- NEW THIS WEEK -

T2-951004 - color / Thrustmaster Intros New Game Steering Console:
shot of the unit on limbo white, steering wheel and pedals.

ABC-3D951005 - color / ABC Graphics Goes 3-D: screen shot of text
illustrating the "Instant 3D."

KODIAK951002 - color / Storagetek Intros New Product, Settles Old
Lawsuit: the Kodiak 9890 Scalable Storage Facility.

LAT-LX951004 - color / Dell Ships New Latitude Portables: unit with
nice color Dell logo on screen.

THINKPAD951003 - color / IBM Aims New ThinkPads At Desktop Market:
shot of the 760CD unit, with flowers on screen and cd tray open.

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

- PARTIAL LISTING OF PREVIOUS ITEMS -

FUJITSU950914 - color / Fujitsu Develops New Display Panel: the large
lcd panel with model.

VCON950922 - color / VCON Intros Desktop Videoconferencing For LANs:
woman at desk with desktop videoconferencing.

DITOEASY950925 - color / Iomega's $150 800MB Tape Backup Drive:
the unit on a tabletop with pen for scale.

SKYTEL950926 - color / Microsoft/Skytel Offer 2-way Paging Via
Microsoft Network: the unit on limbo tabletop.

ZENOGRAPHICS950928 - color / Zenographics' SuperPrint 4.0 Speeds Win
95 Printing: shot of the software package.

MACROMEDIA950928 - color / Macromedia Upgrades FreeHand For Macs:
shot of the box.

TRIMBLE950925 - color / Trimble Wins Japanese Anti-Earthquake Network
Order: nice shot of surveyor and Golden Gate Bridge in SF.

AMDAHL950915 - b&w / Amdahl To Acquire Canada's DMR Group: head shot
of Amdahl's president and chief executive officer (CEO), Joseph Zemke.

MS_BOB950919 - color / What Ever Happened To Microsoft Bob?: the
Bob logo, smiley face with glasses.

MS_PROJ950919 - color / Microsoft Project For Windows 95 To Ship Next
Week: shot of package graphics.

GAZETTEER950920 - color / Global Post Code & Demographic Info On The
Web: screenshot of home page.

D3SEA950922 - color / Video Update: photo of Panasonic D3 camcorder
used by Scuba Diver for underwater photography. Actual shot of camera
in action, diver is Capt. Steve Hogan, president of Sea Eagle
Productions, Maui, Hawaai.

APTIVA950912 - color / IBM Updates Aptiva PC Line: the PC with
logo onscreen.

GATEHOUSE950913 - color / Tour Bill Gates' Showplace Home Via
The Internet: shot of house under construction.

MEDIAKIDS950908 - color / Apple Japan Holds MediaKids Summer Camp:
screen shot of kids homepage, with lots of kanji.

ENIAC950912 - b&w / ENIAC 50th Anniversary Set For 1996: great
archive photo of the original ENIAC room.

PRESARIO950915 - color / Compaq Intros New Home PCs, Fall Ad Campaign:
the Presario 9500, tower not seen, just keyboard & monitor on tabletop.

CYRIX_M1950906 - color / M1 Fastest Chip For Windows 95, Says Cyrix:
the M1 chip with Cyrix logo on it.

VINEYARDS950906 - color / Virtual Vineyards' CyberCash Credit Card
Security: shot of Peter Granoff and Robert Olson, principal founders
with a table of wine before them. Photo credit: Anne Hamersky.

TLKALONG950901 - b&w / US West Offers Do-It-Yourself Cell Phone
Activation: cell phone and packaging on a limbo background.

ABCGRAPH950901 - color / Micrografx Graphics Suite For Windows 95:
see NewsPix ABCGRAPH950717.

GROLIERGOLF950906 - color / Grolier's Greg Norman Golf Simulation:
screenshot of golf scenario.

COGNOS950829 - color / Cognos On World Wide Web: site graphics.

INTERART950828 - color / 3-D Real Estate & Hotel Walkabouts On The Web:
the food page with salsa ad, looks good!

NEC950831 - color / NEC Develops "Snake-Like" Robot: shot of the
snake with camera dome at head.

KIDS950829 - color / Novell Intros Perfectworks For Kids: screen shot
of the 'Me by Me' page.

MEDIAMALL950828 - color / Media Mall Offers Online Multimedia Info:
screen graphics/logo.

CASHGRAF950830 - color / CashGraf Gets New Name, Intros 2 Acct Packages:
screen shot of the main menu.

RADSHACK950814 - b&w / Radio Shack Gets New Image: before and after
arrangement of Radio Shack ads.

LTE5000950821 - color / Compaq Intros Modular Notebook PC 08: the
notebook PC in action, associates at work on site using computer.

TOUCH950822 - color / Touch Technology Moves Off The Display Screen:
the Tanisys keyboard on neutral background.

PAGEMAKR950823 - color / Adobe Ships Pagemaker 6.0 For Mac: shot of
the software package.

HARLEM950822 - color / Prodigy Offers Harlem Inner-City Area Online:
welcome & home page.

(Newsbytes/19951009)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/10/95
CHIPS
New Motorola Chip Boosts Audio Performance

(NEWS)(CHIPS)(DEN)(00016)
New Motorola Chip Boosts Audio Performance 10/10/95
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 10 (NB) -- Motorola Inc. (NYSE:MOT)
has announced a new 24-bit digital signal processor (DSP) chip
the company said will enable audio application developers to offer
more features at a lower cost in products like audio/video
receivers, digital video disks (DVD), and digital high-definition
(HDTV) and standard-definition (SDTV) television.

The DSP56009 chip with its 10 kilobyte (KB) words on-chip program
ROM (read-only memory), 8.75KB words on-chip data RAM (random
access memory) and a clock speed of 80 megahertz (MHz) is able to
run Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound and Dolby Pro Logic algorithms as
well as Digital Theater Systems' Coherent Acoustic algorithms
without the need for external memory.

According to Motorola the new chip is the pathway for those
sophisticated audio algorithms to enter the consumer market in
automotive entertainment systems, home theater equipment, set-top
boxes and amplifiers. The company said the chip will be the
first part in the industry to support all DVD audio formats as well
as HDTV standards.

Applications are already in the works, said Motorola. B&K
Components will reportedly use the chip in its new DSP-based home
theater audio/video control systems, while Harman Kardon plans to
use it in its new Citation 7.5 controller which supports
AC-3-formatted laser disks. Krell Industries said it plans to use
the DSP56009 along with other DSPs in its audio/video standard
for the home theater environments.

The new chip expands Motorola's DSP Symphony family to a selection
of three digital audio signal processing options. It's a pin and
function-compatible derivative of the DSP56004 introduced in 1992
for the automotive and consumer audio markets as well as the
DSP56007 designed for consumer and professional audio/video
applications.

Other features include: the digital audio peripherals available on
the earlier Symphony chips like a serial host interface for
communication with microcontrollers; an external memory interface
for communication with SRAMs (static random access memory) and
DRAMs (dynamic random access memory) which hold stored audio; and a
serial audio interface for simple interface with analog-to-digital
and digital-to-analog converters. The big difference between earlier
Symphony chips and the 56009 is its large on-chip memory. That lets
it run a wide variety of complex algorithms at full speed without
the delays associated with fetching sections of external code.
Additionally, up to 2.25KB of data RAM can be switched to program
RAM to allow users to download their own algorithms in addition to
those already on the chip.

Motorola said an on-chip phase-lock loop allows an internal clock
frequency of up to 80MHz to be generated from a low-frequency
external clock oscillator that reduces electromagnetic
interference. Access to all internal registers and memory and
external memory during debugging is provided through an on-chip
emulation port.

Motorola will introduce three versions of the DSP56009 in the first
quarter of 1996. The company has already started sampling customers
for the first version, which will support Dolby AC-3 and Dolby Pro
Logic. The second version will support DTS and Pro Logic. Both will
be available to Dolby and DTS licensees. The chip will also be
available without Dolby or DTS algorithms for customers who want to
develop their own hardware.

(Jim Mallory/19951010/Press contact: Michael Healey, Cunningham
Communication for Motorola, 408-764-0785; Public contact: Motorola,
800-441-2447)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/10/95
GENERAL
Canadian Product Launch Update

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00017)
Canadian Product Launch Update 10/10/95
KINGSTON, ONTARIO, CANADA 1995 OCT 10 (NB) -- This regular
feature, appearing on the first day Newsbytes publishes each week, provides
further details for the Canadian market on announcements by international
companies that Newsbytes has already covered. This week: Compaq's new
ProLineas, IBM's latest ThinkPad, several Notes-related announcements
from Lotus, 3Com's Impact digital modem, and Wollongong's Emissary
software for the Internet.

Compaq Canada Inc., headquartered in Richmond Hill, Ontario, launched
the ProLinea "e" series personal computers (Newsbytes, Oct. 3). The six
Pentium-based models are available in volume right away, Compaq Canada
said, with list prices ranging from C$2,159 to C$3,299.

Markham, Ontario-based IBM Canada Ltd. introduced the ThinkPad 760C
and 760CD notebook computers (Newsbytes, Oct. 3). Both come with a
12.1-inch color screen. There are two models of each, available through
IBM Direct for prices from C$7,799 to C$10,999. Dealer prices may vary.

Lotus Development Canada Ltd. followed the lead of its US parent with
several announcements related to its Notes work-group development system
and its cc:Mail electronic-mail software. On the cc:Mail front,
Toronto-based Lotus Canada announced cc:Mail for the World Wide Web
(Newsbytes, Sept. 27 & 28), which provides Internet access to e-mail.
It is to be available in Canada before the end of the year, and pricing
will be announced later, Lotus Canada said.

On the Notes side, Lotus Canada unveiled NotesPump 1.0 and InterNotes
Web Publisher 2.0, and previewed Notes Release 4.0 (Newsbytes, Sept. 27).
NotesPump is to be available in Canada by the end of October with a
suggested retail price of C$9,499, and InterNotes by the end of November
with a suggested retail price of C$8,915. Notes 4.0 is due to ship by
year-end, and Lotus Canada has not announced pricing yet.

3Com Canada Inc., of Toronto, said its Impact digital modem (Newsbytes,
Sept. 8) is now available in Canada. The modem uses integrated services
digital network (ISDN) lines to provide communications speeds up to 128
kilobits-per-second. 3Com gave only a US list price, US$649. A version
with Multilink Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) is available for US$749,
and an upgrade to this version is US$129.

Wollongong Canada, located in Waterloo, Ontario, said it is now shipping
its Emissary software for Internet access in two versions: Emissary Office
Edition and Emissary Desktop Edition (Newsbytes, Oct. 4). Retail prices are
C$210 for Desktop Edition and C$560 for Office Edition, with promotional
prices of C$140 and C$490 respectively available until the end of October,
Wollongong said. Wollongong Canada is on the World Wide Web at
http://www.twg.on.ca.

(Grant Buckler/19951010/Press Contact: John Challinor II, Compaq
Canada, 416-229-8936, fax [phone]; Kevin McKee, IBM Canada,
905-316-3902; Marsha Connor, Lotus Canada, 416-364-8000, fax
416-364-1547; Sheldon Rose, The Communications Group for 3Com Canada,
416-696-9900, fax [phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Heather
Scott, The Communications Group for Wollongong Canada, 416-696-9900
ext. 26, fax [phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Public
Contact: Compaq Canada, 905-707-1715; Lotus Canada, 416-364-8000 or
800-346-1305; 3Com Canada, 416-498-3266, fax [phone];
Wollongong Canada, 519-747-9900, fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/10/95
ONLINE
Photo Essays On The Web

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00018)
Photo Essays On The Web 10/10/95
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 10 (NB) -- The Internet's
World Wide Web provides all kinds of information -- from stock quotes,
to information about various companies, to watching nuns learn the
martial arts. The nuns, along with other "unique" picture stories,
come from a new part of the Black Star Publishing Co. Web site.

The new area is called "Black Star Photo Stories," and it highlights
some of the many pictures it has available from its worldwide network
of 350 photographers.

John P. Chapnick, executive vice president of Black Star, told Newsbytes
that while other parts of the Web site are designed to give information
about his company, the Photo Stories area is a "resource for the photo
professional."

The main part of the Photo Stories section consists of "photo essays,"
a mix of photos and text that let the user in on some uncommon
parts of our world.

For example, New York City's East Harlem Order of Fraternite Notre Dame
nuns are shown learning Tae Kwon Do for recreation and exercise, in
"Black Belts and Blessings." Other "corners of the world" shown to Web
surfers include: "Kids and Guns," which documents children carrying
firearms in New Orleans; "Dolphin Teacher," where a child therapy
program at the Dolphin Research Center in Florida helps a child with
Downs Syndrome; and the hand-building of a $60,000 Steinway grand piano
in "The Steinway Factory."

"These photos are useful to any photo professional, whether it's a
photographer or someone buying photography," Chapnick said, "or a
magazine editor, because a lot of magazines call and buy these
stories."

When Newsbytes surfed to the site and clicked on the "Black Belts and
Blessings" area, an intriguing mix of small photos and text. Because
the photos were so small, the page loaded quickly. Individual pictures
could then be clicked to bring up a larger version of the same photo,
with an accompanying caption.

Other features of the Photo Stories section include a hotlink page to
other Web resources, and a how-to section on hiring photographers for
assignments.

Black Star's Web site is located at http://www.blackstar.com .

(Bob Woods/19951010/Press Contact: John P. Chapnick, Black Star
Publishing, 212-679-3288/BLACK951010/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/10/95
GENERAL
Lingo Plans Executive Viewer For "Fiscal" Database Tool

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00019)
Lingo Plans Executive Viewer For "Fiscal" Database Tool 10/10/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 10 (NB) -- Lingo Computer
Design Inc., makers of the Fiscal multidimensional ad hoc query and
reporting tool for corporate data warehouses, plans to unveil a new
executive front end, codenamed "dashboard viewer," within the
coming month, disclosed John Chookolingo, company president, in a
meeting with Newsbytes on a Boston press tour.

Lingo's new "dashboard viewer," he reported, will run on Windows,
Windows 95, Macintosh, and Motif, sitting on top of Fiscal, a
product designed to give a "multidimensional query effect" to
relational database management systems (RDBMS). Lingo's Fiscal
product currently works with the Oracle, Sybase, and Informix
databases. But Lingo also anticipates adding operability with other
RDBMS, and IBM's DB2 is a strong possibility, he noted.

Although Fiscal is often referred to as an executive information
system (EIS), the tool is actually employed mainly by business
analysts, who use it to perform multidimensional data mining,
entering "plain English" queries to data warehouses built around
RDBMS, and subsequently reporting their findings to senior level
corporate executives, according to Chookolingo.

Analysts also use a modeling tool from Lingo that is designed to
let them capture corporate "business processes" in software. The
modeling tool produces "meta data" for use with Fiscal, but at "a
higher level of abstraction" than other products in this category,
the CEO noted. Where most companies characterize "meta data" as
"data about the data," Lingo prefers to use the description,
"data about the business."

In a demo of the current edition of the Fiscal viewer,
Chookolingo showed Newsbytes how the product can be used to "drill
down" through corporate data, with results presented in spreadsheet
tables.

"You can take a spot that isn't doing well, for example,
and break it out by (dimensions such as) geographic regions,
performance (measures), product line, and `time,'" Newsbytes was
told. Organizations can define these criteria differently. A
telecommunications company, for example, might use "hour" as the
unit of time, whereas a company in another industry might
describe "time" as a day, a month, or a year.

Fiscal also displays business data in chart form, said
Chookolingo, following up this observation by instantly creating
some pie and bar charts.

Lingo's forthcoming "dashboard viewer" will provide even greater
ease of use, allowing senior executives to conduct
multidimensional data mining directly, without relying on analysts as
"intermediaries," the company president divulged. But Lingo plans
to continue producing Fiscal and the business modeling tool for
use by analysts, he added.

Direct database feedback to executives is an important element in
Lingo's "top down" approach to data warehousing, Newsbytes was
told. While data warehousing is often thought of as a single
entity, organizations really have different motives, he added. An
organization might decide to build data warehouses out of an
interest in moving off of mainframes, consolidating huge volumes
of diverse data, or making information from legacy OLTP (online
transaction processing) databases, written in older languages
like RPG and Cobol, available to end users today.

Lingo's products have no "direct competitors," he maintained.
Planning Sciences Inc.'s Gentium provides some similar
functionality, but Gentium uses its own built-in "proprietary"
database, instead of widely used RDBMS like Oracle, Sybase, and
Informix. Other products also overlap Lingo, but only on certain
capabilities.

The major reason why Lingo might decide to pursue DB2 as another
data source for Fiscal is related to DB2's popularity in the
AS/400 market, particularly among manufacturing firms in the Midwest,
according to the company chief. Manufacturing is a major market
for Lingo, in addition to telecommunications, he noted.

Lingo's Fiscal viewer is currently priced at $85,000 for a
25-user license. A toolkit providing a 100-user license, plus the
business modeling tool, is priced in the $100,000 range. "But the
payback time is short. And we expect these prices to come down,"
Chookolingo told Newsbytes.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951009/Reader Contact: Lingo Computer Design
Inc., 416-593-5334; Michael R. Becce, MRB Public Relations for
Lingo, 908-249-3189)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/10/95
SUPERCOMPUTER
Silicon Graphics Has Most Supercomputer Sites

(NEWS)(SUPERCOMPUTER)(LAX)(00020)
Silicon Graphics Has Most Supercomputer Sites 10/10/95
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 10 (NB) -- The latest
Top 500 Report shows Silicon Graphics' worldwide supercomputer
installations eclipse those of Cray Research, IBM, Intel, Thinking
Machines, and Digital Equipment. With 128 of the top 500 worldwide
installations worldwide in 1994, Silicon Graphics topped Cray's 125
installations.

The report, by Innovative Computer Laboratory(ICL), annually ranks
the world's highest performance supercomputing installations. ICL was
established by professors Jack Dongarra, University of Tennessee and
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Hans W. Meuer and Erich
Strohmaier of the University of Mannheim.

Of the top 500 sites listed, Silicon Graphics led for the first time with
128, followed by Cray with 125, IBM with 72, Intel with 47, TMC with
37, Fujitzu with 36, NEC with 19, KSR with 10, and "others" with 26

According to the report, Silicon Graphics took the lead because of its
54 in new computer installations in the last year. Just three years ago,
Cray had 200 of the top 500 sites, with Silicon Graphics none. Last
year Cray had 146 to Silicon Graphics 72.

Bob Murphy, product manager for Silicon Graphics' Power Challenge
supercomputer, told Newsbytes, "These numbers show the tremendous growth
in supercomputer market share for Silicon Graphics. We have taken the
lead in the number of sites, but it must be mentioned that we are still
not near the top in terms of size or power of the individual units.

"Our rapid market share growth can be attributed to our powerful and
affordable high-performance symmetric multiprocessing systems.
Research firms, such as International Data Corporation (IDC), have
noted that Silicon Graphics has captured more than one-third of the
1994 midrange, high-performance computing market. IDC reported
that Silicon Graphics has approximately twice the midrange, high-
performance computing market share of its nearest competitor," said
Murphy.

"We are impressed with the results of all of these market studies
because they confirm that our strategy of deployable supercomputing
is on target," said Willy Shih, director of marketing for Silicon
Graphics' Computer Systems Group. "Less than two years ago, Silicon
Graphics practically came from nowhere in this market to seize the
sweet spot of the supercomputing sector. We are pleased with the
results, and we greatly appreciate our customers' endorsement of our
strategies, our technologies and our products."

Silicon Graphics supercomputing systems are deployed by research
and development laboratories and corporations around the world.
Installations include the National Center of Supercomputing
Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois, BMW, Bristol Meyers
Squibb, Chevron, Glaxo Welcome, Texaco, NASA, Ford, Schlumberger,
the University of Maryland, and the University of Delaware.

(Richard Bowers/19951010/Press Contact: Ginny Babbitt, Silicon
Graphics, 415-390-2527)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/10/95
BUSINESS
 ****Caere To Acquire ViewStar

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00021)
 ****Caere To Acquire ViewStar 10/10/95
LOS GATOS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 10 (NB) -- Building
on last year's merger with Calera, Caere, a leader in optical character
recognition (OCR) technology, has announced an agreement to merge with
ViewStar, a developer of workflow, document, and image management
software. The $40 million merger will take Caere technology into the
high-end client/server and minicomputer/mainframe environments.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95101021.PCX
Click here for photo

Under the agreement, Caere will exchange approximately 3,437,000
shares of common stock and options for all common stock, preferred
stock and vested options of ViewStar. Caere additionally agrees to
assume "certain ViewStar debts and obligations" valued at approximately
$4.5 million. For accounting and financial purposes, the agreement is
considered a pooling of interests. Subject to federal review, Caere and
ViewStar expect to conclude the arrangement in the last calendar
quarter of 1995.

Known for its mission-critical, line-of-business process software,
ViewStar products cover workflow automation, document image processing
and information management. Its software system supports Windows NT and
Unix platforms, Oracle 7, Microsoft SQL Server and Sybase System 10
databases. Netware, NT and Banyan file services are also supported.
It products are sold into a wide spectrum of businesses including
insurance, transportation, health care, financial services, oil and gas,
utilities and transportation. Texaco, Aetna, and the Texas Commerce
Bank are among its more than 200 customers.

"We have concentrated on the desktop environment with our OCR
products," said Dean Hovey, vice president of business development
for Caere. "As we have entered the client/server workforce, we have
seen the need for technology solutions which will allow us to quickly
and easily expand in the client/server environment and the larger
enterprise environment of minicomputers and mainframes. ViewStar
provides us with the experience and technology we need to take that
step."

On the other side, ViewStar, a privately-held company, will now have
the strong financial backing of a well-known public company.

Commenting on such value, Hovey said, "When a CFO (chief financial
officer) looks at a business relationship with a privately-held
company, he or she may have questions about resting a company's
financial future on a particular contract. With the strength of Caere
as a publicly-held corporation, ViewStar can be seen as a company
with strong financial backing and stability."

Upon completion of the federal review process, ViewStar will operate
as a subsidiary of Caere using the ViewStar name. The wholly-owned
subsidiary will continue to operate out of its Alameda, California,
headquarters with existing management and personnel.

Combined 1994 revenues of ViewStar and Caere total $81.6 million.
For the first six months of 1995, the combined revenues are $35.3
million. "If you double the 1995 combined revenues, it would appear
we are $10 million below last year. This is not at all the case,"
said Ed MacBeth, Caere's manager of business development. "There
is a seasonality for big ticket items for the Fortune 500 companies.
Typically, these solutions are completed in the third and fourth
quarters," he explained.

(Patrick McKenna/19951010/Press Contact: Patrick Crisp, Caere,
408-395-7000/CAERE951010/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/10/95
TRENDS
 ****Semiconductor Book-To-Bill Ratio Drops Again

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00022)
 ****Semiconductor Book-To-Bill Ratio Drops Again 10/10/95
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 10 (NB) -- According to Price
Waterhouse's World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS), the 1.11
seasonally adjusted North American book-to-bill ratio showed another
drop in September, from the all-time high of 1.22 in July, and a
revised 1.17 in August. The book-to-bill ratio indicates that for
every $100 worth of products shipped (billed), manufacturers received
$111 of new orders (bookings).

The ratio is computed by a three-month moving average, and seasonally
adjusted. A ratio over 1.00 indicates that orders are higher than
products that have been shipped, and is considered "bullish" for the
semiconductor industry.

The semiconductor industry has recorded book-to-bill ratios
exceeding 1.10 every month this year. The last time the ratio dipped
below 1.10 was the 1.07 mark for December, 1994.

According to the Semiconductor Industry Association, historically, the
ratio has remained flat or declined six out of the last nine years.
During that period, the ratio dipped four times, remained unchanged
twice, and increased three times.

Chris Jones, the editor of "The IN-Stat Electronics Report," told
Newsbytes, "The WSTS book-to-bill ratio is the semiconductor industry
bellweather stat. The positive trend in the book-to-bill ratio
can drive a lot of investment into the industry. We think however
that sometimes too much attention is paid to this one statistic.
The two-month drop, when put into perspective, could still be very
positive."

"We at In-Stat, when looking at the worldwide numbers, feel that we
are probably seeing a return to the 'traditional' summer slowdown.
The summer slowdown was a regular part of the semiconductor cycle
until a couple of years ago. Before we read too much into what have
been very strong numbers, we should not discount the summer
slowdown," pointed out Jones.

According to the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics, seasonally
adjusted billings in the North America market increased to a new high
of $4.06 billion. The September figure is 40.1 percent higher than the
September, 1994, total of $2.89 billion. This number represents a 3.2
percent increase over the August mark of $3.93 billion.

Seasonally adjusted bookings were up 44.2 percent from $3.11
billion in September, 1994, but down 2.1 percent from the $4.58
billion recorded in August. The September figure was $4.49 billion.

WSTS projects that the $33.5 billion North America market will grow
34.0 percent to $44.9 billion at the end of this year. WSTS also
predicted that the $101.8 billion global semiconductor market will
increase 39.7 percent to $142.3 billion in 1995.

The previous twelve months ratio has tracked: September 1994 - 1.08;
October 1994 - 1.04; November 1994 - 1.05; December 1994 - 1.07;
January 1995 - 1.12; February 1995 - 1.11; March 1995 - 1.15;
April 1995 - 1.17; May 1995 - 1.20; June 1995 - 1.18 ; July 1995 -
1.23; AUG 1995 - 1.17 (Revised); September 1995 - 1.11 (Preliminary).

(Richard Bowers/19950811/Press Contact: Kevin Brett,
SIA, 408-246-2711)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/10/95
ONLINE
Visa Intros Remote Banking Software

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00023)
Visa Intros Remote Banking Software 10/10/95
HERNDON, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 10 (NB) -- Visa International's
"Visa Interactive" subsidiary is releasing remote-banking software
for its member institutions to brand and market PC-based financial
services to the institutions' customers.

The Windows-based program utilized familiar graphics, like checks
and registers, along with pull-down menus, officials said. The bank
customer can pay bills, track and reconcile account activities,
transfer funds, and verify account balances. The program also
exchanges data with other personal-finance programs, including
Quicken and Managing Your Money.

Each bank will name its version of the software, as well as how it
should be designed and delivered to the customer, Visa officials
said.

"There is a growing segment of customers who appreciate the ability
to do their banking remotely," Greg Jones of Visa told Newsbytes.
"That doesn't necessarily mean (bank) branches will be obsolete in
10 or 20 years. But what it does allow is another access option for
customers who may find it more convenient to bank from their homes."

A number of ways already exist to connect customers with institutions
when it comes to remote banking, Jones said, including through a normal
telephone and a screen telephone -- technologies which Visa already
supports. "Now we want to give member financial institutions a number
of options for them to give to their customers. We don't believe there
is currently just one way for people to do their banking activities
remotely."

Minimum requirements for the software on the bank customer's PC is an
IBM compatible 386 or higher, four megabytes (MB) of memory, 10MB free
on a hard drive, MS-DOS 5.0, Windows 3.1 or higher, a VGA monitor, a
mouse, and a Hayes-compatible modem with speeds no lower than 1,200
bits-per-second.

Already on board are the Deposit Guaranty National Bank of Jackson,
Mississippi, and Zions First National Bank of Salt Lake City, Utah.
Other banks, both domestic and abroad, are expected to roll out
their own branded software in late 1995 and early 1996.

The banks will generally pass on the costs of the software to the
customer, Jones said. For example, Deposit Guaranty is offering its
"GuarantyConnect" brand software at $29.95 retail, with a monthly fee
of $9.95. But for a limited time, Deposit Guaranty is waiving the
$29.95 charge. The software also comes with a 90 day money-back
guarantee.

Visa offers an Internet World Wide presence at http://www.visa.com .

(Bob Woods/19951010/Press Contacts: Greg Jones, Visa, 415-432-2753;
Pam Kloha, Deposit Guaranty National Bank, 601-968-4759; Bill Hall,
Zions First National Bank, 801-524-4637)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/10/95
IBM
RS/6000 Announcements Emphasize Packaging, Connectivity

(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00024)
RS/6000 Announcements Emphasize Packaging, Connectivity 10/10/95
SOMERS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 10 (NB) -- RISC System/6000
announcements that IBM (NYSE:IBM) made today as part of an omnibus
server unveiling emphasize connectivity features and hardware-software
packages to address specific customers' needs.

IBM announced two RS/6000 packages: an Internet system that bundles
either IBM's or Netscape's World Wide Web browser software with
RS/6000 hardware, and the AIX Connections package, designed to make
RS/6000 systems work easily as servers for networks of personal computers.
Irving Wladawsky-Berger, general manager of the RS/6000 division, said in
a press teleconference that these are the first of "what will be an
ongoing series of packaged solutions."

The RS/6000 Internet package will be offered with a choice of Netscape's
browser or IBM's new Internet Connection Server. Acknowledging that the
Netscape software "is out in the marketplace with quite a strong market
share," Wladawsky-Berger said he could not give a concrete answer to a
question about how the new IBM software will differentiate itself.

IBM also said AIX 4.1.4, the latest release of its variant of the Unix
operating system, adds various new connectivity options to make it easier
to connect other systems to the RS/6000. The company also announced a
"grab-bag" of connectivity hardware, including a new Fiber Channel adapter
and switch, a High Performance Parallel Interface Driver, adapters for
asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), Ethernet, and IBM's ESCON channels, and
a coprocessor designed to let an RS/6000 act as a communications server
between a wide area network and a mainframe.

Wladawsky-Berger said a common theme in all IBM's server announcements
today, including the RS/6000 moves, was the idea of packaging software to
make it easier to install.

IBM also unveiled a new RS/6000 model, the $9,995 Model E20. Aimed at
departmental applications and using the Peripheral Component Interconnect
(PCI) and Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) system buses, the E20 will
have eight expansion slots, eight bays for storage devices, a quad-speed
CD-ROM drive, a one-gigabyte (GB) magnetic hard disk, and from 16 to 512
megabytes (MB) of memory.

IBM also added a version of its GXT1000 graphics accelerator for the PCI
bus.

During the press conference, Wladawsky-Berger noted that while IBM is
trying to use the same technology in different server product lines wherever
possible, the company has no plans to merge its four server lines -- PC
Servers, RS/6000, AS/400, and System/390 mainframes -- into one. "The
market continues to value" the different strengths of different servers, he
said. "If the market changes, then we will change."

IBM's Server Group also announced new hardware and software in its PC
Server, AS/400, and System/390 lines. Newsbytes reported some details of
the announcements on Friday, and additional coverage is appearing today
and tomorrow.

(Grant Buckler/19951010/Press Contact: Liz Arends, IBM Server Group,
914-766-4256, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/10/95
BUSINESS
 ****Mentor & Microtec To Merge

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00025)
 ****Mentor & Microtec To Merge 10/10/95
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 10 (NB) --Mentor Graphics
Corporation (NASDAQ: MENT), and Microtec Research Inc. (NASDAQ: MTEC)
have agreed to merge in a stock swap valued at $130 million. Microtec
Research is a supplier of software products for the development of
embedded systems, and Mentor Graphics primarily designs, manufactures,
markets and distributes electronic design automation (EDA) software.

Under the terms of the merger agreement, each outstanding share of
Microtec Research common stock will be converted into approximately
0.693 shares of Mentor Graphics common stock. The closing price of
Mentor Graphics' common stock on October 6, 1995, as quoted on the
NASDAQ National Market System, was $20.125 per share.

The total value of the transaction is estimated to be approximately
$130 million. The merger is subject to conditions, including receipt
of "certain regulatory approvals" and approval by the stockholders
of Microtec Research, and is expected to close by year end.

Jennifer Guimond, a spokesperson for Mentor, told Newsbytes,
"Microtec Research will operate as a new business unit within
Mentor Graphics. Microtec has 350 employees, and they will report
to Mentor's Hardware Software Systems Division. Both companies
marketing programs will be integrated at the executive level."

"The design, integration, and test of embedded software is quickly
becoming the dominant factor in the development cost, time-to-market,
and value proposition of electronic systems, whether they are
implemented as printed circuit boards or single chips," said Walden C.
Rhines, Mentor Graphics' president. "These issues cannot be addressed
adequately without reaching outside of the confines of the traditional
EDA industry."

He added: "We have, in effect, defined a new company, dedicated
to providing solutions that avoid the sub-optimization of disjoint
hardware and software design flows prevalent today.

"We will accelerate our investment in the technologies and products
that are important to Microtec Research's customers," Rhines said.
"Combining the companies will allow Microtec Research to achieve its
strategic technology goals sooner than if they had remained independent."

"Mentor Graphics was the best company to get us to the point where
we could meet customers' requirements for next-generation design
methodologies," said Jerry Kirk, Microtec Research president. "Mentor
Graphics offers increased financial strength which will allow Microtec
Research to pursue its strategic technology goals sooner than if we
had remained independent."

Microtec is headquartered in Santa Clara, California, with worldwide
offices in London, Munich, Paris, Seoul, and Tokyo. Established in 1981,
Mentor Graphics is headquartered in Wilsonville, Oregon. The company
had revenues of $356,156,000 over the last reported 12 months. The
company currently employs approximately 2,000 people worldwide.

(Richard Bowers/19951010/Press Contact: Laura Barber, Mentor
Graphics, 503-685-1809)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/10/95
ONLINE
Open Market Web Site Launches Free "Internet Security"

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(BOS)(00026)
Open Market Web Site Launches Free "Internet Security" 10/10/95
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 10 (NB) -- In a
teleconference, Open Market launched a three-pronged attack on
Internet "security breaches" that includes an online "security
checker" for multivendor Web browsers belonging to end users,
free upgrades from the Netscape Secure Server to the Open Market's
Secure WebServer, and the giveaway of sample code to operators of
"any extensible secure Web server."

The trio of security remedies will all be available free of
charge starting this week from the Open Market Web site at
http://www.openmarket.com, officials reported during the
teleconference, which was attended by Newsbytes.

"Our entire business is based on people having trust in open
networks," noted Shikhar Ghosh, Open Market's chief executive
officer (CEO). "We'll make a significant investment, with the
view that all of will suffer if (the public) loses trust."

Consumers are only "gradually gaining some confidence" in the
Internet, according to Ghosh. But recently, reports have surfaced
of security problems with the Netscape Secure Server, and some
Web sites using the Netscape product have been "saying they are
going to go off the air."

As a result, he added, Open Market is introducing a policy that
allows licensed users of the Netscape Secure Server to download
Open Market's Secure WebServer "at no cost."

The other two planks in Open Market's new pro-security Web
"resource center" are "informational," the journalists and
analysts were told. Open Market will work with the makers of Web
browsers to track information on "known problems" with browsers,
including browser tampering. "We will (also) inform the (Web)
software companies of problems," the CEO maintained.

The Open Market Web site will perform a database look-up on the
type of browser in use, and will then report back to the user on
any security issues known to be associated with that kind of
browser, elaborated Open Market's Win Treese.

"One strength we have is that we don't have a browser. We are
agnostic," Ghosh told the telephone audience. Open Market also
performs "extensive testing" on Web browsers. "We do as many as
several hundred versions of browsers coming in at any time. We
definitely expect (to) unite the industry, rather than dividing
the industry," he added.

The sample code to be offered from the Open Market Web site will
provide "underlying code" for "reference implementations on what
are the major ways of handling the known (Internet security)
problems," according to Ghosh.

"To reiterate, security is one of those pillars on which the entire
industry rests," contended the Open Market chief, to conclude the
teleconference.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951010/Reader Contact: Open Market,
617-621-9500; Press Contacts: Wendy Ziner, Open Market, 617-374-
6508; Dawn Geary or Merrill Freund, Schwartz Communications
for Open Market, 617-431-0770)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/10/95
BUSINESS
 ****Stac Electronics Acquires California Software

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00027)
 ****Stac Electronics Acquires California Software 10/10/95
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 10 (NB) -- Well-known data
compression specialist, Stac Electronics (NASDAQ:STAC) plans to develop
a suite of Internet business applications as data compression becomes
integrated into operating systems. In a move designed to "build an
internal foundation for these new applications," Stac has announced
the acquisition of California Software.

Stac's interest in California Software centers around the company's
flagship product, InterAp, and its underlying technology. The acquired
company's strength in the electronic distribution channel and service
alliance potential were also mentioned as positive factors in moving
forward with the acquisition. Stac's vice president of business
development, Robert Monsour, said, "What caught our eye was how
InterAp's intelligent agents and OLE (object linking and embedding)
2-enabled applications really stand out against the competition."

The deal calls for Stac to put up $9 million in cash and $1 million in
its common stock. Additionally, Stac will make a $2 million investment
in a new information investment services company built by the founder
of California Software, Bill Baker.

Stac also said it plans to shut down California Software's headquarters
and bring the acquired technology in-house. There are no plans to
transfer employees and control of the California Software name is
still in discussion.

With the announcement of Internet business applications, Stac sees its
main competition as Netscape and Quarterdeck. The latter announced a
full suite of Internet products last fall and began shipping the line
this year.

To differentiate itself from the competition, Stac's vice president of
marketing, John Bromhead, told Newsbytes, "Our new line of Internet
business products represent a form of computing we call 'Interprise
Computing.' Successful enterprises are going to be those which
communicate and deal with their customers through the Internet and at
the same time open the Internet as a tool for their employees. Our
suite of Internet applications will focus on both of these concepts."

Stac is keeping quiet about specific product details. "We do not want
to tell our competition of our plans, but I can say we plan to use
InterAp technology to reduce the time it takes to find information.
Right now, there are Internet services which help users find sites
where they can search for information, but we want to develop tools
which allow a user to find real information, not just a site where
they have to do further searching," continued Bromhead.

Now that Stac's compression technology is built into DOS and
Windows 95, its Stacker program is no longer the hot property it was
a few years ago. Revenues from its compression technology, however,
register $1 million each month in royalties. That allows Stac to
build the company in new directions, which include server replication
software and the new Internet applications.

Newsbytes learned California Software's technology received strong
programming support from an Estonian group of 25 code experts with
extensive experience in the Soviet Union's military defense, prior to
the country's historic reorganization. A contractual relationship
with the Estonian company shall continue as part of the acquisition.

(Patrick McKenna/19951010/Press Contact: John Bromhead, Stac
Electronics, 619-794-4311)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/10/95
NETWORK
IBM Intros ATM, LAN Products For Campus Networking

(NEWS)(NETWORK)(BOS)(00028)
IBM Intros ATM, LAN Products For Campus Networking 10/10/95
WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 10 (NB) -- "We believe
that ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) is the only technology robust
enough for campus-wide switched virtual networking," said IBM's
Peter A. Chadwick, at a meeting with Newsbytes in Waltham,
Massachusetts, about a slate of new networking products. The products
incorporate 155 megabits-per-second (Mbps) ATM backbone hubbing, LAN
(local area network) switches, ATM and LAN adapters, and network
management, mobile networking and remote access products.

IBM's ATM architecture continues to expand, from "the backbone to
the desktop," added Chadwick, who is manager, hub brand management,
in IBM's Networking Hardware Division. IBM's latest batch of
networking products includes the ATM Fibermode I/O Card for IBM's
8260 Nways Multiprotocol Intelligent Switching Hub, 8260 Nways
Hub, 8271 Ethernet LAN Switch, 8272 Nways Token Ring LAN Switch,
and 155 Mbps and 25 Mbps ATM adapters.

Also on IMB's list of new networking products are: PCI (Peripheral
Component Interconnect) and ISA (Industry Standard Architecture)
Ethernet and Token Ring adapters; ATM, Ethernet, Token Ring, and
RMON (remote monitoring) network management packages for both AIX
and HP-UX; ISDN (integrated services digital network) support for
8235 dial-in LAN access; and new enhancements to IBM's CDPD
(cellular digital packetized data) and Ardis wireless modems,
according to Chadwick.

With the expanding scope of IBM's ATM product line, a new
technology called "adaptive cut through switching," and
increasingly lower pricing, IBM is "very well positioned" versus
other vendors in the emerging market of switched virtual
networking, the IBM exec told Newsbytes during the briefing.

IBM's new 155 Mbps ATM card provides 155 Mbps ATM links of up to
12.4 miles, or 20 kilometers (km). The single-port card installs
on the ATMFlex Module, a previously announced product for IBM's 8260
hub that is designed to accommodate two cards. ATMFlex supports
either a pair of ATM Fiber Monomode I/O (input/output) cards, or
a mix of Monomode Fiber and Multimode Fiber cards. The ATMFlex
Module can also be used in conjunction with IBM's 100 Mbps ATM
Concentration Modules in the same hub.

The 3260 hub can be used with other 3260s across an ATM backbone,
with the new 8271 or 8272 LAN switch, and with IBM's existing
8281 Nways ATM LAN Bridge, for ATM LAN bridging.

The 3260 also works with the 8282 Nways ATM Concentrator and new
25 Mbps ATM adapters, for 25 Mbps ATM on the desktop, with the
new 155 Mbps ATM desktop adapter cards, and with IBM's SP2 parallel
processor computers, Newsbytes was told.

"Switching is to shared LANs as the private line was to the party
line," Chadwick remarked. LAN switching, he pointed out, provides
benefits that include support for virtual LANs. Chadwick added
that IBM's new "adaptive cut through" technology, being introduced
in IBM's new 8271 and 8272 LAN switches, is aimed at helping
customers to migrate from the older technology of store-and-forward
to the newer and faster method of "cut through" switching.

"In `cut through' switching, the switch copies the destination
address as soon as it's received," Chadwick noted. IBM's
"adaptive cut through" capability allows administrators to set error
thresholds for switching from "cut through," a technology still
believed by some customers to be less reliable, to store-and-forward,
he added. The new LAN switches can also be set in either "cut
through-only" or "store-and-forward-only" mode.

The new LAN switches also work with new universal feature cards
(UFCs) that are intended to let the administrator "customize" the
switches by adding capacity in speed and number of ports on an
"as-needed" basis. The UFCs are being offered in versions for 155
Mbps ATM, Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Token Ring, FDDI (fiber
distributed data interface), and 100 VG.

Models 108 of the 8271 and 8282 full-duplex LAN switches provide
eight ports and one Universal Feature Slot (UFS). Models 216 of
the two LAN switches, scheduled for availability in the first half
of 1996, will offer 16 ports and two UFS. Meanwhile, he added, IBM
has phased out its previous 8271 eight-port Ethernet switch, which
did not include UFS.

IBM's new network management packages support ATM, Token Ring,
Ethernet on both SystemView for AIX and HP OpenView. In addition,
RMON is supported on Windows as well as SystemView and OpenView,
according to Chadwick.

On the mobile networking and remote LAN access sides, IBM plans
to add ISDN support to 8235 dial-in access to LANs during the fourth
quarter of this year, Chadwick told Newsbytes. In addition, IBM's
Cellular/CDPD and Ardis wireless modems have both been outfitted
with much shorter cables to external battery connections. IBM has
also added landline access to the public phone networks, as well
as SLIP (serial line Internet protocol) support, to the Cellular/CDPD
wireless modem.

Analysts agreed that the extensiveness of IBM's product line-up
puts the company in strong position within the ATM and switched
virtual networking markets. "Up to now, most of the (campus
network) switching that's been done has been performed by the
smaller LAN vendors at the workgroup level. What's unique about
IBM is its breadth," said Don Czubek, president of Gen2 Ventures,
Saratoga, California.

Mary Petrosky, a senior analyst for the Burton Group, Salt Lake
City, Utah, maintained that 3Com and Cisco now boasts the widest
switching product line-up, 3Com through its merger with Chipcom,
and Cisco by incorporating switching in its routers. "But IBM has
invested more money in ATM, and IBM also has all the pieces of
the switching infrastructure," the analyst told Newsbytes.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951009/Reader Contact: IBM, 914-765-1900;
Press Contacts: Pam Atkinson, IBM, 919-254-2121; Jayne Wilson,
Brodeur & Partners for IBM, 617-622-2829)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/10/95
EDUCATION
 ****Clinton Plan Putting Computers In Schools

(NEWS)(EDUCATION)(MSP)(00029)
 ****Clinton Plan Putting Computers In Schools 10/10/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 OCT 10 (NB) -- President Clinton has
announced $9.5 million in funds to place technology in schools, which
would connect them to the, so-called, "information superhighway." The
federal government is kicking $9.5 million into the program, the
first installment in a five-year commitment to the program.
The awards are going to community partnerships, with matching
commitments coming from the corporate sector to the tune of $7
million in the first year, and more than $300 million during the
five-year span of the projects.

The partners in the project are committing equipment, software
development, technical support, and telecommunications services to
the plan, officials said. Businesses, educational concerns, libraries,
museums, the military, the states, and cities around the nation make up
the partnership, which has 380 members. Some of the businesses in the
partnership include Disney, Turner Broadcasting, and Time Warner.

"The recipients of these challenge grants and their partners are
committed to developing creative responses to the 'information age'
requirements of all students, including those in inner cities and
rural areas," President Clinton said. "These grants will support
visionary educators, parents, business partners, and community
leaders who are working to retool their schools for the future."

Education Secretary Richard Riley held a news teleconference this
morning, which Newsbytes attended, to explain the deal and why it
will be good for students.

Those involved in the partnership are reportedly "pleased" that the
Clinton administration is "providing national leadership on the use of
technology in education for all of America's children," Riley said.

"For children to learn more, and to be prepared for the future, they
simply have to be up to speed when it comes to technology, and that's
where we need to make a push." But he added that that push needs to be
"planned, focused, and directed," which is what the new partnership is
about.

Riley said the $9.5 million coming from the government is a small drop
in the bucket in terms of what is spent on education in the US each
year. But the private and public money together, along with the
partnerships, will enable 134 school districts to have access to the
technology, he added.

Clinton administration officials said first-year support for these
projects comes from both fiscal year 1995 and 1996 funds, with today's
grants coming from fiscal year 1995. The president wants Congressional
support to fully fund the grants at more than $85 million, with a
request of $70 million for fiscal year 1996. The House recommended
$25 million, while the Senate is considering funding of $15 million.

(Bob Woods/19951010/Press Contact: Melinda Kitchell Malico,
US Department of Education, 202-401-1008)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00030)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 10/10/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 10 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|           Tuesday, October 10, 1995            |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network's 1995 Update CD-ROM for Mac, DOS, and Windows is
now available for $29.95 (includes s&h). Contains 1983-1995 news stories,
more than 64,000 keyword searchable stories and 475 digitized images. For
more information or to order, fax to 612-430-0441 or e-mail to
'[e-mail]' -- MC, Visa, Amex accepted.

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

BROADCAST Motorola - TV & Data Are Separate Applications............. 09

BUSINESS   ****Caere To Acquire ViewStar............................. 21

BUSINESS   ****Mentor & Microtec To Merge............................ 25

BUSINESS   ****Stac Electronics Acquires California Software......... 27

CHIPS     New Motorola Chip Boosts Audio Performance................. 16

EDUCATION Clinton Plan Putting Computers In Schools.................. 29

GENERAL   Japan Newsbriefs........................................... 08

GENERAL   Exabyte Ships New 8mm Tape Backup System................... 13

GENERAL   NewsPix Images For Newsbytes Publishers.................... 15

GENERAL   Canadian Product Launch Update............................. 17

GENERAL   Lingo Plans Executive Viewer For "Fiscal" Database Tool.... 19

IBM       RS/6000 Announcements Emphasize Packaging, Connectivity.... 24

NETWORK   IBM Intros ATM, LAN Products For Campus Networking......... 28

ONLINE    Journal Register Newspapers To Go Online Via Interchange... 14

ONLINE    Photo Essays On The Web.................................... 18

ONLINE    Visa Intros Remote Banking Software........................ 23

ONLINE    Open Market Web Site Launches Free "Internet Security...... 26

SUPERCOMP Silicon Graphics Has Most Supercomputer Sites.............. 20

TELECOM   Japan - Int'l Telcos Cautious On Deregulation.............. 02

TELECOM   NEC Executive Speaks On Current Japanese Market............ 03

TELECOM   Fujitsu In Talks With Russia Over Future Network........... 04

TELECOM   UK's GPT To Supply First Smart Card Phones To China........ 06

TELECOM   Personal Handyphones Expand Into Asia...................... 07

TELECOM   Japan - Govt Panel Urges NTT Break-Up...................... 10

TELECOM   UK - Cheaper To Fax Than Mail Letters...................... 12

TRENDS    Japan Telecom Shows Next-Generation Public Phone........... 01

TRENDS    Correction - Technology Executives Conservative About Futur 05

TRENDS     ****New TV Displays A Hit At Telecom 95 Expo.............. 11

TRENDS     ****Semiconductor Book-To-Bill Ratio Drops Again.......... 22

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 -> Japan Telecom Shows Next-Generation Public Phone -- Japan Telecom
used the Telecom 95 expo in Geneva to show a new, next-generation public
payphone. The unit features videoconferencing, fax, and multimedia access
in a single unit, the company's Toshifumi Nagamatsu told Newsbytes at the
event.

2 -> Japan - Int'l Telcos Cautious On Deregulation -- Executives from
Japan's two newest international telephone carriers told Newsbytes in
Geneva that deregulation of the telephone market in Japan must be handled
"carefully" and "cautiously," if the companies are to survive.

3 -> NEC Executive Speaks On Current Japanese Market -- Seijiro Yokoyama,
senior executive vice president of Japan's NEC Corporation, says Japan is
on the verge of a period of expanding growth in the telecoms sector as
the country learns to adopt information technology. He talked to
Newsbytes in a special interview at the Telecom 95 expo in Geneva last
week.

4 -> Fujitsu In Talks With Russia Over Future Network -- Fujitsu's
president, Tadashi Sekizawa, held talks with Russia's Minister of Posts
and Telecommunications at the Telecom 95 expo in Geneva last Thursday
over the possibility of the two working together to build a new national
telecommunications network.

5 -> Correction - Technology Executives Conservative About Future -- In a
story of this title which ran on the Newsbytes wire on October 5, Agenda
'96 officers reported to Newsbytes that only 8 percent of survey
respondents planned to be developing Macintosh software in 1996, compared
to more than half today. Agenda '96 officers have issued a correction,
saying that 65 percent plan to develop Macintosh software next year, not
eight percent, an increase, not a decrease.

6 -> UK's GPT To Supply First Smart Card Phones To China -- Britain's GPT
has signed agreements that will put 2,000 smart card payphones on the
streets of Beijing and Guangdong in China.

7 -> Personal Handyphones Expand Into Asia -- Japan's PHS (personal
handyphone system) is taking its first steps outside the country with the
establishment of an Asian promotion group and the adoption of the system
by Hong Kong, the first results of an effort by Japan to help the system
become a regional, if not worldwide, system.

8 -> Japan Newsbriefs -- In this roundup of news from Japan: Japan
Telecom allies with Bellcore, Fujitsu to begin Vietnam operations, FM
paging faces deregulation, Canon to launch advanced camcorder in Europe,
Foreign makers register jump in PC sales, Asahi Kasei establishes US
company, Internet providers cut prices, JVC unveils Hi-Vision VCR, Nagoya
Stock Exchange heads to the Internet.

9 -> Motorola - TV & Data Are Separate Applications -- While many
companies are showing, or dreaming of, all-in-one set-top boxes that
bring programs, data services, and the Internet to the television set at
the Telecom 95 expo in Geneva this week, a senior executive at Motorola
said such systems should remain separate.

10 -> Japan - Govt Panel Urges NTT Break-Up -- A research panel
established at the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications to
investigate the advantages and disadvantages of a break-up of Nippon
Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) has recommended the telecoms giant be
broken up.

11 ->  ****New TV Displays A Hit At Telecom 95 Expo -- Despite a
proliferation of new delivery methods and technologies, SONET
(synchronous optical network), ATM (asynchronous transfer mode),
video-on-demand, and digital satellite broadcasting, what has been
proving more of a hit with visitors to Telecom 95 in Geneva has been what
we will be watching television on in the future, and not how it gets to
our homes.

12 -> UK - Cheaper To Fax Than Mail Letters -- Equisys, a fax modem and
connectivity specialist, claims that businesses would be better off
faxing their post in the UK (to other UK addresses) than using the Royal
Mail to post the letters.

13 -> Exabyte Ships New 8mm Tape Backup System -- Exabyte Corp. (NASDAQ:
EXBT) has introduced a new eight millimeter (mm) tape backup system for
local networks that is a complete tape drive kit including a CD-ROM
drive, and can store up to 14 gigabytes (GB) of data in compressed form.

14 -> Journal Register Newspapers To Go Online Via Interchange -- Journal
Register Co., a New Jersey-based publisher, has signed an agreement to
put its New Haven Register, and possibly other newspapers, online through
AT&T's (NYSE:T) Interchange service.

15 -> NewsPix Images For Newsbytes Publishers -- These photos correspond
to recent Newsbytes stories. They are online in the Newsbytes menu on
America Online, NiftyServe, and the Newsbytes private bulletin board
system in Minneapolis.

16 -> New Motorola Chip Boosts Audio Performance -- Motorola Inc.
(NYSE:MOT) has announced a new 24-bit digital signal processor (DSP) chip
the company said will enable audio application developers to offer more
features at a lower cost in products like audio/video receivers, digital
video disks (DVD), and digital high-definition (HDTV) and
standard-definition (SDTV) television.

17 -> Canadian Product Launch Update -- This regular feature, appearing
on the first day Newsbytes publishes each week, provides further details
for the Canadian market on announcements by international companies that
Newsbytes has already covered. This week: Compaq's new ProLineas, IBM's
latest ThinkPad, several Notes-related announcements from Lotus, 3Com's
Impact digital modem, and Wollongong's Emissary software for the
Internet.

18 -> Photo Essays On The Web -- The Internet's World Wide Web provides
all kinds of information

19 -> Lingo Plans Executive Viewer For "Fiscal" Database Tool -- Lingo
Computer Design Inc., makers of the Fiscal multidimensional ad hoc query
and reporting tool for corporate data warehouses, plans to unveil a new
executive front end, codenamed "dashboard viewer," within the coming
month, disclosed John Chookolingo, company president, in a meeting with
Newsbytes on a Boston press tour.

20 -> Silicon Graphics Has Most Supercomputer Sites -- The latest Top 500
Report shows Silicon Graphics' worldwide supercomputer installations
eclipse those of Cray Research, IBM, Intel, Thinking Machines, and
Digital Equipment. With 128 of the top 500 worldwide installations
worldwide in 1994, Silicon Graphics topped Cray's 125 installations.

21 ->  ****Caere To Acquire ViewStar -- Building on last year's merger
with Calera, Caere, a leader in optical character recognition (OCR)
technology, has announced an agreement to merge with ViewStar, a
developer of workflow, document, and image management software. The $40
million merger will take Caere technology into the high-end client/server
and minicomputer/mainframe environments.

22 ->  ****Semiconductor Book-To-Bill Ratio Drops Again -- According to
Price Waterhouse's World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS), the 1.11
seasonally adjusted North American book-to-bill ratio showed another drop
in September, from the all-time high of 1.22 in July, and a revised 1.17
in August. The book-to-bill ratio indicates that for every $100 worth of
products shipped (billed), manufacturers received $111 of new orders
(bookings).

23 -> Visa Intros Remote Banking Software -- Visa International's "Visa
Interactive" subsidiary is releasing remote-banking software for its
member institutions to brand and market PC-based financial services to
the institutions' customers.

24 -> RS/6000 Announcements Emphasize Packaging, Connectivity -- RISC
System/6000 announcements that IBM (NYSE:IBM) made today as part of an
omnibus server unveiling emphasize connectivity features and
hardware-software packages to address specific customers' needs.

25 ->  ****Mentor & Microtec To Merge --Mentor Graphics Corporation
(NASDAQ: MENT), and Microtec Research Inc. (NASDAQ: MTEC) have agreed to
merge in a stock swap valued at $130 million. Microtec Research is a
supplier of software products for the development of embedded systems,
and Mentor Graphics primarily designs, manufactures, markets and
distributes electronic design automation (EDA) software.

26 -> Open Market Web Site Launches Free "Internet Security -- In a
teleconference, Open Market launched a three-pronged attack on Internet
"security breaches" that includes an online "security checker" for
multivendor Web browsers belonging to end users, free upgrades from the
Netscape Secure Server to the Open Market's Secure WebServer, and the
giveaway of sample code to operators of "any extensible secure Web
server."

27 ->  ****Stac Electronics Acquires California Software -- Well-known
data compression specialist, Stac Electronics (NASDAQ:STAC) plans to
develop a suite of Internet business applications as data compression
becomes integrated into operating systems. In a move designed to "build
an internal foundation for these new applications," Stac has announced
the acquisition of California Software.

28 -> IBM Intros ATM, LAN Products For Campus Networking -- "We believe
that ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) is the only technology robust
enough for campus-wide switched virtual networking," said IBM's Peter A.
Chadwick, at a meeting with Newsbytes in Waltham, Massachusetts, about a
slate of new networking products. The products incorporate 155
megabits-per-second (Mbps) ATM backbone hubbing, LAN (local area network)
switches, ATM and LAN adapters, and network management, mobile networking
and remote access products.

29 -> Clinton Plan Putting Computers In Schools -- President Clinton has
announced $9.5 million in funds to place technology in schools, which
would connect them to the, so-called, "information superhighway." The
federal government is kicking $9.5 million into the program, the
first installment in a five-year commitment to the program.
The awards are going to community partnerships, with matching
commitments coming from the corporate sector to the tune of $7
million in the first year, and more than $300 million during the
five-year span of the projects.

(Ian Stokell/19951010)





Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD

╩

Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/05/95
ONLINE
 ****New Sponsor-Supported AIDS Web Site

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00001)
 ****New Sponsor-Supported AIDS Web Site 10/05/95
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 5 (NB) -- Information on AIDS
presented as a "global community" is hitting the Internet's World Wide
Web through a new sponsor-supported site. Called "The Body," the site
is touted as a one-stop shop for reaching AIDS experts, organizations,
and publications nationwide.

The site will deal with medical, cultural, legal, and political aspects
of the deadly disease, for which there is no known cure. Jamie Marks,
founder of The Body, told Newsbytes the site will unite users in the
fight against AIDS by networking people with AIDS, their loved ones,
and caretakers, as well as health professionals and laypeople.

"We think that AIDS touches the lives of most people today," he said.
"There is a lot of useful information for people with HIV, who have
medical, legal, and mental health questions." He said he wants to
make the site as accessible as possible for all people.

The site itself contains four main sections. A "Forum" area offers
access to the Internet's best HIV/AIDS forums on Usenet. "Insight"
is a comment area for professionals dealing with HIV/AIDS from the
medical, legal, and mental health fields. The politics of HIV/AIDS
is dealt with in "Political Action." And a list of groups whose
information is carried by The Body is in an "Organizations to Join"
area.

Some of the groups providing content to The Body include the AIDS
Action Council, People for the American Way, Lambda Legal Defense and
Education fund, the Centers for Disease Control, and the American
Psychiatric Association.

Marks said the site itself is targeted to people whose lives are
touched by AIDS/HIV, and "that group has an intense interest and
a vital need to know (about AIDS/HIV), and will have what they're
looking for."

The site is advertiser supported, and Marks said sponsors have shown
"tremendous interest" regarding The Body. Some of the industries
that are being targeted for advertising monies include the financial
services market and the pharmaceutical industry. Already, Escalon
Opthalmics has signed on as a charter sponsor. Advertisers on the
site will "address the needs and sensitivities of The Body's audience,"
officials said, and sponsors will not amend the content at the site.

Marks said one of the site's goals is to demonstrate a "targeted
resource like this one can sustain itself economically on the
Internet," he said.

The Body is located at http://www.thebody.com .

(Bob Woods/19951004/Press Contacts: Michael Kaminer or Shelly Bates,
Kaminer Public Relations, 212-627-8098)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/05/95
TRENDS
UK - Sony's Battery-Powered Data/Audio Mini Disk System

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00002)
UK - Sony's Battery-Powered Data/Audio Mini Disk System 10/05/95
WEYBRIDGE, SURREY, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 5 (NB) -- Sony has unveiled the
MD Data, a battery-power, portable mini-disk unit that can store up to
140 megabytes (MB) of data, as well as up to 60 minutes of audio.

Pricing in at UKP499, the MD Data is aimed at portable PC users who
need high capacity but removable storage devices that are extremely
compact. The unit weighs just 340 grams and measures 86 by 30 by 131
millimeters, making it about the same size as a Walkman. By plugging
in a pair of headphones and a remote control, the unit actually turns
into a mini-disk Walkman.

Neil Berville, sales and marketing manager with Sony Computer
Peripherals, claims that the unit is unique in the marketplace and
will change the way that notebook users store their data.

"Just as the Walkman changed the way we listen to music, we anticipate
that the portability and high capacity of the MD Data will change the
way in which we store information on the move, similar to when Sony
introduced the 3.5-inch floppy disk," he explained.

Berville claims that the MD Data unit is the first truly portable high
capacity removable storage system, and "is set to be become the floppy
disk of the multimedia age."

As supplied, the unit comes with headphones and remote control for
audio use, as well as a lithium ion rechargeable battery, a case for
dry batteries, one recordable disk, and DOS, Windows, and Apple Mac
installation and driver software.

Connection to the unit is via SCSI-2 (small computer system
interface type 2) and PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card
International Association) connections. A parallel port from
Shuttle Technologies is also available as an optional extra.

(Steve Gold/1991004/Press Contact: Claire Walker, LJL, [phone];
Reader Contact: Sony Response, [phone]/MDDATA19951005/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/05/95
TELECOM
China - Hunan & Liaoning Expand Analog Cellular Nets

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00003)
China - Hunan & Liaoning Expand Analog Cellular Nets 10/05/95
HUNAN PROVINCE, CHINA, 1995 OCT 5 (NB) -- Ericsson China has signed
two major contracts with the Hunan Province and Liaoning Province
Telephone Companies. Terms of both contracts call for the telecoms
company to expand the province's respective analog cellular networks.

The Hunan Province network expansion contract is worth $43 million and
calls for Ericsson to expand the current provincial mobile cellular
net, operated by Hunan PTA, to service more than 200,000 subscribers
across the Province.

Hunan Province is located in the South Central section of China and
has a population of around 63 million. It currently represents
Ericsson's second largest market for TACS (Total Access Cellular
System) cellular systems in China.

The $34.5 million contract for the expansion of the TACS network in
Liaoning Province will provide the Liaoning Mobile Communications
Company with a total capacity of around 160,000 subscribers.

Deliveries for both contracts are scheduled to start at the end of
this year.

Analog is not the only market that Ericsson is pushing into China
with, Newsbytes notes. The company has just signed a parallel contract
with the Liaoning Province for the supply of a pilot GSM (global
system for mobile communications) network.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951004/Press Contact: Olof Lenneman, Ericsson China
Company, [phone]; Anders Moberg, Mobile Network Design for
Market Operations, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/05/95
ONLINE
NetManage & Cylink In Internet Encryption Deal

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LON)(00004)
NetManage & Cylink In Internet Encryption Deal 10/05/95
GUILDFORD, SURREY, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 5 (NB) -- NetManage, a TCP/IP
(Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) specialist company,
has signed a licensing deal with Cylink Corporation.

According to Karen Thomas, a spokeswoman for the company, which has
offices on both sides of the Atlantic, plans call for the Cylink
public key cryptography technology to be incorporated in future
editions of NetManage's Internet applications software.

The move is significant, Newsbytes notes, since it marks the
beginnings of a competitor to the Netscape "secure" Web browsing
software, which has had two security flaws identified in recent weeks.

Initially, NetManage's Chameleon Enterprise TCP/IP applications suite
will incorporate the Cylink public key encryption technology, but
plans are also in hand to include encryption facilities in Internet
Chameleon, a UKP139 PC-Windows access suite designed for dial-up
access to the Internet.

Both NetManage and Cylink plan to support an open interface
for Internet security which addresses the flaws found in Netscape. The
idea is to establish an open set of standards to which Internet access
packages of all types will adhere to, and so ensure that companies
developing Internet software do not "re-invent the wheel" when writing
their software, and possibly open their applications up to flaws.

According to NetManage, establishing a secure Internet connection
requires an Internet application to perform two functions:
authenticating the user, and encrypting the data flow.

The link with Cylink will allow NetManage to license and include the
Cylink public key encryption technology in its applications. Plans
call for a variety of ciphering systems to be used in the NetManage
suite, including: DES (Data Encryption System), Triple DES, Safer,
IDEA, Skipjack, RC-2, and RC-4.

According to NetManage, the current implementations of security
proposed as standards by Netscape and RSA Data Security are flawed,
and fail to fully accommodate "open and interoperable secure
communications" between computers which use different bulk
encryption ciphers.

These problems, the company claims, have limited the adoption of
Internet security as a widespread interoperable feature of all Internet
software and hardware products, including end-user applications,
servers, firewalls, and secure routers.

Later this month, NetManage and Cylink plan to announce a next-
generation "plug and play" Internet encryption system. The
implementation will be open, Newsbytes understands, and will not lock
software or hardware developers into the use of encryption technology
from any one vendor, as is the case with Netscape, say the companies.

Plans call for the related APIs (application programming interfaces),
key exchange technology, and encryption, to be made publicly available
to other software and hardware vendors. Licensing will include source
code and no per-copy royalty fees.

Further information can be downloaded from NetManage's World Wide Web
site at http://www.netmanage.com .

(Steve Gold/19951004/Press & Reader Contact: NetManage Europe,
[phone]; NetManage US, 408-973-7171)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/05/95
LEGAL
BSA Urges Hong Kong Governor To Form Piracy Taskforce

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(HKG)(00005)
BSA Urges Hong Kong Governor To Form Piracy Taskforce 10/05/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 OCT 5 (NB) -- The Governor of Hong Kong,
Chris Patten, has received a letter urging him to create a taskforce
to stamp out software piracy in the British colony which, according to
the Business Software Alliance (BSA) is costing its members up to
US$500,000 a month in lost sales.

The request follows a new legal offensive launched by the BSA against
retailers who sell counterfeit and pirated software in the notorious
Golden Shopping Arcade in Shamshuipo district, which the BSA says is
a major distribution outlet for illegal software produced in China
and sold, not only in Hong Kong, but throughout Asia, and even as far
away as the US and Europe.

According to Valerie Colbourn, Hong Kong-based BSA vice president,
there is a "desperate need" for government agencies to work together to
combat this multi-million dollar counterfeiting and distribution
operation, and the BSA is asking the governor for action.

What lies behind this latest public move is a long-term secret
investigation of retail outlets in the Golden Shopping Arcade. The
investigation has resulted in 22 injunctions being laid against
distributors in the arcade -- the largest civil action taken by the
BSA in Asia or by anyone in Hong Kong.

Over the past few days the BSA has spent over HK$1 million investigating
the outlets and taking legal action against them. After many hours of
concealed observation, filming and undercover buying, the BSA's
investigators managed to accumulate enough evidence to persuade Judge
Jerome Chan to grant 22 ex-parte injunctions. "These injunctions allow
us to serve them on staff in the shops making them personally liable
for selling illegal software," Colbourn told Newsbytes.

Because it is a civil action and investigators were unaccompanied by
officers from either Customs & Excise or the Royal Hong Kong Police,
getting the individuals to identify themselves was impossible. But under
the terms of Judge Chan's ruling, the shops in question were secretly
filmed and the staff photographed selling illegal software, and this
evidence can be used in court for identification purposes.

If the staff are discovered repeating the action, they can be charged
with contempt of court. "We're continuing our observation and the whole
thing is an ongoing process. We're determined to make someone pay,"
said Colbourn.

The BSA returns to court soon to apply for the injunctions'
continuance. Because the injunctions were ex-parte -- granted without
informing those they are aimed at -- there has to be a second court
appearance for them to defend themselves. "It'll be interesting to see
how many turn up, we'd be most interested in them identifying
themselves," said Colbourn.

To the BSA, there is more to the issue than just retail outlets selling
illegal software. Newsbytes was told: "The fact is this matter shouldn't
be in a civil court. Firstly we're losing both ways -- they're stealing
from us and then we have to pay over a million dollars of our own money
to try and stop them," said Colbourn.

"Some of those businesses are unregistered -- this breaks tax laws,
trade and industry regulations, and the business registrar's rules.
That's why it should be a multi-agency taskforce tackling the problem."

But the problem goes deeper than counterfeit software from illegal retail
operations in Shamshuipo. Much of the software is being sold on compact
disks, meaning extensive and influential links into advanced disk
manufacturers in mainland China. It also includes breaches of film
copyright.

"What's worse is that what we've discovered through raids in the
Philippines and Singapore shows resellers are being supplied with
illegal software from the outlets in Hong Kong," said Colbourn.

(Nigel Armstrong & I.T. Daily/19951004)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/05/95
TRENDS
Report Urges Hong Kong into Software Development

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(HKG)(00006)
Report Urges Hong Kong into Software Development 10/05/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 OCT 5 (NB) -- A Dataquest report just completed
for Hong Kong's Industry Department calls for the territory to focus on
becoming a packaged software development center competing in the global
marketplace.

Two years ago, the Hong Kong Government retained an outside consultant
to assess Hong Kong's information technology (IT) future and suggest
possible roles the territory might play. At that time, when traditional
manufacturing was already fast slipping across the border to lower cost
sites in China, revenue generated by local software concerns amounted
to an estimated US$30 million -- only 0.44% of Hong Kong's US$67.5
billion GDP in 1993.

Much of that, in fact, was tied to hardware sales and custom work,
not to generating widely marketable packages, according to the study.

The report's authors tell the Government that success on the software
front would require industrialists to junk their manufacturing mindset --
with its focus on making physical goods with low-cost labor -- in favor
of hiring the best developers and product marketers money can find.

Even coding, manual writing and disk manufacturing, the report said,
should be farmed out to leave Hong Kong to focus exclusively on the
high value end of the process.

Among areas locals should focus on: double-byte applications for China,
multi-currency packages, shipping and I/E, entertainment and media
applications, and any others that leverage historic Hong Kong in
cyberspace.

The suggested strategy calls for sending potential developers and
marketers overseas for training and bringing the "best available
overseas talent" into the territory to transfer their skills on the
ground. It also calls for everyone getting quickly acquainted with
networks and cyberspace -- and vigorously policing piracy.

For the longer haul, the report suggests universities review programs
with a view to improving their IT and marketing components to fit
Hong Kong's new role.

(Nigel Armstrong & I.T. Daily/19951004)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/05/95
BUSINESS
China - Bay Networks Hopes For A Larger Market Share

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(PEK)(00007)
China - Bay Networks Hopes For A Larger Market Share 10/05/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 OCT 5 (NB) -- Bay Networks plans an investment of
US$5 million in China over the next two years to further expand its
network of distributors, value-added resellers, and system integrators.

Hoping to capture a lion's share of China's huge and rapidly growing
market for computer networking equipment, Bay Networks opened its
Beijing office in October, 1994. The company's Shanghai office, which
opened recently, will concentrate on developing and expanding the
company's customer base in the potentially lucrative business and
financial sector in and around Shanghai, the company said.

By the end of this year, the company hopes to expand its coverage of
China even further with the opening of an office in Guangzhou to serve
southern China, including special economic zones like Shenzhen. In
Shanghai and South China, there is significant growth in the demand
for sophisticated networking solutions, Bay Networks said.

The company also plans to set up a logistics center in China so that it
can speed up the delivery of spare parts of replacement products to
local customers, the company said.

Bay Networks' expansion program will also include the implementation
of a 24-hour custom service and support operation with direct links to
the company's main support centers in Australia, the US, and Europe. The
virtual support centers will be unlike anything Bay Networks has offered
in the past, said the company.

The virtual support center is actually a global network of service and
support resources. Spearheaded by a team of experienced inter-networking
engineers based in China, the center will offer 24-hour support to
customers throughout China.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19950926/Reader Contact: Beijing Office
of Bay Networks, tel [phone] or [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/05/95
TRENDS
Apple Claims Computers Good For Students

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00008)
Apple Claims Computers Good For Students 10/05/95
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 5 (NB) -- Apple Computer
Inc., (NASDAQ: AAPL) has marked the tenth anniversary of its
Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow (ACOT) research project with the
release of a report of what happens when teachers and students are
given access to technology. The report concludes that computers are
good, and if given the chance, can solve the problems confronting
education.

For example, Apple claims several key findings, including: "Technology
acts as a catalyst for fundamental change in the way students learn
and teachers teach."

The report added that, "Students become re-energized and much more
excited about learning -- resulting in significantly improved
grades -- while drop-out and absenteeism rates decrease dramatically."

With regard isolation, the report said: "Students actually interact
and collaborate more when using technology, debunking the myth that
technology might isolate children and teachers."

"We found that students using technology to master basic skills
perform better on standardized tests," said David Dwyer, Apple manager
of learning technologies. "We also found that students write more
because the keyboard is easier to use than pencils or pens for students
as young as 2nd and 3rd graders. For high school students in the program,
we watched drop-out rates fall from 30% to 0%, absenteeism fell from 8%
to 4%, and college attendance dramatically jumped from an expected 30%
rate to 90%."

Concluded Dwyer, "But what's really important is that positive results
like these allow us to change the conversation. We can now focus on
teaching and learning and finding better ways to prepare children for
success in the twenty-first century workplace."

The results of the study were not lost by the federal government,
Linda G. Roberts, director of the Office of Educational Technology,
US Department of Education, said, "For more than a decade, researchers,
practitioners and technology developers have been able to work together
to increase our understanding of what can happen in classrooms when
powerful technology and effective instruction are joined. The lessons
learned provide a rich foundation of experience and knowledge to guide
current investments in technology at the local, state and national level."

ACOT is a study run and organized and funded by Apple. It started
ten years ago with schools throughout the country that had little or no
computer backgrounds. According to Apple, the company donated computers
and then participated on a regular basis in the development of each
school's computer program. The study is based on this controlled model.

(Richard Bowers/19951004/Press Contact: Stacey Byrnes of Apple
Computer, 408-974-6076)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/05/95
BUSINESS
Silicon Graphics Asia Restructuring On The Cards?

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00009)
Silicon Graphics Asia Restructuring On The Cards? 10/05/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 OCT 5 (NB) -- Reports circulating out of
Hong Kong's IT (information technology) Expo last week suggest a massive
restructuring within the senior ranks of Silicon Graphics (SGI) in Asia.
It seems the regional office is to move from Tokyo to Hong Kong,
creating a ripple effect through the rest of the organization.

Steven Szeto, the company's China/Hong Kong director told Newsbytes
there were major changes in the works but that nothing had been confirmed.
He said: "The changes I'm thinking of have yet to be confirmed by the
board of directors in Mountain View." Mountain View is SGI's corporate
headquarters in California. "Certainly there is some sort of restructuring
going on," he added.

But Newsbytes' information indicates the decisions have already been
made and approved, meaning a new marketing drive for SGI throughout Asia.

It's understood that SGI's east Asia vice president, Teruysau Sekimoto, has
been in Hong Kong inquiring about new accommodation and is set to leave
Tokyo to take up the reins in the territory. While this is unconfirmed,
Szeto did say it was "probable" that the east Asia headquarters would move
to Hong Kong. He said that move would make sense since it was more
accessible to the marketplace.

Szeto has been tipped to move Singapore to run the ASEAN markets. The
Singapore office has been without a general manager for some time. When I.T.
Daily called Singapore and asked for Szeto we were told he wasn't there but
that he was expected to take up a new position in the Lion City at the end
of the week.

Szeto laughed when it was put to him that he was packing for Singapore,
but did say "I'm thinking about it."

Szeto, who has run SGI's China operation for four years and managed to
carve large market revenues from the petroleum, auto, and aerospace
industries, is likely to be replaced by former director of marketing,
Steven Lau.

However, Lau's empire may be carved up before he takes over. Sources have
indicated that the current single Hong Kong/China market may be divided
into two separate regions: one run from Hong Kong, the other from Beijing.

(Nigel Armstrong & I.T. Daily/19951004)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/05/95
GENERAL
Hong Kong - Computer Society Calls for Accountability

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00010)
Hong Kong - Computer Society Calls for Accountability 10/05/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 OCT 5 (NB) -- The Hong Kong Computer Society
(HKCS) has publicly called on the government to create a registration
scheme to ensure accountability among information technology (IT)
professionals.

Speaking to Newsbytes, HKCS spokesman Alex Yu said the call was the
first step in getting government participation. "We believe it's time
that professionals in the IT industry try and achieve similar recognition
as legal and medical professionals."

He pointed out that information technology staff had now reached positions
in companies which could seriously influence performance, such as mission-
critical business applications and security issues in banking.

Agnes Mak, president of the HKCS, said accountability among one's peers
was something the industry should strive for. "And accountability even
to the degree of removal from the industry's professional body if
adherence to those standards is not maintained," she added in a speech
at the Society's 25th annual dinner.

Yu said many of the details for the registration had yet to be hammered
out and the society was setting up a sub-committee to look at the issues.

David Lai, the HKCS vice president for external affairs, is expected to
chair the new body, and the society hopes government will participate.

(Nigel Armstrong & I.T. Daily/19951005)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/05/95
TELECOM
Oracle & Philips Launch E-Mail For Screen Phone

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00011)
Oracle & Philips Launch E-Mail For Screen Phone 10/05/95
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, 1995 OCT 5 (NB) -- Oracle Corp. (NASDAQ:ORCL) and
Philips Home Services demonstrated at the Telecom 95 trade show their
electronic-mail service for Philips' screen phones. The service will be
available in the United States in the first quarter of 1996, Philips
spokesman Paul Chapple told Newsbytes, and elsewhere later.

The e-mail service will make it possible to exchange messages with anyone
who has an Internet e-mail address, Chapple said. While the obvious market
for e-mail equipped screen phones seems to be consumers who do not have
personal computers and modems, Chapple said Philips actually hopes to sell
the technology to PC users as well.

The reason, he said, is that sending e-mail from a screen phone will be
much faster than turning on a PC, making a connection to an online service
or Internet access provider and then sending mail. What Philips and Oracle
will be pushing, he said, is "very fast, simple messaging."

If one assumed that a PC was being bought strictly for e-mail, the screen
phone would also be a cheaper option. Though not widely available in retail
outlets yet, the screen phones are currently selling for $450 to $500,
Chapple said. Most of the approximately 20,000 screen phones in use in the
United States today are leased through Citibank, which is offering them to
customers at $7 per month as part of a home-banking service. Those
customers will be the first to get the new e-mail service, Chapple said.

He added that the price of the phones continues to fall, from around
$1,000 three years ago, and Philips expects it to level off at a little
more than $200 within a couple of years. As the price drops, Chapple
said, widespread retail distribution will become more viable.

Receiving messages through the e-mail service will be free, and Chapple
said Philips and Oracle have not yet settled on the price for sending
messages.

(Grant Buckler/19951005/Press Contact: Paul Chapple, Philips Home
Services, 617-238-3414; Dawn Echols, Oracle, 415-506-9034)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/05/95
ONLINE
WebCrawler's New Interface, Sponsorships

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00012)
WebCrawler's New Interface, Sponsorships 10/05/95
VIENNA, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 5 (NB) -- America Online's
(NASDAQ:AMER) WebCrawler, an Internet World Wide Web search engine
available to all Web users free of charge, now has both a new interface
design and advertisers to possibly help keep the service free to use
by real Web crawlers.

Already, WebCrawler has indexed more than 60,000 Web sites, and more
than 3,000 are added per month, officials said.

The new WebCrawler interface is described as having "more colorful
graphics" to "heighten the experience of going into the area," Miriam
Grossman, America Online spokesperson, told Newsbytes. "We're a
graphically-oriented service, and enhanced graphics are a part of our
strategy."

Ted Leonsis, president of America Online Services, said the new
interface will make the exploration of the Web even easier.

WebCrawler's new interface also integrates advertising from five
charter sponsors. Flagship advertisers include American Airlines,
AT&T, and Netscape. The five distribution slots are rotated every few
seconds to insure uniform distribution, officials said, and advertisers
may by as many of the five weekly distributions as they like without
limitations.

WebCrawler advertising rates start at $22,000 per month, money that
will be used to keep the service free for all Internet users, Grossman
said.

Officials said Web surfers request more than nine million searches
each week, and more than 900,000 Internet users search the Web with
WebCrawler. This represents an 800 percent increase in usage in the
six months since AOL acquired WebCrawler.

Rob Wilen, general manager of WebCrawler, told Newsbytes the increase
in usage can be attributed more to the growth of the Web in general
rather than a direct result of the AOL acquisition. He also said a
majority of the traffic WebCrawler sees is not coming from AOL Web
surfers.

"One thing we can say is that had we not been acquired by America
Online, we would not have seen that growth, because we would not have
had the capacity to handle the kind of traffic we've had," Wilen said.

Other changes include promoting AOL branded services along with AOL's
Global Network Navigator (GNN) brand. In addition, advertising space
is being donated to Amnesty International, in a strategy similar to
the public service announcement on television and radio, Grossman told
Newsbytes.

The WebCrawler is located on the Web at http://webcrawler.com .
Developed at the University of Washington, officials said WebCrawler
was the first full-text search available on the Web.

(Bob Woods/19951005/Press Contact: Miriam Grossman, America Online,
703-918-2062; Potential sponsors should contact Jenny Shore at
510-883-7220)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/05/95
PC
UK - NEC Unveils Budget CD Jukebox System

(NEWS)(PC)(LON)(00013)
UK - NEC Unveils Budget CD Jukebox System 10/05/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 5 (NB) -- NEC has unveiled the MultiSpin,
claimed to be the industry's first internal quad-speed CD-ROM drive for
PCs that can also multichange between four full-size disks. Despite its
technical complexity, the unit, which fits into a single drive bay on a
PC, will sell for just UKP199 ($320).

According to Nick Bayat, NEC Business Equipment Division's CD-ROM
manager, the drive unit will be sold globally through NEC's various
operations, and at a broadly similar price. He told Newsbytes that the
product is unique in the market and, at the price, an amazing bargain.

"The idea is that storage is maximized, and handling of disks is
minimized. This means that time is saved on all the actions normally
associated with a CD-ROM drive, such as eject, play, and disk removal,"
he claimed.

Bayat went on to say that all the disk change functions are carried
out using on-screen instructions. "The Multispin 4x4 is revolutionary,
not only in terms of CD-ROM drive versatility and ease of use, but
also in terms of price," he said.

The drive was first conceived by NEC Japan at the beginning of the
year. "We then sat down and drew up a wish list for this unit in May
of this year, and now we have actual product," he said, adding that
the quad speed of the drive adds to the speed disk access times.

Operation time on the drive has been optimized to give a 250
millisecond access time to data on each disk. The drive has a memory
cache of 256 kilobytes, and an overall data transfer speed of 600
kilobytes-per-second.

As supplied, the drive is compatible with the Red, Yellow and Orange
(Part 2) book, CD-ROM XA, CD-Audio, and Photo CD (multi- and single-
session) standards.

(Steve Gold/19951005/Press Contact: Dan Bausor, Words Etc., +44-171-
938-4746, Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Reader Contact:
NEC Business Equipment Decision, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/05/95
WINDOWS
UK - Sophos Intros Windows 95 Virus Scanner

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(LON)(00014)
UK - Sophos Intros Windows 95 Virus Scanner 10/05/95
ABINGDON, OXFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 5 (NB) -- Sophos has
announced plans to ship a Windows 95 version of its Sweep virus
detection software. According to Richard Jacobs, Sophos' technical
manager, the package will ship from November.

Sophos is pricing the package at UKP295 for a year's subscription,
including 12 monthly updates. Newsbytes suggested that, given the
consumer market pitch by Microsoft for Windows 95, this price tag is
way too high.

"I agree that the price is high, but it is aimed at our corporate
users rather than consumers and is in line with pricing of Sweep for
our other platforms," he said, adding that the company does not
anticipate selling many in the first year of the package's lifetime.

"We're finding that, although a number of our corporate customers are
not going for Windows 95 immediately, many expect to migrate to the
new operating system within the next year, and it's this audience that
the Windows 95 edition of Sweep has been readied for," he said.

Jacobs said that there are some corporations that are going with Windows
95 now, rather than later, and they will want to install Sweep on
their systems. "My own view is that migrating to Windows 95 so soon
after the product's launch is rather cavalier, but that is why this
version of Sweep has been developed," he told Newsbytes.

According to Jacobs, Sweep is capable of detecting more than 7,000
viruses. While most DOS Viruses replicate under Windows 95, existing
Windows scanners cannot cope with the new operating system. Sweep for
Windows 95, on the other hand, runs as a continuous 32-bit application
and can therefore detect viruses in Windows 95 environment, Sophos
claims.

Jacobs, who headed up the Windows 95 development team for Sweep,
claims that the package combines the "accuracy and flexibility" for
which Sweep is known, "with the convenience of a modern GUI (graphical
user interface) application."

In use, Sweep can be scheduled to run at pre-determined times and
alerts are issued through Microsoft Exchange, if a virus is encountered.

Further details of Sweep can be found on Sophos' World Wide Web pages,
which are located at http://www.sophos.com/ .

(Steve Gold/19951005/Press & Reader Contact: Sophos, tel +44-1235-
559933, fax [phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/05/95
BUSINESS
British Telecom Forms Indian Joint Venture With Wipro

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00015)
British Telecom Forms Indian Joint Venture With Wipro 10/05/95
BANGALORE, INDIA, 1995 OCT 5 (NB) -- British Telecom (BT), has
announced the formation of a joint venture company with Wipro Limited
of India. The new company, Wipro BT, will offer VSAT (very small
aperture terminals) and VANS (value-added network services) to
companies across the Indian continent.

Announcing the formation of the new company, Ian McKenzie, general
manager of BT's Global Satellite Services, said that India is now the
tenth largest industrialized nation in the world, with more than
100,000 medium to large businesses established.

"Due to the poor terrestrial infrastructure and the increasing
requirement by business for high-speed connectivity, the current
opportunities for satellite solutions such as VSAT services are
superb. VSATs will be able to provide customers with fast and
efficient communications between cities and more remote areas," he
explained.

McKenzie argues that satellite systems will allow Indian businesses to
have a greater choice of communications services, greater flexibility,
and the ability to reach remote geographical regions.

"This is a whole new experience for many Indian companies faced with
the challenge of communicating effectively with their dispersed
operations around the country. Wipro BT services will help such
businesses improve their operational efficiency and, in turn, improve
the service they provide to their own customers," he explained.

According to Mr A. H. Premji, chairman of Wipro Corporation, Wipro BT
brings together Indian's technology leader with the global expertise
of BT. "It therefore heralds a new era in communications services
business communications in India," he said.

Wipro BT will be headquartered in Bangalore with four regional offices
and 82 customer service centers across India. Plans call for the
company to take on 100 staff in the first year, rising to 175 by the
end of the fifth year of operation.

The new company, which is 50/50 owned by the two parent firms, is
headed up by Anand Talwai, the chief executive, and Fritz Hoffecker,
who is the deputy chief executive.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951005/Press Contact: Katie King, Text 100,
tel [phone], fax [phone], Internet e-mail
[e-mail]; Reader Contact: BT Global Satellite Services,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/05/95
TRENDS
 ****Oracle's Vision Of Networked Future

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00016)
 ****Oracle's Vision Of Networked Future 10/05/95
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, 1995 OCT 5 (NB) -- Larry Ellison, chairman and
chief executive officer (CEO) of Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ:ORCL), has
unveiled his company's view of the future information superhighway at
the Telecom 95 expo in Geneva.

Ellison began by outlining the basic beliefs the company holds that
soon, personal computers will be replaced by new devices that rely
almost exclusively on fast networks and have very little intelligence
inside. Oracle's interactive television set-top box, currently being
used in trials in the United Kingdom and the US, is the first example
of such a next-generation device.

"Fast, cheap, networks mean computers will cost $500, not $5,000," he
explained, dubbing the new devices network computers, or NCs, as
opposed to today's personal computers.

Network computers and similar devices, such as the interactive video
set-top box, contain almost no software, just a basic input/output
system (BIOS) system, and download a complete operating system when
switched on. This whole process takes only seconds to complete.

"An NC is very different (to a PC): just $500 and two connectors --
one for electrons, one for bits," he said referring to the power
connection and network data port.

The advantages of NCs are many, he explained, "If there is a new
operating system you don't go down to the store - you turn the NC on
the next day and it's there. It's not a major cultural event!"

Using existing technology, such machines can be made for less money,
and attain higher performance than PCs he said, "The reason you need
16 megabytes (MB) of memory is that Windows 95 needs 8MB - half for
them, half for you." NCs will require between 4MB and 8MB of
memory to accomplish any number of multimedia tasks, Ellison claimed.

The machines will not have to wait for new technology either, "For
$20 we can buy a faster microprocessor than an Intel Pentium at
$460 - sounds like a good deal to me!" he added.

In a world full of cheap, almost disposable, network computers, users
will be able to carry a smart card to allow access to the network.
Because all programs are downloaded from the network, and because
everyone's personal data files and backups are stored on servers
connected to the system it will be possible to slide a card into any
NC and instantly begin work, as if the user were at home using their
own machine.

"Network computers will not replace PCs, after all the PC didn't
replace the mainframe. PCs have hundreds of thousands of uses, the NC
just has four: Internet browsing, electronic-mail, word processing,
and videoconferencing," he said, adding, "By the way, that's all I
ever do with my PC, and that's all my friends ever do with theirs!"

Alongside the NC and interactive TV set-top box, Oracle envisages a
family of network appliances all connected to the high-speed data
highway. Internet screen telephones and personal digital assistants
with facilities such as two-way paging were two such advantages.

After outlining his, and the company's vision of the future, Ellison
then moved onto more specific areas and, in particular, the area of
video across the network.

Through a collection of new products, the US-based company envisages
"video enabling the Internet." Ellison demonstrated a new Oracle
written World Wide Web browser and server.

The browser, Ellison explained, was fully Netscape-compatible, and
supported Java and Visual Basic applets and local databases. The
Oracle software was built with video in mind, whereas other browsers
currently available, such as Netscape, could display video, but were
really unsuited for the task he said, adding later, "Netscape's a
kind of old-style browser. It will be obsolete next year."

Oracle's web servers will work in cooperation with each other by
establishing local caches of information at points around the world,
meaning accessing sites halfway across the world over congested lines
could become much less common. Instead, users will simply be accessing
a local server with the whole process being invisible to the user.
This system would also take a lot of the "hit and miss" out of Internet
access, he claimed.

The new software, and market forces, will take the Internet into the
video-age Ellison predicted. He outlined his predicted most important
applications as: education, commerce, ads, news-on-demand, and
entertainment.

Entertainment services, and particularly movies-on-demand, will not
drive future growth Ellison predicted, "Movies-on-demand are silly.
There are numerous things to do with a network, the cable companies
can't justify a new network just for movies-on-demand. We can think of
nothing less important than movies-on-demand."

The Web browser was demonstrated accessing a news-on-demand service
that Oracle had set up with NBC News reports running across a local
area network (LAN). To prove it worked in the real world, Ellison
moved on to a commercial application, CD Now, where he could sample
and buy CDs. That system was running across ISDN (integrated
services digital network) connections to the Internet and accessing
the store's server in Northern California, he said.

Both systems contained virtually no intelligence and were downloading
all the information and software needed to run the applications across
the network.

Commerce was another important future application, said Ellison. He
forecasted that, despite there being electronic markets for stocks and
shares, "There are no effective electronic markets for Rolex watches
or Sony Handycams. But there should be, there can be, and there will be."

Oracle was already embracing online commerce by offering its software
via the Internet. He explained the company's position on software sales,
saying, "It's uneconomical and immoral to deliver software any other
way then electronically."

Responding to reporters questions after the presentation, Ellison
said that he believed Netscape was "enormously vulnerable" to
competition, especially from the likes of Oracle because "Netscape
achieved number one position in a market with no competitors by
giving away its software."

He added humorously, "We think Netscape is as exciting as 3DO. Not
since Go Corp. have I been so excited about a company!"

(Martyn Williams/19951005)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/05/95
BUSINESS
Germany - Preussag Sells Off Hagenuk Operation

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00017)
Germany - Preussag Sells Off Hagenuk Operation 10/05/95
HANNOVER, GERMANY, 1995 OCT 5 (NB) -- Preussag Systemhaus, the German
industrial group, has announced the sale of Hagenuk Telecom to Escom,
the PC manufacturer, for an undisclosed sum.

The sale of Hagenuk is significant, since it marks the final stage
in Preussag's announced intention to divest itself of its telecoms
subsidiaries, leaving it free to concentrate on the light and heavy
industries, which are becoming extremely competitive in Germany,
Newsbytes notes.

Announcing the deal, Manfred Schmitt, Preussag's senior stockholder,
said that the sale is part of the group's "strategic disinvestment" in
the telecoms market, which started last year when Preussag sold its
entire main telecoms division to RWE, another German company.

Hagenuk Telecom is perhaps best known for its mobile telecoms products
and accessories. Preussag officials said that the Kiel-based Hagenuk
electronics division, as distinct from Hagenuk Telecom, will remain
under the company's control.

Preussag is under pressure in the German industrial market, Newsbytes
notes. The company's Hagenuk operation, which is headquartered in
Kiel, Germany, and included (until this week's sale) the Hagenuk
Telecom operation, reported a loss of around DM99 million on sales of
DM400 million in the year to October, 1994.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951005/Press & Reader Contact: Preussag Systemhaus
GmbH, tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/05/95
TELECOM
Germany's Siemens In Digital Comms Joint Ventures

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00018)
Germany's Siemens In Digital Comms Joint Ventures 10/05/95
ERLANGEN, GERMANY, 1995 OCT 5 (NB) -- Siemens has announced the
formation of two cross-border joint ventures with, respectively,
Italtel in Italy, and General Electric in the UK.

The joint ventures center around the development of SDH (synchronous
digital hierarchy) products for sale on a pan-European basis, and
build on the links on the electronics technology fronts that Siemens
already has with the other two companies.

The General Electric joint venture, Newsbytes notes, centers around
the GPT telecoms company that both companies have a stake in.

According to officials with Siemens, the aim of the joint ventures is
to further a fledgling technology known as synchronous transport
evolution (STE), which the companies have been working on.

Siemens has been very active on the networking front in the last
month. Last week saw the German information technology giant
acquire Ornet Data Communications Technologies (ODCT), the Israeli
networking company, along with its US subsidiary, O-Net, for an
undisclosed sum.

Ornet was acquired, officials said at the time, for its knowledge of
the switched Ethernet market, which will add to Siemens Network
Systems Ethernet products portfolio. Siemens has refused to say
whether the Ornet acquisition is tied in with the SDH links with
General Electric in the UK or Italtel in Italy.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951005/Press & Reader Contact: Siemens,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/05/95
GENERAL
UK - Mercury Comms To Sponsor Kids Multimedia Exhibit

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00019)
UK - Mercury Comms To Sponsor Kids Multimedia Exhibit 10/05/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 5 (NB) -- Mercury Communications, in
collaboration with parent company Cable & Wireless, has announced
plans to sponsor a "live" communications network exhibition, to be
held in the London's Science Museum.

According to Mercury, the exhibition, which will run for five years,
is dedicated to children visiting the museum and gives them the
opportunity to experiment with old and new achievements in
communications technology.

Inside the exhibition, the kid's host, Digit the Dog, will help
visitors to tour the system which is built in six different places of
the Science Museum.

According to Mercury, the system is called "The Network" and a seventh
terminal is located in the National Museum of Photography, Film and
Television in Bradford, almost 200 miles away. On every terminal, a
video camera and a touch-screen has been installed, so that children
can interact remotely on a videoconferencing link and work together on
solving puzzles and playing games, for example.

Announcing the exhibition, which opens later this year, Peter Howell-
Davies, Mercury's chief executive, said that, while many children are
acquainted with the modern technology such as computers and printers,
they don't get many opportunities to interact with communications and
networking technology.

Howell-Davies claims that many adults, meanwhile, due to the nature of
their jobs, never had the chance to explore the new technological
facilities, and the exhibition will create a great opportunity for
them to become familiar with modern technologies.

"Although use of home computers and multimedia programs is growing
rapidly, many children, as indeed many adults, still don't have access
to this kind of technology. We believe that everyone should have an
opportunity to experience the latest developments in communications
and see where this exciting technology is going," he said.

"By supporting this exhibition, which demonstrates this technology in
an entertaining and educational matter, we will be helping to close
this gap," he added.

Mercury SwitchBand, a pay-as-you-use digital communications service
used for videoconferencing applications, will support the link from
London to Bradford. According to Mercury, the service has the ability
to handle short bursts of high-volume traffic. SwitchBand is already
widely used in distance learning and telemedicine applications.

Mercury and Cable & Wireless are planning to built extensions for the
exhibition in the cities of Leeds, Hong Kong, and in the Bermuda
Islands.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951005/Press Contact: Emma Tarring, Mercury Press
Office, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/05/95
TRENDS
 ****Distribution Key As Internetworking Firms Converge

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TOR)(00020)
 ****Distribution Key As Internetworking Firms Converge 10/05/95
BOCA RATON, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 5 (NB) -- Both local area
networking (LAN) and wide area networking (WAN) companies are trying
to broaden their product lines to address the internetworking market
from end to end, says the co-author of a recent study. While the
companies' strategies vary widely, distribution is a critical factor.

Mergers, acquisitions, and alliances among companies in the internetworking
market will also continue as the various firms try to put together complete
product offerings, said Tom Nelms, vice-president of the Chandler Group
and co-author of the research firm's recent study, "Market, Product &
Distribution Report: Internetworking Companies."

"All of the top internetworking companies basically are working toward a
strategy of end-to-end computing," Nelms said, and alliances are key part
of their strategies. In other ways, he added, the strategies of different
companies vary.

For instance, Cisco Systems Inc. is trying to build on its large installed
base of routers, essentially telling customers that since Cisco got them
to where they are in internetworking, it will get them from there to where
they want to go. Smaller specialists in asynchronous transfer mode (ATM)
technology are countering that by saying "Don't listen to that, they did
get you there, but they aren't going to get you out," Nelms said.

Fore Systems Inc. is positioning itself as the company that can make ATM
work, while Newbridge Networks Inc. is trying to build on its strength
in the telecommunications sector, Nelms said. But for these and other
internetworking contenders, distribution is "the name of the game," he
maintained.

In much of the internetworking market, tiered distribution is increasingly
common, with companies selecting a few big resellers to deal with directly,
while everyone else must go through national distributors such as Merisel,
Tech Data, and Ingram. This is not as true in the fledgling ATM market,
Nelms noted.

Nelms described the internetworking market as a hotbed of mergers and
acquisitions, pointing in particular to Cisco's acquisitions, and
Newbridge's apparent strategy of investing in various companies and
leaving them alone until they produce some technology Newbridge can use.

He said the pattern of consolidation will probably continue, as will
the growth of the internetworking business as a whole. "I think the
internetworking space is the growth area of high-tech at the moment,"
he said.

(Grant Buckler/19951005/Press Contact: Pat Colbert, Chandler Group,
407-392-9220)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/05/95
WINDOWS
ABC Graphics Goes 3-D

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(DEN)(00021)
ABC Graphics Goes 3-D 10/05/95
RICHARDSON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 5 (NB) -- Micrografx Inc.
(NASDAQ: MGXI) has added three-dimensional (3-D) capability to its ABC
Graphics Suite with the inclusion of Instant 3D for Windows 95 from
Visual Software.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95100521.PCX
Click here for photo

The new version of ABC Graphics Suite has an estimated street price
of $299.95. Current users of an older version of ABC Graphics,
competitive products, and Microsoft Office, can upgrade for about
$149.95 to include the 3-D capability.

Micrografx spokesperson Ingo Heel told Newsbytes Instant 3D will
be available by the end of the month.

ABC Graphics Suite is an integrated collection of software that
lets the user do diagramming, flowcharting, clip-art management,
painting, image editing, and drawing. With its Microsoft Office
for Windows 95 interface the user can add 3-D text and graphics
to any component of the Office software suite. You can apply 3-D
effects to documents produced in Micrografx Designer or
PicturePublisher or in Word for Windows document, PowerPoint
presentations, or other Windows 95 applications.

Micrografx said Instant 3D's Office interface lets users create
effects like turning text into a 3-D object wrapped in a texture like
wood or chrome, or choose from hundreds of included 3-D clip-art
objects like planes, balloons and 3-D buttons for use in creating
your own home page on the Internet's World Wide Web. Textures
include stones, wood, skin, and even red chili peppers, and the
clip-art can be spun and scaled.

The Micrografx ABC Graphics Suite integrates Windows 95 versions
of Designer, Flow Charter, PicturePublisher, and Media Manager.
The company said the 32-bit performance speeds up operations
like file open, graphic importation and creation, and filter
application by as much as two or three times. Micrografx said there
is also a significant improvement in functions that include OLE
(object linking and embedding) tasks like drag-and-drop, in-place
editing, and 32-bit OLE automation.

Instant 3D works with the user's application by adding its own
button bar and menu option. It uses standard Windows TrueType fonts
that can be extruded, beveled, wrapped along a line, and deformed
using a variety of pre-defined shapes.

Media Manager, one of the applications in the ABC Graphics Suite,
is a new product that makes it easier to perform tasks like dragging
and dropping clip-art, photos, and diagramming symbols into, and out
of, ABC Graphics Suite or other Windows 95 application. Media
Manager can handle more than 50 file formats including TIFF, BMP,
DXF, and Coreldraw.

ABC Graphics Suite comes with over 20,000 pieces of clip-art,
more than 7,500 photos, 2,000 diagramming symbols, and 250
fonts. Micrografx operates a home page on the Internet at
http://www.micrografx.com .

(Jim Mallory/19951005/Press contact: Ingo Heel, Micrografx,
214-994-6369; Public contact: Micrografx, 800-676-3110 or
214-234-1769/ABC-3D951005/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/05/95
WINDOWS
ABI Offers Business Listings On CD

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(DEN)(00022)
ABI Offers Business Listings On CD 10/05/95
OMAHA, NEBRASKA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 5 (NB) -- American Business
Information Inc.(NASDAQ:ABI) has released three new CD-ROMs that
collectively contain almost six million listings of business
professionals, small business owners, and women who own businesses.
ABI promotes the information collections as "sources for sales leads."

ABI is shipping "3.7 Million Small Business Owners," "1.1 Million
Professionals," and "1.1 Million Female Business Owners, Executives
and Professionals." The company said the disks contain telephone-
verified address, telephone number, and demographic information.

You can find the full name, company name, mailing address, telephone
and fax number, number of employees, sales volume, industry code
(SIC), and even credit rating codes. The company said it takes just
seconds to sort through the millions of records. Records can be
viewed on-screen, and custom-targeted lists can be printed to
mailing labels.

When you order one of the new CD-ROM disks, you are purchasing a
license that lets you search the database and to download up to
1,000 records. A meter on the disk keeps track of how many you have
used. You can purchase additional thousand-record blocks up to the
full capacity of the disk. The price for 1,000 records is $395.
The cost includes a spring and fall update.

In addition to the new databases being shipped, ABI publishes a
multi-language talking yellow pages program that allows the user
to select the default language (English, French, or Spanish) and the
gender of the voice that speaks the information. You can search for
a listing by name or by phone number, but can't download or print the
data. The program has a street price of about $20 and includes about
10 million records. There is also a version of the same program that
sells for about $49 that lets the user download or print the records.

The company also offers its "70 Million Household Numbers," a
residential listing on CD-ROM, a nine-digit ZIP directory, and
specialized listings for various industries, including medical
and health, with a street price of about $20.

(Jim Mallory/19951005/Press contact: Bill Chasse, ABI, 402-593-4500;
Public contact: ABI, 402-593-4500 or 800-624-0076 to order)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/05/95
NETWORK
Artisoft Ships Euro Language LANtastic Power Suite

(NEWS)(NETWORK)(DEN)(00023)
Artisoft Ships Euro Language LANtastic Power Suite 10/05/95
TUCSON, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 5 (NB) -- Artisoft Inc. has
announced shipment of European language versions of its
LANtastic Power Suite and its LANtastic Dedicated Server.

You can now get French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Dutch versions
of Power Suite, and French, Italian, German, and Dutch Versions of
Server.

Power Suite is version 6.1 of Artisoft's LANtastic network operating
system combined with communications software. LANtastic Dedicated
Server is a 32-bit drop-in server for networks running LANtastic
version 5.0 and higher, as well as LANtastic Power Suite.

The company said the European localized versions consists of five
integrated products: the LANtastic network operating system; the
Cheyenne Communications Bitware fax and modem communications software;
Cheyenne's Bitshare modem-sharing and pooling software; Lotus cc:Mail
communications software; and Lotus Organizer networked group scheduler
and personal information manager (PIM).

Artisoft is offering the localized versions of Power Suite as
software-only packages for one, five, 10 or 25 users. You can also
get: two-user starter kits that include the software, network interface
cards and cable; add-on kits with software and a network interface
card, and upgrade kits for one, five, 10 or 25 users. The packages can
be combined in networks of 100 or more workstations.

Artisoft said LANtastic Dedicated Server drop-in software is
designed for from two to 100 users on its LANtastic networks,
version 5.0 and later, as well as the LANtastic Power Suite. The
company claims the software can improve file access, enhance printer
response, and increase overall network throughput by from 66 to 100
percent. Those results are based on customer feedback and recent
tests conducted by the company.

You can obtain the localized versions of Dedicated Server in
packages for two-10 users, and you can get a kit to upgrade from
the earlier Corstream server version 1.0 to LANtastic Dedicated
Server version 1.1. Artisoft also offers licenses for five, 10, 25,
and 50 users with a six-language installation guide.

(Jim Mallory/19951005/Press contact: Bill Peterson, Artisoft,
520-670-7304; Public contact: Artisoft, tel [phone] or
520-670-7100, fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/05/95
ONLINE
BBN Launches Web Page, Plans Threading, "Visionaries"

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(BOS)(00024)
BBN Launches Web Page, Plans Threading, "Visionaries" 10/05/95
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 5 (NB) -- BBN, the
"founder of the Internet," will soon add threaded conferencing.
along with input from "industry visionaries," to a newly launched
Web page that already includes offerings like a special section
for CEOs (chief executive officers) and CIOs (chief information
officers), plus TechWatch, for highlighting emerging technologies
at BBN, revealed BBN's Catherine Miller, in an interview with
Newsbytes.

A major intent behind BBN's new spot in Cyberspace is to produce
a "corporate document" for publishing "engaging" corporate and
industry information. "Not many companies are really doing that
on the Web yet," maintained Miller, who decided to revamp BBN's
previous home page after moving from the job of communications
projects manager to the newly created slot of manager of
interactive communications at BBN.

The Web "document" will also provide lots of interactivity and
"collaborative interlinking" among BBN, its various subsidiaries,
outside partners, and the business and technology public at
large, according to Miller.

"BBN is very complex, and the Web is an ideal way to show it to
people," the BBN manager told Newsbytes. The home page opened
this week with several "magazine-style" sections, she noted. This
month, the new TechWatch highlights BodyLAN (local area network),
a technology now under development at BBN that uses sensors
placed on the human body, in addition to PDAs (personal digital
assistants) and wireless LANs, to transmit information on bodily
functions.

"BBN has a lot of rich technologies, and BodyLAN is only the
first one that will be featured in TechWatch." BodyLAN carries
the potential for commercial applications ranging from physical
therapy to sports training, she asserted.

Meanwhile, BBN's new electronic magazine "section" for CEOs and
CIOs has kicked off with a sweeping examination of whether so-
called "productivity tools" actually generate productivity. The
section includes online "feature stories," along with "sidebars"
on topics such as intelligent agents, Newsbytes was told.

What, specifically, is in store for the future? Another online
"section" is now under development, with "techies" as its target
audience. Beyond that, BBN plans to add conference threading,
plus Sound Board, a special forum that will include "invited
guests."

Plans for real-time discussions are also in the works, and
industry luminaries like Bill Bluestein and Charles Ferguson have
both agreed to write articles for the BBN Web page. "You'll be
able to click on the article to respond," Miller disclosed. You
can access BBN's new home page on the Web at http://www.bbn.com .

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951005/Reader Contact: BBN, 617-873-4000;
Press Contact: John Vincenzo, Fitzgerald Communications for BBN,
617-494-9500)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/05/95
TELECOM
UK - Low-Cost ISDN Card Intro'd

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00025)
UK - Low-Cost ISDN Card Intro'd 10/05/95
LONDONDERRY, NORTHERN IRELAND, 1995 OCT 5 (NB) -- AVM Telecom,
claimed to be Europe's leading supplier of ISDN (integrated service
digital network) controllers, has launched the UK's cheapest ISDN
system. Pricing in at just UKP198 ($320), the AVM A1 ISDN PC card is
being sold into the UK and German markets initially.

AVM, Newsbytes notes, is Germany's largest ISDN controller
manufacturer and has more than 50 percent of the German domestic
market. The company claims this new UK price point will encourage many
smaller companies and Internet users to take advantage of the data
throughput and cost advantages of ISDN.

The AVM A1 version 3.0 is a short 16-bit PC card for ISA/EISA
(Industry Standard Architecture/Extended ISA) PC buses, and supports
the industry standard of two 64,000 bits-per-second (bps) B channels,
and a single 16,000 bps D channel.

The card bundle includes driver software for the ETSI (European
Technical Standards Institute) standard, as well as for all major
national ISDN protocols. It is also supplied with drivers for all
popular operating systems including DOS, Windows 3.11, and Windows 95.
The Windows drivers are native 32 bit VxD drivers.

Announcing the PC card, Paul Dukes, AVM Telecom's UK marketing
director, said that the new price point now brings ISDN cards to a
comparable price level to that of quality V.34 modems. "To date, the
market for ISDN in the UK has been hampered by the high cost of hardware
and connection. But now with this fall in hardware costs, most companies
who use the Internet regularly, or who transfer large amounts of data,
could offset the initial installation cost against a reduction in call
charges," he explained.

"Our experience elsewhere in Europe has been extremely positive and we
expect this move to have a significant effect on the UK market," he
added.

In the UK, AVM will be bundling the A1 ISDN card with a new PC comms
application, called EZ-Com. According to the company, EZ-Com enables
the use of standard modem-orientated communications software over
ISDN. This, the company claims, allows standard comms packages such as
Procomm Plus for Windows or PC Anywhere for Windows to be used with
AVM's new A1 card at speeds of up to 128,000 bps.

AVM also claims that EZ-Com also works with standard dial-up Internet
software such as NetManage from Chameleon, or Trumpet Winsock. AVM
EZ-Com supports V.110 as well as synchronous and asynchronous PPP
(point-to-point protocol).

(Steve Gold/19951005/Press Contact: Nick Spencer, [phone],
Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Reader Contact: AVM
Telecom, tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/05/95
BUSINESS
NEC Opens PC Divisions In Spain & Sweden

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00026)
NEC Opens PC Divisions In Spain & Sweden 10/05/95
MADRID, SPAIN, 1995 OCT 5 (NB) -- NEC has announced it is opening new
PC division offices in Spain and Sweden. The move comes after soaring
sales of its PC products in those countries, through its existing
distributor arrangements.

The opening of the new offices means that NEC will now have five sales
offices dotted around Europe, including locations in Germany, Italy,
and the UK. The company has also outlined plans to open a sixth office
in Paris, France, early in the New Year.

Announcing the opening of the Spanish and Swedish offices, Graeme
Simons, European product marketing manager for NEC Europe's PC
division, said that the move to expand the company's PC business in
Europe over the next few months asserts its presence in the region.

"It represents a very exciting time for the PC division -- both our
new, strong product portfolio+ and our increased visibility will make
it a formidable competitor in the European marketplace and will enable
us to offer a truly European service to our customers," he said.

The Spanish office is located in Madrid, while the Swedish office is
situated in Bromma. The opening of the new offices comes just as the
company has taken the wraps off the Versa 4000, its new flagship
notebook system,

The Versa 4000 is based on a 2.9-volt Pentium chipset that runs at 75
or 90 megahertz (MHz). Other features of the notebook include a 540 or
720 megabyte (MB) hard disk, and a bundled CD-ROM. Three versions of
the machine are available in Europe: the 4000 D/540 at UKP2,795;
the 4000C/720 at UKP3,350; and the 4050H/720 at UKP3,795.

(Steve Gold/19951005/Press Contact: Samantha Baxter, Words Etc,
[phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Reader
Contact: NEC, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/05/95
TRENDS
 ****Microsoft's "Harder Side" Better To Hit - Survey

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(BOS)(00027)
 ****Microsoft's "Harder Side" Better To Hit - Survey 10/05/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 5 (NB) -- Although 69
percent of PC users are "cautious" about Windows 95, Microsoft is
still "strongly perceived as delivering good products," and vendors
who want to take on the software giant should hit at Microsoft's
"harder side," said Peter Moran, president of IDG's Marketing
Services Division, during a presentation of IDG survey results in
Boston.

In related findings, IDG also uncovered strong brand loyalty among
Apple customers, as well as among users of the Microsoft Excel and
Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheets and the Microsoft Word and
Novell/WordPerfect word processing programs, Moran and two analyst
colleagues contended at the meeting, which was attended by
Newsbytes.

As previously reported in Newsbytes, the survey also suggested that
PC makers such as Compaq, Dell and Gateway have landed in the top
bracket of the industry by providing qualities like "reliability"
and "high performance" that appeal to "heavyweight" customers.
Other companies that wish to gain market share should also target
the same group of users, Moran and the other two analysts advised,
during a portion of the presentation called "Brand and the Buying
Process."

But in a solo talk at the meeting for high tech marketers, Moran
shined the analytical spotlight on Microsoft. Recent press reports
concerning Microsoft have tended to focus on lower than expected
retail sales of Windows 95, the company president pointed out. But
at the same time, Microsoft was widely regarded as "making great
products" by the group of 2,031 business managers, computer
professionals, and home users who responded to IDG's survey on the
PC industry.

When asked about their "attitudes toward Windows 95," only 31
percent of the survey participants replied, "It has beneficial
features, and I'm looking forward to it." Another 20 percent
answered, "I'm happy now, and don't need it."

But 49 percent -- or almost half -- told IDG, "It's a version 1.0
product, and I'm skeptical," Moran said during his speech, which
was entitled "Competing in PC Software In a Windows 95 World."

Users also think that Microsoft has "too much dominance over the
software industry," Moran added. Yet conversely, the customers
"don't worry about Microsoft's dominance." Only 13 percent of the
respondents reported that they "don't like" Microsoft's dominance,
and merely ten percent expressed personal concern over being "too
dependent on Microsoft."

"Customers are open to new (software) products, so software
marketers have an opportunity," Moran informed the audience.
Microsoft, however, led on all five characteristics rated by the
respondents as "strong motivators" for trying a new software
product: "works seamlessly with desktop operating systems; improves
teamwork and data sharing; lower support cost; works seamlessly
with network operating system; and company has clear vision."

And Microsoft also came out number one among the respondents on
both "harder" personality attributes (technology leadership,
visionary, successful, innovative, smart/savvy), and "softer"
attributes (trustworthy, caring about what customers think, down
to earth/friendly, "cool or hip").

But other major software vendors had their own followings, too.
Novell received a 51 percent rating as "best product" for the
characteristic of "works seamlessly with network operating
systems," versus Microsoft's 66 percent. Lotus got 23 percent of
the users' votes for "improves teamwork and data sharing," as
opposed to 51 percent for Microsoft.

On both the "harder" and "softer" personality attributes, Microsoft
scored 64 percent, in contrast to 21 percent for Novell and 15
percent for Lotus.

During the co-delivered talk on "Brand and the Buying Process,"
Scott Kleinman, director of strategic research for IDG's Marketing
Division, noted that, since a similar IDG study last year,
Microsoft Word has surpassed Novell's WordPerfect in "top-of-mind-
awareness" for word processors, and that Microsoft Excel has done
the same over Lotus 1-2-3 among spreadsheets.

But on the other hand, the numbers of users who said they wanted to
"stand by their brand" were exactly the same this year for Excel
and 1-2-3: 12 percent for both spreadsheets.

And the numbers of customers who said they would "make a strong
stand or actively plead with the boss" to use a particular word
processor actually increased more significantly this year for
WordPerfect (rising from 50 percent to 58 percent) than for Word
(inching up one point to 51 percent).

In the PC hardware realm, Apple scored a resounding 36 percent on
brand loyalty, in comparison to just 2 percent for Packard Bell,
said Jeff Goodell, a partner at Griggs/Anderson/Prescott.

And in the portable PC market, Apple took second place among all
brands, at 20 percent, in terms of "customers willing to pay a
price premium." Winning first place this year on that question, at
28 percent, was IBM, a company that has "surged quite a bit" in
the portable arena from its previous 20 percent, according to
Kleinman. Apple's score on the question last year was 46 percent.

Also in this year's survey, Apple ranked number two behind IBM for
both "awareness" and "consideration" in the home market, Kleinman
said. Compaq came in third among the home users, and Packard Bell
fourth.

In a meeting with Newsbytes at the close of the presentation, Moran
said that, although Apple's strategy is proving successful in the
home market, and probably in specialized business markets such as
publishing, IDG's survey results indicate that Apple does not seem
to be capturing the "heavyweight" users who buy most of the PCs.

Among desktop PC brands "preferred" by the heavyweights, Apple came
in sixth at seven percent. Also among the "top eight" were: Compaq
and Dell (tied at 22 percent each); Gateway (16 percent); Hewlett-
Packard (11 percent); IBM (8 percent); Digital Equipment Corp. (6
percent); and AST (4 percent).

(Jacqueline Emigh/19950105/Reader Contact: IDG, 508-875-5000;
Meghan Dvora, Alexander Communications for IDG, 415-923-1660)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/05/95
SUPERCOMPUTER
Silicon Graphics Supercomputer Picked For Europe Project

(NEWS)(SUPERCOMPUTER)(LAX)(00028)
Silicon Graphics Supercomputer Picked For Europe Project 10/05/95
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 5 (NB) -- Silicon
Graphics Inc. (NYSE: SGI) has announced that its Power ChallengeArray
multiprocessor supercomputing system has been selected as an official
parallel processing architecture by Europort-2. The supercomputer will
be used by a variety of government and private institutions and will
be managed by Smith System Engineering.

Europort is a formation of 32 consortia comprised of major
industries and institutions throughout Europe. Europort-2 is the
second supercomputer project funded by the European Commission.
Some of the end-user partners include: Bayer, British Aerospace,
Merck, Ericsson, Municipality of Barcelona, Philips, and Unilver.

Europort claims its "main objective is to create a European Community
of industrial users who are able to exploit the opportunities provided
by the use of parallel high-performance computing in order to enhance
their competitiveness." Some of the applications include computational
chemistry, oil and gas industrial simulation, computational
electromagnetics, earth observation, network simulation, and drug
design.

Mark Burger, manager of industrial chemistry for Silicon Graphics,
told Newsbytes, "In just the area of pharmaceuticals there is no limit
to the power and size needed to model potential compounds. With the
Power ChallengeArray multiprocessor supercomputing system, configured
for Europort, scientists will be able to model a single molecule of a
drug in a vacuum or in water to determine its attributes. In the future
they will want to be able to model that drug moving through a membrane
in the stomach, varying such things as temperature and pressure."

"We expect the results to show that parallel processing on Power
ChallengeArray systems give the industry a significant improvement
in throughput and productivity," said Dave Orton, vice president and
general manager of Silicon Graphics' Advanced Systems Division. "This
allows the industry to address new and more complex problems in
computational chemistry, while allowing current computations to be
performed in an interactive fashion through the graphical front-end."

Under the agreement between Silicon Graphics and Europort-2, the
system to be used is the 64-processor Power ChallengeArray system
at the Silicon Graphics European Supercomputing Technology Center,
located at Silicon Graphics' manufacturing facility in Cortaillod,
Switzerland.

Silicon Graphics supercomputing systems are deployed by research
and development laboratories and corporations around the world.
Installations include: the National Center of Supercomputing
Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois, BMW, Bristol
Meyers Squibb, Chevron, Glaxo Welcome, Texaco, NASA, Ford,
Schlumberger, the University of Maryland, and the University of
Delaware.

(Richard Bowers/19950905/Press Contact: Ginny Babbitt, Silicon
Graphics, 415-390-2527 )




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/05/95
TRENDS
 ****Technology Executives Conservative About Future

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(DEN)(00029)
 ****Technology Executives Conservative About Future 10/05/95
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 5 (NB) -- It's a tough job, but
someone has to do it, and several hundred top executives from leading
technology companies traveled to the Arizona desert mecca of Scottsdale
recently to decide important technology issues, in addition to their
favorite ice cream flavor.

The meeting wasn't all fun and games. In addition to picking Ben &
Jerry's Cherry "Garcia" as the flavor of choice for the ninth annual
ice cream social, the industry leaders concluded that: Apple Computer
is in trouble; Compaq, Intel, America Online, and Compuserve are riding
high; and the traditional computer retail outlets are becoming
increasingly less important.

The industry leaders probably didn't have much trouble declaring
Apple is in difficulty. The company has continued to lose market
share and its chief financial officer quit this week, just 24 hours
after the Agenda Conference participants made their pronouncements.
More than half of the respondents said they are currently selling or
developing Macintosh products, but just eight percent expects to
still be doing so in 1996.

Apple also faces a serious problem in the decline of developers
willing to write new software for the Macintosh platform. More and
more developers, seeing their vision of the future through Windows,
have elected to write for that platform instead of for Apple's
offering. Hardware platforms rely on software for their acceptance,
and even Microsoft's public assurance that the software company will
continue to develop products for the Mac can't assure its future,
claim some analysts.

America Online and Compuserve are also logical bets. Both offer
graphical user interface software and an Internet connection
for their subscribers. To further sweeten its offering, Compuserve
this week announced a $4.95 per month worldwide Internet access
service that provides the consumer three hours of "net" access and
includes free access software.

Personal digital assistants have fallen out of favor somewhat.
This year, about half the executives predict PDA sales will reach
$100 million by the year 1999, but only eight percent said their
companies will develop software for the compact devices. At last
year's gathering the survey predicted PDAs would break the $100
million barrier by 1997 and 30 percent of the respondents planning
to develop PDA applications.

Another shift from last year's survey is the expectation of slightly
more than half the Agenda participants predicting a reduction in
the importance of retail stores to the distribution of product,
with mass merchandisers, computer superstores, and consumer
electronics channels gaining ground. The executives also predicted
the Internet or other online distribution methods would become more
important.

Most of the participants predicted PC sales will grow slowly but
steadily around the world, with the growth rate being 10 to 25
percent annually. "This is a very conservative prediction, given
that most other data predicts growth, particularly in Europe," said
Stewart Alsop, executive vice president of Infoworld Publishing
Company and the initiator of the annual survey.

In what could be bad news for the companies scrambling to bring
the world to the living rooms of America, just over half of the
technology top dogs said the PC will still be the device consumers
are most likely to use to access the information superhighway in
the year 2000. One-fourth predict a household network switch will
replace the PC by the end of the century, with a TV set-top box
the next most popular choice.

The Agenda survey was conducted by Intelliquest Inc., an
Austin,Texas-based international market research firm.

(Jim Mallory/19951005/Press contact: Deb McAlister, Infoworld,
800-381-3546)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00030)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 10/05/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 5 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|           Thursday, October 5, 1995            |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network's 1995 Update CD-ROM for Mac, DOS, and Windows is
now available for $29.95 (includes s&h). Contains 1983-1995 news
stories, more than 64,000 keyword searchable stories and 475 digitized
images. For more information or to order, fax to 612-430-0441 or e-mail
to '[e-mail]' -- MC, Visa, Amex accepted.

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

BUSINESS  China - Bay Networks Hopes For A Larger Market Share....... 07

BUSINESS  Silicon Graphics Asia Restructuring On The Cards........... 09

BUSINESS  British Telecom Forms Indian Joint Venture With Wipro...... 15

BUSINESS  Germany - Preussag Sells Off Hagenuk Operation............. 17

BUSINESS  NEC Opens PC Divisions In Spain & Sweden................... 26

GENERAL   Hong Kong - Computer Society Calls for Accountability...... 10

GENERAL   UK - Mercury Comms To Sponsor Kids Multimedia Exhibit...... 19

LEGAL     BSA Urges Hong Kong Governor To Form Piracy Taskforce...... 05

NETWORK   Artisoft Ships Euro Language LANtastic Power Suite......... 23

ONLINE     ****New Sponsor-Supported AIDS Web Site................... 01

ONLINE    NetManage & Cylink In Internet Encryption Deal............. 04

ONLINE    WebCrawler's New Interface, Sponsorships................... 12

ONLINE    BBN Launches Web Page, Plans Threading, "Visionaries....... 24

PC        UK - NEC Unveils Budget CD Jukebox System.................. 13

SUPERCOMP Silicon Graphics Supercomputer Picked For Europe Project... 28

TELECOM   China - Hunan & Liaoning Expand Analog Cellular Nets....... 03

TELECOM   Oracle & Philips Launch E-Mail For Screen Phone............ 11

TELECOM   Germany's Siemens In Digital Comms Joint Ventures.......... 18

TELECOM   UK - Low-Cost ISDN Card Intro'd............................ 25

TRENDS    UK - Sony's Battery-Powered Data/Audio Mini Disk System.... 02

TRENDS    Report Urges Hong Kong into Software Development........... 06

TRENDS    Apple Claims Computers Good For Students................... 08

TRENDS     ****Oracle's Vision Of Networked Future................... 16

TRENDS     ****Distribution Key As Internetworking Firms Converge.... 20

TRENDS     ****Microsoft's "Harder Side" Better To Hit - Survey...... 27

TRENDS     ****Technology Executives Conservative About Future....... 29

WINDOWS   UK - Sophos Intros Windows 95 Virus Scanner................ 14

WINDOWS   ABC Graphics Goes 3-D...................................... 21

WINDOWS   ABI Offers Business Listings On CD......................... 22

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 ->  ****New Sponsor-Supported AIDS Web Site -- Information on AIDS
presented as a "global community" is hitting the Internet's World Wide
Web through a new sponsor-supported site. Called "The Body," the site is
touted as a one-stop shop for reaching AIDS experts, organizations, and
publications nationwide.

2 -> UK - Sony's Battery-Powered Data/Audio Mini Disk System -- Sony has
unveiled the MD Data, a battery-power, portable mini-disk unit that can
store up to 140 megabytes (MB) of data, as well as up to 60 minutes of
audio.

3 -> China - Hunan & Liaoning Expand Analog Cellular Nets -- Ericsson
China has signed two major contracts with the Hunan Province and
Liaoning Province Telephone Companies. Terms of both contracts call for
the telecoms company to expand the province's respective analog cellular
networks.

4 -> NetManage & Cylink In Internet Encryption Deal -- NetManage, a
TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) specialist
company, has signed a licensing deal with Cylink Corporation.

5 -> BSA Urges Hong Kong Governor To Form Piracy Taskforce -- The
Governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten, has received a letter urging him to
create a taskforce to stamp out software piracy in the British colony
which, according to the Business Software Alliance (BSA) is costing its
members up to US$500,000 a month in lost sales.

6 -> Report Urges Hong Kong into Software Development -- A Dataquest
report just completed for Hong Kong's Industry Department calls for the
territory to focus on becoming a packaged software development center
competing in the global marketplace.

7 -> China - Bay Networks Hopes For A Larger Market Share -- Bay
Networks plans an investment of US$5 million in China over the next two
years to further expand its network of distributors, value-added
resellers, and system integrators.

8 -> Apple Claims Computers Good For Students -- Apple Computer Inc.,
(NASDAQ: AAPL) has marked the tenth anniversary of its Apple Classrooms
of Tomorrow (ACOT) research project with the release of a report of what
happens when teachers and students are given access to technology. The
report concludes that computers are good, and if given the chance, can
solve the problems confronting education.

9 -> Silicon Graphics Asia Restructuring On The Cards -- Reports
circulating out of Hong Kong's IT (information technology) Expo last
week suggest a massive restructuring within the senior ranks of Silicon
Graphics (SGI) in Asia. It seems the regional office is to move from
Tokyo to Hong Kong, creating a ripple effect through the rest of the
organization.

10 -> Hong Kong - Computer Society Calls for Accountability -- The Hong
Kong Computer Society (HKCS) has publicly called on the government to
create a registration scheme to ensure accountability among information
technology (IT) professionals.

11 -> Oracle & Philips Launch E-Mail For Screen Phone -- Oracle Corp.
(NASDAQ:ORCL) and Philips Home Services demonstrated at the Telecom 95
trade show their electronic-mail service for Philips' screen phones. The
service will be available in the United States in the first quarter of
1996, Philips spokesman Paul Chapple told Newsbytes, and elsewhere
later.

12 -> WebCrawler's New Interface, Sponsorships -- America Online's
(NASDAQ:AMER) WebCrawler, an Internet World Wide Web search engine
available to all Web users free of charge, now has both a new interface
design and advertisers to possibly help keep the service free to use by
real Web crawlers.

13 -> UK - NEC Unveils Budget CD Jukebox System -- NEC has unveiled the
MultiSpin, claimed to be the industry's first internal quad-speed CD-ROM
drive for PCs that can also multichange between four full-size disks.
Despite its technical complexity, the unit, which fits into a single
drive bay on a PC, will sell for just UKP199 ($320).

14 -> UK - Sophos Intros Windows 95 Virus Scanner -- Sophos has
announced plans to ship a Windows 95 version of its Sweep virus
detection software. According to Richard Jacobs, Sophos' technical
manager, the package will ship from November.

15 -> British Telecom Forms Indian Joint Venture With Wipro -- British
Telecom (BT), has announced the formation of a joint venture company
with Wipro Limited of India. The new company, Wipro BT, will offer VSAT
(very small aperture terminals) and VANS (value-added network services)
to companies across the Indian continent.

16 ->  ****Oracle's Vision Of Networked Future -- Larry Ellison,
chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Oracle Corporation
(NASDAQ:ORCL), has unveiled his company's view of the future information
superhighway at the Telecom 95 expo in Geneva.

17 -> Germany - Preussag Sells Off Hagenuk Operation -- Preussag
Systemhaus, the German industrial group, has announced the sale of
Hagenuk Telecom to Escom, the PC manufacturer, for an undisclosed sum.

18 -> Germany's Siemens In Digital Comms Joint Ventures -- Siemens has
announced the formation of two cross-border joint ventures with,
respectively, Italtel in Italy, and General Electric in the UK.

19 -> UK - Mercury Comms To Sponsor Kids Multimedia Exhibit -- Mercury
Communications, in collaboration with parent company Cable & Wireless,
has announced plans to sponsor a "live" communications network
exhibition, to be held in the London's Science Museum.

20 ->  ****Distribution Key As Internetworking Firms Converge -- Both
local area networking (LAN) and wide area networking (WAN) companies are
trying to broaden their product lines to address the internetworking
market from end to end, says the co-author of a recent study. While the
companies' strategies vary widely, distribution is a critical factor.

21 -> ABC Graphics Goes 3-D -- Micrografx Inc. (NASDAQ: MGXI) has added
three-dimensional (3-D) capability to its ABC Graphics Suite with the
inclusion of Instant 3D for Windows 95 from Visual Software.

22 -> ABI Offers Business Listings On CD -- American Business
Information Inc.(NASDAQ:ABI) has released three new CD-ROMs that
collectively contain almost six million listings of business
professionals, small business owners, and women who own businesses. ABI
promotes the information collections as "sources for sales leads."

23 -> Artisoft Ships Euro Language LANtastic Power Suite -- Artisoft
Inc. has announced shipment of European language versions of its
LANtastic Power Suite and its LANtastic Dedicated Server.

24 -> BBN Launches Web Page, Plans Threading, "Visionaries -- BBN, the
"founder of the Internet," will soon add threaded conferencing. along
with input from "industry visionaries," to a newly launched Web page
that already includes offerings like a special section for CEOs (chief
executive officers) and CIOs (chief information officers), plus
TechWatch, for highlighting emerging technologies at BBN, revealed BBN's
Catherine Miller, in an interview with Newsbytes.

25 -> UK - Low-Cost ISDN Card Intro'd -- AVM Telecom, claimed to be
Europe's leading supplier of ISDN (integrated service digital network)
controllers, has launched the UK's cheapest ISDN system. Pricing in at
just UKP198 ($320), the AVM A1 ISDN PC card is being sold into the UK
and German markets initially.

26 -> NEC Opens PC Divisions In Spain & Sweden -- NEC has announced it
is opening new PC division offices in Spain and Sweden. The move comes
after soaring sales of its PC products in those countries, through its
existing distributor arrangements.

27 ->  ****Microsoft's "Harder Side" Better To Hit - Survey -- Although
69 percent of PC users are "cautious" about Windows 95, Microsoft is
still "strongly perceived as delivering good products," and vendors who
want to take on the software giant should hit at Microsoft's "harder
side," said Peter Moran, president of IDG's Marketing Services Division,
during a presentation of IDG survey results in Boston.

28 -> Silicon Graphics Supercomputer Picked For Europe Project --
Silicon Graphics Inc. (NYSE: SGI) has announced that its Power
ChallengeArray multiprocessor supercomputing system has been selected as
an official parallel processing architecture by Europort-2. The
supercomputer will be used by a variety of government and private
institutions and will be managed by Smith System Engineering.

29 ->  ****Technology Executives Conservative About Future -- It's a
tough job, but someone has to do it, and several hundred top executives
from leading technology companies traveled to the Arizona desert mecca
of Scottsdale recently to decide important technology issues, in
addition to their favorite ice cream flavor.

(Ian Stokell/19951005)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD



Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/04/95
TELECOM
 ****Major Carriers Plan Lotus Notes Public Networks

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00001)
 ****Major Carriers Plan Lotus Notes Public Networks 10/04/95
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, 1995 OCT 4 (NB) -- Lotus Development Corporation
has announced support for the Lotus Notes platform from eleven major
public data and communications carriers.

The carriers are British Telecom, Compuserve, Deutsche Telekom, Nippon
Telegraph and Telephone, NTT Data Communications, SNET, Telestra,
Telecom Italia, Telekom Malaysia, Unisource, and US West. The eleven
will work together and with existing Notes public network carriers,
IBM and AT&T, towards interoperability.

The agreement means that Notes users can take advantage of the
carrier's "strengths" and "global reach" to utilize its network as a
global wide area network. Customers will soon be able to send messages
across the world as easily as across the office, said Larry Moore, vice
president of Lotus.

With interoperability as an additional goal, system businesses
can deploy services and applications on one network, but enjoy
accessibility from customers using any of the other partner systems.

In addition, Lotus recently announced Inter Notes, an Internet
publishing package that allows users to convert Notes documents to
World Wide Web pages automatically.

At the Telecom 95 expo in Geneva, Jim Manzi, IBM senior vice president
and chief executive officer of Lotus, announced the agreements, saying:
"Today is a major milestone for Lotus, its customers, and business
partners. These carriers have selected Notes to become core infrastructure
for the next generation of business applications that require easy
applications development, rapid deployment, and industrial strength
security."

The companies will use a specially optimized version of Lotus Notes
Server version 4 software to build the Notes networks.

The announcement is being seen as a firm signal that IBM, new owners
of Lotus, wishes to make Notes a worldwide business electronic-mail
standard.

(Martyn Williams/19951004/Press contact: Lotus Development
Corporation, 617-693-5625)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/04/95
LEGAL
UK - Novell Offers End-User Legal Software Education

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(LON)(00002)
UK - Novell Offers End-User Legal Software Education 10/04/95
BRACKNELL, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 4 (NB) -- Following a trend
started earlier this summer by Microsoft with its LegalWare end-user
education program, Novell has announced plans for a major NetWare
legislation and education campaign for the UK.

According to Novell, the scheme has been piloted successfully in the
company's Europe, Middle East, and African (EMEA) region and is now
being rolled out in the UK, with a possible launch in the US later
this year.

The aim of the scheme, with a motto "Say yes to original software," is
to educate users, and is a "direct response" to recent figures from the
Business Software Alliance (BSA) which claimed to show that 43 percent
of UK software is unlicensed.

Announcing the campaign, David Godwin, Novell UK's country manager,
said that many users have purchased their software in good faith, but
"Through no fault of their own, have been supplied with an illegal
copy of the product."

Godwin is referring to the recurring problem of exceptionally good
copies of Novell's packages, usually originating from the Far East,
which find their way into European distribution channels. The problem
is, since the end-user believes the package to be legitimate, problems
regarding licensing only become apparent when the user asks Novell
directly for telephone or similar support.

According to Godwin, the legislation campaign is the first step in
targeting dealers and resellers who are selling these illegal
products.

Novell is asking all its NetWare users in the UK to contact their
authorized Novell resellers to check on whether their software is
legal. Godwin explained that this is not a witch hunt. "If we find
that an end-user has an illegal copy of NetWare, providing certain
conditions are met, we will provide a license to the end-user free of
charge, making available to the user all of the benefits currently
enjoyed by users of legitimate software," he said.

The objective of the scheme, Godwin went on to say, is two fold:
"First, we wish to support users who have been disenfranchised by the
actions of illegal resellers; and second, we are seeking information
which will enable us to pursue these resellers through the courts," he
explained.

Current UK legislation, Novell claims, provides for a prison term of
up to two years, as well as, or instead of, an unlimited fine for
software theft.

(Steve Gold/19951002/Press Contact: Vivienne Wilson, Novell Press
Relations, [phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail];
Reader Contact: Novell UK, tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/04/95
TELECOM
UK - Hutchison Telecom Joins Fraud Avoidance Database

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00003)
UK - Hutchison Telecom Joins Fraud Avoidance Database 10/04/95
BRISTOL, AVON, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 4 (NB) -- Hutchison Telecom's Orange
PCN (personal communications network) digital mobile phone company,
has joined the Credit Industry Fraud Avoidance Scheme (CIFAS).

The idea behind CIFAS, according to Hutchison, is to allow companies
who are members to share credit information on suspect customers on a
reciprocal basis. Each company records all known frauds under six
different categories. When a credit check takes place, via any of the
three main credit check agencies, they are advised if they "hit" an
address where fraudulent activity has taken place.

CIFAS, Newsbytes notes, was set up in 1991 and has a Police observer
on its board of management. The company has around 140 member firms
already, including American Express, Barclays, and Marks & Spencer's
Financial Services operation.

According to Lisa Gernon, Hutchisons group director of marketing,
membership of CIFAS will help the company in battling fraud in its
cellular phone, as well as paging and mainstream cellular, operations.
"We already have stringent credit checking procedures and this adds
yet another level," she explained.

Fraud is particularly rife in the UK cellular industry, Newsbytes
notes, owing to the high subsidies (UKP300 or more) offered by the
cellular networks for signed contracts from users who are encouraged
to buy phones, which cost around UKP200 trade, but are sold to the
end-user at little or no cost, thanks to the subsidy.

(Steve Gold/19951003/Press Contact: Richard Rumbelow, Hutchison
Telecom, tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/04/95
TELECOM
Maltese Communications Conference Set

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00004)
Maltese Communications Conference Set 10/04/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 4 (NB) -- The European Electronic Messaging
Association (EEMA) has announced it is hosting its next regional
conference in Malta on November 29 this year.

According to officials with the not-for-profit organization, "Business
Communications -- Transfoming the Global Society," will run for three
days and has been jointly organized in conjunction with Computer
Advisory Services (CAS) and Telemalta.

Plans call for the conference, which is open to both members and non-
members of the EEMA, to focus on business communications issues such
as trading over the Internet, Electronic Directories, Security & Legal
Issues in Messaging, Business Process Re-engineering (BPR), and the
World Wide Web.

The aim of the meeting is to "educate" anyone who has an interest in
becoming more familiar with electronic-mail and messaging technology
generally. The conference is aimed at anyone interested in these
topics, with a specific additional interest in sales, marketing, and
distribution.

According to EEMA officials, the conference will be of additional
benefit to telecom and information technology (IT) administrators and
directors who work in either the private or public sectors and who are
interested in the preparation of their organizations for the
electronic methods of trading and other communications.

On the first day of the conference, a seminar will be given on how an
organization can use the Internet for its commercial operations in an
"appropriate manner." Benefits and dangers will be presented, as well
as ways of dealing with new problems and choosing "the right solution."

During the second day, the focus will be on how communications can
assist in change management and BPR. Organizations will be presented
with ideas on rationalization of skill resources, while technology
advances.

On the third day of the conference, participants will learn how to
exploit the Internet to gain maximum business benefits. Topics such as
electronic directories will be discussed, and the session will address
the issues, technologies and pitfalls associated with the creation of
enterprise directory technologies. Issues such as security and legal
matters will also be discussed.

As with previous EEMA conferences, delegate pricing has been set at a
low level, namely MP (Maltese Pounds) 95 for the first delegate and
MP80 for subsequent delegates from the same organization. EEMA members
receive the discounted MP80 price for the conference on the first
delegate as well.

(Sylvia Dennis/19950927/Press Contact: Claire Batten, Noiseworks,
[phone]; Reader Contact: EEMA, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/04/95
GENERAL
EMC/Oracle/HP Move "Largest Database" To Mass.

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00005)
EMC/Oracle/HP Move "Largest Database" To Mass. 10/04/95
HOPKINTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 4 (NB) -- "I wouldn't
call the database `mobile." But it's certainly `transportable,'"
said EMC Corp.'s Roy Sanford, during a discussion with Newsbytes
about the move of a four terabyte (TB) decision support system
(DSS) -- characterized by co-creators EMC, Oracle and Hewlett-Packard
as containing the largest relational database on record -- from the
Boston area, to Philadelphia, and back again.

The new, jointly produced 1.3 TB Oracle relational database can
be rightly described as "not just a very large database (VLDB),
but an `ultra' large database, or `ULDB,'" said Sanford, who
is the director of EMC's Solutions Partner Program. And although
the Oracle release 7.3 database and surrounding DSS were
originally put together for Internal Oracle User Week in
Philadelphia in mid-September, the data warehouse application is
no "one-shot deal."

After spending several days on production and testing at EMC
headquarters in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, and then transporting
the eight-ton data warehouse down to Philadelphia, the three
partners have hauled the DSS back to Massachusetts, where it will
serve as a basis for further collaboration, Sanford told Newsbytes.

The DSS prototype combines the Oracle database with an eight-way
HP-9000 T500 symmetrical multiprocessor (SMP) system and four EMC
Symmetrix 3500 Integrated Cached Disk Array (ICDA) redundant
array of inexpensive disks (RAID) systems, each supporting over
1TB of data, according to Sanford.

The EMC/Oracle/HP joint database effort differs in intent from
VLDBs such as the database Oracle has devised for Digital
Equipment Corp.'s AlphaServer, he pointed out. A primary goal of
Oracle's VLDB for Alpha is "very large memory, related to how
fast you can run Oracle operations by placing them in Alpha
memory."

The new EMC/Oracle/HP "ULDB"-based system, on the other hand, is
aimed essentially at "high availability" decision support
applications in industries like telecommunications,
manufacturing, financial services, transportation, government,
retail and insurance, he elaborated.

After producing the new 1.3TB relational database, a team from
Oracle put about 100 hours into loading the ULDB, which
incorporates more than 5.5 billion line item rows, onto the
Symmetrix ICDAs, Sanford said. In the prototype configuration,
one of the ICDA RAID systems contains the data, and the other is
employed for data joins and creation. The configuration is
mirrored, in order to bring the aggregate size of the database to
over 4TB, as well as to provide the redundancy required for
"high availability."

The partners then executed the database on the HP9000 SMP system,
performing a newly defined stress-test for load, query, and data
placement on storage systems. During the test phase, the three
companies "successfully loaded, indexed and joined a full
terabyte of data," including three "ultra large" tables,
according to Sanford.

"We packed the DSS up, shipped it to Philadelphia, and had it up
and running again in 12 hours," he continued. A week later, the
trio of companies went through similar procedures to move the DSS
back to Massachusetts again, where it will be used to "validate
scalability" and to establish new test procedures for ongoing DSS
activities. Was the transport effort worth it? Sanford definitely
thinks so.

"The benefits are three-fold. First, we've shown that three
industry partners can work together to meet customer needs.
Second, we've clearly demonstrated that databases are capable and
viable in `open systems.' And third, there's been a lot of
knowledge transfer. The three companies are learning from each
other," he maintained.

The EMC exec then listed a few of the lessons learned so far.
"Clearly, data placement in the data warehouse is critical, in
that it affects the ability to query large tables," he explained.
Beyond that, the partners have seen that, in a large data
warehouse, hardware and software redundancy become especially
valuable in maintaining high availability. Without redundancy,
the possibility of losing data becomes more profound.

But Sanford was also careful to caution that, at this point, the
activities of the partnership do not constitute a performance
test. "The three companies have agree not to release individual
figures," he added.

Now that the Oracle `ULDB' and accompanying DSS system are back
in Hopkinton, the three vendors plan to continue putting the
system to work. HP and EMC will each use results of the
stress-test to `optimize' their products for other large-scale
systems. Oracle, for its part, will incorporate the newly defined
stress-test into its standard pre-release test suite, he told
Newsbytes.

In related news, he noted, EMC recently announced the sale of
three Symmetrix 5000 ICDA and two Centriplex 2000 ICDA storage
systems to AlliedSignal Inc. The $12.8 million automotive,
aerospace and engineering manufacturer, which purchased two other
Symmetrix 5000 systems last year, sealed this year's deal after
evaluating other storage systems from IBM and Storage Technology,
according to Sanford.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19950929/Reader Contact: EMC Corp., 508-435-1000;
Press Contact: Rick Lecroix or Dave Farmer, EMC, 508-435-1000)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/04/95
GENERAL
Animated E-mail Greeting Cards

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00006)
Animated E-mail Greeting Cards 10/04/95
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 4 (NB) -- Gold Disk Inc. has
announced  Studio M, a new product designed to create personalized
animated greeting cards, multimedia photo albums, and interactive
party announcements. Consumers can pull down templates and create
personalized self-running multimedia greetings to family and friends
by electronic-mail or on a floppy disk.

Speaking to Newsbytes, Marshall Goldberg product manager for Gold
Disk, said, "Within two minutes of opening Studio M, users can create
a personalized multimedia greeting card. We have 50 pull-down
templates that are missing only the message. The user adds their
personal greeting or announcement and it is ready to e-mail. Photos,
graphics, voice, music, or text can be added."

"Until now, creating multimedia quickly and easily has been out of
reach of the consumer. Studio M changes that by bringing multimedia
into the home," said Allan Thygesen, vice president and general
manager for consumer products at Gold Disk. "We designed Studio M
to be easy, fun and affordable for consumers who are looking for
exciting, new creative uses for their home computer. Think of Studio
M as a multimedia printshop for the interactive age."

Studio M comes with more than 50 templates, complete with
animations, sound and special effects. These templates include
greeting cards, photo albums, gift certificates, invitations and
announcements. Over 1,800 pieces of animated clip-art, background
images, sounds, and music clips are bundled with Studio M.

Studio M includes a Solutions Guide that explains how to scan photos,
insert images from a Photo CD or Photo floppy disk, capture video,
e-mail a project to others, print in color at home or at a copy shop.
Each template also provides help for adding personalized media,
transitions, special effects, or messages to a project.

Self-running Studio M projects can be distributed via e-mail or floppy
disk, printed in either color or black-and-white, or played back on
the consumer's own computer. A typical file is about 800-900 kilobytes
(KB) in size, and plays back on any Windows PC with four megabytes (MB)
of memory and 256 color display.

The estimated street price for Studio M is $49.95. The product will be
carried by national distributors, including: Ingram Micro, Merisel, and
TechData. It will be available through all major retailers and mail-
order companies, including: CompUSA, Computer City, Egghead, Best
Buy, Electronics Boutique, Software Etc., Babbages, Tiger Software, and
PC Warehouse.

Studio M requires an IBM compatible 486 or higher personal computer
running Windows 3.1 or higher (Windows 95 compatible), eight megabytes
(MB) of RAM, 10MB hard disk space, 256 color display, a sound card,
and CD-ROM drive.

(Richard Bowers/19950929/Press Contact: Karen Garske, Studio M,
408-982-0200)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/04/95
WINDOWS
"Plug-In" Makes Windows "User-Friendly"

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(MSP)(00007)
"Plug-In" Makes Windows "User-Friendly" 10/04/95
ALPHARETTE, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 4 (NB) -- Plannet Crafters Inc.
is letting Windows 95 users "plug-in" additional functionality to the
new operating system (OS) with Plug-In for Windows Version 2.6. The
program creates a "user-friendly desktop environment" by adding
features not found in Windows, according to the company.

"Windows 95 filled in a lot of the holes that were present in Windows
3.1," David Mandell, president of Plannet Crafters, told Newsbytes,
"but Windows 95 created some holes of its own. Plug-In for Windows
fills those holes."

He said even though the new version of the program is designed mainly
for Windows 3.1, there are some 32-bit applications that will take
advantage of Windows 95's 32-bit environment, including changing the
font style in the titlebar. Future editions of Plug-In for Windows
will have many more 32-bit functions for Windows 95, he added.

Plug-In for Windows is different from other utilities that "replace"
the desktop environment by literally "plugging in" what the company
calls the "missing functions and features" of Windows. In fact,
Mandell said Plug-In works hand-in-hand with many of those replacement
utilities.

The program has no icon and is accessible from any Windows application,
the company said. The new version includes features like: nested groups
in the Program Manager, support for a Separate Data Directory, a Title
Bar Clock, reminder alarms, full sound support, one-button access to a
customizable multi-level QuickRun menu, resource alerts, and custom
cursors.

Plug-In for Windows is available for $20, and quantity site and
corporate licenses are available. A 386 PC or higher is recommended,
along with a sound card, although the card is not mandatory.

(Bob Woods/19950929/Press Contacts: Robert A. Toledo, Open City
Communications, 212-714-3575; Public Contact: Plannet Crafters,
800-651-1000, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/04/95
IBM
IBM Opens Advanced Pan-European Phone Support Center

(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00008)
IBM Opens Advanced Pan-European Phone Support Center 10/04/95
GREENOCK, SCOTLAND, 1995 OCT 4 (NB) -- The Scottish Silicon Valley,
namely Greenock, has been chosen as the site for a pan-European
telephone support facility by IBM. Officials with Big Blue say that
the new facility will offer 24 hour support for users of the company's
hardware and software products.

The IBM HelpCenter has been set up alongside the company's European
PC manufacturing facility in Greenock and will employ up to 200
multilingual helpline agents before the end of the year. Big Blue
claims it plans to offer an average response time of under 30 seconds
for every support call.

Paul McNutt, manager of the new European HelpCenter, claimed that
the high tech equipment used in the center will provide "fast and
efficient dedicated telephone support" for customers all over Europe.

Currently, countries already covered by the new HelpCenter include the
UK, Ireland, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, and Switzerland. IBM has
installed extended links to its existing help center lines in these
countries, routing calls to the Greenock facility, but offering the
service for the price of an inland call in these countries.

"This is one-stop support for European customers. From anywhere in
Europe, a customer can call the HelpCenter for the price of a domestic
phone-call and be immediately connected to a technical support agent,
fluent in his or her language. Highly trained HelpCenter's staff will
handle calls from the novice users to the technical guru," he
explained.

According to McNutt, the HelpCenter will look after all users of IBM
PC hardware and software users, including the Aptiva range of home
computers, the commercial desktop line, IBM PC servers and ThinkPad
mobile computers, OS/2 Warp system, and many other IBM software
products.

McNutt claims that, with the wide variety of technical support for
many IBM products, the company wants to establish its position on the
market as a "responsible dealer and post-buy service provider."

Commenting on this week's opening of the new center, David Winn,
general manager of the IBM PC Company's Europe, Middle East and Africa
(EMEA) region said that the company understands how important it is to
be there when the customers need them.

"Our investment in this new HelpCenter is further evidence of our
commitment to delivering high-quality, fast and reliable support that
is unrivaled in the region," he said.

(Sylvia Dennis/19950929/Press Contact: Vincent Smith, [phone],
Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Reader Contact: IBM,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/04/95
TELECOM
The Radiopager Joins The Mobile Comms Revolution

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00009)
The Radiopager Joins The Mobile Comms Revolution 10/04/95
DARLINGTON, TYNE AND WEAR, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 4 (NB) -- During a visit
Newsbytes made to Hutchison Telecom's communication headquarters
recently, we had a chance to talk with Tony Vimal, Hutchison's product
marketing manager, about the possibilities of linking electronic-mail
to the "humble" radiopager.

According to Vimal, after a period of several years during which most
people shunned the pager, or beeper, in favor of the mobile phone,
users are becoming sophisticated in their approach to mobile comms,
and are starting to appreciate the pager as a product that is actually
superior to the mobile phone, since it allows messages to be taken by
a human operator, and relayed discreetly to the pager, even if they
are in a meeting, since many pagers can be set to operate in a silent,
vibrating alert mode.

While Lotus has been promoting the cc:Mail pager gateway for PC
environments, Newsbytes suggested that Microsoft would do well to
introduce a similar gateway module for Microsoft Mail. Vimal agreed,
but noted that there were several issues involved, not the least being
one of "support."

The support issues, he said, meant that, while Hutchison might be
interested in developing universal server paging package, which
conformed to the TAP paging protocol found in computer-paging
interface applications, the support issues precluded this.

"We are a communications company, not a software company. While we
could develop such a package, our support staff are not geared up for
supporting computer users. This is the main reason why we have not
developed this technology yet," he explained.

Interestingly, Vimal noted that, while the media discusses the
interfacing of e-mail systems to pagers a lot in Europe, the take-up
of the facility is only limited. This contrasts with the US, he noted,
adding that in-bound mobile calls in the US tend to be chargeable,
whereas pager calls are usually not billable to the recipient.

"This means that people are more aware of the pager as a
communications device, since it works just as well in many situations,
but also costs less to run than a mobile phone," he said.

Increasingly, however, users are becoming aware of how the pager
can be used in conjunction with e-mail. Already, several commercial
packages are available in the US which conform to TAP protocol
standards and allow interfacing. compuserve and several cellular
operators are known to be experimenting with e-mail to paging services,
and Hutchison Orange is looking at the possibility of introducing such
a service early next year.

"People are coming back to the pager as a communications tool, and
realizing its advantages over a mobile phone. This is good for the
mobile communications industry," Vimal commented.

(Steve Gold/19950929/Press Contact: Paragon Communications, +44-171-
734-6030; Reader Contact: Hutchison Telecom, tel [phone],
fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/04/95
WINDOWS
Delrina Unveils Telephone Add-On For WinFax

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(TOR)(00010)
Delrina Unveils Telephone Add-On For WinFax 10/04/95
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 OCT 4 (NB) -- Delrina Corp.
(TSE:DC; NASDAQ:DENAF) has announced TalkWorks, an add-on for its
WinFax facsimile software that works with a voice-capable modem as a
substitute for a telephone answering machine. Delrina expects the
software to appeal to home and small-business users, as well as
independent professionals, company spokesman Shelly Sofer told Newsbytes.

TalkWorks will ship as part of Delrina's CommSuite  95 applications suite,
and will also be available to WinFax users on request for a shipping and
handling fee of about $15, Sofer said.

Besides acting as an answering machine, TalkWorks can distinguish voice
from fax calls on a single line -- this capability does not depend on
having the telephone company's distinctive ring feature with separate
voice and fax numbers, Sofer said -- and can provide fax-on-demand
capabilities and support voice telephony features such as speed dialing,
hands-free operation through a full-duplex speakerphone, and conference
calling. It also supports caller identification so the owner can see who
is calling before deciding whether to pick up the telephone, though Sofer
noted that this capability is not available from all telephone companies
today.

The software also can handle multiple mailboxes, so that a caller can
choose to leave a message for one of several people by pressing a number
on a telephone keypad.

WinFax with the TalkWorks add-on cannot support fax and voice
communications on separate lines, Sofer said, except if two copies of the
software are used.

Thomas Clancy, an independent software tester in Massachusetts who was a
TalkWorks beta tester, told Newsbytes the software would be quite suitable
for a home office like his own or for a small business. The user interface
makes TalkWorks easy to use, Clancy said, and the beta code appeared
stable. "I haven't run into any bugs," he said.

The software is to be available by the end of the year, Delrina said.
Delrina is on the Internet World Wide Web at http://www.delrina.com .

(Grant Buckler/19951003/Press Contact: Shelly Sofer, Delrina, 416-441-4702,
Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Public Contact: Delrina, 800-268-6082)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/04/95
ONLINE
Wollongong Unveils Emissary Web Browser Technology

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LON)(00011)
Wollongong Unveils Emissary Web Browser Technology 10/04/95
BRACKNELL, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 4 (NB) -- Wollongong, the
business networking company, has taken the wraps off two new Internet
packages: Emissary Desktop Edition and Emissary Office Edition.

The Internet suites, which will be sold on a global basis through
Wollongong offices and distributors around the world, allow users to
browse, organize, and work with data on the Internet.

Although the release of Internet suites is nothing new in the
Internet-savvy world of today, it marks an interesting change, as
Wollongong markets its products mainly through its direct sales force
around the world, with limited sales through the value-added reseller
channels. This means that the Internet packages will almost certainly
be sold as an add-on to existing Wollongong packaged products, rather
than as a shrink-wrapped system on their own.

The Desktop Edition, which sells for UKP125 in Europe, supports
telnet and Web browsing functions, as well as the creation of
multimedia mail or news messages, and allows users to see text,
graphics, sound, and file attachments in a single window. The suite
also features an integral HTML (hypertext markup language) editor,
and supports local area network (LAN)-based connectivity with
Wollongong's VXD-based TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet
Protocol) stack system.

The Office Edition of Emissary sells for UKP299 in Europe and
includes all the features of the Desktop Edition, as well as the
ability to log in with advanced terminal emulation including DEC VT,
IBM 3270/5250, and Wyse 50/60 standards. This version also allows
users to publish directly on to the network using a personal FTP (File
Transfer Protocol) server, as well as print with IPR/LPR utilities.

According to Bob Lawton, Wollongong's vice president of marketing,
both packages run under Windows 3,1, Windows for Workgroups 3,11,
Windows 95, and Windows NT.

Apart from being sold through direct and VAR channels, what's so
special about Emissary over, say, Quarterdeck's Internet Suite?
According to Wollongong, the Emissary range are built on extensible,
object-oriented architecture that uses the company's Client Object
Linking Technology (COLT).

COLT is billed as an open application programming interface (API) that
allows corporate information technology) (IT) departments, VARs and
systems integrators to build new or upgrade existing capabilities that
simply "snap in" software-wise into the main Emissary code.

Using this approach, Wollongong claims, allows any new component to
use existing Emissary services for user interface, file management,
electronic-mail, protocol and transport handling, image viewing, and
HTML editing.

(Steve Gold/19951003/Press Contact: Citigate Technology, +44-1604-
232223; Reader Contact: Wollongong US, 415-596-7100)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/04/95
BROADCAST
Canadian MSAT Network Live, Nearing Commercial Launch

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(TOR)(00012)
Canadian MSAT Network Live, Nearing Commercial Launch 10/04/95
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 OCT 4 (NB) -- Canada's Mobile Satellite
Communications (MSAT) network is now operating and being tested, and will
be ready for commercial service before year-end, according to its operator,
TMI Communications and Co.

The service, which uses a satellite that covers most of North America, the
Caribbean and Central America, will provide mobile voice communications,
and later data and facsimile, from almost anywhere in Canada, TMI said.

It will not compete directly with cellular and other land-based mobile
communications services, company spokeswoman Janis Downey told
Newsbytes. Rather, TMI expects its customers will mainly be those who
need mobile communications in remote areas the existing wireless
networks -- and even the wired networks in some cases -- do not serve.

Some customers will use the MSAT network when they are out of range of
cellular, but switch to cellular in urban areas, Downey said. To support
that, TMI's equipment offerings include one telephone that works with
cellular as well as with the MSAT network, and Mobility Canada, the
cellular arm of the Stentor phone-company consortium, will be a national
distributor for TMI.

TMI expects the network to enter commercial service before the end of the
year, initially just supporting voice communications. Support for data
transmission at 4,800 bits-per-second will follow within a few months,
Downey said, and TMI is currently negotiating with a supplier of facsimile
equipment to work with the network. Further details of that agreement
could be released within a couple of weeks, she said.

The launch of commercial MSAT service will be the payoff at the end of a
rough road for TMI, which has had to delay the service more than once over
the past few years. Launched as Telesat Mobile in 1988, the company
briefly slipped into bankruptcy in 1993 before re-emerging as TMI
Communications. It is now controlled by BCE Ltd., the holding company for
Bell Canada and Northern Telecom Ltd. as well as other interests.

(Grant Buckler/19951003/Press Contact: Janis Downey, TMI, 800-558-4702,
Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Public Contact: TMI,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/04/95
TELECOM
Voiceview Adds Digital Simultaneous Voice/Data

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEN)(00013)
Voiceview Adds Digital Simultaneous Voice/Data 10/04/95
BOULDER, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 4 (NB) -- Radish Communications
Systems Inc. has announced the availability of digital simultaneous
voice/data (DSVD) under the Voiceview protocol. Voiceview allows
integrated voice and data communications using a telephone and a PC.

Voiceview can select from a variety of data modes during an
ordinary phone call. Alternating voice and data transmission has
been available in the past with Voiceview, but the new technology
(Voiceview/DSVD) makes simultaneous voice and data services one of
the selectable data modes.

Voiceview can automatically determine which data modes are
available on each end of a telephone call, allowing the most
appropriate method of delivering data to be selected based on the
equipment available.

Dr. Guy Blair, Intel Architecture Lab's architecture marketing
manager, calls the integration of voice and data "an important step
for the advancement of the personal computer, helping to fulfill
its emerging role as a true communications device."

The new Voiceview/DSVD data mode supports the Digital Simultaneous
voice and Data Protocols Specification 1.2 developed by Creative
Labs, Hayes Microcomputer Products, Intel Corp., Rockwell, and US
Robotics.

The Voiceview protocol has already been licensed by major
chipmakers, PC original equipment manufacturers and modem vendors.
Companies announcing support for Voiceview/DSVD include AT&T, Boca
Research, Cardinal Technologies, Creative Labs, Hayes Microcomputer
Products, Intel Corp., Sierra Semiconductor, and Texas Instruments.

Radish said Voiceview's existing data modes currently provide
support for low-cost communications devices, digital phone-equipped
call centers, interaction with visual voice response severs via
interactive forms, and a fast-train data mode optimized for electronic
commerce transactions. Support for DSVD adds person-to-person
application sharing, remote control desktop conferencing, and
real-time games.

"The concurrent use of voice and data is an important trend that
is changing our work style and the way we use computers," according
to Lisa Pelgrim, a computer-telephony analyst at Dataquest. Pelgrim
said the unification of Voiceview and DSVD under one protocol
simplifies that evolution.

Radish said devices incorporating Voiceview/DSVD are anticipated
in prototype form at the Fall Comdex trade show in Las Vegas in
November.

(Jim Mallory/19951003/Press contact: Paul Davoust, Radish
Communications Systems, 303-443-2237; Public contact: Radish
Communications, tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/04/95
ONLINE
Univ Of Pittsburgh Plans Info Highway Conference

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TOR)(00014)
Univ Of Pittsburgh Plans Info Highway Conference 10/04/95
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 4 (NB) -- The University of
Pittsburgh plans to hold, what it said is, the first regional conference
on the National Information Infrastructure on October 9. The conference
will aim to develop an action agenda for implementing the information
infrastructure -- often called the information highway -- in southwestern
Pennsylvania.

The university's School of Library and Information Science and its Interim
Chancellor will sponsor the conference with support from the Henry C. Frick
Education Fund of the Buhl Foundation. Toni Carbo Bearman, dean of the
School of Library and Information Science, is the only academic on the
federal government's 37-member Advisory Council on the National
Information Infrastructure.

Bearman told Newsbytes she hopes the conference can serve as a model for
similar conferences elsewhere in Pennsylvania and throughout the United
States. "We feel that what is going on here could easily be replicated
elsewhere as well," she said.

Participation in the Monday conference is by invitation only, the university
said, and leaders of business, education, community organizations, and
government have been asked to take part. Bearman said the intention is that
after the conference those leaders will "pick up the agenda and work
together to implement it."

There will also be public demonstrations, including electronic tours of
medieval cathedrals of Europe and of a three-dimensional model of a beating
heart, from noon to 3:00pm. There will also be a directory of existing
information highway projects, intended to "give people an idea of what is
already being done and what can be done," Bearman said.

On October 10 and 11, the university is to host a meeting of the Advisory
Council on the National Information Infrastructure, at which the council is
scheduled to work on the recommendations it will present to the government
in January and discuss "Kickstart," its project to link every classroom and
library to the information infrastructure by 2000. This meeting, at the
university's William Pitt Union Assembly Room, will be open to the public.

The National Information Infrastructure Advisory Council was set up for a
two-year period to advise the administration on developing the information
highway. Most of its members are corporate executives.

(Grant Buckler/19951004/Press Contact: Michelle Amato, University of
Pittsburgh, 412-624-4148, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/04/95
ONLINE
America Online & ABC Sponsor Online Papal Mass

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00015)
America Online & ABC Sponsor Online Papal Mass 10/04/95
VIENNA, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 4 (NB) -- Pope John Paul II,
already one of the most traveled popes in history, is making a
big splash in the cyberspace pool. Two more electronic concerns,
America Online (AOL) and the New York Times Electronic Company, are
bringing a Papal mass to anyone with a computer and the right access.

First, AOL and ABC News will simulcast what they call the world's first
online mass given by the Pope into the homes of its members. ABC will
provide a text simulcast of the Papal mass at Camden Yards in Baltimore,
Maryland, live on AOL. The mass is scheduled for Sunday, October 8 at
10:45am EDT.

Margaret Ryan, AOL spokesperson, told Newsbytes the simulcast will give
AOL members a more interactive experience than simply watching the event
on TV. "During the simulcast, members will have the chance to actually
'talk' to people who are there (at Camden Yards)," she said. "Also,
they'll be able to interact with other people around the country in
an auditorium that holds 5,000 people."

In addition to the live coverage, AOL members can access to articles
about the Papal visit, the Pope's schedule, and news from Reuters, the
Associated Press, and the Catholic News Service. Subscribers can also
discuss issues on message boards, and access related Internet World
Wide Web sites. AOL members can reach the special area by typing the
keyword: Pope.

Papal coverage will also be on a new site by the online and Internet
unit of The New York Times. The new site, at http://www.nytimes.com/pope ,
represents the first Web page by the unit, which also produces "@times"
on America Online.

The Papal visit is being widely covered in other areas of cyberspace.
Newsbytes has previously reported on two such efforts. One comes
from New Jersey Online, which is sponsoring a full site at
http://www.nj.com/popepage . Besides providing up-to-the-minute
coverage of the Pope's swing through New Jersey, the service is giving
people a chance to write to the pope via electronic-mail, with the
messages being delivered to the Pontiff's representatives before he
leaves October 8.

The Roman Catholic Church will also be on the Internet with the
"Catholic Information Center on the Internet" (CICI). Besides offering
continuous video and stills of the Papal visit, the site will provide a
central directory on all Web-related information that reflects the
"authoritative teachings of the Catholic Church," officials said. The
Web site is at http://www.catholic.net .

(Bob Woods/19951003/Press Contact: Margaret Ryan, America Online,
703-883-1625; Public Contact: America Online, 800-827-6364)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/04/95
WINDOWS
Videos Reduce Office 95 Learning Curve

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(DEN)(00016)
Videos Reduce Office 95 Learning Curve 10/04/95
PROVO, UTAH, U.S.A.,1995 OCT 4 (NB) -- Like any new software,
Microsoft Office 95 takes time to learn. But a Utah company has
introduced a line of videotapes it says can smooth out the learning
curve for the suite of Microsoft productivity software.

Keystone Learning Systems Corp. said its new video courses teach the
"ins and outs" of the latest Microsoft software bundle that includes
word processor Word, spreadsheet program Excel, and Powerpoint, a
presentation graphics program. Some packages also include the
Access database and Schedule+ scheduling/calendaring software.

Keystone said its new videos can be used in the office or at home.
Training is presented by certified trainers. The company promotes
the courses as being able to take the place of, or supplement, formal
classroom training. They can also be useful to train workers who
either can't get away from the office to take an extended course or
who prefer to learn in a one-on-one setting.

The Keystone tapes cover basic, intermediate, and advanced features
of each application. The videos are accompanied by a line of
companion texts called Keynotes to reinforce the material presented
on tape and to serve as a desktop quick reference.

Taped courses are available in various subject combinations. You
can get Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Access, and Schedule+ courses bundled
in Standard, Pro and Plus combinations. The Standard set includes
beginning, intermediate, and advanced videos for Word, Excel and
PowerPoint on nine tapes totaling over 17 hours of training.

The Pro set includes the Standard package plus beginner through
advanced videos for Access and a bonus video on Schedule+. This
package has 13 videos with over 24 hours of training.

The Plus package comes with the entire content of the Pro set plus
beginning, intermediate, and advanced training on the new Windows 95
operating systems on 16 videos with more than 29 hours of training.

Keystone said it also offers one-tape classes on just the new
features of Windows 95 for experienced PC users, and an Office 95
"integration video" that teaches users how the features of Word,
Excel, PowerPoint and Access work together.

Keystone spokesperson Clint Argyle told Newsbytes the cost of the
Office 95 video courses are $349.95 for the Standard, $495.95 for
Pro, and $579.95 for the Plus editions. You can also buy the course
material for each subject and each user level separately. The
beginning, intermediate, and advanced level tapes are priced at
$49.95 each or all three for $129.95. Four-year-old Keystone said
it offers volume corporate discounts and a 30-day money back
guarantee.

Argyle said Keystone also has courses for developers on subjects
like Visual C++, Visual Basic and Visual Foxpro priced at $89.95
for each user level tape when purchased separately or you can buy
the three-tape package for $249.95. The company also offers
training on other company's products like Wordperfect
and PerfectOffice from Novell and SmartSuite from Lotus Corp.

(Jim Mallory/19951004/Press contact: Clint Argyle, Keystone
Learning Systems, 801-375-8680; Public contact: Keystone Learning
Systems, 800-748-4838)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/04/95
PC
Dell Ships New Latitude Portables

(NEWS)(PC)(DEN)(00017)
Dell Ships New Latitude Portables 10/04/95
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 4 (NB) -- Dell Computer Corp.
(NASDAQ: DELL) has started shipping two new models in its Latitude
portable computer family that feature active-matrix video displays.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95100417.PCX
Click here for photo

Active matrix displays provide a sharper image with higher
contrast than their passive matrix cousins. That is accomplished by
using a separate transistor to control each of the primary colors
(red, green and blue) for each pixel. The pixels, or picture
elements, are the little dots that make up each character and the
images on your screen.

Passive matrix screens use one transistor to control each
row of pixels and are cheaper to build and use less power.

Dell said independent research indicates that a notebook PC's
display is one of the most important features customers consider
when buying a new portable computer. The company said that is why it
put high-resolution SVGA (Super Video Graphics Array) monitors in the
new portables. The Super VGA video standard was established by the
Video Electronics Standards Association in 1989. It initially
specified a horizontal resolution of 800 pixels and a vertical
resolution of 600 pixels but was later extended to include 1024 by
768 and now includes 1280 by 1024 resolution.

The new Dell models include the XPiP90ST with a 10.4-inch screen (PC
monitor dimensions are measured diagonally), an Intel 90 megahertz
(MHz) microprocessor, a 420 megabyte (MB) hard drive, 8MB of memory,
and a three-year warranty for $4,299. The first year of the warranty
includes on-site service, and Dell will extend the on-site coverage
to the second and third year of the warranty period for an
additional $99. Configurations with more memory and larger hard
drives are also available.

The other system being introduced, the Dell Latitude LX4100T uses an
Intel DX4 100MHz processor with a level 2 cache, a 420MB hard drive,
8MB of memory, and one-year of on-site warranty starts at $2,299.

Dell spokesperson Adrianne MacPherson told Newsbytes you can equip
your Latitude with an external Sony double-speed CD-ROM drive with
integrated speakers for $499. MacPherson said the double-speed
drive is the fastest one available at this time for the Latitude
products. Some companies offer quad speed CD-ROM drives and
6X drives (drives that run six times as fast as the first CD-ROM
drives that came to market) are now available.

(Jim Mallory/19951004/Press contact: Adrianne MacPherson, Dell,
512-728-4100; Public contact: Dell, 512-238-4400/LAT-LX951004/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/04/95
BROADCAST
RadioShack Intros Onscreen Services Device

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(DEN)(00018)
RadioShack Intros Onscreen Services Device 10/04/95
FORT WORTH, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 4 (NB) -- RadioShack has introduced
an interactive system that lets the user select from onscreen program
listings, perform one-touch programming of their VCR, and check the
news, weather and sports scores.

RadioShack said the VideoGuide set-top receiver and its remote
control unit works with any television set. A subscription to the
VideoGuide services offered by BellSouth's MobileComm wireless paging
network is required, with the cost starting at under $1 per week.

To view a program, the user selects it from the on-screen program
listing and clicks the button on the remote control unit, the same
way you click on an icon on your PC to launch a program. The
on-screen listings show the day of the week, the time, and the logo
of the network the station is affiliated with. It's very similar to
the block listings in printed television guides. As you highlight
a program a description of up to four lines appears at the bottom of
the program grid.

The on-screen guide shows program listings for one week at a time.
The sports listings show up-to-the-minute scores and detailed
summaries of completed and in-progress games. You can also call up
an on-screen "newspaper" that features regional, national and
international news and weather from the Associated Press, United
Press International and other news sources.

RadioShack said VCR one-touch programming is equally easy. The user
selects the program from the on-screen listing and clicks on the
on-screen "record" button. VideoGuide had its public debut at the
Macworld trade show in Boston last month.

VideoGuide also has a feature that's part of the basis service
called "smart sorting." VideoGuide spokesperson Anne-Marie
Boucher told Newsbytes "smart sorting" knows which TV channel you
watch the most and automatically moves that one to the top of the
listings. Other channels are also arranged in order of viewing
frequency.

VideoGuide sells for $99.99 at RadioShack stores. Boucher said
VideoGuide works with just about any television set and any VCR
that's remote-control capable. If you have a problem getting the
set-top box to work with an older TV, VideoGuide engineers said
they can walk you through the necessary steps to make the system
work, using the company's toll-free customer support line.

When you purchase VideoGuide you get a free 30-day subscription to
all VideoGuide information services with the system. Boucher said
the basic service costs $4.99 per week, including on-screen program
guide, one-touch VCR recording and "smart sorting." The Newsguide and
the Sportsguide each add $0.50 to your weekly bill.

VideoGuide wants to be known as a "green" company, so they prefer to
bill you on an annual basis for a savings of about 20 percent. That
brings the yearly cost of the basic service to $50, or $75 for basic
plus either newsguide or sportsguide. You can get all the services
for an annual subscription of $99 and the company said it offers
discounts for multi-year subscriptions.

(Jim Mallory/19951004/Press contact: Tony Margoulis, RadioShack,
817-878-4852/VIDGUIDE951004/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/04/95
TELECOM
Advanced Voice Messaging For Namibia

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00019)
Advanced Voice Messaging For Namibia 10/04/95
FLEET, HAMPSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 4 (NB) -- Mobile
Telecommunications (MTC), Namibia's GSM (global system for mobile
communication) digital mobile network provider, has entered into a
contract with a European/African consortium, represented by Web
Systems and Octel Communications Europe. Terms of the contract call
for the consortium to provide messaging technology for MTC's network.

The move is significant, not just for Namibia, but for GSM phone
users, since it means that GSM phone subscribers in Namibia will have
access to Octel's advanced voice messaging system.

In addition, because Namibia's phone system is antiquated, MTC plans
to offer voice-mail for anyone, whether or not they have a GSM phone.
The idea is that people without a phone can use the voice-mail system
as an answering system.

MTC's GSM network, meanwhile, aims to fill a hole in terms of
telephone market penetration, which is still relatively low in
Namibia. According to MTC, provided the GSM service is priced
correctly, it will be an ideal alternative to landline communications,
which tend to be concentrated on centers of population, rather than
across the whole of the country, which has a scattered population of
around 1.8 million.

Per Ericsson, a spokesman for MTC, explained that the voice messaging
system is expected to be a best seller in Namibia, both for GSM
subscribers and for direct subscribers.

"Voice messaging is viewed as an additional, cost-effective
communications tool that will make a significant contribution to the
social and economic needs of Namibia, by enabling even those without
access to their own dedicated phone to send and receive messages," he
said.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951004/Press Contact: Yvonne Caunter, Octel
Communications Europe, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/04/95
TELECOM
Moscow Set To Have Digital Mobile Phone Network

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00020)
Moscow Set To Have Digital Mobile Phone Network 10/04/95
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1995 OCT 4 (NB) -- Vimpelcom, the Russian mobile phone
network company, has contracted with Ericsson of Sweden for the supply
of a D-AMPS (Digital American Mobile Phone System) cellular phone
network for the Moscow area.

The contract, worth around $18 million, calls for Ericsson to install
a digital net to complement Vimpelcom's existing analog AMPS cellular
network and will cover the supply and installation of cellular base
stations and minilink transmission equipment.

The Vimpelcom network will be Moscow's first digital network and, as
such, will avoid all the problems of cellular fraud, such as cloning
of phone chipsets, that has hit Russian mobile phone networks so hard
in recent times. Moscow's cellular phone network service providers
have battled long and hard against cloning fraud, which is reported to
account for around five percent of all calls made in the region.

Part of the reason for the phenomenally high incidence of fraudulent
cellular calls in Moscow is the operation of the Russian Mafia. The
Russian Mafia, who are reputed to have greater control over the
citizens of Moscow than the Government itself, impose taxes on all
forms of business in Russia's capital and make extensive use of
cellular communications, for which they very rarely pay.

Vimpelcom already has 15,000 subscribers in Russia and the opening of
the new digital network, with the possibility of roaming to other
country's digital nets, is expected to attract a large number of new
phone subscribers.

D-AMPS is gaining ground on GSM 900 and 1800 digital mobile phones
and, according to Ericsson, has around 1.5 million phone users
worldwide, most of whom are in the US. Like GSM, D-AMPS has the
ability to support roaming between networks, but its proponents claim
that the technology makes better use of the available radio spectrum
than GSM, and is a lot easier to integrate with existing analog
cellular phone networks.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951004/Press Contact: Per Bengtsson, Ericsson Area
Radio Communications, [phone]; Reader Contact: Ericsson
Cellular Systems - American Standards, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/04/95
GOVT
Australian Govt To Outsource Mainframes

(NEWS)(GOVT)(SYD)(00021)
Australian Govt To Outsource Mainframes 10/04/95
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1995 OCT 4 (NB) -- The Australian Department of
Finance (DoF) one of Canberra's bigger users of computers, will consider
outsourcing its mainframe operations. In other government computer-
oriented news, a government committee has continued to study the problem
of online pornography.

The DoF put its toe in the outsourcing pond some time ago when it was
looking at its applications development program, but found the water too
hot and decided to keep things in-house. However, as its Amdahl 1400
comes up for replacement, it will try the pond again.

The DoF is also looking at outsourcing as a possible route for its local
area network support, and for other information technology (IT)
requirements. The department believes all its IT functions are
contestable. If private enterprise can do it better and cheaper, private
enterprise will get the work, said the department.

Down the corridor, after its debut hearing at Parliament House recently,
the Senate Select Committee inquiring into the regulation of computer
online services, thinks it will have to have another hearing in Canberra
and hold sessions in Sydney and Melbourne and perhaps in other centers.
When and where they will occur will depend on how the committee can slot
the sessions into a busy Parliamentary calendar, and the volume and
quality of submissions.

The committee, which is worried about pornography and similar content on
the Internet and other online services, hopes to complete its hearings in
October, and plans to table its report in the Senate on November 30. That
is the day Parliament is due to rise, but it almost always overshoots its
schedule.

The committee has also released a report based on a public seminar
it held on Canberra on April 4. For a copy contact [phone], or
fax [phone].

(Computer Daily News/19951004)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/04/95
PC
Hong Kong - Aztech's "Orchestra On A Sound Board"

(NEWS)(PC)(HKG)(00022)
Hong Kong - Aztech's "Orchestra On A Sound Board" 10/04/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 OCT 4 (NB) -- Singapore's Aztech Systems has
introduced a three-dimensional (3-D), 16-bit, wave table sound card,
called Sound Galaxy WaveRider PRO 32-3D. The company claims the board
provides an exact reproduction of 128 instrumental sounds and 69 drum
effects with its built-in 32 voice wave table synthesis.

"The 3-D features in WaveRider PRO 32-3D add realism and professionalism
to your corporate presentation, home entertainment and interactive games,"
said Michael Mun, president of Aztech Systems. He likened the product
to a "live" first class orchestra on the desktop.

According to the company, not only can film-quality sound effects be
achieved with the product, but musical compositions can also be given
"ambiance and depth." The firm claims a clear 3-D sound effect is created
through a combination of SRS (sound retrieval system) with Aztech's
16-bit WaveRider sound technology. SRS is the technology used by Sony
in its high-end television sets.

The product does not require any special programming to achieve 3-D
effects, whether in recording and playback of music, movie sound
tracks, video games, or any other audio sources.

Featuring MIDI (musical instrument digital interface) compatibility
with Roland MPU 401 interface, it allows a choice of MIDI connections
to musical keyboards and drum machines for recording and playback.
With 13 multimedia and business software, the WaveRider is priced at
US$159.

Aztech has also announced a family of multimedia kits bundled with 6x
speed CD-ROM drives and audio products. It says the Home Office 2000-6X
is the first multimedia kit that bundles the Audio Telephony 2000 card
with the 6X Speed CD-ROM drive.

"The Home Office 2000-6X provides leading-edge answers to users who
need powerful computing from the 6x CD-ROM drive and the convenience of
a system that will function as a complete office. It does the job of a
secretary and a clerk, providing 24 hours of administrative support,
both at home and at office," said Mun.

Audio Telephony 2000 is a six-in-one function card that integrates fax,
modem, and sound features on a single add-on card. The pack is bundled
with a pair of speakers, a microphone, and eight CD titles, including
Microsoft Works, Microsoft Money, Encarta, and Dangerous Creatures.

(Nigel Armstrong & I.T. Daily/19951004)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/04/95
ONLINE
Hong Kong - ASM On The World Wide Web

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(HKG)(00023)
Hong Kong - ASM On The World Wide Web 10/04/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 OCT 4 (NB)-- Hong Kong-based trade publishing
empire Asian Sources Media has entered the world of electronic commerce,
announcing it would build a "massive World Wide Web site," publish CD-ROMs,
and open an EDI (electronic data interchange) service, backed by its own
trade management software pack.

Called e-Trade, the EDI service is designed to link up with the
freight-forwarding industry's CargoNet service and with HongKong Bank's
Hexagon for clearing letters of credit. "We'll be ready to link up with
Tradelink in 1996," boasted one ASM insider tongue in cheek. The
snafu-plagued government trade document handling service is supposed to
open before then.

Sarah Benecke, chief executive officer (CEO) of ASM's Publishing Division,
flew to Taipei recently to prepare for launch ceremonies. At the Hong
Kong launch, she said a revolution was under way in the export/import
business "and Asian Sources intends to lead it."

ASM's General Manager of Content Peter Houston, told I.T. Daily that
Asian Sources On-Line will be the center of the Web site that will
extend out as far as importers and exporters care to take it.

He said that, starting December, importers worldwide will receive monthly
CD-ROMs along with their ASM magazines -- allowing buyers to search for
products or suppliers, and scan product images or country reports. An
introductory offer invites current advertisers to have up to four images
and profile space on the disks for HK$2,000. Non-advertisers can have the
same thing for double that, he said.

Houston said the company had invested US$4 million building its electronic
commerce platform. He said it was too soon to think about revenue
projections or the extent of its electronic customer base, explaining that
the number of traders who still weren't online was "significant."

The CD-ROMs include an extensive range of products and suppliers from the
company's huge advertising base throughout Asia, a year's worth of back
issues of the publication in question, as well as trade and travel data,
said the company.

But much more interesting from ASM's standpoint is the button that allows
users to click into Asian Sources On-Line directly.

Tapping into Asian Sources On-Line (http://www.asiansources.com ), buyers
will be able to get product and pricing data from both advertising and
editorial sources. Participating exporters will appear monthly on both
Asian Sources On-Line and on the CD-ROMs distributed free with magazines.

"When a company takes out an advertisement in one of our magazines,"
explained Benecke, "we will set up a home page for them at no charge. We
will provide Internet access for all of our advertisers, along with
electronic-mail addresses. We'll make their transition to the future as
painless as possible."

She called the integration of publications, online services, CD-ROMs and
trade management software a "significant breakthrough" that will shape
the way trade gets done. The group, which publishes 47 monthly titles,
claims to have the world's largest database of importers and exporters.
It also claims a roster of 4,000 advertisers.

(Nigel Armstrong & I.T. Daily/19950920)


NEWS)(TRENDS)(BOS)(00024)

 ****Survey - PC Vendors Succeed By Targeting "Heavyweights" 10/04/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 4 (NB) -- PC makers like
Compaq, Dell, and Gateway have landed in the top industry bracket
by providing qualities such as "reliability" and "high
performance" that appeal to "heavyweight" customers -- and other
makers of PC hardware and software should follow suit if they
want to gain market share, IDG officials advised, at a
presentation of newly reached IDG survey results in Boston.

But how these "heavyweight" customers rank the top ten
characteristics varies markedly from one industry segment to
another, the three marketing experts said at the meeting, which
was attended by Newsbytes.

In the PC segment, the heavyweight customers rated the
descriptive qualities in the following order: reliability, high
performance, aggressive pricing, customer service/support, "works
well on a network," widely used/market standard, easy to install
and use, and feature rich, said Scott Kleinman, director of
strategic research for IDG's Marketing Division.

But with regard to software suites, the order of preference was
somewhat reversed, pointed out Jeff Goodell, a partner at
Griggs/Anderson/Prescott. In that software category, the
"heavyweights" are primarily interested in qualities like ease-
of-use and "feature richness" that fall of the bottom of the list
on the PC side.

Peter Moran, president of IDG's Marketing Services Division, told
the audience of "technology marketers" that IDG's 1995 PC
industry survey follows a similar industry assessment conducted
last year. Since its first days, he noted, the PC industry has
been dominated by the group of people with the "critical skills"
needed at any particular point in time.

At first, venture capitalists were the dominant force, followed
by technologists and manufacturers, who have recently focused on
more "efficient" production of products. Today, we are moving
into an era where marketers are coming to the fore, as
development of "brand image" becomes more and more important.

Results of IDG's 1994 and 1995 PC industry surveys show that "to
build preference, a brand image must align with attributes
critical to customers," according to Moran. As a consequence,
marketers should "craft your image so that it is consistent with
customer requirements and highlights your sources of
differentiation."

In this year's survey, IDG introduced a new question, which asks
users to "think of the brand like you would (think of) another
person," said Goodell.

About 10 percent of the users questioned answered that they would
"want and expect (the brand) to be faithful," he added. "And
these are the kinds of customers you want."

The heavyweights constitute the 20 percent of users who make 80
percent of expected purchases, according to Kleinman. Other
characteristics of heavyweights include "broad expertise" across
four to eight industry categories, strong influence over other
purchasers, and the tendency to actively seek out product
information.

Just over three-quarters (76 percent) of the heavyweights
consider computer publications to be "very important when
purchasing," followed by friends/colleagues at 33 percent, and
lesser numbers for manufacturer brochures/catalogs,
VARs/consultants, dealers/salespeople/ and general interest
publications/TV.

The speakers acknowledged, though, that the IDG survey found some
differences among various user groups. The survey was conducted
among 2,031 respondents, including 788 computer professionals,
461 managers, and 782 home users.

Dell and Gateway, for example, are particularly popular among
more "techie" users, whereas IBM, Compaq and HP appeal more to
business managers.

Also, companies should adapt the findings to their own particular
market situations, the audience was advised. Canon, for example,
has gained three percentage points this year in "top-of-mind-
awareness" within the inkjet printer market by targeting
"middleweight" customers rather than heavyweights, noted
Kleinman.

Canon's success stems from recognizing that HP is virtually
"unchallengeable" in the enterprise printer market, and pursuing
smaller businesses and home users instead, with the message that
"Canon makes printers that are right for you," he theorized.

But a large part of the IDG presentation dealt with illustrations
of how specific companies might find greater success by tailoring
their products more closely to the characteristics considered
important by the "heavyweights."

Compaq and IBM, for example, both ranked relatively low on
"aggressive pricing" and "customer service/support," and would be
better off to improve in these areas, Kleinman said.

HP's PCs are emerging as a "strong potential force." Dell did not
do especially well on any particular measure, but succeeded on
the basis of the "sum of its parts." Gateway "lagged on
reliability, but dominated price."

Apple seems to be emanating "misplaced messaging," since its
ratings were high on "easy to install and use" and "feature rich"
-- two characteristics not very important to heavyweights -- but
were low on "aggressive pricing" and "high performance." But HP's
PCs are emerging as a "strong potential force."

In an interview with Newsbytes at the close of the presentation,
Moran said that the IDG survey covered both the desktop and
notebook markets, and came up with similar findings for both.

Moran also noted strong trends at present toward the development
of multinational corporations within the PC industry, and toward
the use of a single ad agency by each corporation.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951003/Reader Contact: IDG, 508-875-5000;
Meghan Dvora, Alexander Communications for IDG, 415-923-1660)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/04/95
GENERAL
Lexmark Intros 5 Printers

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00025)
Lexmark Intros 5 Printers 10/04/95
GREENWICH, CONNECTICUT, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 4 (NB) -- Lexmark International
Inc. has launched five new laser printers, including the company's first
entry in the fledgling color laser market. All the new models are additions
to Lexmark's Optra line.

Lexmark also announced MarkNet IR, an infrared (IR) connection device
compatible with the Infrared Data Association (IrDA) standard for wireless
communications among computers and printers, and added support in its
MarkVision network printer management utility for IBM's OS/2 Warp
operating system and Microsoft's recently launched Windows 95.

Lexmark's new color laser, the Optra C, prints 600 by 600 dots-per-inch
(dpi), Lexmark said, and can produce 12 pages-per-minute (ppm) in
monochrome or three ppm in color. It supports three screening techniques:
continuous tone or ConTone, Color Grade, and Stochastic. Lexmark said the
ConTone technique blends from lighter to darker areas for high photographic
quality, Color Grade provides high-quality half-tone images, and the
Stochastic technique eliminates recurring patterns in images and graphic
fills through pseudo-random placement of same-size dots.

The four new monochrome Optra models -- the Optra R+, Rt+, Lx+, and
Lxi+ -- print eight ppm at 1,200 by 1,200 dpi and up to 16 ppm at lower
resolutions, and have better processing performance and media handling
features than their predecessors, according to Lexmark.

Lexmark said its new MarkNet IR infrared adapter attaches to printers or
desktop PCS to provide wireless file transfer and printing at speeds as
high as 1.152 megabits-per-second (Mbps). It is compatible with the IrDA
standard, a relatively new specification for infrared data transfer.

Mike McGuire, an analyst with Dataquest Inc. in San Jose, California,
said some elements of the IrDA standard have yet to be worked out, but
Dataquest expects about 36 million computers and peripherals with IrDA
support to ship in 1997, worldwide.

Lexmark said it will shortly deliver support for OS/2 Warp and Windows 95
in its MarkVision network printer management utility. The company also
said it improved installation and driver update facilities in MarkVision,
added NetWare Directory Services (NDS) support for Windows 3.1x clients,
and integrated MarkVision into the ManageWise network management product
for Novell Inc.'s NetWare local area network operating system.

Suggested retail prices for the new printers are US$6,849 or C$10,995 for
the Optra C, US$1,749 or C$2,630 for the Optra R+, US$1,999 or C$2,995
for the Rt+, US$2,699 or C$5,365 for the Lx+, and US$3,549 or C$5,400
for the Optra Lxi+.

(Grant Buckler/19951004/Press Contact: Colleen Browne, Lexmark Canada,
905-477-2311 ext. 272; Sheryl Steinberg, Cohen Group for Lexmark
Canada, tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/04/95
GENERAL
DEC Plans More Storage Controllers For OEMs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00026)
DEC Plans More Storage Controllers For OEMs 10/04/95
MAYNARD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 4 (NB) -- Digital
Equipment Corp.'s new SC-4200 controller, which brings a new
"entry-level" price point, is the first in a series of new
storage controllers for PC servers and Unix that Digital
StorageWorks will add each year to help "off-load" component
production from OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), revealed
David Guy, OEM business manager for StorageWorks, in a strategy
briefing for Newsbytes.

Guy told Newsbytes that Digital's StorageWorks now produces
storage components that include controllers, RAID (redundant
array of inexpensive disks) subsystems, enclosures, and disk
drives for a total of about 30 "OEM partners."

About 75 percent of these partners are located in the US, and
most of the remainder in Europe. But the OEMs also include
Goldstar in Korea and Epson in Japan, and StorageWorks expects to
add more customers in the Asia Pacific region in the near future,
he noted.

StorageWorks' other OEM customers include: Cambex, ICL and
DataLink in the US; ICL in Europe, DPT in both the US and Europe;
and Siemens-Nixdorf worldwide.

StorageWorks' OEM product line-up is similar to the StorageWorks
family of "branded" storage products, except that the components
produced for private labeling typically involve customization on
Digital's part to permit OEMs to "differentiate" their products,
said Guy.

Some customers, such as IPL, add their own storage controllers to
their private label RAID subsystems, while others, such as Cambex
and DataLink, use a StorageWorks controller in their RAID
subsystems, added Jim Hom, StorageWorks' product marketing
manager for OEM, in a separate interview with Newsbytes.

StorageWorks positions its products against competing offerings
from a range of other component makers on the basis of the
"breadth" of the StorageWorks line-up, along with Digital's
reputation for "expertise in systems and I/O (input/output),"
maintained Guy, a 15-year storage industry veteran who joined
Digital last November.

StorageWorks competes against players that include Data
General and EMC in the RAID subsystems market, Mylex in the
controller market, and Trim in the device enclosure market, he
continued, pointing out that most of these other vendors do not
"play" in all of StorageWorks' markets. Guy, whose job
responsibilities at StorageWorks run the gamut from sales to
engineering, has previously been employed by both EMC and Storage
Technology.

StorageWorks' new "entry-level" SC-4200 controller provides the
same capabilities as StorageWorks previously released SC-4600
controller, except that the SC-4200 offers a smaller form factor,
with only two SCSI (small computer systems interface)-2 buses, in
comparison to the SC-4600's six SCSI-2 buses, according to Hom.
The SC-4200 comes in a 5.25-inch form factor. The SC-4600, in
contrast, measures 8.5-inches by 11-inches by one-inch, the product
marketing manager informed Newsbytes.

In addition to the two SCSI interfaces, the SC-4200 provides a
fast-wide single-ended interface to the host computer, plus a
choice of four or 16 megabytes (MB) read/write-back cache.

The SC-4200 is available to OEMs either with or without
StorageWorks' new HA-720W or L-720W enclosure. The HA-720W
enclosure provides: redundant power supplies and cooling; "true
hot swap" of disk drives and power supplies; and automatic
monitoring, failure detection and recovery, and event
notification. In addition, an Environmental Monitoring Unit (EMU)
measures temperature, air flow, and status of the power supply.
The new L-720W enclosure, for "lower-end applications," brings
the same capabilities, with the exception of redundant power
supplies and cooling, reported Hom.

Guy told Newsbytes that Digital's future plans call for adding at
least one new storage controller each year to StorageWorks' OEM
product line-up. The upcoming controllers will reflect industry
movements toward lower pricing and support for increasingly
larger storage capacities, he revealed. Storage capacity of four
gigabytes (GB) is already the "industry standard" at the low end
of the network server market, and this standard will soon step up
to 9 GB, according to the OEM business manager.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951004/Reader Contact: Digital Equipment
Corp., 800-333-4545; Press Contact: Laura S. Kirkley, Digital,
508-841-6781; Janice Cashman or Heather McLellan, The Weber
Group for Digital, 617-661-7900)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/04/95
APPLE
 ****Apple Board Of Directors Back Spindler

(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00027)
 ****Apple Board Of Directors Back Spindler 10/04/95
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 4 (NB) --  Apple's board of
directors have reportedly restated their "faith" in Michael Spindler,
the company's chief executive officer. Meanwhile, the company's chief
financial officer has resigned.

A number of analysts and pundits question the strength and direction of
Apple's upper management as the company attempts to solve product
availability problems and its low market share of personal computers.

A.C. Markkula, chairman of the board of directors, clearly stated, "The
board will continue working with Mr. Spindler to address the challenges
and exciting opportunities we face in the dynamic personal computer
industry. The unprecedented demand for our new products demonstrated the
growing appeal of the Macintosh platform." He added, "We are committed to
actively working with the management team of Apple under Mr. Spindler's
leadership to create value for our shareholders."

Speculation about how long Spindler would remain in the head seat at
Apple is in response to continued difficult times for the computer
manufacturer.

Two weeks ago Apple announced its upcoming fiscal quarter results
would not meet Wall Street projections as the company continues to
report lower revenues than expected. In January, the Wall Street
Journal reported Apple's worldwide marketshare of personal computers
to be at 8%. A recent Dataquest study now places Apple's marketshare at
7.4%. It was just a few years ago when Apple's marketshare reached the
mid-teens.

Media reports continually state Apple did not accurately project the
demand for its products, especially the reduced instruction set
computing (RISC)-based PowerPC Macintosh computers. At the end of
its third fiscal quarter this past June, Apple claimed unfilled orders
were in excess of $1 billion.

Rather than a miscalculation, some analysts have said the problem lies
with the inability of Motorola to produce the latest PowerPC chip in
high volume. Fabricating chips from a wafer of silicon is a complicated
process and reports indicate the yield of good chips per wafer may be
as low as three or five for the fastest PowerPC chip, which is in heavy
demand. The complaint against Apple is that it should have anticipated
these yield problems and not announced new products without resolving
chip production issues.

Apple also faces a very successful launch of Microsoft's Windows 95
operating system. More than a month after its official launch, Windows
95 is selling about a million copies a week and no major bugs have
surfaced. While Windows 95 may not be moving as fast as originally
projected, its success to date complicates matters for Macintosh
software developers who are facing a market in which only one person
out of ten PC customers is a potential customer for their products.

Porting an existing Windows software title to the Macintosh platform
has its difficulties. In a recent discussion with a small Windows
software developer, Newsbytes was told, "We cannot justify the cost of
developing for the Macintosh platform. The price we would have to
charge to recoup our development costs would make the price of the
software too high to sell."

In addition, Apple recently released a PowerPC notebook, called the
PowerBook 5300. Two weeks into sales, Apple revealed the new
lithium ion battery used to power the portable computer had caused two
of the units to catch fire. After a quick recall, Apple quickly revamped
the 5300 with a nickel metal-hydride-battery used in earlier PowerBook
models and restarted shipment within 10 days.

InfoWorld Publishing Corp. recently  announced a survey of attendees
of its annual Agenda Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. Fifty-seven
percent of them are now selling or developing Macintosh products.
However, only 8% of them say they expect to do so next year.

The board meeting also revealed Joseph A. Graziano, Apple's executive
vice president and chief financial officer, announced his intention to
resign as director, effective immediately, and leave the company by the
end of the year. Graziano says his reason for parting is due to
differences with CEO Michael Spindler, but the resignation is
"amicable" and he will "continue working with Spindler."

Michael Murphy, editor of the California Technology Stock Letter, told
Newsbytes, "Losing a superstar like Graziano is not good for Apple.
Now they have to go out and find someone of comparable stature. They
are losing one of the most respected people in the industry. It would not
surprise me if his resignation comes from the fact that he went to the
board and asked for some dramatic changes. Perhaps the resignation of
Spindler. The outcome is that the board decided to support Spindler
and thus prompted the resignation of Graziano. No one really knows."

Apple remains silent on other issues the board may have discussed.
Even the length of the meeting is not publicized. Apple spokesperson,
Pam Miracle, told Newsbytes, "Other than the official press release, we
do not comment on anything related to board meetings." When asked if
solutions to its current product availability problems were addressed at
the board meeting, Miracle said, "In the past couple of weeks we have
issued press releases regarding that issue. At this time, we have no
other comments."

(Patrick McKenna/19951004/Press Contact: Pam Miracle,
408-974-0688)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/04/95
ONLINE
 ****Compuserve's Sub-$5 Per Month Internet Service

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SFO)(00028)
 ****Compuserve's Sub-$5 Per Month Internet Service 10/04/95
COLUMBUS, OHIO, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 4 (NB) -- The Internet Division of
Compuserve has announced a new worldwide Internet service, called Spryte.
With a $4.95 per month fee, three hours on the Internet, and an hourly
charge of $1.95 for additional hours, Compuserve says it intends to open
the Internet community to the "largest possible audience."

Using its global network, Compuserve says Spryte customers can use
local access lines to access the Internet in more than 96% of the United
States and overseas in numerous cities such as Brussels, Tokyo, Paris,
Copenhagen, Berlin, Bogota, and Moscow.

Spryte is a new venture which is separate from Compuserve's main
online service, Compuserve Information Service. A Compuserve spokesperson
told Newsbytes, "We want to make the Internet affordable for the world.
With Spryte we will be able to make the Internet and the World Wide Web
as common as an answering machine or fax machine."

A Spryte account comes with the necessary Internet software, including
Spry Mosaic, Spry Mail, and Compuserve's program for creating Web
pages, Home Page Wizard. Spry Mosaic is available as a 16-bit or
32-bit application.

The company spokesperson said the $4.95 package was designed for
novice users who want to find an affordable way to be introduced to the
Internet. As a user advances navigation skills and interests, they
can change the $4.95 plan to a Silver Surf Club fee or a Gold Internet
Club fee. The Silver Club is available for $9.95 per month and includes
the first seven hours of use. The Gold Internet Club is offered at $19.95
a month and includes the first 20 hours of use. Additional hours of use
on either program is charged in minutes at $1.95 per hour.

Spryte should be ready for shipping by the end of this year. It is another
Compuserve product which is the result of the purchase of Spry, a
leading developer of Internet software, last year. Spryte customers will
have their own electronic-mail address and an allotted space on the
World Wide Web for a personal home page. Spryte also offers
directories, Web searching capabilities, and a "what's new" section.

(Patrick McKenna/19951004/Press Contact: Rebecca Gelinas,
Compuserve/Spry, 206-442-2598)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/04/95
PC
Thrustmaster Intros New Game Steering Console

(NEWS)(PC)(DEN)(00029)
Thrustmaster Intros New Game Steering Console 10/04/95
PORTLAND, OREGON, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 4 (NB) -- Thrustmaster Inc.
(NASDAQ: TMSR) has announced shipment of its new Formula T2 driving
control for use with motor racing simulation software.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95100429.PCX
Click here for photo

The T2 is an enhanced version of the earlier Formula T1 device. A
driving control is analogous to a joystick for other games. The T2
"puts you right in the cockpit of your favorite racing car" with
its steering console with steering wheel, gear shifter, two dash
buttons, and a separate gas and brake pedal unit that sits on the
floor. The dash buttons perform different functions depending on
what specific game you are using the Formula T2 with. The system
attaches to the PC's game port via an included cable.

The T2 comes with a new dual clamping mechanism to mount the console
unit more securely to any desktop surface. The T1 used velcro
fasteners. The company has also redesigned the steering wheel to add
a one-inch thick foam rubber grip that Thrustmaster said feels more
comfortable and provides greater control with less fatigue.

Thrustmaster spokesperson, Laura Rawlins, told Newsbytes the gas and
brake pedals have also been redesigned and now look and feel more
like real pedals. They also provide more control and less foot
slippage than the older version, said the company. The pedals in
the T1 version were rollers. The company also claims it improved
the gear shift lever, giving it a longer throw for more realism.

The Formula T2 driving control, including the steering console and
the gas and brake pedal unit, has a suggested retail price of
$179.95, and is available in retail outlets and through mail-order
houses.

(Jim Mallory/19951004/Press contact: Laura Rawlins,
Thrustmaster, 503-639-3200; Public contact: Thrustmaster,
503-639-3200/T2-951004/PHOTO)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00030)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 10/04/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 4 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|           Wednesday, October 4, 1995           |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network's 1995 Update CD-ROM for Mac, DOS, and Windows is
now available for $29.95 (includes s&h). Contains 1983-1995 news
stories, more than 64,000 keyword searchable stories and 475 digitized
images. For more information or to order, fax to 612-430-0441 or e-mail
to '[e-mail]' -- MC, Visa, Amex accepted.

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

APPLE      ****Apple Board Of Directors Back Spindler................ 27

BROADCAST Canadian MSAT Network Live, Nearing Commercial Launch...... 12

BROADCAST RadioShack Intros Onscreen Services Device................. 18

GENERAL   EMC/Oracle/HP Move "Largest Database" To Mass.............. 05

GENERAL   Animated E-mail Greeting Cards............................. 06

GENERAL   Lexmark Intros 5 Printers.................................. 25

GENERAL   DEC Plans More Storage Controllers For OEMs................ 26

GOVT      Australian Govt To Outsource Mainframes.................... 21

IBM       IBM Opens Advanced Pan-European Phone Support Center....... 08

LEGAL     UK - Novell Offers End-User Legal Software Education....... 02

ONLINE    Wollongong Unveils Emissary Web Browser Technology......... 11

ONLINE    Univ Of Pittsburgh Plans Info Highway Conference........... 14

ONLINE    America Online & ABC Sponsor Online Papal Mass............. 15

ONLINE    Hong Kong - ASM On The World Wide Web...................... 23

ONLINE     ****Compuserve's Sub-$5 Per Month Internet Service........ 28

PC        Dell Ships New Latitude Portables.......................... 17

PC        Hong Kong - Aztech's "Orchestra On A Sound Board........... 22

PC        Thrustmaster Intros New Game Steering Console.............. 29

TELECOM    ****Major Carriers Plan Lotus Notes Public Networks....... 01

TELECOM   UK - Hutchison Telecom Joins Fraud Avoidance Database...... 03

TELECOM   Maltese Communications Conference Set...................... 04

TELECOM   The Radiopager Joins The Mobile Comms Revolution........... 09

TELECOM   Voiceview Adds Digital Simultaneous Voice/Data............. 13

TELECOM   Advanced Voice Messaging For Namibia....................... 19

TELECOM   Moscow Set To Have Digital Mobile Phone Network............ 20

WINDOWS   "Plug-In" Makes Windows "User-Friendly..................... 07

WINDOWS   Delrina Unveils Telephone Add-On For WinFax................ 10

WINDOWS   Videos Reduce Office 95 Learning Curve..................... 16

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 ->  ****Major Carriers Plan Lotus Notes Public Networks -- Lotus
Development Corporation has announced support for the Lotus Notes
platform from eleven major public data and communications carriers.

2 -> UK - Novell Offers End-User Legal Software Education -- Following a
trend started earlier this summer by Microsoft with its LegalWare
end-user education program, Novell has announced plans for a major
NetWare legislation and education campaign for the UK.

3 -> UK - Hutchison Telecom Joins Fraud Avoidance Database -- Hutchison
Telecom's Orange PCN (personal communications network) digital mobile
phone company, has joined the Credit Industry Fraud Avoidance Scheme
(CIFAS).

4 -> Maltese Communications Conference Set -- The European Electronic
Messaging Association (EEMA) has announced it is hosting its next
regional conference in Malta on November 29 this year.

5 -> EMC/Oracle/HP Move "Largest Database" To Mass -- "I wouldn't call
the database `mobile." But it's certainly `transportable,'" said EMC
Corp.'s Roy Sanford, during a discussion with Newsbytes about the move
of a four terabyte (TB) decision support system (DSS)

6 -> Animated E-mail Greeting Cards -- Gold Disk Inc. has announced
Studio M, a new product designed to create personalized animated
greeting cards, multimedia photo albums, and interactive party
announcements. Consumers can pull down templates and create personalized
self-running multimedia greetings to family and friends by
electronic-mail or on a floppy disk.

7 -> "Plug-In" Makes Windows "User-Friendly -- Plannet Crafters Inc. is
letting Windows 95 users "plug-in" additional functionality to the new
operating system (OS) with Plug-In for Windows Version 2.6. The program
creates a "user-friendly desktop environment" by adding features not
found in Windows, according to the company.

8 -> IBM Opens Advanced Pan-European Phone Support Center -- The
Scottish Silicon Valley, namely Greenock, has been chosen as the site
for a pan-European telephone support facility by IBM. Officials with Big
Blue say that the new facility will offer 24 hour support for users of
the company's hardware and software products.

9 -> The Radiopager Joins The Mobile Comms Revolution -- During a visit
Newsbytes made to Hutchison Telecom's communication headquarters
recently, we had a chance to talk with Tony Vimal, Hutchison's product
marketing manager, about the possibilities of linking electronic-mail to
the "humble" radiopager.

10 -> Delrina Unveils Telephone Add-On For WinFax -- Delrina Corp.
(TSE:DC; NASDAQ:DENAF) has announced TalkWorks, an add-on for its WinFax
facsimile software that works with a voice-capable modem as a substitute
for a telephone answering machine. Delrina expects the software to
appeal to home and small-business users, as well as independent
professionals, company spokesman Shelly Sofer told Newsbytes.

11 -> Wollongong Unveils Emissary Web Browser Technology -- Wollongong,
the business networking company, has taken the wraps off two new
Internet packages: Emissary Desktop Edition and Emissary Office Edition.

12 -> Canadian MSAT Network Live, Nearing Commercial Launch -- Canada's
Mobile Satellite Communications (MSAT) network is now operating and
being tested, and will be ready for commercial service before year-end,
according to its operator, TMI Communications and Co.

13 -> Voiceview Adds Digital Simultaneous Voice/Data -- Radish
Communications Systems Inc. has announced the availability of digital
simultaneous voice/data (DSVD) under the Voiceview protocol. Voiceview
allows integrated voice and data communications using a telephone and a
PC.

14 -> Univ Of Pittsburgh Plans Info Highway Conference -- The University
of Pittsburgh plans to hold, what it said is, the first regional
conference on the National Information Infrastructure on October 9. The
conference will aim to develop an action agenda for implementing the
information infrastructure

15 -> America Online & ABC Sponsor Online Papal Mass -- Pope John Paul
II, already one of the most traveled popes in history, is making a big
splash in the cyberspace pool. Two more electronic concerns, America
Online (AOL) and the New York Times Electronic Company, are bringing a
Papal mass to anyone with a computer and the right access.

16 -> Videos Reduce Office 95 Learning Curve -- Like any new software,
Microsoft Office 95 takes time to learn. But a Utah company has
introduced a line of videotapes it says can smooth out the learning
curve for the suite of Microsoft productivity software.

17 -> Dell Ships New Latitude Portables -- Dell Computer Corp. (NASDAQ:
DELL) has started shipping two new models in its Latitude portable
computer family that feature active-matrix video displays.

18 -> RadioShack Intros Onscreen Services Device -- RadioShack has
introduced an interactive system that lets the user select from onscreen
program listings, perform one-touch programming of their VCR, and check
the news, weather and sports scores.

19 -> Advanced Voice Messaging For Namibia -- Mobile Telecommunications
(MTC), Namibia's GSM (global system for mobile communication) digital
mobile network provider, has entered into a contract with a
European/African consortium, represented by Web Systems and Octel
Communications Europe. Terms of the contract call for the consortium to
provide messaging technology for MTC's network.

20 -> Moscow Set To Have Digital Mobile Phone Network -- Vimpelcom, the
Russian mobile phone network company, has contracted with Ericsson of
Sweden for the supply of a D-AMPS (Digital American Mobile Phone System)
cellular phone network for the Moscow area.

21 -> Australian Govt To Outsource Mainframes -- The Australian
Department of Finance (DoF) one of Canberra's bigger users of computers,
will consider outsourcing its mainframe operations. In other government
computer- oriented news, a government committee has continued to study
the problem of online pornography.

22 -> Hong Kong - Aztech's "Orchestra On A Sound Board -- Singapore's
Aztech Systems has introduced a three-dimensional (3-D), 16-bit, wave
table sound card, called Sound Galaxy WaveRider PRO 32-3D. The company
claims the board provides an exact reproduction of 128 instrumental
sounds and 69 drum effects with its built-in 32 voice wave table
synthesis.

23 -> Hong Kong - ASM On The World Wide Web -- Hong Kong-based trade
publishing empire Asian Sources Media has entered the world of
electronic commerce, announcing it would build a "massive World Wide Web
site," publish CD-ROMs, and open an EDI (electronic data interchange)
service, backed by its own trade management software pack.

25 -> Lexmark Intros 5 Printers -- Lexmark International Inc. has
launched five new laser printers, including the company's first entry in
the fledgling color laser market. All the new models are additions to
Lexmark's Optra line.

26 -> DEC Plans More Storage Controllers For OEMs -- Digital Equipment
Corp.'s new SC-4200 controller, which brings a new "entry-level" price
point, is the first in a series of new storage controllers for PC
servers and Unix that Digital StorageWorks will add each year to help
"off-load" component production from OEMs (original equipment
manufacturers), revealed David Guy, OEM business manager for
StorageWorks, in a strategy briefing for Newsbytes.

27 ->  ****Apple Board Of Directors Back Spindler --  Apple's board of
directors have reportedly restated their "faith" in Michael Spindler,
the company's chief executive officer. Meanwhile, the company's chief
financial officer has resigned.

28 ->  ****Compuserve's Sub-$5 Per Month Internet Service -- The
Internet Division of Compuserve has announced a new worldwide Internet
service, called Spryte. With a $4.95 per month fee, three hours on the
Internet, and an hourly charge of $1.95 for additional hours, Compuserve
says it intends to open the Internet community to the "largest possible
audience."

29 -> Thrustmaster Intros New Game Steering Console -- Thrustmaster Inc.
(NASDAQ: TMSR) has announced shipment of its new Formula T2 driving
control for use with motor racing simulation software.

(Ian Stokell/19951004)





Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD



Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/03/95
GENERAL
Fathers Of Communication Satellite Honored

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00001)
Fathers Of Communication Satellite Honored 10/03/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 OCT 3 (NB) -- John Pierce and
Harold Rosen, the engineers who developed communication
satellite technology, last week were named recipients of the
$400,000 Charles Stark Draper Prize, the world's largest award
exclusively for engineering achievement.

Pierce, 85, and Rosen, 69, were honored at the annual meeting of
the National Academy of Engineering, which established the
Draper Prize in 1988.

John Foster, chair of the committee that selected Pierce and
Rosen, said, "Every time we watch the news, we see the results
of their sheets. Whenever we make a call or send a fax
oversees, make a bank transaction or plan a trip based on a
weather forecast, we should thank Pierce and Rosen."

Science fiction writer and aerospace engineer Arthur C. Clarke
is generally credited with proposing communication satellite
networks in space in 1945 in an article entitled
"Extra-Terrestrial Relays." "John Pierce and Harold Rosen are
the fathers of the communication satellite," said Clarke. "They
designed, developed, and produced it, making real that which I
and others thought only to write and dream about."

Pierce, while working at AT&T Bell Laboratories, designed and
launched the famous Telstar 1, the world's first active
communication satellite. Rosen, at Hughes Aircraft, then
devised the method of placing the Syncom II satellite in
geosynchronous orbit, orbiting at the same pace as the earth's
rotation, so that it appears to remain at a fixed location.

The Draper Prize is endowed by the Charles Stark Draper
Laboratory Inc. of Cambridge, Mass. Charles "Doc" Draper was
the father of modern inertial guidance systems used in aircraft,
space vehicles, strategic missiles and submarines.

The first Draper Prize was awarded in 1989 to Jack Kilby and
Robert Noyce, the engineers who invented the integrated circuit.
The second Prize went in 1991 to Hans von Ohain and Sir Frank
Whittle for the development of the jet engine, and the third, in
1993, when to John Backus for the development of FORTRAN, the
first high-level computer language.

(Kennedy Maize/19951002/Press Contact: Chuck Blue, NAE,
202-334-1237)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/03/95
TELECOM
Geneva Telecom - European Paging Association Expands

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00002)
Geneva Telecom - European Paging Association Expands 10/03/95
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, 1995 OCT 3 (NB) -- The European Public Paging
Association (EPPA) will be appearing at the Telecom 95 telecoms
exhibition, which opens today in Geneva. According
to officials of the association, membership has now been expanded to
29 companies scattered around Europe.

The EPPA was formed in January of last year and is a nonprofit
organization with the broad aim of stimulating demand for the European
paging market by increasing the public's awareness of paging services.

Jacques Couvas, chairman of the EPPA and vice president of MTel's
European operations, explained that the association hopes to sign up
even more members at the show. This will, he said, allow the
organization to move towards its aim of creating an effective forum
for cooperation among European paging companies.

"We want to signal that paging is a modern, state-of-the-art
technology that is representative of today's fast moving telecoms
industry," he said, adding that all leads from the show will be passed
to the organization's members around Europe.

As reported by Newsbytes in a recent visit to Hutchison Paging's
headquarters in Darlington, England, paging is still viewed as a
"second best" in many markets to the mobile phone. The fall in
purchase cost of a mobile phone, coupled with the ubiquitousness of
the cellular systems, has meant that paging is now staging a
"second coming" as businesses realize the value of paging technology.

It's precisely this approach that the EPPA wants to get across to
businesses in Europe, hence it's taking a stand at the Telecom 95 show.
The theme of EPPA's stand at the show is "be in touch," with a 2.6
meter-sized hand on the stand holding a pager, on to which are flashed live
messages from the exhibition.

"An important reason for EPPA's presence at Telecom 95 is to recruit
new members from the European paging industry. We accept members from
paging operators, terminal and infrastructure manufacturers,
distributors, service providers and public network operators," said
Lieselotte Claydon, a spokeswoman for Ericsson's Radio Messaging
operations.

Claydon, Newsbytes notes, is the EPPA board member responsible for
coordinating the EPPA's presence at Telecom 95.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951002/Press Contact: Susan Gutmans, Y&R Business
Communication [phone]; Fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/03/95
TELECOM
Ericsson Secures Two Major Chinese Contracts

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00003)
Ericsson Secures Two Major Chinese Contracts 10/03/95
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, 1995 OCT 3 (NB) -- Ericsson has announced the
signing of two major contracts with the Chinese Ministry of Post and
Telecommunications (MPT).

According to the Swedish telco, the first contract calls for Ericsson
to supply AXE public switching hardware for installation on the
Chinese landline network. The second contract revolves around a
memorandum of understanding with the Chinese MPT for extended
cooperation on developing SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy)
transmission systems for the Chinese marketplace.

Under the first contract, Ericsson will deliver exchange hardware
capable of servicing more than 2.6 million exchange lines. The
contract, which runs for the next two years, requires Ericsson to ship
exchange equipment from its local manufacturing plant, Nanjing
Ericsson Communications, across China, and install the systems. The
aim of the project is to greatly increase the availability of landline
telephony in Southern China.

According to Anders Ingel, a spokesman for Ericsson, the company has
delivered and/or completed work on AXE exchange equipment capable of
servicing more than nine million exchange lines in China.

Lam Ramquist, Ericsson's CEO, meanwhile, claims that the company is
continually raising its profile in the Chinese telecoms market, and
these two contracts will raise its profile to a much greater extent
than before. "We consider this AXE agreement an important base for
our objective to further increase volume, market share and production
capacity in China," he said.

According to Ramquist, the memorandum of understanding with the
Chinese MPT in the SDH transmission arena is a continuation of the
company's pilot license and cooperation agreement signed between
Ericsson and the Wuhan Research Institute recently. Terms of the
contract call for WRI to be responsible for the design, marketing and
distribution of Ericsson's SDH products on to the Chinese market.

WRI specializes in advanced fiber optics and transmission equipment.
The company is situated in Wuhan, with all the research and development,
as well as production, facilities on hand. Employing over 1600 people,
the company is one of the major suppliers to the Chinese markets.

WRI is owned by the Chinese MPT company, but the collaboration between
Ericsson and WRI will continue with the transfer of technology,
along with localized production in joint venture operations
and what Ramquist terms "other profitable options" for both companies.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951002/Press Contact: Anders Ingel, Ericsson Business
Area Public Telecommunications [phone]; Reader Contact: Olof
Lenneman's office, Ericsson China Company [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/03/95
ONLINE
Barclays Stockbrokers Plug Into The Internet

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LON)(00004)
Barclays Stockbrokers Plug Into The Internet 10/03/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 3 (NB) -- Barclays Bank has announced it is
offering a variety of stockbrokering information on the Internet via the
bank's World Wide Web site on http://www. barclays.co.uk .

According to Di Skidmore, a spokeswoman for Barclays, the information
on the stock trading side of the bank's Web pages is highly interactive
and designed to act as a shop window for the bank's stock dealing
services.

"We see the Internet as very much an information medium for customers,
rather than a medium for dealing," she told Newsbytes, adding that the
bank is looking at offering dealing services to customers, once the
security issues are resolved.

"We are aware of other dealing services on the Internet, but we are
watching the situation very carefully. When our customers ask for
dealing services on the Internet, we will provide them," she
explained.

According to Barclays, the bank's stockbroker site differs from other
stockbrokers' Internet sites in that it provides an interesting,
topical and useful information service, and does not just detail its
own range of dealing services.

The information on the Web site includes the Stock Exchange dealing
calendar, as well as a detailed list of perks available to
shareholders of many UK-listed companies. In addition, the bank plans
to publish topical articles on stock market issues and explanations on
how stocks and shares work.

Announcing the opening of the new service, Tony Vine-Lott, Barclays
Stockbrokers' managing director, said that the company has undertaken
a wide range of initiatives to promote investment understanding and
encourage wider and deeper share ownership in the UK.

"The Internet offers an innovative and interesting way to help
inexperienced investors gain a better understanding of the stock
market, at the same time as providing seasoned shareholders with
valuable dealing information," he explained.

"Looking to the future, we are aiming to allow users to access their
portfolios as well as to buy and sell shares directly into the
market at a cost-effective price," he said.

(Steve Gold/19951002/Press Contact: Barclays Press Relations +44-171-
699-2672; Internet Email: [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/03/95
TELECOM
Ameritech Launches ISDN Resellers Program

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(MSP)(00005)
Ameritech Launches ISDN Resellers Program 10/03/95
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 3 (NB) -- Ameritech (NYSE:AIT) is
launching a new program to use resellers to sell its ISDN (Integrated
Services Digital Network) services. The program, called "ISDN Allies,"
is expected to double Ameritech's ISDN growth, company officials said.

Ameritech is teaming with IntelliCom Solutions, Inc., which will help
integrators of all sizes that want to get into the convergence market.
IntelliCom will also provide the equipment needed by customers to
hook up into ISDN.

The program, which is scheduled to kick off this month, includes 300
resellers in Ameritech's five-state region. Those resellers will
attend training programs on ISDN installations, applications, and
support, officials said. The training stems from requests of a
reseller and computer dealer focus group who wanted to learn more
about how to sell ISDN to support their customer's needs.

ISDN Allies will initially target specific consumer applications, like
LAN (local area network) to LAN connectivity, remote LAN access,
Internet access, and remote control access to office computers.

Rich Maganini, Ameritech spokesperson, told Newsbytes his company is
starting this program because he wants to expand into another sales
channel. "We know there's a lot of demand for ISDN out there, and
this is another way for us to help capture this demand," he said.

Ameritech has other ISDN offerings, including a home professional
package designed for consumers and small businesses, which is currently
on trial, Maganini said. That program should be available soon to
the general public, he added.

Most of Ameritech's customer base already have access to ISDN, company
officials said, with 80 percent penetration throughout its region, and
90 percent in major metropolitan areas. The launch of the ISDN Allies
program coincides with a major push by the Regional Bell Operating
Company (RBOC) to expand availability and support capabilities for
ISDN.

(Bob Woods/19951002/Press Contact: Rich Maganini, Ameritech, 312-364-
2134, or 312-750-5628. Public Contact: Daryle Brown, Ameritech, 313-
223-5750; IntelliCom, 610-458-6617)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/03/95
TELECOM
UK Company Offers Global Mobile Phone In A Suitcase

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00006)
UK Company Offers Global Mobile Phone In A Suitcase 10/03/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 3 (NB) -- Nera Telecommunications, a high-
end mobile telecoms supplier, has announced it is selling a global
phone in a suitcase for $10,000.

According to Bob Tutor, a spokesman for the company, this price tag
includes the high degree of "handholding" regarding licensing and
airtime provisions that many users are unaware of when they are looking
to buy a phone for use with the Inmarsat M satphone service.

"You can see the list price of $12,000 from many vendors, but the
phone cannot be used in its basic state. You need licensing and an
airtime contract. What we've done is to take the hardware, which we
can supply on a purchase, leasing or rental basis to the customer, and
offer a range of innovative airtime packages with that phone," he told
Newsbytes.

Although there are a number of different tariffs available, ranging up
to UKP 5 ($8.00) a minute via Inmarsat, Nera claims that, since it is
an airtime provider, it has put together a system whereby users can
pre-pay their calls and get a discounted UKP 3-00 per minute tariff,
regardless of when in the day their calls are made, and no matter
where the calls originate and end up in the world.

Martin Braime, Nera's managing director, said that the Nera World
Phone package is easy to set up and is ideally suited to businesses
that want a simple phone for their staff to use anywhere in the world.
"Businesses simply can't afford to be at the mercy of the local
telephone system and cellular mobiles do not yet provide the truly
global coverage that the World Phone can offer today," he explained.

The World Phone comes in a suitcase for rapid assembly, and is
"bundled" with 365-days-a-year advice and support as a standard
feature. Airtime can be billed or prepaid as required. According to
Tutor, the unit supports voice telephony, as well as Group III fax
transmissions up to 2,400 bits per second (bps), using the analog fax
port.

A data service across the Inmarsat M service is under active trials at
the moment and should be available in a couple of months, also
operating to around 2,400 bps, Tutor told Newsbytes.

Operationally, the World Phone is billed as being capable of operating
at between minus 35 and plus 55 degrees centigrade, and in high
humidity (to 95 percent at 40 degrees C), and even works in heavy rain
(two inches an hour).

Tutor told Newsbytes that the World Phone package and airtime contract
is available globally through the company's agents.

(Steve Gold/19951002/Press Contact: Sue Rizello, The Rowland Company
[phone]; Internet Email: [e-mail];
Reader Contact: Nera Telecommunications [phone]; Fax +44-181-
686-6811)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/03/95
TELECOM
Geneva Telecom - Ericsson's Advanced Cellphone

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00007)
Geneva Telecom - Ericsson's Advanced Cellphone 10/03/95
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, 1995 OCT 3 (NB) -- Ericsson has taken the wraps
off an advanced version of its best-selling analog EH-237 cellular
phone. The new phone, known as the EH-238, has all the features of its
forebear, which won the 1994 Mobile Phone of the Year award, but has
an updated internal software system that enhances reception and offers
no less than nine ringing signals.

The phone was formally unveiled at the Telecom 95 show in Geneva,
Switzerland, which runs for the next two weeks. According to officials
with the company, the phone incorporates the same static aerial
technology, with an aerial that does not need to be pulled out, as
seen on the EH-337, and now comes with a lithium ion battery, which
gives 140 minutes of talk time or almost 24 hours on standby.

The phone now comes with additional software features that include a
minute timer system for checking on call time, a PIN electronic lock
and an enhanced LCD (liquid crystal display) screen.

The new analog version of Ericsson's 230-gram tiny phone is being
produced in Europe to the TACS (Total Access Communications System)
standard. Versions are under development for the AMPS (American Mobile
Phone System) network in the US, as well as for the Japanese
Handyphone network.

The release of the EH238 is significant, Newsbytes notes, as several
manufacturers, notably Panasonic, have ceased developing new models
and even producing analog models in favor of digital units. The fact
that Ericsson is producing a new analog model of its best seller is an
indicator that analog cellular is going to be here for some years to
come.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951002/Press Contact: Paula Wagstaff, Ericsson +44-
1444-234354; Reader Contact: Ericsson Telecom +44-1444-
234567/ERICSSO951003/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/03/95
BUSINESS
 ****Connectsoft Disconnects From Medio Purchase

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00008)
 ****Connectsoft Disconnects From Medio Purchase 10/03/95
BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 3 (NB) -- Connectsoft Inc.,
has announced it has terminated its agreement to purchase the
assets of Medio Multimedia, Inc. A Connectsoft spokesperson told
Newsbytes the deal was contingent on the fulfillment of various
conditions and "a number of contingencies were not met on both
sides by the September 29 deadline," but declined to reveal further
details.

In early July, Newsbytes reported that ConnectSoft Inc., planned
to purchase financially troubled Medio Multimedia Inc., for an
undisclosed amount. The purchase would have saved Medio from almost
certain bankruptcy. In mid-June Medio president Steve Podradchik
told Newsbytes the company was behind on its payroll and praised the
company's employees for sticking with Medio through difficult times.
Medio laid off about 35 employees in early June.

Before cancelling the deal, Connectsoft had said it would retain all
of Medio's 35 employees and the Medio home page on the Internet
would continue to be available.

Medio published a monthly magazine on CD-ROM disk, was developing an
online network and an interactive television system, as well as
multimedia entertainment on CD-ROM. Its first entertainment
product, "JFK Assassination: A Visual Investigation," was released
almost a year ago.

Podradchik had hoped a financial white knight would ride to Medio's
rescue. Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, already a multi-million
dollar investor in Medio and the owner of the Portland Trail
Blazers professional basketball team, had been considered a
candidate for that role, but Allen staffers told Newsbytes Allen
would consider putting additional funds into Medio only if the
company could find another investor. That didn't happen.

No one was answering any of the phone extensions at Medio today.

(Jim Mallory/19951003/Press contact: David Kaufer or Pam Miller,
Kaufer Miller Communications for ConnectSoft, 206-450-9965;
Public contact: Connectsoft, 206-827-6467; Medio,
Multimedia, 206-867-5500)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/03/95
TELECOM
EC Attempts To Clean Up Mobile Phone Market

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00009)
EC Attempts To Clean Up Mobile Phone Market 10/03/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 3 (NB) -- Ask anyone involved in the
cellular phone industry, especially in the UK marketplace, as to their
opinion of the trade in general, and it's certain that words like
"shark," "crooks" and "dodgy" will come up. The European Commission
(EC), perhaps aware of this, has awarded a contract to Ovum, the UK-
based research and report company, to help develop a code of conduct
for pan-European mobile service providers.

The aim of the Code is cover both independent service providers and
service providers who form part of a mobile network operation.
Unfortunately, Newsbytes notes, the code will be voluntary, but its
status will be reviewed on a six monthly basis.

Interestingly, despite the voluntary nature of the code, it was
strongly supported at a European level by the cellular industry in an
EC public consultation, following the issue of a green paper
(consultative document) on mobile and personal comms last year,
Newsbytes notes. More cynical observers said at the time that the
reason that the industry sided with the EC's green paper was because
of worries over mandatory EC legislation being imposed.

Ovum plans to send out its first ideas on the code to interested
parties in the form of a consultative document later this month. The
document will, according to Martin Garner, an Ovum manager who is
coordinating the creation of the code of conduct, be very much a
foundation and inquiry paper, which will be sent to all mobile service
providers in Europe.

"It's something of a gradual, but planned, program to create the code.
We plan to send out the preliminary document later this month and, by
January of next year will have completed most of the ground work. At
that stage, we move on to a public consultation, which will probably
start in March, before submitting the code to the EC for its
approval," he told Newsbytes.

Despite the fact that Ovum is an English-speaking operation based in
London, Garner explained that the code will be compiled with the
consultation of, and for, the pan-European cellular industry. All
interested parties in Europe, he said, will be consulted in preparing
the draft code of conduct.

Anyone interested in receiving a copy of the consultative document is
asked to fax Martin Garner on [phone] or e-mail him on
[e-mail].

(Steve Gold/19951003/Press Contact: Jennie Morales, PR Manager, Ovum
[phone]; Internet Email: [e-mail]; Reader
Contact: Ovum [phone]; Fax [phone]; Internet Email:
[e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/03/95
BUSINESS
Czech Republic Switches To Convertible Currency

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00010)
Czech Republic Switches To Convertible Currency 10/03/95
PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC, 1995 OCT 3 (NB) -- Following Poland's switch
to a convertible Zloty last year, the Czech Republic's unit of
currency, the Koruna, became a fully convertible currency on Sunday of
this week.

The move does not mean that anyone wanting Korunas can march into
their local bank or currency exchange office and exchange the currency
-- like the Zloty, the Koruna is still a limited demand currency and,
as such, has to be ordered through most bank offices. The switch to
convertible status will, however, have profound implications for
trading with the Czech Republic, especially as regards IT (information
technology) products.

Previously, citizens of the Republic were limited to taking K100,000
($2,400) out of the country on any one trip abroad. This limitation is
now removed, as is the limitation that all foreign transactions to the
West must be routed through government banking channels. It
mean that Czech checks and other financial instruments are presentable
on demand through Western banking channels, and can be "paid out" in
foreign "hard currency."

Commenting on the transition of the Koruna into a convertible
currency, Vaclav Klaus, the Czech Republic's Prime Minister, said
that, though the switch will benefit trading with the West, there are
a number of risks attached, since the economic wind "can blow stronger
than before."

Nevertheless, Klaus, who has piloted the currency towards its goal of
convertibility, both during his time as PM and before that, as finance
minister, claims that the country's currency is in a much stronger
position than other "B" currency nations such as Mexico, since the
republic has no national debt, no budget deficit and, unlike Mexico,
does not issue government float bonds, such as the Tesoro bonds, to
raise currency.

In a speech given at the SBC Warburg annual lectures in London late
last week, Klaus said that he had no intentions of following the route
taken by Poland, and currently being taken by Hungary, of devaluing
the currency to balance the currency against others on a free market.

Klaus said that the last time the Koruna was devalued was in 1990 and,
since then, the currency had maintained a stable exchange rate with
the main Western currencies, a policy that he likened to a creeping
revaluation. With the Republic planning to apply for European
Community membership early next year, he said that this stability will
greatly aid the transformation process in achieving membership.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951003)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
10/03/95
CORRECTION ONLINE
Correction - America Online Unexpectedly Goes Down

(CORRECTION)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00011)
Correction - America Online Unexpectedly Goes Down 10/03/95
VIENNA, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 3 (NB) -- In a story entitled
"America Online Unexpectedly Goes Down," Newsbytes inadvertently gave
an incorrect date for when the online network experienced a three-
plus hour outage.

The article should have said September 29. Newsbytes regrets the
error.

(Bob Woods/19951003/Press Contacts: Pam McGraw, America Online, 703-
556-3746)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/03/95
WINDOWS
Microsoft Cuts Home Software Pricing

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(DEN)(00012)
Microsoft Cuts Home Software Pricing 10/03/95
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 3 (NB) -- Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ: MSFT) announced this week it has cut the price of its
home software products, with more than 30 titles now available for
an estimated street price under $50. With some of the prices being
reduced by as much as 45 percent, Microsoft said some of the
titles will be available for as little as $29.99.

Patty Stonesifer, Microsoft senior vice president of the
consumer division, said the software company estimates
that the installed base of about 11 million multimedia-ready
personal computer will nearly double this year to 20
million. "This represents a tremendous expansion of the PC into
American homes. Once people buy hardware, they need software," said
the Microsoft executive.

Stonesifer said Microsoft research indicates that the overall
software growth could be even greater if software prices were
designed to hit the levels of those for books and movies. "That's
why we're making this move. We want consumers to get the message
that, in the world of the PC, Microsoft speaks the language
consumers understand - superb products at great prices," said the
Microsoft executive.

Microsoft said effective immediately the price of products like
Automap street, the Microsoft Bookshelf 95 CD-ROM reference library,
the Microsoft Cinemania 96 interactive movie guide, Encarta 96
encyclopedia, Encarta 96 World Atlas, Microsoft Golf, three Magic
School Bus interactive science adventures, Microsoft Music Central 96
interactive music reference and entertainment guide, and Microsoft
3D Movie Maker are expected to range from $29.99 to $34.95, $39.99
to $44.85 and $49.99 to $54.95 depending on the product.

Microsoft said it spent several months researching price points
and conducting in-store research. In some cases those tests led to
retailers tripling the number of Microsoft products sold, according
to Microsoft.

The company said the price reductions affect both Windows-based
products and software for the Macintosh. The cuts are also in
effect outside the US with slight variations.

(Jim Mallory/19951003/Press contact: Phil Missimore, Waggener
Edstrom for Microsoft, 408-986-1140; Public contact: Microsoft,
206-882-8080 or 80-426-9400)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/03/95
EDUCATION
Apple Extends School Market Share

(NEWS)(EDUCATION)(LAX)(00013)
Apple Extends School Market Share 10/03/95
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 3 (NB) -- Apple Computer,
Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) claims a commanding lead in the kindergarten
through high school market. According to new research from Quality
Education Data's (QED) "1995-96 Technology Purchasing Forecast"
report, 63 percent of the computers used in United States public
schools are Apple-branded, up from 59 percent last year.

Apple has long used the educational market as a springboard into the
general marketplace. Kathleen Dixon, a spokesperson for Apple, told
Newsbytes, "Apple's commitment to the education market has
been a major marketing strategy since the very successful
'Kids Can't Wait' program that seeded every school in California with
free Apple II computers. The thought in 1977 was that people would
use the brand of computers they had in school all their lives."

According to Dixon, the education market in total represents about
twenty percent of all revenue for Apple.

The QED report also predicts that Apple will continue to be the
leader by a wide margin in the education market. School districts
report that 58 percent of the units they plan to purchase during the
1995-96 school year are Macintosh. This is more than three times the
planned purchases for the second leading brand, IBM, with an 18
percent share of planned purchases. Non-named brands make up the
third-largest segment of planned purchases, at 12 percent. Planned
purchases for other name-brand systems were lower, including
Compaq at seven percent, and Dell at four percent.

QED President Jeanne Hayes says, "Our research clearly
indicates that the majority of districts are planning the future of
their schools around the Macintosh platform. The average district
plans to buy 28 Macintosh computers, eight IBMs, and ten other IBM-
compatibles during the 1995-96 school year."

"Based on this research, the installed base and planned-purchase
results show that Macintosh is increasing its position as the system of
choice for schools," says Dr. Terry Crane, Apple vice president of
K-12 sales. "More than 17 years ago Apple made an investment in
education that continues to this day."

Copies of the QED Report can be ordered from Quality Education Data
at 1600 Broadway, 12th Floor, Denver, Colorado 80202, or by e-mail at
[e-mail].

(Richard Bowers/19951003/Press Contact: Stacey Byrnes, Apple
Computer, 408-974-6076)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/03/95
TELECOM
Hitachi Develops Single Frequency Duplex Radio

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00014)
Hitachi Develops Single Frequency Duplex Radio 10/03/95
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, 1995 OCT 3 (NB) -- Hitachi Electric has
developed a private mobile radio (PMR) system that allows full duplex
communications across a single frequency and is displaying it for the
first time at the Telecom 95 show in Geneva.

The system, the first and only such system in the world according to
Hitachi, allows full two-way communications across a single radio
channel -- something that has not been possible until now.

Previously, similar systems required two frequencies for duplex
communications. In a single frequency situation, simplex communications
was only possible, just one person could speak at a time. The new
system allows two people to talk simultaneously across a single radio
channel.

The system, called Single Frequency Duplex (SFD) is already being used
by the ground self defense forces in Japan and interest has been shown
by the Russian military and Japanese emergency services.

Speaking to Newsbytes, Nobuo Sekiguchi, senior engineer and developer
of the technology, explained by use of audio compression and time
switching on the frequency makes the simultaneous, two-way
communication possible.

The audio from one party is split into 400ms blocks, each of which is
compressed to take up just under 200ms. The two units are synchronized
so that while one is transmitting the other is receiving and vice
versa, he explained.

By using such a system, much more effective use of the available
frequency spectrum can be made with twice as many channels available
as current systems, something that is particularly important for
armies and emergency services which can suddenly need a large number of
channels.

A total of 18 channels can be handled by the system which should see
use in many developing nations where the public telephone system is
less developed. The one-watt power allows users to roam within a 4km
distance from the base station and still remain in touch.

An interface into the public telephone network is also available,
allowing the system to function as a mobile telephone connected though
a base station. Hitachi staff demonstrated the system by placing calls
to desk telephones and PHS mobile system handsets installed at the
Telecom stand.

In Japan such connection onto the telephone network is prohibited but
in many countries there are no such restrictions allowing the SFD
radios to extend the distance of telephones into areas where no fixed
line or cellular service exists.

(Martyn Williams/19951003/Press contact : Hitachi Ltd,
[phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/03/95
TELECOM
US Compainies Join GSM

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00015)
US Compainies Join GSM 10/03/95
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, 1995 OCT 3 (NB) -- The GSM (Global System for
Mobile Communications) MoU Association has announced four new American
companies have signed to the system as the number of worldwide
subscribers hits ten million: Bellsouth, American Personal Communications
Mobile Services, Western Wireless and Pacific Bell.

Of the companies, Bellsouth and Western Wireless both won A and B
licences in the recent government frequency auctions.

American Personal Communications Mobile Services is currently
completing the build of a system in Washington, DC and Pacific Bell is
building networks in California and Nevada.

The new signatories join a list that already includes Omnipoint, which
is about to complete a new network in New York City, and Microcell
which is building a network in Canada.

In addition, Airlink, DCR Communications and GO Communications are all
signatories to the GSM MoU but have yet to obtain licences and will be
bidding in the coming US frequency auctions.

The news means the customers of the new networks will have GSM
compatible telephones that can be used on any other networks around
the world that offer GSM compatibility. The system will also work in
reverse with users from overseas being able to make calls in the areas
served by the companies in the USA.

Currently 156 companies in 86 countries around the world are members
of the GSM MoU Association although this number is set to expand
further towards the end of the century. Mike Short, chairman of the
GSM MoU Association, told Newsbytes he expects the system to have at
least 80 million users in 120 countries by the turn of the century.
Growth figures revealed today show 750,000 people are signing up each
month, adding to the 40 million calls made each day over the network.

By the end of the year around 12 million people should be using GSM
services in 86 countries worldwide, an impressive number, Short
contends, given the system was still in trials four years ago.

One of the notable exceptions in the list of countries that does not
offer GSM service is Japan which has its own cellular telephone system
and the new Personal Handyphone. Short told Newsbytes the association
is in "very formative" talks with both cellular and PHS operators in
Japan. "I don't think we will see the GSM system in Japan but I envisage
a plastic roaming agreement." Plastic roaming, he explained, would mean
a GSM customer could take their smart card to Japan and insert it into
a locally hired telephone for service as opposed to hardware roaming
which means customers must take their handsets overseas.

Japan's largest international telephone operator, KDD, is a member of
the association because it operates a GSM compatible service in
Mongolia, Short added. In Japan, both Sanyo and Toshiba have been
producing GSM handsets for the international market since early this
year.

The GSM system enjoys high rates of usage in Europe, where it was
originally developed as a continent-wide system, and is growing in use
in other areas.

Companies in several African countries have signed to the system and
Short sees the GSM trials in Chile and Peru as a base for future
expansion in Latin and South America.

At the recent plenary meeting. 18 new operators in 9 countries joined
the association. Tanzania, Seychelles, Ukraine, Libya, Malawi, Ghana,
Monaco, Mongolia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia are all
studying adoption of GSM as a national standard for digital cellular
telephones.

(Martyn Williams/19951003/Press contact : Mary King, GSM MoU
Association, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/03/95
PC
Compaq Launches Another Prolinea Series

(NEWS)(PC)(DEN)(00016)
Compaq Launches Another Prolinea Series 10/03/95
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 3 (NB) -- Compaq Computer Corp.
(NYSE: CPQ) has announced another series in its Prolinea business
product line that appears designed to keep pricing pressure on
competitors like Hewlett-Packard and IBM.

Lewis Schrock, Compaq senior business manager for commercial desktop
systems, wouldn't go so far as to say the pricing of the new products
is the precursor to a price war, but did tell Newsbytes there is a
"value positioning leadership" war going on, particularly between
Hewlett-Packard and Compaq. "What we are constantly seeing are salvos
being fired in a war that has been going on for years," said the
Compaq executive.

According to Schrock, that competition benefits the consumer.
"The continued aggressiveness continues to bump the value." Asked
if prices are headed downward, Schrock told Newsbytes PC prices
have been remarkable stable over the past couple of years. "What
has happened is people are getting far more for their money than
they used to."

Schrock said business users are primarily interested in
gigabyte-size hard drives, 12 or more megabytes of memory and better
displays, while the home and small business user is more apt to be
interested in peripheral devices like CD-ROM drives.

Compaq said the six new Prolinea "E" models range in estimated
selling price, also known in the industry as the "street price," from
$1,369 to $1,999, although that figure does not include a monitor.
Compaq spokesperson Mike Berman told Newsbytes a 14-inch monitor is
available "for around $300, street price, and you can go up from
there."

Compaq will offer E models equipped with a variety of Pentium
microprocessors from 75 megahertz (MHz) to 120MHz. PCI/ISA
(Peripheral Component Interconnect/Industry Standard Architecture)
expansion bus architecture, hard drives starting at 630 megabytes
(MB), 8MB of memory and a three year limited warranty are all
standard on the new PCs.

You can buy a Prolinea 575e equipped with a Pentium processor, 8MB
of memory and a 630MB hard drive for a street price of $1,369 said
Compaq. An optional 256 kilobyte secondary cache adds $95 to the
cost of the 575e. Compaq said that configuration is comparable to a
Hewlett Packard Vectra VE model or an IBM PC 330.

If you want a PC powered by a 100MHz Pentium chip, Compaq offers the
Prolinea 5100e, with 8MB of memory and a 630MB hard drive for a
street price of $1,639. The 256KB cache also adds $95 to this
system. Or you can go to the top of the E model line with a 5120e,
with its Pentium 120MHz chip and 8MB of memory. With a 630MB hard
drive the 5120e is street priced at $1,849 according to Compaq. The
same system is available with a 1GB hard drive for about $1,999. In
its comparison with HP and IBM systems, Compaq claims those companies
don't offer a comparable desktop PC.

Despite a recent announcement by one chip maker that it would get
out of the 486 market before the price bottom dropped out, Schrock
said the 486 market is far from dead. He also said the 486
still has a place in the market. "It's not dead, but it's declining
pretty rapidly in market share. There is a market preference for
the Pentium performance if people can obtain it. There are a
percentage of people who are comfortable with their 486-based
products and that is why we continue to offer them," Schrock
stated.

Price cuts on earlier Prolinea models were part of sweeping cost
reductions announced in March for more than 60 Compaq PCs.

(Jim Mallory/19951003/Press contact: Compaq, 713-514-0484; Public
contact: 800-345-1518/PROLIN-E951003/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/03/95
TELECOM
Sweden's Ericsson Unveils Super Cordless Technology

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00017)
Sweden's Ericsson Unveils Super Cordless Technology 10/03/95
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 3 (NB) -- Ericsson has announced
the Super Cordless range of digital cordless phones, together with
digital base stations, for use as a wide area PCS (Personal
Communications System) digital phone system. Super Cordless is a
stepping stone between digital cordless phones with a range of a
few hundred meters, and licensed PCS, as seen in several US and
European cities.

The basic technology does not support cellular communications, that is,
the ability to move between cells while a call is in progress, but
does offer many of the features of PCS, such as digital clear calls
and operation over a fairly wide area.

Super Cordless is being targeted at the US marketplace, where digital
cordless phones are still in their infancy for the home and office.
Base stations for use with Super Cordless are about the same size as a
desktop PC casing (11 x 9 x 3 inches). The handsets, meanwhile, are
small and light, tipping the scale at just 4.6 ounces and can work for
nine hours of talk time or 45 hours on standby.

Ericsson says the system can be used in a wide variety of situations,
but initially is being targeted at businesses which require multi-
building cordless systems installed. The system can also be used in an
advanced version which supports cellular handoffs (i.e. movement
between base stations on a single call) for use as a localized PCS
configuration.

According to the Ericsson, the linear growth of the telephone network
with the use of the Super Cordless, allows service providers to expand
the existing size of their facility without any major expenditure,
accordingly to the growing demands at the time.

Announcing Super Cordless, Doug Smith, vice president of US sales for
Ericsson Network Systems, said that users can enjoy all of the
benefits of extending existing wired telephone networks into the
mobile domain with the new system.

"Ericsson sees this product as a way to expand the existing wireline
business. Instead of every household having only one subscription, now
every household can have one phone for each person and also allow that
person to be mobile," he explained.

According to Ericsson, the Super Cordless is the first of a new
generation of mobile phone systems available on the American
telecommunication market. The company claims it is effective for both
licensed and unlicensed PCS, thanks to its use of the AXE multi
function switch, on which the new product has based its technological
development.

The Super Cordless system consists of an AXE Mobility Manager, Radio
Exchanges, Base Stations and small handsets.

(Sylvia Dennis/19951003/Press Contact: Kathy Egan, Vice President of
Communications, Ericsson US [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/03/95
ONLINE
America Online To Be Preloaded On More Computers

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00018)
America Online To Be Preloaded On More Computers 10/03/95
VIENNA, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 3 (NB) -- America Online Inc.
(NASDAQ:AMER) (AOL) said three more manufacturers will pre-load the
online service's access software onto their computers. Gateway 2000,
Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), and Packard Bell join more than 20
manufacturers that preinstall AOL on their personal computers for the
consumer market.

With the preinstalled AOL software, customers of those manufacturers
will be able to access the service "out of the box." Steve Case, AOL
president and chief executive officer, said this feature
"plays a key role in gaining new subscribers for this new medium,
and by teaming with leading computer manufacturers we are able
to offer buyers of new personal computers a simple way to sign onto
AOL."

"As marketing programs go, bundling with manufacturers is one of our
key marketing programs," Pam McGraw, AOL spokesperson, told Newsbytes.
Others include direct mail and a new advertising campaign, she added.

Even though AOL is now preloaded on more computers, this does not erase
the company's objection to Microsoft's strategy of bundling the
Microsoft Network (MSN) access software with Windows 95. Last June
Newsbytes reported on Case's plea to unbundle MSN, saying consumers
should be free to choose which online service they want to subscribe
to. "By only bundling MSN with Windows 95, Microsoft is depriving
consumers of choice," he said at the time.

McGraw echoed that sentiment. "There is certainly a large issue that
there is an unlevel playing field," she said, and that Microsoft has a
unfair advantage because it has a guaranteed distribution channel.
McGraw also pointed out AOL pays for its preloading, while MSN comes
for free because it is integrated into Windows 95.

Some of the 20-plus companies that install AOL onto their hard drives
at the factory include AST, AT&T, Acer, Canon, Compaq, Dell, Epson,
Hewlett-Packard (HP), IBM, and NEC. In addition, manufacturers like
Acer, Compaq, DEC, Dell, Gateway 2000, HP, IBM, and NEC, have
interactive areas on AOL.

(Bob Woods/19950928/Press Contact: Pam McGraw, America Online, 703-
556-3746. Public Contact: America Online, 800-827-6364)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/03/95
GOVT
BT Sheds Staff In Australian State Govt War

(NEWS)(GOVT)(SYD)(00019)
BT Sheds Staff In Australian State Govt War 10/03/95
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 1995 OCT 3 (NB) -- After pulling out of protracted
negotiations with the New South Wales (NSW) state Government for the
provision of a telephone and data network, BT Australasia has
retrenched 45 staff and issued an ambiguous and bitterly worded
press release announcing the move.

It reads: "BT Australasia announced that it has retrenched 45 people,
effective today, in the wake of the termination of its contract to
provide a telephone and data network for the NSW Government."

"This is the harshest effect of the termination of the NSW
Government contract," says Robert Kaye, BT's managing director
later in the statement. Kaye alleges that the Government has
"cut off" BT's ability to provide other telecommunications services
outside the scope of the contract. "This violates BT Australasia's
clear understanding that our differences on the contract would not
affect other services provided by BT to the NSW Government,"
continues Kaye.

"It has to be made clear that BT terminated the contract," said a
spokesman for the NSW Department of Public Works and Services.
He declined to make further comment, as BT is currently suing the
NSW Government and Telstra, and the matter is before the courts.
BT Australia, the local subsidiary of the privatized British Telecom,
terminated its contract last month, claiming the Government was
bypassing BT's role by entering into direct contracts with Telstra
to provide virtual private network services.

(Computer Daily News/19950925)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/03/95
BUSINESS
Thailand - Software AG, Control Data Business Partners

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00020)
Thailand - Software AG, Control Data Business Partners 10/03/95
BANGKOK, THAILAND, 1995 OCT 3 (NB) -- Germany's Software AG has
appointed Control Data (Thailand) as its sole business partner
for Thailand and plan to initially target the banking sector,
according to CDG Group Business Development Director Soottipong
Winyoopradist.

CDG will firstly provide Cardsys, a credit card and merchant
management system application, which will be available through
its subsidiary Software City, while Software AG's technology
tools will be marketed through CDG subsidiaries such as Control
Data (Thailand), CDG System and Logic Company Limited.

These tools include Adabas-D, a relational database supporting
Unix and Microsoft NT systems, Natural 4GL for application
development from PC to mainframe, Entire Middleware for data
access and data transfer and Esperant, an end-user query and
reporting tool.

Logic Assistant General Manager Suthep Oonmettachit said the
company would provide products bundled with Sun servers to banks,
petrol companies and department stores.

He said the credit system management market would be a
potentially lucrative opportunity for the company since
increasing numbers of people were using credit cards to pay for
purchases.

Software AG (Asia Pacific) Senior Vice President Bruce Dahl
told Newsbytes that the company's goal was to focus on developing
products and long term relationships with customers by
customizing products for each customer's working environment.

Software AG has provided 650 systems and applications for large
enterprise and complex companies in Asia such as airline and
transportation firms, he said. Its big markets are in Indonesia
and Malaysia. He said Thailand would hopefully be added to that
list in the future.

The company has been establishing a presence on the Asian
market for 18 months, he said, adding that Software AG had 100
staff members in Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and
Taiwan with headquarters in Hong Kong.

The Asian market was expected to grow approximately 120 per
cent, he said and added that the total value of the market would
be some US$200 million in next five years.

(Tony Waltham and Post Database-Bangkok Post/19950922)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/03/95
GOVT
Control Data Wins Thai Census Project

(NEWS)(GOVT)(TYO)(00021)
Control Data Wins Thai Census Project 10/03/95
BANGKOK, THAILAND, 1995 OCT 3 (NB) -- Control Data Systems has been
awarded the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) project to
install the Computerized National Census and Services Project,
which includes 40 districts in and around Bangkok.

BMA Governor Krisda Arunvongse na Ayutthaya said that the 287
million baht (US$11.5 million) project would be completed and
ready for service by the beginning of next year.

The BMA's new online system will contain names, addresses,
national ID card numbers, and census information such as birth
and death records and address changes.

It will also be of benefit for checking individual tax returns
and will help to facilitate the compiling of census statistics.

He said the computerized system had been a pilot project in the
Bang Khen district office for one year. "We found out that we can
serve people rapidly, accurately and conveniently," he noted.

Control Data Group Managing Director Nart Liuchareon said the
company had to comply with the BMA request to reduce the
project's price tag from 427 million (US$17.1 million) to 287
million baht (US$11.5 million). He said the company agreed to the
price reduction because the project was important, and would
build up a good image for the company.

He added that it was possible for the company to win other bids
for BMA projects.

"We want to complete this project because it has been delayed a
long time," he said, adding that if it was a business contract,
it would not be done because there were many requirements but
limited funds.

The computerized system will link 35 districts together with
Datanet, a voice/data multiplexing system which allows data to be
transferred over normal telephone lines. The remaining districts
will be connected using ordinary telephone links.

(Tony Waltham and Post Database-Bangkok Post/19950922)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/03/95
GOVT
Hong Kong - Another Slap In Face For Tradelink

(NEWS)(GOVT)(HKG)(00022)
Hong Kong - Another Slap In Face For Tradelink 10/03/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 OCT 3 (NB) -- Nobody officially came out and
said it, but CargoNet, Hong Kong's new electronic data interchange
(EDI) provider, is another slap in the face for Tradelink, the
quasi-government consortium set up in the late 1980s to develop Hong
Kong's EDI capabilities, and which has yet to deliver a single product.

Launched after only four months of testing and an investment of HK$50
million, CargoNet offers a relatively inexpensive way for manufacturers,
traders, shippers and freight forwarders to receive the benefits of EDI.
CargoNet software which can run on a Windows PC or larger systems, uses
the international EDIFACT standard and provides a global link to
electronically process bills of lading, quotations, purchase orders
and bookings.

It has achieved something in four months that Tradelink has been unable to
do in almost a decade.

CargoNet is backed by a group of companies including Kenwa Communications,
Global Logistics Systems, Traxon (partly owned by Cathay Pacific), the
Hong Kong Association of Freight Forwarders and, its main backer,
Hongkong International Terminals (HIT).

While refusing to be drawn on making an outright comment on Tradelink's
complete absence of any EDI solution, Richard Pearson, the deputy managing
director of HIT said, "There's a need for an EDI solution and we
decided 'let's just get something out there'."

He added that the broad base of the backers of CargoNet was an advantage
because if it had just been a HIT initiative people would be more reticent
in using the system. "But someone has to get on and do it," he added.

In terms of productivity, Pearson pointed out that by not having an EDI
system, Hong Kong was wasting million of dollars a year. He said one study
showed that it cost an average shipper about half a million dollars a year
to process paperwork, "and think what that means to HIT when we're moving
millions of containers a year."

In what some attendees saw as a sideswipe at Tradelink, Lloyd Sanford,
general manager of CargoNet, said there was a lack of understanding of
EDI in Hong Kong. "Most people think EDI is proprietary systems, they
think it's costly and time consuming and takes away from their core
business."

Other executives at CargoNet were more forthright in their comments on
Tradelink. One source said it was depressing to look at years wasted.
"Even the Philippines and Indonesia have their act together to have an
EDI solution," said one.

In May this year, tired of Tradelink's inactivity, the Hong Kong Article
Numbering Association (HKANA) and IBM launched Hong Kong's first independent
EDI system, EZTrade, for the manufacturing, distribution, and retail
industries.

Interest in getting freight-forwarding and shipping EDI solutions was
apparent by the hundreds of shippers and traders that turned up to see
CargoNet's demonstration of the system at the Mandarin Hotel recently.

(Nigel Armstrong & I.T. Daily/19950928)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/03/95
EDUCATION
13 Microsoft Training Centers In Central & East Europe

(NEWS)(EDUCATION)(LON)(00023)
13 Microsoft Training Centers In Central & East Europe 10/03/95
PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC, 1995 OCT 3 (NB) -- Microsoft has
announced that it has certified thirteen Solution Provider Authorized
Training Centers (SP-ATCs) in Central & East Europe where it does not
have subsidiaries. The new centers, located in Estonia, Latvia,
Ukraine, Belorussia, Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia.

The centers offer training on Microsoft desktop products and, in
some centers, advanced training on Windows NT and the Backoffice family
of products. These SP-ATCs assist local professionals to obtain the
training necessary to pass the Microsoft Certified Professional
exams.

The new SP-ATCs are BCS, IT and Gensi in Estonia; SWH Riga
in Latvia; Nef and Computerland Minsk in Belorussia; Kvazar
Micro in Ukraine; Norbert Computer, Omnilogic, CPC and CPI in
Romania; and Express Consult in Bulgaria and Z1C in Croatia.

In Central & Eastern Europe (CEE), Microsoft has subsidiaries in
Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Russia, and Slovenia with
one in the Slovak Republic to be opened "in a few days," said
Vassili le Moigne, SP-ATC program coordinator at the Microsoft
office in Munich, Germany.

Microsoft also has SP-ATCs in Poland and Slovenia and SP-
ATECs (Solution Provider Authorized Training & Education
Centers) in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland. This
brings the total number of ATCs in CEE to over 70, according to
Vassili le Moigne.

Training on Windows 95 and Office 95 will be available in these
training centers as these new products penetrate these markets.
The upgrade process is already in full swing among the big
users. According to Ivan Pilny, director of the Microsoft
subsidiary in Prague, Czech Republic, Komercni banka, the
largest Czech bank, will upgrade 12,000 licenses next month and
several other big customers in the financial and energy sectors
will also soon make the upgrade.

(Steven Slatem, IntelliTech/Press & Reader Contact: Vassili le
Moigne, Program Coordinator, Microsoft, tel [phone],
fax [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]; Ivan
Pilny, Director, Microsoft s.r.o., tel.: [phone], fax +42 2
24234343)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/03/95
EDUCATION
Philippines - University Modernizes With 350 PCs

(NEWS)(EDUCATION)(TYO)(00024)
Philippines - University Modernizes With 350 PCs 10/03/95
MANILA, PHILIPPINES, 1995 OCT 3 (NB) -- Centro Escolar
University (CEU) recently acquired 350 '486 PCs and peripherals
from Ecoline Automations Systems valued at $700,000 to further boost
its computerization efforts in line with the University's
thrust to "modernize" its existing curriculum.

Conrado E. Inigo, Jr., Ph.D., Dean of CEU's College of Accountancy,
Commerce and Secretarial Administration, added that CEU is also
nearing completion of a building which will house eight computer
laboratory rooms.

"By January, 1996 the new building will have been completed and the
hardware acquired will have been properly installed ready for inter-
collegiate student use," Inigo explained.

CEU, in a response to the need of the industry for computer science
graduates with a business background, introduced a Bachelor's Degree
in Commerce major in Computer Science and Information Systems
(CSIS) in 1990.

"I believe we were the first institution approved by the Department of
Education, Culture and Sports to introduce this major, and so far
industry feedback has been very positive. Other than that, I think other
schools are emulating CEU in offering CSIS as one of the majors for
their commerce curriculum," Inigo stressed.

All the PCs will be linked by Novell NetWare and will be used by
students from all colleges who are taking computer subjects. "The use
of the computer rooms will not be confined to commerce students but
even to those who are taking dentistry, optometry, liberal arts and
education," said Inigo.

Inigo views the upgrade as "inevitable" considering the rapid pace of
the information technology. The 350 IBM 486 PCs will be pre-loaded
with Windows and all related software necessary in an academic
environment.

(Metropolitan Computer Times/19950829/Internet e-mail
[e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/03/95
TELECOM
China - Shanghai Phone Installation Difficult

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(PEK)(00025)
China - Shanghai Phone Installation Difficult 10/03/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 OCT 3 (NB) -- Although phone numbers in Shanghai
will be upgraded from 7 to 8 digits, some customers still have to wait
years to get phones installed, officials with Shanghai Posts and
Telecommunications Administration (SPTA) said.

SPTA officials said that the eight-digit system will expand the
available telephone number in Shanghai from the current 8 million to 80
million, paving the way for further development. It is committed to
easing the strain on the local telephone network.

However, some customers still have to wait years to have phones
installed. Currently, 560,000 local households applied and wait for
phone installations. Some customer have waited for more than five years.
Officials say it is hard to serve these applicants because most live in
an area without sufficient telephone lines.

In the first half of 1995, SPTA invested RMB1.92 billion (US$231
million) to boost the capacity of the local telephone system by 928,700
lines. About 414,000 households and work units benefited from telephone
installation in the first six months of the year. Although the upgrading
should open up available numbers, there will still be a long waiting
period for new customers.

In Shanghai, among the 2 million phone subscribers, 70 percent are
residential. One in three Shanghai households now has a residential
telephone, SPTA said recently.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19950926)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/03/95
TELECOM
China - National Mobile Phone Network Operational

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(PEK)(00026)
China - National Mobile Phone Network Operational 10/03/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 OCT 3 (NB) -- China is now covered by mobile
phone communications networks and mobile phone subscribers now can use
their cellular phones from any city or county in China, a spokesman with
Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (MPT) announced recently in
Beijing.

The nationwide networks consist of two types of 900 megahertz analogue
cellular phone systems provided by Motorola and Ericsson. They has been
under trial operation since January 1. However, the operation of this
network is considered only the first stage of China's ultimate mobile
phone service by the Ministry, according to Zhang Chunjiang, director
of the Mobile Communications Bureau of the ministry. The second stage
development calls for the systems to be joined to form the world's largest
network of mobile phone communications. This will be implemented by the
end of this year.

Also, MPT recently gave approval to Motorola for sales of its
latest version cellular phone in the Chinese market. The GSM Microtac
8200 phone, weighting 149 grams, is manufactured in Britain.

Currently, there are more than 2 million mobile phone subscribers in
China. More people use pagers for one-way mobile communications and the
number of pager subscribers has reached 12.4 million, according to
statistics from MPT.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19950926/Reader Contact: Telecommunications
Bureau, Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, tel [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/03/95
ONLINE
 ****Survey Counts 5.8 Million Internet Users

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00027)
 ****Survey Counts 5.8 Million Internet Users 10/03/95
SEBASTOPOL, CALIFORNIA, USA, 1995 OCT 3 (NB) -- O'Reilly & Associates
has released details of the first survey undertaken by its new Online
Research Group. The survey found the size of the US Internet is
currently 5.8 million people.

O'Reilly claims the new survey is the first statistically defensible
study of Internet users and carries a margin of error of just one
percent. To determine the size of the US Internet, the survey group
used a technique known as Random Digit Dialling (RDD).

For the purposes of this survey, an Internet user was defined as a US
individual resident over 18 years of age who has direct access to the
Internet, uses electronic mail or has access and use one or more
specific Internet tools, excluding individuals communicating only
through a commercial online service provider.

With direct Internet access now available via the major online
services, such users will be included in future surveys.

A total of 29,901 interviews were completed and one Internet user per
1,149 households was identified. The survey also found that where one
user was found, it was common to find more. The number of users per
Internet household is 1.53.

In addition to the 5.8 million with direct Internet access, the survey
found 3.9 million adults who subscribe to commercial online services
only and an additional million people who used both the Internet and
online services.

Of the users with direct Internet access, 67% are male and 33%, a
higher percentage than previously thought, are women.

When the Internet users are broken down by age, 25% are between 18 and
24, 17% between 25 and 29, 15% between 30 and 34, 25% between 35 and
44, 15% between 45 and 54, 3% between 55 and 64 and just 1% are above
65.

Median annual income in 1994 is reported as between $50,000 and
$75,000 with over half of all users enjoying incomes between $35,000
and $75,000.

When the survey was conducted almost half of all Internet users worked
at organizations with more than 1,000 employees. Of non-educational
users, 15% worked in engineering and 19% in sales.

Among the online service users, the ratio of men to women was almost
the same, males made up 64% of all users. Half of all users work at
companies with less than 100 employees, showing a very different
pattern to Internet access. Most common occupations are sales, 20%,
and senior executive management, 14%.

Online service users also tend to be slightly older, with a median age
range of 35 to 44.

The purpose of the survey was to provide detailed figures of users and
answer questions posed by survey sponsors under the title "Defining
The Internet Opportunity - A Multiclient Survey."

Full details of the survey are now being made available to the
sponsors who paid around $25,000 and include International Thompson
Publishing, IBM, Lotus Development, Turner Broadcasting Systems,
MCI/News Corporation Online and EM Warburg, Pincus & Co.

Previous estimates had put the number of Internet users at anything
between 15 and 30 million people worldwide.

(Martyn Williams/19950929/Press contact: Sara Winge, Public Relations
Director, O'Reilly & Associates, 707-829-0515, fax [phone], email
[e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/03/95
CORRECTION ONLINE
Correction - SEC Web Address

(CORRECTION)(ONLINE)(WAS)(00028)
Correction - SEC Web Address 10/03/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 OCT 3 (NB) -- An article
September 29 (SEC Launches Internet Site), reporting on the new
World Wide Web site offering free public access to Securities
and Exchange Commission electronic filings and other investor
information gave an incorrect address for the Securities and
Exchange Commission's new site.

The correct address is http://www.sec.gov .
Newsbytes apologizes for the error.

(Kennedy Maize/19951003)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/03/95
TRENDS
Wireless Business Boom Continues

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(WAS)(00029)
Wireless Business Boom Continues 10/03/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 OCT 3 (NB) -- The number of
cellular phone users in the United States has topped 30 million,
according to the Cellular Telecommunications Industry
Association, more than the population of Canada.

CTIA said the total of wireless users hit 28 million at the end
of June and, based on current growth rates, hit the 30 million
mark around the end of September. The number of cellular
customers in the first six months of 1995 grew by more than 4
million, versus the 3.3 million customers added in the first
half of 1994. For the year from July 1994 through June 1995, the
number of cellular customers grew by more than 8.9 million, or
46 percent.

"This amazing growth once again demonstrates the popularity of
wireless telecommunications," said Thomas Wheeler, president of
CTIA.

As users grew, prices declined. The average local monthly bill
for subscribers dropped to $52.45 during the fist six months,
compared to $58.65 per month in June 1994. In 1987, the average
monthly bill for cellular service was almost $100.

CTIA says that to keep pace with this growth, the industry
invested $2.8 billion during the first six months of 1995,
bringing total cumularly investment since the industry began in
1983 to more than $21.7 billion.

According to the trade group for the cellular industry, more
than 2,000 new cell sites sites, the basic building blocks of
the cellular telecommunications system, were added in the first
half of 1995. The national total is now 19,833.

The industry set its 22nd consecutive record for six-month
revenues, at $8.7 billion, up 33 percent over the $6.5 billion
in the first half of 1994.

For the year ended June 30, 1995, revenues totaled $16.5
billion, compared to $12.6 billion for the 12 months ended June
30, 1994.

Twice a year, CTIA surveys the 1,581 cellular systems that serve
734 markets in the US. Farren & Lanman, an independent
accounting firm, compiles and tabulates the data.

(Kennedy Maize/19951003/Press Contact: Mike Houghton, CTIA,
202-736-3207)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/03/95
ONLINE
 ****NBC Desktop Video To Intro Online Player

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00030)
 ****NBC Desktop Video To Intro Online Player 10/03/95
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 3 (NB) -- The National
Broadcasting Company's (NBC) Desktop Video unit said it has developed
a "low-bit" multimedia player which will allow users to access audio,
text, and pictures on the Internet's World Wide Web. The user would
be able to access these files at 14.4Kbps (kilobits per second),
with no download time.

With the new multimedia player, users will be able to access the unit's
existing information services, NBC Professional and NBC Private
Financial Network, via the Web. That service will begin in December,
1995. Mike Wheeler, president of NBC Desktop Video, told Newsbytes
this move will be in addition to the unit's normal proprietary delivery
system.

Wheeler also said the delivery of video won't have the quality of full-
motion video. But the new offering will provide more information
delivery services than are currently available on the Internet. "They
(competitors) have audio at 14.4," he said. "We have audio with
pictures, text, and graphics at 14.4." The audio will transmit at
half the data rate of existing services, which frees up bandwidth
for picture and text transmission. The media player itself was
developed in conjunction with the General Electric Research and
Development Center.

Besides providing a player, NBC Desktop Video will provide authoring
tools that will allow companies to add multimedia to their Web sites
that can be accessed with a 14.4 modem. Those tools will be licensed
to other companies as well as to NBC affiliates.

NBC officials added that by the end of the first quarter of 1996, the
new technology will allow for real-time multimedia coverage of live
events on the Web.

NBC officials also said that Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, and Netscape
have agreed to support and be compatible with NBC Desktop Video's
applications. Officials added that BBN Planet will provide Internet
services for the NBC unit. In addition, Sun will provide software
that allows viewing of multimedia stories, incorporating Sun's Java
technology. The Java technology will also enable a user-alert for
NBC Desktop Video stories that a customer would have an interest in,
based on a personal profile.

For additional information, NBC maintains a Web site at
http://www.nbc.com .

(Bob Woods/19951003/Press Contact: Paul Lief Rosengren, NBC, 212-
664-2756)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/03/95
IBM
 ****IBM Aims New ThinkPads At Desktop Market

(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00031)
 ****IBM Aims New ThinkPads At Desktop Market 10/03/95
SOMERS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 3 (NB) -- IBM's (NYSE:IBM)
new ThinkPad computers are notebooks, but IBM is hoping some customers
will buy them instead of desktop machines. The firm is pitching the
machines, equipped with larger screens and tiltable keyboards, as
alternatives to traditional desktops.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95100331.PCX
Click here for photo

The 12.1-inch color screen used in the new ThinkPad 760C and 760CD also
makes the machines well suited to the mobile presentation market, said a
spokeswoman for the company, Andrea Bell.

By trying to sell the ThinkPad line as a desktop alternative, IBM may be
hoping to use the highly regarded ThinkPad to grab sales away from its
rivals in the desktop arena, since its own desktop PCs have been less well
received than its notebooks. International Data Group, a Boston research
firm, has just released a report noting that IBM and Toshiba are both
gaining in the portable PC market, largely at the expense of Compaq
Computer Corp. and Apple Computer Inc. In the desktop market, however,
IDG said Compaq is the preferred brand for business customers, while
IBM has more strength in the home.

Both new ThinkPads use Intel Corp. Pentium processors. The 760CD uses a
90-megahertz (MHZ) Pentium, which the 760C is available with the 90-MHZ
or the 120-MHZ version. The 760CD also has a video decoder chip
and IBM's Mwave media processor providing sound, 28,800-bit-per-second
modem, telephone, answer machine, and fax functions.

Both 760 machines have a keyboard that rises at the rear as the screen is
folded upward, placing it at the same angle as a desktop keyboard, Bell
told Newsbytes. For those who prefer a level keyboard, there is a latch
that lets the keyboard drop back. This keyboard is not to be confused
with the "butterfly" keyboard introduced with IBM's ThinkPad 710 series
earlier this year.

The ThinkPad 760s use lithium-ion batteries, and Bell said that with a
single battery either model can run on battery power for three to nine
hours. It is also possible to take out either the diskette drive or the
CD-ROM drive supplied with the 760CD and substitute a second battery,
extending the manufacturer's claimed battery life to between six and 18
hours.

Both ThinkPad 760 models come with eight megabytes (MB) of memory as
standard equipment, expandable to 40 MB. The 760C ships with a 720MB
hard disk, while the 760CD ships with a 1.2-gigabyte drive, Bell said.

The units also boast infrared communications interfaces for wireless
printing, and a liquid-crystal display for vital statistics such as
remaining battery power. IBM's catalog prices are $5,349 to $7,449.

(Grant Buckler/19951003/Press Contact: Michael Corrado, IBM, 914-766-3419;
Jonathan Gandal or Andrea Bell, Brodeur & Partners for IBM, 914-697-9711/
THINKPAD951003/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/03/95
WINDOWS
Morningstar, Dataware Offer Mutual Fund CD-ROM

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(TOR)(00032)
Morningstar, Dataware Offer Mutual Fund CD-ROM 10/03/95
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 3 (NB) -- Morningstar, an
investment-information publisher, will distribute 14 gigabytes (GB)
of United States mutual fund data on a set of CD-ROM disks developed
with Dataware Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:DWTI). The set of 30 CD-ROMs
is meant for institutional investors and researchers.

The set will be available directly from Morningstar, according to Dataware
spokeswoman Sarah Dehler at the company's Canadian office in Ottawa. It
will cost $30,000 per year. Acknowledging that this seems a hefty price tag,
Dehler told Newsbytes that the package is meant to replace one or more
research staff people. Morningstar will supply monthly updates consisting
of two or three disks of updated mutual-fund information and will
re-index the entire database twice a year.

The CD-ROM set is meant for use with personal computers running
Microsoft Windows, Dehler said. There are no immediate plans for other
versions. There are also no current plans to develop counterpart products
for countries other than the United States, Dehler said.

Morningstar contracted Dataware, a developer and marketer of software and
services for electronic publishing, to create the CD-ROM set using its CD
Author and CD Answer authoring and retrieval software for CD-ROMs. The
CD-ROMs contain data compiled by Morningstar and already provided to
customers by other means. Morningstar officials said CD-ROM technology
is an ideal way for the company to distribute the large volumes of data
involved. Morningstar has been producing CD-ROMs since 1991. Its
previous CD-ROM titles consisted of financial data and its manipulation,
officials said.

(Grant Buckler/19950929/Press Contact: Sarah Dehler, Dataware
Technologies, 613-225-2300 ext. 248, fax [phone], Internet e-mail
[e-mail]; Paul Fox, Morningstar, 312-696-6170)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/03/95
TRENDS
Canadian Info Highway Report Includes Dissenting View On Jobs

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TOR)(00033)
Canadian Info Highway Report Includes Dissenting View On Jobs 10/03/95
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 OCT 3 (NB) -- The main body of
the Canadian Advisory Council on the Information Highway's final report
talks about employment mainly as something to be increased through
incentives for research and development and more teaching of technical
skills in schools. However, council member Jean-Claude Parrot, executive
vice-president of the Canadian Labour Congress, has distanced himself
from the majority report by writing his own statement, included as an
appendix to the report.

While the main report says the development of the information highway
should be left largely to the private sector and government should focus on
promoting competition and market forces, Parrot argues that this approach,
while currently popular, will not protect the rights of workers.

"Market-driven solutions to unemployment clearly do not work," Parrot
writes. "They ignore the responsibility, which ought to be shared between
the private sector and the government, to create jobs."

Parrot notes that "some 35 million people are out of work in OECD
(Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries
(which account for 75 percent of world economic activity) and many millions
more are out of work in developing countries; global unemployment rates
remain at their highest levels since the 1930s."

He maintains that increased use of technology is among the reasons
for this high unemployment, and also that "information technology has
diffused itself throughout the economy and demonstrated its inherent
capacity to transfer work across national borders."

Though he acknowledges the argument that new technology will also create
new jobs, Parrot goes on to say that "whether one is inclined to emphasize
the job-creating or job-destroying impact of new technology, there can be
little dispute over the reality of, at the very least, short-term
dislocation."

And, he forecasts, "the introduction of these technologies creates a bipolar
distinction of work and income with an elite class of highly paid, highly
skilled knowledge workers and a large pool of lower-paid, variable-skilled
workers with narrowly defined skill sets."

In his minority statement, Parrot calls on the government to link information
highway initiatives formally to job creation programs, act to reduce job
displacement and the erosion of labor standards by new technologies, and
require firms that lay off employees on a large scale to take all available
means of reducing the cuts, such as job-sharing and reduced working hours.
He calls for measures to help workers move between jobs, more support for
training, and greater use of new technology such as national communication
networks to help match workers with jobs.

Parrot's statement also recommends "legislated, mandatory, employer-paid
training and skills upgrading for workers affected by the introduction
of new technologies and processes that cause changes to workplace
organization or definition."

One of his recommendations also calls for mandatory employment-impact
statements from employers seeking government support or tax breaks for
information-highway-related projects.

Also, he urges changes to relevant laws to ensure that people working at
home receive the same benefits and protection as other workers, and
stronger limits on electronic surveillance of workers.

The council's main report, on the other hand, says little about possible job
losses due to new technology. Its position is that Canadian jobs can be
preserved if Canadian companies are globally competitive and the country's
work force is well educated and trained.

"While initially there may be job losses and dislocation, jobs will also be
created," the council says, arguing that the key to this will be a "cycle of
innovation," driven largely by research and development. "Innovation is the
key to growth in the knowledge-based economy. Research and development
is critical to innovation on the information highway, which in turn will
foster higher productivity and, thus, growth and jobs."

To that end, the council's final report recommends that the federal
government expand its program of tax incentives for scientific research and
development. It also encourages partnerships involving both the private and
the public sector, such as the Canadian Network for the Advancement of
Research, Industry, and Education (CANARIE). But it maintains that
research and development should be privately funded wherever possible, and
suggests that CANARIE -- now supported in part by government funds --
might be made into a commercial venture in future.

Arguing that better education and training, and frequent retraining
throughout people's working lives, will be important to the success of
Canadian businesses, the council urges the Canadian government to develop
a comprehensive national strategy for "lifelong learning." It argues that "if
Canadians are to embrace and welcome change, they must create a society
which places learning at its very heart, and nourishes them in their personal
and working lives."

Though the Canadian work force is generally thought of as quite highly
skilled, the council claims that about 38 percent of Canadians lack the basic
literacy skills required in today's workplace, and even more lack computer
literacy. As new jobs require more and more education, this will become
more of a problem, the report notes. "Illiteracy and innumeracy cost the
Canadian economy an estimated $4 billion per year," the report claims.
"Savings of $26 billion could be achieved if the high school dropout rate
falls from its current level of 20-30 percent to 10 percent by the year 2000."

The council thinks technology, including the information highway, can help
solve this problem. "Technology-based tools are effective because they allow
the learner and the source of information to interact," and, "when indirect
costs such as travel and time off the job are taken into account,
technology-based tools are particularly cost-efficient and more so with
increased usage."

However, the report says, the Canadian market for technology-based
learning tools is fragmented because each province makes its own decisions
about curriculum and materials. The provinces should try to work together
and governments should support the development of Canadian materials, the
report urges.

The council also recommends that telecommunications carriers be
encouraged to provide special reduced rates for educational institutions.
Carriers are likely to welcome this recommendation, as they have asked
regulators for the freedom to offer different rates to schools and
universities.

The full report of the Advisory Council on the Information Highway is
available on the World Wide Web through the home page of the Industry
Canada department at http://www.ic.gc.ca .

(Grant Buckler/19950929)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/03/95
ONLINE
CompuServe Covers OJ Not-Guilty Verdict

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SFO)(00034)
CompuServe Covers OJ Not-Guilty Verdict 10/03/95
COLUMBUS, OHIO, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 3 (NB) -- Leveraging its
relationship with CNN, CompuServe opened its Convention Center so
members can listen to commentary and discuss the result of the "Trial of
the Century." Read at 10:00 am Pacific Standard Time today,
the not-guilty verdict gathered international attention and filled
online chats and forums with comments, messages and discussions.

Michelle Moran, spokesperson for CompuServe, told Newsbytes, "We
have been diligently working hard to create an environment for our
subscribers to discuss this event since we heard the jury had reached a
verdict yesterday. The outcome of the trial is like a national event or
crisis and we have always created special areas for these kinds of
events."

Along with its live online coverage through CNN, CompuServe is also
offering information through its US News & World Report, African-
American Forum, Issues Forum, Journalism Forum, Associated Press
Online, Legal Forum, Time-Warner's Crime Forum, Reuters News Pix
Forum and a part of its Entertainment Drive called Court TV.

CompuServe says events will continue throughout the week.
Photographs of Simpson, Judge Ito, prosecutors and defenders are also
available. Documents related to the trial, transcripts and media
comments from around the world will be provided.

The CNN area offers coverage from Nancy Grace, Assistant District
Attorney for Fulton County, Georgia, and Jerry Freolich, a criminal
defense attorney who practices in northern Georgia.

America Online and Prodigy are also experiencing heavy loads of user
traffic as members, some of whom are cheering and some of whom are
shocked, discuss their opinions.

(Patrick McKenna/19951003/Press Contact: Michelle Moran,
CompuServe, tel [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/03/95
TRENDS
 ****Sybase Chosen For Mammoth Environmental Research Project

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00035)
 ****Sybase Chosen For Mammoth Environmental Research Project 10/03/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 0CT 3 (NB) -- Hughes Information
Technology, Corp., the prime contractor for NASA's Earth
Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) project, has
selected Sybase (NASDAQ:SYBS) as the core software provider. When
this futuristic project is operational in 1998, database information will
grow at a rate of one trillion bytes per day.

EOSDIS is planned as the world's largest environmental monitoring
effort. Its chief mission is to gather data from satellites, space shuttle
flights and various land and sea stations in order to determine how
human behavior affects the earth's environment. The storage and
management of data from these sources will enable scientists from
around the world to replace data models with real data for a wide range
scientific areas.

NASA says the project has seven primary areas of study. They include
the role of clouds, radiation, water vapor and precipitation; the
productivity of oceans, their circulation and air/sea exchange; sources
and sinks of greenhouse gases and their atmospheric transformations;
changes in land use, land cover, primary productivity, and the water
cycle; the role of polar ice sheets and sea level; the coupling of ozone
chemistry with climate and the biosphere; and the role of volcanos in
climate change.

The agreement between Hughes and Sybase involves the licensing of
more than 700 Sybase products and means Sybase will be the
foundation for what NASA calls "The Database of the Century." Soon
after the project is operational, this scientific database will reach 3
terabytes and, according to projections, will grow into the petabyte
range. Giving a comparison to identify a petabyte of data, Sybase says it
is the equivalent a stack of typical office memos 2,500 miles high.

Sybase is to supply database, middleware and development tool products
and its SQL Sever and Replication Server represent the backbone of
the agreement. Other core Sybase technologies include Enterprise SQL
Server Manager, Open Gateways and SQS. Enterprise SQL server
manager is a tool for local and remote administration of the SQL server
environment. Open Gateways is a family of products for read/write access
which provide complete SQL translation and location transparency and
the ability to easily merge information from different data sources.
Sybase's SQS is a high performance spatial query engine for managing
spatial data in the Sybase SQL Server.

To provide hardware and software procurement for the EOSDIS project Hughes
selected Electronic Data Systems (EDS). EDS officials say Sybase's
client/server technology was chosen after an exhausting, competitive
review of potential products currently available. Hardware for
the project includes products from Silicon Graphics, IBM, Sun
Microsystems, Hewlett-Packard, Digital Equipment and others.

Asked if its primary competitor, Oracle, was also reviewed, a
spokesperson for Sybase told Newsbytes, "It is my understanding that
Oracle was also considered. We are very pleased that Sybase is the
company chosen."

The total dollar value of the agreement was not provided at this
time.

When sufficient assembled data is available, participating scientists
plan to develop predictive models which will serve as a basis for
environmental policy decisions in the US. The data and images contained
in the database will be made available to a educational institutions
worldwide.

More information may be found at the EOSDIS World Wide Web site,
http://spso.gsfc.nasa.gov/spso or the Hughes home page,,
http://ecsinfo.hitc.com .

(Patrick McKenna/19951003/Press Contact: Joan Mankoff, Blanc & Otis,
tel [phone])


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00036)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 10/03/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 3 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|            Tuesday, October 3, 1995            |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network's 1995 Update CD-ROM for Mac, DOS, and Windows is
now available for $29.95 (includes s&h). Contains 1983-1995 news
stories, more than 64,000 keyword searchable stories and 475 digitized
images. For more information or to order, fax to 612-430-0441 or e-mail
to '[e-mail]' -- MC, Visa, Amex accepted.

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

BUSINESS   ****Connectsoft Disconnects From Medio Purchase........... 08

BUSINESS  Czech Republic Switches To Convertible Currency............ 10

BUSINESS  Thailand - Software AG, Control Data Business Partners..... 20

EDUCATION Apple Extends School Market Share.......................... 13

EDUCATION 13 Microsoft Training Centers In Central & East Europe..... 23

EDUCATION Philippines - University Modernizes With 350 PCs........... 24

GENERAL   Fathers Of Communication Satellite Honored................. 01

GOVT      BT Sheds Staff In Australian State Govt War................ 19

GOVT      Control Data Wins Thai Census Project...................... 21

GOVT      Hong Kong - Another Slap In Face For Tradelink............. 22

IBM        ****IBM Aims New ThinkPads At Desktop Market.............. 31

ONLINE    Barclays Stockbrokers Plug Into The Internet............... 04

ONLINE    Correction - America Online Unexpectedly Goes Down......... 11

ONLINE    America Online To Be Preloaded On More Computers........... 18

ONLINE     ****Survey Counts 5.8 Million Internet Users.............. 27

ONLINE    Correction - SEC Web Address............................... 28

ONLINE     ****NBC Desktop Video To Intro Online Player.............. 30

ONLINE    CompuServe Covers OJ Not-Guilty Verdict.................... 34

PC        Compaq Launches Another Prolinea Series.................... 16

TELECOM   Geneva Telecom - European Paging Association Expands....... 02

TELECOM   Ericsson Secures Two Major Chinese Contracts............... 03

TELECOM   Ameritech Launches ISDN Resellers Program.................. 05

TELECOM   UK Company Offers Global Mobile Phone In A Suitcase........ 06

TELECOM   Geneva Telecom - Ericsson's Advanced Cellphone............. 07

TELECOM   EC Attempts To Clean Up Mobile Phone Market................ 09

TELECOM   Hitachi Develops Single Frequency Duplex Radio............. 14

TELECOM   US Compainies Join GSM..................................... 15

TELECOM   Sweden's Ericsson Unveils Super Cordless Technology........ 17

TELECOM   China - Shanghai Phone Installation Difficult.............. 25

TELECOM   China - National Mobile Phone Network Operational.......... 26

TRENDS    Wireless Business Boom Continues........................... 29

TRENDS    Canadian Info Highway Report Includes Dissenting View On Jo 33

TRENDS     ****Sybase Chosen For Mammoth Environmental Research Proje 35

WINDOWS   Microsoft Cuts Home Software Pricing....................... 12

WINDOWS   Morningstar, Dataware Offer Mutual Fund CD-ROM............. 32

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 -> Fathers Of Communication Satellite Honored -- John Pierce and
Harold Rosen, the engineers who developed communication satellite
technology, last week were named recipients of the $400,000 Charles
Stark Draper Prize, the world's largest award exclusively for
engineering achievement.

2 -> Geneva Telecom - European Paging Association Expands -- The
European Public Paging Association (EPPA) will be appearing at the
Telecom 95 telecoms exhibition, which opens today in Geneva. According
to officials of the association, membership has now been expanded to 29
companies scattered around Europe.

3 -> Ericsson Secures Two Major Chinese Contracts -- Ericsson has
announced the signing of two major contracts with the Chinese Ministry
of Post and Telecommunications (MPT).

4 -> Barclays Stockbrokers Plug Into The Internet -- Barclays Bank has
announced it is offering a variety of stockbrokering information on the
Internet via the bank's World Wide Web site on http://www.
barclays.co.uk .

5 -> Ameritech Launches ISDN Resellers Program -- Ameritech (NYSE:AIT)
is launching a new program to use resellers to sell its ISDN (Integrated
Services Digital Network) services. The program, called "ISDN Allies,"
is expected to double Ameritech's ISDN growth, company officials said.

6 -> UK Company Offers Global Mobile Phone In A Suitcase -- Nera
Telecommunications, a high- end mobile telecoms supplier, has announced
it is selling a global phone in a suitcase for $10,000.

7 -> Geneva Telecom - Ericsson's Advanced Cellphone -- Ericsson has
taken the wraps off an advanced version of its best-selling analog
EH-237 cellular phone. The new phone, known as the EH-238, has all the
features of its forebear, which won the 1994 Mobile Phone of the Year
award, but has an updated internal software system that enhances
reception and offers no less than nine ringing signals.

8 ->  ****Connectsoft Disconnects From Medio Purchase -- Connectsoft
Inc., has announced it has terminated its agreement to purchase the
assets of Medio Multimedia, Inc. A Connectsoft spokesperson told
Newsbytes the deal was contingent on the fulfillment of various
conditions and "a number of contingencies were not met on both sides by
the September 29 deadline," but declined to reveal further details.

9 -> EC Attempts To Clean Up Mobile Phone Market -- Ask anyone involved
in the cellular phone industry, especially in the UK marketplace, as to
their opinion of the trade in general, and it's certain that words like
"shark," "crooks" and "dodgy" will come up. The European Commission
(EC), perhaps aware of this, has awarded a contract to Ovum, the UK-
based research and report company, to help develop a code of conduct for
pan-European mobile service providers.

10 -> Czech Republic Switches To Convertible Currency -- Following
Poland's switch to a convertible Zloty last year, the Czech Republic's
unit of currency, the Koruna, became a fully convertible currency on
Sunday of this week.

11 -> Correction - America Online Unexpectedly Goes Down -- In a story
entitled "America Online Unexpectedly Goes Down," Newsbytes
inadvertently gave an incorrect date for when the online network
experienced a three- plus hour outage.

12 -> Microsoft Cuts Home Software Pricing -- Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:
MSFT) announced this week it has cut the price of its home software
products, with more than 30 titles now available for an estimated street
price under $50. With some of the prices being reduced by as much as 45
percent, Microsoft said some of the titles will be available for as
little as $29.99.

13 -> Apple Extends School Market Share -- Apple Computer, Inc. (NASDAQ:
AAPL) claims a commanding lead in the kindergarten through high school
market. According to new research from Quality Education Data's (QED)
"1995-96 Technology Purchasing Forecast" report, 63 percent of the
computers used in United States public schools are Apple-branded, up
from 59 percent last year.

14 -> Hitachi Develops Single Frequency Duplex Radio -- Hitachi Electric
has developed a private mobile radio (PMR) system that allows full
duplex communications across a single frequency and is displaying it for
the first time at the Telecom 95 show in Geneva.

15 -> US Compainies Join GSM -- The GSM (Global System for Mobile
Communications) MoU Association has announced four new American
companies have signed to the system as the number of worldwide
subscribers hits ten million: Bellsouth, American Personal
Communications Mobile Services, Western Wireless and Pacific Bell.

16 -> Compaq Launches Another Prolinea Series -- Compaq Computer Corp.
(NYSE: CPQ) has announced another series in its Prolinea business
product line that appears designed to keep pricing pressure on
competitors like Hewlett-Packard and IBM.

17 -> Sweden's Ericsson Unveils Super Cordless Technology -- Ericsson
has announced the Super Cordless range of digital cordless phones,
together with digital base stations, for use as a wide area PCS
(Personal Communications System) digital phone system. Super Cordless is
a stepping stone between digital cordless phones with a range of a few
hundred meters, and licensed PCS, as seen in several US and European
cities.

18 -> America Online To Be Preloaded On More Computers -- America Online
Inc. (NASDAQ:AMER) (AOL) said three more manufacturers will pre-load the
online service's access software onto their computers. Gateway 2000,
Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), and Packard Bell join more than 20
manufacturers that preinstall AOL on their personal computers for the
consumer market.

19 -> BT Sheds Staff In Australian State Govt War -- After pulling out
of protracted negotiations with the New South Wales (NSW) state
Government for the provision of a telephone and data network, BT
Australasia has retrenched 45 staff and issued an ambiguous and bitterly
worded press release announcing the move.

20 -> Thailand - Software AG, Control Data Business Partners --
Germany's Software AG has appointed Control Data (Thailand) as its sole
business partner for Thailand and plan to initially target the banking
sector, according to CDG Group Business Development Director Soottipong
Winyoopradist.

21 -> Control Data Wins Thai Census Project -- Control Data Systems has
been awarded the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) project to
install the Computerized National Census and Services Project, which
includes 40 districts in and around Bangkok.

22 -> Hong Kong - Another Slap In Face For Tradelink -- Nobody
officially came out and said it, but CargoNet, Hong Kong's new
electronic data interchange (EDI) provider, is another slap in the face
for Tradelink, the quasi-government consortium set up in the late 1980s
to develop Hong Kong's EDI capabilities, and which has yet to deliver a
single product.

23 -> 13 Microsoft Training Centers In Central & East Europe --
Microsoft has announced that it has certified thirteen Solution Provider
Authorized Training Centers (SP-ATCs) in Central & East Europe where it
does not have subsidiaries. The new centers, located in Estonia, Latvia,
Ukraine, Belorussia, Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia.

24 -> Philippines - University Modernizes With 350 PCs -- Centro Escolar
University (CEU) recently acquired 350 '486 PCs and peripherals from
Ecoline Automations Systems valued at $700,000 to further boost its
computerization efforts in line with the University's thrust to
"modernize" its existing curriculum.

25 -> China - Shanghai Phone Installation Difficult -- Although phone
numbers in Shanghai will be upgraded from 7 to 8 digits, some customers
still have to wait years to get phones installed, officials with
Shanghai Posts and Telecommunications Administration (SPTA) said.

26 -> China - National Mobile Phone Network Operational -- China is now
covered by mobile phone communications networks and mobile phone
subscribers now can use their cellular phones from any city or county in
China, a spokesman with Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (MPT)
announced recently in Beijing.

27 ->  ****Survey Counts 5.8 Million Internet Users -- O'Reilly &
Associates has released details of the first survey undertaken by its
new Online Research Group. The survey found the size of the US Internet
is currently 5.8 million people.

28 -> Correction - SEC Web Address -- An article September 29 (SEC
Launches Internet Site), reporting on the new World Wide Web site
offering free public access to Securities and Exchange Commission
electronic filings and other investor information gave an incorrect
address for the Securities and Exchange Commission's new site.

29 -> Wireless Business Boom Continues -- The number of cellular phone
users in the United States has topped 30 million, according to the
Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association, more than the
population of Canada.

30 ->  ****NBC Desktop Video To Intro Online Player -- The National
Broadcasting Company's (NBC) Desktop Video unit said it has developed a
"low-bit" multimedia player which will allow users to access audio,
text, and pictures on the Internet's World Wide Web. The user would be
able to access these files at 14.4Kbps (kilobits per second), with no
download time.

31 ->  ****IBM Aims New ThinkPads At Desktop Market -- IBM's (NYSE:IBM)
new ThinkPad computers are notebooks, but IBM is hoping some customers
will buy them instead of desktop machines. The firm is pitching the
machines, equipped with larger screens and tiltable keyboards, as
alternatives to traditional desktops.

32 -> Morningstar, Dataware Offer Mutual Fund CD-ROM -- Morningstar, an
investment-information publisher, will distribute 14 gigabytes (GB) of
United States mutual fund data on a set of CD-ROM disks developed with
Dataware Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:DWTI). The set of 30 CD-ROMs is
meant for institutional investors and researchers.

33 -> Canadian Info Highway Report Includes Dissenting View On Jobs --
The main body of the Canadian Advisory Council on the Information
Highway's final report talks about employment mainly as something to be
increased through incentives for research and development and more
teaching of technical skills in schools. However, council member
Jean-Claude Parrot, executive vice-president of the Canadian Labour
Congress, has distanced himself from the majority report by writing his
own statement, included as an appendix to the report.

34 -> CompuServe Covers OJ Not-Guilty Verdict -- Leveraging its
relationship with CNN, CompuServe opened its Convention Center so
members can listen to commentary and discuss the result of the "Trial of
the Century." Read at 10:00 am Pacific Standard Time today, the
not-guilty verdict gathered international attention and filled online
chats and forums with comments, messages and discussions.

35 ->  ****Sybase Chosen For Mammoth Environmental Research Project --
Hughes Information Technology, Corp., the prime contractor for NASA's
Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) project, has
selected Sybase (NASDAQ:SYBS) as the core software provider. When this
futuristic project is operational in 1998, database information will
grow at a rate of one trillion bytes per day.

(Wendy Woods/19951003)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD



Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/02/95
APPLE
Seybold - Multi-Ad Services' Mac Software Upgrades

(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00001)
Seybold - Multi-Ad Services' Mac Software Upgrades 10/02/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 2 (NB) -- Multi-Ad Services,
a major supplier of software for creating ads on the Macintosh computer,
announced version 3.8 of Multi-Ad Creator and version 3.1 of
Multi-Search. The company also introduced Multi-Ad Creator Pro Pack,
a complete bundle for an advertising department using Macs.

The new version of Creator is compatible with Adobe Acrobat 2.0
Distiller, which means ads can be faxed electronically and printed to a
non-PostScript device. Version 3.1 also has an improved interface and
a new commands palette for quick access to often-used commands.
Support for placing, decompressing and separating Storm JPEG (Joint
Photograpic Experts Group) files is provided.

Multi-Ad Search 3.1, an image database, includes improved Power PC
support for cataloging TIFF, JPEG, GIF, and Adobe PhotoShop files
and thumbnail extraction from QuarkXPress files. According to Multi-
Ad, this latest version is more user-friendly and faster than previous
versions. Users are now able to drag a file from a Search catalog and
drop it into a Creator document or to the Finder.

Both of these upgrades include AppleEvent support and technical
support. The Creator upgrade is priced at $140 for registered users
of earlier versions. The Search upgrade is priced at $24.95.

Multi-Ad's Creator Pro Pack includes Creator 3.8, Search 3.1, Creator
General and Seasonal Borders, useful AppleScript, and the Creator Art
Essentials Package. If you are a registered user of Creator 3.7
and Search 3.0, the upgrade package is priced at $195. The price is
$295 for registered users of Creator 3.7 only.

A Multi-Ad representative at the company's booth told Newsbytes, "We
set the newspaper standard for advertising layouts in the Macintosh
environment. These upgrades are part of our commitment to meet
customer needs and supply the most advanced support services."

(Patrick McKenna/19950929/Press Contact: Rob Jennings, Multi-Ad
Services, 309-692-1530)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/02/95
WINDOWS
Seybold - Corel Gets License For Xara Studio

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(SFO)(00002)
Seybold - Corel Gets License For Xara Studio 10/02/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A, 1995 OCT 2 (NB) -- Corel
announced a licensing agreement with Xara Ltd. for its Xara Studio.
The new technology will be added to Corel's drawing and multimedia
software products as CorelXara.

Xara Studio is a 32-bit vector drawing package for Windows 3.1,
Windows 3.11, Windows NT, and Windows 95.

A spokesperson for Corel told Newsbytes, "The Xara technology is an
excellent addition to our product line as a compliment and as a
stand-alone product. We plan to place it alongside our other products
so customers from around the world will have the opportunity to use it."

As part of the agreement with Corel, Xara will continue to work on
Xara technology with Corel personnel. The British company is well-
known for its desktop publishing application, called Impression, which
has more than 40,000 users.

Corel says CorelXara is being developed as an "ultra fast" vector and
bitmap illustration tool with full anti-aliasing features and unique
special effects which compliment CorelDraw, Corel Ventura and
other graphics and DTP products. As a stand-alone product, CorelXara
will work well for customers who do not require color separations.

Corel says it has not established a price for the Xara product, but a
demo CD of the product is in its final stages. Interested customers can
request the demo by sending an electronic-mail to Corel at
[e-mail] or calling Corel at 800-772-6735.

A sneak preview of CorelXara is planned for the CorelDraw User
Conference in Dallas, Texas beginning October 22. The official product
unveiling is scheduled for Fall Comdex in Las Vegas. Comdex begins
on November 13 and runs through November 18. CorelXara will
also be part of a roadshow of Corel products which the company will
tour in North America, the UK, and Australia and New Zealand.

(Patrick McKenna/19950929/Press Contact: Fiona Rochester, Corel,
613-728-0826)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/02/95
GENERAL
Seybold - Monotype's Desktop Publishing Resource CD

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00003)
Seybold - Monotype's Desktop Publishing Resource CD 10/02/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 2 (NB) -- Monotype
Typography,
well-known marketer of font and related software products, introduced a
resource CD-ROM for the professional desktop publishing market. The
company is also beginning to deliver fonts to its customers through the
commercial online services.

DTP Resource CD 1.0 expands on the company's font software with
tools for popular graphics design programs. The CD includes: more than
300 PhotoShop, PageMaker and Illustrator Plug-ins; QuarkXTensions; and
Freehand Extras. The resources are encrypted on the CD and can be
unlocked an hour after an order is placed with the software contained
in the CD.

Monotype built DTP Resource CD with products from eighteen different
companies. Illustrator Plug-ins come from BeInfinite, Cytopia Software,
Human Software and Sundae Software. Plug-ins for PhotoShop come from
Alien Skin Software, Cytopia Software, Andromedia Software, Eastman
Kodak, HSC Software, Human Software, ImageXpress, Soft Furnishings,
Xaos Tools and Zephyr Design. PageMaker Plug-ins come from Bullfrog
Software, EDCO Services, Extensis, Mapsoft, Shadetree Marketing,
Sundae Software, TechPool Software, and Virginia Systems.

QuarkXTensions are provided by Datastream Imaging Systems Soft
Furnishings and Vision's Edge. Freehand Xtras are licensed from
Human Software.

A spokesperson for Monotype told Newsbytes, "We want to be a
company graphics professionals and publishers turn to for more than
fonts. We are providing a wide range of products which are easily
available and add to our customers productivity."

Monotype says the new CD will be available in November and it will
ship free with every Monotype CD 5.0. DTP Resource CD will also be
bundled with other desktop publishing software products. Prices
for the tools offered on the CD begin at $19.

Monotype also announced a plan to deliver fonts to its customers'
accounts on Compuserve, Prodigy, eWorld, America Online, and Microsoft
Network. The firm says that, being as they are relatively small files,
an electronic pack of fonts requires very little download time, and
online delivery is cheaper than placing the fonts on a disk and sending
them through a standard postal system. Online delivery is available now.

(Patrick McKenna/19950928/Press Contact: Danielle Kenney,
Monotype, 312-855-1440)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/02/95
TELECOM
Hong Kong - Unisys Wins New T&T Telecom Deal

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(HKG)(00004)
Hong Kong - Unisys Wins New T&T Telecom Deal 10/02/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 OCT 2 (NB) -- New T&T in Hong Kong has signed
a service and installation contract with Unisys to supply hardware and
software for the start-up phone company's new messaging system.

While no official figures were released, it's thought the deal is
initially worth over US$1 million and, in the long term, possibly as
much as US$10 million.

New T&T, part of the Wharf Group, won one of the three licenses issued
early this summer for fixed line and enhanced IDD services as part of
the local telecoms deregulation.

The Unisys deal supplies New T&T with, what is known as, a network
application processor, which will be the core of its enhanced messaging
service. The service aims to give subscribers call-answering, voice-
messaging, "never-busy" fax, and audiotext, among other things.

According to New T&T's Eddie Paterson, manager for data and applications
markets, the software and hardware Unisys is providing, assures system
expandability and flexibility. "For example, if customers want continual
updates on securities information, the audiotext stock market reports can
be posted to their voice-mail boxes at regular intervals," Paterson told
I.T. Daily.

Unisys sells a lot of telecom-related equipment around Asia but it's the
company's first such sale in Hong Kong. "We only had Hong Kong Telecom
here but now it's opened up," said Garry Scarborough, marketing director
with Unisys.

The system runs over a Unisys 'A' series mainframe. Few of these have sold
in Asia -- and only two reportedly sold last year in Hong Kong. But the
big boxes remain Unisys' most profitable line -- turning over something
like US$70 million across the region last year -- and kicking in the best
margins in the Unisys product range.

(Nigel Armstrong & I.T. Daily/19950928)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/02/95
BUSINESS
IBM & Great Wall in Another Chinese Joint Venture

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00005)
IBM & Great Wall in Another Chinese Joint Venture 10/02/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 OCT 2 (NB) -- IBM has announced a manufacturing
joint venture with China Great Wall Computer Group and Kaifa Technology
of Hong Kong. The deal comes within days of the official opening of
Big Blue's new research and development laboratory in Beijing.

The new venture, Shenzhen GKI Electronics, will manufacture and develop
electronic equipment, including electronic card technology, design,
assembly, and testing kits. The new company will be based in the Shenzen
Science & Industry Park.

Initially the GKI will have US$9 million in capital with IBM holding 60%
of the equity, Great Wall 25%, and Kaifa 15%. Great Wall's chairman, Wang
Zhi, has been named chairman of GKI, with IBM installing Arthur Yarzumbeck
as general manager.

It is IBM's second joint venture with Great Wall. The first was signed
last year to make computers for the domestic and overseas market.

(Nigel Armstrong & I.T. Daily/19950928)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/02/95
BUSINESS
Novell Pushes PerfectOffice & PerfectWorks Into Europe

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00006)
Novell Pushes PerfectOffice & PerfectWorks Into Europe 10/02/95
BRACKNELL, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 2 (NB) -- Novell has signed a
distribution deal with Nordoc in the Netherlands, one of Europe's
leading software distributors, for the distribution of PerfectOffice
3.0 and PerfectWorks 2.1 into small- and medium-sized resellers
across Europe.

Dick de Vaal, a spokesman for Nordoc, explained that the company
wanted to offer its customers across Europe, desktop applications of
high quality. "We chose Novell's products because of their quality
compared to the other products available on the market," he said,
adding that the packages are ideally suited to small- and medium-sized
businesses.

"Nordoc is a significant strategic partner for Novell and opens up new
channels of distribution for Novell's leading desktop software
applications throughout Europe," commented Chris Giggs, OEM (original
equipment manufacturer) sales manager with Novell.

According to Giggs, the deal strengthens Novell's portfolio of
strategic partners in Europe and "reinforces its initiatives to allow
distribution houses to offer customers complete software including the
license. With other major software vendors, resellers must purchase
the software and the license separately."

(Steve Gold/19950928/Press Contact: Stuart Yeardsley, A Plus,
[phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Reader
Contact: Novell, tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/02/95
TRENDS
HP Pushes CD-ROM-Recordable Pricing Down In UK

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00007)
HP Pushes CD-ROM-Recordable Pricing Down In UK 10/02/95
BRACKNELL, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 2 (NB) -- The UK division of
Hewlett-Packard has taken the wraps off the SureStor 4020i, a CD-ROM
recordable (CD-ROM-R) system that costs just UKP829. The unit has
also been launched in the US, officials told Newsbytes.

According to Karen Widdows, HP's Information Storage marketing
manager, the system is a PC internal variety and, as far the company
is aware, is the lowest priced system currently on the market.

HP officials are pitching the system as a "complete recording kit."
Despite its low pricing point, HP claims that the SureStor CD-Writer
4020i is targeted at business users, as well as home enthusiasts for
applications such as archiving data, recording music CDs, creating
Photo-CDs and as a low-cost means of distributing information.

The system can cope with most CDs, both audio and data, and comes with
four software applications to make the creation of CDs as simple as
possible and eliminate, what HP claims is, the difficulty previously
associated with CD recording.

The system consists of a compact double-speed recorder and quad-speed
reader that installs in a PC's half-height 5.25-inch drive bay. The
drive can record up to 650 megabytes (MB) of data or up to 72 minutes
of audio on a single disk. Two CD-ROM-R disks, a SCSI-2 (small
computer system interface type 2) intelligent interface card, plus
relevant cables and manuals, are also bundled with the system.

According to Adam Thew, a spokesman for HP's UK operation, the system
does not pose a serious piracy risk, despite its very low price point.

"The media costs for the CD-ROM-R disks work out at UKP9.90 per disk,
which puts the disks beyond a practical price for serious pirates," he
told Newsbytes, adding that anyone wanting more than 20 copies of a
single disk would find it cheaper to make a "glass master" up and have
copies of the disk run off by a duplication plant.

"For a run of 200 disks or more, you're looking at a price of UKP1 or
less per disk, so this is the route that we see pirates taking, rather
than using CD-ROM-R technology such as the SureStor," he explained.

Having said this, Thew claims that HP goes to considerable lengths to
ensure that the thorny problem of software piracy is tackled by its
documentation on the SureStor.

"We have a number of disclaimers in our documentation that clearly
points out the fact that users should not use the equipment to copy
data to which they do not have the rights to," he said, adding that,
while the company acknowledges that some users will use the system to
bring together software on to a single disk, "they almost certainly
have paid the license fee for the original copy of the software."

"Obviously we don't condone this sort of behavior, but it's not a real
threat on a piracy level," he said, noting that such use was similar
to taping CDs for use in the car.

According to HP, bundled software with the SureStor system allows
users to perform a number of CD recording and retrieval tasks,
including: a Magic Lantern application for Photo CD viewing and
multimedia presentation and preparation; Easy-CD audio, which lets
users prepare custom audio disks; Alchemy Personal for HP, which lets
users create and search custom databases (which includes a run-time
player for use on any PC); and Easy-CD for HP, an extension of the
Windows File Manager for easy file transfer to CD.

"The introduction of the SureStor CD-Writer 4020i is a significant
milestone in the development of the CD-R market." Widdows commented.
He added that, with more than 30 million CD readers installed worldwide,
the SureStor system "fills the need for an affordable CD recordable
drive that allows PC users to tap the potential of CD media for
transferring information from one PC to another."

To ensure media compatibility with the large installed base of CD
readers, the SureStor 4020i conforms to all current industry
standards for recording and reading data on CDs. These include:
Red Book (Digital Audio); Yellow Book (CD-ROM); Green Book
(CD-Interactive); Orange Book (CD-MO and CD-WO); Orange Book (CD-R);
White Book (Video CD); and ISO 9060 Logical File Formats.

(Steve Gold/19950925/Press Contact: PA Consulting, [phone];
Reader Contact: Hewlett-Packard, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/02/05
TELECOM
Sony To Bypass Airtime Providers In UK Cellphone Deal

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00008)
Sony To Bypass Airtime Providers In UK Cellphone Deal 10/02/05
WEYBRIDGE, SURREY, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 2 (NB) -- Sony has neatly
sidestepped government regulations that prohibit the two main cellular
network services in the UK from selling direct to the public, by
setting itself up as a network airtime provider (ATP), an
intermediary, in its own right. The ATP will be known Sony Cellular
Services Limited.

Because ATPs bulk-buy their airtime from the networks (Cellnet and
Vodafone) on a pay-per-second basis, and at a healthy discount on
normal pricing, they theoretically have the flexibility to offer
innovative airtime deals to their subscribers. In practice, however,
UK ATPs tend to price in 30-second time slices, subject to a 60-second
call minimum, and impose hefty monthly subscriptions on subscribers.

Sony is planning to "enhance" its cellular service to its subscribers
by supplying both the phone (Sony handsets, of course) and an
innovative airtime package. The company has signed an ATP agreement
with Vodafone and, according to Dave Danielli of Vodafone's press
office, can now act as its own ATP.

Previously, Sony has only sold its cellular hardware through the
cellular sales channels and, although contracting with specific ATPs
for its latest models, notably Call Connections, a subsidiary of BT
Mobile, has had little power over pricing of the handsets, or the
deals available to users of its phones. By becoming its own ATP, the
company hopes to change all that.

Sony is not breaking the 60+30 second billing rate that UK ATPs
charge. Instead, it is offering a "frequent use" points system for
other Sony products, as well as a discount calling scheme that kicks
in after the subscriber has been with the ATP for a full year. After
12 months, all call charges are reduced by five percent. After 24
months, subscribers get a 7.5 percent discount, and after 36 months,
the discount rises to 10 percent.

Backing up the Sony contracts is a "constantly-manned help-desk" for
subscribers, and the help-desk number is pre-programmed into the
customers handset.

Several Sony handsets are available from the new company. The most
notable is the CMDX-1000, a GSM (global system for mobile
communications) small handset that is the first of its type to use a
lithium ion battery. This gives the UKP199.99 handset an impressive
50 hours on "standby," and up to seven hours of "talk time." The handset
also features the "pop-up" earpiece that was seen on the CMH333 "Mars
Bar" analog hand portable release a few years ago.

Sony is also backing its customers with a "Walk in and talk" repair
service, whereby subscribers can walk into their local repair center
for a while-you-wait repair. If same-day repairs are not possible, the
center will issue a loan phone. For phones outside their warranty
period, Sony is offering a courier and return service that offers
repairs within five days.

Announcing the setting up of the new company, Jay Chinnadorai, sales
and marketing director for Sony's Infocom Products in the UK, said
that the company is one of the world's leading brands because of the
commitment of its customers. "There is no doubt that mobile telecoms is
in need of this level of customer care and we're confident that Sony
Cellular Services will provide this. We have created a clear proposition
for the public -- Sony handsets and Sony Customer Care. I'm sure that
mobile users will be pleased to find a service where they will not have
to worry about the small print," he said.

(Steve Gold/19950925/Press Contact: Kable PR, [phone]; Reader
Contact: Sony Customer Info Line, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/02/95
GENERAL
UK - cc:Mail Anti-Virus Package

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00009)
UK - cc:Mail Anti-Virus Package 10/02/95
READING, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 2 (NB) -- Integralis, a UK
network connectivity specialist, has unveiled MIMEsweeper, an
anti-virus utility for Lotus cc:Mail users.

In use, the package is billed as "automatically scanning all incoming
and outgoing data for any unusual and destructive attachments." Company
officials claim that, without slowing down cc:Mail's operations, the
scan operates "smoothly and efficiently," checking down to short byte
strings, to prevent a virus infection from external sources.

Lotus UK has given the thumbs-up to the application. According to Andy
Watts, director of product management with Lotus, the package is a
useful way for organizations to shield themselves against external
infection and is several steps beyond a passive "firewall."

"MIMEsweeper gives electronic-mail administrators a way to automatically
examine incoming and outgoing messages -- including file attachments --
for viruses and other undesirable attributes. As such, it promises to
provide a high level of protection without compromising messaging
throughput," he said.

According to Integralis, MIMEsweeper has a major potential user base
worldwide, since almost every cc:Mail user will find the package
useful. Integralis notes that more than seven million licenses for
cc:Mail have been sold, making the package a possible best seller.

Pricing on MIMEsweeper depends on the number of Post Offices in use on
the cc:Mail network the package is to be installed on. The first Post
Office license sells for UKP3,500 and covers all users directly
linked to that Post Office, while extra Post Offices which are located
other than at the main Post Office site, are charged at UKP250 each.

(Sylvia Dennis/19950925/Press & Reader Contact: David Guyatt,
Integralis, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/02/95
TELECOM
Hutchison Links Lotus cc:Mail With Radiopagers

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00010)
Hutchison Links Lotus cc:Mail With Radiopagers 10/02/95
DARLINGTON, TYNE & WEAR, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 2 (NB) -- Hutchison
Telecom has announced it is allowing full data access to its
radiopaging system, linking in with Lotus to allow cc:Mail users to
send their electronic-mail headers and urgent messages through to
their pager.

The key to this new service is a new Philips radiopager with a large
LCD (liquid crystal display) on one side of the unit that, by working
with a dot matrix display, can show graphics, and/or seven lines of
text.

According to Anthony Vimal, sales and marketing director with
the company's paging operation, the pager is a major step forward for
radiopaging users, owing to its highly graphical rather than text-
based display.

"The pager is sophisticated in that it has a file card-type approach
to the messages it receives. Messages can be moved into an indexed
electronic database, stored, or deleted at will. It's also possible to
edit and even create totally new file cards within the pager itself,"
he told Newsbytes.

Hutchison is working closely with Lotus on the cc:Mail pager gateway,
with Lotus supplying a cc:Mail pager gateway package for UKP635
through its dealer channels, and with Hutchison working closely with
customer organizations to install the system and get it up and running
with the "minimum of fuss."

In use, the gateway software runs on the cc:Mail server and is
available to all users on the cc:Mail network. The user simply routes
a message to the person's pager address, rather than the desktop,
using mnemonics if required, and the messages is routed via the
server, across a modem or X.25 data link, to the Hutchison network
center, where it is handled as any other UHF paging message.

Although the server software is designed to run under Windows, any
cc:Mail client can send page messages. This means that almost any
mainstream PC user (foe example, Mac, OS/2, or palmtop) can address
pager messages. Moreover, since cc:Mail uses a rules-based message
management approach, the recipient can program their desktop PC to
automatically screen and forward all incoming messages of urgent
priority to the recipient.

Although Hutchison is pitching the new Philips 99 message pager as a
product for cc:Mail users, the cc:Mail gateway will work with any
Hutchison pager, including two-line numeric and text pagers, and even
the tone-only units.

Pricing on the paging services depends on the pager required. Vimal
told Newsbytes that, since the cc:Mail gateway package was designed
to act as a server add-in, only one package need be installed on a
cc:Mail network, no matter how large that network may be.

(Steve Gold/19950927/Press Contact: Paragon Communications,
[phone]; Reader Contact: Hutchison Telecom,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/02/95
NETWORK
UK - Epson Intros Dual Network PCMCIA LAN Card

(NEWS)(NETWORK)(LON)(00011)
UK - Epson Intros Dual Network PCMCIA LAN Card 10/02/95
HEMEL HEMPSTEAD, HERTFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 OCT 2 (NB) --
Epson has
unveiled, what it claims is, the industry's first high performance
PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) LAN
(local area network) adapter to offer both 10BaseT and 10Base2
facilities on a single card.

The card is aimed at notebook PC users with a PCMCIA Type II slot on
their machines. The card runs under IBM/MS-DOS 5.0 or later, or DR-DOS
6.0 or later, and comes with DOS ODI (Open Data-link Interface) and
NDIS (Network Driver Interface Specification) driver software. This,
Epson claims, provides support for most network operation systems,
for example, NetWare, LAN Manager, LAN Server, Windows for Workgroups,
and Banyan Vines.

The card has integral support for "hot swapping," so allowing
for temporary removal of the card, or for modem and memory insertions.
The Ethernet card can then be reinserted and the connection to the
network is automatically reinstated.

Epson officials claim that the driver software also provides Generic
Card and Socket services, plus Point Enabler. The data bus width on
the card is 16-bits with programmed I/O (input/output) and 8-bit or
16-bit for shared memory. The buffer memory on the card is 16
kilobytes (KB).

Other features of the card include supporting a maximum network reach
of 100 meters using 0.8-watts of power in 10BaseT mode, and 185
meters using 2.2 watts of power.

Shipment of the twin-network card is expected later this year,
at which point pricing will be announced.

(Steve Gold/19950927/Press Contact: Peter Hayward, Vector
Communications, [phone]; Reader Contact: Epsom,
[phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/02/95
WINDOWS
Ligature's Competitive Program OCR Software Upgrade

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(DEN)(00012)
Ligature's Competitive Program OCR Software Upgrade 10/02/95
BURLINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 2 (NB) -- Ligature
Software Inc. has released a competitive upgrade program for users of
optical character recognition (OCR) software. The Ligature offer
lets users of any OCR product switch to the company's CharacterEyes
Pro for Windows for $149 and proof of purchase of their original
OCR software.

CharacterEyes Pro is a 32-bit standalone program that includes
de-skewing of up to 20 degrees, batch processing capabilities, the
ability to real all Western European character sets, dictionaries
for proofing documents, automatic image rotation, and a trainable
mode that lets users teach the software to read obscure typefaces
such as calligraphy, Greek letters, or Gothic fonts. The term
"skewing refers to the misalignment of a page that might adversely
affect scanning.

CharacterEyes Pro supports Hebrew characters, although that is
support is provided through a separate Ligature product called
Characterize for Hebrew. Ligature spokesperson Barry Braunstein
said Characterize for Hebrew, which has a suggested retail price of
$995, requires the Hebrew version of Microsoft Windows. Ligature
offers an upgrade to Hebrew Windows for about $100.

The company said its OCR software uses a unique algorithm for
Omnifont reading and the OCR engine can read characters at 200, 300,
and 400 dots-per-inch (dpi). CharacterEyes Pro can capture text at
up to 300 characters-per-second at a recognition level of up to 99.7
percent.

A scanned document can be exported into the user's word processor,
retaining page layout and attributes such as point size, tabs,
margins, and bold and italic formatting. Braunstein told Newsbytes a
CharacterEyes Pro installation option lets the user install the OCR
on their favorite application's File menu. That lets the user launch
CharacterEyes Pro from within the application. Once the document has
been scanned, it is then automatically dumped into a file for that
particular application.

CharacterEyes Pro supports most major scanners and image file
formats as well as TWAIN, the industry scanning standard. It also
incorporates Hewlett-Packard's AccuPage scanning technology. HP says
AccuPage lets you scan from colored or stained backgrounds and also
recognizes small typefaces. CharacterEyes Pro requires four
megabytes (MB) of memory and less than 3MB of hard drive space.

In order to assure an accurate scan, CharacterEyes Pro makes a
second pass which uses spelling dictionaries to proof-read the
document and correct recognition errors. The company said that can
improve recognition accuracy in some documents by as much as 25
percent.

For buyers who purchase CharacterEyes Pro without a competitive
product trade-in the suggested retail price is $495. The company
also offers a software developers kit that lets developers
integrate OCR into their own application software.

To take advantage of the upgrade offer, you have to fax a photocopy
of your present OCR package's installation disk or the front page of
the user manual to your software distributor. Charactereyes Pro is
available from mail-order firms like Microwarehouse, PC Zone or
Stream International, which was formerly known as Corporate
Software.

(Jim Mallory/19950928/Press contact: Alan Weinkrantz, Alan
Weinkrantz & Co for Ligature, 210-820-3070; Public contact:
Ligature, tel [phone] or 800-444-6433, or fax
617-272-3085/EYES951002/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/02/95
BUSINESS
FLAG Opens Netherlands, Middle Eastern Offices

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00013)
FLAG Opens Netherlands, Middle Eastern Offices 10/02/95
HAMILTON, BERMUDA, 1995 OCT 2 (NB) -- FLAG, the Fiber-optic Link
Around the Globe telecoms project consortium, has announced the
opening of two regional sales offices: the first in Amsterdam, the
Netherlands; and the second in Amman, the Middle East.

Announcing the opening of the new offices, John Parry, president of
Nynex's Bermuda operations, explained that the offices were set by
Nynex, which is FLAG's exclusive marketing agent.

As reported previously by Newsbytes, when the FLAG project is
completed in two years time, the 17,000 mile cable will be the longest
of its type in the world, connecting three continents on a route
linking businesses centers and high growth regions between the UK and
Japan.

"The new offices will bring us closer to our customers, the carriers
who have already purchased circuits on FLAG, as well as other
potential customers throughout the regions," said Parry, adding that
the rapidly evolving telecoms needs in these regions offers great
opportunities.

According to Parry, the two new offices will complement FLAG's
existing regional sales office, which is located in Hong Kong.

Unlike previous cable systems, FLAG is being privately financed.
Sponsors are underwriting the $1.2 billion cost of construction
through a combination of debt and equity. This means that, rather than
paying a portion of the construction costs in order to use the cable,
international carriers have the ability to buy capacity on demand.

The construction of the FLAG cable system and landing stations began
in the summer of this year, and ships will start laying the cables n
December.

Parry describes FLAG as giving an unprecedented reach to telecoms
carriers around the world. "FLAG buys direct fiber optic connectivity
to international financial capitals, as well as developing nations,
that will drive the world's economy for decades to come," he said,
adding that the cable also offers diverse routing to international
carriers.

Carriers will connect to the FLAG cable, either directly or via other
cables, at landing plants in the UK, Spain, Italy, Egypt, the United
Arab Emirates, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, China, Korea,
and Japan.

(Sylvia Dennis/19950928/Press Contact: Richard Price, European
Marketing Consultants, [phone]; Reader Contact: Nynex,
914-644-7589)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/02/95
TELECOM
Low-Cost ISDN Internet Access Planned For Germany

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00014)
Low-Cost ISDN Internet Access Planned For Germany 10/02/95
MUNICH, GERMANY, 1995 OCT 2 (NB) -- FTP Software has teamed up with AVM
Computersysteme Vertriebs to develop enhanced software interfacing for
FTP's TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol)
applications that will allow the packages to be used on ISDN
(integrated services digital network) systems that conform to the Capi
2.0 ISDN specification, which is also known as the Euro ISDN system.

According to Mike Hibbert, a spokesman for FTP, the European ISDN
implementations, notably those in Germany, use "subtly different"
switching protocols than the ISDN two-channel system found in the UK
and the US.

By developing support for the advanced nature of ISDN seen in Euro
ISDN systems, AVM can now offer FTP's range of applications into the
German marketplace.

Andreas Widmer-Shulz, director of international sales with FTP, said
that the relationship with AVM is a direct result of demand from the
company's European customers for products which support Capi. "We
expect FTP Software's product range to be supporting Capi 2.0 before
the end of the autumn," he explained.

AVM claims to be the leading manufacturer of ISDN adapters and
applications software for PCs in the German market. The company has
subsidiaries in the US and UK, and also markets its products in more
than 40 countries using distributorships.

(Steve Gold/19950928/Press Contact: Ruth Kelion, A Plus, +44-1753-
790700; Reader Contact: Manuela Dorken, FTP Software Worldwide,
[phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/02/95
GENERAL
Insights Ships Motivation Software Titles

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00015)
Insights Ships Motivation Software Titles 10/02/95
PLAYA DEL REY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 2 (NB) -- Insights Software,
a developer of motivational software titles, says it is shipping fourteen
titles based on best-selling motivational books, such as How to Win Friends
and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie, and New York Times number one
bestseller, Chicken Soup for the Soul, by Jack Canfield. Rather than
develop the titles as screensavers, Insights uses its own "affirmation
generator."

In an interview with Newsbytes, Andrew Maltin, Insights' chief
executive officer, said, "The 'personal growth' market is an $11 billion
market and the computer industry is just now beginning to play a role
in the distribution of personal growth information. Famous authors and
speakers in the motivational field use books, audio tapes, and video
cassettes to deliver their messages. Now their information can be
delivered to computer users in a very special and customized way."

The text and graphics included in an Insights title can be used as a
standard screensaver which turns on when a computer user has stopped
using the keyboard or pointing device for a defined time. But Maltin
said his titles are "affirmation generators" which can be scheduled
to give a computer user a break from keyboard activity and provide
specific motivational and inspirational text and graphics. A user may
want to schedule a short break for every hour or hour-and-a-half. The
software allows a wide schedule which the user customizes.

"Besides the short motivational message and image a user receives, our
software also allows a user to take a break from repetitive keyboard and
pointing device tasks. In terms of health this is a very important issue,"
said Maltin.

He continued, "We have taken the highlights of these famous
motivational titles and delivered them to the computer desktop. People
who have read the books are delighted to have reminders in the words
of their favorite authors and speakers. For users who have not heard
of the author, this is an exposure to some new ideas and may lead the
user to buying the book."

Insight titles allow users to choose a display of specific text, have the
material randomly generated or display custom text entered by the user.

Maltin says his motivational titles are popular with individual computer
users and the small office/home office (SOHO) market. He acknowledged
some computer users balk at the idea of a friendly message on their
computer, but said the type of person interested in motivational
material is a more intellectual type and "not part of the group that
goes home and watches 'Rosanne.'"

Insight titles also include: Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude,
by W. Clement Stone; The Leader in You, by Dale Carnegie; The
Psychology of Winning, by Dr. Denis Waitley; The Magic of Big
Thinking, by Dr. David J. Swartz; and Live Your Dreams, by Les Brown.

Insights calls its list of motivational titles "Successware," and the
first 14 are being shipped to "most" computer superstores, "most" large
bookstores, and other retail outlets. Expected street price for each
title is $14.95. Successware titles are built for and run on all
versions of Windows. The software is shipped on a 3.5-inch disk.

Insights says it has plans to deliver 60 titles through the second quarter
of 1996. The company will expand on its motivational titles to include
health and fitness, business, and spiritual/inspirational categories.

More information about Successware is available at
http://www.motivation.com .

(Patrick McKenna/19950927/Press Contact: Rita Lencioni, The Terpin
Group, 310-821-6100/INSIGHTS951002/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/02/95
BUSINESS
India - TCS Wins Stanchart Deal

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEL)(00016)
India - TCS Wins Stanchart Deal 10/02/95
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1995 OCT 2 (NB) -- India's leading banking systems
developer, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. has won, in worldwide
competitive bidding, a project to develop and implement a $30 million
custody information processing system for Standard Chartered Equitor
Group, the Bank's Asian custody and clearing division.

The system will help control the heightened operational risks apparent
at times of large volume surges in physical securities clearing and
settlement markets, officials of Standard Chartered and TCS said.

The system, scheduled for implementation in 1997, would enable the
group to "enhance the ability to manage risk efficiently and provide
instant investment solutions."

Equator, headquartered in Singapore, presently has a network in 16
countries managing assets worth $55 billion. The dominant part of
client base comprises global custodians for whom Equitor acts as
sub-custodian in Asia, Japanese trust banks, fund management houses,
and several brokers and dealers from the US, Europe, and Japan.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19951002)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/02/95
NETWORK
Microsoft Golf 2.0 On Your Office LAN

(NEWS)(NETWORK)(DEN)(00017)
Microsoft Golf 2.0 On Your Office LAN 10/02/95
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 2 (NB) -- DO you want to play
golf in the office? The boss may not like it, but Microsoft
Corp.(NASDAQ: MSFT) has announced it will soon ship Microsoft Golf
2.0 on CD-ROM, and the program lets local area network (LAN) users
challenge colleagues to a round of golf at the click of a button.

Microsoft said a technology called "Playernet" lets multiple players
"connect easily" over a LAN and socialize in twosomes, threesomes,
or foursomes before they ever reach the 19th hole. Network users
can challenge friends to a round, drop by for a lesson, or offer
commentary on a match in progress. Golfers and spectators can also
enter the Playernet game room where they can chat with other
players, join a multiplayer match in progress, or just voice their
opinions from the grandstand.

"Playernet adds a social dimension to Golf usually reserved for
the clubhouse," said Tony Garcia, entertainment business unit
manager at Microsoft. "With their friends watching from the gallery,
golfers feel even more pressure to sink that $200,000 putt."

Microsoft Golf 2.0 on CD-ROM offers the player 36 holes at Torrey
Pines and Firestone Country Club, and a "Skins" game-scoring
feature. The new golf program has the same photorealism as the
floppy disk version did, plus "fly-by" aerial views of the golf
courses and "club pro" video tips. Microsoft said the graphics offer
multiple viewing angles for each hole, textured fairways, realistic
water hazards, and seasonal effects to test players' abilities.

Players can customize the way they play the game and can maintain
detailed statistics to track their performance. You can record
whole games or individual shots. The program is compatible with
Microsoft Golf Championship courses, including Mauna Kea, Pinehurst,
Banff Springs, and all Links the Challenge of Golf courses.

To run Microsoft Golf 2.0 on CD-ROM you need Windows 3.1 or
Windows 95. The company said Golf is a 32-bit application, so you
can get the advantages of Windows 95 features like Autoplay if you
have installed Microsoft's new operating system. Autoplay
automatically launches CD-ROM programs. Microsoft recommends a PC
equipped with a 486 chip, although the program will run on a
386DX-based system. You also need eight megabytes (MB) of memory, a
Super VGA display capable of displaying 256 colors, a CD-ROM drive,
a mouse or compatible pointing device, and an audio board.

To take advantage of the Playernet feature, each player has to have
a copy of Microsoft Golf 2.0 on CD-ROM, the Windows 95 or Windows NT
Workstation operating system 3.51 or later, and a Windows-compatible
network card.

Microsoft said Microsoft Golf 2.0 will be on retail shelves in
November and is expected to sell for about $44.95.

(Jim Mallory/19950928/Press contact: David Hufford, Waggener
Edstrom for Microsoft, 408-986-1140; Public contact: Microsoft,
206-882-8080 or 800-426-9400)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/02/95
TELECOM
Motorola Reduces Pricing On ISDN Products

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(MSP)(00018)
Motorola Reduces Pricing On ISDN Products 10/02/95
HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 2 (NB) -- Motorola's (NYSE:MOT)
Information Systems Group's (ISG) Transmission Products Division said
it is dropping prices for its BitSurfr Digital ISDN (integrated
services digital network) modem and its BitSurfr PC internal ISA
(Industry Standard Architecture) card by as much as $120.

The new pricing puts both modems at $375. Before, the Digital Modem
was at $495, while the internal card cost $445.

The BitSurfr models claim to give customers transmission speeds up to
four times faster than 28.8 kilobits-per-second (Kbps) modems. Depending
on the model, the BitSurfr either connects with the serial port of a PC
or a Macintosh computer, or in an expansion slot in a PC. ISDN users
have the choice of either staying with their current communications
software, or using the HyperAccess communications program included with
the package.

Both products also have a built-in feature that lets users plug
directly into ISDN, as well as a port for a standard telephone, fax
machine, or analog modem. Both models also support ISDN guidelines,
making it easier to order ISDN service directly from the local
telephone company, according to the company.

All shipments of BitSurfr's are also Windows 95-compliant, Motorola
officials said. If customers want to update older BitSurfr's to
Windows 95, they can purchase an upgrade option from Motorola
Technical Service for $59.

Trish Perry, Motorola ISG spokesperson, told Newsbytes the price drop
was designed with, not only the business market in mind, but the home
market as well. "We think people are going to adopt (ISDN) as they put
computers into their homes, and start accessing the Internet and their
workplace," she said.

Also helping the ISDN push into the residential market is a dropping of
ISDN service prices by some of the regional Bell operating companies
(RBOCs), she said. "There are some places where it's extremely
competitive to get an ISDN line. Then you get a computer line, plus an
extra phone line."

Both modems are available at major retail outlets, and through
Motorola ISG's Authorized Distributors in the US and Canada.

Motorola product information can be accessed via the Internet's World
Wide Web at http://www.mot.com/MIMS/ISG .

(Bob Woods/19950928/Press Contacts: Trish Perry or Mary Ellen
Egemoyne, Motorola ISG, 205-430-7080; Wendy Lavallee or Jan Jahosky,
LNS Communications, 617-577-9777)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/02/95
TRENDS
Kids Watch Less TV When PC Is In Home - Study

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(MSP)(00019)
Kids Watch Less TV When PC Is In Home - Study 10/02/95
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 2 (NB) -- When it comes
to comparing computers and television, more kids are finding the
tv "boring," according to a new study from FIND/SVP and Grunwald
Associates. The survey also found television viewing declines
dramatically when children have a PC available in the home.

The nine-month long study was sponsored by more than 20 leading
US learning, computer, and media companies. Focus groups of
parents and children, along with using an in-depth questionnaire
in 1,200 family households, were used in gathering the data.

Topics included television viewing, online and Internet use, home PC
hardware and software applications, household spending on learning
resources, and parental interest in using a range of interactive
content and equipment.

Parents in nearly two-thirds of households with PCs found their kids
watch less TV as a direct result of using the PC. That number rises
to nearly three-quarters when the PC is equipped with multimedia
capabilities, including a CD-ROM.

When kids do fire up their PCs, they are not just using it for games,
the survey showed. Thomas E. Miller, vice president of the Emerging
Technologies Research Group at FIND/SVP, told Newsbytes that 40% of
kids' time was spent on games. But he said this means they are using
the computer for other application types 60% of the time, including
online usage, multimedia encyclopedias, word processing for school
papers, and some desktop publishing, among other uses.

Other findings include some "surprising" data, according to FIND/SVP.
Young girls spend more time using home PCs than young boys, and
mothers are now as likely to use their computers as fathers. Also,
moms are very much involved in making the "buy" decision for PCs.

In addition, Miller said the main reason for a family to buy a PC has
changed. He said "educational purposes" has replaced "work-at-home"
as the number one reason why families take the plunge into computing.

Miller said computers won't replace television, because while using
a PC is an interactive experience, watching TV is a non-active
pleasure some kids still want to have. "But when PCs get video
capability, there's no question kids will move over to that platform.
Both educational and entertainment will be much more valuable to them
in a computerized television environment," he said. But Miller added
that kids said they definitely don't want to give up the tv.

For additional information, FIND/SVP maintains an Internet World Wide
Web site at http://etrg.findsvp.com .

(Bob Woods/19950929/Press Contact: Mary Porter, FIND/SVP, 212-807-
2781; Public Contact: Dana Simmons, FIND/SVP, 800-965-4636)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/02/95
TELECOM
 ****Telecom 95 Opens In Geneva

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00020)
 ****Telecom 95 Opens In Geneva 10/02/95
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, 1995 OCT 2 (NB) -- The two week Telecom 95
exhibition in Geneva opened today with an address from Dr. Pekka
Tarjanne, secretary general of the International Telecommunications
Union, the UN agency organizing the event.

Underlying the fast-moving pace of the telecommunications world,
Tarjanne opened with the observation that "none of us today knows
exactly what will happen even five years from now."

As an example he observed, "Today's World Wide Web hardly existed four
years ago, when we held Telecom 91, who knows what we all will be
using in four years time, at Telecom 99."

One of the greatest forces driving the industry today is "convergence,"
the coming together of the traditionally separate technologies of
telecommunications, computing, and broadcasting.

Convergence, he said, had some interesting parallels with a similar
process that the television and film companies underwent in the 1940s
and 1950s. That process "led to the creation of the major television
networks and the massive subsequent popularity of television as a
medium."

After Tarjanne's short opening statement he introduced the second
edition of the ITU's World Telecommunications Development Report. The
250-page report seeks to survey the status of telecom infrastructures
around the world and the forces that are driving use and development.

Tarjanne noted, "There is still a large telecommunications gap among
countries of the world. As new advances are made in technology we
should ensure that all countries can benefit. We know there will be
no economic or social growth without the basic infrastructure of our
information society, the telecom networks, and services."

As an opening to the report, the ITU provided some fascinating
statistics about the growth and use of the global networks. Each day,
$2.3 trillion flows across electronic networks around the world, a
figure greater than the economy of most countries.

In addition, the report notes that: telecommunications systems are
now employed by children in Singapore to keep in touch with parents;
Australian aborigines use videoconferencing to sell paintings;
Brazilians connect to their banks via the Internet; and the French
use Minitel to consult an online telephone directory or pay bills.

In 1994 the number of new connections to the world's telephone
networks grew by 38.0 million, an increase on the previous year
which saw 31.3 million connections.

Mobile telephone services saw 19.2 million new subscribers, up from
11.0 million the year before and the amount of new users to the
Internet totaled 13.9 million, up from 6.0 million the previous
year.

Cable television saw much slower growth with 14.5 million new
subscribers, almost similar to 1993 when 13.7 million people
connected for the first time.

In 1994 Japan's NTT once again came out on top of the world's
info-telecommunications companies, a position that is now at threat
from increased competition and a possible government-forced break up.
NTT's sales totaled $79.070 billion, just ahead of AT&T in second
place at $71.977 billion.

The rest of the top five was: IBM, with sales of $64.052 billion;
Sony Corporation, at $44.758 billion; and NEC Corporation, with sales
of $43.326 billion. Deutsche Telekom, Matsushita, Fujitsu, Hitachi,
and Toshiba filled out the rest of the top ten in sales.

When it came to profits, NTT couldn't compete with AT&T, which made
$4.710 billion followed by IBM at $3.021 billion. Standing out among
the top 25 sales ranked companies was Japan's Sony which lost $3.296
billion last year.

The ITU reports that, of the "vehicles of the information highway,"
a comparison of the worldwide installed base of television sets,
telephones and computers, 58.4% are television sets, 32.5% are
telephone lines, and 9.1% are personal computers.

When the ownership of such devices is broken down by income, an obvious
difference can be seen among the groups. Almost 90% of all personal
computers are owned by people in the high income group. The same group
also accounts for 30% of main telephone lines and 50% of all
television sets, despite making up just 20% of the world's population.

Low income individuals account for over 50% of the world's population,
but own under 10% of the world's telephone lines and less than 1% of
the world's computers, but around 30% of television sets installed.

Among nations ranked for multimedia access, the United States came
out on top, Denmark was second, followed by Canada and Sweden. In joint
fifth place was Australia, France, and Switzerland. The Netherlands,
Germany, and Japan completed the top ten.

The ranking counts numbers of telephone lines, television sets, and
personal computers per 100 inhabitants.

(Martyn Williams/19951002)


(ADVISORY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00021)

NewsPix Images For Newsbytes Publishers 10/02/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A.,1995 OCT 2 (NB) -- These photos
correspond to recent Newsbytes stories. They are online in the
Newsbytes menu on America Online, NiftyServe, and the Newsbytes
private bulletin board system in Minneapolis.

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) files are larger in size,
PICT files are designed as thumbnails for onscreen viewing.
The photos are titled with name/year/month/day.

PICT/thumbnail pictures are black and white (gray scale). File
message will indicate color if the JPEG image is color.

Some of the "for use" images, may be PICT files. To distinguish
these files from the thumbnail preview PICT images, the tag for the
color "for use" image will have PICT, all caps. The thumbnail will
remain noted as "pct."

To become a licensed Newsbytes publisher, call Newsbytes at
612-430-1100 (US) or write to [e-mail] on the
Internet. Licensing applies to any medium.

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

Week of SEPTEMBER 25 - SEPTEMBER 29,1995

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

- NEW THIS WEEK -

FUJITSU950914 - color / Fujitsu Develops New Display Panel: the large
lcd panel with model.

VCON950922 - color / VCON Intros Desktop Videoconferencing For LANs:
woman at desk with desktop videoconferencing.

DITOEASY950925 - color / Iomega's $150 800MB Tape Backup Drive:
the unit on a tabletop with pen for scale.

SKYTEL950926 - color / Microsoft/Skytel Offer 2-way Paging Via
Microsoft Network: the unit on limbo tabletop.

ZENOGRAPHICS950928 - color / Zenographics' SuperPrint 4.0 Speeds Win
95 Printing: shot of the software package.

MACROMEDIA950928 - color / Macromedia Upgrades FreeHand For Macs:
shot of the box.

TRIMBLE950925 - color / Trimble Wins Japanese Anti-Earthquake Network
Order: nice shot of surveyor and Golden Gate Bridge in SF.

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

- PARTIAL LISTING OF PREVIOUS ITEMS -

AMDAHL950915 - b&w / Amdahl To Acquire Canada's DMR Group: head shot
of Amdahl's president and chief executive officer (CEO), Joseph Zemke.

MS_BOB950919 - color / What Ever Happened To Microsoft Bob?: the
Bob logo, smiley face with glasses.

MS_PROJ950919 - color / Microsoft Project For Windows 95 To Ship Next
Week: shot of package graphics.

GAZETTEER950920 - color / Global Post Code & Demographic Info On The
Web: screenshot of home page.

D3SEA950922 - color / Video Update: photo of Panasonic D3 camcorder
used by Scuba Diver for underwater photography. Actual shot of camera
in action, diver is Capt. Steve Hogan, president of Sea Eagle
Productions, Maui, Hawaii.

APTIVA950912 - color / IBM Updates Aptiva PC Line: the PC with
logo onscreen.

GATEHOUSE950913 - color / Tour Bill Gates' Showplace Home Via
The Internet: shot of house under construction.

MEDIAKIDS950908 - color / Apple Japan Holds MediaKids Summer Camp:
screen shot of kids homepage, with lots of kanji.

ENIAC950912 - b&w / ENIAC 50th Anniversary Set For 1996: great
archive photo of the original ENIAC room.

PRESARIO950915 - color / Compaq Intros New Home PCs, Fall Ad Campaign:
the Presario 9500, tower not seen, just keyboard & monitor on tabletop.

CYRIX_M1950906 - color / M1 Fastest Chip For Windows 95, Says Cyrix:
the M1 chip with Cyrix logo on it.

VINEYARDS950906 - color / Virtual Vineyards' CyberCash Credit Card
Security: shot of Peter Granoff and Robert Olson, principal founders
with a table of wine before them. Photo credit: Anne Hamersky.

TLKALONG950901 - b&w / US West Offers Do-It-Yourself Cell Phone
Activation: cell phone and packaging on a limbo background.

ABCGRAPH950901 - color / Micrografx Graphics Suite For Windows 95:
see NewsPix ABCGRAPH950717.

GROLIERGOLF950906 - color / Grolier's Greg Norman Golf Simulation:
screenshot of golf scenario.

COGNOS950829 - color / Cognos On World Wide Web: site graphics.

INTERART950828 - color / 3-D Real Estate & Hotel Walkabouts On The Web:
the food page with salsa ad, looks good!

NEC950831 - color / NEC Develops "Snake-Like" Robot: shot of the
snake with camera dome at head.

KIDS950829 - color / Novell Intros Perfectworks For Kids: screen shot
of the 'Me by Me' page.

MEDIAMALL950828 - color / Media Mall Offers Online Multimedia Info:
screen graphics/logo.

CASHGRAF950830 - color / CashGraf Gets New Name, Intros 2 Acct Packages:
screen shot of the main menu.

RADSHACK950814 - b&w / Radio Shack Gets New Image: before and after
arrangement of Radio Shack ads.

LTE5000950821 - color / Compaq Intros Modular Notebook PC 08: the
notebook PC in action, associates at work on site using computer.

TOUCH950822 - color / Touch Technology Moves Off The Display Screen:
the Tanisys keyboard on neutral background.

PAGEMAKR950823 - color / Adobe Ships Pagemaker 6.0 For Mac: shot of
the software package.

HARLEM950822 - color / Prodigy Offers Harlem Inner-City Area Online:
welcome & home page.

(Newsbytes/19951002)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/02/95
ONLINE
 ****America Online Unexpectedly Goes Down

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00022)
 ****America Online Unexpectedly Goes Down 10/02/95
VIENNA, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 2 (NB) -- An America Online
(NASDAQ:AMER) spokesperson has confirmed to Newsbytes that the
service went down for about three and a half hours last Friday,
October 30. AOL members who tried to log in during that time could
not, and those already logged in eventually lost their connection.

Pam McGraw, AOL spokesperson, told Newsbytes that a bug in the system
that manages the sign-ons and sign-offs of its members had a flaw,
and the entire system had to be brought down to fix the problem.

The service was down from 7:30pm EDT until about 11pm EDT. She said
AOL received call inquiring as to the service's status during that
time frame, and that a letter from AOL President Steve Case was
posted after the outage explaining the situation.

In the "Community Update" letter, Case explained the problem as
being "related to the installation of new system software for a
portion of our host computer complex." He also said AOL engineers
are now working on tuning the performance of the overall system.

McGraw told Newsbytes the service is running smoothly as of today.

This was the second problem relating to service that AOL has had in
less than two weeks. On September 20, AOL members had trouble
accessing certain areas of the online service. In a different
Community Update letter, Case acknowledged the problem, and said
his computer engineering team addressed and monitored the problem
as soon as it occurred. Even though some areas were unavailable,
features like chat, electronic-mail, message boards, and instant
messaging remained intact, said the company.

(Bob Woods/19951002/Press Contact: Pam McGraw, America
Online, 703-556-1625)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/02/95
LEGAL
Storagetek Intros New Product, Settles Old Lawsuit

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(DEN)(00023)
Storagetek Intros New Product, Settles Old Lawsuit 10/02/95
LOUISVILLE, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 2 (NB) -- Storage Technology
Corp. (NYSE:) has rolled out its Kodiak scalable storage product
and won preliminary approval for a proposed settlement of a class
action lawsuit filed by a few shareholders more than three years
ago that grew to include thousands of investors.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95100223.PCX
Click here for photo

The Kodiak 9890 Scalable Storage Facility was introduced this
week during FORUM95, Storagetek's annual user group meeting. The
company said about 400 customers are attending FORUM95.

Kodiak is a new product designed for mainframe storage and
retrieval applications. Storagetek estimates that market at about
20 percent of the total mainframe disk storage market, known as
direct access storage device, or DASD. The company said Kodiak has
demonstrated higher levels of input and output than have ever been
published for a magnetic disk subsystem for the mainframe market.
The results were achieved during laboratory testing.

Also being announced this week is the Arctic Fox 9800, a
shared-access facility that is a subset of Kodiak. Arctic Fox
supports up to four gigabytes (GB) of storage without any disk
drives. Kodiak is available now and the company said Houston,
Texas-based BMC Software Inc. is the first customer for the
storage system.

Jeanne Moreno, BMC chief financial officer, said the company will
keep its beta-level Kodiak system for continued testing and has
purchased a 360GB Kodak for production use.

Kodiak is based on RAID (redundant arrays of inexpensive disks)-5
architecture and will eventually support ESCON (Enterprise Systems
Connection) architecture. That connectivity is currently in beta
testing, according to Storagetek. A remote dual copy capability is
also in beta testing.

The minimum Kodiak configuration is 46GB of storage, 256 megabytes
(MB) of mirrored cache, four ESCON channels, and two device
controllers. In that configuration, the suggested retail price is
$609,100. At the other end of the configuration spectrum you can
get a Kodiak system with 1,394GB of storage, 4,096MB of mirrored
cache, 16 ESCON channels, and 12 device controllers. The US list
price for that configuration is just under $8.8 million.

The preliminary approval for the proposed $55 million settlement
was granted by a federal judge in a class action suit filed in
1992 by four shareholders who alleged that the company failed to
immediately report delays in its Iceberg disk storage system. The
judge set December 1 as the date for a hearing on final approval
of the settlement.

The original lawsuit grew to include several thousand investors, who
claimed reports of delays in the release of Iceberg came months
after Storagetek executives sold off millions of dollars in shares
at high prices for their own gain.

The proposed settlement calls for Storagetek to pay $30.7 million
and for its insurer to pay $24.3 million. Attorney's fees and
other legal costs would be deducted from the total amount before
the plaintiffs were paid.

Storagetek maintains a home page on the World Wide Web at
http://www.stortek.com .

(Jim Mallory/19951002/Press contact: Judith Hargrave,
Storagetek, 303-673-5559; Public contact: Storagetek,
303-673-5020/KODIAK951002/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/02/95
TRENDS
Bill Gates Is Richest American On Forbes 400 List

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(DEN)(00024)
Bill Gates Is Richest American On Forbes 400 List 10/02/95
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 2 (NB) -- Bill Gates,
chairman of Microsoft Corp., (NASDAQ: MSFT) has grabbed the top
spot on the Forbes magazine 400 richest Americans for the second
consecutive year. "Richest" is a title Gates is undoubtedly become
accustomed to, since he has also captured one of the two top spots
on the World Billionaire and Richest American lists each year since
1991.

Gates' approximately $14.8 billion in net worth, based on his
Microsoft stock holdings, edged out investment mogul Warren Buffet
with $11.8 billion. Gates and Buffet have held the top spots for
several years.

Gates joined the elite group of the world's and nation's wealthiest
in 1991 when he was recognized as the second richest American on
the Forbes 400 list with an estimated net worth of $$4.8 billion.
In 1992 he moved to the top spot on the magazine's list with an
estimated $6.3 billion.

Gates' public recognition isn't limited to appearing on "richest"
lists. In 1993 he was selected as the recipient of the Price
Waterhouse Information Technology Leadership Award for Lifetime
Achievement. That same year Forbes listed Gates as the nations
fifth richest billionaire with about $6.7 billion and the second
richest American.

By 1994 Gates' net worth had climbed to $8.2 billion in July to
keep his hold on the second richest in the world spot and the top
position on the richest American list by the end of the year when
his wealth had climbed to $9.35 billion.

When Forbes released its world's richest list this July Gates
held the number one spot with $12.9 billion in estimated worth.

Capturing the second spot on this year's 400 list is Buffet,
chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., whose net worth jumped by about
$400 million after Walt Disney offered $19 billion for Capital
Cities/ABC, one of Buffet's longtime holdings. The top five richest
Americans list is rounded out by: John Kluge, chairman of Metromedia
Co.; Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft and owner of the Portland
Trail Blazers basketball team; and Sumner Redstone, chairman of
Viacom Inc.

(Jim Mallory/19951002)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/02/95
GENERAL
Canadian Product Launch Update

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00025)
Canadian Product Launch Update 10/02/95
KINGSTON, ONTARIO, CANADA 1995 OCT 2 (NB) -- This regular feature,
appearing on the first day Newsbytes publishes each week, provides
further details for the Canadian market on announcements by international
companies that Newsbytes has already covered. This week: Apple Canada
begins shipping the PowerBook 5300 line.

Apple Canada Inc., of Markham, Ontario, has started shipments of the
PowerBook 5300 notebook computer. Its US parent company recently
resumed shipments of the machine (Newsbytes, Sept. 25), after halting
them earlier due to a problem with the original lithium-ion batteries.
Apple Canada said it is now shipping the 5300 systems with nickel-
hydride batteries, eliminating the safety problem that was reported
with the lithium-ion units.

Apple Canada said Canadian prices for the 5300 machines will range
from C$3,349 for the 5300/100 with a gray-scale screen, eight megabytes
(MB) of memory, and a 500MB hard disk, to C$10,099 for a PowerBook
5300ce/117 with an active-matrix color screen, 32MB of memory, and a
1.1 gigabyte (GB) hard disk. The 5300-series PowerBooks are available
right away, Apple Canada said, except for the 5300ce. Apple Canada
also said the PowerBook 190 series will be shipping in mid-October,
and the PowerBook Duo 2300 in November.

(Grant Buckler/1995-10-02/Press Contact: Linda Grant or Susan Taylor,
Apple Canada, 905-477-5800, Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Public
Contact: Apple Canada, 800-665-2775 ext 450, or fax-on-demand service
at 800-263-3394)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/02/95
ONLINE
Software Uses Web To Link Remote Users To LAN E-Mail

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TOR)(00026)
Software Uses Web To Link Remote Users To LAN E-Mail 10/02/95
OWINGS MILLS, MARYLAND, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 2 (NB) -- Although
electronic-mail remains the most common use of the Internet, Infinite
Technologies said its new WebMail software will uses the "net" for mail
in a rather different way. WebMail will use the World Wide Web to connect
remote users to their own electronic mailboxes on the local area network
(LAN) mail system back at the office.

While messages from an in-house mail system could be forwarded over the
Internet to remote users, said Infinite's director of marketing, Patricia
Lummis, WebMail connects the remote user to the LAN e-mail system itself.
The value of this is that the user has complete access to the in-house
mail system -- he or she can send and receive messages, look at the
corporate directory, and so on.

Lummis told Newsbytes the software is aimed at people who spend a lot of
time out of the office, such as consultants and professional trainers.
It will let them check their mailboxes from any computer with access to
the Web, she said. Also, Lummis noted, an organization could use WebMail
to give a customer or supplier at a different site a mailbox on its
internal mail system.

With this product, which will support Microsoft Mail, Lotus Development
Corp.'s cc:Mail, the Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI),
and ExpressIT!, Infinite seems to be taking aim at an emerging Internet
opportunity: organizations using the net for internal communications
between locations. Industry analysts as well as vendors have suggested in
recent months that for some organizations, Internet connections could be
an attractive alternative to private lines for linking remote offices.

Speaking at a Toronto conference on the Internet recently, Mark Skapinker,
president of software vendor Delrina Corp., observed that the Internet
currently has about 40 million users, but 80 percent of them use the net
only for e-mail.

A recent study by Forrester Research, Inc., of Cambridge, Massachusetts,
forecast that sales of Internet-related software will approach $3 billion
by the end of the decade. Forrester also recently forecast that security
concerns about the Internet -- currently a roadblock to many business
applications -- will be worked out within about 18 months.

Lummis said WebMail -- which received a Best of Show award in the
Internet category at the recent NetWorld+Interop trade show -- will be
shipping in November. Prices will start at $495, she said, and will
range upward depending on the number of users supported. The software
will not require a dedicated server, Lummis said.

Besides the mail systems currently supported, Infinite said it is working
on support for BeyondMail, Da Vinci Email, Notework, and GroupWise.

(Grant Buckler/19951002/Press Contact: Patricia Lummis, Infinite
Technologies, tel [phone], fax [phone], Internet e-mail
[e-mail]; Public Contact: Infinite Technologies,
410-363-1097)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/02/95
GOVT
EPA & Intel In Air Pollution Deal

(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00027)
EPA & Intel In Air Pollution Deal 10/02/95
PORTLAND, OREGON, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 2 (NB) -- The US Environmental
Protection Agency, Oregon pollution regulators, and Intel Corp.
have coupled air pollution reductions with greater flexibility in
federal and state permitting.

Under the deal, the EPA will allow Intel to adjust its manufacturing
processes on its own, without having to go through the rigorous
Title V permitting process, as long as the overall pollution levels
are within EPA specifications. In return for the regulatory
flexibility, Intel agrees to use pollution prevention processes
as the primary way of managing air emissions.

EPA, which has frequently been criticized for rigidity in its
air permitting process, says it will use the Intel agreement as
a nationwide model.

"The high-tech industry moves at a lightning-fast pace," says
Craig Barrett, Intel executive vice president. "Having the
flexibility to improve the manufacturing process quickly and
with a minimum of paperwork is essential for us to grow and
prosper in the US. This method maintains high standards of
environmental protection, encourages efforts for pollution
prevention, and creates an opportunity for common sense to be
applied to environmental safeguards."

The idea for the innovative arrangement was hatched at an April,
1993, pollution prevention conference and Florida, with informal
discussions involving the EPA and several industries in the
Pacific Northwest. By November, 1993, EPA, Oregon air quality
regulators, and Intel had worked out the general outlines of an
approach and identified regulatory barriers.

Under the agreement, the Title V permit contains emission limits
for the entire plant site instead of limits for each vent or
pipe. As long as Intel meets its site-wide emission limits, all
minor process changes will be pre-approved.

The agreement covers Intel's Aloha facility in Aloha, Ore., the
company's largest site. Intel employs about 2000 workers at the
site, which opened in 1976. The site includes to wafer fabrication
factories and a wafer development factory.

(Kennedy Maize/19951002/Press Contact: Howard High, Intel,
408-765-1488)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
00 10/02/95
TRENDS
 ****Xerox Enters SOHO With 5-Function Device Under $

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(BOS)(00028)
 ****Xerox Enters SOHO With 5-Function Device Under $700 10/02/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 2 (NB) -- In creating Document
WorkCenter 250, a newly unveiled fax machine-printer-copier-scanner
that is Xerox's first product for the SOHO (small office/home office)
market, Xerox decided to pursue a different course from some competitors
by incorporating the company's top technologies, contended Xerox's
Debbie Abbott, in a meeting with Newsbytes on a Boston press tour.

The new Document WorkCenter 250 provides much higher resolution than
rival "multifunction devices" (MFDs) for SOHO, in addition to Xerox's
"professional-quality" TextBridge Professional Edition optical character
recognition (OCR) software, according to Abbott, who is product marketing
manager for the Xerox Desktop Document Systems (DDS) division.

For estimated street pricing of under $700, the new WorkCenter 250
integrates plain paper fax, PC fax, inkjet printing, scanning, and
copying under a central Windows-based interface called ControlCenter, the
Xerox exec reported. The five-function device outputs at 300
dots-per-inch (dpi) resolution. Together with TextBridge Pro 3.0, bundled
software includes Delrina's Winfax Lite software for PC faxing.
TextBridge ordinarily retails for $299.

Abbott told Newsbytes that Xerox also produces MFDs for the "shared/work
group" environment that include the WorkCenter 610 for "midvolume fax
environments" and the 3000 Series for small offices and small workgroups
in the enterprise.

DDS opted to step into the SOHO market due to forecasts of continuing
high growth for the industry segment from BIS Strategic Decisions and
other analysts. But with its new product, the Xerox division is departing
from a tradition in the SOHO peripherals market which calls for offering
minimal capabilities in an "entry-level" offering, she asserted. The
conventional approach almost compels users to upgrade, she charged.

Instead, Xerox DDS is interested in meeting the needs of home and small
business users as "fully" as possible right out of the gate, so that this
new group of users will emerge with favorable impressions and
expectations of both Xerox and MFDs, according to Abbott. In comparison
to the corporate environment, the home office typically faces a limited
budget and space constraints. It is also more "solitary," and it lacks a
MIS (management information systems) department, she told Newsbytes.

As a result of these factors, the new WorkCenter 250 offers a number of
capabilities, specifically aimed at SOHO, that are not present in some
competing devices, according to the product marketing manager. Beyond
Textbridge OCR and 300 dpi resolution, the MFD from Xerox allows for
"multitasking," which eliminates the need to wait for a document to stop
printing before sending a fax, for example, she maintained.

In addition, the WorkCenter 250's footprint is smaller than that of other
MFDs, Newsbytes was told. The product from Xerox also lets users
configure settings in two ways: from the Windows-based ControlCenter, and
through a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel. Xerox is backing up the new
MFD with its customer hotline, plus a newly created "Service While You
Sleep" guarantee, certifying product replacement of the WorkCenter 250
within 24 hours if any problems crop up, she pointed out.

DDS, a division of Xerox launched in 1992, has always been
"entrepreneurial," added Abbott. As previously reported in Newsbytes,
DDS's TextBridge OCR software is meant to offer a range of advanced OCR
technologies such as a "word verifier" for confirming and correct words
while recognition is in progress; "automatic segmentation," for
distinguishing the number of columns, locations of images, and correct
read order of text in a compound document; and "automatic page
orientation," for automatically correcting image and text placement on a
skewed, or crooked, page.

In a demo for Newsbytes on the Boston press tour, Abbott scanned and
printed out a document on the mew Document WorkCenter 250. The exec then
proceeded to compare results from the new MFD from Xerox with output she
said had been produced by four competing products.

The WorkCenter 250 appeared to provide a much higher level of detail and
clarity throughout both light and shaded areas of a scanned-in photo.
Also during the demo, Abbott told Newsbytes that Xerox's TextBridge Pro
performs OCR more quickly than contending software, and that, unlike
other products, which restrict viewing to smaller "zones," TextBridge
lets the user see an entire "OCR'd document" in a single glance.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19951002/Reader Contact: Xerox Document Systems,
415-813-6800; Press Contacts: Peter Warren, Xerox Desktop Document
Systems, 415-813-7213; Cathy Brooks or Craig Sutphin, Blanc & Otus for
Xerox, 415-512-0500)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/02/95
IBM
IBM To Expand App Devt Product Line & Services

(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00029)
IBM To Expand App Devt Product Line & Services 10/02/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 2 (NB) -- In coming months,
IBM will make a string of announcements in the application development
arena related to specific areas that will include the TeamConnection
repository, development languages, third-party tools, and "network-centric
computing," revealed Skip McGaughey, market manager for the VisualAge
family and object-oriented tools, in a briefing for Newsbytes.

McGaughey told Newsbytes that IBM's upcoming announcements will adhere to
an overriding strategy of "modularity, scalability. simplicity, and
adaptability to change."

The application development market has changed dramatically over the past
10 to 15 years, moving from its previous focus on the mainframe, batch
processing, and OLTP (online transaction processing) to the
point where, today, "the network itself is becoming the computer," noted
the IBM exec.

"We've been providing a lot of leadership in the transition to
distributed client-server computing. Now as we go forward, you'll see a
lot of complementary activity from us in `network-centric computing,'
including everything from specific networks to the Web," McGaughey
asserted.

Users today also demand increasing scalability, simplicity, and
adaptability on the part of application development tools, according to
the market manager. ISVs (independent software vendors) and corporate
developers alike require tools that will allow faster development of new
applications, updates to existing applications, and ports to new
operating environments, he elaborated.

"Where (corporate developers) used to spend nine months (in creating) a
new application, now they want to be able to do that in nine hours.
Related to that, (ISVs) want to decrease the amount of time it takes them
to bring new products to market," McGaughey continued.

IBM, he added, has been meeting this need by providing functionality such
as the ability to integrate legacy code into new, object-oriented
applications with the use of Cobol and C wrappers in VisualAge Smalltalk.

In the future, the company will continue to move toward more rapid
development, as well as toward providing "greater simplicity in terms of
packaging and the user interface," plus scalability that extends "from
the individual, to the small group, to the enterprise," he contended.

McGaughey characterized the overall positioning of IBM's application
development products as "modular, as opposed to monolithic." To
facilitate further evolution of this strategy, he divulged, IBM has
arrived at the model of an "integrated application development
environment" with three functional areas: design, build, and manage.

In the "design" area, IBM is concentrating on modeling business
processes, according to the marketing exec. In the "build" phase, on the
other hand, "the idea is that you will have both a `language of choice'
and a `platform of choice.'"

A developer might choose to work in VisualAge, C++, RPG, Basic, or Bart,
he illustrated. Client and server components of an application might run
on OS/2, Unix, Windows NT, and Windows, for instance. IBM ultimately
intends to expand its product line-up to let the developer build
applications in any language, for any environment.

The "manage" stage is "primarily focused on the TeamConnection
repository," Newsbytes was told during the briefing. Over time, IBM will
integrate the repository with development languages, Lotus technology,
and third-party tools.

"We're going to begin integrating the ability to engineer business
problems. What are the applications that (users) need to access their
data?" McGaughey reported.

Beyond extending its application development environment, IBM also
expects to issue announcements concerning education, training, and
consulting services, disclosed the IBM exec. IBM's Object Technology
University (OTU) is one example of an existing program in this category,
McGaughey told Newsbytes.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19950925/Reader Contact: IBM, 914-765-1000; Press
Contact: Parna Sarkar-Basu or Beth Kitchener, Brodeur & Partners
for IBM, 617-622-2800)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/02/95
NETWORK
Cabletron Launches Switching Products

(NEWS)(NETWORK)(TOR)(00030)
Cabletron Launches Switching Products 10/02/95
ROCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 2 (NB) -- Cabletron Systems
Inc. (NYSE:CS) has announced a handful of new switching products,
including modules for its MMAC-Plus switching system and a Token Ring
switch with an uplink to fiber distributed data interface (FDDI)
technology.

Robert Travis, product marketing development manager for Token Ring and
Systems Network Architecture (SNA) at Cabletron, told Newsbytes his
company sees a growing demand for Token Ring switching as 16 megabits-
per-second (Mbps) networks begin running out of bandwidth. Similar
switching for Ethernet networks, which have lower bandwidth than Token
Ring, has already become popular. Travis said banks and financial
institutions are among the early adopters of Token Ring switching.

The Yankee Group, a research firm in Boston, has projected sales of
Token Ring switches at $54 million this year, rising to $481 million
by 1998, Cabletron said.

Cable not the only network vendor with an eye on this market. Last
week, IBM (NYSE:IBM) and Bay Networks Inc. (NASDAQ:BNET), announced that
they will work together to promote Token Ring switching as part of an
alliance that will also involve joint-marketing arrangements.

Travis said Token Ring switches can relieve network users' bottlenecks
immediately by replacing older bridging technology used in existing
networks. Later, he said, Cabletron expects many of its customers will
use the FDDI uplink capability to tie into FDDI backbones while retaining
Token Ring technology from the wiring closet out to the desktop. If that
still does not eliminate the bottlenecks, he said, users can resort to
assigning a port to each user in what is being called dedicated Token
Ring networking.

Cabletron spokesman Rich Teplitsky told Newsbytes that Cabletron is
emphasizing FDDI as a backbone technology at the moment because it has a
larger installed base than asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), another
high-speed networking technology that is getting a good deal of attention.

Cabletron's Token Ring switch, the TSX-1620, is made by Nashoba Networks.
It is a stackable or stand-alone device available with eight or 16 ports.
The basic switch without the FDDI uplink will be available in 60 days
for $1,625 per port. The TSX-1620-F4 version, with the FDDI uplink, is to
be available in the first quarter of 1996 and pricing will be announced
then, Cabletron said.

Cabletron also launched the MMAC SmartSwitch line of switching modules
for its MMAC-Plus switching system. The company said the new switches,
based on application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) technology, will
increase switching performance by a factor of 10. Initially, the line
includes Ethernet and FDDI modules. Token Ring, ATM, 100Base-T, and
VGAnyLAN modules are also in the works, company officials said.

(Grant Buckler/19951002/Press Contact: Rich Teplitsky, Cabletron,
603-337-1356, Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Public Contact:
Cabletron, 603-332-9400)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/02/95
BUSINESS
 ****Farcast News Service On Magic Link

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00031)
 ****Farcast News Service On Magic Link 10/02/95
MENLO PARK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 2 (NB) -- Sony New
Technologies Inc. and Farcast Inc. have agreed to jointly develop a
version of Farcast's electronic news service to be made available for
the Sony Magic Link personal communicators. The news service will
provide news and stock quotes to meet specific search criteria.

Scott Love, Farcast's president, told Newsbytes, "Using Farcast, a
request for information is processed and delivered almost immediately.
Updates can be delivered either at a specific time each day, or on an
as-needed basis. For a flat rate a user has up to fifteen individual
search and delivery modes, and unlimited access to over 8,000 articles
every day.

"We operate from the Internet, and the news will come to the user
when, how, and now where they want it. Unlimited use of the Farcast
service will be available to users of Sony's Magic Link and Motorola's
Envoy personal communicators for a six-month subscription price of
$179. We expect to ship before the end of 1995," said Love.

"Customized news delivery marks an important development in our
goal of transforming the Magic Cap platform into a personal
medium," said John Kelly, director of marketing for Sony New
Technologies. "Someone interested in the entertainment industry,
for example, can now receive all the latest breaking news and stock
quotes in that field at any time - and in any place where they can
carry a personal communicator."

Love added, "Users of personal communicators are often precisely the
same on-the-go business people who must stay current with news in
their industry, so we see this alliance with Sony as bringing the
promise of the PDA vision another step closer to reality."

Farcast is a privately held company headquartered in Menlo Park,
California. Commercial applications began in July, 1994. Magic Cap
is the operating system developed by General Magic Inc. for personal
communicators such as the Magic Link from Sony and the Motorola
Envoy.

(Richard Bowers/19951002/Press Contact: Scott Love,
Farcast, 415-327-2446)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
10/02/95
WINDOWS
 ****"First Aid 95" Attacks 10,000 Windows 95, 3.1 Woes

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(BOS)(00032)
 ****"First Aid 95" Attacks 10,000 Windows 95, 3.1 Woes 10/02/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A, 1995 OCT 2 (NB) -- CyberMedia's new
First Aid 95 is the first product on the market to address and
solve the software configuration problems that plague Windows 95
and Windows 3.1, maintained Srikanth Chari, VP of marketing,
during a meeting with Newsbytes on a Boston press tour.

"Windows 3.1 has some really serious software configuration
problems, and Windows 95 is making things much worse," Chari told
Newsbytes. All together, First Aid 95 is able to automatically
detect and fix more than 10,000 configuration woes associated
with Windows 95, Windows 3.1, and related productivity tools,
multimedia drivers, and networking and online access software,
according to the CyberMedia VP.

Other diagnostic and repair programs for Windows today focus on
either hardware problems or software viruses. Yet hardware
diagnostic products like Norton Utilities were originally devised
before the advent of Windows, noted the exec.

Beyond that, only about one-tenth of all support calls received
by software and hardware vendors today are related to hardware
problems, he asserted, pointing to market research results from
industry analysts as well as articles in general interest and
trade publications.

Despite increasing improvements on the hardware side, one major
PC manufacturer reported a jump in support calls from 12,000 per
month in 1991 to 100,000 per month in 1993, for example,
according to an article in InfoWorld cited by Chari. By March,
21, 1995, the same PC maker was receiving 25,000 phone calls a
day, a 50 percent rise over the previous year, says a story from
the Wall Street Journal published that day.

"First Aid is the only product for the `software era,'" Chari
pronounced. The new First Aid 95 is an update to an earlier
product from CyberMedia for Windows 3.1 only, the VP continued.
The company's latest release ships with two separate programs --
a 32-bit product for Windows 95, and a 16-bit offering for
Windows 3.1 -- contained in the same box.

What are some of the most prevalent and pressing configuration
problems posed by Windows 3.1 and Windows 95? One major
difficulty arising from both environments involves a tendency of
Windows dynamic link library (DLL) files to "scatter" when new
programs are loaded, according to Chari. These files, which are
necessary for tasks like spell specking and printing, are
typically stored in the WIN.INI, SYSTEM.INI, or system
subdirectories. When the DLLs are split into fragments, they
sometimes cease to function properly with pre-existing
applications.

Other difficulties the two Windows environments share in common
include out-of-memory errors, invalid initialization (.INI)
files, and user errors such as incorrect "uninstallation" of
applications and accidental DLL deletion.

Chari informed Newsbytes that Windows 95 magnifies Windows
problems by using a mix of 32-bit and 16-bit code, requiring many
16-bit Windows and DOS applications to use extra DLLs to operate
properly within the new environment. Also according to the
marketing chief, some software vendors will include pieces of
older 16-bit code in their Windows 95 applications, creating yet
another source of conflict.

In addition, the new "Plug and Play" feature in Windows 95 can
only be helpful to people who buy the new Plug and Play-
compatible peripherals, Chari pointed out.

In a demo for Newsbytes, Chari showed how the new First Aid 95
combines an interface somewhat reminiscent of anti-viral software
with a artificial intelligence (AI) knowledge base designed for
diagnosing and fixing software configuration problems.

Like a virus checker, First Aid operates in a background mode, in
this case monitoring the system for configuration problems,
Newsbytes was told. In most situations, First Aid will notice a
problem before the user does, flashing a warning on the screen,
describing the problem in simple English, and suggesting what
needs to be done, he maintained.

For many common problems, all the user needs to do is click on an
"Autofix" button, Chari added. First Aid will then perform tasks
like modifying configuration files, and locating and copying
missing DLLs, at the same time updating an internal database to
the changes.

Users can also employ First Aid more proactively, either by
running a "full system check" or by selecting from a list of
frequent problems. To illustrate this capability, Chari entered
the information, "CD-ROM doesn't work." First Aid then came back
with the reply: "MCI driver not installed in right drive."

Beyond support for Windows 95, the upgrade from CyberMedia adds a
new SafteyNet feature, aimed at "automatic recovery from crashes
caused by global protection faults" (GPFs); a new Windows
cleaner, for cleaning up orphaned files and DLLs; and a
simplified user interface, according to Chari.

First Aid 95 also supplies first-time support for the "top 50
sound cards" -- including Sound Blaster, Media Vision, Turtle
Vision, Diamond, and Reveal -- as well as for Windows
configuration problems associated with online access to the Web,
Microsoft Network, Compuserve, America Online (AOL), and Prodigy,
he reported.

First Aid 95 is available now for a suggested retail price (SRP)
of $49.95. The software is bundled with a hardcopy edition of
"Windows 95 for Dummies," from IDG Books; the American Training
Institute's Windows 95 video tutorial; and a database listing
2,000 tech support hotlines. CymerMedia also provides 90 days of
free technical support; a 30-day "unconditional" money-back
guarantee; and free support through Compuserve and the CyberMedia

BBS. Users will be able to download support from either
Compuserve or the CyberMedia BBS for new Windows 95 applications,
as these applications become available, said the CyberMedia VP.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19950927/Reader Contact: CyberMedia, 800-PC-
AID; Press Contacts: Giselle Bisson, CyberMedia, 415-868-9819;
Andrew de Vries, Phase Two Strategies for CyberMedia,
415-772-8431)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00033)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 10/02/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 OCT 2 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|            Monday, October 2, 1995             |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network's 1995 Update CD-ROM for Mac, DOS, and Windows is
now available for $29.95 (includes s&h). Contains 1983-1995 news
stories, more than 64,000 keyword searchable stories and 475 digitized
images. For more information or to order, fax to 612-430-0441 or e-mail
to '[e-mail]' -- MC, Visa, Amex accepted.

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

APPLE     Seybold - Multi-Ad Services' Mac Software Upgrades......... 01

BUSINESS  IBM & Great Wall in Another Chinese Joint Venture.......... 05

BUSINESS  Novell Pushes PerfectOffice & PerfectWorks Into Europe..... 06

BUSINESS  FLAG Opens Netherlands, Middle Eastern Offices............. 13

BUSINESS  India - TCS Wins Stanchart Deal............................ 16

BUSINESS   ****Farcast News Service On Magic Link.................... 31

GENERAL   Seybold - Monotype's Desktop Publishing Resource CD........ 03

GENERAL   UK - cc:Mail Anti-Virus Package............................ 09

GENERAL   Insights Ships Motivation Software Titles.................. 15

GENERAL   NewsPix Images For Newsbytes Publishers.................... 21

GENERAL   Canadian Product Launch Update............................. 25

GOVT      EPA & Intel In Air Pollution Deal.......................... 27

IBM       IBM To Expand App Devt Product Line & Services............. 29

LEGAL     Storagetek Intros New Product, Settles Old Lawsuit......... 23

NETWORK   UK - Epson Intros Dual Network PCMCIA LAN Card............. 11

NETWORK   Microsoft Golf 2.0 On Your Office LAN...................... 17

NETWORK   Cabletron Launches Switching Products...................... 30

ONLINE     ****America Online Unexpectedly Goes Down................. 22

ONLINE    Software Uses Web To Link Remote Users To LAN E-Mail....... 26

TELECOM   Hong Kong - Unisys Wins New T&T Telecom Deal............... 04

TELECOM   Sony To Bypass Airtime Providers In UK Cellphone Deal...... 08

TELECOM   Hutchison Links Lotus cc:Mail With Radiopagers............. 10

TELECOM   Low-Cost ISDN Internet Access Planned For Germany.......... 14

TELECOM   Motorola Reduces Pricing On ISDN Products.................. 18

TELECOM    ****Telecom 95 Opens In Geneva............................ 20

TRENDS    HP Pushes CD-ROM-Recordable Pricing Down In UK............. 07

TRENDS    Kids Watch Less TV When PC Is In Home - Study.............. 19

TRENDS    Bill Gates Is Richest American On Forbes 400 List.......... 24

TRENDS     ****Xerox Enters SOHO With 5-Function Device Under $700... 28

WINDOWS   Seybold - Corel Gets License For Xara Studio............... 02

WINDOWS   Ligature's Competitive Program OCR Software Upgrade........ 12

WINDOWS   "First Aid 95" Attacks 10,000 Windows 95, 3.1 Woes..........32

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 -> Seybold - Multi-Ad Services' Mac Software Upgrades -- Multi-Ad
Services, a major supplier of software for creating ads on the Macintosh
computer, announced version 3.8 of Multi-Ad Creator and version 3.1 of
Multi-Search. The company also introduced Multi-Ad Creator Pro Pack, a
complete bundle for an advertising department using Macs.

2 -> Seybold - Corel Gets License For Xara Studio -- Corel announced a
licensing agreement with Xara Ltd. for its Xara Studio. The new
technology will be added to Corel's drawing and multimedia software
products as CorelXara.

3 -> Seybold - Monotype's Desktop Publishing Resource CD -- Monotype
Typography, well-known marketer of font and related software products,
introduced a resource CD-ROM for the professional desktop publishing
market. The company is also beginning to deliver fonts to its customers
through the commercial online services.

4 -> Hong Kong - Unisys Wins New T&T Telecom Deal -- New T&T in Hong
Kong has signed a service and installation contract with Unisys to
supply hardware and software for the start-up phone company's new
messaging system.

5 -> IBM & Great Wall in Another Chinese Joint Venture -- IBM has
announced a manufacturing joint venture with China Great Wall Computer
Group and Kaifa Technology of Hong Kong. The deal comes within days of
the official opening of Big Blue's new research and development
laboratory in Beijing.

6 -> Novell Pushes PerfectOffice & PerfectWorks Into Europe -- Novell
has signed a distribution deal with Nordoc in the Netherlands, one of
Europe's leading software distributors, for the distribution of
PerfectOffice 3.0 and PerfectWorks 2.1 into small- and medium-sized
resellers across Europe.

7 -> HP Pushes CD-ROM-Recordable Pricing Down In UK -- The UK division
of Hewlett-Packard has taken the wraps off the SureStor 4020i, a CD-ROM
recordable (CD-ROM-R) system that costs just UKP829. The unit has also
been launched in the US, officials told Newsbytes.

8 -> Sony To Bypass Airtime Providers In UK Cellphone Deal -- Sony has
neatly sidestepped government regulations that prohibit the two main
cellular network services in the UK from selling direct to the public,
by setting itself up as a network airtime provider (ATP), an
intermediary, in its own right. The ATP will be known Sony Cellular
Services Limited.

9 -> UK - cc:Mail Anti-Virus Package -- Integralis, a UK network
connectivity specialist, has unveiled MIMEsweeper, an anti-virus utility
for Lotus cc:Mail users.

10 -> Hutchison Links Lotus cc:Mail With Radiopagers -- Hutchison
Telecom has announced it is allowing full data access to its radiopaging
system, linking in with Lotus to allow cc:Mail users to send their
electronic-mail headers and urgent messages through to their pager.

11 -> UK - Epson Intros Dual Network PCMCIA LAN Card --Epson has
unveiled, what it claims is, the industry's first high performance
PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) LAN
(local area network) adapter to offer both 10BaseT and 10Base2
facilities on a single card.

12 -> Ligature's Competitive Program OCR Software Upgrade -- Ligature
Software Inc. has released a competitive upgrade program for users of
optical character recognition (OCR) software. The Ligature offer lets
users of any OCR product switch to the company's CharacterEyes Pro for
Windows for $149 and proof of purchase of their original OCR software.

13 -> FLAG Opens Netherlands, Middle Eastern Offices -- FLAG, the
Fiber-optic Link Around the Globe telecoms project consortium, has
announced the opening of two regional sales offices: the first in
Amsterdam, the Netherlands; and the second in Amman, the Middle East.

14 -> Low-Cost ISDN Internet Access Planned For Germany -- FTP Software
has teamed up with AVM Computersysteme Vertriebs to develop enhanced
software interfacing for FTP's TCP/IP (Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol) applications that will allow the packages to
be used on ISDN (integrated services digital network) systems that
conform to the Capi 2.0 ISDN specification, which is also known as the
Euro ISDN system.

15 -> Insights Ships Motivation Software Titles -- Insights Software, a
developer of motivational software titles, says it is shipping fourteen
titles based on best-selling motivational books, such as How to Win
Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie, and New York Times
number one bestseller, Chicken Soup for the Soul, by Jack Canfield.
Rather than develop the titles as screensavers, Insights uses its own
"affirmation generator."

16 -> India - TCS Wins Stanchart Deal -- India's leading banking systems
developer, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. has won, in worldwide
competitive bidding, a project to develop and implement a $30 million
custody information processing system for Standard Chartered Equitor
Group, the Bank's Asian custody and clearing division.

17 -> Microsoft Golf 2.0 On Your Office LAN -- DO you want to play golf
in the office? The boss may not like it, but Microsoft Corp.(NASDAQ:
MSFT) has announced it will soon ship Microsoft Golf 2.0 on CD-ROM, and
the program lets local area network (LAN) users challenge colleagues to
a round of golf at the click of a button.

18 -> Motorola Reduces Pricing On ISDN Products -- Motorola's (NYSE:MOT)
Information Systems Group's (ISG) Transmission Products Division said it
is dropping prices for its BitSurfr Digital ISDN (integrated services
digital network) modem and its BitSurfr PC internal ISA (Industry
Standard Architecture) card by as much as $120.

19 -> Kids Watch Less TV When PC Is In Home - Study -- When it comes to
comparing computers and television, more kids are finding the tv
"boring," according to a new study from FIND/SVP and Grunwald
Associates. The survey also found television viewing declines
dramatically when children have a PC available in the home.

20 ->  ****Telecom 95 Opens In Geneva -- The two week Telecom 95
exhibition in Geneva opened today with an address from Dr. Pekka
Tarjanne, secretary general of the International Telecommunications
Union, the UN agency organizing the event.

21 -> NewsPix Images For Newsbytes Publishers -- These photos correspond
to recent Newsbytes stories. They are online in the Newsbytes menu on
America Online, NiftyServe, and the Newsbytes private bulletin board
system in Minneapolis.

22 ->  ****America Online Unexpectedly Goes Down -- An America Online
(NASDAQ:AMER) spokesperson has confirmed to Newsbytes that the service
went down for about three and a half hours last Friday, October 30. AOL
members who tried to log in during that time could not, and those
already logged in eventually lost their connection.

23 -> Storagetek Intros New Product, Settles Old Lawsuit -- Storage
Technology Corp. (NYSE:) has rolled out its Kodiak scalable storage
product and won preliminary approval for a proposed settlement of a
class action lawsuit filed by a few shareholders more than three years
ago that grew to include thousands of investors.

24 -> Bill Gates Is Richest American On Forbes 400 List -- Bill Gates,
chairman of Microsoft Corp., (NASDAQ: MSFT) has grabbed the top spot on
the Forbes magazine 400 richest Americans for the second consecutive
year. "Richest" is a title Gates is undoubtedly become accustomed to,
since he has also captured one of the two top spots on the World
Billionaire and Richest American lists each year since 1991.

25 -> Canadian Product Launch Update -- This regular feature, appearing
on the first day Newsbytes publishes each week, provides further details
for the Canadian market on announcements by international companies that
Newsbytes has already covered. This week: Apple Canada begins shipping
the PowerBook 5300 line.

26 -> Software Uses Web To Link Remote Users To LAN E-Mail -- Although
electronic-mail remains the most common use of the Internet, Infinite
Technologies said its new WebMail software will uses the "net" for mail
in a rather different way. WebMail will use the World Wide Web to
connect remote users to their own electronic mailboxes on the local area
network (LAN) mail system back at the office.

27 -> EPA & Intel In Air Pollution Deal -- The US Environmental
Protection Agency, Oregon pollution regulators, and Intel Corp. have
coupled air pollution reductions with greater flexibility in federal and
state permitting.

28 ->  ****Xerox Enters SOHO With 5-Function Device Under $700 -- In
creating Document WorkCenter 250, a newly unveiled fax
machine-printer-copier-scanner that is Xerox's first product for the
SOHO (small office/home office) market, Xerox decided to pursue a
different course from some competitors by incorporating the company's
top technologies, contended Xerox's Debbie Abbott, in a meeting with
Newsbytes on a Boston press tour.

29 -> IBM To Expand App Devt Product Line & Services -- In coming
months, IBM will make a string of announcements in the application
development arena related to specific areas that will include the
TeamConnection repository, development languages, third-party tools, and
"network-centric computing," revealed Skip McGaughey, market manager for
the VisualAge family and object-oriented tools, in a briefing for
Newsbytes.

30 -> Cabletron Launches Switching Products -- Cabletron Systems Inc.
(NYSE:CS) has announced a handful of new switching products, including
modules for its MMAC-Plus switching system and a Token Ring switch with
an uplink to fiber distributed data interface (FDDI) technology.

31 ->  ****Farcast News Service On Magic Link -- Sony New Technologies
Inc. and Farcast Inc. have agreed to jointly develop a version of
Farcast's electronic news service to be made available for the Sony
Magic Link personal communicators. The news service will provide news
and stock quotes to meet specific search criteria.

32 -> "First Aid 95" Attacks 10,000 Windows 95, 3.1 Woes -- CyberMedia's
new First Aid 95 is the first product on the market to address and
solve the software configuration problems that plague Windows 95
and Windows 3.1, maintained Srikanth Chari, VP of marketing,
during a meeting with Newsbytes on a Boston press tour.

(Ian Stokell/199501002)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD



Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/29/95
APPLE
Seybold - Apple's Spindler Touts Macs On The Internet

(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00001)
Seybold - Apple's Spindler Touts Macs On The Internet 09/29/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- Apple's chief
executive officer, Michael Spindler, opened the Seybold conference in
San Francisco with a keynote boasting of the use of Macintoshes on the
Internet and hailing the use of the Internet for publishing by
individuals.

Spindler said, "Macintosh systems today represent about 46%
of the commercial publishing and communications marketplace. And in
very key growth sectors such as Internet and publishing on the Web, we
now are the second best selling Web server product. We believe that
about 25 to 50% of Internet clients are Macs. More than half of all the
sessions here are devoted to either Internet or new media."

Apple's leader repeatedly stressed Apple's role in Internet publishing
and the need to respond to the people using the computer. "We must
put the technology in the hands of the creators, not the computer
people, but the creators of content to let them publish on any medium
there is," said Spindler.

He also said that in this time of change, businesses must still focus on
building a digital brand through publishing. In this time of change to
the Internet where brands may not seem important, Spindler said
corporations should strive to identify themselves. To do this, the
industry must push to bring greater color technology to the Internet and
other networks.

Noting a trend, Spindler said corporations are beginning to use the
Internet internally as a distribution mechanism and radically changing
their "CC:Mail, their MS Mail, whatever mail, into an Internet-based
centric view -- and we plan to be a major part of that conversation."

In closing, Spindler said next year we would see a read-only device for
the Internet.

(Patrick McKenna/19950929)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/29/95
TRENDS
Seybold - The Future Of Print

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00002)
Seybold - The Future Of Print 09/29/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A, 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- Seybold San
Francisco 95 Conference and Expo's second keynote, called The Future
of Print, was delivered by six industry leaders, who proclaimed that
print is not dead, but due to the influence of electronic publishing,
is evolving into something new.

Representing advertisers, printers, industry equipment
suppliers, newspapers and visionaries, the panel consisted of
Shimon Alon of Scitex America, Dennis Dunlap of RR Donnelley & Sons,
Dr. Hunter Madsen from J. Walter Thompson, Paul Soffo of The Institute
for the Future, and Peter Winter from New Century Network. Jonathan
Seybold was moderator.

Seybold began, saying, "The thing we hear most when we are talking to
people, is basically, 'What is the future of print?' In this world in which
we have now made documents electronic, we are moving towards the
ability to distribute them electronically and print them on demand. We
have new possibilities opening up. What is the landscape going to look
like? Is print going to be wiped out by all of this? Is print going to still
exist and what form of print will exist? How will this new landscape,
the new possibilities sort themselves out? This is the focus of this
opening session."

In all, the panel agreed the role of print is changing in view of
electronic publication and delivery of information, but in its changing
role it is redefining itself. The speakers stressed the role of
communication, advertising, entertainment and commerce. Each
acknowledged not only print, but information and its delivery are in a
period of dramatic change. During that change we do not have all the
answers.

Paul Soffo summed the overall view, saying, "Five years ago everybody
imagined paper was immortal and that was wrong. Now today,
everybody is imagining paper and print are obsolete that is also wrong.
The right way to think about this is to look back in the history of media
and it becomes immediately obvious that no old medium is ever made
obsolete by any new medium."

He continued, "I think what you will see over the next 30 to 50 years is
that the consumption of electronically mediated information will grow
very very quickly and vastly more quickly than our use of paper. But for
the short term at least, our consumption of paper and print mediated
information will also increase. No new medium ever replaces an old
medium -- what it does is come in and does something the old medium
could not do at all, or does poorly, and then eventually displaces and
re-invents the old medium."

Soffo compared today to the fifties when people said movies would die
due to the advent of television. "Both radio and movies
re-invented themselves and both paper and print have a long bright
future ahead perhaps after a profound and painful short term
reinvention. It will hit different industries in different ways. Academic
printing is paperless. My advice: it (the reinvention) will not happen
overnight, do not live in the past for longer than it lasts and do not live
in the future sooner than it is here."

(Patrick McKenna/19950929)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
1 09/29/95
APPLE
Seybold - Quark Releases Publishing System 1.

(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00003)
Seybold - Quark Releases Publishing System 1.11 09/29/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- Quark, a developer
and marketer of software for graphics professionals and publishers,
released version 1.11 of Quark Publishing System (QPS). The company
also announced an agreement with Digital Equipment Corporation.

Earlier versions of QPS, a Macintosh-oriented workgroup publishing
product, featured three different folders for three different types of files:
articles, layouts and pictures. Version 1.11 offers new folder
architecture which allows files to be stored in subfolders within the
three file types with each subfolder holding a limited number of QPS
files. According to Quark, a very large number of files in a singe folder
slowed performance. With fewer files per folder, it is easier to access
files in storage folders from the Macintosh Finder.

The new version also has additional network support. The 1.11
QuarkDispatch server adds the ability to update the Macintosh Address
Mapping Table. Now users can increase the size of the Table and allow
a large number of clients to be connected without causing network
traffic problems.

The Digital Equipment agreement calls for both companies to market
and support QPS with Digital becoming a Quark-authorized QPS
integrator. Digital's multimedia services consulting group will provide
sales, support and installation to newspapers and magazines in North
America.

Quark's president and chief executive officer, Fred Ebrahimi, said,
"Digital is uniquely positioned to handle all the needs of the publishing
marketplace. The powerful Alpha systems, combined with Digital's
publishing industry experience, will provide a great resource for
customers."

Quark also is shipping a gamma version of QuarkConnect for
Windows which will give QPS customers their first opportunity to use
Windows products with QPS. A company spokesperson told Newsbytes,
"We are committed to cross-platform capabilities and we are striving to
make it possible for our customers to use the applications and platforms
they choose."

In another announcement, Quark said Power Macintosh-compatible
applications of QuarkCopyDesk and QuarkDispatch XTensions are
now shipping. QuarkCopyDesk Special Edition will ship next month.

(Patrick McKenna/19950929/Press Contact: Chuck Moozakis, Quark,
tel [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/29/95
LEGAL
 ****Euro Piracy Costs 87,000 Jobs, $2.3 Billion Says BSA

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(DEN)(00004)
 ****Euro Piracy Costs 87,000 Jobs, $2.3 Billion Says BSA 09/29/95
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- The Business Software
Alliance has released a report that indicates if European software
piracy could be reduced to the US level, tens of thousands of new
jobs would be created and billions in additional tax revenues
generated.

The report, with the weighty title "Contribution of the Packaged
Business Software Industry to the European Economies," was
commissioned by BSA and produced by Price Waterhouse. Robert
Holleyman, BSA president, calls piracy "a major social and economic
problem."

The report says that in 1994 alone, reducing European software piracy
to 35 percent (the present US piracy level) from its current level
of almost 60 percent would have created over 56,000 additional jobs
and an extra $1.4 billion in tax revenues. The same reduction by the
year 2000 would account for 87,000 new jobs and $2.3 billion in tax
revenues. If piracy levels off in Europe at 35 percent, by the year
2000 the packaged business software industry would support over
350,000 jobs and contribute over $9 billion to the European economy
in taxes alone.

BSA spokesperson Diane Smiroldo acknowledges that 35 percent is a
whopping number, and says that while it certainly isn't acceptable,
the trade group used it as a benchmark to compare with European
figures. She also pointed out to Newsbytes that while the US
figure is incredibly high, it's the lowest piracy rate in the
world. Software makers lost an estimated $2.8 billion in revenue
due to piracy last year.

Asked if we should get used to the fact that 35 percent of the
software in use is stolen, Smiroldo said that's not acceptable. "We
don't want to accept the 35 percent level in the US or in Europe.
That's why the industry has joined forces ... to reduce that level
and to increase the legitimate market for software."

BSA said packaged business software is the fastest growing segment
of a total market that is growing at 13 percent each year and will
reach almost $44 billion by 1997. It contributed some $4.4 billion
to Western European government revenues in 1994 and accounted for
over 170,000 jobs. By 2000, said the trade group, it will account
for 270,000 jobs and that number will jump to over 350,000 if
piracy levels can be brought down to the US levels.

Looking at the effect of packaged business software on individual
countries, BSA said in Germany by the year 2000 the industry would
support over 93,000 and contribute $2.4 billion in tax revenues if
software piracy is controlled. That's more than twice the 1994
results. BSA estimates software piracy cost Germany almost $1.9
billion.

BSA wants the EC (European Community) Software Directive to be
reinforced with national legislation based on the provisions of
GATT TRIPs Agreement. It is also calling for stronger cooperation
between software industry copyright holders and public
enforcement agencies.

The trade group proposes a five-step solution to the problem. It
proposes stronger criminal penalties for illegal software copying,
a more visible commitment from public agencies to enforcing criminal
copyright penalties against software law breakers, higher damages
and full recovery of costs in civil cases to ensure defendants
bear the full cost of enforcement, and faster court procedures for
both civil and criminal cases. Finally, BSA proposed wider
availability of the court-ordered "surprise" procedure needed to
seize and capture illegal software before the evidence is erased by
the offender.

To reduce piracy in the US, President Bill Clinton's
administration established a working group in intellectual property
rights as part of the White House Information Infrastructure Task
Force. The working group, chaired by Assistant Secretary of
Commerce Bruce Lehman, produced the Lehman Report which Smiroldo
said makes specific recommendations on how to make the copyright
laws more effective. The basic theme of the report, said the BSA,
is that the existing copyright law is effective, but modest changes
are needed to ensure that it remains appropriate in light of
changing technologies.

(Jim Mallory/19950929/Press contact: Robin Burton, BSA London, tel
44.171.491.1974 or Diane Smiroldo, BSA headquarters in Washington,
D.C., 202-872-5500)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
09/29/95
TRENDS
Seybold - New Challenges From The Internet

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00005)
Seybold - New Challenges From The Internet 09/29/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 29 (NB) --
Yuri Rubinsky of SoftQuad gave the Seybold San Francisco audience
a whirlwind overview of what's happening with the new technology on the
Internet. Rubinsky has been involved with the Internet through a number
of different founding committees and he is know for his involvement
with the development of Internet languages SGML and HTML.

He opened, saying, "We (speaking for SoftQuad) believe in the past. We
believe there is no need to panic about being on the Web or not being
on the Web. Any of you who have ever opened a book and used the
table of contents and an index and maybe a cross-reference, have
actually used hypertext slightly more sophisticated than what is
available on today's Web."

His rhetorical question was "Are we really in on the birth of a new
medium (the Web)?" To answer this, he first cited security issues, saying
"So far the people who are most convinced and most vocal about saying
the Web is secure, by coincidence, happen to be those who have a vested
interest. I think it would be fair to say we have seen the first attempts
at secure transactions on the Web and depending on whether you think
they are half-empty or half-full, they have made it clear to us that we
are at a stage where we have to go back to the drawing board, test the
heck out of it and redeploy, being prepared to go back the drawing board
again and again."

After looking at many of the problems surrounding the Web, Rubinsky
added, "The Web is a social invention in exactly the same way that
moveable type was, or the newspaper as opposed to a patentable idea.
This is interesting in part because no one makes money off the idea
itself. We have ... the opportunity to approach this new medium as if
it's a blank canvas and we're artists. We can be like the first
person to think of creating crossword puzzles for newspapers or
like the person who said, 'Gosh, I can see where selling a few ads
might help this thing pay for itself.' "

"We can bring forward the traditions, techniques and content from
other media and migrate them to the Web and at the same time we can
set our imaginations to work and bring forth electronic phenomena that
have no parallel in and owe nothing to our publishing past and today's
way of doing business," summed Rubinsky.

In closing, he added, "Public acceptance of course can change
the best laid plans and visions. We know the online technologies work
and we know they will get better and better. You in this room and the
organizations you represent are probably a completely sufficient force
in terms of actually making online media function as a permanent part
of our communications infrastructure, of taking their place beside and
different from and complimentary to television, radio, print media,
film, fax, phone and the highways. Better yet, you in this room are a
sufficient force to really make these new technologies sing!"

(Patrick McKenna/19950929)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/29/95
GOVT
 ****Govt Online Officials Say Budget Cutbacks "Cause For Alarm"

(NEWS)(GOVT)(MSP)(00006)
 ****Govt Online Officials Say Budget Cutbacks "Cause For Alarm" 09/29/95
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- The director of the US
Government's largest publicly accessible online information system
said that large cutbacks in the overall federal budget is a "cause
for alarm" for the government's information infrastructure.

"There is a trend we are seeing in relation to this (budget-
cutting) that I think is reason for alarm," said Donald Johnson,
director of the US Department of Commerce's National Technical
Information Service. The NTIS operates the Fedworld database of
US government announcements, information, and archives, which is
accessible through the Internet or via direct dialup.

Part of the problem, Johnson told a seminar at Networld+Interop
Thursday, is that many agencies will seek to control printing
costs by creating computerized-only versions of these documents
on Web servers. Yet not everyone has access to the Web, and many
of these documents, in Johnson's view, are hard to navigate.

"There are many agencies in government that have traditionally
been publishing documents in paper for many many years. One of
the advantages of the paper documents is that they went into some
kind of permanent repository where you could always find those
documents in the future. We're finding that many agencies
-- now that their budgets are being reduced -- are simply not
publishing a paper version at all. They are putting their
material up on a Web server. Oftentimes, it is very difficult to
find these Web servers," he said.

Of the more than 1,000 Web servers in the US government, "many
of them are very poorly indexed. You can't find the documents
that are on the server. The result is, most of the past
customers who used paper reports never have access to this
material that is now going on a Web server," Johnson noted.

Johnson then pointed out an even more insidious problem. Since
the storage capacity of most Web servers is finite, "many of the
agencies simply wait until the memory is filled and they need
more capacity. Then, they dump everything that was there and
start over again. There's no archiving, no indexing. What this
means is that the record of the government in those agencies is
simply being lost," he said.

Another top government information official, the US Treasury
Department's Michele Rubenstein, added that the same pressures
that encourage electronic storage of documents has the potential
of creating future confusion. As an example, she noted recent
ruling by the US National Archives and Records Administration
that announced that intra-agency electronic mail is a matter of
public record.

"That poses the question of what are we going to have to do if
we have to archive our electronic mail," she said. "Are we going
to publish it on paper and stick in a box and warehouse all the
boxes or are we going to archive it electronically. If so, and
retention is ten years, or indefinite, what's to say whatever
media we choose ... is going to be readable in the future?

"That is going to reduce warehousing costs, but what about access
costs in terms of permanent records in part of future," she
added.

Yet Johnson stressed that the budgetary cutbacks may have a
positive effect for Fedworld.

"We have been discussing this with about a dozen
different federal agencies in the last few weeks. The budget
cuts are having a very pronounced impact on printing budgets in
agencies. They are looking at every kind of cost saving they can
find, and in many cases, they are looking at some economy of scale
such as we can provide them in Fedworld, to provide for reduction
in overall operating costs. Because of this, we see our business
increasing," he said.

(Russell Shaw/19950929)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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1 09/29/95
GOVT
US NTIS To Debut World News Connection November

(NEWS)(GOVT)(MSP)(00007)
US NTIS To Debut World News Connection November 1 09/29/95
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- The US
Government's daily collection of news summaries from around the
world, used for internal intelligence and decision-making purposes,
will be made available to the public starting Nov. 1.

The service will be called World News Connection, a new Internet
and dialup service of the U.S. Department of Commerce's National
Technical Information Service. "It is a news service that is
based on the government's own collection efforts," said NTIS
director Don Johnson during a Networld+ Interop Thursday session,
where the offering was announced for the first time.

"There are collections of information from more than 10,000
sources around the world that are performed by the US
Government on a daily basis for intelligence purposes. There
are collections from radio broadcasts, newspapers and TV news
broadcasts, from magazine articles, all that material is
translated into English and transmitted to a server at NTIS. We
have received copyright clearance to this material from sources
of this material overseas and are about to make it available as a
commercial news service," Johnson noted of World News Connection,
which will be assembled daily by the NTIS' Research Services
Branch.

"You'll be available to come into that service on a subscription
basis, and search it with a very sophisticated natural language
search engine that will allow you to make individual custom
searches, will allow you to specialize a search special interest
profile that you can post to the system and will automatically
deliver it to your electronic mailbox on a daily basis," Johnson
pointed out.

The lag time between original publication or broadcast in the
source nation and posting on World News Connection will be 24 to
48 hours. The service will be available via one weekly and three
monthly pricing plans. WNC1, at $21, will include a seven-day
introductory offer with unlimited interactive searching, but no
profiles. WNC2, at $50 a month, will feature one month of
unlimited interactive searching but no profiles.

WNC3 will supply one month of unlimited interactive searching,
with one profile, for $75 a month. The most extensive option,
WNC4, will allow one month of unlimited searching with up to five
profiles for $100 a month.

Although WNC will not be available until Nov. 1, order
information became obtainable on the Web yesterday at
http://wnc.fedworld.gov or via fax on demand at [phone],
product code 8645.

(Russell Shaw/19950929)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/29/95
TELECOM
Japan - NTT To Open Local Telephone Network

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00008)
Japan - NTT To Open Local Telephone Network 09/29/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- Nippon Telegraph and Telephone is to
open its local telephone network to competitors, allowing many more
access points onto the NTT system than at present ,which, the company
said, will lead to a more competitive marketplace.

Currently, NTT has a virtual monopoly on the local telephone market in
Japan and its competitors, the new common carriers (NCC), in the
national long distance market can connect into the NTT local network
at only one point in each of Japan's sixty prefectures. The
alternative carriers then pay for use of the local network at a cost
of around 12.57 yen ($0.13) per call.

This arrangement is to be expanded as the national telecoms giant will
allow access at any of its 6,000 local switches across Japan which
will mean calls travel further on the competitor's own network and
only connect to NTT's network at the switch nearest the destination.
This is expected to lead to a reduction in the charges that its
competitors pay to NTT and thus a reduction in the price of calls via
the NCCs.

The impact on company profits caused by the charges is huge. In the
last financial year, the three NCCs, DDI, Japan Telecom and Teleway
Japan, lost around half of their entire income to the charges levied
by NTT, around 300 billion yen.

The announcement adds details to the previously stated intention to
open the local call market but makes no mention of when this will
happen and how it will affect the charges paid by the NCCs.

Many see the move by NTT as part of a larger attempt to show the
Telecommunications Council that it is open to competition and does not
dominate the market in Japan. The council is a government set-up panel
currently studying the advantages and disadvantages of breaking up
NTT. Its final report is due in February next year.

The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications had previously
recommended to NTT that it open the local network to allow better
competition in the telephony market.

The loudest campaigners for the breakup of NTT have been the NCCs
which charge that they can't compete with a company like NTT because
is too big and powerful.

At the close of business Thursday, DDI stock closed at 840,000 yen, up
57,000 yen or 6.7%. Following comments by NTT Chairman Kojima that the
network opening would have a large impact on NTT profits, shares fell
28,000 yen to 870,000 yen.

(Martyn Williams/19950929/Press contact : NTT Corporation,
[phone], fax [phone]; DDI Corporation,
[phone], fax [phone]; Japan Telecom, [phone],
fax [phone]; Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications,
[phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
09/29/95
GENERAL
Japan Newsbriefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00009)
Japan Newsbriefs 09/29/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- In this roundup of news from Japan,
profits up at Japan Telecom - newspaper, NTT reviews Pocket Bell
pricing, Sanyo establishes new Chinese venture, Americans join Japan
cellular group, Matsushita plans China expansion, online karaoke
system planned.

Profits Up At Japan Telecom - Newspaper

Japan's leading business newspaper, The Nikkei Shimbun, has reported
fiscal 1995 profits at Japan Telecom, a long distance telephone
provider, will rise around 50%. Such a rise would mean Japan Telecom
will post an unconsolidated pretax profit or 27 billion yen ($275
million), 3 billion yen ($31 million) more than originally forecast by
the company. Operating revenue is predicted by the newspaper to be the
same as that forecast by the company at 328.3 billion yen ($3.35
billion). NTT's recent announcement to open the local call market
could also result in a reduction paid for use of local lines and an
increase in profits.

NTT Reviews Pocket Bell Pricing

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone's mobile communications unit, DoCoMo,
is to review its pricing for pagers, known as Pocket Bells in Japan,
in a move to encourage users to keep chosen models longer rather than
upgrading. NTT DoCoMo currently charge 500 yen a month compared to a
retail price of around 10,000 yen. Under the new scheme, rental in the
first year will be 700 yen a month and will drop to 500 yen a month the
second year. NTT DoCoMo says that many users, particularly young women
users, change their Pocket Bells every few months to keep up with the
latest models.

Sanyo Establishes New Chinese Venture

Sanyo Electric has established a joint-venture company in Guangdong,
China, to design audio-visual products. The new company, Shenzhen
Huaquiang Sanyo Technology Design Co., is scheduled to begin operation
in 1996 to design televisions and video and audio cassette recorders for
Huaquiang Sanyo Electronics Co., an existing joint venture company.

Americans Join Japan Cellular Group

AirTouch Communications and GTE Corporation have both bought stakes in
the ninth Digital Tu-Ka mobile telephone service provider in Japan.
Digital Tu-Ka Shikoku Co. Ltd. joins similar companies in Kyushu,
Chugoku, Tohoku, Hokkaido and Hokuriku areas. Both American companies
already own parts in the sister companies which were set up by two
competing mobile networks, Tu-Ka Cellular and Digital Phone, to offer
a joint network in areas of the country where it would otherwise be
expensive to operate individual networks. Both companies bought 4.5%
stakes in the new company.

Matsushita Plans China Expansion

Osaka-based Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. will seek a nationwide
network of 3,000 retail outlets across China by 1997 to boost its
presence there. Current sales in China total around 150 billion yen
and comprise both products made in China and those made in Japan. The
Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper reported electrical and electronic
stores will be offered the chance to become an special authorized
dealer if Matsushita products make up over 50% of total sales although
Matsushita denied such a condition would apply.

Online Karaoke System Planned

Joining other similar ventures previously announced, Nintendo, Just
Systems and Square Co. have announced a new online Karaoke system will
begin operations from early next year. Special software and a
telephone adaptor will connect with Nintendo's new 64-bit game
machines to deliver home karaoke to subscribers. It is hoped the
system will also feature home shopping and banking within the next
five years.

(Martyn Williams/19950929)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/29/95
GOVT
SEC Launches Internet Site

(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00010)
SEC Launches Internet Site 09/29/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- Securities and
Exchange Commission Chairman Arthur Levitt just became the
first user of the SEC's new site on the World Wide Web. The
site offers free public access to be agency's Edgar database of
filings at http:// www.sec.com .

The documents range from corporate annual reports to quarterly
filings to special filings companies must make any time a
significant event occurs. The information is quite valuable and
a small industry has been born to deliver that information to
corporate clients.

The SEC is attempting to walk a narrow path between full
disclosure and the business interests of the disclosure firms.
So the SEC data will be delayed 24 hours, giving the commercial
distributors a slight edge over Internet access.

The Internet site will also carry SEC investor information, SEC
speeches and congressional testimony, press releases and
rulemaking proceedings.

"This new site will take information collected by the SEC and
make it wore widely available to the investment public," said
Levitt. "Investors will benefit, and so will our capital
markets."

An experiment begun in 1993 with a National Science Foundation
grant allowed the Washington-based Internet Multicasting Service
to offer Edgar access on the Web. But funding for that project
ran out this year.

In a related development, the Patent and Trademark Office --
also subject to criticism for not offering electronic access --
said this week that it will offer summaries of all patents on
the Internet. That site has not yet been launched.

(Kennedy Maize/19950929/Press Contact: Michael Bartell,
202-942-8090)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/29/95
TELECOM
US Court Clears PCS Auction

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(WAS)(00011)
US Court Clears PCS Auction 09/29/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- A federal appeals
court yesterday cleared the way for the Federal Communications
Commission to hold its long-delayed special of licenses for
personal communications systems.

By a 2-1 vote, the US Court of Appeals for the District of
Columbia lifted an earlier stay forbidding the FCC from holding
the auction, which had been scheduled for August 29.

The option would distribute some 500 licenses to small
businesses and businesses owned by minorities or women. The
auction was originally scheduled for the spring, but a Supreme
Court ruling on minority set-aside programs caused the
commission to delay while it could formulate new procedures.

But some small firms objected to the new auction rules.
Omnipoint, a Colorado company planning to bid in the auction,
complained that the new rules discriminate against companies
that are not minority-owned.

Omnipoint said that flexible financing provisions, previously
available only to firms owned by women and minorities and
extended to all small business bidders, did not allow enough
time for the new bidders to make financial arrangements.

The court put the auction on hold until it could consider
Omnipoint's objections.

An earlier PCS auction, not limited to small businesses, raised some
$9 billion for the Treasury, demonstrating that auctioning the
spectrum can raise large sums.

The court did not issue a written opinion with yesterday's
decision, saying it would do so later. Judges Harry Edwards and
David Sentelle voted to lift the stay. Judge Patricia Wald
dissented, arguing that the FCC had not justified its policy on
flexible financing.

The FCC has not yet set a new date for the auction.

Meanwhile, Congress has been considering the issue of FCC
spectrum auctions. On a party-line vote of 10-9, the Senate
Commerce Committee this week passed a measure that would forbid
the FCC from giving broadcasters a second television channel to
implement digital TV. Instead, the committee said, the FCC should
auction the spectrum allocated for the broadcasters, generating some
$15 billion by 2002.

In 1992, the commission gave the broadcasters the second channel
as an inducement to develop the digital technology. But most
broadcasters say they will use the channel for multicasting
conventional TV, not digital video.

The House has no similar provision, and observers expect the
Senate action will not hold in a final bill.

(Kennedy Maize/19950929)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/29/95
LEGAL
Thailand - BSA Offers Cash Reward To Nab Pirates

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(HKG)(00012)
Thailand - BSA Offers Cash Reward To Nab Pirates 09/29/95
BANGKOK, THAILAND, 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- The Business Software
Alliance (BSA), in its efforts to track down corporate users of
pirated software, has announced a campaign to reward informers in
Thailand who provide information leading to the conviction of a
company that uses unlicensed software.

The BSA is offering a 100,000 baht (US$4,000) reward following
the successful conviction of an offender while introducing a
"hotline" number for informers to call to report alleged
violations. Staff manning this number will also inquiries about
software licensing, according to BSA Vice President Ron Eckstrom.

He noted that the Hotline operators would answer any software-
related questions in addition to inquiries about the Thai
Copyright Act, which became enforceable law in March 1995.
This Hotline service joins a number of other BSA hotlines in
the region which include Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan and
Singapore.

Mr Eckstrom did not say how long the reward campaign would
last, and that the length of the campaign depended on the BSA's
Asia committee.

He said the BSA recently warned some known users of unlicensed
software that they could be the subject of a lawsuit by the BSA,
and that the BSA had already issued other warnings to the Thai
public with seminars and through the press.

He added that last week the BSA sent over 14,000 letters to
companies outlining the Thai Copyright Act, the risk of incurring
substantial criminal penalties as well as penalties for software
copyright infringement.

The hotline concept has been successful in Australia, Taiwan,
Japan, New Zealand, Europe and in the US, he told Newsbytes.
Mr Eckstrom noted the decreasing piracy rates of other
countries when the BSA offered the reward campaign: Australia's
rate was reduced from 55% in 1992 to 38% in 1994 -- the third
lowest piracy rate in the world; Singapore went down to 58%; and
piracy in Taiwan was reduced from 94% to 72%. He said there were
85 calls per week to the Hotline in New Zealand.

BSA hopes the piracy rate in Thailand would also decrease as a
result of this reward campaign. However, no accurate figures
would be available until April 1996, he said.

There are currently 26 cases of copyright infringement pending
in Thailand, he added.

Apart from the BSA's investigation team in Bangkok, there are
also teams in major provinces such as Chiang Mai, Hat Yai and
Phuket.

The Business Software Alliance comprises major software
publishers including Microsoft, Lotus, Autodesk, Novell, Aldus,
Adobe and Borland while Symantec has just joined the group.

(Tony Waltham and Post Database-Bangkok Post/19950922)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/29/95
TELECOM
IBM Picks Thailand For Regional Network Hub

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(HKG)(00013)
IBM Picks Thailand For Regional Network Hub 09/29/95
BANGKOK, THAILAND, 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- IBM (Thailand) is expected
to become a regional hub for the IBM Global Network (IGN) as well
as become the third active Internet services provider by
the end of this month.

Dr Chatchavalit Saravari of IBM (Thailand) is expected to be named
regional IGN manager for ASEAN/South Asia overseeing five ASEAN
countries -- Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines
-- as well as for India, Bangladesh and Vietnam.

He said IBM is planning to provide access to IGN in India next
year and is also conducting a feasibility study to offer access to
the network in Vietnam.

By the end of the month, IBM will also begin providing
commercial Internet access services in Thailand, competing with
existing providers Internet Thailand Service Centre and KSC
Comnet.

Dr Chatchavalit said current IGN users have access to the
Internet since IBM is already part of the Internet. The difference
between IGN users and Internet users would be in the value-added
services and security, since IGN is a private network while the Internet
is public, he said.

Dr Chatchavalit noted that IBM was now considering the pricing
of its Internet services, hoping to offer cheaper service fees
than other providers.

The Internet service would help IBM expand its current IGN
customer base, which is composed primarily of organizations, to
encompass individual users, he said.

IGN clients include the Port Authority of Thailand, Amway,
Sanyo and Proctor & Gamble, among others.

Dr Chatchavalit noted the growth rate of network users was less
than expected as local businesses were not yet ready for network
services. However, he said, many businesses are aware of the
Internet.

He added that IBM would add new services to the IBM Global
Network, which would include outsourcing and content hosting.
Content hosting employs a shopping mall format where IBM is the
mall owner investing in infrastructure and necessary equipment;
interested customers can rent a "room" in the mall and display
their products or information about their businesses, much like a
World Wide Web page.

Customers wishing access to the mall must register with IBM to
obtain an ID and password. Viewing will be free; those wishing to
make purchases can do so through use of a special card provided
by IBM for that purpose.

This concept would encompass all IBM branches in the Asia
Pacific, said Dr Chatchavalit.

In addition, IGN's current services include value-added
transactions, database service and customer network solutions.
IGN is managed globally through three sites located in New
York, Japan and Europe. Connection services are available for
voice, satellite, cellular, wireless and ATM networks in some
countries. IGN also offers an electronic commerce and is the
first network carrier to receive an ISO 9000 certificate.

There are approximately 25,000 clients with some 2 million
users on the system which links 850 major cities in over 100
countries worldwide. It is also accessed by 500 private
networks.

(Tony Waltham and Post Database-Bangkok Post/19950922)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/29/95
BUSINESS
 ****Seagate and Conner Confirm Merger

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00014)
 ****Seagate and Conner Confirm Merger 09/29/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- Rumors of merger talks between
Seagate and Conner Peripherals have been confirmed by both parties.
The deal is waiting for the approval by both boards of directors and the
legal paperwork and the final vote of stockholders in the two firms.

From its headquarters in San Jose, California, Conner Peripherals told
Newsbytes the merger is in process. The next step is a definitive agreement
and the two companies are working on the details at this time. No date has
be set for the release of the agreement which will officially layout the
plans and details of this merger. Newsbytes did hear that the announcement
should be coming soon, possibly as early as next week. Neither company is
free to discuss details at this time.

At present it's understood the deal will give the stockholders of Conner
0.442 of a share in Seagate stock for every share they hold in Conner.
Seagate's official statement says the deal is a "pooling of interests."

Both firms manufacture and sell disk drives and announced plans to build new
plants in Singapore earlier in the year. There has been no comment so far on
whether these plans would be affected by the merger.

(Nigel Armstrong & I.T. Daily & Patrick McKenna/19950928)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/29/95
GENERAL
HK IT Expo Opens On Internet Traffic Jam

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00015)
HK IT Expo Opens On Internet Traffic Jam 09/29/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- Hong Kong's IT Expo opened on
Wednesday for a four-day spree and organizers said at 5pm on the
opening day that 10,000 visitors had already been through the doors.
It's the sixth Expo and so far the largest, with over 240 exhibitors
attending.

Unlike other years, major computer manufacturers were notable by
their absence -- with only IBM, Digital and Microsoft making their
presence felt with large stands. Most of the action on Day One was
centered around Internet products and service providers.

But Wednesday was not the best of days to start putting the Internet
through its paces before the public. As the crowds turned up and
providers began hyping the wonders of e-mail, databases and World
Wide Web sites from Alabama to Zagreb, computer response became
embarrassingly slow.

One of the territory's largest providers, Asia On-Line, reported a
major problem somewhere in the US "backbone" of the Internet.
Technical staff were unsure which company was having problems, but
noted that the system kept looking for alternative routes, indicating
that one of the larger data highways was closed to traffic.

(Nigel Armstrong & I.T. Daily/19950928)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/29/95
LEGAL
Six Russians Arrested As Citibank Scam Unravels

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(LON)(00016)
Six Russians Arrested As Citibank Scam Unravels 09/29/95
ST PETERSBURG, RUSSIA, 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- Russian Police have
arrested six people in connection with a $2.8 million scam allegedly
perpetrated on Citibank.

While the names of the six people arrested have not been revealed,
the Organized Crime Division in St Petersburg said that several
computers and computer disks were confiscated as the raids took
place and that investigations are ongoing.

As reported last month by Newsbytes, the Citibank fraud came to light
when Vladimir Levin, an alleged Russian hacker, was arrested while en-
route between Russia and the US. As Levin's extradition goes through
the British judicial system, other arrests in the US and Russia have
been made, but the Russian authorities have said that the masterminds
behind the major scam are still at large.

Although the alleged incidents occurred a year ago, the case only came
to light last month after Citibank was seemingly forced to make a
public statement over its decision to push for the extradition of the
24-year-old student to the US.

As reported last month by Newsbytes, an issue of the London Financial
Times said that, if the case is proven against Levin, then "it is
thought likely to be regarded in banking circles as the most prominent
example yet of how banks' computer security systems can fall and place
clients' funds at risk."

During the extradition proceedings, the extradition solicitors, acting
for the US Government, have claimed that Levin had carried out the
fraud with the assistance of another, unnamed Russian computer
entrepreneur.

In July of last year, Levin is alleged to have met with his accomplice,
claiming that he had gained unauthorized access to the Citibank
computer system at Wall Street in New York, and made two transfers to
a bank in Finland. The pair then allegedly transferred further small
sums to a colleague of Levin's in San Francisco.

In August, Levin is alleged to have used his terminal at AO Saturn, a
St Petersburg, Russia-based computer company, transferring two sums of
money to the Bank of America's network in San Francisco. When B of A
queried the transactions, because the money was left in the account
too long, his US accomplice then fled back to Russia.

Despite this setback, Levin and his Russian accomplice pursued their
project and, at the end of August, allegedly transferred $2.78 million
to bank branches in California and Israel. The illicit transfers were
picked up by security within the Citibank system and Levin was
subsequently arrested while passing through London earlier this year.

Since Levin's preliminary extradition hearings in London last month,
Citibank has claimed that it has received all but $400,000 of the lost
money. There is still no word from the US authorities, however, on
when a likely trial, in the US, will start.

(Sylvia Dennis/19950927)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/29/95
NETWORK
 ****Novell Previews Global Network Vision

(NEWS)(NETWORK)(DEN)(00017)
 ****Novell Previews Global Network Vision 09/29/95
OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- Novell Inc. (NASDAQ: NOVL)
has announced several strategic initiatives the company said will
promote delivery of its vision of pervasive computing called the
Smart Global Network, but specific details are still sketchy. Novell
said its goal is to achieve one billion networked connections by
the year 2000.

Bob Frankenberg, Novell chairman and chief executive officer, said
an extended version of Netware will be the foundation of the Smart
Global Network to meet the needs of electronic commerce workgroup
computing and business-to-business communication.

Novell said in addition to strengthening its client support of
popular desktop systems like Windows 95, Windows NT, Unix, Macintosh
and OS/2, it will extend the Netware environment to support servers
operating systems such as Windows NT, SCO Open Server, UnixWare,
HP/UX and OS/2. The company will also enhance the Netware operating
system to include memory protection, clustering and distributed
object management.

As further support for Smart Global Network, Novell said it will
deliver the first commercial availability of AT&T Netware
Connect Services (ANCS) in December of this year. ANCS is a public
data network service based on Netware which Novell said will
significantly simplify connecting organizations to public networks,
including the Internet. More information about ANCS is expected in
coming weeks.

Novell will expand its Internet access products with a new Netware
World Wide Web Internet server in the first quarter of 1996, and
Frankenberg announced Net2000, a set of application programming
interfaces (APIs) designed to let developers get the most out of
Smart Global Network. The Novell executive said the Net2000 APIs
will be accessible from any device, desktop or server platform.
Net2000 will be delivered as extensions to various programming tools,
including languages and environments for various operating systems.

The company said its soon-to-be-released PerfectOffice for Windows
95 software suite will include a new set of networking features that
include applications management, network performance optimization,
software distribution and Netware Directory Services integrations.

Novell will ship a new version of Groupwise in the first half of
1996 that will include a "Universal Inbox" that will hold the user's
electronic mail (e-mail), voice messages, faxes, work assignments,
task management and personal schedule. Groupwise will also include
a full replication facility to enhance mobile access and support.

Frankenberg said access to the Smart Global Network will be through
a variety of communications media and heterogeneous devices. He
said networks are no longer limited to wire connections in an
office, but will be available through the phone system, over radio
networks, over cable TV and soon even via power lines. Novell
recently entered into a partnership with UtiliCorp United to provide
the infrastructure for energy management applications.

(Jim Mallory/19950928/Press contact: Melanie King, Novell, tel
408-577-6842)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/29/95
TELECOM
France - Alcatel Secures $300M Digital Phone Contract

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00018)
France - Alcatel Secures $300M Digital Phone Contract 09/29/95
PARIS, FRANCE, 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- Alcatel has secured a $300 million
contract for the supply of digital mobile telephony equipment from the
Hermes Europe rail telephony consortium known as Hermes Europe
Railtel, a joint venture between Global TeleSystems in
the US and 11 country rail operators around Europe.

The idea is that the rail operators make use of GSM technology for
voice and data telecoms systems on their own network, and then
lease spare capacity to third party companies.

In theory, the Railtel network could offer lower cost GSM telephone
services in specific countries, but Railtel has said on several
occasions it does not intend to compete with the national telcos and
mobile phone operators in this respect. Instead, the Railtel network
will probably license its spare network capacity to major corporate
clients who require mobile digital access to a low-cost international
private voice and data network.

More immediately, however, the Railtel GSM network will need to be
built over the next four to five years. According to Alcatel, the $300
million deal is for the first phase of the Railtel project, which
could be worth more than twice this amount in total. Initially, the
Railtel GSM network will span most major cities in Western Europe, but
plans are in hand to develop the network to cover more than 50 cities
in Western and Eastern Europe by the end of the decade.

Setting up a pan-European GSM network is not as strange as it first
seems, Newsbytes notes. The railways of Europe already have numerous
telecoms lines strung alongside the track, so upgrading these to fiber
optic links will greatly increase the available capacity, and allow
the rail network operators to capitalize on a low-cost international
network owned and operated by themselves.

According to Alcatel, the bulk of the $300 million contract calls for
the French telecoms and IT (information technology) giant to install
synchronous digital hierarchy transmission equipment, as well as
switches and fiber optic links across Europe.

(Sylvia Dennis/19950928/Press & Reader Contact: Alcatel Networks +33-
1-4076-1010)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/29/95
PC
Germany - Compaq Unveils LTE 5000 Notebook Series

(NEWS)(PC)(LON)(00019)
Germany - Compaq Unveils LTE 5000 Notebook Series 09/29/95
MUNICH, GERMANY, 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- Compaq Europe has unveiled the
LTE 5000, a 64-bit notebook PC it claims is one of the powerful
in the PC industry, and promises the machine will be available later
this year in Compaq's Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region
with a price tag around US$4,400.

The LTE 5000 is a Pentium-driven modular machine and includes a choice
of hard drives (from 510 to 1,350 megabytes), an integrated CD-ROM
drive, support for two battery packs (NiMH and Lithium Ion), as well
as a floppy, but removable, disk drive. The modular system is known as
the Multibay Expansion Base (MEB) and will be a feature of Compaq's
high-end notebooks in the future.

The LTE 5000 was designed as a multimedia notebook and its features
include a new software technology called Motion Video Acceleration
for crisper imaging.

Pentium chip choices include 75, 90 and the new mobile 120-megahertz
(MHz) Intel chipset. Screen choices includes an 10.4 or a 11.3-inch
color STN (super twist nematic) or 10.4-inch color TFT (thin film
transistor) screen with support for 800 x 600 pixels resolution.

Other features of the notebook include a 64-bit Pentium architecture
and PCI local bus graphics. The notebook has a IRDA (Infra Red Data
Association) wireless connection system that will work with any other
IRDA-compliant notebook.

Liz Pushman, UK portable products manager with Compaq, said that the
notebook also supports the MPEG (Motion Picture Experts Group) system
of video compression and decompression, allowing the user to give
dynamic, full-screen, full-motion video presentations with
interleaved, synchronized, stereo audio.

"The LTE 5000 is the ultimate business tool for mobile professionals
who require a combination of top performance and configuration
flexibility. With this announcement, we are back as a strong contender
to take back the number one position in the notebook market," she
said.

An optional modular expansion base is also available with the machine.
The base works with the LTE 5000 docked in the unit, and allows users
to charge up to four battery packs at a time, access two additional
hard drives, a CD-ROM drive and an additional floppy drive.

The expansion base also includes two PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory
Card International Association) type II slots, an IRDA port, a
MIDI/Games port, plus a dedicated space for an MPEG and TV video
adapter option.

Entry level pricing on the LTE 5000 is UKP 2,995. This is for the
75MHz system with a 510 megabyte drive. The six-strong range of
machines tops out with the UKP 4,895 120MHz version with 1,350
megabyte hard drive.

(Sylvia Dennis/19950925/Press Contact: Kate Alexander, Firefly +44-
171-381-4505; Internet Email: [e-mail]; Reader Contact:
Compaq [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/29/95
ONLINE
USENIX/LISA - Computer Security Is Not Enough

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SFO)(00020)
USENIX/LISA - Computer Security Is Not Enough 09/29/95
MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- Via Clarinet.
Even the best computer security in the world is not enough to protect the
confidential data of the world's major corporations, according
to Ira Winkler of Science Applications International Corp.
Winkler spoke at a security highlights panel recently at the
LISA 95 Systems administration conference, sponsored by USENIX
(The Unix Users Association) and SAGE (The System Administrator's Guild).

Systems are vulnerable to what Winkler termed "Social Engineering"
attacks which penetrate more old-fashioned holes in corporate security
to gain access to computer systems and other company secrets.
Winkler's firm performs security audits for its clients.

"Firms that spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on fancy
network 'firewalls' are still vulnerable to social engineering
attacks," said Winkler.

Low-tech "social engineering" involves the use of plain old
lying and clever detective work to take advantage of the trust
most people have. For most employees, "They want to be helpful.
It's their job."

Direct attacks include dumpster diving to get confidential
printouts and password sheets, or getting temporary jobs with
companies or the janitorial or temporary worker systems they
use. According to Winkler, most corporate offices are full of
passwords stuck to computers or written in notebooks available
to cleaning staff who were hired days ago.

To prove how vulnerable most companies are, Winkler detailed a
typical attack he had performed on a client. In this case, he
and his associates were able to pierce company security without
ever visiting company offices or logging on to company
computers.

Through the use of public information such as annual reports,
Winkler's team identified the basic corporate structure and
names of executives. They then called company insiders,
pretending to be new employees asking for information on basic
company procedures -- which the insiders naturally gave. Armed
with the knowledge that ordering things internally at this firm
required employee and department accounting numbers, they
reversed roles, and pretended to be checking orders for things,
extracting the needed numbers from a company executive.

They then used this executive's numbers to order a company
telephone directory to be shipped to them FedEx at the
executive's expense. From this book and other sources they
found the real goldmine they wanted -- lists of the newest hires
at the company.

New employees are a particular weak link in any firm. They
don't know procedures and expect to get calls from people
telling them how to do things or asking them questions. Unless
they are given a Draconian security briefing and told to trust
no one, new employees will answer almost any official sounding
question. Low level employees are also vulnerable. "It'a amazing
what somebody will tell you if you tell them you're checking
arrangements for an overseas junket for them."

In particular, new staff will usually answer a request from somebody
claiming to be a computer system operator asking to confirm that
they were set up with computer access, and asking them to read
off the user ID and password they were given. Winkler's team
was able to get to this stage from thousands of miles away in
under 4 days. Once in with an insider's account and password,
most systems have holes which can be exploited for more serious
access -- something everybody at the LISA conference knew.

In one other case Winkler related, employees had special access
"smart cards" which display a constantly changing number known
to the card and the central computer. These cards allow you to
assure that the person logging in has the card, and thus is
likely the authorized person. Winkler's staff were able to get
employees to not only give their userid and password, but also
to read off the current number from the security card, to
"confirm that it's working." The number, good for a dozen
seconds, could then let Winkler's team into the computers,
defeating even this supposedly trustworthy system.

Defences against such attacks are hard, says Winkler, and when
asked whether companies which followed his recommendations were
then safe, he was reluctant to answer yes. In the end, outside
of spy agencies, people are far too trusting and willing to
help.

The LISA conference featured sessions on managing all aspects of
large systems and large networks, which these days are usually
based on the Unix operating system. Also covered were farther
reaching topics such as electronic commerce, the history of the
Arpanet and the Internet and the future of computing in the year
2000. USENIX can be reached at [e-mail], or at
http://www.usenix.org on the World Wide Web.

(Brad Templeton and Clarinet/19950925)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/29/95
BUSINESS
Computer Sciences Strategic Alliance With SAS

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00021)
Computer Sciences Strategic Alliance With SAS 09/29/95
EL SEGUNDO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- Computer
Sciences Corp. (NYSE:CSC) announced a three-year strategic alliance
with the SAS Institute, the nation's ninth largest independent software
vendor. The alliance makes Computer Sciences (CSC) one of the SAS's
major systems integration and consulting partners.

With 1994 revenues of $482 million, SAS Institute Inc., based in Cary,
North Carolina, claims to be the world's largest privately held
independent software company.

Computer Sciences had $3.6 billion in annual revenues for the 12
months ended June 30, 1995. The company has headquarters in El
Segundo, and has 33,000 employees in 575 offices worldwide.

Mary Rhodes, a spokesperson for Computer Sciences, told Newsbytes
"We don't manufacture hardware or software. CSC provides clients
with a wide range of professional services including management
consulting, business re-engineering, information systems consulting
and integration, and outsourcing. SAS manufactures software, and we
will include their software in the range of services we offer."

"SAS is an industry leader in the fast-growing software market of
"data warehousing," which allows users to pull data from different
parts of an organization, tapping various files, platforms and
architectures. SAS software provides the analytical tools to help users
combine data from these different sources, organizing it into a
common format in one central location,"said Rhodes.

"SAS Institute is a leader in enterprise-wide software solutions
currently installed at 29,000 sites in 119 countries. Traditionally,"
Rhodes continues, "SAS has relied on its own direct-sales channels to
handle consulting and implementation of its products. We will be
SAS's first partner allowed to market their products."

According to Van B. Honeycutt, CSC president and chief executive
officer, the company's agreement with SAS broadens its consulting
capabilities in the area of data storage and analysis, and gives it access
to a new tier of clients.

(Richard Bowers/19950900/Press Contact: Mary Rhodes, Computer
Sciences, 310-615-0311 )




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/29/95
ONLINE
AP, Weekly World News Now On America Online

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00022)
AP, Weekly World News Now On America Online 09/29/95
VIENNA, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- The latest happenings at
the O.J. Simpson double murder trial, and "coverage" of Bigfoot being
shot and killed in Montana are just two of the diverse stories that
are being covered by America Online's (NASDAQ:AMER) (AOL) new media
partners. The online service said the Associated Press (AP) wire
service and the Weekly World News supermarket tabloid are now available
to its subscribers.

AP will be contributing news photos and multimedia sports information
to AOL, Judy Tashbook, AOL spokesperson, told Newsbytes. In the
"News" section of the service, the top news stories of the day from
sources like Reuters will now have AP photos and captions to accompany
the story text, Tashbook said.

In addition, AP will produce sports stories and photos from the
service's recently announced multimedia sports service "AP MegaSports."
Hundreds of sports stories, capsules, round-ups, sports briefs, and
sports photos from AP can be accessed by AOL subscribers.
AP's sports content will be available through AOL's Sports Channel,
which can be reached by typing Keyword: Sports, and hitting the "Sports
News" button.

On the other side of the news spectrum, screaming headlines like
"Nostradamus Predicts Worst Storms In US History" and "Statue of Angel
Found in Moon Rock" will now enchant AOL surfers when they access the
new Weekly World News area. An AOL news release put the News' content
contribution like this: "Weekly World News will combine the raw energy
of its newspaper with the interactive power of AOL to create an
electronic environment packed with drama, humor, advice, inspiration, and
pure shock value."

Tashbook said the fact that both the Associated Press and Weekly World
News are joining AOL just shows the diversity of content offerings
provided by the online service, "Just like the Congressional Record
existing side by side with the New Republic, or The Weekly World News
with @Times (an online offering from the New York Times), both
reside and happily co-exist in the AOL Newsstand."

Ted Leonsis, president of America Online Service Company, said in a
prepared statement, "Now, (AOL members) can read those
scandalous stories they've been missing all these years. We think this
romping journalistic entertainment will be a fun counterpoint to the
comprehensive news we offer on AOL."

What's more, the Weekly World News is going to keep expanding into
electronic entertainment, with the premiere of "Weekly World News On
Television." The program is scheduled to debut on cable TV's USA
Network in January 1996, a spokesperson said.

(Bob Woods/19950928/Press Contacts: Judy Tashbook, America Online,
703-918-1452; Julie Denny, Associated Press, 800-AP-Call-1. Public
Contact: America Online, 800-827-6364)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/29/95
ONLINE
Microsoft, Paramount Launch Star Trek On Microsoft Network

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(DEN)(00023)
Microsoft, Paramount Launch Star Trek On Microsoft Network 09/29/95
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- The starship
"Enterprise" will soon fly again, this time in the vacuum of
Internet space, thanks to a partnership between Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ: MSFT) and Paramount Television. The deal will also let you
re-play your favorite Entertainment Tonight shows.
Microsoft said this week it will show exclusive content from
Paramount's "Star Trek" and "Entertainment Tonight" properties on
the Microsoft Network (MSN) online service.

The Star Trek site will include episodes from the original TV series
"Star Trek" as well as from "Star Trek: The Next Generation," "Star Trek:
Deep Space Nine" and "Star Trek: Voyager." Paramount Television is the
main production unit of entertainment company Viacom Inc.

Microsoft said Star Trek episodes and Entertainment Tonight
properties will be available at three sites on MSN beginning in
January 1996. The deal gives the software company another way to
find new customers for its recently launched online service. MSN is
competing with established online offerings like America Online,
Compuserve, GEnie and Prodigy.

There are numerous sites on the Internet where Trekkies can re-visit
the crew of the Enterprise and re-live the adventures of Jim Scotty,
Bones and Uhuru as well as newer additions to the crew, but
Paramount stressed that the deal with Microsoft will provide
exclusive and original material that Star Trek fans can't get
elsewhere on the Web. The alliance will also offer chat groups for
the show's fans to discuss the programs.

In addition to the Star Trek and Entertainment Tonight episodes
the Star Trek sites will include "Starfleet Academy" where
online users can earn rank and access some exclusive
content areas. Users will be able to access historical information
on Star Trek episodes as well as information about the characters,
the actors, aliens, technology and other material. There will also
be advance information on television shows, motion pictures and
books will be offered.

The original 79 episodes of Star Trek aired from 1966 to 1969 and
have a broad cult following that includes annual conventions where
many fans appear costumed as their favorite characters. There has
been seven Star Trek motion pictures for the big screen that were
later released for the home video market. A $2 billion retail
market has sprung up for Star Trek brand toys, collectibles and
other products and there are more than 250 official licensees
producing Star Trek items. An eighth Star Trek movie is currently in
development.

Entertainment tonight is currently in its 15th season as a
syndicated magazine format show.

Paramount and Microsoft said they will also develop a third Internet
site on MSN with as-yet unannounced content.

Paramount operates a home page on the Internet at the Uniform
Resource Locator (URL) http://www.paramount.com and users will be
able to preview the new areas on MSN by dialing into the Paramount
site. There will be hot links from the Paramount site that will
let MSN members jump to the Star Trek and Entertainment Tonight
areas on MSN.

The two companies said the partnership could eventually include
three-dimensional navigational features, multiplayer games,
full-motion video clips, animation, live interviews and online
shopping.

(Jim Mallory/19950928/Press contact: June Peters, Waggener Edstrom
for Microsoft, 206-637-9097 or John Wentworth, Paramount,
213-956-5965; Public contact: Microsoft, 206-882-8080 or
800-426-9400)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/29/95
BROADCAST
UK - BBC Inaugurates World's First Digital Radio System

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(LON)(00024)
UK - BBC Inaugurates World's First Digital Radio System 09/29/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- The British Broadcasting
Corporation (BBC) has announced the availability of digital radio in
the London area, and unveiled plans to roll the service out
progressively across the UK over the next five years.
The move means that the BBS is the first broadcaster to actively
support and start its own digital radio system. The bad news is that,
as yet, there are no digital radios in the stores, nor will there be
at least until the end of next year.

Until then, customers with around $3,000 to spend on a radio will have
to order a radio through the BBC, from one of a small number of
manufacturers, where it will be built to order.

That's for a home hi-fi radio of course. Build-to-order radios for
cars have the console in the fascia of the car where an ordinary
analog radio would go, while the receiver/decoder is so
big it has to be installed in the trunk.

Despite these minor new technology problems, the BBC is upbeat on the
prospects for digital radio, which uses the same VHF/FM radio spectrum
used by existing analog radio. The advantage of digital radio, the BBC
claims, is that the system negates the effect of fading seen in normal
car radios and also offers very clear and hi-fi fidelity (to CD audio
standards) signals.

Announcing the BBC digital radio net, Elizabeth Forgan, BBC Radio
Network's managing director, dismissed press criticism that the BBC
was launching its digital radio net far too early, and said that, by
offering the world's first digital radio net, the BBC was pushing
forward the frontiers of radio technology. "It's the dawn of the third
age of radio, the technological progression from AM -- now 100 years
old -- and FM -- now 50 years old -- into the digital and multimedia
world of the 21st Century," she said.

According to Forgan, like the digital TV services, digital radio makes
far more efficient use of the available radio spectrum, which is
becoming fairly crowded in most major cities in the UK, as more and
more local stations arrive on the scene. The digital radio service
also supports text and data services, which can be broadcast alongside
the audio element of the signals.

Plans call for the BBC to boost reception of the new digital service
from the current 20 percent to around 60 percent over the next three
years, powering up another 22 transmitters to service the population.

Despite the high price and limited broadcasting area, Forgan claims
that the BBC will stimulate demand for the receivers and so get the
price down over the next year. "We are at an introductory stage and
consumer sets will not be in the shops for two years," she explained.

(Sylvia Dennis/19950928/Press & Reader Contact: BBC [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/29/95
TELECOM
 ****MCI Becomes World's Fastest Telecom Network

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(MSP)(00025)
 ****MCI Becomes World's Fastest Telecom Network 09/29/95
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- MCI Inc. (NASDAQ:MCIC)
said it is now the "fastest telecommunications company in the world,"
because it has deployed technology that lets it transmit information
across its digital network at a speed of 10 gigabits, or 10 billion
bits of information per second.

The 10-gigabit traffic, which MCI says is four times faster than its
nearest competitors, is initially being carried along a 125-mile
stretch of MCI's network between Dallas and Longview, Texas. It
uses Northern Telecom's Transport Node OC-192 transmission system,
marking the first time the system has been successfully deployed
in a commercial telecommunications network, MCI officials said.

With data speeding along at 10 billion bits per second, big businesses,
technology-related companies, health care concerns, or other companies
needing that kind of speed will be the big winners, Leslie Aun,
MCI spokesperson, told Newsbytes. "For your average person
using the telephone, it's not going to make a big difference, because
our existing phone lines give us real-time conversational
capabilities," she said. "But let's say you're a hospital, and you're
trying to do telemedicine imaging, it's going to enable you to transmit
information, like the results of tests, much more quickly, instead of
waiting hours to download the information."

Other areas expected to be impacted by this new technology include
interactive multimedia and teleconferencing. Aun said the "jerky,
ghost" images in teleconferencing would be diminished, and customers
will get a "much more real-time" image. MCI officials said the 10
gigabit speeds allow for the simultaneous transmission of 1,600
channels of premium quality video in teleconferencing.

MCI's future plans call for jacking up the speed to 40 gigabits of
capacity in the next two to three years, leveraging existing
technology to the maximum without having to spend more money by
laying new fiber optic routes. At 40 gigabits, the entire US
mail list of names and addresses can be transmitted from New York
to Los Angeles in about four seconds, officials said.

(Bob Woods/19950927/Press Contacts: Jim Collins or Leslie Aun, MCI,
800-719-3456; Shelly Grandy, Nortel, 905-238-7434)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/29/95
GENERAL
Anaheim, Dallas Featuring ComputerMania

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00026)
Anaheim, Dallas Featuring ComputerMania 09/29/95
FOSTER CITY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- ComputerMania, a
new series of hands-on interactive shows by Softbank, will give
consumers their first glimpse of the home computer products
available this holiday season. More than 75 companies will be
demonstrating hardware and software as ComputerMania stops at the
Anaheim Convention Center (September 29-October 1, 1995) and Dallas
Infomart (October 13-15, 1995).

Celia Canfield, sales director for the ComputerMania shows, told
Newsbytes, "ComputerMania, produced by Softbank Exposition, with
Ziff-Davis Publishing, Microsoft Home and Hewlett-Packard as lead
sponsors, targets home computing enthusiasts. The show is intended
to offer hands-on interactive displays at each of its exhibits. It will
offer consumers something they seldom get to do and that is to try out
the products, and see them in action before they buy."

"These shows will start in Anaheim, but we intend to take them
throughout the United States during 1996. Very few consumer shows
have been national in scope, but ComputerMania intends to cover the
country in a continuing series of events," said Canfield.

Interactive Learning Zones will ring the exhibits at each event, with
12 different stages offering a total of 96 opportunities each day for
attendees to get tips, ideas and recommendations by editors and
contributors, well-known authors, and experts in all aspects of home
computing.

Some of the products in the show include: Newsweek's new-media
projects include Newsweek Interactive online service; Broderbund
Software's In The 1st Degree is a compelling legal game; Berkeley
Systems' You Don't Know Jack, an interactive pop-culture quiz show
game; Virgin Sound and Vision's Get Ready for School, Charlie Brown!
features the original voices of the entire Peanuts gang; and Putt-Putt
Saves the Zoo, by Humongous Entertainment featuring more than
25,000 frames of animation.

ComputerMania is a part of the family of hands-on trade shows
produced by Softbank Exposition and Conference Company. These
events begin with educational conferences, and the event's impact is
extended year-round with a collection of newsletters and online
events.

Softbank events include NetWorld+Interop, Seybold Seminars, Digital
World, Windows Solutions and now ComputerMania.

(Richard Bowers/19950927/Press Contact: Kathleen Burke,
Softbank, 415-578-6963)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
09/29/95
TELECOM
Big Pentagon Telecom Procurement Coming

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(WAS)(00027)
Big Pentagon Telecom Procurement Coming 09/29/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1994 SEP 29 (NB) -- Major
telecommunications companies are working on bids for a Pentagon
contract known as the "mega-network" and one of the biggest
telecommunications projects ever. The multi-billion dollar contract will
consolidate military voice, data and video linkages worldwide in a
major upgrade of the Defense Information Systems Network (DISN).

AT&T manages the current telecommunications network for the
Defense Department. Its 10-year-old contract expires next year
and AT&T will be a bidder for the new contract. But no one will have
a leg up, Defense Information Systems Agency spokeswoman Betsy
McDonald told Newsbytes. The competition will be on an "open
playing field," she said.

The new contract could be worth $360 million a year for up to 20
years, so it will be a big prize for the winner.

DOD issued the requests for proposal on August 31. It is
designed first to lnk all military facilities in the US, and
later, all those overseas as well.

A Pentagon committee earlier this year described the mission of
the DISN. "The DOD's worldwide protected network must allow
warfighters to plug-and an push or pull information in a
seamless, interoperable and global battlespace," said the
committee.

Proposals for the network are due at the Pentagon on October 31.
The contract should be awarded next year and work should begin
next summer, according to the Pentagon.

(Kennedy Maize/19950928/Press Contact: Betsy McDonald,
703-607-6048)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/29/95
ONLINE
 ****CompuServe To Debut Online Ads

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SFO)(00028)
 ****CompuServe To Debut Online Ads 09/29/95
COLUMBUS, OHIO, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- When version 2.0
of CompuServe's Windows CompuServe Information Manager (WINCIM), is
installed on subscribers' computers, CompuServe will begin its first
paid advertisements online. Promised to be unobtrusive
and value-added, the ads are being sold from $2,500 to $20,000.

Jeff Shafer, CompuServe spokesperson, told Newsbytes, "We expect to
ship WINCIM version 2.0 during the middle of October. We have been
very careful to introduce advertising in a way which our members will
not find it offensive. Actually, we encourage advertisers to create value
through their ads."

Newsbytes learned one of the first advertisers is American Airlines.
Using them as an example, Shafer said, "Typically, American Airlines
will offer special listings of discounted flights or perhaps a special
coupon which subscribers will want to have. Since the ads are selected
by the user, it is important to offer them a real value and incentive for
opening the advertising area."

For the advertisers, CompuServe says this is an opportunity to deliver
an image of the company or products from the company to a very
defined audience. Over the years, online services have gathered very
detailed statistical profiles of its users and their habits. "Being able to
define an audience allows an advertiser to customize its message in a
most effective manner," said Shafer.

When users sign on the service and select one of the 16 categories
listed in the new version of the software, a small icon or button at the
bottom will indicate an ad from a specific company. By clicking on the
ad, a subscriber will open the advertiser's area which is completely
designed by each company. Advertisers will be able to incorporate
hyperlinks to the World Wide Web.

Shafer also said the introduction of advertising will help to control the
monthly and hourly charges incurred by members. Until now,
advertising has been limited to CompuServe's Electronic Mall.

The advertising will also be incorporated into CompuServe's World
Wide Web site.

(Patrick McKenna/19950929/Press Contact: Jeff Shafer, tel 614-538-
4632)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/29/95
EDITORIAL APPLE
Editorial - Apple Faces Tough Times

(EDITORIAL)(APPLE)(WAS)(00029)
Editorial - Apple Faces Tough Times 09/29/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- By Kennedy Maize.
Apple Computer is facing the most perilous time in its corporate
history. It's a reasonable bet that, this time next year, there
won't be an Apple as a free-standing company.

Makers of really fine computers, with an operating system that
has been far in advance of its competition in the PC world for
years, Apple continues to see its market share erode. Today,
the Cupertino titan's slice of the pie has dropped to around
eight percent. That's not enough to sustain critical mass.

The company has also been shooting itself in the foot. It
misjudged how many Power PC chips it would need and now its
customers face backlogs. It has orphaned systems repeatedly.
The company is telling financial analysts its next quarterly
results won't be up to expectations. The stock is sliding
downward.

And then comes Windows 95. Bill Gates may finally have the Apple
eater he's been looking for.

Yes, yes, Apple got there first. But that doesn't matter to new
users. Windows 95 has enough of the ease and elegance of the
Apple OS to overcome what has traditionally been the best reason
to buy an Apple.

Apple founder Steve Wozniak wrote recently in an e-mail to
Hotwired (http://www.hotwired.com ) that Apple's biggest mistake
was when the company sued Microsoft over Windows 3.0, alleging
theft of its look and feel. Instead, Wozniak said, Apple should
have licensed the system software to Gates for 25 cents.

Wozniak is right. That would have meant that Microsoft would
have used the Apple OS, and all the great software that got
written for DOS and Windows would have been written for the
Macintosh instead.

Software is the real reason to buy a computer, and there is no
doubt that the richness of the software available for the
Microsoft systems is a major reason to go that direction.

Apple is dying on rootstock that is not watered by adequate
software. Even a great OS is not enough to overcome that. After
all, most users work from within their application and could
care less about system software.

Ask yourself this question, and be honest about the answer: If
you were a software publisher, responsible for a dozen or so
folks who depend on you for their paycheck, would you write for
the Windows environment or for the Mac?

So Apple will have to increasingly seek out niche markets, such
as Web servers, or find new markets, such as its so-far failed
Newton. And Apple becomes a takeover candidate of major
proportions.

(Kennedy Maize/19950919)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/29/95
GENERAL
China - Technology Newsbriefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(PEK)(00030)
China - Technology Newsbriefs 09/29/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- In the technology news roundup from
China, US-based Maxtor expects 15 percent of hard disk drive market,
Shaanxi's Intellectual Property Right Exchange Market starts operation,
Hebei province plans to promote more electronics production, and the
electronics industry soars in Shenyang city of Liaoning Province.

Maxtor Expects 15 Percent Share of Hard Disk Drive Market

As a late comer, US-based Maxtor is edging into China's hard disk drive
market and expects a 15 to 20 percent market share in 1995, the company
said. Through its two representatives in China, the company is currently
promoting its 270 to 850 MB hard disk drives, and the next step will be
promoting its 1600 MB products. Although late, Maxtor believes it is
still in time to enter the huge Chinese market, a manager with Maxtor
said.

Shaanxi Opens Intellectual Property Right Exchange

A provincial Intellectual Property Right Exchange Market began
operation recently in Shaanxi Province in West China. The market, the
first of this kind in China, is overseen by the Shaanxi Administration
for Industry and Commerce. It will serve as an intermediate agency in
China's fledgling copyright industry. Its major business is to purchase
and sell trademarks, patents, and other intellectual products.

Hebei Province Plans More Electronics Production

The electronics industry in Hebei Province reported a 30 percent
increase in total production output over the same period last
year. Sales recorded a 41 percent increase in the period. However,
pre-tax profits are estimated to grow only 15 percent. For the second
half of this year, the province projects that total production value of
its electronics industry will grow at a rate of 12 percent.

Electronics industry Soars in Shenyang of Liaoning Province

During the first half of this year, the electronics industry in Shenyang
City of Northeast China's Liaoning Province registered a 38.95 percent
increase in general production over the same period last year.
Pre-tax profits increased by 171 percent with the total sales volume up
26.93 percent. The fast increase was attributed to the city's efforts
to attract more overseas investment in high-tech sectors, and to the
improvement in management in electronic enterprises.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19950910)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/29/95
GOVT
US Continues Visa Restrictions to Indian SW Professionals

(NEWS)(GOVT)(DEL)(00031)
US Continues Visa Restrictions to Indian SW Professionals 09/29/95
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- The Indian Government's inability
to pin down the US on its move to ban free movement of software
professionals has made it possible for the latter to impose visa
restrictions, thereby circumventing the concessions gained by
India on the movement of India's citizens under WTO, according to
commerce ministry officials in the country.

This situation has come about because the US is using its
immigration laws to reject H-1 visas to software professionals,
even while it is taking the official stance that no barriers have
been erected on the free movement of "genuine business travellers."
Most of the H-1 applications at present are being rejected by Washington
primarily on the grounds that they represent "potential immigrants."

Nasscom, the country's apex software industry organization
has been taking up the matter where it feels that the rejections are
unjustified, according to commerce ministry sources, since there are
no set parameters to differentiate between the so-called "genuine
business travellers" and "potential immigrants."

(C. T. Mahahbharat/19950929)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/29/95
WINDOWS
Vendors Announces Windows NT Telephony API Support

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(DEN)(00032)
Vendors Announces Windows NT Telephony API Support 09/29/95
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- More than a dozen
telephone switching and voice processing equipment companies have
jumped on the Microsoft Windows NT Telephony API (Application
Programming Interface) bandwagon, announcing support for the
telecommunications technology. The TAPI allows Windows NT to
function as a telephony client or a telephony server for uses such
as application servers for PBX telephone systems, call center
and automatic call distribution systems, interactive voice response
servers, voice messaging and other communications applications.

TAPI works with cellular networks, ISDN and analog circuits.

"It will not be long before every PC will have a built-in speaker
phone," according to Charles Fitzgerald, product manager in the
Personal Systems Division at Microsoft. Fitzgerald made his remark
at a four-day "bake-off" in July where 45 different companies
testing telephony products based on Windows TAPI.

Companies announcing plans to support TAPI on Windows NT include
Comdial Enterprise Systems, Dialogic Corp., Digital Systems
International Inc., Ericsson Business Networks AB, Executone
Information Systems Inc., Fujitsu, GPT Limited, Incite, Matra
Communication, Mitel Corp., Natural MicroSystems, NEC, Northern
Telecom, Panasonic, Rockwell and Toshiba.

The companies said they will provide drivers that allow TAPI
applications to integrate with their telephone switching and/or
voice processing systems. Most of the companies already provide TAPI
drivers that work with Windows 3.1 and/or Windows 95 and all are
participants in the early beta program for TAPI on Windows NT.

Microsoft said the TAPI architecture will let customers move their
telecommunications applications off expensive, single-function
servers and integrate their telecommunications systems with both
client and server-based computer applications. Users can expect
applications that include visual call control, smart answering
machines, call screening and forwarding, voice commands at the
desktop and from remote locations, message integration of
telephone, e-mail and faxes, and videoconferencing.

Microsoft defines TAPI as a specification to bridge the gap between
the telephone and the computer by helping the PC to understand how
telephone networks work and to let programmers exploit network
capabilities within Windows-based applications.

(Jim Mallory/19950929/Press contact: Delona Lang,
Waggener Edstrom for Microsoft, 503-873-2404; Public contact:
Microsoft, 206-882-8080 or 800-426-9400)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/29/95
BUSINESS
Advantage Memory And Memory International Merge

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00033)
Advantage Memory And Memory International Merge 09/29/95
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- Advantage
Memory and Memory International, both suppliers of memory and PC
cards to the computer industry, have agreed to a $70 million merger.
Citing a boom in their memory business, the two companies say this is
the time to leverage their combined strengths and business relationships.

John Harriman, president of Advantage Memory, told Newsbytes, "The
two companies have been working out of the same complex for years and
we have had a long standing relationship." Harriman has actually been
friends with Memory International's chief executive officer, Dave Reed,
since the two were in high school.

Is Windows 95 causing an effect on the memory business? Harriman
said, "It is a most dramatic influence. People are moving from 4
megabytes (MB) of memory to 8MB memory and in a lot of cases from
8MB to 16MB. We are also seeing a demand for memory on both the
Windows and Macintosh-based computers. The entertainment, graphics
and pharmaceutical industries are also propelling the demand for
memory.

The books for both companies show the powerful demand for memory
over the past three years. Annual revenues for Advantage Memory grew
from $600,000 in 1991 to $27 million in 1994. During the same period,
Memory International's revenues grew from $1.5 million to $23 million.

The combined corporate entity will use the Advantage Memory name
and display the Memory International logo. Riding on what is now the
time of greatest demand, the two companies say the merger does not
mean any personnel layoffs. The new company plans to hire additional
staff during 1995. The fiscal year for the two companies ends in October
and they predict combined revenues of $70 million.

John Harriman is now president of the new Advantage Memory
Corporation and Dave Reed is chief executive officer. Rob Reed,
formerly president of Memory International, is the new executive vice
president of Advantage.

(Patrick McKenna/19950929/Press Contact: Jennifer Levine, Marketing
Works, tel [phone]; /ADVANTAGE950929/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/29/95
IBM
More On Lotus's NotesPump Database Integration Tool

(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00034)
More On Lotus's NotesPump Database Integration Tool 09/29/95
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- Lotus's newly
rolled out NotesPump tool for Notes/RDBMS (relational database
management system) integration reflects plans by Lotus to expand
Notes' customer base from a current level of 2 million users to 20
million users, a ten-fold growth rate that will benefit Lotus's
partners in addition to Lotus, maintained Tim Dempsey, Lotus's
director of Notes marketing, in an interview with Newsbytes.

Dempsey told Newsbytes that Lotus's NotesPump will allow for two-
way integration between RDBMS (relational database management
systems), for "data processing," and the "document database, secure
messaging, replication, and rich application development
environment" capabilities of Notes.

Lotus's new bi-directional database integration tool, which is
slated to ship within the next 30 days. will initially include the
NotesPump engine and modules for Notes, ODBC (Open Database
Connectivity), and either Oracle or Sybase, with an integrated
management application that runs on a client workstation.

In addition, Lotus expects to ship a trio of APIs (application
programming interfaces) to ISVs (independent software developers),
probably in the first quarter of next year, Dempsey said. The APIs
are intended to spur development of new third-party applications to
support NotesPump.

Several of Lotus's third-party partners now produce tools that
overlap NotesPump's capabilities, the Lotus exec acknowledged. "But
our strategic direction is to add functionality to our product
line," he asserted. Lotus, he added, will continue to provide the
same level of co-marketing support to third-party tools. "The great
majority of new Notes business is led by our partners." But the
combined elements of Lotus's current campaign to multiply the Notes
customer base by a factor of ten will create "huge demand for our
partners' products," according to the Notes marketing director.

The new NotesPump, he contended, offers "pricing head room" between
database integration tools from Lotus partners. NotesPump is also
tightly integrated with "the Notes server, NotesView, and the Notes
application development environment," Newsbytes was told. NotesView
allows SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) administration of
NotesPump.

NotesPump's server operations monitor data exchange activities
between Notes and the RDBMS to "automatically reinitiate" data
exchange in case of server or database connection failure,
according to Dempsey. The administrator receives status
notification through Notes mail. Administrators can add new
database components without stopping or starting NotesPump.

NotesPump also allows for automatic scheduling of data exchange at
selected times or days, Dempsey pointed out. Different data
exchange activities can be scheduled to run as dependent processes.

Supported data exchange activities include replication, polling for
specific conditions for initiating data transfer (such as "when a
loan over a certain dollar amount is requested," in the case of a
bank); and direct transfer, including SQL (structured query
language) and Notes formulas.

NotesPump also features tunable load balancing, in which the
administrator can determine which jobs will by run by which
machine. For example, the Oracle database driver might be used for
array processing, and the Sybase driver for bulk transfers.

The three upcoming APIs for NotesPump include the Database Link
API, for adding other database interfaces beyond Notes, Oracle,
Sybase, and ODBC; a second API for adding data processing functions
to data exchange; and a third for embedding control of activities
in outside applications as well as for adding new front ends to
NotesPump.

NotesPump will initially support OS/2 and Windows NT. In the
future, Lotus will add support for the HP-UX platform, as well as
for IBM's DB2 family of RDBMS, according to Dempsey. NotesPump is
priced at $7,995 for the NotesPump engine and modules for Notes,
ODBC, and either Oracle or Sybase. Additional modules will be
priced at $1,995. NotesPump OS/2 servers require Lotus Notes
Release 3 client or server edition. NotesPump Windows NT servers
use the Notes server edition only. NotesPump Administrator requires
a Notes client edition.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19950929/Reader Contact: Lotus Development Corp.,
617-577-8500; Press Contact: Suzanne Diaz or Susan Kwon, Lois Paul
& Partners for Lotus, 617-862-4514)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
09/29/95
ONLINE
Germany's Vebacom To Take Stake In Europe Online

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LON)(00035)
Germany's Vebacom To Take Stake In Europe Online 09/29/95
DUSSELDORF, GERMANY, 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- After several weeks of
rumors, Vebacom has announced it plans to take up to a 10 percent
stake in Europe Online, the yet-to-launch pan-European online service.

According to Ulf Bohla, Vebacom's chairman, the company is discussing
the possibility of taking a stake in the online venture with the
existing shareholders of company. According to German media reports,
two main shareholders in Europe Online -- Pearson in the UK and Matra
Hatchette in France -- will reduce their shares to allow Vebacom to
come on board.

Vebacom itself is a joint venture between Cable & Wireless and Veba,
the German technology company. The telecoms company is the main
competitor to Deutsche Telekom and is fast establishing itself as a
force to be reckoned with by rapidly expanding its cable telephony
operations across Germany.

Newsbytes notes that, during the summer, overtures were rumored
between European Online and Deutsche Telekom. On investigation, this
bureau concluded that the reports were simply reports of early
discussions and that nothing resulted. The move by Vebacom confirms
those findings.

The move by Vebacom comes at a time when the European Commission (EC)
has announced it is holding a routine investigation into Europe
Online, as to whether the project breaches anti-competitive guidelines
set out by the EC's Treaty of Rome. Although by no means cut and
dried, a Vebacom linkup would go a long way towards meeting any anti-
competitive worries that the EC might have over the Europe Online
project.

Although no one is talking about a share shuffle, even with Vebacom
buying into the project, it seems possible that Pearson and Matra-
Hatchette may reduce their stake by more than the 10 percent needed to
allow Vebacom into the fold, possibly to allow other shareholders,
which include the German publishing companies of Axel Springer Verlag
and Burda Verlag, to increase their stake in the project.

The addition of Vebacom will allow European Online to offer its
services across Germany. Previously, critics of the project had
suggested that the project would only be available in the UK and
France, owing to Cable & Wireless' interests in those countries.

The solidifying of Europe Online means that the other three main
players in the pan-European online marketplace, America Online (a
joint venture between AOL in the US and Bertelsmann of Germany),
CompuServe and Microsoft Network, will have to make way for a serious
fourth contender, Newsbytes notes.

(Steve Gold/19950929/Press & Reader Contact: Vebacom [phone];
Fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/29/95
IBM
IBM To Make PCs In Czech Republic Under License

(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00036)
IBM To Make PCs In Czech Republic Under License 09/29/95
PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC, 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- IBM Europe has announced
plans to start manufacturing its PCs in Prague, in the Czech Republic,
in order to meet rising demand for hardware in Central and Eastern
Europe.

IBM is sub-contracting the assembly of the PC100 and PC300 series of
computers to Elko Holdings, a company that already supplies PC from
Big Blue, as well as other vendors, into the Czech Republic.
Initially, the company will use parts supplied from IBM Europe in
Paris, but plans are in hand to manufacture the parts more locally.

Making PCs behind the former Iron Curtain has a number of advantages
for Big Blue, not least in tax and transport terms. The main advantage
for the immediate future is that it gets round the problem of
exporting the resultant profits from the sale of IBM PCs into Eastern
Europe from those countries which do not have a free foreign exchange
system.

The Czech Republic, in contrast, is very much a switching point for
such currencies. Money from, say, Russia and Hungary, can be routed to
the Czech Republic far easier than, for example, to the US. In Prague,
the money can be used to fund local manufacture of PC hardware, rather
than routing the money onwards to the West.

Announcing the deal with Elko, Jan Dohnal, IBM's Czech operations
director, said that the primary aim of the deal is to move the final
stage of production much closer to the customer. This will, he told
journalists, allow the company to offer supply-to-order purchases,
rather than offer customers a series of pre-configured systems, on a
48-hour response basis.

The deal is quite remarkable for IBM, since it marks the first time
that Big Blue's machines have been produced on the continent of
Europe. To date, IBM's PCs have only been manufactured at the Greenock
plant in Scotland.

According to Dohnal, Elko will assemble around 500 PCs for the first
few months, rising to 1,000 early in the new year and up to 1,500
units by the spring. The resultant machines will be sold through
approved outlets in the Czech and Slovak Republics, as well as into
Bulgaria, where Elko already handles IBM PCs.

This Newsbytes bureau first came across Elko at the Cebit Computer
Faire in Germany this spring. The company, which is well-known as a
distributor in the German markets, is a licensed distributor for
products from Hewlett-Packard. Microsoft, Cherry, Teac, Nashua,
Genius, Epson, Hercules, Samsung, Western Digital, Novell, Syquest,
NEC, Quantum, Maxtor, Seagate, Iomega and Colorado products.

(Sylvia Dennis/19950929/Press & Reader Contact: Elko [phone];
Fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/29/95
GENERAL
Personnel Roundup

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00037)
Personnel Roundup 09/29/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- This is a regular
feature, summarizing personnel changes not covered elsewhere by
Newsbytes: Cable & Wireless Inc., Capital Cities/ABC Inc., Spectrum
HoloByte Inc., Level One Communications Inc., Lotus Development Corp.,
General Magic Inc., Databook Inc., AT&T New Media Services, US West
Interactive Services Group, Microsoft Corp., Open Software Foundation,
and Netcom On-Line Communication Services Inc.

Joseph A. Basile, Jr. has been named chief operating officer (COO) of
Cable & Wireless, Inc (703-734-4534). Basile (39), previously held the
position of senior vice president, network and systems operations for
the firm. Basile joined Cable & Wireless in 1991 as senior vice
president, system services.

Capital Cities/ABC Inc. (NYSE: CCB - 212-456-6171) and Spectrum
HoloByte Inc. (Nasdaq: SBYT - 510-814-6336), announced the
appointment of Deborah Cheek-Wahler as general manager of the
previously announced joint venture company formed to develop and
produce interactive game software for personal computers and video
game machines, using the ABC Sports brand. Cheek-Wahler, 41, will
head the company. Most recently, Cheek-Wahler was the vice president,
Marketing for MicroProse, a subsidiary of Spectrum HoloByte.

Level One Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: LEVL - 916-855-5000) has
announced that John Kehoe, 49, has been named vice president of
finance and administration and chief financial officer. Most recently
Kehoe was senior vice president and chief financial officer of Focus
Surgery, a pioneer in high intensity focused ultrasound technology
based in Fremont, California.

Jeffrey R. Beir has been promoted to senior vice president of Lotus
Development Corp.'s (617-693-1284) desktop business group. Beir
succeeds Ilene Lang, who resigned last week for personal reasons.
Beir, most recently vice president of development for new application
technologies, will be responsible for all desktop development and
marketing.

Robert Kelsch has been named chief COO and executive vice president
of General Magic Inc. (Nasdaq: GMGC - 408-774-4040). Kelsch, 49, will
be responsible for setting General Magic's overall product strategy
and managing day-to-day business operations. He will oversee the
company's three newly formed divisions: the Magic Cap Division; the
Telescript Division; and the Worldwide Field Operations Division.

David Moreno has been named vice president of engineering for Databook
Inc. (508-762-9779). In his new role, his responsibilities will
include managing all aspects of engineering development and
manufacturing, and guiding the future direction of the company in the
PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association)
industry. Moreno most recently held the position of vice president
of product development for Software House.

AT&T has announced that it has established an AT&T New Media Services
(617-252-5211) unit in Cambridge, Mass., and named Michael E. Kolowich
to be its president. The unit will create a series of AT&T-branded
information services, targeted primarily at business and professional
markets. Kolowich has been president of AT&T Interchange Online Network
Services. Kolowich was founder of Ziff-Davis Interactive and
PC/Computing magazine.

Larry Levine has been named vice president of Content for US West
Interactive Services Group (303-784-2572). Levine has been vice
president and general manager of US West Communications Broadband
and Multimedia Services Group since January, 1994. In his new role,
Levine will be responsible for working with US West Communications
Group and with US West Media Group to determine domestic and
international cable programming needs, develop and implement a
worldwide content strategy, and cultivate strategic content
relationships for US West.

Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT - 503-245-0905) has appointed Peter
Neupert and Russell Siegelman to vice president. Neupert becomes
vice president of strategic partnerships in the applications and
content group and Siegelman becomes vice president of The Microsoft
Network division. Neupert's previous positions at Microsoft included
managing the international product development strategy for the
worldwide products division, and business operations and product
development for Microsoft's Far East region. Siegelman, 33, was
responsible for the development in just two years of The Microsoft
Network. Prior to forming the MSN division, Siegelman worked on
Microsoft's networking strategy and as a product manager for the
Microsoft Windows operating system in the personal systems division.
He joined the company in 1989.

The Open Software Foundation (617-621-7246) has announced that
Dr. James R. Bell has been named as the interim president and chief
executive officer. Bell succeeds David Tory who recently stepped
down after seven years in the role. Dr. Bell is on sabbatical from
his current position as director of Open Systems Alliances for
Hewlett-Packard (HP). He is responsible for coordinating HP's
strategic relationships and standards activities, particularly
in the area of open systems.

Netcom On-Line Communication Services Inc. (Nasdaq: NETC -
408-556-3211) has announced the addition of Eric V. Goffney as
senior vice president of Customer Support. Goffney will report to
David W. Garrison, president and CEO for Netcom. Most recently,
Goffney has been director of support services for Lotus
Development's cc:Mail division.

(Ian Stokell/19950929)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/29/95
ONLINE
Microsoft Releases Beta of Explorer 2.0 Browser

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(DEN)(00038)
Microsoft Releases Beta of Explorer 2.0 Browser 09/29/95
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ: MSFT) has announced it has released a beta version of
the Microsoft Internet Explorer, version 2.0., the newest version of
its Internet browser for the Windows 95 user interface and operating
system.

Microsoft said the new release adds features like support for
secure transactions, tables, multimedia and 3-D graphics. It also
supports HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) 3.0 tables, access to
Internet newsgroups, a toolbar button for instant access to the
Web search engine, and the ability to run animations using
client-pull technology. You also get "cookies" or tokens which let
Web browsers shop at their favorite Internet online stores.

Explorer includes Favorites, a way to keep track of Internet sites
you have visited and may want to return to quickly, and a search
button on the Explorer toolbar gives you access to search engines
like Yahoo, Lycos and Infoseek. A full e-mail package in Explorer
lets you send and receive mail over the Internet.

The e-mail application is integrated with the Windows 95 Exchange
inbox so all of your mail can be viewed from the same location and
you can maintain a common address book. The mail package also
supports the Internet MIME standard for sending attached files in
Internet mail messages.

Microsoft said security features include support for Secure Sockets
Layer (SSL), RSA encryption and Private Communication Technology.
PCT is an upgrade to the SSL protocol. Explorer will also support
Secure Transaction Technology (STT), an electronic payment
technology jointly developed by Microsoft and Visa International,
when that technology is available. A Microsoft spokesperson told
Newsbytes the STT specifications are available on the Microsoft
Internet home page at the URL http://www.microsoft.com .

The Microsoft-Visa announcement reported earlier this month by
Newsbytes said STT is built as an electronic version of the payment
card system used today, while PCT builds on the current Secure
Sockets Layer (SSL) standard by incorporating "strong
authentication and other technologies we developed for STT,"
according to Microsoft officials and Visa officials. To encourage
widespread adoption, both companies have published STT and PCT
specs on the Internet, so they can be easily incorporated into
other products.

With Web pages becoming more sophisticated, Microsoft said Explorer
2.0 takes advantage of features like embedded video, scrolling
banners, background audio and context-sensitive menus. Explorer
will also support inline Virtual Reality Markup Language (VRML)
for fast viewing of 3-D objects and animations. Microsoft said it
will deliver VRML technology for Explorer and Windows 95 by the end
of 1995.

Other Explorer 2.0 features include progressive rendering,
read-ahead mode, a multithreaded user interface and support for
Hypertext Transport Protocol Keep-Alive. Keep-Alive is a protocol
enhancement that allows the Explore to open and download multiple
items over the same HTTP connection instead of opening a new
connection for each file. You also get support for Windows Shortcuts
to the Internet, an Internet tutorial and search engine and support
for text and graphics drag and drop. Proxy servers, which allow
protected access to the Internet through corporate "firewalls" is
also supported, and users get Realaudio Player. That lets users
with conventional multimedia-capable PCs and a voice grade
telephone line to browse, select and play back audio or audio-based
multimedia content in real time, said Microsoft.

The company said the beta version of Internet Explorer 2.0 will be
available for download from the company's home page on the
Internet (http://www.windows.microsoft.com ) at no charge other than
online time, if applicable, this week. You need Windows 95
installed on your PC in order to use Explorer 2.0.

(Jim Mallory/19950929/Press contact: Kathy Gill, Waggener Edstrom
for Microsoft, 503-245-0905; Public contact: Microsoft,
206-882-8080 or 800-426-9400/EXPLORER950929/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/29/95
TELECOM
Sweden's Ericsson Secures Argentina D-AMPS Contract

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00039)
Sweden's Ericsson Secures Argentina D-AMPS Contract 09/29/95
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- Ericsson has signed an
agreement with two Argentinean cellular operators - Telefonica
Comunicaciones Personales (TCP) and Compania de Comunicaciones
Personales (CCPI) -- for the completion of a nationwide D-AMPS
(Digital American Phone System) cellular network in Argentina.

In parallel with the tri-signatory contract, the Swedish telco has
signed a further deal with Movistar for the extension of the existing
cellular network in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina.

Plans call for the D-AMPS network to service around 200,000
subscribers by the end of the year, with this number rising rapidly in
the first six months of the new year. The value of the linked
contracts is around $200 million, Ericsson officials said.

The D-AMPs network will be one of the first digital networks to
operate in South America, Newsbytes notes, and has been designed to
cope with high levels of city usage. Using cellular will allow
easier calls, especially to destinations outside of Argentina.

"With Ericsson as our supplier, we will be able to offer the same
state-of-the-art technology to all our customers, regardless of
whether they are in small villages or in the big cities," said Martin
Mayorga, general manager of TCP.

Ericsson claims that Argentina will soon be blanketed with an
extensive D-AMPS network using more than 1,300 cellular base stations,
switching calls through Ericsson-supplied mobile switching centers.

The Swedish telco is also supplying a significant amount of its RBS
base stations and the new RBS 884 Macro/Compact base stations, CMOS
network supervision and MiniLink microwave transmission systems for
the project. Much of the equipment is being supplied pre-assembled to
ensure a rapid network rollout.

Both the network operators are linked to France Telecom, Italian STET
and Spanish Telefonica, Newsbytes notes. According to Sven-Christen
Nilsson, Ericsson's vice president and general manager for business
operations, the way the network will be rolled out will ensure even
coverage and less congestion than would be expected from analog
networks.

Nilsson also predicted that, since Argentina will use D-AMPS
technology, there is a significant opportunity in offering
international roaming with D-AMPS customers in the US.

"The addition of Argentina to the D-AMPS coverage area in Latin
America is an important step, enabling operators to provide seamless
coverage throughout the region, and the beginning of inter-regional
roaming with North America and Asia," he said.

(Sylvia Dennis/19950929/Press & Reader Contact: Per Bengtsson,
Information Director, Ericsson [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/29/95
TELECOM
UK - NTL Powers In With Orange Digital Network Contract

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00040)
UK - NTL Powers In With Orange Digital Network Contract 09/29/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- National Transcommunications
Limited (NTL) has announced the signing of a major contract with
Hutchison Orange, the PCN (Personal Communications Network) digital
cellular network that now covers 75 percent of the UK's population.

According to NTL, the five year deal is worth several million pounds
and means that Orange is the second 2 megabit/second (Mbps) customer
for its mobile phone switching net. Orange joins Vodafone, which has
been using NTL since September of last year.

Announcing the deal, Chris Hutchings, general manager of NTL's telecom
services division, said that the NTL SDH (Synchronous Digital
Hierarchy) network will interlink Orange's main cellular exchanges,
supplying multiple circuits on a flexible demand-driven basis. Using
SDH, NTL claims, will offer Orange a high level of reliability and
resilience against downtime.

"The investment we've made in technology and support systems means
that we can deliver unparalleled digital network solutions on a
flexible basis to any telecoms operator," he explained.

(Newsbytes/19950929/Press Contact: Nelson Bostock Communications +44-
171-229-4400; Bruce Randall, NTL [phone]; Richard Rumbelow,
Hutchison Telecom [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/29/95
IBM
IBM, Partners Team On Web-Based Image Search, Printing

(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00041)
IBM, Partners Team On Web-Based Image Search, Printing 09/29/95
ARMONK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- Through a newly inked
deal between IBM, Sedona, and PIP Printing, home users and small
businesses will be able to employ the Web to search for and
remotely print out images on color and black-and-white printers
that offer professional quality output, executives of the three
companies asserted, in an interview with Newsbytes.

Bruce MacDonald, CEO (chief executive officer) of Sedona Systems
Corp., told Newsbytes that users of the new turnkey system will
employ a PC/Macintosh utility that is "the first to combine
multimedia document retrieval with remote electronic printing."

The upcoming Web-based system, which is slated to appear in
January, will employ IBM's QBIC (Query By Image Content) multimedia
search technology, imbedded into Sedona's Reprint software for
remote printing, MacDonald reported.

Users of the system will first search for images on the Sedona Web
home page, download the images, and then transmit those images by
modem, either to the PIP Web page, or to a local PIP store. PIP
will then print out the images, and send the hard copy output by
overnight delivery, either direct to the end user or to a nearby
PIP store, according to the Senoma CEO.

MacDonald added that IBM first reviewed Senoma's Reprint product
about a year ago. "IBM signed an agreement to preload Reprint on
IBM PCs. Then, about six weeks ago, we came across QBIC, from
(IBM's) Santa Teresa Labs," Newsbytes was told. Senoma subsequently
signed with IBM to become QBIC's first third-party licensee, and
with PIP to provide Reprint technology imbedded with QBIC, he
explained.

Larry Bowden, IBM's multimedia brand manager, told Newsbytes that
IBM is now using QBIC in its own products, in addition to offering
the multimedia search technology to licensees on an OEM (original
equipment manufacturer) basis.

"QBIC is a fundamental base technology in which IBM is investing.
This is something that we will use at IBM against all of our media
types, rolling out at different times," Bowden added.

Unlike conventional search technologies, which require words to
appear within documents, QBIC uses "meta data, or word,
descriptors," according to the IBM exec.

If a user is looking for a red-and-yellow sunset, for example, the
descriptors might include "red, yellow, and sunset," he
illustrated. The user might then further specify that the image
should contain "70 percent red, 20 percent yellow, and 10 percent
`other colors.'" QBIC would then present the user with a list of
all images in the object database that fit that description.

IBM currently uses QBIC in its Digital Library, as well as in its
Ultimedia Manager product, Bowden noted. "And we are also
considering QBIC for use in a number of other areas," he continued.

Within the Digital Library, the multimedia search engine is used to
search for musical and sound "engagements," Newsbytes was told.
"The core technologies in our Digital Library are extensible into
different areas," he added. In the future, one of these areas might
include "police engagements," according to the director of
multimedia brand management.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19950929/Reader Contact: IBM, 914-765-1900; Press
Contacts: Rick Bause, IBM, 914-766-1750; Parna Sarkar-Basu,
Margaret Bonilla, or Pooneh Rassekh, Brodeur & Partners for IBM,
617-622-2800; Bruce MacDonald, Sedona Systems, 602-991-8246; Susan
Falck, PIP Printing, 880-3843)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/29/95
GENERAL
Newsbytes Week In Review

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00042)
Newsbytes Week In Review 09/29/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- This is a
look at the top stories this week, listing with their category code: Microsoft
Ships C2 Security Release Of Windows NT, Apple Restarts PowerBook
5300 Shipments, Netscape Offers Beta Version Security Fix, More On Time
Warner-Turner Merger & US West Protest, SGI & NCSA Create National
Data Laboratory, Microsoft & MCI Announce Networking Alliance,
Compaq Considers "Disposable" PCs Under $500, Unix Expo - Catholic
Church Launches Web Site, Unitel Restructuring Will Give AT&T Larger
Stake, Chip Spy Says Feds Set Him Up, Will Novell Dump WordPerfect?,
Microsoft & Visa Publish Secure Transaction Specs, Networld+Interop -
Netscape Says No To Provider Wars, High Court To Hear Lotus-Borland
Copyright Dispute, Seybold - Hitachi Intros Graphics Tablet,
Euro Piracy Costs 87,000 Jobs, $2.3 Billion Says BSA, US Online Data
Officials Say Budget Cutbacks "Cause For Alarm," Seagate and Conner
Confirm Merger, Novell Previews Global Network Vision, MCI Becomes
World's Fastest Telecom Network, CompuServe To Debut Online Ads.

Microsoft Ships C2 Security Release Of Windows NT (NETWORK)

REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 25 (NB) -- Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ: MSFT) has announced availability of a C2-level security release
for Windows NT Workstation and Windows NT Server version 3.5, and his
signed an agreement with Starnine Technologies Inc. for that company to
develop, market, sell and support the Microsoft Mail server for AppleTalk
networks.

Apple Restarts PowerBook 5300 Shipments (APPLE)

CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 25 (NB) -- Almost one week after
Apple Computer (NASDAQ:AAPL) stopped shipments of its first PowerPC-based
notebook, the PowerBook 5300, the company says it is ready to ship new
models with a nickel-metal-hydride battery. Customers can expect to see
a $100 retail price reduction on the entire series.

Netscape Offers Beta Version Security Fix (ONLINE)

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 25 (NB) -- Netscape
Communications (NASDAQ:NCSA) says it will offer a beta version security
update to correct a flaw found in its Navigator software. After learning
two University of California at Berkeley students found the flaw and
posted their discovery on the Internet, Netscape quickly announced the
problem to the general public and promised a prompt software correction.

More On Time Warner-Turner Merger & US West Protest (BUSINESS)

DENVER, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 25 (NB) -- Doug Holmes, the vice
president and chief financial officer of US West Media Group,
called the proposed merger of Time Warner and Turner Broadcasting
System "a conflict of interest and a breach of fiduciary
responsibility" as he provided a glimpse into the complicated
way conglomerate businesses are often structured, but seldom seen
by the general public. Holmes' remarks were made during a
teleconference Friday afternoon.

SGI & NCSA Create National Data Laboratory (TRENDS)

CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 26 (NB) -- Silicon Graphics
Inc. (NYSE: SGI) and the National Center for Supercomputing
Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
have announced that they will create a National Data Laboratory for
high-performance commercial computing applications. Silicon Graphics,
through the National Data Lab, will deliver technology to commercial
markets such as finance, telecommunications, and manufacturing .

Microsoft & MCI Announce Networking Alliance (NETWORK)

ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 26 (NB) -- MCI Inc. (NASDAQ:MCIC)
and Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) have announced a joint marketing
agreement where MCI will join its network services with Microsoft
Windows NT and BackOffice software to provide wide area network
(WAN) "solutions."

Compaq Considers "Disposable" PCs Under $500 (PC)

HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 26 (NB) -- A Compaq Computer Corp.
(NYSE: CPQ) marketing executive has resurrected a concept for a line
of PCs in the $500 range to meet consumer demand for computers in
Eastern Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Unix Expo - Catholic Church Launches Web Site (ONLINE)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 26 (NB) -- In a press
conference at Unix Expo, the Roman Catholic Church announced plans
to pave the "info highway" for Pope John Paul II's visit to the US
in October with a new home page on the Web called the Catholic
Information Center on the Internet (CICI).

Unitel Restructuring Will Give AT&T Larger Stake (TELECOM)

TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 SEP 27 (NB) -- The three shareholders of
Unitel Communications Inc. have agreed on a restructuring that will leave
AT&T (NYSE:T) with slightly less than half the company and three Canadian
banks with the rest. Rogers Communications Inc. and Canadian Pacific Ltd.,
both of which had already written off their investments in the money-losing
long-distance company, will give up their interests and get no money back.

Chip Spy Says Feds Set Him Up (CHIP)

PHOENIX, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 27 (NB) -- In a plot that sounds
like the story line for the latest best-selling spy thriller, a
software engineer charged with stealing computer secrets said he
was set up by the federal government.

Will Novell Dump WordPerfect? (BUSINESS)

OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 27 (NB) -- The recent restructuring of
Novell Corp. (NASDAQ: NOVL) apparently won't include dumping
WordPerfect, the popular word processing program Novell acquired
when it merged with WordPerfect Corp. However, a statement made by
Robert Frankenberg this week may have left the door open for some
sort of change.

Microsoft & Visa Publish Secure Transaction Specs (ONLINE)

NAPERVILLE, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 27 (NB) -- Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ:MSFT) and Visa International said they've published two
specifications that will secure payments over public networks,
like the Internet, and private networks. In a separate announcement,
Spyglass Inc. (NASDAQ:SPYG) said it will develop and be the prime
licensee of the new specifications, to be called Secure Transaction
Technology (STT) and Private Communication Technology (PCT).

Networld+Interop - Netscape Says No To Provider Wars (ONLINE)

ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 27 (NB) -- With its
announcement last week that it intends to spend $100 million to
buy message-based collaborative software firm Collabra Software,
Netscape Communications is broadening its reach in Internet-based
services. Yet, there's one major type of service that Netscape Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) and President Jim Barksdale says the newly
public, "flush-with-cash" firm will never get into: the Internet
access provider, point-of-presence wars.

High Court To Hear Lotus-Borland Copyright Dispute (LEGAL)

WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 SEP 28 (NB) -- The US Supreme
Court yesterday agreed to decide the long-running copyright
dispute between Lotus and Borland over the command structure of
Lotus's 1-2-3 spreadsheet program. The decision is a major
victory for Lotus, now owned by IBM.

Seybold - Hitachi Intros Graphics Tablet (TRENDS)

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A, 1995 SEP 28 (NB) -- Hitachi, which
markets its MultiPad professional graphics tablet, has unveiled a smaller,
less expensive model called StudioPad. With a suggested $200 price tag,
this compliment to MultiPad is designed for "graphics professionals and
upscale home users."

Euro Piracy Costs 87,000 Jobs, $2.3 Billion Says BSA (LEGAL)

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- The Business Software
Alliance has released a report that indicates if European software
piracy could be reduced to the US level, tens of thousands of new
jobs would be created and billions in additional tax revenues
generated.

US Online Data Officials Say Budget Cutbacks "Cause For Alarm" (GOVT)

ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- The director of the US
Government's largest publicly accessible online information system
said that large cutbacks in the overall federal budget is a "cause
for alarm" for the government's information infrastructure.

Seagate and Conner Confirm Merger (BUSINESS)

CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- Rumors of merger talks between
Seagate and Conner Peripherals have been confirmed by both parties.
The deal is waiting for the approval by both boards of directors and the
legal paperwork and the final vote of stockholders in the two firms.

Novell Previews Global Network Vision (NETWORK)

OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- Novell Inc. (NASDAQ: NOVL)
has announced several strategic initiatives the company said will
promote delivery of its vision of pervasive computing called the
Smart Global Network, but specific details are still sketchy. Novell
said its goal is to achieve one billion networked connections by
the year 2000.

MCI Becomes World's Fastest Telecom Network (TELECOM)

DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- MCI Inc. (NASDAQ:MCIC)
said it is now the "fastest telecommunications company in the world,"
because it has deployed technology that lets it transmit information
across its digital network at a speed of 10 gigabits, or 10 billion
bits of information per second.

CompuServe To Debut Online Ads (ONLINE)

COLUMBUS, OHIO, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- When version 2.0
of CompuServe's Windows CompuServe Information Manager (WINCIM), is
installed on subscribers' computers, CompuServe will begin its first
paid advertisements online. Promised to be unobtrusive
and value-added, the ads are being sold from $2,500 to $20,000.

(Ian Stokell/19950929)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00043)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 09/29/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 29 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|           Friday, September 29, 1995           |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network's 1995 Update CD-ROM for Mac, DOS, and Windows is
now available for $29.95 (includes s&h). Contains 1983-1995 news
stories, more than 64,000 keyword searchable stories and 475 digitized
images. For more information or to order, fax to 612-430-0441 or e-mail
to '[e-mail]' -- MC, Visa, Amex accepted.

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

APPLE     Seybold - Apple's Spindler Touts Macs On The Internet...... 01

APPLE     Seybold - Quark Releases Publishing System 1.11............ 03

APPLE     Editorial - Apple Faces Tough Times........................ 29

BROADCAST UK - BBC Inaugurates World's First Digital Radio System.... 24

BUSINESS   ****Seagate and Conner Confirm Merger..................... 14

BUSINESS  Computer Sciences Strategic Alliance With SAS.............. 21

BUSINESS  Advantage Memory And Memory International Merge............ 33

GENERAL   Japan Newsbriefs........................................... 09

GENERAL   HK IT Expo Opens On Internet Traffic Jam................... 15

GENERAL   Anaheim, Dallas Featuring ComputerMania.................... 26

GENERAL   China - Technology Newsbriefs.............................. 30

GENERAL   Personnel Roundup.......................................... 37

GENERAL   Newsbytes Week In Review................................... 42

GOVT       ****US Online Data Officials Say Budget Cutbacks.......... 06

GOVT      US NTIS To Debut World News Connection November 1.......... 07

GOVT      SEC Launches Internet Site................................. 10

GOVT      US Continues Visa Restrictions to Indian SW Professionals.. 31

IBM       More On Lotus's NotesPump Database Integration Tool........ 34

IBM       IBM To Make PCs In Czech Republic Under License............ 36

IBM       IBM, Partners Team On Web-Based Image Search, Printing..... 41

LEGAL      ****Euro Piracy Costs 87,000 Jobs, $2.3 Billion Says BSA.. 04

LEGAL     Thailand - BSA Offers Cash Reward To Nab Pirates........... 12

LEGAL     Six Russians Arrested As Citibank Scam Unravels............ 16

NETWORK    ****Novell Previews Global Network Vision................. 17

ONLINE    USENIX/LISA - Computer Security Is Not Enough.............. 20

ONLINE    AP, Weekly World News Now On America Online................ 22

ONLINE    Microsoft, Paramount Launch Star Trek On Microsoft Network. 23

ONLINE     ****CompuServe To Debut Online Ads........................ 28

ONLINE    Germany's Vebacom To Take Stake In Europe Online........... 35

ONLINE    Microsoft Releases Beta of Explorer 2.0 Browser............ 38

PC        Germany - Compaq Unveils LTE 5000 Notebook Series.......... 19

TELECOM   Japan - NTT To Open Local Telephone Network................ 08

TELECOM   US Court Clears PCS Auction................................ 11

TELECOM   IBM Picks Thailand For Regional Network Hub................ 13

TELECOM   France - Alcatel Secures $300M Digital Phone Contract...... 18

TELECOM    ****MCI Becomes World's Fastest Telecom Network........... 25

TELECOM   Big Pentagon Telecom Procurement Coming.................... 27

TELECOM   Sweden's Ericsson Secures Argentina D-AMPS Contract........ 39

TELECOM   UK - NTL Powers In With Orange Digital Network Contract.... 40

TRENDS    Seybold - The Future Of Print.............................. 02

TRENDS    Seybold - New Challenges From The Internet................. 05

WINDOWS   Vendors Announces Windows NT Telephony API Support......... 32

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 -> Seybold - Apple's Spindler Touts Macs On The Internet -- Apple's
chief executive officer, Michael Spindler, opened the Seybold conference
in San Francisco with a keynote boasting of the use of Macintoshes on
the Internet and hailing the use of the Internet for publishing by
individuals.

2 -> Seybold - The Future Of Print -- Seybold San Francisco 95
Conference and Expo's second keynote, called The Future of Print, was
delivered by six industry leaders, who proclaimed that print is not
dead, but due to the influence of electronic publishing, is evolving
into something new.

3 -> Seybold - Quark Releases Publishing System 1.11 -- Quark, a
developer and marketer of software for graphics professionals and
publishers, released version 1.11 of Quark Publishing System (QPS). The
company also announced an agreement with Digital Equipment Corporation.

4 ->  ****Euro Piracy Costs 87,000 Jobs, $2.3 Billion Says BSA -- The
Business Software Alliance has released a report that indicates if
European software piracy could be reduced to the US level, tens of
thousands of new jobs would be created and billions in additional tax
revenues generated.

5 -> Seybold - New Challenges From The Internet --Yuri Rubinsky of
SoftQuad gave the Seybold San Francisco audience a whirlwind overview of
what's happening with the new technology on the Internet. Rubinsky has
been involved with the Internet through a number of different founding
committees and he is know for his involvement with the development of
Internet languages SGML and HTML.

6 ->  ****US Online Data Officials Say Budget Cutbacks -- The director
of the US Government's largest publicly accessible online information
system  said that large cutbacks in the overall federal budget is a
"cause  for alarm" for the government's information infrastructure.

7 -> US NTIS To Debut World News Connection November 1 -- The US
Government's daily collection of news summaries from around the world,
used for internal intelligence and decision-making purposes,  will be
made available to the public starting Nov. 1.

8 -> Japan - NTT To Open Local Telephone Network -- Nippon Telegraph and
Telephone is to open its local telephone network to competitors,
allowing many more access points onto the NTT system than at present
,which, the company said, will lead to a more competitive marketplace.

9 -> Japan Newsbriefs -- In this roundup of news from Japan, profits up
at Japan Telecom - newspaper, NTT reviews Pocket Bell pricing, Sanyo
establishes new Chinese venture, Americans join Japan cellular group,
Matsushita plans China expansion, online karaoke system planned.

10 -> SEC Launches Internet Site -- Securities and Exchange Commission
Chairman Arthur Levitt just became the first user of the SEC's new site
on the World Wide Web. The site offers free public access to be agency's
Edgar database of filings at http:// www.sec.com .

11 -> US Court Clears PCS Auction -- A federal appeals court yesterday
cleared the way for the Federal Communications Commission to hold its
long-delayed special of licenses for personal communications systems.

12 -> Thailand - BSA Offers Cash Reward To Nab Pirates -- The Business
Software Alliance (BSA), in its efforts to track down corporate users of
pirated software, has announced a campaign to reward informers in
Thailand who provide information leading to the conviction of a company
that uses unlicensed software.

13 -> IBM Picks Thailand For Regional Network Hub -- IBM (Thailand) is
expected to become a regional hub for the IBM Global Network (IGN) as
well as become the third active Internet services provider by the end of
this month.

14 ->  ****Seagate and Conner Confirm Merger -- Rumors of merger talks
between Seagate and Conner Peripherals have been confirmed by both
parties. The deal is waiting for the approval by both boards of
directors and the legal paperwork and the final vote of stockholders in
the two firms.

15 -> HK IT Expo Opens On Internet Traffic Jam -- Hong Kong's IT Expo
opened on Wednesday for a four-day spree and organizers said at 5pm on
the opening day that 10,000 visitors had already been through the doors.
It's the sixth Expo and so far the largest, with over 240 exhibitors
attending.

16 -> Six Russians Arrested As Citibank Scam Unravels -- Russian Police
have arrested six people in connection with a $2.8 million scam
allegedly perpetrated on Citibank.

17 ->  ****Novell Previews Global Network Vision -- Novell Inc. (NASDAQ:
NOVL) has announced several strategic initiatives the company said will
promote delivery of its vision of pervasive computing called the Smart
Global Network, but specific details are still sketchy. Novell said its
goal is to achieve one billion networked connections by the year 2000.

18 -> France - Alcatel Secures $300M Digital Phone Contract -- Alcatel
has secured a $300 million contract for the supply of digital mobile
telephony equipment from the Hermes Europe rail telephony consortium
known as Hermes Europe Railtel, a joint venture between Global
TeleSystems in the US and 11 country rail operators around Europe.

19 -> Germany - Compaq Unveils LTE 5000 Notebook Series -- Compaq Europe
has unveiled the LTE 5000, a 64-bit notebook PC it claims is one of the
powerful in the PC industry, and promises the machine will be available
later this year in Compaq's Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region
with a price tag around US$4,400.

20 -> USENIX/LISA - Computer Security Is Not Enough -- Via Clarinet.
Even the best computer security in the world is not enough to protect
the confidential data of the world's major corporations, according to
Ira Winkler of Science Applications International Corp. Winkler spoke at
a security highlights panel recently at the LISA 95 Systems
administration conference, sponsored by USENIX (The Unix Users
Association) and SAGE (The System Administrator's Guild).

21 -> Computer Sciences Strategic Alliance With SAS -- Computer Sciences
Corp. (NYSE:CSC) announced a three-year strategic alliance with the SAS
Institute, the nation's ninth largest independent software vendor. The
alliance makes Computer Sciences (CSC) one of the SAS's major systems
integration and consulting partners.

22 -> AP, Weekly World News Now On America Online -- The latest
happenings at the O.J. Simpson double murder trial, and "coverage" of
Bigfoot being shot and killed in Montana are just two of the diverse
stories that are being covered by America Online's (NASDAQ:AMER) (AOL)
new media partners. The online service said the Associated Press (AP)
wire service and the Weekly World News supermarket tabloid are now
available to its subscribers.

23 -> Microsoft, Paramount Launch Star Trek On Microsoft Network -- The
starship "Enterprise" will soon fly again, this time in the vacuum of
Internet space, thanks to a partnership between Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:
MSFT) and Paramount Television. The deal will also let you re-play your
favorite Entertainment Tonight shows. Microsoft said this week it will
show exclusive content from Paramount's "Star Trek" and "Entertainment
Tonight" properties on the Microsoft Network (MSN) online service.

24 -> UK - BBC Inaugurates World's First Digital Radio System -- The
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has announced the availability of
digital radio in the London area, and unveiled plans to roll the service
out progressively across the UK over the next five years. The move means
that the BBS is the first broadcaster to actively support and start its
own digital radio system. The bad news is that, as yet, there are no
digital radios in the stores, nor will there be at least until the end
of next year.

25 ->  ****MCI Becomes World's Fastest Telecom Network -- MCI Inc.
(NASDAQ:MCIC) said it is now the "fastest telecommunications company in
the world," because it has deployed technology that lets it transmit
information across its digital network at a speed of 10 gigabits, or 10
billion bits of information per second.

26 -> Anaheim, Dallas Featuring ComputerMania -- ComputerMania, a new
series of hands-on interactive shows by Softbank, will give consumers
their first glimpse of the home computer products available this holiday
season. More than 75 companies will be demonstrating hardware and
software as ComputerMania stops at the Anaheim Convention Center
(September 29-October 1, 1995) and Dallas Infomart (October 13-15,
1995).

27 -> Big Pentagon Telecom Procurement Coming -- Major
telecommunications companies are working on bids for a Pentagon contract
known as the "mega-network" and one of the biggest telecommunications
projects ever. The multi-billion dollar contract will consolidate
military voice, data and video linkages worldwide in a major upgrade of
the Defense Information Systems Network (DISN).

28 ->  ****CompuServe To Debut Online Ads -- When version 2.0 of
CompuServe's Windows CompuServe Information Manager (WINCIM), is
installed on subscribers' computers, CompuServe will begin its first
paid advertisements online. Promised to be unobtrusive and value-added,
the ads are being sold from $2,500 to $20,000.

29 -> Editorial - Apple Faces Tough Times -- By Kennedy Maize. Apple
Computer is facing the most perilous time in its corporate history. It's
a reasonable bet that, this time next year, there won't be an Apple as a
free-standing company.

30 -> China - Technology Newsbriefs -- In the technology news roundup
from China, US-based Maxtor expects 15 percent of hard disk drive
market, Shaanxi's Intellectual Property Right Exchange Market starts
operation, Hebei province plans to promote more electronics production,
and the electronics industry soars in Shenyang city of Liaoning
Province.

31 -> US Continues Visa Restrictions to Indian SW Professionals -- The
Indian Government's inability to pin down the US on its move to ban free
movement of software professionals has made it possible for the latter
to impose visa restrictions, thereby circumventing the concessions
gained by India on the movement of India's citizens under WTO, according
to commerce ministry officials in the country.

32 -> Vendors Announces Windows NT Telephony API Support -- More than a
dozen telephone switching and voice processing equipment companies have
jumped on the Microsoft Windows NT Telephony API (Application
Programming Interface) bandwagon, announcing support for the
telecommunications technology. The TAPI allows Windows NT to function as
a telephony client or a telephony server for uses such as application
servers for PBX telephone systems, call center and automatic call
distribution systems, interactive voice response servers, voice
messaging and other communications applications.

33 -> Advantage Memory And Memory International Merge -- Advantage
Memory and Memory International, both suppliers of memory and PC cards
to the computer industry, have agreed to a $70 million merger. Citing a
boom in their memory business, the two companies say this is the time to
leverage their combined strengths and business relationships.

34 -> More On Lotus's NotesPump Database Integration Tool -- Lotus's
newly rolled out NotesPump tool for Notes/RDBMS (relational database
management system) integration reflects plans by Lotus to expand Notes'
customer base from a current level of 2 million users to 20 million
users, a ten-fold growth rate that will benefit Lotus's partners in
addition to Lotus, maintained Tim Dempsey, Lotus's director of Notes
marketing, in an interview with Newsbytes.

35 -> Germany's Vebacom To Take Stake In Europe Online -- After several
weeks of rumors, Vebacom has announced it plans to take up to a 10
percent stake in Europe Online, the yet-to-launch pan-European online
service.

36 -> IBM To Make PCs In Czech Republic Under License -- IBM Europe has
announced plans to start manufacturing its PCs in Prague, in the Czech
Republic, in order to meet rising demand for hardware in Central and
Eastern Europe.

37 -> Personnel Roundup -- This is a regular feature, summarizing
personnel changes not covered elsewhere by Newsbytes: Cable & Wireless
Inc., Capital Cities/ABC Inc., Spectrum HoloByte Inc., Level One
Communications Inc., Lotus Development Corp., General Magic Inc.,
Databook Inc., AT&T New Media Services, US West Interactive Services
Group, Microsoft Corp., Open Software Foundation, and Netcom On-Line
Communication Services Inc.

38 -> Microsoft Releases Beta of Explorer 2.0 Browser -- Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ: MSFT) has announced it has released a beta version of the
Microsoft Internet Explorer, version 2.0., the newest version of its
Internet browser for the Windows 95 user interface and operating system.

39 -> Sweden's Ericsson Secures Argentina D-AMPS Contract -- Ericsson
has signed an agreement with two Argentinean cellular operators -
Telefonica Comunicaciones Personales (TCP) and Compania de
Comunicaciones Personales (CCPI)

40 -> UK - NTL Powers In With Orange Digital Network Contract --
National Transcommunications Limited (NTL) has announced the signing of
a major contract with Hutchison Orange, the PCN (Personal Communications
Network) digital cellular network that now covers 75 percent of the UK's
population.

41 -> IBM, Partners Team On Web-Based Image Search, Printing -- Through
a newly inked deal between IBM, Sedona, and PIP Printing, home users and
small businesses will be able to employ the Web to search for and
remotely print out images on color and black-and-white printers that
offer professional quality output, executives of the three companies
asserted, in an interview with Newsbytes.

42 -> Newsbytes Week In Review -- This is a look at the top stories this
week, listing with their category code: Microsoft Ships C2 Security
Release Of Windows NT, Apple Restarts PowerBook 5300 Shipments, Netscape
Offers Beta Version Security Fix, More On Time Warner-Turner Merger & US
West Protest, SGI & NCSA Create National Data Laboratory, Microsoft &
MCI Announce Networking Alliance, Compaq Considers "Disposable" PCs
Under $500, Unix Expo - Catholic Church Launches Web Site, Unitel
Restructuring Will Give AT&T Larger Stake, Chip Spy Says Feds Set Him
Up, Will Novell Dump WordPerfect?, Microsoft & Visa Publish Secure
Transaction Specs, Networld+Interop - Netscape Says No To Provider Wars,
High Court To Hear Lotus-Borland Copyright Dispute, Seybold - Hitachi
Intros Graphics Tablet, Euro Piracy Costs 87,000 Jobs, $2.3 Billion Says
BSA, US Online Data  Officials Say Budget Cutbacks "Cause For Alarm,"
Seagate and Conner  Confirm Merger, Novell Previews Global Network
Vision, MCI Becomes  World's Fastest Telecom Network, CompuServe To
Debut Online Ads.

(Wendy Woods/19950929)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/28/95
BROADCAST
 ****Philips Plans Set-Top For Web, MCD For Video/Audio/Data

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(BOS)(00001)
 ****Philips Plans Set-Top For Web, MCD For Video/Audio/Data 09/28/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 28 (NB) -- Over the next
year or so, Philips and its partners will roll out a new set-top
box providing Web connectivity to TV sets over standard phone
lines, plus a variety of systems that are based on the new
MCD (Multimedia Compact Disk) high density, "high resolution" CD
format for interoperable use with CD-ROM, CD-Audio, Video CD, and
CD-I (compact disk interactive), Philips officials revealed, at a
press briefing attended by Newsbytes in Boston.

Robert Van Eijk, director of CD Recordable Products, told reporters
and analysts at the briefing that Philips expects to ship complete
MCD systems as well as OEM (original equipment manufacturer)
components supporting audio, video and data in late 1996, and to
add support for rewritable MCD in 1997.

Philips will also produce MCD-compliant stand-alone consumer
devices, said Dr. Ir. Frans J. Van Empel, program manager for
multimedia, speaking with Newsbytes during the press event, one of
several group briefings presented by Philips in Boston.

Philips and Sony first proposed MCD, an optical disk format that
combines features of the MMCD (Multi Media Compact Disk) and SD
formats, in August, to members of an industry group called the SD
Alliance, according to the Philips officials. In the following
weeks, the MCD standard was fine-tuned, and received the
endorsement of major PC makers and Hollywood studios.

Van Eijk said that other manufacturers will also produce
MCD-compliant products in the 1996 to 1997 time-frame, but that
some of these products might ship either somewhat earlier or
somewhat later than Philips' products.

In addition to supplying an interoperable format for CD-ROM, CD-
Audio, Video CD, and CD-I, MCD will allow for the same "D-1 quality
resolution" currently seen in major Hollywood films, the Phliips
execs maintained, during a demo of an MCD edition of the movie
"Three Weddings and a Funeral" on a prototype MCD television
system.

TV systems, computers, and other systems based on MCD will be
backward-compatible with all previously released CD-ROM, CD-Audio,
Video CD, and CD-I optical disks, the officials contended.

In another demo, Frans Speijer, an international marketing rep for
Philips, showed the briefing attendees in Boston a prototype of
Philips' new TV set top box for the Web. In its current
incarnation, the system consists of a Philips CD-I set top box,
with a special CD-I disk that provides both an HTML (hypertext
markup language)-compatible browser and the communications software
needed for connecting the box and TV set to the Internet, according
to Speijer. The system also requires a 14.4 megabits-per-second
(Mbps) modem.

Speijer informed Newsbytes that Philips has begun testing the new
"set-top box for the Web" with British Telecom in the UK, and that
the company is now about to finalize a deal for a trial of the TV-
to-Web connectivity system with an affiliate of another major
European telecommunications provider.

Dan Godwin, director of new business development, told Newsbytes
that Philips is also in the process of entering negotiations for
Web set-top box trials with several major telecommunications
carriers in the US.

Philips currently expects to charge about $500 for the Web set-top
system, a price that will include a subscription for an optical
disc with quarterly updates, according to the officials.

Plans call for the user to enter a "Philips Online" home page when
signing on to the Web, with information from advertisers and
hyperlinks to other Web sites.

Speijer told the journalists and analysts that Philips envisions
the TV set-top box as a way of bringing Web access to many millions
of US and European homes that are not yet equipped with PCs.

Van Eijk told the group that industry opinion is divided as to
whether the MCD market will be driven primarily by the consumer or
business side.

Video CD is presently more popular in Europe and Japan than in the
US, where videocassette recorders (VCRs) tend to prevail instead,
he acknowledged.

Unlike current CDs, which are based on single-layer, single-sided
discs, MCD will give CD makers the option of using either single or
dual layers (or "substrates"), and either one or both sides of a
disk, according to Van Eijk.

Dual-substrate capability is what provides the ability for
"cinematic-quality" resolution, he contended, illustrating this
point by pausing "Three Weddings and a Funeral" several times to
show the fine detail displayed in photographic images such as a
wedding veil and a strand of pearls.

Dual-substrate provides CD makers with flexibility in "focusing,"
much like a camera lets the user "place the focus on either the
fence, or the house behind the fence," the attendees were told.
Philips has dubbed its MCD-based dual-layer CD technology DVD
(Digital Video Disk).

The DVD edition of "Three Weddings and a Funeral," which was shown
on a European-built prototype MMCD TV system from Philips, was
encoded in SECAM. But MCD also allows for encoding in MPEG (Motion
Picture Experts Group)-2, PAL, and NTSC (North American Television
Standards Committee) video.

The MCD specification also calls for EFM (Extended Functionality
Mode) Plus signal modulation and RS-PC error-correction code, plus
a choice of form factors for standard and "miniature" CDs, the
executives reported. Van Empel told Newsbytes that Philips will use
both MCD form factors.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19950927/Reader Contact: Philips Media Inc., 310-
444-6600; Press Contacts: Martin Gordon, Philips Media, 310-444-
6501; Marijke van Horren, Philips Electronics NV, 31-40-734-866)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/28/95
NETWORK
Zenith Data Systems Adds To Server Line, NetWare Support

(NEWS)(NETWORK)(MSP)(00002)
Zenith Data Systems Adds To Server Line, NetWare Support 09/28/95
BUFFALO GROVE, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 28 (NB) -- Zenith Data
Systems (ZDS) said it will support quad processors for its Z-Server
MX network server platform, and a higher speed option for its dual
processor Z-Server WG server line. The company also announced
support for NetWare 4.1 SMP on its entire Z-Server line of
multiprocessor server platforms.

These additional configurations mean ZDS customers can buy servers
that range from a single 75 megahertz (MHz) Pentium processor to quad
100MHz or dual 120MHz systems, ZDS officials said.

The Z-Server MX will now support single, twin, or quad 100MHz Pentium
processors, officials said, at either the time of purchase or through
a field upgrade. It can also support up to six hot-plug SCSI (small
computer systems interface) drives, up to one megabyte (MB) dedicated
CPU (central processing unit) cache, and up to 768MB of memory. The MX
is backed by a three-year, on-site, next-business-day limited warranty.
Both the server and the processor upgrades are available now from ZDS
authorized resellers and distributors.

The Z-Server WG line now support single or dual 75MHz, 90MHz, or 120MHz
Pentium processors, either off-the-shelf or field-upgradeable. As with
the MX, the WG server and processor upgrades are now available through
distributors and resellers.

In addition, all Z-Server machines will now support the NetWare 4.1
SMP operating system. Company officials said ZDS has committed to
delivering NetWare 4.1 SMP to its customers as soon as all software
and hardware components have been thoroughly tested and certified.

ZDS seems to be making a bigger push into the network server arena.
Earlier this month the company announced it is bringing to market
new servers based on the PowerPC microprocessor, targeted to the
business-critical application server. The PowerPC line will support
both single processor and multiprocessor platforms.

At the time, Steve Bosak, ZDS spokesperson, told Newsbytes his company
is making a move into the PowerPC market because "off-the-shelf Intel
parts can't get you to a certain segment of the marketplace with
servers."

For informational purposes, ZDS maintains an Internet World Wide
presence at http://www.zds.com .

(Bob Woods/19950927/Press Contacts: Steve Bosak, Zenith Data Systems,
708-808-4855; Public Contact: Zenith Data Systems, 800-533-0331)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/28/95
TRENDS
 ****Symposium Looks At Wearable Computers

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(WAS)(00003)
 ****Symposium Looks At Wearable Computers 09/28/95
FAIRFAX, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 28 (NB) -- Holy socks Batman,
wearable computers! Computer Products & Services Inc. (CPSI) is running
a technical symposium on wearable computers next week in Washington's
Virginia suburbs.

In a written announcement, the company says, "Wearable computers
represent a new paradigm in hands-free mobile computing that is
just beginning to take off as a productivity tool." It's an
evolution from desktop to laptop to "skintop."

CPSI has begun shipping the first commercially wearable
computing system, called the Mobile Assistant. It features a
fully functional, belt-mounted personal computer the size of a
canteen, a head-mounted display, a spoken interface, and a
lithium ion battery pack.

The company says wearable computers are a natural for jobs in
areas such as maintenance, repair, and inspection, where a worker
needs to access computer generated data while leaving the hands
free for other purposes.

The company says many of the advances that have led to the notion of
wearable computers were pioneered in a military setting.

But there are other applications, from medicine to warehousing to
distribution, that could benefit from hands free, heads up
computing.

The symposium on October 3 will begin with a session devoted to
descriptions of the need for wearable computers and what the
requirements for this technology might be. Some observers feel
such devices will be commonplace in five years.

The symposium will also look at the state-of-the-art in
belt-mounted technology, batteries, and heads up displays. As
Apple recently found with its new Powerbooks, battery technology
is critical, and no-one with a computer around the waist wants
batteries that break into flames.

According to CPSI,  speakers at the symposium will include
representatives from the Defense Department's Advanced Research
Projects Agency, AT&T, Rockwell International, and consultants
Booz Allen.

(Kennedy Maize/19950928/Press Contact: Carol Covin, 703-631-6925)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/28/95
ONLINE
Internet Update

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00004)
Internet Update 09/28/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 SEP 28 (NB) -- In this roundup of new products and
services on the global Internet: Real change on the Internet, Swiss,
German governments resources, Yucky home page debuts, Live jazz on the
net, Irish film festival, Internet audio mailing list, Interactive
insurance launches, Australian observatory online.

Real Change On The Internet

The Real Change is a newspaper sold by homeless people in Seattle.
The newspaper has made available its content on the Internet which
includes news, opinion, art, poetry and photography regarding issues
of poverty and class. The newspaper is also calling for the establishment
of similar newspapers in every major US city before the turn of the
century. World Wide Web: http://www.speakeasy.org/realchange/

Swiss, German Governments Resources

The Swiss government has begun loading official documents onto the
World Wide Web. Most of the papers are available in Switzerland's
official languages of German, French and Italian but an increasing
number are also being made available in English.
World Wide Web: http://www.admin.ch/

Six German politicians are presenting themselves and their work in
the Bundestag and local regions on the Internet. Each represents a
different political party and the site is the work of Woche Im
Bundestag, a weekly newspaper reporting politics and the happens in
the German Federal Parliament.
World Wide Web: http://www.fu-berlin.de/POLWISS/mdb-projekt/

Yucky Home Page Debuts

Liberty Science Center and New Jersey Online have started what the two
call the "Yuckiest Site on the Internet." The subject matter, all
devoted to science, is presented in a "yucky-yet fascinating" way
which will attract children to the pages and encourage them to become
science enthusiasts. First under the eye of the service will be
cockroaches. Kids can learn about them from science center staff and
entomologist Dr. Betty Faber, known to children as "The Bug Lady."
World Wide Web: http://www.nj.com/yucky

Live Jazz On The Net

The Warner Bros/Reprise Records Jazz department has announced its
first live concert to take place on the Internet. On October 5 at
7pm EST from the Fashion Cafe in New York City, the record company
will broadcast a concert by the Joshua Redman Quartet. To hear the
concert users need a copy of the Streamworks live audio software
produced by Xing Technology and available for Windows and Mac.
World Wide Web: http://www.jazzonln.com/JAZZ/WBjazz.htm

Irish Film Festival

Details and information on the 40th Cork International Film Festival
can be found on the Internet. The screening program, contact details
and booking information for the entire event from October 1st to 8th
are available,
World Wide Web: http://www.eirenet.net/ciff/

Internet Audio Mailing List

This year has seen the start of several new technologies that carry
live audio across the Internet such as Digiphone, IPhone, NetPhone,
WebChat, RealAudio, Streamworks, Truespeech, and PowWow. A new mailing
list has been set up to enable discussion of all the software from an
end-user and technological aspect.
Email: [e-mail]
Message Body: subscribe von-digest

Interactive Insurance Launches

Miami, Florida-based Inter@ctive Insurance Innovations Incorporated
has begun a service on the Internet offering "fast, economical,
unbiased answers to personal, business, financial insurance and risk
management questions - from claims to coverage, home/auto, complex
business insurance matters, professional liability, life, health or
disability insurance."
World Wide Web: http://www.iiii.com/insurance/

Australian Observatory Online

Woodlands Observatory in Australia has opened its own home page with
all types of astronomy information. Visitors can find information on
comet Hale-Bopp, Astrophotographs, the latest Sky Data, Sky Chart
and Sky Almanac and links to over 50 other related sites.
World Wide Web: http://www.ozemail.com.au/~pudney/

(Martyn Williams/19950928)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
09/28/95
ONLINE
NTT Launches US Internet Consultancy Service

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00005)
NTT Launches US Internet Consultancy Service 09/28/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 SEP 28 (NB) -- The American subsidiary of Japan's
largest domestic telecommunications company, Nippon Telegraph and
Telephone, has entered the north American Internet market with a
specialist Internet consultancy and connection service.

For a $50 a month subscription, users of the "Net de Pon" service get
Internet access and technical support, in Japanese, from the NTT
America staff.

The service shouldn't be mistaken for an Internet service provider
targeting the Japanese community though as Junichi Kishigami, director
of research and development at NTT America, explained to Newsbytes,
"We are not an Internet provider. We offer technical assistance and
consulting to private people and companies that want to use the
Internet, the Web, electronic-mail and other tools in Japanese."

Net de Pon operates on two levels, the first dealing with people and
companies that are not connected to the Internet. That service advises
them on what they can get out of being connected and what type of
connection they need.

The second level to the service involves offering technical support
once online. Many Japanese Internet users face great problems
connecting to the Internet because of the localized software they must
obtain and problems concerning getting 8-bit Japanese encoded text
across some systems designed for 7-bit ASCII code.

With the NTT America service subscribers get support from people that
have much experience in setting up and running Japanese language
software from web browsers and servers to e-mail clients.

Internet access is offered via a dial-up connection with local call
access available in the Bay Area. Despite that, it is available
nationwide if any user needs it, "If people on the east coast want to use
our service they can, but they need to use long distance calls so it's
expensive," added Kishigami.

Before the service area extends to all of the United States,
Kishigami's next target is to offer local dial-up connection for Net
de Pon customers when they are in Japan. Technically this would be
quite easy as NTT already operates a nationwide Internet access service
domestically, but it is not quite as easy as that.

"NTT is domestic in Japan so it's a sensitive problem," said Kishigami,
referring to government restrictions that prohibit NTT from offering
international services to and from Japan, even though it can offer
domestic services in other countries. International telecommunications
is handled by KDD and several other smaller carriers such as ITJ and
IDC.

Despite the problems posed by the licensing restrictions, Kishigami
hopes to extend service to his customers when they travel to Japan in
the future, "We're thinking of such a service, I hope we can offer
it," he said.

(Martyn Williams/19950928/Press contact: Junichi Kishigami, NTT
America, 415-940-6530, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
09/28/95
BROADCAST
Scientific Atlanta Wins Chinese Emergency Network Order

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(TYO)(00006)
Scientific Atlanta Wins Chinese Emergency Network Order 09/28/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 SEP 28 (NB) -- Scientific Atlanta Inc. (NYSE:SFA)
has won a large order from China's Ministry of Posts and
Telecommunications for a nationwide emergency and disaster
communications network. The new system will be used during relief
operations when a natural disaster, such as flooding or an earthquake,
disables the public telephone network, or in areas where there is no
telephone access in the first place.

Under the terms of the deal, worth around $3.7 million, the Atlanta-
based company is to supply a complete satellite communications network
with eight base stations and over thirty mobile satellite units. The
equipment ordered is the company's Skylinx.DDS Digital DAMA (Demand
Assigned Multiple Access) telephony system.

The hub of the network will be in Shanghai where a 4.5-meter satellite
dish will be installed alongside a master earth-station facility.
As phase one of the project, across the country, seven other
earth-stations, each equipped with 3.6-meter satellite dishes, will
also form the fixed part of the system.

During times of emergency the eight centers can communicate with each
other and any one of 37 mobile VSAT (very small aperture terminal)
satellite uplinks that will be stationed across the country and be
ready for quick deployment to areas in need of help.

The eight fixed dishes will also be put into use at other times by
adding capacity to the severely congested national telephone network
via PBX (private branch exchange) connections that will also be
installed by Scientific Atlanta.

Ultimately, each of 22 provinces will have a fixed 3.6-meter satellite
dish and earth station supplemented by at least five mobile VSAT
stations.

VSAT is an emerging satellite technology that allows satellite uplinks
to operate on dishes as small as 1.2- to 1.8-meters, at least half the
size of previously needed dishes and much more portable.

The whole system will link together via ku-band transponders on the
Asiasat-2 satellite, scheduled for launch late this year.

John Mann, vice president of worldwide sales of Scientific-Atlanta's
Satellite Networks Division commented, "We are honored that MPT, with
its communications expertise and technical knowledge, has selected us
to install the network that will provide the communications capability
to serve China's citizens when a natural disaster occurs."

The new network is similar to a $9.9 million project announced in late
August in which the company  will supply a voice and data satellite
communications network to the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic
Cooperation. That system will also make use of a planned 200 VSAT
terminals across the country and link through the same capacity on
Asiasat-2.

(Martyn Williams/19950928/Press Contact: Laurie Sillay Lahr,
Scientific-Atlanta, tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
09/28/95
BROADCAST
Video News Roundup

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(MSP)(00007)
Video News Roundup 09/28/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 28 (NB) -- This is a
look at the top stories this week in the world of video news
reporting: Desktop video price breakthrough announced by Miro, Virtual
Studio Sets, and Researchers refine video grabbing. In product news,
Panasonic D-3 cameras go underwater, and Hitachi announces new SDTV
decoder.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95092807.PCX
Click here for photo

New Budget Desktop Video for Windows

Miro Computer Products announced this week the introduction of
MiroVideo DC1 plus, a new desktop video system for Windows 3.1 and
Windows 95. According to Miro, for a suggested retail price of $449,
the user gets on-board real-time JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)
motion compression and direct to tape or hard disk print abilities.
Software bundled with the edit program includes Adobe Premiere 4.0 LE,
Photoshop LE and Asymetrix 3D FX. The MiroVideo DC1 Plus supports common
video standards, including NTSC (North American Television Standards
Committee), PAL and SECAM. It uses the standard ISA (Industry Standard
Architecture) interface and is designed to work with a 486DX/33
processor. Pentium-based PCs provide optimum product performance. It
has a two-year warranty.

Computer Generated Sets

The September 11th issue of Broadcasting and Technology features an
article on a curious trend. Virtual sets made news at last April's
NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) convention, but this new
technology is still in its beta phase. The foundation of the system
is the Silicon Graphics Onyx. Virtual set vendors include Accom,
Electrogig, and Softimage. Patrick Renvoise of Accom commented,
"Five years from now, who's going to be using real sets?" While
initial costs at this time are high, hardware prices are expected
to fall. The reduction, if not elimination, of set support costs,
such as teardown, construction and storage, are also factors.
Electrogig's Reality Tracking is the only virtual set system to have
been beta tested. ABC News produced a special report for air and by
the production's end the host was said to be comfortable.

Rochester Group Refines Video Stills

The August issue of Advance Imaging reports efforts by the Center for
Electronic Imaging Systems at the University of Rochester to improve
the quality of stills taken from video "grabs." The group, backed by
Eastman Kodak, has been able to, not only compensate for motion between
video frames (already common), but also motion during the video
capture. The process, aimed at video environments such as sports, can
compensate even at capture times as brief as 1/100th of a second. The
process may also have uses in video scan conversions and scientific
applications.

Panasonic To Scuba and HDTV on Standard Sets

Sea Eagle Productions of Maui Hawaii has purchased two Panasonic
AJ-D310 D-3 camcorders. A custom housing protects the cameras. Sea
Eagle President Steve Hogan said, "Underwater, red is usually the first
color to fade. With D-3, the red is so vibrant, I haven't seen any
other format that even comes close."(Editor's note: see attached photo)
Broadcasting and Cable magazine reports that Hitachi is developing a
decoder that would enable HDTV (high definition television) to be
viewed on a standard set. The set-top box should cost about $300 and
ease the transition to the coming HDTV broadcast standard.

(Newsbytes Staff/19950922/D3SEA950928/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
09/28/95
APPLE
New Version Of Act! For Mac

(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00008)
New Version Of Act! For Mac 09/28/95
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 28 (NB) -- Symantec
Corporation (NASDAQ:SYMC) has announced a new Macintosh version
of its popular contact manager Act!. The new version, Act! 2.5 for
Macintosh, highlights file and database synchronization capabilities
important to business users.

Data synchronization allows Mac users to share and distribute database
changes "quickly and easily." Symantec says Act! users often work
with several contact databases on desktop and mobile computers. By
simply clicking on the "synchronize" button updates, corrections and
"to-do" notes are automatically transferred to other databases. A
bi-directional feature allows Act! 2.5 to send and receive changes
at the same time.

Working with the synchronization feature, users choose either a
"direct" or "remote" process. The direct process updates two databases
simultaneously so transfer data can be sent both ways between a
desktop and laptop computer. The remote process has two-steps which
uses shared folders on a network for storing and forwarding
synchronization files. The remote process is suited for multi-user
databases, remote synchronization using Apple Remote Access remote
networking software, and cross-platform synchronization with Act!
For Windows users.

A new interface allows users to display multiple calendars, views and
lists at the same time. A "type-ahead" feature detects company names
and fills in common information stored for the specific company.

Symantec uses Apple Guide technology to support an on-screen tutorial
called, Quick Start Guide. The guide starts with simple instructions and
leads the users into learning more complex tasks, says the company. The
new version also allows users to use drag-and-drop capabilities to
attach "any type of file" to an individual contact record.

A Symantec spokesperson told Newsbytes, "We had great success with
synchronization on our Windows product and now we are pleased to be
able to offer it to our Macintosh users. Synchronization brings a
tremendous added-benefit to Act! and means the program now allows
users to work more efficiently whether it is as an individual or as a
network user."

Requirements for Act! 2.5 for Macintosh include a color-compatible
Mac or Power Mac, two megabytes (MB) of available RAM, at least 5MB
of hard disk space, and System 7.0 or higher. Apple PowerTalk System
Software is needed for electronic-mail support and Novell NetWare
version 3.0 or higher is required for cross-platform networking.

Symantec says the new version has an estimated street price of $169.95
and registered users of current version of Act! for Macintosh may
purchase an upgrade for $49.95. A four-node network pack is available
for $499.95 or an upgrade for $149.95.

(Patrick McKenna/19950926/Press Contact: Diane Carlini, Symantec,
408-725-2783)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/28/95
APPLE
Macromedia Upgrades FreeHand For Macs

(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00009)
Macromedia Upgrades FreeHand For Macs 09/28/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1996 SEP 28 (NB) -- Macromedia
(NASDAQ:MACR) has announced version 5.5 of FreeHand for Macintosh and
Power Macintosh. The software and design illustration tool is claimed
to be 25% faster than the previous version, offers 10,000 free clip-art
images and includes 500 free fonts.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95092809.PCX
Click here for photo

Macromedia spokesperson, Jane Chuey, told Newsbytes, "When we
survey our users, they consistently say their number one request is
speed, and we have concentrated on delivering the fastest illustrator
possible." Besides saying its new version runs 25% faster than the
previous version, Macromedia claims this new version is 200 to 400%
faster than Adobe Illustrator 5.5 and other competing products
especially when working in color preview mode.

FreeHand 5.5 for Power Macs also includes special optimizations for
the newest Power Mac models, such as the Power Mac 9500.

Macromedia also says this version is the first drawing application to
support third-party Photoshop plug-ins such as Kai's Power Tools and
XAOS Paint Alchemy. Designers are also able to open PhotoCD files
and operate scanning software created for Photoshop in FreeHand
through use of Photoshop acquisition filters. Expecting more plug-ins
this quarter, Macromedia says FreeHand's capabilities become more
valuable to designers.

A new inline graphic feature allows designers to place graphic objects
within text blocks. This makes it easy to place a logo or another type
of artwork in a block of text. This version also has improved output,
allowing users to output PICT images.

Macromedia says FreeHand 5.5 is currently available in the US for
$599. Registered users of earlier versions are being offered an
affordable upgrade path and users of Macintosh versions of Adobe
Illustrator, Deneba Canvas or Claris MacDraw may "sidegrade" to
FreeHand for $149. Foreign language versions are planned for a later
date.

(Patrick McKenna/1995/Press Contact: Mary Leong, Macromedia,
415-252-2118/MACROMEDIA950928/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/28/95
WINDOWS
Expense Software Downloads Credit Card Data

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(DEN)(00010)
Expense Software Downloads Credit Card Data 09/28/95
BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 28 (NB) -- Portable Software
Corp. (PSC) said it is now shipping version 1.6 of its QuickXpense
software that includes 32-bit compatibility with Windows 95 and can
access the user's corporate charge card transactions with a single
mouse click.

The technology that makes that credit card access possible is
called XpenseLink, which was jointly developed with GE Capital to
meet customer demand for the ability to automatically fill in charge
card transaction data in expense reports.

PSC said XpenseLink lets GE Capital Corporate MasterCard customers
electronically "pre-populate" (fill in) their expense reports, saving
time and reducing errors associated with manual data entry.

The new version of QuickXpense includes support for object linking
and embedding (OLE), long filenames, Microsoft Network, and
Microsoft Exchange. The OLE support allows the user to drag-and-
drop expense reports to e-mail messages.

In addition to importing credit card charges and other
information such as dates, XpenseLink can automatically assign an
expense type to entries using vendor SIC (standard industry
classification) codes.

The new software also comes with a feature called HotelXpert, a
feature that automatically fills in standard information like room
rate and tax over the specified range of dates a traveler stays in
each hotel.

XpenseLink also has the ability to produce an expense form that
meets the format of many companies. PSC said it already has more
than 1,900 forms available, 850 of them from Fortune 1000
companies. For companies that do not require a specific expense
report format the software comes with 35 industry- and
occupation-specific forms or you can get a custom form designed
that matches your specific format. That process takes about three
weeks.

PSC spokesperson Jill Miailovich told Newsbytes that registered
QuickXpense users can upgrade for $29.95. If you bought the
pre-Windows 95 version of the software within 45 days of the new
release shipping, you are eligible for a free upgrade. Users of
other expense reporting software programs can get a $20 rebate
against the suggested retail price of $99.95. Miailovich said the
estimated street price is $69.95. QuickXpense first came to market
in October of 1994, and the company shipped version 1.5 in May 1995.

The company said accurate expense reporting is important because
travel and entertainment processing the third-highest
controllable expense for most corporations.

(Jim Mallory/19950926/Press contact: Jill Miailovich,
PSC, 206-637-8808 ext 247; Public contact: PSC,
800-478-7411/EXPENSE950928/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/28/95
WINDOWS
Zenographics' SuperPrint 4.0 Speeds Win 95 Printing

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(SFO)(00011)
Zenographics' SuperPrint 4.0 Speeds Win 95 Printing 09/28/95
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 28 (NB) -- Zenographics, a
Windows printing and graphic enhancement software developer, has
announced SuperPrint 4.0. Designed for all versions of Windows, the
print utility allows Windows 95 to perform true 32-bit printing tasks,
according to the company.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95092811.PCX
Click here for photo

"Windows 95 graphical device interface (GDI) is primarily 16-bit, so
that it can perform DOS, Windows 3.1, and Windows 3.11 printing.
The queuing portion of Windows 95 printing is 32-bit, but it must
pass through the 16-bit GDI," said C.J. D'Angelo, Zenographics vice
president of sales and marketing.

He continued, "We have rewritten Microsoft's GDI as a true 32-bit
program, so that the complete process is 32-bit." According to
Zenographics, a true 32-bit printing process means this software
increases printing speeds, smoothes background printing, and
eliminates bottlenecks.

D'Angelo added, "When we played Pinball and ran a printing task
using Windows 95 without SuperPrint, we found that Pinball pauses at
times. Our software takes control of the printing process and increases
multi-tasking performance. We prevent events like the pausing in
Pinball."

Zenographics says SuperPrint 4.0 also speeds printing and enhances
clarity on all Windows platforms. The advantages are more pronounced
with use in Windows 95. The company's 32-bit rasterizer completely
bypasses the rasterization by the Windows 95 16-bit printing engine.

Along with the increased 32-bit processing, SuperPrint also includes
a hypertext markup language (HTML) driver which allows users to
convert a document to the standard Internet format. Most pages are
automatically "Web-ready," but others may need minor cleanup with an
HTML editor.

Additional SuperPrint tools allow users to drag-and-drop image files to
the printing queue and view and print Level 1 and 2 PostScript files on
non-PostScript printers. For network use, SuperPrint optimizes
background printing performance on the client desktop and minimizes
network printing traffic through use of ultra-compact supermetalfiles.

SuperPrint 4.0 is delivered on a CD-ROM and contains Windows 95,
NT, 3.1, and 3.11 versions. The anticipated street price is $49.95.
Zenographics will display their products at this week's Seybold show
and at Comdex in November.

Additional information about Zenographic products is available via
the company's World Wide Web site at http://www.zeno.com .

(Patrick McKenna/19950927/Press Contact: Rolland Going, The
Terpin Group, 310-821-6100/ZENOGRAPHICS950928/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
09/28/95
ONLINE
Quarterdeck InternetSuite Available In Netherlands

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LAX)(00012)
Quarterdeck InternetSuite Available In Netherlands 09/28/95
SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 28 (NB) -- Quarterdeck
Corporation (NASDAQ: QDEK), maker of the Quarterdeck Mosaic browser,
and Videotex Nederland N.V., one of the Netherlands' Internet
services providers, have announced an agreement to provide Internet
access in the Netherlands. The Quarterdeck InternetSuite will be
available through Videotext's World Access for an estimated retail
price of 99 Dutch Guilders with one month free Internet usage.

Emerick Woods, vice president for Internet Business Unit at
Quarterdeck, told Newsbytes, "As part of the agreement, World Access
services will be bundled in the Netherlands with Quarterdeck's
InternetSuite software, which includes Quarterdeck's browser. In
addition, Quarterdeck Mosaic and InternetSuite will be bundled with
World Access service and distributed by Videotex and retail channels."

"The Internet market in the Netherlands is rapidly approaching that
of the US market in terms of acceptance," said Gaston Bastiaens,
chief executive officer of Quarterdeck. "The cooperation between
Quarterdeck and Videotex Nederland will greatly contribute to the
rapid market development in the Netherlands."

"With Quarterdeck's user-friendly Connect and Play features and
state-of-the-art Internet technology, we can provide our customers
with a complete solution," said Nils Kijkuit, product manager Internet
Services for Videotex Nederland. "Quarterdeck's reputation for its
high quality products will help boost our position as a leading
Internet access provider in the Netherlands."

Quarterdeck InternetSuite is a group of five tools: Quarterdeck Mosaic;
Quarterdeck Message Center; QTERM (Telnet); QFTP(file transfer protocol);
and Quarterdeck Location Manager. Quarterdeck InternetSuite includes
integrated Windows SLIP/PPP(serial line Internet protocol/point-to-point
protocol) support for dial-up connections to the Internet.

Videotex Nederland is a fully commercial operating company focused
on electronic information, communications and transaction services.
Since February, 1995, World Access has provided dial-up connections
to the Internet in the Netherlands.

(Richard Bowers/19950900/Press Contact: Ellen Spooren, Quarterdeck
Corporation, 310-314-4261)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
09/28/95
HEALTH
New Web Site For Disease Management

(NEWS)(HEALTH)(MSP)(00013)
New Web Site For Disease Management 09/28/95
KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 28 (NB) -- Greenstone Healthcare
Solutions, a subsidiary of The Upjohn Company (NYSE:UPJ), is entering
the world of cyberspace with an Internet World Wide Web site devoted to
the field of disease management.

The new offering is more of a combined Web site and newsgroup that
encourages the exchange of information and ideas to improve the
cost, quality, and delivery of health care, said the company. They
firm is also calling the site the "first of its kind on the Web,"
when it comes to dealing with disease management.

Greenstone officials are demonstrating the Web site today to
colleagues at the National Managed Health Care Congress Midwest
meeting in Chicago.

The site is split into three categories. Daniel J. Watts,
Upjohn spokesperson, told Newsbytes the part of the site most
health care professionals would be interested in is the "Disease
Management Forum." In that area, medical pros can ask their
colleagues about a range of issues, including wellness programs
and health risk assessments, clinical guidelines and treatment
regimens, and outcomes measurements, in a bulletin board-style
fashion.

Other icons will take the user to the two other areas of the Web
site. One area gives information on Greenstone Healthcare Solutions,
the other lists other health care information sites on the Web,
including hospitals, universities, and various government agencies.

Watts said the site is geared towards health professionals, and
"people in the field looking to have a dialogue about disease
management," he said. "But someone who is interested in health
care in general and disease management might find it interesting
to tap into. But it's geared more for the decision makers and
people in the field looking for an exchange of ideas."

The site is at http://www.sapien.net/greenstone/ .

Last June, Newsbytes reported on Upjohn's first foray into the Web
with an informational site on its Rogaine product. Rogaine is
claimed to regrow hair on the scalps of both men and women. That
site is located on the Web at http://www.igroup.com.rogaine . The
company said all Rogaine product information at the site is taken
from existing promotional material that has been reviewed by the
US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

(Bob Woods/19950927/Press Contact: Daniel J. Watts, Upjohn,
616-323-6369)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
09/28/95
APPLE
Adobe Intros Mac Pagemaker Developer's Kit

(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00014)
Adobe Intros Mac Pagemaker Developer's Kit 09/28/95
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 28 (NB) -- Adobe Systems Inc.
(NASDAQ: ADBE) has introduced a software developer kit (SDK) for
Adobe Pagemaker 6.0 for the Macintosh and Power Macintosh platforms.
The SDK provides third-party developers with an interface to the
Pagemaker program's menu commands, tools and publication data, in
order to create plug-in programs that extend the functionality of
Pagemaker.

The kit comes with documentation in the Adobe Portable Document
format (PDF), sample plug-in code, the Adobe Acrobat Reader
version 2.1, and the Filter Developers Toolkit.

In addition to supporting the file format of Adobe Pagemaker 6.0,
the SDK includes private data, multiple master pages, and access to
the Story Editor. The private data lets developers attach a caption
to a placed graphic. They can also access and define up to 256 maser
pages within the Pagemaker program to create page templates with
repeating elements.

Pagemaker 6.0 for Mac and Power Mac shipped in late August. The
new version has several features that help users create documents
for the Internet, a hot topic right now, according to Adobe
spokesperson Peter Card.

He told Newsbytes the new version has a plug-in used to create
publications in Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF). Hypertext
markup language (HTML) document authoring is also supported. HTML is
a document format used to create Web documents that support hypertext
linking and publishing on the World Wide Web.

Version 6.0 comes with a CD-ROM that contains a bunch of free software
Adobe said is worth thousands of dollars, including the Acrobat Distiller,
Acrobat Reader, and Adobe Type On Call 4.0. The latter program contains
more than 200 free fonts that can be unlocked when you register the CD.

Other new features include multiple master pages, integrated trapping,
and support for Hexachrome colors, the Kodak color management system and
support for hi-fi color. You also get group and ungroup and position lock.

Pagemaker 6.0 for the Macintosh and Power Macintosh has a suggested
retail price of $895.

Adobe said the SDK will be available in October through the
company's Graphic Applications Plug-in (GAP) program. GAP is a
$195 per-year service that furnishes developer's SDKs for Adobe
products, regular program updates, technical support, a monthly
newsletter and discounts of Adobe software.

You will also be able to download the SDK from Adobe's
bulletin board and its FTP (File Transfer Protocol) site
and on the company's home page on the World Wide Web at
http://www.adobe.com/support/service.html . The FTP site is
located at ftp.adobe.com . However, the free versions don't
include phone or electronic support.

(Jim Mallory/19950927/Press contact: Peter Card, Adobe,
206-628-2368)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/28/95
ONLINE
Vossnet Offers Global Yacht Sales Web Site

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LON)(00015)
Vossnet Offers Global Yacht Sales Web Site 09/28/95
SLOUGH, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 SEP 28 (NB) -- Vossnet, a UK
Internet service provider, has announced the creation of Yacht Link,
an Internet-accessible buying and selling service for yacht owners.

According to Mark Cox, sales and marketing director with Vossnet, the
service was linked to the Web when the potential of the Internet was
realized. The Web pages, which are accessible through Vossnet's main
pages on http://www.vossnet.co.uk , are designed to act as a buying
and selling area for European yacht owners.

"The service has been running well, but got a boost recently when
American Boat Listings, a New York-based yacht sales company that
covers all of the US, announced it was joining the service,
effectively turning it into a global facility.

"It costs UKP12.50 to register a yacht online and sell it through the
service," Cox told Newsbytes, adding that the low cost of advertising
through the service is a major plus point in its favor.

Cox claims that the Yacht Link service is now the largest in the
world, with more than 8,500 used yachts on the services, as well as
detailed information regarding yacht charter companies and
manufacturers who promote their products and services via the
Internet.

So where did the idea of Yacht Link come from? According to Cox, it
was a natural progression for the company which, after opening its own
online business service two and half years ago to allow businesses to
sell products and services, it spotted the opportunity that the
Internet offered, and became an Internet service through EuNet, and
opened the Vossnet service, although with a property sales service,
on the Web.

"Although we only have a few hundred properties on the property side
of the business, it's the yachting side of the business that has
really taken off," he said, adding that the Yacht Link services has
become very popular.

(Steve Gold/19950927/Press & Reader Contact: Voss Net, tel +44-1753-
737800, fax [phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/28/95
TRENDS
Limited Role For Govt In Info Highway - Report

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TOR)(00016)
Limited Role For Govt In Info Highway - Report 09/28/95
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 SEP 28 (NB) -- The Canadian Advisory
Council on the Information Highway has published its final report, calling
on the Canadian government to liberalize communications regulation in
some areas, rely largely on the private sector to build the so-called
information highway, but retain a role as a protector of consumers and
Canadian culture.

The report predicts that the convergence of once-separate information
technologies and industries will have an "enabling effect" -- a phrase used
earlier by the Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC), a
high-tech lobby group -- that will stimulate industrial development
throughout the economy. "The Council believes that Canada's Information
Highway will be key to improving Canada's competitive position," the report
says. "It is essential for a successful transition to an economy in which
jobs and wealth are based on the creation, movement and application of
information.

"The investment challenge of the information highway, and the desire of
consumers for more choice, cannot be met without a quick move from
monopoly toward fair and sustainable competition," the sizable report says,
though it adds that remaining monopoly services should not be permitted to
cross-subsidize competitive services. To prevent that, the council calls for
speeding up the move toward price-cap rather than rate-of-return regulation
in communications, a shift already under way.

The council also concludes that government cannot set the timetable for
deployment of new communications technology. "The private sector, users
and providers, will, and should, drive the pace and scope of development."

The report suggests a loosening of restrictions on foreign ownership of
Canadian telecommunications carriers and broadcasters. "The objective of
retaining national sovereignty over the information highway could be
realized by liberalizing foreign ownership limits to some degree, while
at the same time ensuring that firms, regardless of their origins,
operate in a manner consistent with Canada's economic, social and
cultural objectives," reads the report.

As a first step, the council suggests, ownership regulations in the
Broadcasting Act should be harmonized and liberalized with those of the
Telecommunications Act. Currently, a foreign investor can own 20 percent
of either a broadcaster or a telecommunications carrier directly, but
can also hold 33.33 percent of a holding company which may in turn hold
an unlimited interest in a telecommunications carrier.

AT&T (NYSE:T) announced earlier this week that it will take advantage of
this to take a stake of close to 50 percent in Unitel Communications Inc.,
a Toronto-based long-distance carrier. The advisory council recommends
changing the rules for ownership of broadcasters to agree with those for
telecommunications carriers. The government has already begun a policy
review on this point, the report notes.

In general, the council recommends that "all levels of government in
Canada, federal, provincial and municipal, should review their legislation,
regulations and policies to identify and eliminate obstacles to the use
and development of the Highway by individuals and firms."

But this emphasis on the market and deregulation does not mean the
government has no role, according to the committee. "There is no choice
but to be involved," the report says, observing that government's first
responsibility is to establish the ground rules and ensure that there are
appropriate enforcement mechanisms.

Since it will be the consumer who ultimately pays for the new services and
products, care must be taken to ensure that access is affordable and user
friendly, the report warns. "The challenge for Canadians in this new
electronic age is to avoid creating new divisions in society between
information `haves' and `have-nots.'"

The report recommends that "basic access facilities for the delivery of
information highway services should be locally available, at reasonable
cost, regardless of location. There must be equitable opportunity for all,
including people with disabilities and groups with special needs, to
access and use the information highway."

However, the report notes that it is hard to tell today which of the various
emerging services will qualify as essential. This will have to be decided
based on the demand for different services over time, it says, and only once
this is clear should action be taken to ensure universal access to those
services deemed essential.

Recognizing that an Internet connection in every home may be impossible in
the foreseeable future, the report says public-access systems such as
FreeNets or community nets can make the Internet universally accessible
through public terminals. However, the council also urges that the roughly
300,000 phone lines remaining in Canada that cannot support facsimile or
high-speed modem communications should be upgraded as soon as possible.
Most of these are in rural and remote areas, and they represent about three
percent of all Canadian residential lines.

Other concerns include assuring privacy and security -- the council endorses
the efforts of the Canadian Standards Association to develop a voluntary
national code for the protection of personal information) -- protecting and
informing consumers, and making sure that Canadians get the content they
need and want.

The full report of the Advisory Council on the Information Highway is
available on the World Wide Web through the home page of the Industry
Canada department at http://www.ic.gc.ca .

(Grant Buckler/19950928)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/28/95
TRENDS
Info Highway Report Grapples With Content Issues

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TOR)(00017)
Info Highway Report Grapples With Content Issues 09/28/95
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 SEP 28 (NB) -- Content, as pundits are fond
of saying, is the most important element of the so-called information
highway. To what extent that content should be controlled is a sensitive
issue for governments, and the newly released report of the Canadian
Advisory Council on the Information Highway tries to deal with content
issues of universal concern as well as issues more particularly Canadian.

The discussion of content cannot help raising the issue of possibly
offensive material, notably on the Internet. This has been a contentious
issue in Canada and the United States recently. The Canadian report
advocates several measures, which include fine-tuning existing laws to make
it clear that they apply to new forms of electronic communication, and
trying to establish multilateral agreements among governments to get around
the fact that material considered illegal in one jurisdiction may be legal
in another and the Internet's global nature makes it difficult if not
impossible to limit its circulation.

At the same time, the report urges support for work on hardware and
software that would allow parents to control what their children can get
at via the Internet or other new media.

Being adjacent to the United States, Canada has for years been concerned
about protecting its cultural industries from being overwhelmed by the much
larger economy to the south. The Information Highway Advisory Council
notes that this will become even more of a challenge as new media appear.

Pointing to speculation about the Information Highway's potential to "bring
down borders" between nations, the report points out that bringing down
borders can lead to a blurring of national identities. The report also
expresses concern about preserving the French language in Canada.

"Past federal policies have attempted to give Canadians a fighting chance
in the cultural marketplace" the report says, presumably referring to such
provisions as quotas for Canadian content on television and radio. "These
policies have been effective: 60 years ago we were a market for British,
American and French cultures; today Canada is a major exporter of film and
television products."

The committee says its members debated how appropriate it would be to
apply the same kind of rules to new communications channels as the
Canadian government currently does to broadcasting. For instance, the
report says, the Internet is more a medium for private communication than
an analog to television.

"As long as the Internet remains principally a private communication medium,
used as a depository of databases and scientific information or as a
promotional tool, regulating its content is no more appropriate than
regulating the content for the telephone or, for that matter, publicity
flyers," says the report. "But if the Internet evolves into a medium for
the commercial provision of programming, cultural policy goals will have
to be set."

Admitting that quotas may protect Canadian culture within the country but
cannot make cultural industries internationally competitive, the council
also recommends that the government levy a charge -- calculated as a
percentage of revenues from the distribution in Canada of broadcast
services -- on all carriers governed by the Broadcasting Act. The money
would be used to support the production of Canadian programming, including
interactive multimedia products. The report also called on Ottawa to create
new funding or tax incentives to encourage Canadian businesses to invest
in new products, including Canadian multimedia products.

In addition, the council recommends that Section 19 of the Income Tax Act,
which denies Canadian companies tax deductions for advertising in foreign
print and broadcast media directed at the Canadian market, be extended to
apply to new media, including online services.

The government also has a role, the council suggests, as a "model user"
of new communications technologies. The report points to several ways in
which the government is already doing this, such as the SchoolNet
initiative in which schools across the country are being networked.

The council calls on the government to make it a priority to "become a
world leader in the rapid introduction and generalized use of electronic
information and communications systems, and in affording all Canadians
the opportunity to communicate and interact electronically with its
departments and agencies in either official language."

According to the report, making greater use of new communications
technologies should save the government money and make it more efficient.

The full report of the Advisory Council on the Information Highway, which
also deals with various questions about government regulation and the
impact of new technology on jobs, is available on the World Wide Web
through the home page of the Industry Canada department at
http://www.ic.gc.ca .

(Grant Buckler/19950928)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/28/95
GENERAL
Seybold - Canon Intros ColorGear Color Mgt

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00018)
Seybold - Canon Intros ColorGear Color Mgt 09/28/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 28 (NB) -- Canon of Tokyo and
Canon Information Systems of Palo Alto, California, opened Softbank Expo's
Seybold show with the introduction of ColorGear. Defined as a "cross-
platform color management system" (CMS), ColorGear is a collection of
software tools and device profiles.

Canon's engineering manager for ColorGear, Smadar Nehab, told
Newsbytes, "From high-end business clients to individual desktop users,
our customers tell us they want to be able to produce the same image
across all platforms regardless of the output device. The main
accomplishment with ColorGear is its cross-platform capabilities.
ColorGear works on Macintosh, all versions of Windows and Unix and
complies with the International Color Consortium specification."

CMS supports object-based color matching for documents which
contain a variety of object types such as spot-color graphics, text,
scanned images, and bitmaps.

At the Seybold show, Canon demonstrated ColorGear in its recently
announced BubbleJet printer, the BJC-4100. Images printed with the new
technology were placed against the same image printed without ColorGear
support. The striking difference attracted crowds of tradeshow attendees.

Canon says ColorGear will be made available for all of its printer
customers from the individual desktop user to users of high-end digital
imaging systems. For novice users, ColorGear is transparent and
automatic in its operation. More advanced users are able to configure
ColorGear for accuracy, control and cross-platform portability and
performance.

The BJC-4100 is shipping with ColorGear technology. During this quarter,
Canon plans to ship another BubbleJet printer, the BJC-210, with
ColorGear. In the coming months, ColorGear will be added to color
copiers, scanners and other product lines. This new technology also
meets Apple's ColorSync technology specifications and Microsoft's
ICM standard.

(Patrick McKenna/19950928/Press Contact: Cathy Cloud, McLean
Public Relations, tel [phone]/CANON950928/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/28/95
APPLE
Viewpoint Intros 3-D Object Clip-Art

(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00019)
Viewpoint Intros 3-D Object Clip-Art 09/28/95
OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 28 (NB) -- Viewpoint Datalabs
International rolled out its Z-Art software this week at the Seybold
tradeshow in San Francisco. Z-Art is a collection of design-ready
three-dimensional (3-D) objects which can be used as clip-art, but
have the flexibility of manipulation.

"3-D hardware and software for the desktop is becoming easier to
use and more affordable, but modeling is a unique talent," said
Evan Ricks, vice president of production and creative director for
Viewpoint.

The company points out that unlike two-dimensional (2-D) clip art, Z-Art
can be personalized by rotating, stretching, lighting, texturing and
coloring the object according to the specific design or animation
needs of the user. The models are proportionally correct with logical
grouping and representative details, and include textures and colors.

According to Jeff Barney at Barney McKay Design Group, the use of
3-D objects can be useful in bypassing research photo shoots.
Instead, you can experiment with an object's angle, perspective,
lighting and positioning in a layout without ever leaving the
computer. Barney said that's particularly useful in the case of
objects that are difficult or impractical to locate and photograph.

Viewpoint said the Z-Art library features thousands of models
representing a wide variety of icons, characters, and props. Walter
Noot, production manager at Viewpoint, told Newsbytes that architecture,
anatomy, sports, animals, buildings, people, vehicles and airplanes,
and office product images, are just some of the categories of 3-D
still images available. "They are all simple, real world objects,"
said Noot.

The software is available in most major 3-D file formats including:
Adobe Dimensions, Alias Sketch, Apple QuickDraw 3DMF, Autodesk 3D,
Studio 3DS, Calagari Truespace2, ElectricImage, Macromedia
Macromodel, Ray Dream Designer, Specular Infini-D, Strata Studio
Pro, and DXF for cross-platform importing.

The company said the first two distributors of Z-Art will be Corel
Corp. and Ray Dream Inc. More than 750 Z-Art models are available in
the Coreldream 3D modeling and rendering application module of the
Coreldraw 6 suite for Windows 95. The 32-bit Coreldraw 6 package
shipped in late August with five applications for illustration, photo
editing and painting, business and multimedia presentations, 3-D
rendering, and 3-D animation. Coreldraw 6 has a suggested retail
price of $695.

More than 400 Z-Art objects will be available in the Dream Models
component of Ray Dream Studio, an integrated 3-D imaging suite for
creating illustrations and animations.

Ray Dream Studio will be available for the Macintosh and Power
Macintosh, Windows 3.1, Windows 95, and Windows NT in the fourth
quarter. Studio has a suggested retail price of $499. Users of
earlier versions of Studio can upgrade for $149.

Users will be able to purchase Z-Art collections directly from
Viewpoint through the company's World Wide Web home page at
http://www.viewpoint.com in the first quarter of 1996.

(Jim Mallory/19950927/Press contact: Margaret Burniston, Corel,
613-728-0826 ext 1177; Teri Chadbourne, Ray Dream, 415-960-0768
ext 121; Leslie Kesselring, MacKenzie Kesselring for Viewpoint, 801-
359-1005; Public contact: Viewpoint, 800-328-2738/Z-ART950928/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/28/95
ONLINE
Wave Technologies' New Internet Training Program

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(DEN)(00020)
Wave Technologies' New Internet Training Program 09/28/95
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 28 (NB) -- Wave Technologies
International Inc. (NASDAQ: WAVT) has introduced new training
programs that include using the Internet in business and
Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) certification.

Wave (WTI) said it has aggressively accelerated its Internet
curriculum development and will offer six "in-depth" instructor-led
classes in October that focus on implementing and managing
business use of the Internet. Wave's instructor-led courses are
available at the company's 13 training centers across the country.
WTI will also bring its courses and instructors to large account
sites.

The Internet courses will include: Internet Security Principles, a
two-day course that costs $695 by itself; Creating a Web Presence (2
days for $695); Hands-On Guide to the Internet (2 days, $595);
Internet TCP/IP Fundamentals (2 days, $595); Doing Business on the
Internet (1 day, $295); and Connecting Your LAN (local area network)
to the Internet (2 days, $695).

Wave spokesperson Marjorie Pingel told Newsbytes if you purchase
the entire package it has a $2,995 price tag.

TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) is the
traffic cop of the Internet that routes data packets to their
destination via the most efficient path and also makes sure
bottlenecks don't occur as the packets whiz along the electronic
roadway of the net.

Security is particularly important to businesses wanting to sell
products or services on the Internet and charging those items to
the user's credit card, so hackers can't steal information like
credit card numbers. "Network security and the World Wide Web are
the most relentlessly pursued topics in technical and popular
media today," according to Eric Egipciaco, Internet Curriculum
Director for Wave.

Egipciaco said there are numerous avenues for an intruder to crack
a network, and as many products claiming to be the solution for all
network/Internet security problems.

Wave will also release two new self-study products in mid-October
that support the examinations for Microsoft's MCSE certification
program. The company said Microsoft Implementations of TCP/IP and
Supporting SQL Server v4.2 provide the materials needed by MCSE
candidates to prepare for the certification exams.

The courses are priced at $395 individually, or $595 for the pair.
You get a training manual, videotape, hands-on exercise manual, a
study guide and a targeted version of Wave's MCSE Challenge
Interactive! The latter is a testing product with over 150
questions that lets individuals take practice tests before they sit
down to attempt the real thing. You can also purchase just the
study guide and subject-specific practice test for $129 for either
subject, beginning in mid-October. MCSE Challenge! Interactive
tracks the learner's progress on subsequent testing attempts and
provides links to technical reference material.

Wave will also ship Microsoft Implementations of TCP/IP as an
instructor-led class in mid-October. The company said the class
is designed for anyone implementing Microsoft Windows products,
particularly Windows NT products, in a TCP/IP environment. The
course covers design and implementation issues and network testing
and troubleshooting that combines lecture and hands-on practice.
Each student also gets a video for after-class reference.

WTI maintains a home page on the World Wide Web at
http://www.wavetech.com where it posts information about its curricula.
The company said its MCSE curricula have been upgraded to meet
Microsoft's latest MCSE standards.

(Jim Mallory/19950928/Press contact: Marjorie Pingel,WTI,
314-692-1910; Public contact: WTI, tel [phone] or
800-828-2050, fax [phone]/WAVE950928)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/28/95
PC
Australia - Acer PCs In Different Colors

(NEWS)(PC)(SYD)(00021)
Australia - Acer PCs In Different Colors 09/28/95
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 1995 SEP 28 (NB) -- The Aspire line of "colorful,
designer" PCs, announced recently by Acer, will probably make it to
Australia by November, but local customers will initially be able to
purchase them in only one color.

The alleged aesthetic value of the new line will also come with a price
premium, and it is understood that a $200-$300 "good looks" mark-up
(around US$200) could be on the cards, to offset the millions said to
have been spent on the design with California-based Frogdesign -- a
company responsible for much of Apple's industrial design. "This is
a fantastic type of product," said Acer's marketing boss Jonar Z. Nader.

He predicts that people will be prepared to pay extra for a PC that
matches their decor. "It seems that for a long time PCs have been nothing
but a boring white or beige box," he says, and hopes to attach the
upmarket lure that comes with a Porsche to the humble computer. Both
charcoal gray and "deep emerald" will be available eventually, but one
color must be chosen to ensure early supplies, he said. It is "too risky"
to split the order, he maintained.

Which color will Australia get first? According to Nader, Acer has not
yet decided, and distribution channels for the Aspire PCs have not been
finalized. However, asked if leading department store chain David Jones
might be on the list of possibilities, he replied: "You could imagine
that."

(Computer Daily News and Paul Zucker/19950928)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/28/95
BUSINESS
IPC Woos Asia's Corporations With New Hardware

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00022)
IPC Woos Asia's Corporations With New Hardware 09/28/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 SEP 28 (NB) -- In a vigorous stab at
exploiting the potential of the corporate market, Singapore-based PC
manufacturer IPC has introduced a new suite of products ranging from
desktop computers and notebooks, to servers and videoconferencing
systems.

The products were rolled out recently in Singapore at a seminar,
"IPC Computing Solutions: Driving your business ahead of the
competition", the first in a series of seven seminars to be held
in the Asia-Pacific region.

Bernard Ngiam, IPC's sales and marketing director, said that,
with companies increasingly looking to information technology (IT)
solutions to gain a competitive edge, IPC's theme for the regional
seminar reflected the challenges faced by businesses in the 1990s.

"These systems have been designed to fit into any corporate
environment. The products are readily adaptable for future
technologies, such as the new generation CPUs (central processing
units) from Intel, thereby ensuring that organizations can safeguard
their investments," he said.

The products unveiled by IPC included: Nukleus servers,
Pentium-based desktop computers, Radiance notebooks, and i2i
videoconferencing hardware.

The seminar highlighted the needs of today's corporate office and
explained how IT can address them. It also featured talks from
key industry leaders, including: Intel, Novell, Lotus, SCO, and
Conner Peripherals. "It is IPC's policy to strike alliances with
technological leaders. Together, we will be able to deliver
crucial leading-edge technologies to customers that will better
meet their computing and network requirements," Ngiam said.

Other IPC seminars are to be held in China, Korea, Hong Kong,
Malaysia, Indonesia, and Australia ending October 4.

(Nigel Armstrong & I.T. Daily/19950928)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/28/95
BUSINESS
Philippine Long Distance Telephone Shows Promise?

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00023)
Philippine Long Distance Telephone Shows Promise? 09/28/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 SEP 28 (NB)-- Investors should ignore headline
net income figures and focus on underlying performance when assessing
Philippine Long distance Telephone (PLDT) and its likely future share
price performance, according to investment bank Salomon Brothers.

The firm believes the headline net income increase of 3.1% recorded by PLDT
in the first six months of the year does not represent real achievement,
due to the company's accounting policy of using month-end exchange rates
to translate US dollar revenues into pesos. If income growth is determined
on a constant currency basis, revenues were up 20.7% and the net income
grew by 31.7%, according to bank analysts.

In Salomon's recent telecommunications report, "Philippine Long Distance
Telephone -- Headline First-Half Results Distort True Message," leading
regional telecommunications analyst Dr. Andrew Harrington says PLDT's
accounting policy requires investors to look at the company's
accomplishments, such as growth in access lines, call volumes, and national
long-distance revenues, to gain a clear impression of the company's
performance.

"Favorable year-to-year currency comparisons in the next six months should
ensure that much of the underlying growth will show up in the published
results," Dr. Harrington said.

In the second half of the year, Salomon Brothers predicts that PLDT will
see an acceleration in access line growth to 25% for the full year,
equivalent to an installation of around 180,000 access lines in the second
half. The operator should also see an acceleration in international call
volume growth to over 20% for the full year, which will only be partially
counterbalanced by declining international market share, which Salomon
Brothers anticipates will fall from 81% at end June to around 75% by
year-end.

In the long-term, Salomon Brothers believes substantial headline earnings
growth is still possible, even in a pessimistic exchange rate environment,
because of the expected acceleration in the growth rate of the Philippine
telecommunications market, which is likely to swamp any strengthening of
the exchange rate or any market share loss by PLDT to its carriers.

(Nigel Armstrong & I.T. Daily/19950928)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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24 09/28/95
GENERAL
Comdex Asia Set For October

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00024)
Comdex Asia Set For October 24 09/28/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 SEP 28 (NB) -- It has all the trappings of a
major event -- big names in government and industry, masses of space (over
17,000 square-meters, fully booked months ahead) spread over three levels
of Singapore's Suntec City, the promise of several product launches, and
the backing of many heavyweights, including the National Computer Board.
Giving Comdex/Asia at Informatics 95, slated to open on October 24, a
further edge, is the award of Approved International Fair (AIF) status by
the Singapore Trade Development Board.

Not surprisingly, Michael Liew, senior vice-president of the Times
Publishing Group, joint organizers of the three-day show, is ecstatic.
"The award is in recognition of the effort we have put into making this
show the premier event in Asia for the information technology (IT)
industry," he said at a briefing in Singapore.

Over 260 exhibitors are taking part in the show, which has registered a
220% increase in terms of space over its predecessor, Informatics. The
biggest booth is being put together by Digital Equipment, occupying 450
square meters.

David Chin, Deputy chief executive officer (CEO) of TDB, pointed out that
Comdex, making its Asian debut, won the AIF award in view of its
international content and the comprehensive range of products and services
it offers that are key to the needs of IT and communications industries
in the region.

Privileges of the award include tax incentives for eligible companies and
market development assistance by the TDB. The show will also be publicized
on TDBs GlobaLink, an online computer database of trade and market
information.

The show will be declared open by Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Lee
Hsien Loong. According to Michael Fleming, organizer of seminars, Comdex
will have keynote addresses by a host of big speakers. They include: Stan
Shih, chairman and CEO of the Acer Group; and John Gage, director of Sun
Microsystems.

Visitors can also look forward to regional pavilions from India, Canada,
Australia, Taiwan, and the UK. A free CD-ROM, complete with information on
the show, will be given to visitors. The event is jointly organized by
Times Conferences and Exhibitions, the Singapore Federation of the
Computer Industry and Softbank Comdex.

(Nigel Armstrong & I.T. Daily/19950928)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/28/95
BUSINESS
Unisys Charges Into China PC Market

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00025)
Unisys Charges Into China PC Market 09/28/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 SEP 28 (NB)-- Looking for instant positioning in
China's PC market, Unisys Corp. has signed Beijing's Founder Corp. as its
mainland and Hong Kong distributor in a deal reportedly worth US$27 million.

As I.T. Daily reported nearly two months ago, Unisys and Founder had been
working feverishly on putting the venture on the rails.

If it meets only the minimum first year sales target of 25,000 units on the
mainland, Founder will have made Unisys a major player in China's cut-throat
desktop market. The trade-off is that Unisys is expected to have to settle
for "shavings" for profit margins.

Founder is committed to selling 2,500 units in Hong Kong, but Unisys Hong
Kong Marketing Director Garry Scarborough is betting the targets will turn
out to be on the conservative side. "In truth we expect to see more sales
in the high-end desktop and server areas," he said.

Founder, a publishing systems vendor, turned Digital into a big PC name
overnight in China and hopes to do the same for Unisys, selling 486 CWDs,
so-called terminal replacements, and low-end to high-end Pentium-powered
PCs, some of these ready for Intel P6 upgrade.

Richard Wong, general manager of Founder Hong Kong's PC department, said
Unisys had proven its commitment to the PC market, laying out a range that
spanned sub-notebooks to high-end desktops in less than a year. "These
are an indication of how active Unisys is in the PC arena," Wong said.

Unisys, a newcomer in the small systems game, must have been encouraged by
recent news that AT&T is to exit the PC market. AT&T had ambitions for
China, repackaging PCs absorbed in its takeover of NCR Corp. as GIS
Globalyst. All in all, AT&T reportedly lost US$312 million through its
Global Information Solutions computer unit, the renamed NCR.

(Nigel Armstrong & I.T. Daily/19950928)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/28/95
IBM
 ****Boston Chicken President Replaces Cannavino At IBM

(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00026)
 ****Boston Chicken President Replaces Cannavino At IBM 09/28/95
ARMONK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 28 (NB) -- The former cereal-company
boss who now heads IBM has named another veteran of the food industry to
the post of chief strategist at the computer company. IBM Chairman and Chief
Executive Louis Gerstner has appointed J. Bruce Harreld as senior
vice-president of strategy. To take his new job, Harreld
will step down as president of Boston Chicken, a Golden, Colorado, firm
known for its highly successful initial public offering.

Before joining Boston Chicken in 1993, Harreld was senior vice-president
for marketing and information services at Kraft General Foods Inc. Before
holding that post he was also chief information officer at Kraft for
three years. Earlier, as a consultant with Boston Consulting Group, he
worked with clients in the telecommunications and cable television
industries.

Harreld will take over the duties formerly held by James Cannavino, IBM
spokesman Rob Wilson confirmed. Cannavino left the company in March.

Wilson told Newsbytes that Harreld, who will be based at IBM headquarters
in Armonk, will assume his new role immediately. However, a statement
from Boston Chicken said he will continue his day-to-day duties at the
Colorado firm until Oct. 16. Wilson said that while Harreld may need to
some time to move to the new job, IBM considers the appointment effective
when it is announced.

Boston Chicken, which operates a franchise chain of retail stores
specializing in complete meals, credited Harreld with building an
"organizational, communication and information infrastructure" for the
company. On assuming his new job at IBM, Harreld will continue as an
outside director of Boston Chicken, a post he held before becoming
president of the company in 1993.

(Grant Buckler/19950928/Press Contact: Rob Wilson, IBM, 914-765-6565;
Gary Gerdemann, Boston Chicken, 303-384-5638)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/28/95
BUSINESS
 ****Apple Consolidates Online Into One Division

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00027)
 ****Apple Consolidates Online Into One Division 09/28/95
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 28 (NB) -- Apple Computer Inc.
(NASDAQ: AAPL) has "expanded and consolidated" all of the company's
Internet and online content and services development into one division.
The new division will be called Apple Internet Services.

Led by Peter Friedman, a vice president of Apple, in charge of Apple
Internet Services, the group will work "in tandem" with the company's
software organization, under the leadership of Vice President Ike
Nassi, to develop new Apple products for the Internet.

Susan Marino, spokesperson for Apple Computer, told Newsbytes, "The
new division -- Apple Internet Services -- will be responsible for the
launching of a series of new, Apple-branded, World Wide Web sites,
and all of the company's 25 World Wide Web sites will be consolidated
and put under the direction of the new division.

"The new division will also take over the management of eWorld, the
company's online service, moving it toward an Internet-based service.
We have eWorld brand Web pages now, but the plans are to have
eWorld on the Internet," said Marino.

"We think the future of the information industry -- open platforms,
diverse media, the elevated customer voice for differentiated services --
is unfolding on the Internet today," said Michael Spindler, Apple's
president. "We plan to build on our existing strengths and leadership
in the electronic services realm and advance aggressively."

Spindler continued, "By consolidating our Internet content and services
work, and focusing our online service on the Internet, we aim to
quickly create a powerful and influential Apple community on the
Web. We believe the Apple brand can be as renown in cyberspace as
it is in publishing, education, and the home."

Apple Internet Services expects to develop, both independently and in
conjunction with other companies, a portfolio of World Wide Web sites
that address Apple's targeted markets.

Apple expects to be delivering Web sites focused on, among others,
creative professionals, family computer users, K-12 teachers and
students, as well as college and university students and professors.
Two such sites are presently available in pilot: Web City at
www.eworld.com/general/ and Learning Community at
www.eworld.com/learning/.

(Richard Bowers/19950928/Press Contact: Susan Marino, Apple
Computer, 408-974-8028)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/28/95
BUSINESS
Quarterdeck Acquires StarNine Technologies

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00028)
Quarterdeck Acquires StarNine Technologies 09/28/95
SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 28 (NB) -- Quarterdeck
Corporation (NASDAQ: QDEK) has acquired StarNine Technologies Inc. for
approximately 670,000 shares of Quarterdeck common stock. StarNine
developed the first commercial Web server for the Apple Macintosh.

At current stock prices, the purchase price of StarNine would be
around $12.5 million. The merger will be treated as a pooling of
interests for accounting purposes.

Bob Cutnick, vice president of business development at Quarterdeck,
told Newsbytes, "This acquisition gives us, for the first time, a
strategic position in the Mac world. StarNine is very well-respected
and known in the Internet Community, and fits perfectly in the
Quarterdeck product line."

"With this acquisition, Quarterdeck becomes the world's market
leader for commercially distributed Web servers across all platforms,"
said Gaston Bastiaens, president and chief executive officer of
Quarterdeck. "StarNine is the leading developer and distributor of
Macintosh Internet server applications. This acquisition represents an
excellent opportunity for us to begin offering Internet solutions to
the Macintosh user.

"The StarNine team has developed several winning products that are
today putting millions of documents on the World Wide Web from the
Macintosh platform. The StarNine team will also play a key role in
porting our PC-based family of Internet products to the Macintosh
platform. Besides that, StarNine's electronic-mail connectivity product
enables our remote computing division to offer complete Macintosh
connectivity as well as the Unix, Windows 3.1, NT and 95 solutions,"
Bastiaens said.

"StarNine already enjoys a leadership position in Macintosh-based
Internet server products and a large base of more than several
thousand installed Web servers," said Rusty Rahm, president of
StarNine. "Teaming up with Quarterdeck gives us the needed
worldwide distribution, sales and support organization to further
strengthen our market position."

StarNine Technologies, located in Berkeley, California, is a developer
of Internet server software and e-mail connectivity products for the
Apple Macintosh. StarNine's MailLink product line includes 13 e-mail
gateways connecting CE Software's QuickMail, Microsoft Corporation's
Microsoft Mail for AppleTalk Networks, and Apple Computer Inc.'s
PowerTalk and PowerShare to the Internet.

StarNine's WebStar Web server software is used by individuals,
corporations and organizations. ListStar is a listserver
and Email-On-Demand processor for Internet and local area
network-based e-mail.

(Richard Bowers/19950928/Press Contact: Ellen Spooren,
Quarterdeck, 310-314-6241)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/28/95
ONLINE
Seybold - Communication Arts Magazine Opens Web Site

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SFO)(00029)
Seybold - Communication Arts Magazine Opens Web Site 09/28/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 28 (NB) -- Communication
Arts magazine, the industry digest for design professionals, has
announced a World Wide Web site. The well-known journal for the design
industry says its readers now have an Internet source for information
about the growing world of online technology.

Patrick Coyne, editor and designer of Communication Arts, told
Newsbytes, "As Internet publishing has grown, we have been printing
articles about various technologies, software, tools, and general
knowledge. But the best place to have information about the Web is on
the Web itself. We have created a site which is truly designed for
visual communicators and image makers."

The Communication Arts' Web site, which is at http://www.commarts.com ,
includes: Exhibit Online which contains the latest examples of design,
advertising, photography and illustration; Creative Resources for
professional contacts, book reviews and current industry-related
articles; Production Resources where users can get listings of service
bureaus, printers and paper products; Tools and Technology for
computer software and literature; Creative Community where users
learn about clubs and organizations; Business and Career for seminars,
conferences, legal issues and job listings; CA Magazine which offers
some of the magazine content; and Web Resources which direct users
to other Web sites for tools and information.

Coyne said the site is designed to "meet the needs" of graphic designers,
art directors, copywriters, photographers, illustrators, multimedia
designers, and students. "Working with the magazine, we have a two-
month lead time. With our Web site, we are able to compliment the
printed material with timely updates. Instead of waiting months for
important news, our readers can access it almost immediately," said
Coyne.

Coyne also said interactive design is the fastest growing area in the
field of visual communications. Currently, 18% of Communication
Arts' 66,000 readers are doing interactive design and another 32% are
planning to do so in the next 12 months.

(Patrick McKenna/19950928/Press Contact: Michael Krigel,
Communication Arts, 415-326-6040/COMMARTS950928/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/28/95
LEGAL
 ****High Court To Hear Lotus-Borland Copyright Dispute

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(WAS)(00030)
 ****High Court To Hear Lotus-Borland Copyright Dispute 09/28/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 SEP 28 (NB) -- The US Supreme
Court yesterday agreed to decide the long-running copyright
dispute between Lotus and Borland over the command structure of
Lotus's 1-2-3 spreadsheet program. The decision is a major
victory for Lotus, now owned by IBM.

Lotus appealed a ruling last March by a federal appeals court in
Boston. That court concluded that the menu structure of the
Lotus program "is uncopyrightable subject matter" and is merely
a "method of operation."

Lotus brought suit against Borland in 1990, claiming that
Borland's Quattro spreadsheet, which mimicked the Lotus command
structure, violated Lotus copyrights. In 1993, a district court
agreed with Lotus and Borland appealed to the next level of
federal court.

The Copyright Act of 1976 protects computer programs, defined
as "a set of statements or instructions to be used directly or
indirectly in a computer in order to bring about a certain
result."

In appealing to the Supreme Court, Lotus said that "software
developers and their investors can no longer tell whether, or to
what extent, their creative efforts will receive effective
protection or may encroach on the rights of others."

Lotus described the appeals court ruling as "a jarring departure
from the prevailing consensus" and said it would damage the
software industry.  The company noted that five other federal
appeals courts have allowed copyright protection for command
structures.

Lawyers for Borland urged the high court to reject the appeal,
arguing that all courts "are in agreement that words used as
buttons to operate a program, unlike the program itself, are
uncopyrightable."

Borland sold Quattro to Novell in March, 1994. But Borland would
continue to be liable for damages if Lotus wins the suit. The
court will hear the case in January.The case is Lotus vs.
Borland, No. 94-2003.

The high court yesterday also agreed to hear a patent
infringement case of interest to high-tech industries. The case
tests whether there is a constitutional right to a jury trial to
resolve factual disputes over patents.

In the case -- Markman vs. Westview Instruments, No. 95-26 --
the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled in April
that judges should determine what a patent means. The court is
a specialized body that has nationwide jurisdiction over patent
issues.

The appeals court, by an 8-3 vote, said judges are better
training for unraveling patent disputes than juries in an
increasingly complex and technically sophisticated world. In
accepting the case, the Supreme Court will be examining whether
the Seventh Amendment confers a right to a trial by jury in
civil cases.

(Kennedy Maize/19950928)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/28/95
IBM
IBM Plans Turnkey Data Warehousing, 3rd-Party Deals

(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00031)
IBM Plans Turnkey Data Warehousing, 3rd-Party Deals 09/28/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 28 (NB) -- IBM's plans and
activities in data management call for commercial shipment of DB2
Parallel Edition this week, creation of new algorithms for "data
mining," completion of a new "turnkey data warehouse" called Visual
Warehouse, and collaboration with Lotus and third-party partners on
future data warehousing front ends, said IBM executives Janet Perna
and George Zagelow, in a briefing for Newsbytes.

"Only 10 percent of all data today is digitized. And I think that,
IBM, as a company, is uniquely positioned to help deal with this,"
remarked Perna, who is IBM's director of database technology.

IBM's answer to data capture and management is based on both
"industrial strength" products from IBM on the back end and "front
office skills for connecting people together" in the form of tools
like Notes, cc:Mail, and SmartSuite from the newly acquired Lotus,
according to the IBM exec.

IBM views its DB2 relational database as the underlying
"foundation" for using digitized data in emerging client-server
computing applications such as data mining and data warehousing,
she continued.

With the release this week of DB2 Parallel Edition for IBM's
RS/6000 Scalable PowerParallel (SP) systems, DB2 is now available
across all IBM platforms, as well as on Sun and HP. In addition,
DB2 is now in beta for Windows 95, Windows NT, Sun, and Siemens-
Nixdorf. "And that's the beginning of the game," Perna said.

As previously reported in Newsbytes, beta applications for DB2
Parallel Edition have included scientific/technical
implementations, such as a 512-node SP machine at Cornell
University, along with commercial applications in data mining.

Perna told Newsbytes this week that IBM is now at work on new data
mining algorithms that will provide data with enhanced abilities
"to tell us about itself, and to draw patterns."

In addition, she noted, IBM has published a new architecture called
DRDA (Distributed Relational Database Administration). IBM has also
made DRDA available to X/Open.

Zagelow told Newsbytes that Visual Warehouse, IBM's upcoming
turnkey data warehousing system, entered beta testing in May, and
is targeted for release by the end of this year. "The idea is to
provide the customer with a standalone data mart that can be `up
and running' right away," he asserted.

Visual Warehouse will include: DB2 for OS/2; DataHub, a platform for
integrating data warehousing tools; Data Propagator, for data
replication; DataJoiner, a gateway to multivendor databases; a set
of Visual Warehouse Adapters for extracting data from non-
relational databases. DDCS (Distributed Database Connection
Services) for OS/2; Visualize Query and Charting; and DataGuide, a
"directory of all objects" in the warehouse.

"But as broad as our spectrum is, there are areas where other
vendors can provide some very useful functionality. We won't be
doing a `cast of thousands' announcement. But we will be
(announcing plans) to work with third-party vendors. We'll be
taking a much stronger technical look at integration of the data
warehouse," maintained Zagelow, who is program director, Data
Warehousing Solutions.

Meta data, which provides the data warehouse user with "data about
the data," is "probably the primary area for help," Zagelow added.

IBM is now "talking with potential alliance partners" about how to
integrate DataGuide with third-party end user applications such as
popular spreadsheets and charting programs so that users can view
meta data from their choice of a variety of front ends, Zagelow
reported. "This should be a nice seamless interface, with a strong
connection back into DB2," he elaborated.

Data warehouses of the near future will typically be built around
an RDBMS (relational database management system) such as DB2, with
"maybe some smaller relational datamarts, and some smaller
specialized databases such as MDDS (multidimensional database
management system)," he predicted.

The RDBMS is able to warehouse huge stores of information, he
explained. "But I don't see the MDDS (multidimensional database
system) as being that scalable."

On the other hand, though, the MDDS provides capabilities for
"discovery" and data mining that complement RDBMS query
capabilities, so that RDBMS and MDDS will often be used in the
same data warehouse, according to the IBM exec.

Through the query process, users are essentially "confirming their
hypotheses," he noted. In contrast, through the MDDS "discovery"
process, users can often detect unexpected and interesting
"patterns" among the data being explored.

Perna observed that, also this week, IBM is announcing shipment of
its first DB2 gateways for the Web. Right now, the Web gateways to
AIX and OS/2 DB2 servers are being sold on a standalone basis, she
pointed out. "But we are also looking at other packaging options,
and we might eventually package the gateways as part of DB2."

Meanwhile, she revealed, IBM is working with Lotus to connect DB2
to Approach and the Notes database server, and well as to link
IBM's "enterprise MQSeries" to Notes, cc:Mail, and SmartSuite.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19950928/Reader Contact: IBM, 914-642-3000; Press
Contact: Parna Sarkar-Basu, Brodeur & Partners for IBM, 617-622-
2800)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/28/95
ONLINE
Seybold - Connect Intros OneServer Software

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SFO)(00032)
Seybold - Connect Intros OneServer Software 09/28/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 28 (NB) -- Connect Inc.
gathered attendees' attention with its OneServer software, an
end-to-end Internet and private network system for companies
wanting to establish an online marketplace for digital products.
OneServer was demonstrated at Seybold with its first announced
customer, PhotoDisc.

Called OneServer Digital Product Distribution System (DPDS), the
new software is a "serious" business application for large companies
which need a custom product to produce online sales, licensing,
distribution, and tracking of multimedia digital products online.
Connect says its product was designed as an answer to companies
looking for one complete software package to establish business on
the Internet or on a private network.

When Connect says "serious" business, it means what it says. An
entry-level version of OneServer begins with a price tag of $80,000 and,
depending on the platform, configuration, and database volume, may run
as high as $1,500,000.

Tom Kehler, Connect's president and chief executive officer (CEO), told
Newsbytes, "OneServer is a means of setting up an electronic storefront
with everything a customer needs to do business. If a large company went
out and set up a new storefront the costs are extremely high compared
to building an electronic presence which opens the door to global sales."

With OneServer, PhotoDisc is introducing PhotoDisc Online. It offers
more than 10,000 royalty-free images electronically to more than
40,000 design professionals. Future plans call for the addition of
another 40,000 images early next year. This means PhotoDisc Online
will offer approximately 20 gigabytes (GB) of images and information.

Connect also announced an agreement with Hewlett-Packard to include
OneServer software in HP's Internet Solutions Program. As part of the
program, OneServer is available on HP 9000 servers sunning HP-UX
10.x. Connect says the arrangement allows an even wider audience of
potential customers to learn about OneServer.

(Patrick McKenna/19950928/Press Contact: Robin M. Foster, Miller
Communications, 415-962-9550)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/28/95
TRENDS
 ****Seybold - Hitachi Intros Graphics Tablet

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00033)
 ****Seybold - Hitachi Intros Graphics Tablet 09/28/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A, 1995 SEP 28 (NB) -- Hitachi, which
markets its MultiPad professional graphics tablet, has unveiled a smaller,
less expensive model called StudioPad. With a suggested $200 price tag,
this compliment to MultiPad is designed for "graphics professionals and
upscale home users."

Available for Macintosh and Windows-based personal computers
(PCs), StudioPad is a four-inch by five-inch tablet offering "convenience
and portability" over the larger StudioPad, says the company. It weighs
less than a pound and provides pen and mouse functions. Hitachi says
StudioPad is designed so it draws very little power when used with a
notebook.

StudioPad has a fifteen electronic function keys which are operated
with a touch of the stylus. Hitachi says users are able to draw pictures
and diagrams, annotate a document or add a signature to a letter
"quickly and easily."

Hitachi spokesperson, Tom Bock, told Newsbytes, "We are overwhelmed here
at the show. People are very excited about StudioPad. We have two artists
here at the booth and three stations for conference attendees to try the
tablet." Supporting Bock's statement, customers were lining up to buy
StudioPad at a special conference price of $119. MultiPad, also on
display, was also selling briskly for $100 less than its suggested
advertised price of $299.

Hitachi says you do not have to be an artist to use StudioPad. Users
are able to trace images which can be placed under the drawing surface.
The tablet features 256 levels of pressure and it has an 0.01-inch
accuracy. For the Windows model, StudioPad connects through a
standard nine-pin connector and Hitachi supplies a 25-pin adapter for
connecting to COM port 2, 3, and 4.

Potential buyers can expect to see the graphics tablet at computer
superstores and most major consumer electronic stores, such as The
Good Guys.

Hitachi has also formed an agreement with Fractal Design to bundle
StudioPad with the popular Dabbler paint program.

(Patrick McKenna/19950928/Press Contact: Tom Bock, Hitachi,
408-747-0777/HITACHI950928/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/28/95
ONLINE
More On Lotus cc:Mail For The Web

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(BOS)(00034)
More On Lotus cc:Mail For The Web 09/28/95
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 28 (NB) -- Lotus's newly
unveiled cc:Mail for the World Wide Web is designed to ease cc:Mail
access from home offices and on-the-road, as well as to simplify
the management chores of cc:Mail administrators, maintained Amy
Shaw, senior product manager, in an interview with Newsbytes.

Organizations can employ the new Web server-based software to let
users access basic cc:Mail functions from any computer equipped
with a Web browser, whether that computer is located on company
grounds, in an employee's home office, or in a hotel lobby,
according to Shaw.

Meanwhile, the product will make life smoother for administrators
by allowing them to perform cc:Mail updates over the Web, instead
of via "sneakernet," and by permitting the quick set-up and
configuration of mailboxes for temporary and contract workers on
Web servers, she contended. "All the administrator needs to do is
define a user address, or URL (Uniform Resource Locator)."

Lotus decided to create the new Web-based offering after receiving
requests from users for a way to access their cc:Mail software on
computers not equipped with cc:Mail client software, Newsbytes was
told.

Computers with Web browsers are starting to show up in more and
more places, including hotel lobbies, Shaw pointed out. In the
future, Web connectivity will even extend to airport kiosks, she
predicted.

The new cc:Mail for the Web can be used on any Windows NT-based
HTML (hypertext markup language)-compliant Web server, including
secure Web servers, she noted. Each server license supports
multiple cc:Mail post offices, and each cc:Mail post office
supports about 200 users.

In addition, the new product allows basic cc:Mail access from any
HTML-compliant browser. So far, Lotus has only had time to certify
the product for use with Netscape, but the certification process
will extend to other Web browsers in the future, she continued.

In its first release, cc:Mail for the Web lets users view, create.
read, and respond to cc:Mail electronic mail, according to the
Lotus exec. Users cannot send documents with attached files over
the Web, but they can both receive documents with attached files,
and forward these documents to other users.

In the future, Lotus intends to add the ability to let users
receive cc:Mail documents with attached files over the Web, as well
as to receive notification and to utilize cc:Mail rules. Also
planned are editions of the Web server software for OS/2 and Unix,
according to the senior product manager.

Lotus cc:Mail for the World Wide Web is slated for availability
within the next 90 days, at expected pricing of $195 for a server
license and no more than $20 per user license. For the next 30
days, users can view an interactive demo on the Web at
http://salsa.ccmail.com:8324/silver40.3 . Demo viewers should employ
the fictitious user name "John Valentine," and the password "JV."

(Jacqueline Emigh/19950929/Reader Contact: Lotus Development Corp.,
617-577-8500; Press Contact: Victor Cruz, Meryl Franzman, or Kevin
Kosh, Lois Paul & Partners for Lotus, 617-862-4514)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00035)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 09/28/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 28 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|          Thursday, September 28, 1995          |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network's 1995 Update CD-ROM for Mac, DOS, and Windows is
now available for $29.95 (includes s&h). Contains 1983-1995 news stories,
more than 64,000 keyword searchable stories and 475 digitized images. For
more information or to order, fax to 612-430-0441 or e-mail to
'[e-mail]' -- MC, Visa, Amex accepted.

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

APPLE     New Version Of Act! For Mac................................ 08

APPLE     Macromedia Upgrades FreeHand For Macs...................... 09

APPLE     Adobe Intros Mac Pagemaker Developer's Kit................. 14

APPLE     Viewpoint Intros 3-D Object Clip-Art....................... 19

BROADCAST  ****Philips Plans Set-Top For Web, MCD For Video/Audio/Dat 01

BROADCAST Scientific Atlanta Wins Chinese Emergency Network Order.... 06

BROADCAST Video News Roundup......................................... 07

BUSINESS  IPC Woos Asia's Corporations With New Hardware............. 22

BUSINESS  Philippine Long Distance Telephone Shows Promise........... 23

BUSINESS  Unisys Charges Into China PC Market........................ 25

BUSINESS   ****Apple Consolidates Online Into One Division........... 27

BUSINESS  Quarterdeck Acquires StarNine Technologies................. 28

GENERAL   Seybold - Canon Intros ColorGear Color Mgt................. 18

GENERAL   Comdex Asia Set For October 24............................. 24

HEALTH    New Web Site For Disease Management........................ 13

IBM        ****Boston Chicken President Replaces Cannavino At IBM.... 26

IBM       IBM Plans Turnkey Data Warehousing, 3rd-Party Deals........ 31

LEGAL      ****High Court To Hear Lotus-Borland Copyright Dispute.... 30

NETWORK   Zenith Data Systems Adds To Server Line, NetWare Support... 02

ONLINE    Internet Update............................................ 04

ONLINE    NTT Launches US Internet Consultancy Service............... 05

ONLINE    Quarterdeck InternetSuite Available In Netherlands......... 12

ONLINE    Vossnet Offers Global Yacht Sales Web Site................. 15

ONLINE    Wave Technologies' New Internet Training Program........... 20

ONLINE    Seybold - Communication Arts Magazine Opens Web Site....... 29

ONLINE    Seybold - Connect Intros OneServer Software................ 32

ONLINE    More On Lotus cc:Mail For The Web.......................... 34

PC        Australia - Acer PCs In Different Colors................... 21

TRENDS     ****Symposium Looks At Wearable Computers................. 03

TRENDS    Limited Role For Govt In Info Highway - Report............. 16

TRENDS    Info Highway Report Grapples With Content Issues........... 17

TRENDS     ****Seybold - Hitachi Intros Graphics Tablet.............. 33

WINDOWS   Expense Software Downloads Credit Card Data................ 10

WINDOWS   Zenographics' SuperPrint 4.0 Speeds Win 95 Printing........ 11

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 ->  ****Philips Plans Set-Top For Web, MCD For Video/Audio/Data -- Over
the next year or so, Philips and its partners will roll out a new set-top
box providing Web connectivity to TV sets over standard phone lines, plus
a variety of systems that are based on the new MCD (Multimedia Compact
Disk) high density, "high resolution" CD format for interoperable use
with CD-ROM, CD-Audio, Video CD, and CD-I (compact disk interactive),
Philips officials revealed, at a press briefing attended by Newsbytes in
Boston.

2 -> Zenith Data Systems Adds To Server Line, NetWare Support -- Zenith
Data Systems (ZDS) said it will support quad processors for its Z-Server
MX network server platform, and a higher speed option for its dual
processor Z-Server WG server line. The company also announced support for
NetWare 4.1 SMP on its entire Z-Server line of multiprocessor server
platforms.

3 ->  ****Symposium Looks At Wearable Computers -- Holy socks Batman,
wearable computers! Computer Products & Services Inc. (CPSI) is running a
technical symposium on wearable computers next week in Washington's
Virginia suburbs.

4 -> Internet Update -- In this roundup of new products and services on
the global Internet: Real change on the Internet, Swiss, German
governments resources, Yucky home page debuts, Live jazz on the net,
Irish film festival, Internet audio mailing list, Interactive insurance
launches, Australian observatory online.

5 -> NTT Launches US Internet Consultancy Service -- The American
subsidiary of Japan's largest domestic telecommunications company, Nippon
Telegraph and Telephone, has entered the north American Internet market
with a specialist Internet consultancy and connection service.

6 -> Scientific Atlanta Wins Chinese Emergency Network Order --
Scientific Atlanta Inc. (NYSE:SFA) has won a large order from China's
Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications for a nationwide emergency and
disaster communications network. The new system will be used during
relief operations when a natural disaster, such as flooding or an
earthquake, disables the public telephone network, or in areas where
there is no telephone access in the first place.

7 -> Video News Roundup -- This is a look at the top stories this week in
the world of video news reporting: Desktop video price breakthrough
announced by Miro, Virtual Studio Sets, and Researchers refine video
grabbing. In product news, Panasonic D-3 cameras go underwater, and
Hitachi announces new SDTV decoder.

8 -> New Version Of Act! For Mac -- Symantec Corporation (NASDAQ:SYMC)
has announced a new Macintosh version of its popular contact manager
Act!. The new version, Act! 2.5 for Macintosh, highlights file and
database synchronization capabilities important to business users.

9 -> Macromedia Upgrades FreeHand For Macs -- Macromedia (NASDAQ:MACR)
has announced version 5.5 of FreeHand for Macintosh and Power Macintosh.
The software and design illustration tool is claimed to be 25% faster
than the previous version, offers 10,000 free clip-art images and
includes 500 free fonts.

10 -> Expense Software Downloads Credit Card Data -- Portable Software
Corp. (PSC) said it is now shipping version 1.6 of its QuickXpense
software that includes 32-bit compatibility with Windows 95 and can
access the user's corporate charge card transactions with a single mouse
click.

11 -> Zenographics' SuperPrint 4.0 Speeds Win 95 Printing --
Zenographics, a Windows printing and graphic enhancement software
developer, has announced SuperPrint 4.0. Designed for all versions of
Windows, the print utility allows Windows 95 to perform true 32-bit
printing tasks, according to the company.

12 -> Quarterdeck InternetSuite Available In Netherlands -- Quarterdeck
Corporation (NASDAQ: QDEK), maker of the Quarterdeck Mosaic browser, and
Videotex Nederland N.V., one of the Netherlands' Internet services
providers, have announced an agreement to provide Internet access in the
Netherlands. The Quarterdeck InternetSuite will be available through
Videotext's World Access for an estimated retail price of 99 Dutch
Guilders with one month free Internet usage.

13 -> New Web Site For Disease Management -- Greenstone Healthcare
Solutions, a subsidiary of The Upjohn Company (NYSE:UPJ), is entering the
world of cyberspace with an Internet World Wide Web site devoted to the
field of disease management.

14 -> Adobe Intros Mac Pagemaker Developer's Kit -- Adobe Systems Inc.
(NASDAQ: ADBE) has introduced a software developer kit (SDK) for Adobe
Pagemaker 6.0 for the Macintosh and Power Macintosh platforms. The SDK
provides third-party developers with an interface to the Pagemaker
program's menu commands, tools and publication data, in order to create
plug-in programs that extend the functionality of Pagemaker.

15 -> Vossnet Offers Global Yacht Sales Web Site -- Vossnet, a UK
Internet service provider, has announced the creation of Yacht Link, an
Internet-accessible buying and selling service for yacht owners.

16 -> Limited Role For Govt In Info Highway - Report -- The Canadian
Advisory Council on the Information Highway has published its final
report, calling  on the Canadian government to liberalize communications
regulation in  some areas, rely largely on the private sector to build
the so-called  information highway, but retain a role as a protector of
consumers and  Canadian culture.

17 -> Info Highway Report Grapples With Content Issues -- Content, as
pundits are fond of saying, is the most important element of the
so-called information highway. To what extent that content should be
controlled is a sensitive issue for governments, and the newly released
report of the Canadian Advisory Council on the Information Highway tries
to deal with content issues of universal concern as well as issues more
particularly Canadian.

18 -> Seybold - Canon Intros ColorGear Color Mgt -- Canon of Tokyo and
Canon Information Systems of Palo Alto, California, opened Softbank
Expo's Seybold show with the introduction of ColorGear. Defined as a
"cross- platform color management system" (CMS), ColorGear is a
collection of software tools and device profiles.

19 -> Viewpoint Intros 3-D Object Clip-Art -- Viewpoint Datalabs
International rolled out its Z-Art software this week at the Seybold
tradeshow in San Francisco. Z-Art is a collection of design-ready
three-dimensional (3-D) objects which can be used as clip-art, but have
the flexibility of manipulation.

20 -> Wave Technologies' New Internet Training Program -- Wave
Technologies International Inc. (NASDAQ: WAVT) has introduced new
training programs that include using the Internet in business and
Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) certification.

21 -> Australia - Acer PCs In Different Colors -- The Aspire line of
"colorful, designer" PCs, announced recently by Acer, will probably make
it to Australia by November, but local customers will initially be able
to purchase them in only one color.

22 -> IPC Woos Asia's Corporations With New Hardware -- In a vigorous
stab at exploiting the potential of the corporate market, Singapore-based
PC manufacturer IPC has introduced a new suite of products ranging from
desktop computers and notebooks, to servers and videoconferencing
systems.

23 -> Philippine Long Distance Telephone Shows Promise -- Investors
should ignore headline net income figures and focus on underlying
performance when assessing Philippine Long distance Telephone (PLDT) and
its likely future share price performance, according to investment bank
Salomon Brothers.

24 -> Comdex Asia Set For October 24 -- It has all the trappings of a
major event

25 -> Unisys Charges Into China PC Market -- Looking for instant
positioning in China's PC market, Unisys Corp. has signed Beijing's
Founder Corp. as its mainland and Hong Kong distributor in a deal
reportedly worth US$27 million.

26 ->  ****Boston Chicken President Replaces Cannavino At IBM -- The
former cereal-company boss who now heads IBM has named another veteran of
the food industry to the post of chief strategist at the computer
company. IBM Chairman and Chief  Executive Louis Gerstner has appointed
J. Bruce Harreld as senior  vice-president of strategy. To take his new
job, Harreld will step down as president of Boston Chicken, a Golden,
Colorado, firm known for its highly successful initial public offering.

27 ->  ****Apple Consolidates Online Into One Division -- Apple Computer
Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) has "expanded and consolidated" all of the company's
Internet and online content and services development into one division.
The new division will be called Apple Internet Services.

28 -> Quarterdeck Acquires StarNine Technologies -- Quarterdeck
Corporation (NASDAQ: QDEK) has acquired StarNine Technologies Inc. for
approximately 670,000 shares of Quarterdeck common stock. StarNine
developed the first commercial Web server for the Apple Macintosh.

29 -> Seybold - Communication Arts Magazine Opens Web Site --
Communication Arts magazine, the industry digest for design
professionals, has announced a World Wide Web site. The well-known
journal for the design industry says its readers now have an Internet
source for information about the growing world of online technology.

30 ->  ****High Court To Hear Lotus-Borland Copyright Dispute -- The US
Supreme Court yesterday agreed to decide the long-running copyright
dispute between Lotus and Borland over the command structure of Lotus's
1-2-3 spreadsheet program. The decision is a major victory for Lotus, now
owned by IBM.

31 -> IBM Plans Turnkey Data Warehousing, 3rd-Party Deals -- IBM's plans
and activities in data management call for commercial shipment of DB2
Parallel Edition this week, creation of new algorithms for "data mining,"
completion of a new "turnkey data warehouse" called Visual Warehouse, and
collaboration with Lotus and third-party partners on future data
warehousing front ends, said IBM executives Janet Perna and George
Zagelow, in a briefing for Newsbytes.

32 -> Seybold - Connect Intros OneServer Software -- Connect Inc.
gathered attendees' attention with its OneServer software, an end-to-end
Internet and private network system for companies wanting to establish an
online marketplace for digital products. OneServer was demonstrated at
Seybold with its first announced customer, PhotoDisc.

33 ->  ****Seybold - Hitachi Intros Graphics Tablet -- Hitachi, which
markets its MultiPad professional graphics tablet, has unveiled a
smaller, less expensive model called StudioPad. With a suggested $200
price tag, this compliment to MultiPad is designed for "graphics
professionals and upscale home users."

34 -> More On Lotus cc:Mail For The Web -- Lotus's newly unveiled cc:Mail
for the World Wide Web is designed to ease cc:Mail access from home
offices and on-the-road, as well as to simplify the management chores of
cc:Mail administrators, maintained Amy Shaw, senior product manager, in
an interview with Newsbytes.

(Ian Stokell/19950928)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD



Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/27/95
ONLINE
Silicon Graphics Internet Publishing Tool

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LAX)(00001)
Silicon Graphics Internet Publishing Tool 09/27/95
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 27 (NB) -- Silicon
Graphics Inc. (NYSE: SGI) has announced MindShare OutBox, a new
product that uses World Wide Web technology for collaborating within
heterogeneous environments. The desktop Web publishing tool will
be bundled with all of the current SGI Internet products, such as
Silicon Graphics' Indy and Indigo2 desktop systems.

Eileen Caetano, a spokesperson for Silicon Graphics, told Newsbytes,
"MindShare OutBox is the first drag-and-drop desktop Web publishing
tool that allows organizations to capture the power of internal Web
technology for heterogeneous workgroup collaboration. Users can
employ OutBox to automatically generate Web pages hyper-linked and
easily accessed by PC, Macintosh systems, or other Unix platforms.

"With the MindShare OutBox software corporate deployment behind
the firewall can create the atmosphere of an internal server.
Integrating Silicon Graphics' easy-to-use WebMagic HTML (hypertext
markup language) editor, MindShare OutBox leverages internal
networks, enabling effective collaboration," said Caetano

"Companies throughout the world have realized the vast potential
of the World Wide Web as a powerful vehicle to tighten the
communication gap between themselves and their customers," said
Tom Furlong, vice president and general manager of Silicon Graphics'
Digital Media Systems division. "With tools like MindShare OutBox,
these same companies can now utilize the Web to serve as a dynamic
communication and collaboration medium within their organizations."

Indy and Indigo2 users can employ OutBox to automatically generate
Web pages hyper-linked to any data type. Corporate users can then
retrieve published information by browsing these generated Web
pages using industry standard Web browsers.

(Richard Bowers/19950926/Press Contact: Eileen M. Caetano, Silicon
Graphics, 415-390-2036)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/27/95
ONLINE
Russia - Online Media Conf Set For October

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LON)(00002)
Russia - Online Media Conf Set For October 09/27/95
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1995 SEP 27 (NB) -- New Media for a New World 1995,
an East-West conference on online media, will be presented October
23-25 at the Russian-American Press and Information Center in Moscow.

This year's event will help Russian journalists become more familiar
with online tools for news gathering and publishing. The conference is
just part of a comprehensive two-year program aimed at promoting
professional collaboration and technological convergence between regional
Russian print and broadcast media and the online computer networks.

Details regarding this program are available at
http://solar.rtd.utk.edu/~aboyle/new.world.html/

Organizers of the conference include: the Art Pattison Communications
Exchange Program, the Russian-American Press and Information Center,
the Center for Civil Society International, GlasNet, Relcom, and Sovam
Teleport. Funding is provided through the Russian-American Media
Partnership program, jointly administered by Internews and the Center
for War, Peace and the News Media.

The seminar will offer hands-on training in the use of online tools
such as the World Wide Web and other Internet resources, as well as
Lexis/Nexis and other information databases. It will also examine
online ventures such as the St. Petersburg Press and TribNet/Vladivostok
News, and explore future commercial opportunities in the online news
industry.

The first "New Media for a New World" conference took place in July,
1994, in Moscow, with the "virtual keynote" address given via
electronic-mail by Vice President Al Gore. Proceedings of that
conference, as well as information about this year's event,
are available via the World Wide Web at
http://solar.rtd.utk.edu/~aboyle/new.world.html.

(Steven Slatem/19950927/Press & Reader Contact: Art Pattison
Communications Exchange Program, tel [phone],
fax [phone], Internet e-mail: [e-mail] or
[e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/27/95
WINDOWS
UK - Isocor Intros Fast Windows NT Messaging Products

(NEWS)(WINDOWS)(LON)(00003)
UK - Isocor Intros Fast Windows NT Messaging Products 09/27/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 SEP 27 (NB) -- Isocor, a provider of open client-
server messaging products, has unveiled its Isocor Messaging for Windows
NT product family.

According to Paul Gigg, the company's UK managing director, the range
is released in time for an expected surge in demand for messaging
environments for Windows NT, now that Windows NT v3.51 has gained
widespread acceptance in the corporate world.

"Windows NT has become a popular operating system in the business
world. Our products have been available for the Unix environment for
some time, but it's only recently that we realized that the Windows NT
platform was starting to become popular. The release of our products
for Windows NT means we are perfectly positioned for the surge in
demand for Windows NT applications," he told Newsbytes.

The range of Windows NT messaging products from Isocor includes
messaging servers, client tools for Microsoft MAPI on Windows 95.
Directory Synchronization gateways for Lotus cc:Mail and Microsoft
Mail, Admin Tools for directory management and Directory Servers based
on X.500.

According to Gigg, the entire suite of packages run over a variety of
communications topologies, including TCP/IP (Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol)) and the Internet. The packages are billed
as capable of service as a managed, high-performance backbone for EDI
(electronic data interchange), electronic-mail, and Microsoft Exchange
systems.

The major components of the Isocor Messaging for Windows NT product
range include: Isoplex, an X.400 messaging server; Isogate for cc:Mail
and Microsoft Mail, which features X.500 directory synchronization;
Isotrade for Windows NT, an EDI package; Isoplex DS, an X.500-based
Directory Server with a World Wide Web gateway; and Isoplex DS Navigator,
a Windows-based management tool.

Applications for Isocor Messaging for Windows NT include large
backbone systems for major corporate and government organization,
value-added network providers, and telcos. The packages run on both
single and multiprocessor Intel-based systems for Windows NT.

Isoplex for Windows NT will ship this month, while the other isocor
packages for Windows NT and Windows 95 will ship during the fourth
quarter of the year. Pricing has yet to be confirmed.

Further details of all Isocor products, including details of the
company's global offices, can be found on the company's Web site,
which is at http://www.isocor.com .

(Steve Gold/19950926/Press Contact: Ingeborg Seel,
tel [phone], fax [phone], Internet e-mail
[e-mail]; Reader Contact: Isocor,
tel [phone], fax [phone], Internet e-mail
[e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/27/95
GENERAL
UK - Portcullis' Windows NT/95 & OS/2 Anti-Virus Prgms

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00004)
UK - Portcullis' Windows NT/95 & OS/2 Anti-Virus Prgms 09/27/95
PINNER, MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND, 1995 SEP 27 (NB) -- Portcullis has
announced plans to ship Windows 95, Windows NT, and OS/2 Warp versions
of its F-Prot Professional range of anti-virus packages. According to
Bob Hoxey, the company's managing director, the packages will ship on
a phased basis over the next few months.

"F-Prot Professional has been available for the DOS, Windows 3.x,
and OS/2 operating system environments for some time, and they have
been popular. We're now developing the range for the latest
incarnations of operating systems," he told Newsbytes.

According to Hoxey, the company will be charging broadly the same
price for the three new versions, i.e. UKP90, although a surcharge of
UKP10 to UKP15 is being considered, for the Windows NT and 95 editions.

"It comes down to which editions the users want. If they want to go
straight in with the Windows 95 edition, they obviously don't need the
DOS or Windows 3.x version, so we will only charge them UKP90. If
they want these earlier editions, we will only charge a modest extra
fee," he explained.

According to Hoxey, F-Prot Professional includes native versions for
all operating system platforms where viruses are common. The package
can also be configured to support multiple operating system platforms
on a network, with one master copy of F-Prot Professional acting as
the lead workstation.

In this scenario, the administrator or supervisory can use a Windows
3.x, NT or 95, or am OS/2 Warp workstations and receive reports from
the network every time a virus is found in any computer on the
network.

Plans call for F-Prot Professional for Windows 95 to be included free
of charge within the standard package. Existing users will be allowed
to upgrade to the Windows 95 version free of charge. "What we're
trying to do with our pricing policy is to play fair with the
customer. If they're got an existing edition of F-Prot Professional,
we're not going to charge them major amounts to upgrade to a new
computing platform version," he explained.

(Steve Gold/19950926/Press & Reader Contact: Portcullis,
tel [phone], fax [phone], Internet e-mail
[e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/27/95
ONLINE
UK - Internet Fantasy Football Contest

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LON)(00005)
UK - Internet Fantasy Football Contest 09/27/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 SEP 27 (NB) -- One of the most popular
competitions for football (soccer)-loving couch potatoes in the UK has
been to subscribe to a Fantasy Football program through a national paper,
with calls to select your fantasy team routed through a premium rate
phone line, so generating revenue and paying for prizes. Now the
Electronic Telegraph (ET) has gone one better and announced a Fantasy
Football scheme across its Web pages.

Signup to the service costs just UKP10, which entitles subscribers
to entry into the competition on a weekly basis until May, 1996. The
system works with Web users "buying" squads of 17 players with a
fantasy budget of UKP55 million.

The fantasy football squad must consist of two goalkeepers, three full-
backs, three center-backs, six midfielders, and three strikers, with no
more than two players from any single FA Carling Premiership Club.

The scheme is an enhanced version of the Daily Telegraph's (the printed
newspaper version of ET) Fantasy Football competition, which ET claims
was the first print version in the UK. Fantasy League Online, as the
game is known, is claimed to be more interactive and visual than is
possible with the printed version.

Cyberspace managers get to choose the strip (team colors) of their
squad, and can make online "transfers" between teams at any time.
Players can also decide each week which 11 men they want to play with
and can change their selection as often as they like.

The football game also gives players the chance to search through past
performances of their team members, with Web hotlinks to individual
player profiles. The Electronic Telegraph will also carry a Premier
League home page and a link to the web sites for all the teams within
the league.

Each month, a prize of UKP750 will be given to the cyberspace manager
of the month, and, at the end of the season, the highest scoring
manager will win UKP6,000, plus tickets for the real world FA Cup
Final.

The scheme is being run in conjunction with Littlewoods Pools and,
according to Hugo Drayton, ET's marketing manager, is the first major
competition being run online. "A small team has been evaluating the
development of the game for the past four months and the initial
response from potential players has been extremely encouraging. The
game is the first of kind on the Internet, ensuring ET retains its
reputation of being genuinely innovative," he said.

Since entries can be submitted online and payment can be by plastic
card (or check), the game is effectively open to anyone in the world
with a Web Internet access. Further details of the game can be found
on http:/www.telegraph.co.uk .

(Steve Gold/19950926/Press Contact: Katie Hatfield, [phone];
Reader Contact: Electronic Telegraph, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/27/95
BUSINESS
Germany - Siemens Acquires Israeli Networking Firm

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00006)
Germany - Siemens Acquires Israeli Networking Firm 09/27/95
ERLANGEN, GERMANY, 1995 SEP 27 (NB) -- Siemens, the German
information technology (IT) giant, has announced plans to acquire
Ornet Data Communications Technologies (ODCT), the Israeli networking
company.

According to officials with Siemens, financial terms of the deal are
not being made public. Ornet is being acquired, officials said, for
its knowledge of the switched Ethernet market, which will add to
Siemens Network Systems Ethernet solutions portfolio.

The deal comes as Siemens is revving up sales on the PC front --
earlier this month, the German company's computing division said it
plans to break the one million PC production barrier this year. The
target production figure is around 67 percent up on the 600,000
production units recorded last year, which itself was 50 percent
up on previous years.

During the first half of this year, Siemens Nixdorf became the market
leader in Germany, according to Dataquest, with 12.3 percent of the
market. From January to June, more than 200,000 PCs were sold in
Germany, a rise of over 80 percent on the same period the previous
year. On a pan-European basis, Siemens has a 4.6 percent market share
in PC terms, ranking it fifth in PC vendor terms.

(Sylvia Dennis/19950926/Press & Reader Contact: Siemens,
tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/27/95
TELECOM
France Telecom Awards 4 Contracts For Info Highway Trials

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00007)
France Telecom Awards 4 Contracts For Info Highway Trials 09/27/95
PARIS, FRANCE, 1995 SEP 27 (NB) -- France Telecom has awarded four
major contracts for the construction and servicing of optical fiber
networks across France. The aim of the project is to create a pilot
"information superhighway" across France to trial broadband data
communications technology services.

Plans call for the networks to be operational towards the end of 1996,
at which stage France Telecom plans to plug them in the Transpac
packet data network (PDN) as a major backbone to the network.

The contracts have a total value of FF500 million (US$100 million),
and have been awarded to Alcatel Alsthom, Societe Anonyme de
Telecommunication (SAT), Germany's Siemens, and a joint venture
between Sweden's Ericsson and France's Matra.

While Alcatel, SAT and the Matra/Ericsson combine are working on
network infrastructures capable of supporting a wide variety of online
data channels, including multimedia, video-on-demand and online
services, the Siemens contract calls for the German information
technology (IT) giant to develop a network to support future telecoms
services.

In parallel with the major info superhighway contract deals, France
Telecom is working on a series of advanced telecoms services for
launch at the end of this year. The services, which will lay the
foundations for the advanced backbone network next fall, will include
video-on-demand and multimedia services, building on the success of
the French Minitel viewdata services.

(Sylvia Dennis/19950926/Press & Reader Contact: tel [phone],
fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/27/95
TRENDS
UK - Logitech's TrackMan Marble Technology

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00008)
UK - Logitech's TrackMan Marble Technology 09/27/95
BRACKNELL, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 SEP 27 (NB) -- Logitech, the mouse
and pointing technology company, has announced TrackMan Marble, a new
mini-trackball that has no moving parts. According to the company, the
TrackMan Marble uses an electronic net to sense changes in trackball
and direct the on-screen pointer.

Using this approach to pointing devices, the company claims that
electronic tracking ball movement offers users virtually maintenance-
free and consistently smooth operation.

According to Martin Pickering, Logitech's general manager, until now,
the mechanical nature of trackball technology -- usually a complex
system compressed of rollers, shafts and wheels -- has given rise
to a number of problems, including the blocking of shafts by dust
particles, as well as reaction and/or corrosion of metallic parts of
the mechanism caused by oils and chemicals from the user s skin.

"TrackMan Marble is a true technological breakthrough, with great
significance for both the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) and
retail markets. In the OEM arena, systems manufacturers are looking
for a low-cost, reliable trackball for portable computing solutions,
whilst on the retail side, problems with keeping trackball smoothness
and accuracy are among the most common complaints of the end users,"
Pickering explained.

According to Pickering, in the Marble Sensing Technology (MST) seen in
TrackMan Marble, an embedded sensor remotely tracks the movements of a
pattern of dots printed on an inner layer of the ball, which is itself
protected from wear by a special coating.

The TrackMan Marble is billed Plug and Play-ready, offering automatic
identification and configuration per device and the ability to hot
plug under Windows 95. System requirements for the TrackMan Marble
include an PC-compatible system, DOS 3.3 or higher and an available
serial or mouse port.

Logitech plans to ship retail versions of the TrackMan Marble later
this year, at which time OEM versions should start appearing. Pricing
on the product will be announced closer to shipment date.

(Steve Gold/19950926/Press Contact: Bogard Communications, +44-1753-
654333, Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Reader Contact:
Logitech, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/27/95
ONLINE
Eye Magic's $20 Homepage Builder For Web Publishing

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SFO)(00009)
Eye Magic's $20 Homepage Builder For Web Publishing 09/27/95
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 27 (NB) -- Eye Magic Media, a new
software development company, has announced its Windows 95, World Wide
Web title, called Homepage Builder. The new CD-ROM program, priced at
$20, is designed to offer a "quick and easy" tool to build homepages

With plans to ship Homepage Builder by early November, Eye Magic
says the new program differs from most Web page builder applications
by keeping the Internet document format, hypertext markup language
(HTML), completely in the background. "Homepage Builder allows
users with basic word processing skills to sit down and create a Web
page without having to work with unfriendly HTML tools or buy an
expensive program," said Eye Magic's founder, Diane Heppting.

The former chairman of Aris Entertainment, Heppting, says homepage
development is the fastest growing component of the Internet and
individual users and small companies need a tool which allow them to
quickly and easily create a homepage for their Web sites. "Large
companies can afford to hire specialists to create a custom Web page,
but the large majority of Internet users need tools which are
affordable and do not require special skills," said Heppting.

Homepage Builder is a word processor-style editor which uses standard
buttons and pull-down menus. Users never see or deal with HTML.
Noting an explosion of personal homepages marked by widespread
interest and provision of personal Web page space for subscribers of
online services, Heppting says the market for Homepage Builder is
growing daily.

She described existing Web page development tools and programs as a
group which included "simple shareware solutions" to programs which
cost thousands of dollars. "From the beginning we decided Homepage
Builder would have to be inexpensive and offer users the opportunity
to create well-designed Web pages produced by more expensive tools,"
said Heppting.

Homepage Builder provides users with a "fill-in the blanks" template.
Building on the template, users choose from 100 different backgrounds,
150 icons, 50 full-color photographs, 100 dividing lines, 75 buttons
and dingbats, and 300 flags of the world to create a custom homepage.
Images using the GIF or JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) format
may be added to any page built with Homepage Builder.

"Another advantage of Homepage builder is the licensed images. Users
never have to worry about copyright infringement because we have
licensed all of the images included in Homepage builder," continued
Heppting. For users who feel they need help in this new area of
computing, the program includes a tutorial.

Committed to Windows 95, Eye Magic says it does not plan versions
for other platforms or earlier versions of Windows at this time. The
company plans to sell Homepage Builder through standard computer
and software outlets. More information is available on Eye Magic's
Web site at http://www.eye-magic.com .

(Patrick McKenna/19950926/Press Contact: Rolland Going,
310-821-6100/EYEMAGIC950927/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/27/95
GENERAL
Japan Newsbriefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00010)
Japan Newsbriefs 09/27/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 SEP 27 (NB) -- In this roundup of news from Japan:
Ministry decides budget spending, NEC announces multimedia phone,
MPT to review telephone regulations, NEC establishes two software
ventures, Widescreen to become market leader, Sony takes Digital
Handycam overseas.

Ministry Decides Budget Spending

The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications has decided how it will
spend to 400 billion yen ($4 billion) allocated to it in last week's
additional economic stimulus package. The MPT is to establish seven
research and development institutes that will concentrate on data
telecommunications. The institutes will be based in Kawasaki, Yokosuka
and Atsugi in Kanagawa Prefecture, Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture, Sasebo
in Nagasaki Prefecture, Tokyo and Kochi Prefecture. The establishment
in Sendai will work with Tohoku University to develop optical
communications devices.

NEC Announces Multimedia Phone

Following an announcement earlier this week by Matsushita, Tokyo-based
NEC Corporation says it has developed a multimedia teleconferencing
system that runs on the Personal Handyphone System (PHS). NEC's new
portable terminal connects to PHS handsets allowing the system to be
used for teleconferencing and is hoped to be available next year.

MPT To Review Telephone Regulations

The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications has announced it will
develop regulations concerning the positioning of antenna on mobile
telephones. The MPT is concerned that some telephone designs leave the
antenna too close to the user's head meaning the caller is exposed to
high frequency radio signals just millimeters from their heads.

NEC Establishes Two Software Ventures

NEC Corporation is setting up two foreign software ventures with
Marcam Corporation of the United States. The new companies will be
based in Massachusetts and Singapore and work on systems integration
in object-oriented technologies. The Japanese company will contribute
the entire capital investment and management staff for the two
companies in the first three years. NEC predicts sales in fiscal year
1999 to hit 1.5 billion yen for the US company and 300 million yen for
the Singapore based venture. Marcam retains an option to purchase up
to half of the company in three years time.

Widescreen To Become Market Leader

Sales of Widescreen television sets, those with a 16:9 aspect ratio,
will surpass those of conventional aspect sets to become the dominant
format in the Japanese market within two years. With predicted sales
of 2.3 million units in the current fiscal year, a jump of more than
100% over the previous year, the new format will account for 40% of
all televisions sold in the country. In 1996 industry estimates
predict over six million widescreen sets will be sold making it a more
popular format than 4:3 aspect ratio screens. All of the major
electronics manufacturers are making widescreen sets, and for most, the
majority of models in each catalog are widescreen. Screen sizes range
from a 16-inch model up to a monster 56-inch version set for launch
next year.

Sony Takes Digital Handycam Overseas

Sony has this week begun selling its new Digital Handycam camcorder
overseas. From September 25 the unit has been available worldwide,
becoming the first digital camcorder available in the United
States, according to Sony. The new model uses the Digital VHS format
to record video and audio digitally. Matsushita have also developed a
digital camcorder which will debut internationally in the US market
from next month and in Europe from early next year. Both units began
sales in Japan a month ago.

(Martyn Williams/19950927)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/27/95
LEGAL
Czech Republic - Counterfeit Telephone Cards Available

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(LON)(00011)
Czech Republic - Counterfeit Telephone Cards Available 09/27/95
BRNO, CZECH REPUBLIC, 1995 SEP 27 (NB) -- SPT Telecom
management has not yet determined how large its financial
losses are as a result of telephone cards with prolonged dialing
capabilities (the cards usually enable up to 100 local calls). The
counterfeit cards are currently offered on the black market in
Brno, the second largest city in the Czech Republic, by a number
of sources.

Such eternal cards, with which is it is possible to make unlimited
phone calls free-of-charge, are being sold namely by African and
Asian students. "It is good business. The 5,000 Czech crowns
which I paid was a good investment. I can call anytime to Syria
and, further, I know plenty of foreigners which pay me well for
borrowing my card," said a foreign student, who does not fear that
SPT Telecom or the police will prevent his business.

The student declined to reveal who produces the cards, but did say
that the card-making process is not especially difficult. "It is
sufficient to acquire the basic knowledge of the technology of
manufacturing the cards," he said. He explained that the card maker
can delete, relatively easily, from the card memory a code which
holds all the information about the impulse count. Such a modified
card no longer has anything on its counter. SPT Telecom staff and
users refer to these as "eternal" cards.

Brno city police maintain that the market for such cards has
expanded. "We still do not know what the cards look like and this
is why it is almost impossible to search for them," said Emerich
Marecek from the economical criminal division of the police.
"When it happens that we will have signals about who and where the
altered cards are used, it will help us in obtaining a conviction
by producing a video film."

SPT Telecom's press spokesman Evzen Stanek believes that
the altered cards are not yet widely distributed. He said that if
the police do not catch the users of such cards directly at the
scene of the crime it will be difficult to obtain a conviction.

Despite this, the Prague police succeeded last week when they
took into custody a 43 year old Syrian which used such an
"eternal" card.

Under Czech law, those who produce, distribute and sell such
cards can be sentenced by the judge to up to five years in jail for
counterfeiting or altering "official materials." Those that purchase
and use such cards can face up to two years in jail.

SPT Telecom will start next year with the installation of second-
generation public telephones that will feature better protection
against abuse, according to Josef Sedlacek, director of long-term
planning of SPT Telecom in Brno.

(Steven Slatem/19950927)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/27/95
BUSINESS
Sequent China Shows Hong Kong How It's Done

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00012)
Sequent China Shows Hong Kong How It's Done 09/27/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 SEP 27 (NB) -- Open client/server systems
specialist Sequent Computer Systems Inc. has radically rethought its
presence in Hong Kong and China. It has set up a new company, Sequent
China/Hong Kong Ltd., which will merge the personnel and resources of
both the People's Republic of China and Hong Kong operations, with the
management team from Sequent China retaining overall control.

According to Sequent, the new development is intended to replicate in Hong
Kong the dramatic success of its China joint venture which has seen the
company capture a significant share of the mainland's online transaction
processing (OLTP) market. In the last 18 months, Sequent China has won a
string of major contracts with key customers, including the People's
Insurance Company of China, Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, and the
People's Construction Bank of China.

"A recent report on client/server Unix systems between US$800,000 and US$2
million showed that Sequent leads the field with some 35% of the market,"
claimed Dave Gunderson, Sequent's vice president for Asia Pacific and Latin
America operations. "However, as successful as Hong Kong's economy has
undoubtedly been, the market here for high-availability OLTP systems is
simply not big enough to sustain a separate business entity. In view of
the performance of our mainland operation, it made sense to merge the two
businesses to create a single, focused enterprise."

Sequent's North Asia business will remain headquartered in Hong Kong.
The local sales operation will report to Ron Chan, managing director of
Sequent China/Hong Kong, who reports back to Sequent North Asia.

"The immediate result of this new joint venture structure is the
announcement of a teaming agreement with Unisys Hong Kong Ltd. to cover Hong
Kong," said Chan. "Our parent companies have a worldwide teaming agreement
and we have been working together informally. Now, with this new agreement
we will ramp up the scale of our joint activities in Hong Kong."

Unisys and Sequent work under a similar teaming agreement in China, signed
in 1994.

Sequent Hong Kong already has 14 major accounts in the territory, including
Hong Kong Telecom, Hong Kong Ferries, and Yaohan Food Processing. Accounts
that Sequent has won in conjunction with Unisys include the territory-wide
banking ATM network JETCO, Morning Star Travel, and the government's
Hospital Authority.

"As Sequent China/Hong Kong, we will be targeting the top 20 OLTP accounts
in Hong Kong," said Chan, confidently predicting that "by bringing the
experience, expertise, and resources of this new and expanded company,
Sequent China/Hong Kong will claim the lion's share of the OLTP market,
both here and in the People's Republic."

Sequent has been operating in China since 1992. However, because of COCOM
restrictions, the company said it was unable to fully exploit the potential
of the China market. The situation changed dramatically following the
relaxation of COCOM restrictions in 1994, and Sequent established a China
joint venture with two main strategies: to focus on the high-end Unix
mainframe market, and tackle the country's extensive banking market.

The company is now in the process of ramping up its presence in the
People's Republic of China in a bid to capture a larger slice of the
country's lucrative banking and finance information technology (IT) market
which, Sequent says, analysts predict could be worth US$8 billion in 1996.

"The Asia Pacific Region is the fastest growing region in the world today,
both economically and in terms of its usage of information technology
products. And China is leading the charge," said Gunderson. "The demand for
IT in Asia continues to grow faster than the US, Europe or the rest of the
world, with estimates predicting that the region will represent over a
quarter of world IT spending in 1996. China will account for a significant
and rapidly increasing share of that market."

"Sequent is experiencing an annual growth rate of around 75% to 100% in
Asia. China is one of the fastest growing areas in the region and is
growing at perhaps twice that figure," claimed Gunderson. "We hope that
our expansion program will help boost these impressive figures still
further."

(Nigel Armstrong & I.T. Daily/19950927)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/27/95
TELECOM
Philippines Cellphone Business A Two-way Fight

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(HKG)(00013)
Philippines Cellphone Business A Two-way Fight 09/27/95
MANILA, PHILIPPINES, 1995 SEP 27 (NB) -- In the Philippines, the
fierce competition within the cellular phone business is narrowing down
to a two-way contest between Piltel and SMART Communications in the
next two to three years, according to the Union Bank of Switzerland
(UBS) Securities.

The two companies "each took a third of the incremental subscribers in
1995 and are the real forces to watch in the market," says the UBS
Global Research in its August, 1995, report on Philippine telecoms.

Having entered the market earlier in 1988, Piltel has the advantage
of a larger network, more subscribers (about 152,000 as of June) and
deep pockets because of its successful initial public offering in
the Philippine Stock Exchange.

But UBS says, SMART is "a threat" having built up a subscriber base of
about 70,000 in just a year and a half of operations since February,
1994. "SMART appears to have taken the number two spot from
Extelcom," the 62-page report says. "SMART's current ability to
connect more subscribers than Piltel challenges Piltel's dominant
position."

UBS credits SMART's rapid rise in the market to the company's low cost
air-time packages under its Price Buster program. SMART claims to
offer the lowest prices and the best deal among the country's cellphone
services providers, like Globe Telecom, Piltel, Islacom, and Extelcom

SMART will also launch paging, conventional telephone, and additional
international long distance services within the year. The Philippine
cellular phone market continues to grow at great speed because of
the inability of the local telephone companies to provide regular
telephone lines, in spite of the government's deregulation of the
telephone and telecommunications industry.

The number of subscribers grew roughly 50% in the first half of 1995,
from 194,000 at end-1994 to 294,000. New subscribers in the first
semester this year equaled the number added during all of 1994. UBS
compares cellular growth in the Philippines with that of Thailand,
which "has also been spectacular, in large part because of low service
rates. If Thailand today can be a proxy for the near-term growth of the
Philippines, cellular growth in the archipelago has a bright future,"
the UBS report says.

(Metropolitan Computer Times/19950911)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/27/95
GENERAL
China - Wyse To Use "Five-Strike" Chinese Input Method

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(PEK)(00014)
China - Wyse To Use "Five-Strike" Chinese Input Method 09/27/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 SEP 27 (NB) -- To increase the input speed of
Chinese characters on its terminals, US-based WYSE recently purchased
a license of "Five-Strike" technology from WangMa Computer Company, a
Beijing TV Station reported.

The "Five-Strike" coding method is popular in China. Although some
Chinese language experts criticize the method, claiming it is a pollution
to Chinese writing and learning, most professional Chinese character
typists are still using the fast-input method.

The "Five-strike" method is also called "WangMa," meaning "Wang's coding
method" in Chinese. Wang Yongming who used to be a professor with
Beijing University, is reportedly the inventor of the coding method.

To provide users with the fast input method, WYSE recently obtained the
license from WangMa Computer Company. The signing ceremony was quite
grand, and the 91-years-old Vice Chairman of The Standing Committee of
People's Congress Yan Jici, who used to be the president of Beijing
University, attended the event.

During the signing ceremony, Wang Yongming did not answer the inquiry
as to how much money was involved in the agreement, according to a
newspaper. In addition, he declined to respond to the question about
the lawsuit that another group has filed, claiming that "Five-Strike"
is their intellectual property.

WangMa Computer Company will cooperate with WYSE to install the Five
Strikes method on various Chinese terminals produced and/or being
developed by WYSE.

WYSE is currently promoting its WY-888 series Chinese terminals in
China. The quality and performance of WYSE terminals in China
put them in the leading position, the company said. WYSE and its
Chinese partner are preparing the establishment of research and
development centers, as well as manufacturing bases, in China.

Cooperating with Chinese firms, enterprises, and government agencies,
WYSE says it is willing to make the effort to develop industrial
standards for Chinese terminals.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19950831/Reader Contact: WYSE Beijing
Office, tel [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/27/95
TRENDS
Survey On Visitors To China's Silicon Valley

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(PEK)(00015)
Survey On Visitors To China's Silicon Valley 09/27/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 SEP 27 (NB) -- A survey of visitors to
Zhongguancun area, the so-called China's "Silicon Valley" in Beijing,
was conducted by China Infoworld. It was found that more than 60 percent
of the visitors are from other cities and provinces, and 30 percent of
them are dealers coming to buy goods for resale.

The survey was conducted in May and June of this year with a sample
size of 2,828 people, the report said. Sixty-three percent of the
visitors were from outside of Beijing, of which about 90 percent were
from northern provinces (north to Yangtze River). The largest group
(328 people or 12 percent) were from the Shandong province alone.

Only 3.6 percent of the non-local visitors were marketing their
products/goods in the Zhongguancun area, but 45 percent of them are
buying there, the report said. Two thirds of these buyers were looking
for electronics for their companies/institutes, and the rest were
there to buy something for themselves or their families. About 21
percent of the non-local visitors were just coming for visiting in
their trips to Beijing for other purposes, the survey said.

What did they buy in the electronics street? About 60 percent of those
buyers said that they would buy computers, 50 percent said that they
were interested in computer components, and 20 percent put office
automation equipment and consumer products in their shopping list.
It was a little surprising that only about 30 percent of the
visitors revealed they would buy software, the survey report said.

Any problems with their local electronic markets? About 50 percent of
the non-local visitors said they could not find what they wanted in their
local markets, or the prices there were higher than in Zhongguancun.
About 20 percent said they did not trust local technical support.

About three years ago, sales in Beijing's computer/electronics market
was 70 percent of the China's total. Now the percentage has dropped to
17 percent. While the glory of Zhongguancun's "old days" does not exist
any more, China's "Silicon Valley" still attracts many businessmen and
customers, the survey concluded.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19950917)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/27/95
BUSINESS
Hong Kong - Back To The "Good Old NCR Days" For AT&T

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00016)
Hong Kong - Back To The "Good Old NCR Days" For AT&T 09/27/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 SEP 27 (NB) -- In a bizarre twist in the
unfolding AT&T GIS story, Hong Kong-based Strategic Communications Manager
Grace Su insisted insiders felt "relieved" about the recent decision to
dismantling of the company, saying everyone was now "free to get back to
their old jobs."

"We weren't that integrated anyway," she told I.T. Daily. She said
that, compared to the comparatively lithe NCR, getting things done at the
new Global Information Solutions -- buried as it was in the giant AT&T
structure -- was painfully slow.

The recent announcement took the company out of the PC business. Reminded
of AT&T's high-blown talk last November of cross-corporate synergy going
into building AT&T's now abandoned Globalyst PC line, she said: "The
benefits of integration turned out to be long and drawn out."

As many as 10% -- but "probably less" -- of Asia's 1,300-strong workforce
will be cut from the payroll, she said, adding that efforts were being
made to find places for Globalyst personnel in surviving units.

"The headhunters have been all around us," she said. Meanwhile, Shanti
Kumar, who headed the PC's unit's regional marketing operations, is
headed for Taipei to take over as Philips' regional marketing chief.
His GIS support team is scattering to parts still unknown.

Company sources maintain that Shanti knew early which way the wind was
blowing and would have jumped sooner, but was apparently pressed to stay
on for the official statement. By Su's account, he acquitted himself well,
pushing sales 27% ahead of the region's sales target of 55,000 units in
Globalyst's first and final year.

"Believe it or not, we made money," she said. But that's history, as is
the Globalyst production line in Taiwan. The AT&T joint venture plant
there will return to making what it apparently does best -- switches.

Locally, the Globalyst name will continue for a while yet. Cathay Pacific,
just weeks ago, put in an order for several hundred units and has been
assured AT&T will honor its service and support commitments. According to
Su, the airline was alerted beforehand that AT&T was about to close the
unit the company just bought the PCs from.

(Nigel Armstrong & I.T. Daily/19950926)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/27/95
TELECOM
 ****Unitel Restructuring Will Give AT&T Larger Stake

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00017)
 ****Unitel Restructuring Will Give AT&T Larger Stake 09/27/95
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 SEP 27 (NB) -- The three shareholders of
Unitel Communications Inc. have agreed on a restructuring that will leave
AT&T (NYSE:T) with slightly less than half the company and three Canadian
banks with the rest. Rogers Communications Inc. and Canadian Pacific Ltd.,
both of which had already written off their investments in the money-losing
long-distance company, will give up their interests and get no money back.

Under the restructuring agreement, AT&T is to put another C$125 million
into the company, while the Bank of Nova Scotia, the Toronto-Dominion
Bank, and the Royal Bank of Canada will jointly invest another C$125
million in exchange for equity in the company. The three banks also agreed
to restructure Unitel's existing debt.

Specifics on the stakes to be held by the banks and AT&T have not been
released. However, under the Canadian Telecommunications Act, AT&T as
a foreign investor can hold a maximum of 20 percent of Unitel directly,
plus as much as 33 percent of a holding company which can in turn have an
unlimited stake in the carrier. This means that counting a stake held
through a holding company, AT&T can legally own no more than 46.4 percent
of the company. "I think at the end of the day what you'll see it AT&T
holding somewhat less than 50 percent," Carleen Carroll, a spokeswoman
for Unitel, told Newsbytes.

As part of the deal, AT&T has also agreed to let Unitel use its brand name
under a long-term contract. This raises the possibility that Unitel might
do business as AT&T Canada, much as Sprint Canada, a company controlled by
Call-Net Communications Inc. of Toronto, uses the Sprint name in Canada.

Rogers Communications, which owns 29.5 percent of Unitel, and Canadian
Pacific, which owns 48 percent, will get no money back when they surrender
their stakes in the company, Carroll said. "They have walked away from
their investments."

The restructuring is expected to be complete by the end of 1995. Officials
said they expect the additional $250 million in funding from AT&T and the
three banks will be enough to meet Unitel's needs until it starts to make
money.

(Grant Buckler/19950927/Press Contact: Carleen Carroll, Unitel,
416-345-2114; Jim Wentzell, AT&T, 416-756-5034)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/27/95
ONLINE
Ibex Electronic Commerce System Launches

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TOR)(00018)
Ibex Electronic Commerce System Launches 09/27/95
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 27 (NB) -- Ibex, a worldwide
electronic commerce system developed by Global Business Alliance Inc. of
Ottawa, Canada, held its official launch this week and introduced the
addition of three new corporate partners. Chase Manhattan Bank,
computer-maker Digital Equipment Corp., and publisher Simon &
Schuster, are new additions to the group supporting Ibex.

Peter Sandiford, president and chief executive of Global Business Alliance,
told Newsbytes the system is now taking orders for its software, which is
due to ship within a couple of weeks, and expects that "people will be
doing deals in the month of October."

First announced in March, Ibex is an electronic deal-making system designed
to match up businesses so that they can buy and sell goods or services,
establish partnerships, or exchange investments. Officials said the system
is designed to support business deals from start to finish. Initially Ibex
will not handle actual financial transactions, Sandiford said, but that
capability is to be added in 1996.

Newly announced partner Chase Manhattan will play a key role in working
out the details of international finance and secure transactions, he said.

The system relies on software that runs on personal computers equipped
with Microsoft Windows. Subscribers pay a one-time fee of C$350 (about
US$260) to register, and typical usage fees of C$7 (about US$5.20) per
functional transaction. The system runs over a variety of communications
links, including commercial services from AT&T and GE Information
Services, as well as the Internet, officials said.

Sandiford said Ibex management expects to have some 750 companies on the
system in October. Companies in a variety of industries have shown interest,
he said, and as firms commit to the system, the Ibex sales force is
identifying and contacting other companies that might be likely business
partners.

In addition to the newly announced backers, the partners in the Ibex
project include AT&T, Dun & Bradstreet, GE Information Services, SHL
Systemhouse, and the United States Chamber of Commerce.

Ibex has a page on the Internet World Wide Web at
http://www.nstn.ca/ibex-gba

(Grant Buckler/19950927/Press Contact: Cathy Browne, Hill & Knowlton
for Global Business Alliance, 613-786-9951; Public Contact: Global
Business Alliance, tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/27/95
NETWORK
Amex To Adopt Wireless Terminals For Trading

(NEWS)(NETWORK)(TOR)(00019)
Amex To Adopt Wireless Terminals For Trading 09/27/95
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 27 (NB) -- The American Stock
Exchange is installing a wireless local area network on its trading
floor to let traders communicate with their offices and with other traders.
The Amex has chosen a wireless system shortly after the New York Stock
Exchange announced that it had approval from the Securities and Exchange
Commission to use wireless, hand-held terminals on its trading floor.

Mary Sedaret, a spokeswoman for the exchange, told Newsbytes that traders
will exchange information with their home offices and with other traders
using the portable units, making communications more effective and more
foolproof.

Initially, she said, the exchange is implementing the terminals in its
options-trading operations, which account for roughly half the Amex's total
volume. That part of the plan is expected to be completed in a year to 18
months, Sedaret said, and after that the exchange plans to expand the use
of the terminals to equities trading as well.

The installation of the wireless network -- supplied by Symbol Technologies
Inc., of Bohemia, New York -- is not a step toward eliminating the trading
floor, Sedaret said. The New York Stock Exchange has also said it does not
plan to replace its trading floor with an electronic system. Some other
exchanges, such as the Toronto Stock Exchange, are moving toward
completely electronic trading.

The wireless terminals will accept input using an electronic pen, and
will replace the paper order tickets currently used to record trading
information. Sedaret said they could also replace the hand signals and
shouting that traders have traditionally used to exchange information
among themselves on the trading floor.

Cone Software Inc. of Boothwyn, Pennsylvania, is developing a gateway
software system to manage information transmitted over the wireless
network. Exchange personnel will use hand-held terminals supplied by
Spectrum, but member firms may choose their own terminal suppliers.

(Grant Buckler/19950927/Press Contact: Mary Sedaret or Arda Nizaren,
American Stock Exchange, 212-306-1635; Doug Picker or Nancy Tully,
Symbol Technologies, 516-244-4699; David Hastings, Cone Software,
610-497-0300)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/27/95
LEGAL
 ****Chip Spy Says Feds Set Him Up

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(DEN)(00020)
 ****Chip Spy Says Feds Set Him Up 09/27/95
PHOENIX, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 27 (NB) -- In a plot that sounds
like the story line for the latest best-selling spy thriller, a
software engineer charged with stealing computer secrets said he
was set up by the federal government.

Guillermo Gaede, also known as William Gaede, 43, was arrested
September 23 by Federal Bureau of Investigation agents at his
home is Mesa, Arizona. He was later transferred to California,
where changes were filed.

Gaede, an Argentine national, faces charges of mail fraud and
interstate transportation of stolen property. He is accused of
sending a videotape to Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) from Argentina
that shows how Intel Corp. makes its Pentium computer chip. Intel
and AMD are rival chipmakers.

Federal agents allege that in mid-January Gaede sent a package
via Federal Express to AMD in Sunnyvale, California, that contained
three videocassettes and a letter. Authorities said the
videocassettes contained proprietary information belonging to Intel
relating to the fabrication process of the company's computer
chips. The process was referred to in the letter, said the FBI.

Authorities allege that the information defrauded Intel. The
complaint further alleges that Gaede conducted his criminal activity
during his respective employment tenure at AMD and later Intel.

An FBI spokesperson told Newsbytes that, if convicted on the mail
fraud charge, Gaede faces a maximum penalty of up to $1,000 or up
to five years in jail, or both. The Interstate transportation of
stolen property charge carries a maximum $10,000 fine or up to 10
years in jail or both. The value of the stolen information was
placed at "tens of millions of dollars," according to an FBI
document.

AMD immediately turned over the material to federal agents, said
the FBI. The case is being investigated by members of the FBI's San
Jose (California) Resident Agency High-Tech Squad and the Palo Alto
(California) Economic Espionage Squad.

The FBI said Gaede was a software engineer for Intel in Chandler,
Arizona, a Phoenix suburb from September, 1993, to June, 1994. He
reportedly worked for AMD for a ten-year period prior to joining
Intel.

In a jail-house interview this week, Gaede spun a complicated tail of
international intrigue, telling reporters he acted as a go-between
for Cuban and US intelligence agencies. He said the US government
wanted Cuban military secrets in exchange for information about US
technology.

Earlier this year, Gaede said in newspaper interviews he had passed
on information he stole from AMD to Cuba, China, North Korea, and
Iran. He also claimed to have given data to the Soviet Union and
East Germany during the final years of the Cold War.

In a New York Times interview in May of this year, Gaede claimed
that in 1992 he turned himself in to the Central Intelligence
Agency and confessed to stealing information from AMD. He said the
CIA turned him over to the FBI. He now alleges his current problems
were a setup on the part of the US government because of his
bungled spying for an unnamed agency. The Times also reported that
Gaede said he initially stole secrets because of his allegiance to
Communism, but later did it for personal gain.

The San Jose Mercury News reported Sunday that Gaede fled for
Argentina after a storage locker he rented was broken into and
plans for Intel devices were discovered. The story did not say who
broke into the locker or when. Gaede has reportedly been living in
Mesa since he returned from Buenos Aires this summer.

(Jim Mallory/19950926/Press contact: George Grotz, Federal Bureau
of Investigation, 415-553-3716)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/27/95
BUSINESS
 ****Will Novell Dump WordPerfect?

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00021)
 ****Will Novell Dump WordPerfect? 09/27/95
OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 27 (NB) -- The recent restructuring of
Novell Corp. (NASDAQ: NOVL) apparently won't include dumping
WordPerfect, the popular word processing program Novell acquired
when it merged with WordPerfect Corp. However, a statement made by
Robert Frankenberg this week may have left the door open for some
sort of change.

Novell acquired WordPerfect in a stock and options swap deal worth
an estimated $855 million that was completed in June, 1994. In
response to questions from reporters at the Seybold conference in
San Francisco this week, Frankenberg said "The company has no plans
to sell all of the WordPerfect product line." Frankenberg was not
available this morning to clarify the remark.

Novell recently announced a restructuring it said was designed to
allow the company to focus on its network business. As part of
that reorganization, Novell sold its Unix operating system software
business to Santa Cruz Operations Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOC). SCO also
develops Unix software.

Novell purchased Unix Systems Labs from AT&T in 1993. A Novell
public relations representative told Newsbytes that no downsizing
was expected in the approximately 400 person workforce in the Unix
business.

SCO said it will consolidate its SCO OpenServer system and Novell's
Unixware into a high-volume Intel-based Unix operating system that
will have an interface in common with Hewlett Packard's version of
Unix, called HP-UX.

As part of the agreement between Novell, SCO, and Hewlett
Packard, Novell will work with HP to produce a high-performance
implementation of its NetWare Directory Services (NDS) and
File/Print Services for HP-UX, and integrate NDS with DCE. Hewlett
Packard will lead the effort to combine the 64-bit HP-UX and SCO
Intel-based systems.

Frankenberg said sale of Novell applications increased somewhat
after the release of Microsoft's Windows 95 operating system and
user interface in late August, even though the company does not
have a Windows 95 version of its office suite PerfectOffice yet. A
Windows 95 version of PerfectOffice is expected to ship in early
1996.

(Jim Mallory/19950927/Press contact: Melanie King, Novell,
408-577-6842)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/27/95
TELECOM
Telecom 95 Begins Next Week

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00022)
Telecom 95 Begins Next Week 09/27/95
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, 1995 SEP 27 (NB) -- Five thousand telephone
lines, 135 kilometers (km) of electrical wiring, an extra 60 helicopter
slots at Geneva airport daily, enough power to supply a town of 40,000
people, and 2,000 kilograms (kg) of cheese are just some of the things
needed to create Telecom 95, the "Olympics" of the telecommunications
industry, which begins next Monday in Geneva, Switzerland.

Under the organization of the Geneva-based International
Telecommunications Union, the exhibition, and conference running
parallel, begin with a "press day" on Monday, immediately before the
official opening on Tuesday, October 3. The event continues until
the following Wednesday, October 11.

Telecom 95 will bring together 986 exhibitors from 52 countries
showing a growing internationalization of the industry and the
exhibition which, in 1991, saw 849 companies from 36 nations.

The event is predicted to be just as well attended as the 1991 expo
with 133,000 people predicted to visit over the 10 days.

Under the ITU's theme of "Connect!," the industry is displaying its
current leading-edge technology which centers around the global data
and information infrastructure and next-generation communications
systems. The ITU sees the events as a way to pursue its primary
mandate: "to serve as a catalyst for advancing the technology."

At next week's exhibition, the hottest new technology is likely to
surround the interconnection of global networks and the marriage of
traditionally separate systems such as telephone, data, video, and
audio.

While the interconnection of global networks is seen as the primary
technology at Telecom 95, the beginning of individual worldwide
networks was seen at the previous expo, Telecom 91.

On demand services that can offer video, data, and audio to users when
they want it will also be featuring strongly as well as several new
multimedia operating systems and servers - the technology that makes
it all possible.

The rapid increase in use of mobile communications, from zero to 50
million users in just over 15 years, will be at the heart of several
new systems designed to make communications, by voice, video, or data,
as easy for people on the move as those in an office.

Helping to remind visitors that new technology can vastly improve
the quality of life, the ITU has brought together a selection of
exhibitors to a single stand, the "Smart House," otherwise known as
the "1 in 10 stand." The stand bears the name "1 in 10" to reflect the
number of people suffering from a disability of some type. The stand
shows how the selected new technologies can assist the 500 million
people in this category worldwide.

The International Telecommunications Union is a specialized
organization of the United Nations covering telecommunications.

More details on Telecom 95 can be found on the Internet's World
Wide Web at http://www.itu.ch/TELECOM/ .

(Martyn Williams/19950927/Press contact: Francine Lambert, International
Telecommunications Union, tel [phone], fax [phone];
Public contact: Internet World Wide Web http://www.itu.ch/ )




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/27/95
TRENDS
European & US Leased Circuits - Report

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00023)
European & US Leased Circuits - Report 09/27/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 SEP 27 (NB) -- Ovum has issued a new report,
entitled "National Leased Circuit Tariffs and Discount Policies,"
which aims to analyze the published tariffs in Europe and US, and so
assist anyone with a need for such circuits to select the best and
most economical service.

The idea behind the report is more than simple pricing issues,
however. The report looks at how leased circuit tariffs compare with
each other and also looks at the reasons why tariffs in competitive
countries are lower than those in monopoly countries.

Interestingly, the report notes that US circuits are only marginally
cheaper overall than European circuits. According to Ovum, the report
analyzes in-depth 10 carriers in Europe and three in the US, using as
its basis the tariff comparison basket (the Performance Indicators for
Public Telecoms Operators) pioneered by the OECD.

The results make for some surprising reading, with two main
comparisons: list pricing and discount tariffs. On list pricing,
Bell Atlantic comes out cheapest, with Telecom Italia the most
expensive by a significant measure, ahead of Spain's Telefonica.

On the discounted tariff listings, depending on what sort of call
volumes are involved, the report shows that Mercury of the UK is
cheapest, while Telecom Italia and Telefonica again come in as the
heaviest priced services.

The bottom line for the report, Newsbytes notes, is that it debunks
the idea that US tariffs are significantly less than European tariffs.

According to Alex Nourouzi, a co-author of the report, "The standard
price for a leased circuit in the US is, in fact, higher than in
several European countries. The very low prices which are sometimes
claimed for US circuits are only available to the largest customers
who are in a position to negotiate special deals," he said.

"National Leased Circuits: a Comparison of Tariffs and Discount
Policies," by Alex Nourouzi, David Rogerson and Brigette Engelien,
costs UKP295 in Europe, AUS$720 in Australia, and US$450 in the rest
of the world.

(Steve Gold/19950927/Press Contact: Jennie Morales, [phone],
fax [phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail];
Reader Contact: Ovum, tel [phone], fax [phone],
Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/27/95
ONLINE
Fee-Based Homework Service To Open On The Web

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SFO)(00024)
Fee-Based Homework Service To Open On The Web 09/27/95
FOSTER CITY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 27 (NB) -- Information Access
Company (IAC), a provider of reference information to private and public
libraries, has announced a World Wide Web, fee-based research tool called
Cognito! Junior and senior high school students and college students are
the primary, targeted audience.

An IAC spokesperson, told Newsbytes, "We have not determined the
exact pricing scheme, but it will involve a monthly subscriber fee and
an additional fee for downloading articles. A certain amount of articles
will be available for downloading without cost."

Cognito! is an assembly of tens of thousands of articles gathered from
encyclopedias, reference books, magazines, pamphlets, and Internet
sources. IAC says it is "wired homework." This new research tool uses
the full text of Colliers's Encyclopedia, three "Information Please"
almanacs, and the full text of 600 magazines. The service either links
to or directly mirrors hundreds of historical documents. The service is
rounded out with hyperlinks to other Web sites which offer additional
reference material.

Promising to provide the latest information possible, IAC says its
editors will continually update reference material through current
periodical literature.

Through the use of Personal Library Software, users are able to ask
questions in a natural language form or they can browse the database by
clicking on keywords which identify topics and articles. The natural
language form means users ask questions in their own manner of speaking.
Instead of trying to find the correct term to search a database, the user
simply states a request such as "What are the major rivers in the United
States."

A similar service, HomeWork Helper, has been available as a proprietary
service on Prodigy for the past year. For an additional $9.95 per month,
Prodigy members have complete search and download capabilities of the
reference database.

IAC joins a small group of company's which are developing subscriber-
and fee-based services. The majority of companies on the Web are
supported through advertising and say the fee-based model is difficult
to sell to the Web community.

IAC's Cognito! service is located at http://www.cognito.com .

(Patrick McKenna/19950927/Press Contact: Proctor Lippincott,
Spring, O'Brien, 212-213-4133)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/27/95
BUSINESS
Silicon Graphics Teams With Netscape

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00025)
Silicon Graphics Teams With Netscape 09/27/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 27 (NB) -- Silicon
Graphics Inc. (NYSE: SGI) and Netscape Communications Corporation
(NASDAQ: NSCP) has announced that Netscape Internet Applications
will be available for the Silicon Graphics' WebForce product line.
Netscape's system integrates high-volume transaction processing,
data management,  and encrypted communications for creating online
services and large-scale businesses on the "net."

Speaking to Newsbytes, John McCrea, manager of WebForce Business
Unit, said, "Designed for publishers, Internet service providers,
merchants, and individual retailers, Netscape Internet Applications
will work in concert with Silicon Graphics' high-bandwidth, high
availability WebForce servers.

"The Web is one of our most important emerging markets, and teaming
with Netscape is very important to Silicon Graphics. Both companies
have a strong open system approach. However, we consider ourselves
Netscape's number one OEM (original equipment manufacturer)
partner. As of now, Netscape has only three OEM partners, with Digital
Equipment and Sun Microsytems being the other two," said McCrea.

WebForce is a line of integrated hardware and software for Web
authoring and Web serving. WebForce systems enable businesses to
create content and serve high traffic Web sites. WebForce consists of:
the WebForce Indy, a system designed for integrated Web authoring
and entry-level serving; WebForce Challenge servers; and WebForce
Indigo 2 Extreme, a dedicated authoring system that allows users to
enhance their Web sites with three-dimensional (3-D) graphics and
animation.

Netscape Internet Application's include: Netscape Merchant System,
which enables large retailers or merchants to create and manage
virtual shopping malls; Netscape Publishing System, which provides
billing and management tools for tracking data to publishers who want
to create online publications; Netscape Community System, which gives
organizations the ability to create virtual communities; and Netscape
IStore, which enables individual merchants to create online stores on
the Internet.

"As commercial ventures on the Internet evolve into strategic
investments, businesses need integrated, turnkey solutions to execute
large-scale electronic commerce," said Tom Furlong, vice president and
general manager of Silicon Graphics' Digital Media Systems division.
"Silicon Graphics' high-performance servers combined with Netscape's
powerful integrated software applications will give companies the
competitive edge needed to stand out in cyberspace."

"The Netscape application family offers a powerful set of solutions
for customers ranging from small stores to sophisticated online
services and large-scale business on the net," said Jim Sha, vice
president and general manager, Internet Applications at Netscape.
"The Silicon Graphics platform is an ideal platform for such
applications."

Netscape's full suite of Internet Applications for Silicon Graphics'
WebForce product line will be available within 90 days. Pricing starts
at $50,000 and includes Netscape Commerce Server and a relational
database management system in addition to advanced application
functionality.

(Richard Bowers/19950927/Press Contact: Eileen M. Caetano, Silicon
Graphics, 415-390-2036)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/27/95
ONLINE
 ****Microsoft & Visa Publish Secure Transaction Specs

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00026)
 ****Microsoft & Visa Publish Secure Transaction Specs 09/27/95
NAPERVILLE, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 27 (NB) -- Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ:MSFT) and Visa International said they've published two
specifications that will secure payments over public networks,
like the Internet, and private networks. In a separate announcement,
Spyglass Inc. (NASDAQ:SPYG) said it will develop and be the prime
licensee of the new specifications, to be called Secure Transaction
Technology (STT) and Private Communication Technology (PCT).

The Microsoft-Visa announcement said STT is built as an electronic
version of the payment card system used today, while PCT builds on
the current Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) standard by incorporating
"strong authentication and other technologies we developed for STT,"
officials said. To encourage widespread adoption, both companies have
published STT and PCT specs on the Internet, so they can be easily
incorporated into other products.

In addition, Microsoft will make the specifications available at no
charge to all software developers, businesses, card brands, and
financial institutions that want to create compliant applications.
Both specifications can be found at the Microsoft Internet World Wide
Web page at http://www.microsoft.com .

Andrew Parker, Spyglass director of business development, told
Newsbytes that, if introducing the new specs is done in an open way,
and everyone can use them in their own products, then STT and PCT
"should become the new standard.

"Electronic commerce will take a huge jump forward" with STT and PCT,
Parker told Newsbytes. "People will be able to know that the system
is fully secure and approved by their bank, and can be used."

Parker added that it's important the new standards are open for anyone
to use. "The only way you can move forward is with open standards.
Any time you try to do anything all by yourself on the Internet,
people have a tendency to either not use the technology or attack the
technology."

As prime licensee, Spyglass will be granted sub-licensing rights for
both client and server STT implementations on all platforms. Spyglass
officials said that, as a result of the agreement, both Spyglass and
Microsoft will be "leaders in deploying this new technology."

Besides Spyglass, STT is already supported by the Internet Shopping
Network and RSA Data Security, officials said. The PCT specification
has support from Cylink Corp., FTP Software, the Internet Shopping
Network, Spyglass, NetManage, OpenMarket, and Starwave.

(Bob Woods/19950928/Press Contacts: Randy Pitzer, Spyglass, 708-505-
1010; Mike Jackman, Waggener Edstrom, 415-388-3216; David Melancon,
Visa, 415-432-2427)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/27/95
ONLINE
Networld+Interop - "Platinum" Internet Services Coming

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00027)
Networld+Interop - "Platinum" Internet Services Coming 09/27/95
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 27 (NB) -- As the Internet grows,
transmission logjames may become more common and prompt large Internet
service providers (ISPs) to offer an enhanced tier of service to their
major corporate users. That's according to Howard Anderson, managing
director of the Boston, Mass.-based data communications and computing
consultancy The Yankee Group, which is hosting a two-day Internet Summit
as part of the Networld + Interop Conference underway in Atlanta through
Friday.

"With all this increased usage, service is likely to be terrible
from time to time. Six-second delays will be common, generating
the supplying of platinum-level services," Anderson said.

Anderson didn't get into technical specifics about how such a
service would operate, but said it would be closer to the
Internet backbone and would have a contingency for backup, direct
point-to-point transmission outside the Internet should it lock
up.

Anderson positioned this extra service as a smart move in the
ultra-competitive ISP world. Yankeee group figures report that
the national access provider segment of the ISP industry will
grow from $750 million net revenue in 1996, to $1.2 billion in
1997, and $1.8 billion by 1998.

ISPs will offer more than "brown-out" protection, however. Anderson
said that tomorrow's Internet will be a more intuitive one than
today's, with ISP-provided smart agents able to comb the
entire Internet and execute natural language search commands.
"I could tell my smart agent 'to look for the best price on a
Nissan Sentra,' and it will find that information for me," he added.

Anderson then quantified his projections for the future of the
Internet with numbers gathered from a recent poll of 200 Yankee
Group customers -- among them some of the major corporations in
the US.

Some of the major findings:

Corporate Internet use will be near-universal in a few years.
Fifty-five percent of companies polled are "using the Internet in
some form" now, but 88 percent expect to do so by 1998.

Security concern is the main obstacle to wider deployment. The
holdouts were asked to rate "issues delaying implementation"
on a one to five scale. The three biggest obstacles cited were:
security, 4.8; support capabilities, 3.37; and cost, 3.34.

Firewalls are the best safeguard. Firewalls, which separate a
site's internal computers from outside entry to electronic-mail
addresses and Web sites, are found in 88 percent of current users.
This is followed by "limited access to applications," 63 percent,
and "access limited to certain employees," 58 percent. More
technically advanced screens like data encryption, at 22 percent,
and digital signatures, 12 percent, are less common.

The three most common corporate Internet applications are:
customer service and support, 38 percent; promotion/advertising,
37 percent; and selling products, 35 percent.

Only 14 percent of respondents are using the Internet for
internal communication, but that number is expected to jump by
another 30 percent by 1998.

(Russell Shaw/19950627)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/27/95
ONLINE
 ****Networld+Interop - Netscape Says No To Provider Wars

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00028)
 ****Networld+Interop - Netscape Says No To Provider Wars 09/27/95
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 27 (NB) -- With its
announcement last week that it intends to spend $100 million to
buy message-based collaberative software firm Collabra Software,
Netscape Communications is broadening its reach in Internet-based
services. Yet, there's one major type of service that Netscape Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) and President Jim Barksdale says the newly
public, "flush-with-cash" firm will never get into: the Internet
access provider, point-of-presence wars.

"We don't think so," said Barksdale of the issue during a
presentation at Networld + Interop this morning. "We think of
that as sort of competing with our customers. "I've gotten into
this problem before, having done business with people who were
competing with me and selling to me at the same time. I never
felt good about that.

"That's something we've tried to stay away from," Barksdale
added. "Certainly, it is out there, but that is a much more
cost-intensive business than being purely in software. We're in
the software business. That's what we like to do."

Reinforcing that point, Barksdale added that future software
business acquisitions can be expected -- and that is exactly
what Mountain View, California-based Netscape is planning.

"We've done a good job with the browser, being the market
leader, and we've done a good job with the IPO (initial public
offering of stock)," Barksdale said. "We're looking at a lot of
things. Consolidation goes on in any business. We went public
with the purpose of raising cash, and we raised three times what
we wanted to. As to how we use it (cash generated from the sale
of stock), we're looking at a lot of things, and have people who
are very good at that sort of thing," said Barksdale of assessing
potential acquisition targets.

Since most of Barksdale's audience were managers of corporate
networks, Barksdale tailored most of his prepared remarks to
their interests. He suggested that putting up an internal,
Netscape-supported Web site would not only be an adept technical
move for a corporate chief information officer, but would have
political benefits as well.

Barksdales said this could be accomplished by migrating non-
confidential corporate documents from an internal database into a
Web page. He suggested that internal Web pages could include
material like employee manuals, general company data, and training
materials, as well as helpful hints, such as hot-linked menus of
restaurants near corporate locations.

"These things are intuitive and easy to use. As more and more
browsers use these applications, it becomes a very easy point-
and-click interface. Putting up a Web site inside your firewall
can make you a hero in your company," Barksdale added.

(Russell Shaw/19950627)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/27/95
BUSINESS
AT&T To Cut 20,000 Jobs In Restructuring?

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(MSP)(00029)
AT&T To Cut 20,000 Jobs In Restructuring? 09/27/95
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 27 (NB) -- AT&T Corp.
(NYSE:T) is beginning to plan job cuts to the tune of more than
20,000 positions, along with a major restructuring of finances,
the Wall Street Journal is reporting today. These actions are a
result of the company's recently announced plans to break up into
three independent companies.

The Journal quotes industry experts and AT&T insiders as saying
the jobs will be cut by the time the break-up takes effect late next
year. Previously, Newsbytes reported that 8,500 would be immediately
eliminated from its computer manufacturing subsidiary, the old NCR
Corp., as a result of the break-up.

Last week's announcement of the break-up said the company would
separate into a communications services company, a communications
equipment manufacturer, and a computer concern. AT&T currently
employs about 300,000, the Journal said.

Many of the cuts could come from AT&T's corporate staff of about
28,000 workers, the Journal said. In general, the paper said the
planned job cuts underscore that even though the company has made
vast changes since the old company broke up in 1984, more needs to
be done to bring AT&T in line with competitors like MCI, LM Ericsson,
and Motorola. Already, more than 100,000 jobs have been cut since
Ma Bell's break up.

AT&T wouldn't comment to the Journal about the number of workers that
might be affected in the restructuring, and the company said the
review is just beginning.

AT&T officials did not return calls to Newsbytes for further comment
by the daily deadline.

A financial analyst told the Journal a cut of 25,000 to 30,000 jobs
would save AT&T from $1.25 billion to $1.5 billion on a yearly basis.
Blake Beth, an analyst at Sanford Bernstein & Co. also said AT&T's
earnings would rise by 50 to 60 cents a share with the cuts.

Last month, the Wall Street Journal reported on what it called
plans by AT&T to re-enter the local telephone service area of
telecommunications, a market that's valued at $90 billion a year.
Those plans include a secret project to install more than 100 switches
to route local calls in virtually every market where a regional Bell
operating company (RBOC), the so-called "Baby Bells" spun off when
AT&T broke up in 1994, operates.

At that time, an AT&T spokesperson told Newsbytes the company would
not comment on any plans until pending legislation was passed that
would allow AT&T to re-enter the local phone market.

(Bob Woods/19950927/Press Contact: John Skalko, AT&T, 908-221-8413)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/27/95
IBM
NetWorld+Interop - IBM Intros DB2 Gateways, Secure Servers

(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00030)
NetWorld+Interop - IBM Intros DB2 Gateways, Secure Servers 09/27/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 27 (NB) -- "We want to be
known as the company that puts business processes on the Web," said
Drew Pearson, IBM's manager of Internet/Web Software Solutions, in
a phone interview with Newsbytes from NetWorld+Interop, where IBM
is unveiling DB2 gateways to the Internet, IBM Internet Connection
Secure Web Servers, the Internet Secure WebExplorer browser, and
other new software for the Internet and I/T (information
technology) security.

The ultimate goal of IBM's Internet software activities is to let
businesses safely conduct electronic commerce on the Web,
elaborated the IBM exec. As a result, users can expect to see many
of the newly unveiled and upcoming products included in IBM's new
InfoMarket service for electronic transactions, he revealed.

IBM's new DB2 gateways to the Internet are available immediately
for AIX and OS/2, according to Pearson. This fall, he added, IBM
will announce DB2 Internet gateways for non-IBM Unix platforms.

The new gateways are designed to let users query DB2 databases over
the Web by accessing any HTML (hypertext markup language) Web
server, including IBM's newly introduced IBM Internet Connection
Secure Web Servers, according to Pearson.

"Several beta users have been heavily involved, including
hospitals, universities, and even a drafting company," Pearson told
Newsbytes. The drafting company is using the gateways to access
parts from outside suppliers' DB2 databases.

The new gateways can be run on any platform-supported database
server anywhere on a network, he noted. The HTML Web server can be
operated on any platform. To query the database, the user can
either enter an ad hoc query, or employ a querying tool that
specifically supports HTML.

The latest release of HTML, version 2.0, provides form capabilities
that are very useful for building query applications, and the
forthcoming HTNL 3.0 will provide even "more powerful" query
functionality, he pointed out.

Also at NetWorld+Interop, he revealed, IBM is showing sneak
previews of a new version of IBM's VisualAge application
development tool that includes pre-built parts that "understand
HTML."

The update to VisualAge will let developers quickly produce "Web
savvy" business applications that "are not simply toys, or other
forms of amusement," Pearson predicated. Beta testing on the
VisualAge update has begun.

For the future, IBM is looking into integrating similar "HTML
awareness" into other products, Newsbytes was told. In addition,
future products for the Web from IBM will be based on VRML (virtual
reality markup language)+, will include "new ways of accessing Web
information, and will "leverage the Web-related capabilities of
Lotus's software," according to the IBM official.

One way IBM will use VRML+ is to produce "three-dimensional (3-D)
front-ends to Internet malls, or storefronts," Pearson continued.

IBM's newly unveiled Internet Connection Secure Web Servers will
run on the OS/2 and AIX platforms, he reported. The Internet
Connection Secure WebExplorer browser will run on OS/2 Warp. The
three products, which are scheduled for release on December 8, will
use the S-HTTP (Secure HyperText Transfer Protocol) and SSL (Secure
Sockets Layer (SSL) protocols.

Also at NetWorld+Interop, IBM has announced: an update to the NetSP
Secured Network Gateway, which will now run on RS/6000 over AIX
4.1.3; the addition of password synchronization to RACF (Resource
Access Control Facility); and the expected availability in November
of IBM AntiVirus Software for Windows 95.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19950927/Reader Contact: IBM, 914-765-1900; Press
Contact: Beth Kitchener, Brodeur & Partners for IBM, 617-622-2800)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/27/95
PC
Networld+Interop - Lotus Intros NotesPump, cc:Mail For Web

(NEWS)(PC)(BOS)(00031)
Networld+Interop - Lotus Intros NotesPump, cc:Mail For Web 09/27/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 27 (NB) -- Lotus' newly
unveiled NotesPump takes advantage of Notes replication, while the
newly shipping InterNotes Web Publisher exploits versioning and
other team computing capabilities of Lotus' application software,
maintained Steve Herrot, Lotus's director of advanced technology,
in a phone interview from Networld+Interop. At the show, Lotus is
also previewing Notes 4.0, and introducing Lotus cc:Mail for the Web.

Herrot told Newsbytes that organizations can use NotesPump to pull
data from a variety of outside RDBMS (relational database
management systems), including IBM DB2, Oracle 7, Sybase 10 or any
ODBC (Open Database Connectivity)-compliant RDBMS.

Then, he said, users can utilize Notes replication to
synchronize and update their own Notes mailboxes to any new
information that has come in, even after they have been offline.
"With Notes replication, you are always connected," the Lotus exec
contended.

The upcoming Notes 4.0, which is being previewed this week,
provides replication enhancements which include field level
replication, for replicating only fields that have changed in a
document, and multiple replicators, for raising replication
throughput and performance.

Also in the phone briefing with Newsbytes, Herrot said that, like
NotesPump, InterNotes Web Publisher is complementary to Notes, but
in a "reverse" kind of way. As previously reported in Newsbytes,
InterNotes Web Publisher is designed to let publishers convert
Notes databases and documents into hypertext markup language
(HTML), and also to manage changes to any HTTP Web server.

Herrot pointed out this morning that Lotus applications like 1-2-3
and the new Word Pro word processor can be used with Notes as Notes
authoring tools. By exploiting newly emerging team computing
features in these applications, he maintained, publishers can
produce Web-publishable documents with capabilities such as version
and access control.

These capabilities are especially useful for Web-based documents,
which tend to consist of many pages, Herrot added. Publishers can
then republish the Notes documents that have been authored in the
Lotus applications to the Web with the new InterNotes Web
Publisher, according to Lotus's director of advanced technology.

Also in the Web arena, the new cc:Mail for the World Wide Web,
being rolled out this week at NetWorld+InterOp, is aimed at
providing cc:Mail connectivity from the Web.

The new edition of cc:Mail is designed to let users access cc:Mail
messages -- as well as their inboxes, folders, and public bulletin
boards -- while browsing the Web with an HTML (hypertext markup
language) browser.

The new cc:Mail Web requires a cc:Mail Post Office, cc:Mail Web
administrative software, and an HTTP Server operating on Windows NT
3.51 or higher. Lotus plans to support other Web server platforms,
including OS/2, in the future.

Lotus' upcoming Notes 4.0 is slated to include increased support
for SMP (symmetrical multiprocessing), enhancements to server
performance, and new administration tools, in addition to the
improvements in Notes replication.

One enhancement in server performance, called "Notes server
passthrough," is meant to allow a mobile or network-connected user
to access or manage multiple Notes servers running different
network protocols, all simultaneously.

New administration tools in Notes 4.0 include: a graphical
administrative control panel; a new server console panel; the
ability to delegate administrative privileges and roles; a
centralized server configuration record; and a new N&A and ACL
(access control list) tool. Notes 4.0 is scheduled to ship in the
fourth quarter.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19950927/Reader Contact: Lotus Development Corp.,
617-577-8500; Press Contact: Lois Paul & Partners for Lotus, 617-
862-4514)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00032)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 09/27/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 27 (NB) -- These are capsules
of all today's news stories:

1 -> Silicon Graphics Internet Publishing Tool 09/27/95 Silicon Graphics Inc.
(NYSE: SGI) has announced MindShare OutBox, a new product that uses World Wide
Web technology for collaborating within heterogeneous environments. The desktop
Web publishing tool will be bundled with all of the current SGI Internet
products, such as Silicon Graphics' Indy and Indigo2 desktop systems.

2 -> Russia - Online Media Conf Set For October 09/27/95 New Media for a New
World 1995, an East-West conference on online media, will be presented October
23-25 at the Russian-American Press and Information Center in Moscow.

3 -> UK - Isocor Intros Fast Windows NT Messaging Products 09/27/95 Isocor, a
provider of open client- server messaging products, has unveiled its Isocor
Messaging for Windows NT product family.

4 -> UK - Portcullis' Windows NT/95 & OS/2 Anti-Virus Prgms 09/27/95 Portcullis
has announced plans to ship Windows 95, Windows NT, and OS/2 Warp versions of
its F-Prot Professional range of anti-virus packages. According to Bob Hoxey,
the company's managing director, the packages will ship on a phased basis over
the next few months.

5 -> UK - Internet Fantasy Football Contest 09/27/95 One of the most popular
competitions for football (soccer)-loving couch potatoes in the UK has been to
subscribe to a Fantasy Football program through a national paper, with calls to
select your fantasy team routed through a premium rate phone line, so
generating revenue and paying for prizes. Now the Electronic Telegraph (ET) has
gone one better and announced a Fantasy Football scheme across its Web pages.

6 -> Germany - Siemens Acquires Israeli Networking Firm 09/27/95 Siemens, the
German information technology (IT) giant, has announced plans to acquire Ornet
Data Communications Technologies (ODCT), the Israeli networking company.

7 -> France Telecom Awards 4 Contracts For Info Highway Trials 09/27/95 France
Telecom has awarded four major contracts for the construction and servicing of
optical fiber networks across France. The aim of the project is to create a
pilot "information superhighway" across France to trial broadband data
communications technology services.

8 -> UK - Logitech's TrackMan Marble Technology 09/27/95 Logitech, the mouse
and pointing technology company, has announced TrackMan Marble, a new
mini-trackball that has no moving parts. According to the company, the TrackMan
Marble uses an electronic net to sense changes in trackball and direct the
on-screen pointer.

9 -> Eye Magic's $20 Homepage Builder For Web Publishing 09/27/95 Eye Magic
Media, a new software development company, has announced its Windows 95, World
Wide Web title, called Homepage Builder. The new CD-ROM program, priced at $20,
is designed to offer a "quick and easy" tool to build homepages

10 -> Japan Newsbriefs 09/27/95 In this roundup of news from Japan: Ministry
decides budget spending, NEC announces multimedia phone, MPT to review
telephone regulations, NEC establishes two software ventures, Widescreen to
become market leader, Sony takes Digital Handycam overseas.

11 -> Czech Republic - Counterfeit Telephone Cards Available 09/27/95 SPT
Telecom management has not yet determined how large its financial losses are as
a result of telephone cards with prolonged dialing capabilities (the cards
usually enable up to 100 local calls). The counterfeit cards are currently
offered on the black market in Brno, the second largest city in the Czech
Republic, by a number of sources.

12 -> Sequent China Shows Hong Kong How It's Done 09/27/95 Open client/server
systems specialist Sequent Computer Systems Inc. has radically rethought its
presence in Hong Kong and China. It has set up a new company, Sequent
China/Hong Kong Ltd., which will merge the personnel and resources of both the
People's Republic of China and Hong Kong operations, with the management team
from Sequent China retaining overall control.

13 -> Philippines Cellphone Business A Two-way Fight 09/27/95 n the
Philippines, the fierce competition within the cellular phone business is
narrowing down to a two-way contest between Piltel and SMART Communications in
the next two to three years, according to the Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS)
Securities.

14 -> China - Wyse To Use "Five-Strike" Chinese Input Method 09/27/95 To
increase the input speed of Chinese characters on its terminals, US-based WYSE
recently purchased a license of "Five-Strike" technology from WangMa Computer
Company, a Beijing TV Station reported.

15 -> Survey On Visitors To China's Silicon Valley 09/27/95 A survey of
visitors to Zhongguancun area, the so-called China's "Silicon Valley" in
Beijing, was conducted by China Infoworld. It was found that more than 60
percent of the visitors are from other cities and provinces, and 30 percent of
them are dealers coming to buy goods for resale.

16 -> Hong Kong - Back To The "Good Old NCR Days" For AT&T 09/27/95 In a
bizarre twist in the unfolding AT&T GIS story, Hong Kong-based Strategic
Communications Manager Grace Su insisted insiders felt "relieved" about the
recent decision to dismantling of the company, saying everyone was now "free to
get back to their old jobs."

17 -> ****Unitel Restructuring Will Give AT&T Larger Stake 09/27/95 The three
shareholders of Unitel Communications Inc. have agreed on a restructuring that
will leave AT&T (NYSE:T) with slightly less than half the company and three
Canadian banks with the rest. Rogers Communications Inc. and Canadian Pacific
Ltd., both of which had already written off their investments in the
money-losing long-distance company, will give up their interests and get no
money back.

18 -> Ibex Electronic Commerce System Launches 09/27/95 Ibex, a worldwide
electronic commerce system developed by Global Business Alliance Inc. of
Ottawa, Canada, held its official launch this week and introduced the addition
of three new corporate partners. Chase Manhattan Bank, computer-maker Digital
Equipment Corp., and publisher Simon & Schuster, are new additions to the group
supporting Ibex.

19 -> Amex To Adopt Wireless Terminals For Trading 09/27/95 The American Stock
Exchange is installing a wireless local area network on its trading floor to
let traders communicate with their offices and with other traders. The Amex has
chosen a wireless system shortly after the New York Stock Exchange announced
that it had approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission to use
wireless, hand-held terminals on its trading floor.

20 -> ****Chip Spy Says Feds Set Him Up 09/27/95 In a plot that sounds like the
story line for the latest best-selling spy thriller, a software engineer
charged with stealing computer secrets said he was set up by the federal
government.

21 -> ****Will Novell Dump WordPerfect? 09/27/95 The recent restructuring of
Novell Corp. (NASDAQ: NOVL) apparently won't include dumping WordPerfect, the
popular word processing program Novell acquired when it merged with WordPerfect
Corp. However, a statement made by Robert Frankenberg this week may have left
the door open for some sort of change.

22 -> Telecom 95 Begins Next Week 09/27/95 Five thousand telephone lines, 135
kilometers (km) of electrical wiring, an extra 60 helicopter slots at Geneva
airport daily, enough power to supply a town of 40,000 people, and 2,000
kilograms (kg) of cheese are just some of the things needed to create Telecom
95, the "Olympics" of the telecommunications industry, which begins next Monday
in Geneva, Switzerland.

23 -> European & US Leased Circuits - Report 09/27/95 Ovum has issued a new
report, entitled "National Leased Circuit Tariffs and Discount Policies," which
aims to analyze the published tariffs in Europe and US, and so assist anyone
with a need for such circuits to select the best and most economical service.

24 -> Fee-Based Homework Service To Open On The Web 09/27/95 Information Access
Company (IAC), a provider of reference information to private and public
libraries, has announced a World Wide Web, fee-based research tool called
Cognito! Junior and senior high school students and college students are the
primary, targeted audience.

25 -> Silicon Graphics Teams With Netscape 09/27/95 Silicon Graphics Inc.
(NYSE: SGI) and Netscape Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: NSCP) has
announced that Netscape Internet Applications will be available for the Silicon
Graphics' WebForce product line. Netscape's system integrates high-volume
transaction processing, data management,  and encrypted communications for
creating online services and large-scale businesses on the "net."

26 -> ****Microsoft & Visa Publish Secure Transaction Specs 09/27/95 Microsoft
Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Visa International said they've published two
specifications that will secure payments over public networks, like the
Internet, and private networks. In a separate announcement, Spyglass Inc.
(NASDAQ:SPYG) said it will develop and be the prime licensee of the new
specifications, to be called Secure Transaction Technology (STT) and Private
Communication Technology (PCT).

27 -> Networld+Interop - "Platinum" Internet Services Coming 09/27/95 As the
Internet grows, transmission logjames may become more common and prompt large
Internet service providers (ISPs) to offer an enhanced tier of service to their
major corporate users. That's according to Howard Anderson, managing director
of the Boston, Mass.-based data communications and computing consultancy The
Yankee Group, which is hosting a two-day Internet Summit as part of the
Networld + Interop Conference underway in Atlanta through Friday.

28 -> ****Networld+Interop - Netscape Says No To Provider Wars 09/27/95 With
its announcement last week that it intends to spend $100 million to buy
message-based collaberative software firm Collabra Software, Netscape
Communications is broadening its reach in Internet-based services. Yet, there's
one major type of service that Netscape Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and
President Jim Barksdale says the newly public, "flush-with-cash" firm will
never get into: the Internet access provider, point-of-presence wars.

29 -> AT&T To Cut 20,000 Jobs In Restructuring? 09/27/95 AT&T Corp. (NYSE:T) is
beginning to plan job cuts to the tune of more than 20,000 positions, along
with a major restructuring of finances, the Wall Street Journal is reporting
today. These actions are a result of the company's recently announced plans to
break up into three independent companies.

30 -> NetWorld+Interop - IBM Intros DB2 Gateways, Secure Servers 09/27/95 "We
want to be known as the company that puts business processes on the Web," said
Drew Pearson, IBM's manager of Internet/Web Software Solutions, in a phone
interview with Newsbytes from NetWorld+Interop, where IBM is unveiling DB2
gateways to the Internet, IBM Internet Connection Secure Web Servers, the
Internet Secure WebExplorer browser, and other new software for the Internet
and I/T (information technology) security.

31 -> Networld+Interop - Lotus Intros NotesPump, cc:Mail For Web 09/27/95
Lotus' newly unveiled NotesPump takes advantage of Notes replication, while the
newly shipping InterNotes Web Publisher exploits versioning and other team
computing capabilities of Lotus' application software, maintained Steve Herrot,
Lotus's director of advanced technology, in a phone interview from
Networld+Interop. At the show, Lotus is also previewing Notes 4.0, and
introducing Lotus cc:Mail for the Web.

(Ian Stokell/19950927)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/26/95
GOVT
South Australia Govt In IT Deals With US Firms

(NEWS)(GOVT)(SYD)(00001)
South Australia Govt In IT Deals With US Firms 09/26/95
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, 1995 SEP 26 (NB) -- South Australian (SA) state
Premier Dean Brown chose New York City to launch a sweeping round of
information technology (IT) purchasing decisions recently, along with a
multi-million dollar deal with the IBM and Lend Lease joint venture ISSC
Australia. The agreement covers establishment of an Electronic Services
Business (ESB) to support electronic marketing and sales of products from
SA companies.

According to IBM, ISSC's direct investment in the project will run to about
$35 million, spread across two main areas: a Center of Competence for
Intelligent Cities at South Australia's Technology Park, which will
resurrect the Multi Function Polis (MFP) concept as a test-bed for new
technologies and services; and establishment of electronic kiosks to
support activities such as electronic exchange of legal documents and
electronic payment of bills. It is understood that the kiosk services
will also be available through home PCs.

Brown said the existence of an electronic commerce and service delivery
business in South Australia will allow the State to take front running in
the Asia Pacific region. "This project is a major boost to our plan to
develop a sustainable new industry for South Australia, based on our
desire to transform the way governments, businesses, and their customers
communicate and interact," said the Premier.

The agreement is the result of a tender won by ISSC. It is not yet clear
how many jobs will be created as a result of the deal.

Brown also announced a State Government contract for the supply and service
of 8,000 PCs a year over the next two years. According to a statement issued
by the Premier's Department, seven companies have been selected as suppliers
in a deal worth $25-$30 million. The high per-computer cost (more than
$3,000) is due to three-year warranties, delivery, and on-site installation
and pre-loaded software, the Premier's office says. Pre-loading of Windows
95 is yet to be negotiated.

Desktop models will be supplied by Fujitsu, IBM/CPM&S, Lodin, Microbits, and
Protech. Notebook models will come from IBM/CPM&S, NEC, and Toshiba. Apple
is notably absent from the list, calling into question the fate of the
4,000-odd Apple Macintoshes in SA's government departments and schools.

A spokesman for the Premier said Apple's computers in schools will remain,
but those in administrative areas are likely to be phased out.

(Computer Daily News/19950926)




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09/26/95
ONLINE
Australian Govt Plans To Consolidate Online Inquiries

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SYD)(00002)
Australian Govt Plans To Consolidate Online Inquiries 09/26/95
CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA 1995 SEP 26 (NB) -- Australian federal public
servants have recognized the problem of overlapping government inquiries
into unsuitable material on the Internet and other computer services, but
don't yet know what to do about it. A recent meeting of the Government
Information Services Policy Board discussed, but did not resolve the
issue.

Most board members felt that it was something for the Committee of Officials
on Information Services (COIS). The COIS is a high-level group chaired by
Neville Stevens, head of the Department of Communications and the Arts, with
members of deputy secretary rank from other Commonwealth agencies. It
advises the National Information Services Council (NISC) which the Prime
Minister chairs. COIS should have enough clout to do something about
duplication at the official level, but will not stop the Senate Select
Committee holding its own inquiry.

As well as the Senate Select Committee, the Australian Broadcasting
Authority is to investigate online information and entertainment services,
and the departments of Attorney-General's and Communication and the Arts
are seeking submissions on their joint consultation paper.

Meanwhile, Canberra's new Office of Government Information Technology,
which reports to Finance Minister Kim Beazley, has taken over chairmanship
of the Commonwealth-State Internet Working Group which is working towards
uniformity and consistency in government approaches to Internet-type
services.

(Computer Daily News/19950926)




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09/26/95
BUSINESS
Yokogawa Electric Plans Software Venture In India

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEL)(00003)
Yokogawa Electric Plans Software Venture In India 09/26/95
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1995 SEP 26 (NB) -- Yokogawa Blue Star Ltd. (YBS), a
joint venture of Japan-based Yokogawa Electric Corp., and Blue Star Ltd.,
has stated that a software facility will be set up by the company in
India. The facility will be treated as a global engineering center
catering to the software needs of all the Yokogawa affiliates and
subsidiaries across the globe.

Disclosing this, the chairman of the Yokogawa Electric Corp., T. Yamanaka,
stated that as a part of the company's global engineering policy, Yokogawa
Singapore was earlier being used as the main source for engineering and
software needs.

However, with Singapore becoming increasingly costly, the company had
looked at the Philipines, China, and India as an alternate basis for
reducing the cost of software engineering -- finally choosing India as
the best and most competitive source.

Yokogawa Japan is among the largest instrument manufacturers in the
world, with total sales of $1.8 billion. The global network of the
Japanese company spans 21 countries, and includes 14 factories, 12
joint ventures, and 74 sales and engineering locations.

YBS is a joint venture set up in 1987 to supply industrial automation
systems and products to various core industries. The company has a
manufacturing facility in Bangalore and has also set up a software
technology park for export of software to Japan, Singapore, and other
countries. The joint venture expects to export software worth R10
crore in 1995-96, around 10 percent of the company's annual turnover.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19950926)




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09/26/95
TELECOM
India - 40,000-Line Digital Switch Intro'd

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEL)(00004)
India - 40,000-Line Digital Switch Intro'd 09/26/95
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1995 SEP 26 (NB) -- The Center for Development of
Telematics (C-DOT), India's premier research and development body in
the public sector, has successfully built "the first 40,000-line
hi-tech digital main automatic exchange." According to Bishnu Pradhan,
executive director of C-DOT, the development "demonstrates to the world
that Indian research and development personnel are second-to-none in
areas considered the monopoly of the West."

The switch, which is presently undergoing rigorous tests in Bangalore
and also in C-DOT's labs in Delhi, is expected to be commissioned in
another two weeks. With this, C-DOT will attain the objective for which
it was set up in August, 1994.

The switch will have 32 base modules, of which nine will be connected
to subscribers and 23 will be co-located with the exchange itself. It
will have a capacity to handle 30,000 lines and can be expanded as and
when required, Pradhan said.

While welcoming the liberalization and privatization of the telecoms
sector, Pradhan claimed that the MNCs wanted to destroy the C-DOT as it
posed a direct threat to their expensive telecom products like the high
capacity switch. "They have taken a number of our promising engineers
and are now offering their equipment at a lower subsidized rate which
they don't even consider offering in their country," he said.

According to him, by quoting a lower price deliberately, the MNCs wanted
to destroy C-DOT and ITI (Indian Telephone Industries) Ltd., in one stroke
so that they can dominate the equipment market for the Government.

C-DOT, he said, will invest more on R&D, work closely with a few foreign
companies, like Motorola of the US and Telstra of Australia, as well as
Indian universities and engineering and research institutes.

With Motorola, C-DOT has developed a "wireless in local loop" telephone
system for India. The agreement involves interfacing Motorola's trunked
sub-systems and C-DOT's rural and main automatic exchanges into an
integrated fixed wireless product.

On the other hand, its agreement with Telstra involves the joint
development of network management systems and the export of C-DOT rural
exchanges for Telstra's use in its international operations and R&D
cooperation with the company's own R&D units.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19950926)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/26/95
BROADCAST
Hong Kong Telecom's Video-On-Demand Project Update

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(HKG)(00005)
Hong Kong Telecom's Video-On-Demand Project Update 09/26/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 SEP 26 (NB)-- Mystery surrounds HongKong
Telecom's video-on-demand project -- specifically, why a system builder
hasn't been selected. In early August, when Telecom Multimedia Director
William Lo announced his shortlist of competing consortia, he said the
deal would be done by the end of that month.

But that date may have been inaccurate. According to a source in Lo's
department: "There was a recent newspaper report that the decision would
be made in a couple of months," she said. In fact, it look like the
system builder will be chosen by November.

There is reportedly no time to waste. HK Telecom has already promised it
will have a video-on-demand service up and running by mid-1996. The final
version is supposed to be under testing in April.

In August, and running a week late, Telecom announced its preferred
supplier roster of five consortia: AT&T, IBM, Iwatani Intl Corp., NEC,
and NPB Partners.

The company's Interactive Media Service is supposed to encompass much
more than video services and include home shopping, banking, educational,
and other services. The corporate affairs official told I.T. Daily that
the pilot had just wrapped up and was judged very successful. "Many of
the participants want to sign up for the service," she said.

(Nigel Armstrong & I.T. Daily/19950926)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/26/95
BUSINESS
Hong Kong's ISL In Major China Distribution Deal

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEL)(00006)
Hong Kong's ISL In Major China Distribution Deal 09/26/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 SEP 26 (NB)-- Integrated Solutions Ltd -- which
came to preeminence in Hong Kong software circles tying together data
systems for cross-border enterprises -- has signed a distribution agreement
that could propel the company into the big league.

According to ISL, Guangdong Province Computer Co., known as GDC, has agreed
to promote ISL's flagship Manufacturing Information System  (MIS) package
across the southern Chinese province. The GDC link puts ISL within reach of
thousands of manufacturers at a time when China's imminent reentry in the
World Trade Organization requires the country's industry to be on its toes.

"If China is to resume its membership in the WTO by removing trade barriers
and opening up its market to international competitors," ISL Managing
Director Ricky Leung warned, "such expertise will be of paramount
importance to the survival of domestic manufacturing firms."

ISL developed its MIS package as a series of different modular add-ons.
Depending on the mix used, managers can zoom in and out of operations,
taking financial readings of what's coming in, going through, and going
out of their plants, and do it in English, as well as in standard and
simplified Chinese.

Unveiling an earlier version of the system on an another occasion, Leung
explained his was the first manufacturing package designed and built for
local users, negating the need to customize different parts of imported
kits to suit currency or other requirements.

Zhong Ke Ren, general manager of GDC, said he welcomed MIS into the
company's product portfolio, saying it was flexible and ideal for the
market's range of light manufacturers engaged in electronics, electrical
goods, toys, watches, and similarly compact goods.

The distribution agreement also moved ISL closer to Guangdong's
still-to-emerge material resources planning (MRP) market. MRP, which is
considered pivotal in just-in-time manufacturing -- processes massive
amounts of data to keep tabs on every detail in the manufacturing process.

Among other things, MRP systems automatically order every component
required to make a replacement product for one just sold. The system
theoretically pares inventories to the bone, and with those, the cost
of maintaining large component stocks and the space used to store them.

GDC said it plans to promote MRP across the province and Leung said he
was pleased to be invited in to help. "It will allow us to analyze
manufacturing problems more closely, and then adapt our software."

(Nigel Armstrong & I.T. Daily/19950926)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
95 09/26/95
EDUCATION
Hong Kong Univ Switches To Windows

(NEWS)(EDUCATION)(DEL)(00007)
Hong Kong Univ Switches To Windows 95 09/26/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 SEP 26 (NB) -- The Hong Kong University of
Science & Technology (HKUST) says it has committed to purchase up to
3,000 copies of both Windows 95 and Microsoft Office for Windows 95.

HKUST is the first large organization in Hong Kong to upgrade to the
new operating system, which will be installed on up to 75% of the
university's network.

The first stage of a four-phase installation began with the recent
opening of a pilot test facility in the general computer laboratories.
Further stages will roll-out to all labs, staff quarters, students'
halls and administration offices within a six-month to 12-month
time frame.

(Nigel Armstrong & I.T. Daily/19950926)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/26/95
GOVT
China - Shanghai Curbing Copyright Violations

(NEWS)(GOVT)(PEK)(00008)
China - Shanghai Curbing Copyright Violations 09/26/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 SEP 26 (NB) -- The Shanghai Copyright Agency (SCA)
claims to have achieved success in promoting international culture and
information exchanges, while curbing copyright violations, according to
China Daily.

Established in August, 1993, SCA is a subsidiary of the Shanghai
Publishing Bureau. SCA has been engaged mainly in copyright trading and
protection. It has established representative offices in the United
States, Japan, and Germany.

SCA has purchased the copyrights of some 120 books from copyright owners
in many foreign countries, such as the United State, Japan, Germany,
Britain, the Netherlands, Republic of Korean, and South Africa. To date,
SCA has transferred the copyrights from the owners and/or international
publishing companies to more than 20 publishing houses in China.

SCA provides legal services to copyright owners and also closely
monitors the media market in case of any copyright violations. Last
year, SCA became the authorized representative of the American Hemingway
Foreign Rights Trust for publication of Chinese editions of all the
works of Ernest Hemingway through the year 2004. In June, through
SCA, Shanghai Yiwen Publishing House purchased the sole publishing
rights of Hemingway's works in Chinese. However, according to SCA, three
other publishing houses on the mainland and one Taiwan publisher are
negotiating with Shanghai Yiwen and SCA for "usage rights."

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19950926/Reader Contact: Shanghai Publishing
Bureau, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/26/95
TRENDS
China - Mastercard Credit Card Usage Up

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(PEK)(00009)
China - Mastercard Credit Card Usage Up 09/26/95
BEIJING, CHINA, 1995 SEP 26 (NB) -- While the government is promoting
the "Golden Card" Project, Mastercard International hopes to expand
its share of the Chinese market, where it already has a solid footing.

The "Golden Card" project is designed to develop a computerized financial
system and encourage people to use bank/credit cards instead of cash.
With more than 10 million cards issued in China by the end of last year,
Mastercard International expects to enjoy a 50 percent annual card
issuance growth in the coming decade, the company's Asia-Pacific region
general manager said.

Since Mastercard International entered China in 1987, the company has
been enjoying a fast expansion in the country. More than 6.5 million
Mastercard cards have been issued in China during the first quarter of
this year.

Its total transaction volume reached US$12.3 billion before the end of
March of this year, 101.4 percent more than the same period of last
year. By the end of March, the company had 128,700 retail members
across the country, 53 percent more than in the same period of 1994.
To fulfill its future expansion plan, the organization is planning to
accept more Chinese banks as members.

So far, Mastercard has seven member banks in China, including the Bank
of China, the People's Construction Bank of China, the Industrial and
Commercial Bank of China, the Agricultural Bank of China, Bank of
Communications, Guangdong Development Bank, and China Merchant's Bank.

The regional manager said that the Chinese market is so huge that
existing member banks are far from enough. He said there are at
least 200 million people in China who could qualify for a credit card.
The manager also said that Mastercard is applying to set up its second
office in Guangzhou. The company launched its Beijing office in 1988.

However, according to a very informal survey conducted by Newsbytes,
many Chinese have problems using their credit/bank cards -- few ATMs
(automated teller machines) are available, and many of those are out
of order. Also, card holders complain that only a few stores accept
credit/bank cards, and checking their credit or account balance
usually takes a long time.

(Chih-Ho Yu & Ning Huang/19950926)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/26/95
TRENDS
Russia -- Sales Of Dell PCs Up, Win95 Set For October

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00010)
Russia -- Sales Of Dell PCs Up, Win95 Set For October 09/26/95
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1995 SEP 26 (NB) -- At a press event recently in
Moscow, Dell Computer Corp. announced that it is doubling its yearly
sales volume with its partner IBS and seeks to expand its service
center network to 30 by the end of 1996. Also at the event, Microsoft
announced that a Russian version of Windows 95 will start shipping
in mid-October.

In the course of a two-day visit to Moscow, managers of the
marketing department of Dell Computer Corp. -- Andrew Lis
and Jean-Baptiste Nani -- discussed with officers of IBS company,
Dell's authorized dealer in Russia, the potential of the local
computer market. The visit ended up with the joint press
conference held at the Hotel Kempinski.

The conference was also attended by the head of the marketing
department at Microsoft's Moscow subsidiary, Ilya Billig.
Discussions of the technical features of the latest Dell computers
were accompanied by a demonstration of the new Windows 95
operating system.

The Dell managers expressed their satisfaction with the sales volume
of Dell computers in Russia through IBS. Badalov, the head of the
PC department of IBS, attributed the success to providing "reliable
and fast support" to end-users through the network of seven certified
maintenance centers. "On the average," Badalov told the audience, "it
takes us one business day to provide a customer with service, which
is unique for Russia. We expect that towards the end of 1996, the
number of service centers will reach thirty."

"The management of the company wants to double sales volumes each
year in Russia and is seriously considering opening a Dell office in
Moscow," Jean-Baptist Nani said in a conversation with IntelliTech.

(Vladimir Vetrov/19950926/Press & Reader Contact: Dell Corp.,
Andrew Lis, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Jean-
Baptiste Nani, EDS, tel [phone], fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/26/95
TELECOM
Microsoft/Skytel Offer 2-way Paging Via Microsoft Network

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEN)(00011)
Microsoft/Skytel Offer 2-way Paging Via Microsoft Network 09/26/95
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 26 (NB) -- Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ: MSFT) and Skytel, a company owned by Mobile Telecommunication
Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ: MTEL), have teamed to allow users of
Windows 95 and Microsoft Network (MSN) to send and receive two-way
paging messages.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95092611.PCX
Click here for photo

SkyTel 2-Way's two-way paging network was launched earlier this
month. SkyTel's messaging software makes it possible for Windows 95
users to send and receive messages and the two companies are
working together to let MSN subscribers send messages to, and
receive replies from, SkyTel 2-Way users. That service is
expected to be available shortly.

Microsoft spokesperson John McGill told Newsbytes that MSN subscribers
will also be able to send one-way messages via Skytel.

The SkyTel messages and replies are gathered in Exchange, the
universal Windows 95 electronic-mail in-box. Skytel said it has
developed a service provider interface that is compliant with
Microsoft's messaging applications programming interface (MAPI).
Once the SkyTel software is installed, users have a seamless access
to SkyTel 2-Way.

Skytel 2-Way transmissions are carried on new radio frequencies
licensed last year by the US government for use by personal
communications services (PCS). Pager users can respond to a pager
message by selecting from multiple choice responses offered by the
sender, such as "reschedule at 1pm?" or "Reschedule at 2pm?" If the
sender doesn't offer possible answers, the Skytel pager has some
preprogrammed stock responses such as "OK" or "On my way" or "I'll
call you" that are sent at the touch of a button on the pager.

Skytel spokesperson Jennifer O'Mahoney told Newsbytes the
pager can store up to a dozen response choices. The pager displays
four lines at a time and the user can scroll through up to 500
message characters.

O'Mahoney said the two-way service is already available in about
1,300 major cities and will eventually be accessible nationwide.
The pager resembles a standard alphanumeric paging unit with an
added hinged lid, which contains the transmitter portion of the
system. There is no visible antenna.

The system has store-and-forward capability so your messages will
be waiting even if you turn your pager off. Skytel recently
launched a home page on the World Wide Web at http://www.skytel.com ,
which has hotlinks to the Microsoft home page at
http://www.microsoft.com .

Last year Microsoft invested a reported $30 million in MTEL to help
launch that company's Nationwide Wireless Network. NWN eventually
evolved to become the Skytel 2-Way system.

(Jim Mallory/19950925/Press contact: John McGill, Microsoft,
206-882-8080; Public contact: Microsoft, 206-882-8080 or
800-426-9400/SKYTEL950926/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/26/95
CORRECTION WINDOWS
Correction - What Ever Happened To Bob?

(CORRECTION)(WINDOWS)(DEN)(00012)
Correction - What Ever Happened To Bob? 09/26/95
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 26 (NB) -- A representative at
Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) public relations firm Waggener Edstrom
has asked Newsbytes to publish a clarification to a recent story that
appeared on the Newsbytes News Network about Microsoft Bob, the nerdy
guy with the heavy glasses that represents a "more friendly user
interface" to Microsoft Windows.

The Waggener Edstrom representative told Newsbytes that the
story that Microsoft will send a free copy of Microsoft Bob and a
Frisbee-like flyer to any registered Microsoft Bob user submitting a
suggested enhancement for Bob was incorrect. She told Newsbytes the
information packet was intended to make that free software offer
only to a select group of about 200 editors.

The Waggener Edstrom spokesperson told Newsbytes the company has
received numerous requests from readers for the free software.

(Jim Mallory/19950925/Press contact: Gaby Adam, Waggener Edstrom,
206-637-9097)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/26/95
TRENDS
CD-ROM Distribution Changes Forecast

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TOR)(00013)
CD-ROM Distribution Changes Forecast 09/26/95
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 26 (NB) -- CD-ROM
producers
are unhappy with their existing distribution channels, and traditional
software retailers have a few unkind words for the CD-ROM producers as
well. But they may not have each other to kick around for much longer,
according to a recent study by Forrester Research Inc.

Forrester's study, "CD-ROM Channel Changes," found CD-ROM producers
grumbling that software retailers do not understand their products, fail
to promote them, and are slow in paying. Retailers, meanwhile, say CD-ROM
producers don't differentiate their products from those of their
competitors and need to do a better job of marketing.

"Distribution problems are strangling the CD-ROM business," Forrester
said. "Multimedia consumers are frustrated with lack of guidance, high
prices, and poor selection at retail. Publishers pay exorbitant fees for
access to limited shelf space, while retailers struggle to make a profit
selling content."

Forrester said those conclusions came from interviews with some 35
CD-ROM developers and publishers, plus executives from several major
retailers and two top channel strategy consultants, Garner Lester and
Joey Tamer. Researchers also visited a number of retail outlets and
World Wide Web sites that sell software.

The report said the power in CD-ROM distribution is concentrated in
the traditional software retail channels -- computer superstores and
software stores. However, that may be going to change. As artists
learn to make better use of multimedia technology, and the products
get better as a result, Forrester predicts that a new class of
retailers will get interested in CD-ROMs. Adult education and reference
titles will appear on bookstore shelves. Entertainment titles will
turn up in music stores, children's titles in toy stores, and "top-40"
hits will be sold by mass merchants such as  Wal-Mart, Target, and BJ's.

"These changes will revitalize the industry," Forrester said, "as they
fundamentally restructure the power relationships offered by today's
dominant CD-ROM channels."

To deal with these changes, Forrester has recommended that publishers
develop separate distribution strategies for different types of content.
The research firm also said publishers should develop new and more
compact packaging that will fit comfortably on the shelves of bookstores
and music stores, like the "jewel boxes" used for audio compact disks.
Finally, Forrester said, publishers should spend their marketing budgets
on creating "consumer pull" through advertising and public relations.

(Grant Buckler/19950926/Press Contact: Nicole Lee, Forrester Research,
617-497-7090, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/26/95
EDUCATION
UK - British Telecom & FTP Offer Schools Internet Access

(NEWS)(EDUCATION)(LON)(00014)
UK - British Telecom & FTP Offer Schools Internet Access 09/26/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 SEP 26 (NB) -- FTP Software, along with British
Telecom (BT), has announced a scheme whereby schools and other UK
educational establishments can access the World Wide Web and other
Internet services much more easily.

The joint scheme is called Campus World, and allows schools and
colleges to use a BT-customized version of FTP Software's Explore 2.0
and Explore Anywhere to link them to the World Wide Web using BT's
BTNet Internet service.

The customized versions of Explore 2.0 and Explore Anywhere are being
supplied pre-configured with the necessary UK telephone codes for
access on a local calling basis for most of the UK, either through
asynchronous modem links, or ISDN (integrated services digital
network) channels.

According to David Zirkle, FTP's president, the Campus World program
will change the technical side of education in the UK, allowing schools
and collages access to a more interactive online world than they enjoy
at present. Zirkle claims that, by being more interactive, the service
will provide the necessary stimulus for students to pay more attention
and also provide a lot of answers to their questions.

"The process will be far more interactive, allowing students to ask
questions via Internet and receive answers from experts on line.
Schools will be able to take part in joint projects with other
schools, not only in the UK, but around the world," he explained.

According to FTP, Campus Watch is several steps beyond the Campus 2000
service, which allowed interaction originally using BT's Prestel
viewdata network and more recently, using BT's Mailbox Dialcom
electronic-mail services.

Explore 2.0 for Windows is a suite of Internet access applications for
small workgroup local area networks (LANs), telecommuters, and home PC
users. Explore Anywhere, meanwhile, is a similar suite, but engineered
to allow corporate LAN users to gain access to the World Wide Web. The
idea behind the customized versions of the packages is to allow
educational staff and pupils to switch easily between the LAN and the
Internet.

(Sylvia Dennis/19950926/Press Contact: Lisa Cann, A Plus, +44-1753-
790700; Reader Contact: Manuela Dorken, FTP Software Worldwide,
[phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/26/95
TRENDS
High-Tech Firms Getting More For R&D Dollars - Study

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TOR)(00015)
High-Tech Firms Getting More For R&D Dollars - Study 09/26/95
WESTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 26 (NB) -- High-technology
companies in the United States are getting a better return on the
money they spend on research and development now than they did three
years ago, according to a recent study.

The study, by management consulting firm Pittiglio Rabin Todd & McGrath
(PRTM), examined the performance of more than 200 companies in the
semiconductor, telecommunications, electronic equipment, aerospace and
defense, automotive and industrial, and medical device industries. Using
a measure the consulting firm calls the "R&D Effectiveness Index," it
found that the over-all return on R&D investments has increased 84
percent since 1992, when PRTM developed the index.

The R&D Effectiveness Index measures the profit from new products
relative to the money invested in R&D investment. In 1992, PRTM reported
the index was .25, meaning companies got 25 cents in return for every
dollar they spent on R&D, on average. In 1994, the consulting firm said,
the index was .46, meaning a dollar spent on R&D brought 46 cents in
product revenues.

According to PRTD, companies have come to see that effective new product
development is the key to success in the long term, so they are putting
more emphasis on improving that process. As firms work to reduce time-to-
market and increase development productivity, the management consultants
said, their return on R&D investments is rising.

PRTD noted that according to figures from the National Science
Foundation, industry R&D spending has increased only two percent since
1993. In reaping an increased return of $21 billion, PRTD said, US
high-tech companies are showing an ability to get more from the same
level of investment.

PRTD's formula for calculating the R&D Effectiveness Index (EI) is
EI = New Product Revenue % x (Net Profit % + R&D %)/R&D %, where all
percentages are calculated as percentages of revenue.

(Grant Buckler/19950926/Press Contact: Michael McGrath, PRTM,
617-647-2800)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/26/95
CHIPS
Motorola Intros 24-Bit DSP Chip Family

(NEWS)(CHIPS)(DEN)(00016)
Motorola Intros 24-Bit DSP Chip Family 09/26/95
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 26 (NB) -- Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT)
has introduced a new family of 24-bit digital signal processor (DSP)
chips for wireless, telecommunications, and multimedia applications.
The company said the DSP56300 architecture provides the industry's
first one-instruction-per-clock-cycle, which effectively doubles the
number of instructions executed without increasing the clock speed of
the chip.

The DSP56300 architecture is a product of Motorola's Digital Signal
Processing Division, part of the company's Microcontroller
Technologies Group. Motorola said in addition to the first offering
in the product line, the DSP56301, it will also market several
additional chips in the same family. The new chip architecture is
software compatible with the DSP5600 family of processors.

The 56301 will initially be available as a 66 MIPS (million
instructions-per-second) at 66 megahertz (MHz). A 80MIPS, 80MHz
version is scheduled to ship in the second quarter of 1996, and
eventually chip performance will reach 100MIPS/MHz.

The company said it has won design competition for use of the new
microprocessor from customers producing applications that include
wireless infrastructure like cell phone base stations,
videoconferencing, multi-line voice/data/fax processing,
asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) and integrated services digital
network (ISDN). The latter two applications are used in high-speed
data communications.

Graham Mills, manager of advanced multimedia services at British
Telecommunications in the United Kingdom, said BT intends to use the
DSP56301 in future videoconferencing products. "It's an ideal chip
for audio compression/decompression and advanced telecommunications
control functions," said Mills.

Motorola said the low power consumption of the chip is a key
element in the product's performance. The company integrated several
power saving features into the chip. The low power, fully static
CMOS (complimentary metal oxide semiconductor) design lets users
throttle internal clock speed from 80MHz to zero. The initial chip
runs at 3.0- to 3.6-volts, and the company said future versions will
reduce power consumption to between 2.7- and 1.8-volts.

In addition to Stop and Power Down modes, the new DSP chips have
an intelligent power management system that automatically powers
down unused memories, peripherals and unused core logic on an
instruction by instruction basis.

The DSP56300 chips use a parallel instruction set to control the
four concurrent execution unit. The units are: the Arithmetic Logic
Unit, the Address Generation Unit, the Program Control Unit, and
the Direct Memory Access Unit. The Data ALU features a fully
pipelined 24- by 24-bit parallel multiply-accumulator which is
further enhanced by a 56-bit parallel barrel shifter providing
single-clock-cycle throughput. The barrel shifter supports
efficient data stream parsing, which reduces software overhead.

Motorola said the instruction cache support is user-transparent,
provides hardware cache management and implements no access
penalty for cache misses. It configures one kilobyte (KB) word
of program memory (PRAM) to instruction cache and allows the user to
lock or flush individual sectors. The DSP56301 contains a total of
4KB of PRAM which can be reconfigured to provide 3KB word of PRAM
and 1KB word of instruction cache. The instruction cache can lower
the requirements for expensive high-speed external memory. There
is also 4KB word of data memory on the chip, which is split into
2KB word of X memory and 2KB word of Y memory.

The new chips' external bus supports glueless connection to external
DRAM (dynamic random access memory), SRAM (static random access
memory), synchronous SRAM, ROM (read-only memory), and peripherals on
a 24-bit address and 24-bit data bus. Four user-programmable address
attributes are provided to eliminate external logic and allow
interfacing to a variety of memories and peripherals. Motorola has
developed a glueless interface to the Peripheral Controller Interface
and has placed it onboard the chip.

To support chip application development Motorola offers a cross
linker, assembler, and simulator software development package, a
C compiler, and an application development system. The Motorola
spokesperson told Newsbytes the DSP56301 is immediately available at
a price point of $48 per 100,000 of the 66MHz units.

(Jim Mallory/19940926/Press contact: Michele Healey, Cunningham
Communications for Motorola, 408-764-0785)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/26/95
TRENDS
 ****SGI & NCSA Create National Data Laboratory

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00017)
 ****SGI & NCSA Create National Data Laboratory 09/26/95
CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 26 (NB) --  Silicon Graphics
Inc. (NYSE: SGI) and the National Center for Supercomputing
Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
have announced that they will create a National Data Laboratory  for
high-performance commercial computing applications. Silicon Graphics,
through the National Data Lab, will deliver technology to commercial
markets such as finance, telecommunications, and manufacturing .

High-performance commercial computing uses advanced technology
such as parallel processing, high-performance databases, and
advanced data mining techniques. The National Data Laboratory will
use this computing power to develop software technologies based on
"intelligent algorithms" for recognizing and analyzing patterns in
commercial databases.

Daryl Ramm, internal analyst for SGI, told Newsbytes, "The Lab will
research technologies such as employing neural networks that mimic
the processes of the human brain, and genetic algorithms that mirror
the evolutionary process of organisms in various environments.
Technologies such as these are being used today in understanding
consumer purchasing trends, detecting credit card or financial
trading fraud, and other complex data analysis problems.

"The use of 'intelligent algorithms' is in its embryonic stage. The
major handicaps to further research has been the lack of available
supercomputers, and the inability to run them on parallel systems.
The National Data Laboratory should solve both of these problems,"
said Ramm.

The National Data Laboratory will also have state-of-the-art data
visualization facilities originally created for scientific data
visualization that will now also be used to develop and test new
technology for commercial applications. Silicon Graphics' Onyx
graphics workstations and Challenge servers will be used as
development and serving platforms. These systems will be tightly
coupled to NCSA's 64-processor Power ChallengeArray supercomputer
to enable the most powerful computations in support of the data
analysis.

"NCSA has provided technology and tools that have radically changed
the use of supercomputers and networks in scientific and technical
environments," said Larry Smarr, director of NCSA, the organization
that developed the Mosaic browser. "Our relationship with Silicon
Graphics will allow both organizations to deliver the latest high-
performance commercial computing technology to leading Fortune 500
companies."

"Revolutionary changes are occurring in commercial processing,"
said Ross Bott, vice president and general manager of Silicon
Graphics' Network Systems Division. "The rapid growth in the amount
of data available today coupled with new technologies that exploit
this information are making traditional data processing techniques
uncompetitive. With customers mining databases larger than
500 gigabytes (GB), Silicon Graphics is driving the high-performance
commercial computing revolution. Our collaboration with NCSA will
accelerate this revolution."

NCSA, a unit of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is
dedicated to high-performance computing and communications in
academia and industry. The center receives major funding to support
its research from the National Science Foundation, the Advanced
Research Projects Agency, NASA, corporate partners, the State of
Illinois, and the University of Illinois.

(Richard Bowers/19950926/Press Contact: Lisa Bergamo, Silicon
Graphics, 415-390-2968)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/26/95
ONLINE
MCI Intros Enhanced NetworkMCI Business Software

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00018)
MCI Intros Enhanced NetworkMCI Business Software 09/26/95
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 26 (NB) -- MCI Inc. (NASDAQ:MCIC)
is distributing the newest version of "networkMCI Business," an
integrated software package that includes fax and electronic-mail
messaging, videoconferencing, and Internet connectivity, among other
features.

Current networkMCI Business users will receive the upgrade for free,
MCI officials said. New customers can buy the software for $100.

The new networkMCI Business is designed for small- and mid-sized
businesses, officials said. "In one box we have combined all the
information and communications tolls American companies need to
efficiently manage their business," said Brian Brewer, vice president
of business marketing for MCI.

The upgrade now includes: "messageMCI," an integrated e-mail, fax, and
paging product MCI officials call "a first;" a personalized news and
information retrieval service called "infoMCI;" multipoint document
sharing and videoconferencing via "conferenceMCI;" and "internetMCI,"
a secure graphical Internet browser based on Netscape technology, along
with a dial-up access package.

Paul Adams, MCI spokesperson, told Newsbytes there are several "new"
components in the upgrade. The messageMCI section has now integrated
the e-mail and fax features, and the paging feature is brand new. Also
included with the paging is the ability to recall pages from networkMCI
paging or SkyTel paging up to 99 hours after the pages were sent. Two
new features of conference MCI include the ability to share documents
over standard telephone lines in up to 24 locations, and a new
conference scheduling form. And more content providers highlight the
new offerings from infoMCI, as up to 150 publishers are now represented.

MCI's Internet access costs $9.95 per month, which includes five
hours of access time. Additional hours cost $2.50 each. The equipment
needed for desktop videoconferencing can be purchased, rented, or
leased from MCI for as low as $120 per month. Customized news and
reports are available for a monthly charge of $35 if the customer
subscribes to MCI Vision, Vnet, or the networkMCI Calling for Small
Business service. Non-MCI business customers pay $45.

(Bob Woods/19950926/Press Contacts: Paul Adams, MCI
Telecommunications, 404-668-6406; Heather Jameson, Ketchum Public
Relations, 404-877-1826. Public Contact: MCI, 800-955-6505)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/26/95
TELECOM
Connect2Voice Reads Your E-Mail To You

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00019)
Connect2Voice Reads Your E-Mail To You 09/26/95
OWINGS MILLS, MARYLAND, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 26 (NB) -- Aiming at customers
who often want to check the electronic mailboxes at their offices
while on the road, Infinite Technologies has announced Connect2Voice,
software that will read e-mail messages over the telephone to a remote
user.

Connect2Voice, which requires at least a 486 processor and a pair of
Dialogic boards, plus firmware from Berkeley Speech Technologies, will let
callers listen to their e-mail messages from any touch-tone telephone.

Currently it works with electronic-mail software that uses Novell Inc.'s
Message Handling Service (MHS), including BeyondMail, DaVinci Email,
ExpressIt!, and Notework. Infinite has plans to support Lotus Development
Corp.'s cc:Mail and Microsoft Mail, probably in the second quarter of
next year, said Patricia Lummis, director of marketing.

Besides reading e-mail, Connect2Voice can also serve as a voice-mail
system, taking incoming voice messages and storing them in the e-mail
in-box for later retrieval by computer or telephone.

Infinite stressed that Connect2Voice is not meant to replace existing
electronic-mail systems, but to complement them by making it easier to
retrieve messages remotely.

Callers do not control the system with voice commands, but by entering
numeric codes on a touch-tone keypad in response to voice prompts from
the system. These codes include a login ID and password that are used to
provide security. As another security feature, the system administrator
can control which e-mail accounts are accessible remotely, Infinite
Technologies said.

Prices for Connect2Voice will vary with the number of users supported,
Lummis told Newsbytes, starting from $3,499 for a 50-user system. The
software is scheduled to ship in mid-November, she added.

(Grant Buckler/19950926/Press Contact: Patricia Lummis, Infinite
Technologies, tel [phone], fax [phone], Internet e-mail
[e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/26/95
ONLINE
Online Service Offers Addresses/Zip Codes/Phone Numbers

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SFO)(00020)
Online Service Offers Addresses/Zip Codes/Phone Numbers 09/26/95
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 26 (NB) -- PC411, a software
developer, has announced an online information service which provides
its users access to phone numbers, addresses, and zip codes for more
than 90 million different US locations. Saying its service is faster
than comparable service on the Internet, online services or CD-ROM,
PC411 charges fifty cents for each standard search.

Unlike many online services, PC411 does not apply monthly charges,
hourly fees, and minimum-use requirements. Users only pay for the
listings found in each search. PC411 does not require a commercial
online service connection, an Internet connection, or a CD-ROM drive.
Using the company's software, PC411 for Windows 1.1, and a modem,
users are able to search area codes, regions, states or the entire
United States to locate a person or business.

At this time, the software searches only names with listed phone
numbers. PC411 for Windows is programmed to automatically look for
other versions of a name. For example, if a user types Franklin Smith,
the search will include Franklin Smith, F. Smith and Frank Smith. It
is important to use the correct spelling, said the company. If a user
typed "Franklin Smits," for example, a charge would be incurred for
the results of the search.

Christopher Hansen, president of PC411, told Newsbytes, "Many people
do not realize how much money they spend on information calls. If you
need to call information in Indiana, you might have to call local
information to get the area code and then dial a long distance
information number for the local number. This process can easily cost
$1.25 and you still do not have the zip code or address of the party
you want to reach."

Hansen continued, "Most searches take less than a minute and
information returned from the search can be copied to word processors,
personal information managers, or other applications. If a search does
not find the name listed by the user for a specific area, the software
will expand its search to surrounding areas such as suburbs of a
metropolitan area."

PC411 for Windows has the ability to run in the background while it
searches. This means users are free to perform other work on their
computer while PC411 searches its database of information. Its
proprietary network is designed to handle multiple calls and most
searches are completed in less than one minute, said the company.

The company is targeting PC411 for individuals, small businesses, and
large companies. According to Hansen, there are 6.8 billion 411 calls
made each year in the United States. He says his service provides more
information, works more efficiently, and "costs the same or less."

Users do have to dial a Los Angeles number to connect to the network,
but Hansen says since the search takes less than a minute, the long
distance charge should be approximately 28 cents or less.

Version 1.0 of PC411 was released previously and was used in limited
situations to develop feedback for the national roll-out of version
1.1.

PC411 for Windows 1.1 is scheduled to ship during October. It can be
purchased direct from PC411 for $24.95, or it can be downloaded free
from the PC411 World Wide Web site at http://www.pc411.com .

Customers who purchase the software package for $24.95 receive a $15
credit towards PC411 service. Those who download the software are
required to pay a $15 advance towards calls when they register. Each
time a $15 credit reaches $10, PC411 adds another $15 charge to a
user's credit card. There are no minimum-time or minimum-use
requirements. A customer can keep a balance for months without
using the service, said the company.

The PC411 service requires a 386 or faster processor, Windows 3.1
Windows NT or Windows 95, a Hayes-compatible modem and a major
credit card.

(Patrick McKenna/19950926/Press Contact: Rolland Going,
310-821-6100; Public Information: PC411, 800-2-GET-411 or
310-645-1114/PC411950926/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/26/95
ONLINE
Compuserve Electronic Mall Free To Access

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00021)
Compuserve Electronic Mall Free To Access 09/26/95
COLUMBUS, OHIO, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 26 (NB) -- Compuserve members are
now able to "walk" into the online service's "Electronic Mall," and not
be charged for the privilege. The online network announced it is again
offering free access to its shopping area.

The new offering began yesterday, Compuserve officials said.
Compuserve subscribers can now access the mall without even being
charged for their connect time. The move is in response to member
feedback concerning the Electronic Mall and its status under
Compuserve's new pricing structure, which was recently reduced,
officials said.

This move means Compuserve is the "only major online service" to
offer free access to its shopping area, officials claimed.

"Compuserve prides itself on listening to its members, and that's
exactly what we've done here," said Keith Arnold, manager of the
Electronic Mall. "It was important to our members that using the
Electronic Mall be just like roaming through a real mall. That means
browsing, bargain hunting, and window shopping for free."

Compuserve's pricing structure changed September 10. Members now
get five hours of free connect time with their monthly $9.95 membership
fee. Additional hours are billed at $2.95 an hour. With the new
Electronic Mall policy, time spent in the area won't be charged against
either the five free hours, nor will the $2.95 an hour fee apply.

In a previous Newsbytes article, Compuserve officials are quoted as
saying the Electronic Mall has experienced "particularly strong
growth" in the past five years, after being in cyberspace for more
than ten years. Average annual increases of 50 percent in orders and
70 percent in number of accesses have been the norm in that time period,
company officials added.

In addition to its online service, Compuserve maintains an Internet
World Wide Web presence at http://www.compuserve.com . Last May,
Newsbytes reported Compuserve would be bringing its Electronic Mall to
the Web so Internet surfers could also shop from the service's stores.

Other new Compuserve services Newsbytes has reported on in the last
month include the online network's new Web page offering, where
members can construct their own Web sites, and access to a database
of CD-ROMs, with nearly 1,800 publishers represented in the database.

(Bob Woods/19950926/Press Contact: Jeff Shafer, Compuserve,
614-538-4632. Public Contact: Compuserve, 800-524-3388)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/26/95
ONLINE
Internet Update

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TYO)(00022)
Internet Update 09/26/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 SEP 26 (NB) -- In this roundup of new products and
services on the global Internet: Hurricane Marilyn hits the net,
Radio Twist news available, Hawaii research home page, Disaster
preparedness information, Worldwide government links, Digital PC
home page, Internet college choice tool.

Hurricane Marilyn Hits The Net

Hurricane Marilyn recently hit the US Virgin Islands causing havoc
and destroying around 80% of all homes on the island of St Thomas.
Transportation and communication to and from the island has also
been crippled, but information is available on the Internet, at
the following sites:

St. Thomas Emergency Response Center
World Wide Web: http://www.icanect.net/thomas/index.htm

The National Hurricane Center
World Wide Web: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/index.html

The Response Net Services
World Wide Web: http://www.response.org/

Crossnet on the World Wide Web:
http://www.crossnet.org/arc/whats_new/disaster/index.htm

Hurricane '95
World Wide Web: http://www.pbpost.com/storm95/marilyn7.htm

Radio Twist News Available

Slovakia's Radio Twist has connected itself to the Internet and is
making its hourly flash news bulletins and the main "Zurnal" news
broadcast available to all network users. The files are available in
Sun Audio file and Real Audio formats from EUnet Slovakia's ftp
server. Radio Twist is an independent FM radio station in the country
that broadcasts in Slovak. A Canadian ftp archive, which may offer
better performance, is also available.
World Wide Web: http://www.eunet.sk/twist/twist.html
Anonymous FTP: ftp://ftp.eunet.sk/radio-twist
Anonymous FTP: ftp://fermat.uvic.ca/pub/radio/RadioTwist

Hawaii Research Home Page

The Hawaii Research + Technology page is offering links to research
and technology by Hawaii-based private sector and non-profit
organizations, and the University of Hawaii. The majority of research
projects are concentrated in the space, ocean, earth, life, and
information sectors.
World Wide Web: http://www.hawaii.org/

Disaster Preparedness Information

Epicenter - The Emergency Preparedness Information Center, is devoted
to  raising awareness of emergency preparedness. Visitors to the pages
will learn how to prepare for disasters like earthquakes and hurricanes.
World Wide Web: http://nwlink.com/epicenter/

Worldwide Government Links

Yale University's Government Document Library Site offers a
comprehensive set of links to American and international government
sources and sites with particular emphasis on non-US services. Rather
than organizing all links by nation, the site offers access via menus
classified by subject.
World Wide Web: http://www.library.yale.edu/govdocs/govdoc2.html

Digital PC Home Page

Digital Computer has just begun its own home page. Via the site,
current Digital PC owners can obtain free software device driver
updates and current customer information. Potential customers are
catered for with product information and the latest news about
Digital's line of PCs. Hot links to other company and non-company Web
sites are also featured.
World Wide Web: http://www.pc.digital.com/

Internet College Choice Tool

The first interactive college planning service on the Internet,
CollegeAssist, has recently debuted. Targeted at sophomore through
senior high school students and their school counselors, CollegeAssist
provides both free information and fee-based services to guide
students through the complex process of gaining admission to their
college of choice.
World Wide Web: http://www.edworks.com/

(Martyn Williams/19950926)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/26/95
TRENDS
Hitachi Teams With Oracle For Multimedia OS

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00023)
Hitachi Teams With Oracle For Multimedia OS 09/26/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 SEP 26 (NB) -- Hitachi Ltd. (TOKYO:6501) and Oracle
Corporation (NASDAQ:ORCL) have agreed to cooperate in the development
of an interactive television (ITV) system. The new system will draw
on the strengths of each company and should see first results next
year when initial products will go on sale.

Hitachi's RISC (reduced instruction set computers)-based parallel
system and set-top boxes will be used as the base for the video server
which will run on software based on Oracle's suite of interactive
software products. The entire system will feature advanced ITV
applications such as on-line shopping, news-on-demand, and
movies-on-demand.

The Oracle products to be used include: Oracle Media Server, which
stores and manages stream audio and video data; Oracle Media Objects
interactive authoring environment; and Oracle Media Net networking
software which masks the complexity of interactive networks.

Alongside the development of ITV systems, Hitachi and Oracle plan to
cooperate in other areas such as the implementation of interactive
real-time video delivery using ISDN (integrated services digital
networks) and video enabled enterprise LAN (local area network)
applications.

In a company statement, Hiroshi Kuwahara, executive vice-president and
representative director of Hitachi, Ltd. explained the new alliance
will market its products worldwide, "Marriage between Oracle's
technology and Hitachi's broad range of products and systems
integration expertise will enable us to provide customers around the
world with comprehensive solutions to their ever growing ITV system
requirements."

Lawrence J. Ellison, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of
Oracle Corp. commented, "Oracle's technology, both proven and scalable,
has been chosen by all of the telecommunications companies running
interactive deployments because it is real and works today. Oracle has
established the new foundation for information management and access
based on its ability to manage very large databases, of any data type.
We are honored to be chosen by Hitachi for the important partnership."

Oracle already has several working arrangements with major Japanese
electronics companies. A recently announced deal will lead to the
development of localized versions of Oracle's application software by
Toshiba Corporation, which will also market the new software in Japan.

The American company is also involved in deals with NTT Mobile
Communications Network and NEC Corporation, its largest Japanese
distributor, amongst others.

The new system will compete in the ITV operating system market with
America's Microsoft and Japan's Sony, which have both developed similar
software. The two previously announced operating systems together with
the Hitachi/Oracle system will be on show next week at the Telecom 95
show in Geneva.

(Martyn Williams/19950926/Press contact: Dawn Echols, Oracle
Corporation, 415-506-9034; Hitachi Ltd., [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/26/95
BUSINESS
Toshiba & Sun Microsystems Tie In New Markets

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00024)
Toshiba & Sun Microsystems Tie In New Markets 09/26/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 SEP 26 (NB) -- Confirming the success of a
relationship that has existed for the last ten years, Toshiba
Corporation (TOKYO:6502) and Sun Microsystems (NASDAQ:SUNW) have
announced an enhancing of the working relationship between the two
in the emerging areas of right-sizing, Internet, and interactive
technology.

Costs involved in product development, marketing and distribution will
be shared jointly by Toshiba and Sun as part of the agreement. Toshiba
has also announced plans to develop and build systems based on Sun's
64-bit UltraSPARC microprocessor.

As part of the agreement Toshiba is working with Sun to right-size its
internal computer system based on Sun hardware. The Japanese company
has already begun replacing its existing mainframes and PCs with Sun
servers and workstations and will apply experience gained in the
project when working on similar systems at other Japanese companies.

Right-sizing internally at Toshiba will cost the company around 30
billion yen ($300 million) over the next four years.

In the fields of Internet use, the two are jointly developing methods
for remote access to information retrieval systems by an increasing
mobile workforce.

Central to the project will be Sun's previously developed Netra
Internet Server, Java and Hot Java technologies, which will be combined
with Toshiba's experience in semiconductors, LCDs (liquid crystal
displays), and portable computing equipment.

Toshiba is licensing the Java and Hot Java technologies from Sun. Java
is a object-oriented language for cross-platform, secure distributed
applications, and Hot Java is a World Wide Web browser that enables the
display of dynamic, interactive content on any Web page using the Java
language.

Under the Interactive Technology part of the deal, Toshiba will use
Sun's media server technology as the basis for a future multimedia
system offering video-on-demand service. As part of the system,
Toshiba will also work on applications targeted at the Japanese
market.

Toshiba will also develop and build system-level products based on
Sun's next-generation 64-bit UltraSPARC chip, a new high-performance
64-bit microprocessor.

On the other side of the deal, Sun will use Toshiba's multimedia
technologies, such as ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) switching, data
storage and filing, and encoding and decoding in the system. The
Japanese company will develop applications for information systems
in the retail and public utility industries.

Parts of the new systems will be on display at Telecom 95 in Geneva
next week.

Toshiba and Sun have worked together since 1985 when Toshiba became
one of Sun's first ever customers and signed the American company's
first OEM (original equipment manufacturing) contract. Over the last
ten years the relationship has grown to include research and development
and marketing of Sun's SPARC/Solaris workstation and server products
for the Japanese market. Toshiba developed the world's first
SPARC/Solaris laptop workstation.

(Martyn Williams/19950926/Press contact: Susan Siegel, Sun
Microsystems Inc., 415-786-8251; Toshiba Corporation, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/26/95
TELECOM
BosCom95 -- Internet Impact Is Seismic, Negroponte Says

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(BOS)(00025)
BosCom95 -- Internet Impact Is Seismic, Negroponte Says 09/26/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 26 (NB) -- The Internet is
being met with an extraordinary mix of "hype and understatement,"
remarked Nicholas Negroponte, founder and director of the MIT Media
Lab, senior columnist for Wired Magazine, and the author of Being
Digital, during a speech at the Mass. Telecom Council (MTC)'s
Boscom95 conference in Boston.

Some observers are strongly critical of what they perceive as an
overblown image for the Web. But beneath any surface brouhaha, the
Internet carries an underlying impact measuring "10.5 on the
Richter scale of social change," Negroponte said during his talk,
which was attended by Newsbytes.

Ironically, middle-aged professionals -- a top target of many
advertisers -- are, by and large, the group least affected by
the Internet, according to the "new media" expert.

But by now, "It's close to zero percent of 13-year-olds who are
digitally illiterate." And unexpectedly, senior citizens are
signing on to online services at a greater rate than any other age
group, Negroponte told the MTC members and their international
guests.

Often, elderly people are motivated to "get a laptop" and go online
by a desire to share experiences in common with their grandkids,
Negroponte continued. Grandparents have "all the assets and none of
the liabilities" of being a parent.

But working adults are not entirely immune to the presence of the
Internet, the Boscom speaker suggested. Negroponte revealed that,
at one point, he was astonished to learn that most subscriptions to
Wired Magazine are purchased by kids, as gifts to their moms and
dads. The kids see Wired as a way of initiating parents to "their
world," he maintained.

Meanwhile, the Internet has been employed by Arab zealots to call
for the extradition of Michael Jackson and Madonna to the Middle
East, by North Carolina police to help secure the extradition of a
couple of fugitives in California, and by a Web user in Russia to
point the finger of the law at a pornography writer in the US,
according to Negroponte.

Michael Jackson and Madonna never were extradited. As to the other
accused parties, though, "It was their bits, not their atoms, that
got them into trouble," Negroponte said, drawing on a metaphor he
used in the widely read book, Being Digital.

The pornography writer, who "made the mistake of using someone's
real name," was arrested, "and his glasses were confiscated."
Ultimately, the porn writer was released -- and his glasses
returned -- when a judge deemed the works that had been published
on the Web to belong to the category of fiction, the Boscom
audience was told.

In a more general sense, virtually anyone today can access
thousands of books from a digital library on the Web, as opposed to
the few volumes at a time that can be taken out "as atoms" from a
traditional library, Negroponte pointed out.

Negroponte also told the crowd that, these days, he personally
participates in no more than five phone calls daily, conducting the
bulk of his conversations by electronic mail (e-mail) instead. "Is
that a prototype for what's doing to happen in the future?" he
asked rhetorically.

Negroponte noted that he holds two e-mail addresses: one public,
and one private. In another illustration of the impact of the
Internet, the pundit recalled that, in one instance, he received a
letter in his private mailbox with a return address he did not
recognize. After worrying about how his "security had been broken,"
he realized that the bearer of the unfamiliar address was his own
mother, who had just joined the ranks of online service
subscribers.

During a Q&A session that followed, one audience member asked
Negroponte for his predictions as to the future use of languages on
the Web. As the Internet continues to expand, it will paradoxically
become more "local," as well, Negroponte responded. Although
English will continue to be widely used for personal
communications, so will many other tongues, including pictographic
languages, right on down to the local dialect level. English will
also emerge as a sort of "air traffic control language" for the
Web, the author/academician added.

The MTC's BosCom is a worldwide forum designed to bring together
Massachusetts-based telecommunications companies and international
visitors. Guests at the event came from countries as diverse as
Japan, Argentina, the UK, Egypt, Israel, China, Malta, Singapore,
Malaysia, Thailand, Holland, Ireland, Australia, Germany, Belgium,
and South Africa.

Sponsored by the Bank of Boston, Deloitte & Touche LLP, and
MassPort, the forum also featured a speech by Rep. Edward W.
Markey, ranking Democrat on the US House of Representatives
Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Finance; a panel discussion
on "The Worldwide Development of the Information Superhighway,"
moderated by Lincoln Millstein of the Boston Globe; and
presentations by 25 telecommunications "companies to watch."

BosCom's "companies to watch" included Adaptive Networks; Agile
Networks; Analog Devices; BBN Corp.; Boston Technology; Brooktrout
Technology; Continental Cablevision; Digital Equipment Corporation;
Excel Inc.; Fiber Optic Network Solutions (FONS); GTE; Hammer
Technologies; Lotus Development Corp; Massachusetts Corp. for
Educational Telecommunications (MCET); Mercury Computer Systems;
Natural MicroSystems (NMS); Nextel Communications; Nynex; Proteon;
Shiva; Steinbrecher Corp; Telco Systems; Videocom; VideoServer; and
Windata.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19950925/Reader Contact: Mass. Telecommunications
Council, 617-439-8600; Press Contact: Cheryl DelGreco, Charles
Spofford, or Craig Librett, Miller/Shandwick Technologies for the
MTC, 617-536-0470)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/26/95
UNIX
Unix Expo - Candle Command Center For Multivendor Nets

(NEWS)(UNIX)(BOS)(00026)
Unix Expo - Candle Command Center For Multivendor Nets 09/26/95
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 26 (NB) -- Candle Command
Center, delivered in its first phase at Unix Expo, is designed to
supply easy-to-use systems management for complex multivendor
enterprise networks, particularly for mainframe administrators
moving from the "glass house" to Unix and Windows NT, reported
Candle Corp. Chairman and CEO (Chief Executive Officer) Aubrey
Chernick, in a meeting with Newsbytes at the show in New York City.

Command Center, the result of a seven-year, $500 million investment
effort, combines Candle's historic expertise in mainframe systems
management with a new object-oriented Candles Technologies (CT)
infrastructure for systems, network, and console management across
mainframe, AIX, HP-UX, SunOS, Windows NT, and NetWare environments,
said Craig P. Campbell, director of marketing, and Michael P.
Piece, solutions manager for distributed systems, also during the
briefing.

The three Command Center systems that are available from Candle now
include Command Center for Unix, CICSplex, and Sysplex, according
to the three Candle execs. Components include: the Candle Management
Server (CMS), for either MVS or Unix; the Candle Management
Workstation (CMW), an OS/2-based management station; and Omegamon
Monitoring Agents.

Over the next 12 months, Candle plans to add Command Cemter systems
for Windows NT, NetWare, CA (Computer Associates)-Unicenter,
Oracle, Sybase, and "distributed console management." Also
forthcoming within the year are the following Command Center
systems for mainframes: mainframe console management, MQSeries,
IMSplex, and DB2plex.

During the meeting at Unix Expo, Newsbytes saw a live demo of the
use of a single CMW in the Candle booth to manage both a 12-node
RS/6000 Scalable PowerParallel (SP) machine in the IBM booth, and
a 512-node SP server located at the Cornell University in Ithaca,
New York. Chernick told Newsbytes that the machine at Cornell is
the largest SP machine yet to be implemented.

Campbell and Pierce pointed out that Command Center's object-
oriented CT infrastructure complies with standards that include
Distributed Computing Environment (DCE) and Portable Operating
System Interface and System Administration Interface/Printing
(POSIX).

One of the major ways in which Command Center eases systems
administration is through a Visual Programming interface to the CMW
that "looks a little like Visual Basic," Campbell told Newsbytes.
"And it is not a second or third generation language," he added.

Visual Programming allows systems administrators to perform tasks
like creating and maintaining alert and automation rules without
knowledge of programming languages such as C and C++, Pierce
maintained. The same interface is used across Command Center
environments.

An administrator trained in MVS or Windows NT, who is suddenly
faced with Unix systems newly added to the network, does not have
to deal with learning to carry out arcane chores like writing Unix
shell scripts, he illustrated.

Using Visual Programming, he continued, the administrator can
"write" rules simply by answering questions posed by Command
Center, such as "How many nodes?" Rules can then be dragged-and-
dropped to icons representing target nodes and networks. If the
administrator needs to change the rules, Command Center will
automatically redistribute the new rules to the target systems.

Campbell added that Command Center's intelligent agents are
designed to cut down on network traffic by preventing unnecessary
data transmission. The agents collect information from throughout
the network, but "only send data relevant to a change in status"
for viewing as alerts.

Newsbytes saw how, when a "critical" red or a yellow "warning"
alert appears, the administrator can "drill down" for more
information, just by clicking on the screen. If the problem turns
out to be "CPU (central processing unit) usage," for example, the
administrator might see a color-coded chart displaying "idle CPU,
system CPU, and user CPU." Command Center also provides graphical
maps of the network, according to the officials.

At the conclusion of the briefing, Chernick contended that the
comprehensiveness of Command Center is also of special value to
traditional mainframe administrators, who have typically been
trained as specialists in one particular area of mainframe
operations, instead of systems and network administration
generalists.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19950926/Reader Contact: Candle Corporation,
310-829-5800; Press Contact: Wendy Allen or Leslie Furuta,
Miller/Shandwick Technologies for Candle, 310-822-4669)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/26/95
NETWORK
 ****Microsoft & MCI Announce Networking Alliance

(NEWS)(NETWORK)(MSP)(00027)
 ****Microsoft & MCI Announce Networking Alliance 09/26/95
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 26 (NB) -- MCI Inc. (NASDAQ:MCIC)
and Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) have announced a joint marketing
agreement where MCI will join its network services with Microsoft
Windows NT and BackOffice software to provide wide area network
(WAN) "solutions."

Officials said the agreement represents the industry's first single-
source service for WAN development and management, and will increase
the availability of networked communications to small- and mid-sized
groups.

The announcement was made at a news teleconference, which Newsbytes
attended.

In an effort that's been termed "WAN-in-a-box," MCI will combine
Windows NT servers with MCI's HyperStream Frame Relay services,
internetMCI, and WAN network management services into a "single-source
solution." In effect, the MCI-Microsoft teaming will create a "one-
stop shop for WANs.

Officials said the new offering will make WAN network management
services more practical and affordable for small- and medium-sized
businesses, because they'll no longer need to invest money and
personnel to deploy and manage WANs.

MCI transport and Internet services on Windows NT will also be
available to larger companies that prefer individual services. Other
plans include expanding the offering to switched multimegabit data
services (SMDS), leased lines, and other transport capabilities.

"What we have done, very simply, is taken the routing requirements for
frame or SMDS networking, and implemented that into the Windows NT
software," said Stephen Von Rump, vice president of marketing for MCI
Data Services, "and created a capability where a user from a single
workstation with Windows NT can create a networked environment for
Windows applications." He also said the process is seamless.

"In a nutshell, what I think we've done for wide area networking is
what Windows and graphical user interfaces have done for the PC
world," Von Rump said. Unsavvy network users can easily establish
network enterprise connectivity, without having to understand exactly
how its done, he added.

The agreement between the two companies includes jointly recruiting
resellers, and cooperating in sales and customer support training
efforts. MCI and Microsoft will also work on developing new network
protocols and network services for the WAN community.

The new services are slated to be available in January, 1996.

(Bob Woods/19950926/Press Contacts: C. David Sutton, MCI
Telecommunications, 800-644-NEWS; Heather Jameson, Ketchum Public
Relations, 404-877-1826)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
00 09/26/95
PC
 ****Compaq Considers "Disposable" PCs Under $

(NEWS)(PC)(DEN)(00028)
 ****Compaq Considers "Disposable" PCs Under $500 09/26/95
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 26 (NB) -- A Compaq Computer Corp.
(NYSE: CPQ) marketing executive has resurrected a concept for a line
of PCs in the $500 range to meet consumer demand for computers in
Eastern Europe, Africa, and Asia.

"We see all this intellectual potential, all those people who
can't afford today's PCs," Bruno Didier, vice president in charge of
commercial business for Compaq in Europe, the middle East and Africa
told the British news service Reuters earlier this week in talking
about the potential market for the low-cost systems.

Compaq spokesperson John Sweney told Newsbytes the idea isn't a new
one. "We've been talking about low-end PCs since Innovate 93 two
years ago. It's the kind of thing Eckhard (Pfeiffer, Compaq
president and chief executive officer) has been talking about
for a while," said Sweney. Innovate 93 was a worldwide technology
conference and exhibition sponsored by Compaq in September, 1993,
to highlight technology and look at the future of computing.

In his keynote address at Innovate 93, Pfeiffer predicted that by
the year 2000, the market will have grown to $130 billion, with
the consumer portion representing over half the total market. He
predicted that by the end of the century, 75 percent of the US
households will own PCs. The Compaq leader said the key to
successful adoption of the PC in the home is for the price to drop to
$500, in addition to vendors making a PC easier to use and easier to
own over its useful life.

The new PCs, if they do come to market, would have to run Windows
95, the new Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) operating system
and user interface, as well as powerful word processing and
spreadsheet programs, and be equipped with eight megabytes (MB) of
memory. They would also have to be Internet-ready. Producing a PC
with that configuration at under $500 could be the biggest
challenge hardware and software manufacturers face.

In order to offer those features the "disposable PCs" would have to
forego multimedia luxuries like a CD-ROM drive, stereo audio, and
built-in microphone and speakers. Sweney declined to discuss what
products are currently under development at Compaq.

One reason the idea might get the nod from Compaq top management
is the rapid growth of the market for computers in Europe. While
sales there haven't caught up with the US yet they are growing
rapidly, driven partially by users wanting to access the Internet
and by businesses upgrading to the more powerful Pentium-based
systems, but Didier thinks the less affluent class may be an
untapped market. "Maybe instead of focusing our design efforts
toward more power we have to think more about price. We don't think
the speed of a processor will be relevant anymore," Didier told
Reuters.

Didier told Reuters he isn't worried that a low-end PC could drive
the whole market down and lead to a collapse in prices.

Sun Microsystems Inc. is also considering a low-cost, bare bones PC
that would have just enough features to log onto the Internet or a
network. The user wouldn't need lots of expensive software, since
the computer would download the portion of the program needed to
perform tasks, like personal banking. Once the immediate work was
finished, the software would disappear, eliminating the need for
hard disk or CD-ROM drives.

Scott McNealy, Sun chairman and chief executive officer said this
week while it might take several years for such machines to reach
stores, some companies have already created prototypes, according
to an Associated Press report.

(Jim Mallory/19950926/Press contact: Compaq Computer, 713-374-0484)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/26/95
ONLINE
 ****Unix Expo - Catholic Church Launches Web Site

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(BOS)(00029)
 ****Unix Expo - Catholic Church Launches Web Site 09/26/95
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 26 (NB) -- In a press
conference at Unix Expo, the Roman Catholic Church announced plans
to pave the "info highway" for Pope John Paul II's visit to the US
in October with a new home page on the Web called the Catholic
Information Center on the Internet (CICI).

CICI provides a central directory of all information on the Web
that reflects the Magisterium -- or the "authoritative teachings
of the Catholic Church" -- with hyperlinks to related home pages,
documents and discussion groups, said Roman Anderson, project
leader, in an interview with Newsbytes during the press conference.

All Roman Catholic archdiocese in the US will be able to offer
their own online publications on CICI, added Anderson, who has
worked in the computer industry both in the US and Russia. The
Archdiocese of Boston, for example, might choose to run The Pilot,
he illustrated.

The various archdiocese can choose to design and host their own Web
sites -- with hyperlinks to CICI -- or to have their sites designed
and hosted by CICI, Newsbytes was told. CICI resides on a Unix
server running Secure Netscape.

In addition, during the Pope's trip to the US, CICI plans to offer
continuous video and stills from VISN, a religion cable TV network,
along with a detailed itinerary, "expert commentary," the full text
of the Pope's remarks at each stop, and both audio and simultaneous
closed captioning of the Pope's words, according to the project
leader.

The multimedia materials from the Pope's visit will use Xing
Technology's StreamWorks for data streaming. Users with T1 or ISDN
(integrated services digital network) connections will be able to
view the Pope's visit in full-motion MPEG (Motion Picture Experts
Group) video and listen to CD audio. Users with 14.4 megabits-per-
second (Mbps) or 28.8 Mbps modems will be able to receive AM or FM
quality audio, plus a server-pushed slide show.

Outside of the Pope's visit, other initial offerings on CICI
include: the forward and first chapter from the Pope's Crossing the
Threshold of Hope (Knopf Publishing); a Catholic news service; the
national and international Catholic publications Our Sunday
Visitor, Catholic World Report, Inside the Vatican, Crisis and
Homiletic, and Pastoral Review; and a new quarterly digital
magazine known as Spirituality for Today.

Also available are: Papal encyclicals of the past 200 years;
documents of Church councils; a directory of Catholic
organizations; access to the Bible Gateway; and a live forum,
entitled "Issues and Facts," that focuses on issues like marriage,
divorce, contraception, abortion, and "evolution and creation,"
according to Anderson.

CICI is being operated by the Vatican's New York City-based Path to
Peace Foundation. The idea for the Web site came from James
Mulholland Jr., an investor in Meckler Media, the publishers of
Internet World, as well as a founder of Hayden Publishing Inc., the
publishers of Electronic Design, MicroWaves, Computer Decisions,
Systems and Software, and Personal Computing, a publication that
has merged with Ziff-Davis's PC Computing.

Researchers and students at New Jersey Institute of Technology's
Center for Computerized Conferencing and Communications embarked on
the technical underpinnings for CICI last year through a grant from
Paths to Peace.

At first, most information on CICI will be delivered in English,
but more languages are slated to be added in coming months. Other
anticipated additions include: downloadable Church art; a directory
of pro-life obstetrician-gynecologists, by region; curricula for
Catholic parents who home-school their children; "on-line
theologians and experts who can authoritatively answer queries on
Church teachings," and an online bookstore selling books, software,
tapes, Christmas cards, and religious items, and statuary.

CICI can be accessed at http://www.catholic.net . Funding for the
site will come from voluntary user donations, corporations, and
foundations, with additional support expected from online catalog
sales. To have a publication designed and by CICI, the archdiocese
should forward its materials, along with the publication's logo
and a photo of the archbishop, to the Path to Peace Foundation,
Anderson told Newsbytes.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19950926/Reader and Press Contact: Path to
Peace Foundation, 201-664-2148)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00030)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 09/26/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 26 (NB) -- These are capsules
of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|          Tuesday, September 26, 1995           |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network is a computer and telecom industry news wire and
digitized picture service. Our news stream includes more than 30 daily
first-hand reported US and international news stories about computing
and telecommunications. For more information, please e-mail to
'[e-mail]'

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

BROADCAST Hong Kong Telecom's Video-On-Demand Project Update......... 05

BUSINESS  Yokogawa Electric Plans Software Venture In India.......... 03

BUSINESS  Hong Kong's ISL In Major China Distribution Deal........... 06

BUSINESS  Toshiba & Sun Microsystems Tie In New Markets.............. 24

CHIPS     Motorola Intros 24-Bit DSP Chip Family..................... 16

EDUCATION Hong Kong Univ Switches To Windows 95...................... 07

EDUCATION UK - British Telecom & FTP Offer Schools Internet Access... 14

GOVT      South Australia Govt In IT Deals With US Firms............. 01

GOVT      China - Shanghai Curbing Copyright Violations.............. 08

NETWORK     ****Microsoft & MCI Announce Networking Alliance.......... 27

ONLINE    Australian Govt Plans To Consolidate Online Inquiries...... 02

ONLINE    MCI Intros Enhanced NetworkMCI Business Software........... 18

ONLINE    Online Service Offers Addresses/Zip Codes/Phone Numbers.... 20

ONLINE    Compuserve Electronic Mall Free To Access.................. 21

ONLINE    Internet Update............................................ 22

ONLINE      ****Unix Expo - Catholic Church Launches Web Site......... 29

PC          ****Compaq Considers "Disposable" PCs Under $500.......... 28

TELECOM   India - 40,000-Line Digital Switch Intro'd................. 04

TELECOM   Microsoft/Skytel Offer 2-way Paging Via Microsoft Network.. 11

TELECOM   Connect2Voice Reads Your E-Mail To You..................... 19

TELECOM   BosCom95 -- Internet Impact Is Seismic, Negroponte Says.... 25

TRENDS    China - Mastercard Credit Card Usage Up.................... 09

TRENDS    Russia -- Sales Of Dell PCs Up, Win95 Set For October...... 10

TRENDS    CD-ROM Distribution Changes Forecast....................... 13

TRENDS    High-Tech Firms Getting More For R&D Dollars - Study....... 15

TRENDS      ****SGI & NCSA Create National Data Laboratory............ 17

TRENDS    Hitachi Teams With Oracle For Multimedia OS................ 23

UNIX      Unix Expo - Candle Command Center For Multivendor Nets..... 26

WINDOWS   Correction - What Ever Happened To Bob..................... 12

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 -> South Australia Govt In IT Deals With US Firms -- South Australian
(SA) state Premier Dean Brown chose New York City to launch a sweeping
round of information technology (IT) purchasing decisions recently,
along with a multi-million dollar deal with the IBM and Lend Lease joint
venture ISSC Australia. The agreement covers establishment of an
Electronic Services Business (ESB) to support electronic marketing and
sales of products from SA companies.

2 -> Australian Govt Plans To Consolidate Online Inquiries -- Australian
federal public servants have recognized the problem of overlapping
government inquiries into unsuitable material on the Internet and other
computer services, but don't yet know what to do about it. A recent
meeting of the Government Information Services Policy Board discussed,
but did not resolve the issue.

3 -> Yokogawa Electric Plans Software Venture In India -- Yokogawa Blue
Star Ltd. (YBS), a joint venture of Japan-based Yokogawa Electric Corp.,
and Blue Star Ltd., has stated that a software facility will be set up
by the company in India. The facility will be treated as a global
engineering center catering to the software needs of all the Yokogawa
affiliates and subsidiaries across the globe.

4 -> India - 40,000-Line Digital Switch Intro'd -- The Center for
Development of Telematics (C-DOT), India's premier research and
development body in the public sector, has successfully built "the first
40,000-line hi-tech digital main automatic exchange." According to
Bishnu Pradhan, executive director of C-DOT, the development
"demonstrates to the world that Indian research and development
personnel are second-to-none in areas considered the monopoly of the
West."

5 -> Hong Kong Telecom's Video-On-Demand Project Update -- Mystery
surrounds HongKong Telecom's video-on-demand project

6 -> Hong Kong's ISL In Major China Distribution Deal -- Integrated
Solutions Ltd

7 -> Hong Kong Univ Switches To Windows 95 -- The Hong Kong University
of Science & Technology (HKUST) says it has committed to purchase up to
3,000 copies of both Windows 95 and Microsoft Office for Windows 95.

8 -> China - Shanghai Curbing Copyright Violations -- The Shanghai
Copyright Agency (SCA) claims to have achieved success in promoting
international culture and information exchanges, while curbing copyright
violations, according to China Daily.

9 -> China - Mastercard Credit Card Usage Up -- While the government is
promoting the "Golden Card" Project, Mastercard International hopes to
expand its share of the Chinese market, where it already has a solid
footing.

10 -> Russia -- Sales Of Dell PCs Up, Win95 Set For October -- Sales Of
Dell PCs Up, Win95 Set For October 09/26/95 MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1995 SEP 26
(NB)

11 -> Microsoft/Skytel Offer 2-way Paging Via Microsoft Network --
Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Skytel, a company owned by Mobile
Telecommunication Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ: MTEL), have teamed to
allow users of Windows 95 and Microsoft Network (MSN) to send and
receive two-way paging messages.

12 -> Correction - What Ever Happened To Bob -- A representative at
Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) public relations firm Waggener Edstrom
has asked Newsbytes to publish a clarification to a recent story that
appeared on the Newsbytes News Network about Microsoft Bob, the nerdy
guy with the heavy glasses that represents a "more friendly user
interface" to Microsoft Windows.

13 -> CD-ROM Distribution Changes Forecast -- CD-ROM producers are
unhappy with their existing distribution channels, and traditional
software retailers have a few unkind words for the CD-ROM producers as
well. But they may not have each other to kick around for much longer,
according to a recent study by Forrester Research Inc.

14 -> UK - British Telecom & FTP Offer Schools Internet Access -- FTP
Software, along with British Telecom (BT), has announced a scheme
whereby schools and other UK educational establishments can access the
World Wide Web and other Internet services much more easily.

15 -> High-Tech Firms Getting More For R&D Dollars - Study --
High-technology companies in the United States are getting a better
return on the money they spend on research and development now than they
did three years ago, according to a recent study.

16 -> Motorola Intros 24-Bit DSP Chip Family -- Motorola Inc. (NYSE:
MOT) has introduced a new family of 24-bit digital signal processor
(DSP) chips for wireless, telecommunications, and multimedia
applications. The company said the DSP56300 architecture provides the
industry's first one-instruction-per-clock-cycle, which effectively
doubles the number of instructions executed without increasing the clock
speed of the chip.

17 ->   ****SGI & NCSA Create National Data Laboratory --  Silicon
Graphics Inc. (NYSE: SGI) and the National Center for Supercomputing
Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
have announced that they will create a National Data Laboratory  for
high-performance commercial computing applications. Silicon Graphics,
through the National Data Lab, will deliver technology to commercial
markets such as finance, telecommunications, and manufacturing .

18 -> MCI Intros Enhanced NetworkMCI Business Software -- MCI Inc.
(NASDAQ:MCIC) is distributing the newest version of "networkMCI
Business," an integrated software package that includes fax and
electronic-mail messaging, videoconferencing, and Internet connectivity,
among other features.

19 -> Connect2Voice Reads Your E-Mail To You -- Aiming at customers who
often want to check the electronic mailboxes at their offices while on
the road, Infinite Technologies has announced Connect2Voice, software
that will read e-mail messages over the telephone to a remote user.

20 -> Online Service Offers Addresses/Zip Codes/Phone Numbers -- PC411,
a software developer, has announced an online information service which
provides its users access to phone numbers, addresses, and zip codes for
more than 90 million different US locations. Saying its service is
faster than comparable service on the Internet, online services or
CD-ROM, PC411 charges fifty cents for each standard search.

21 -> Compuserve Electronic Mall Free To Access -- Compuserve members
are now able to "walk" into the online service's "Electronic Mall," and
not be charged for the privilege. The online network announced it is
again offering free access to its shopping area.

22 -> Internet Update -- In this roundup of new products and services on
the global Internet: Hurricane Marilyn hits the net, Radio Twist news
available, Hawaii research home page, Disaster preparedness information,
Worldwide government links, Digital PC home page, Internet college
choice tool.

23 -> Hitachi Teams With Oracle For Multimedia OS -- Hitachi Ltd.
(TOKYO:6501) and Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ:ORCL) have agreed to
cooperate in the development of an interactive television (ITV) system.
The new system will draw on the strengths of each company and should see
first results next year when initial products will go on sale.

24 -> Toshiba & Sun Microsystems Tie In New Markets -- Confirming the
success of a relationship that has existed for the last ten years,
Toshiba Corporation (TOKYO:6502) and Sun Microsystems (NASDAQ:SUNW) have
announced an enhancing of the working relationship between the two in
the emerging areas of right-sizing, Internet, and interactive
technology.

25 -> BosCom95 -- Internet Impact Is Seismic, Negroponte Says --
Internet Impact Is Seismic, Negroponte Says 09/26/95 BOSTON,
MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 26 (NB)

26 -> Unix Expo - Candle Command Center For Multivendor Nets -- Candle
Command Center, delivered in its first phase at Unix Expo, is designed
to supply easy-to-use systems management for complex multivendor
enterprise networks, particularly for mainframe administrators moving
from the "glass house" to Unix and Windows NT, reported Candle Corp.
Chairman and CEO (Chief Executive Officer) Aubrey Chernick, in a meeting
with Newsbytes at the show in New York City.

27 ->   ****Microsoft & MCI Announce Networking Alliance -- MCI Inc.
(NASDAQ:MCIC) and Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) have announced a joint
marketing agreement where MCI will join its network services with
Microsoft Windows NT and BackOffice software to provide wide area
network (WAN) "solutions."

28 ->   ****Compaq Considers "Disposable" PCs Under $500 -- A Compaq
Computer Corp. (NYSE: CPQ) marketing executive has resurrected a concept
for a line of PCs in the $500 range to meet consumer demand for
computers in Eastern Europe, Africa, and Asia.

29 ->   ****Unix Expo - Catholic Church Launches Web Site -- In a press
conference at Unix Expo, the Roman Catholic Church announced plans to
pave the "info highway" for Pope John Paul II's visit to the US in
October with a new home page on the Web called the Catholic Information
Center on the Internet (CICI).

(Ian Stokell/19950926)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
09/25/95
TELECOM
Sweden's Ericsson Prepares For Geneva Telecom

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00001)
Sweden's Ericsson Prepares For Geneva Telecom 09/25/95
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, 1995 SEP 25 (NB) -- As the dust settles on
Networld+Interop, which took place in Paris, France recently, the
European information technology (IT) industry is gearing itself up for
the next major event -- Telecom 95 -- which takes place in Geneva,
Switzerland, from October 3 to 11.

Ericsson, the Swedish connectivity giant, has announced plans to "take
Telecom 95 by storm," and plans to present the latest developments in
telecoms systems technology and future projects of networks and
services.

According to the company, its strategy is to meet the expectations of
individual users as well as big organizations and have new services
tailored accordingly to the need of every customer. These services are
also aimed to be "user-friendly and affordable."

"What we want to achieve is to show our potential customers Ericsson's
competence in the telecommunication area, especially in mobile
telephony, where we are the leaders. It is more of a show than just a
display. We show our visitors what a particular system can do,"
said Per Bengtsson, chief press officer for Ericsson.

Several on-stand demonstrations will provide the information and
advice on what services such as multimedia have to offer and in what
direction the technological development is heading. According to
Ericsson, particular attention will be focused on how ordinary people
might respond to, and use, the technology.

Visitors to the show will be able to see the latest developments in
switching, transport, management, and access for all types of networks
and services. Network and service evolution issues will be under
considerable attention, particularly in the areas of broadband,
wireless data communications, business communications, mobile
telephony, personal telecommunications, and network and service
management.

Ericsson claims it will be looking into new developments in services
such as Class and ISDN (integrated services digital network)
technologies for AXE, and how the world's most popular switching
system is evolving towards the support of rapid service development
and deployment.

Plans call for the role of "intelligent network" techniques in new
service development and customization to also be discussed, as well as
the new services such as Centrex and virtual private network for the
business community.

(Sylvia Dennis/19950922/Press Contact: Per Bengtsson, chief press
officer for Ericsson at Telecom 95, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
09/25/95
NETWORK
UK - Fibernet Offers High-Speed Nationwide Network

(NEWS)(NETWORK)(LON)(00002)
UK - Fibernet Offers High-Speed Nationwide Network 09/25/95
ALDERMASTON, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 SEP 25 (NB) -- Fibernet, a
data networking specialist company, has announced the creation of
TANet (Total Area Network), which it claims is the UK's first
nationwide high-speed comms service that provides switched data
links at speeds of up to 622 megabits-per-second (Mbps).

According to Charles McGregor, Fibernet's managing director, while
many of the telcos in the UK have been providing switched or managed
data links for companies, few have ventured into the kind of speeds
that Fibernet is offering.

"We're also cheaper and quicker to offer service," McGregor told
Newsbytes, adding that the company has its own "figure of eight"
network spanning the main areas in the UK, with two "rabbit ears"
linking up to Scotland.

For other more distant areas of the UK, Fibernet has agreements with
two major carriers to allow spur links to the customer's premises to
be installed, and for the customer to access the Fibernet network
in this way.

According to McGregor, it is still early days as regards international
data comms at these kinds of speeds. "We will work with a customer and
its international service provider, taking the networking right up
to the international service provider's head end," he said.

Fibernet claims that, using TANet, business users in the UK will, for
the first time, be able to achieve LAN (local area network)-like data
throughput and performance on a country-wide basis. Customers will be
offered either the switched equivalent of a leased line, or on a pay-
as-you-use basis.

"In this latter case, we obviously have to ensure that the bandwidth
is available on demand, for the customer to use whenever they want
to," he said.

Price savings are claimed to be of the order of 50 percent of the
equivalent service -- where available -- from British Telecom or
Mercury Communications. The real benefit, McGregor notes, however, is
that new higher speed links will be available for the first time.

"Wide area network performance has always been the bottleneck in
corporate networks. Now, for the first time, affordable LAN-like
performance is available across the wide area. This means that
companies can now be structured in a way that best fits their business
needs, without being tied by the limits of communications technology,"
he said.

Fibernet was awarded its UK public telecom operator's license on May
26 this year, clearing the way for its TANet service. According to
Mcgregor, TANet encompasses a suite of high-speed services that will
effectively provide corporate users with a bandwidth-on-demand
service at performance levels that range from two to 622 Mbps.

The core of TANet is based on a network of fiber optic links that span
the UK. Two levels of service are initially being offered -- backbone
and discreet.

Backbone products are made available over long distances on the TANet
service, and include point-to-point services operating at 2, 8, 34,
155, and 622 Mbps. Together with full-speed LAN and ATM (asynchronous
transfer mode), the services operate at 10Mbps (Ethernet), 16Mbps
(Token Ring), 25Mbps (ATM Desktop), 100Mbps (fiber distributed data
interface, Fast Ethernet, Fiber Channel ATM, and Taxi), 166 Mbps, and
622 Mbps (ATM Backbone).

Discreet-based services are available over shorter distances where
dedicated fiber cabling is installed for the client. The same levels
of service are available as with the backbone service and additional
fiber links are available for other purposes.

(Steve Gold/19950922/Press Contact: Johnson King, [phone];
Reader Contact: Fibernet, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
09/25/95
GENERAL
Japan Newsbriefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00003)
Japan Newsbriefs 09/25/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 SEP 25 (NB) -- In this roundup of news from Japan:
Matsushita unveils new PHS handset, NEC predicts greater overseas
sales, IBM Japan announces world's smallest color notebook, NTT to
refund for overcharging, Singapore firm gets satellite license,
Fujitsu unveils karaoke CD-ROM disks.

Matsushita Unveils New PHS Handset

Osaka-based Matsushita Electric has unveiled a new handset for Japan's
PHS (Personal Handyphone System) that includes a 2.5-inch LCD (liquid
crystal display) monitor and a mini-camera that makes the unit a portable
video phone system. Although just developed, Matsushita hopes to put the
unit on the market from next year. PHS telephones can cope with data rates
three times the speed of conventional mobile telephones and link into
antennas stationed in metropolitan areas and city centers that are often
stationed at NTT's ISDN (integrated services digital network) telephone
boxes. The PHS system, introduced this summer, offers a cheaper alternative
to conventional mobile telephones and is currently available in Tokyo and
Sapporo although service will expand next month to other areas of Japan.

NEC Predicts Greater Overseas Sales

NEC Corporation, which leads the Japanese domestic market with a
market share of over 50%, is expecting a 70% increase in overseas
sales to 600,000 units in the current fiscal year. NEC attributes the
rise to a sales agreement with Circuit City Stores Inc., an American
consumer electronics chain, which added an extra 380 stores to the 420
that were already selling the computers. At the beginning of the year
NEC predicted its Japanese sales would also rise to 2.3 million units
and later raised that to 2.8 million.

IBM Japan Announces World's Smallest Color Notebook

Weighing in at just 600 grams, IBM Japan has announced the world's
smallest notebook computer with a full color display. The new model,
which goes on sale next month, features an internal modem, speaker, and
microphone. The top-of-the-range version will sell for around 290,000
yen ($2,900) with the cheapest of the new line at 170,000 yen ($1,700).

NTT To Refund For Overcharging

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone says it has overcharged thousands of
people subscribing to a special discount scheme -- with none of them
noticing. NTT says it will refund around 38,000 subscribers to its
Tele Choice system which offers discounts on regular call charges
after a monthly payment. A total of almost two million people subscribe
to the service and refunds to those overcharged will reach around 20
million yen ($200,000).

Singapore Firm Gets Satellite License

Pacific Century Corporate Access, a Singapore telecommunications
company, has received government approval to build a satellite
communications station in Japan. A license is expected to follow
shortly, making PCCA the first foreign company to operate in Japan's
telecommunications market. The company will link Japan and China with
a data and fax service from November according to its plans. In
allowing an overseas company the license, Japan is signaling a
growing acceptance that its markets cannot stay closed forever say
observers.

Fujitsu Unveils Karaoke CD-ROM Disks

Fujitsu will begin selling computer CD-ROM disks that feature music
and accompanying software that displays the song's lyrics on the users
screens in English and Japanese. Alongside the music and lyrics data,
the disks will also contain some background information on the
artists. Prices begin at 2,800 yen ($28) which compares favorably with
the standard audio CD album price of 3,000 yen ($30). Sales targets
are set at 100,000 units in the first year of production says Fujitsu.

(Martyn Williams/19950925)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
09/25/95
TELECOM
Octel's Inter-System Voice-Mail Switching

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00004)
Octel's Inter-System Voice-Mail Switching 09/25/95
FLEET, HAMPSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 SEP 25 (NB) -- Octel Communications
(NASDAQ; OCTL) has announced Octelink, which it claims is the
industry's first "messaging post office" that can handle voice-mail
messages to and from any voice-mail system, regardless of protocol,
system size, or geographic location.

The idea behind Octelink, company officials explained, is to allow
groups of users with common interests, but with different voice-mail
systems, to be able to route voice-mail to each other, regardless of
what voice-mail system they are using. The Octelink system acts as a
switching hub for the various private systems, carrying out the
required protocol translations on the fly.

Initially, the Octelink service is available in the US, but plans are
in hand to roll out the service across Europe and the rest of the
world during next year. Pricing for the service will depend on
anticipated traffic from each customer company that registers with
Octel Communications.

Rather than use a complex X.400/X.500 addressing system, Octelink
identifies users based on their voice-mail phone number, prefixed with
their country code as appropriate. Anyone sending a voice-mail message
on their home system would address the message to the recipient's
phone number, and the home system would route the message to the
Octelink central hub, onward outing the message as required.

Kim Fennell, vice president and managing director of Octel Europe,
claims that Octelink will do for voice-mail what the Internet has done
for electronic-mail. "Fast, reliable, global information exchange is
essential for professional life and increasingly desirable for personal
life. Every message exchange medium available today, from phone voice-
mail to fax and e-mail, is growing at extraordinary rates, and it is
vital that Octelink support these media," he said.

According to Fennell, by linking disparate voice processing and
other messaging systems, and providing quick plus efficient media
conversion, "Octelink makes it simple, fast and easy for people to
create, exchange and access any type of message, anywhere, anytime."

Octel is not expecting the industry to flock to its door for an
unproven service. The company already provides managed voice-mail
services under its Tigon brand in the US and claims that it performs
millions of messaging transactions for upwards of a million end-users
for 600 major customers on a daily basis. The system is in the process
of being offered to existing customers, and will be tied in with
external voice-mail systems progressively this year.

Backing up the Octelink service is a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week helpdesk
service for customers. This will also handle transmissions by e-mail
and fax for customers.

According to Octel, anyone with a voice-mail system can subscribe to
Octelink, with no new hardware required. All that is needed is a
networking port on the voice-mail system and Octel claims it is
supporting all major vendors of voice-mail, including AMIS analog with
extended feature sets of Octelnet customers. Future plans also allow
for Octelink to allow delivery of voice-mail to mailbox holders using a
telephone and tone keypad.

(Sylvia Dennis/19950922/Press Contact: Joe Carter, Firefly
Communications, [phone]; Internet e-mail [e-mail];
Reader Contact: Octel Communications, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
09/25/95
NETWORK
 ****Microsoft Ships C2 Security Release Of Windows NT

(NEWS)(NETWORK)(DEN)(00005)
 ****Microsoft Ships C2 Security Release Of Windows NT 09/25/95
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 25 (NB) -- Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ: MSFT) has announced availability of a C2-level security release
for Windows NT Workstation and Windows NT Server version 3.5, and his
signed an agreement with Starnine Technologies Inc. for that company to
develop, market, sell and support the Microsoft Mail server for AppleTalk
networks.

Microsoft claims to be the first vendor to satisfy C2 evaluation for
mainstream commercial operating systems. Information provided to
Newsbytes by a Microsoft public relations representative states that
the C2 designation requires that the owner of a resource, such as a file,
must be able to control that resource, system administrators must be able
to audit security-related events and the actions of individual users,
and the operating system must protect data stored in memory for one
process so that it is not reused by other processes.

Microsoft said Windows NT protects memory such that its contents cannot
be read after it is freed by a process.

C2 also requires that each user must have a unique identifier. In
Windows NT, Microsoft said this is achieved by typing in a unique
logon name and password before being allowed to access the system.
The system also has to be able to use the unique information to
track the activities of each user.

Microsoft said the National Computer Security Center, a division of
the National security Agency, recently determined that the Windows
NT Workstation and Windows NT Server software, combined with
Service Pack 3 for Windows NT 3.5, satisfy the requirements for
class C2 status. The combination eliminates for need for any
additional hardware or software to meet C2 evaluation criteria,
according to the software company.

Now that the base components of the NT operating system have been
through the labor-intensive testing, Microsoft said it is now
participating in the rating maintenance phase that will allow new
components and hardware to be evaluated at a much faster pace and
will add other platforms and processors to the evaluated
configuration. Network components of Windows NT workstation and
Windows NT Server 3.51 are currently in C2 evaluation.

The deal with Berkeley, California-based Starnine calls for the mail
product to be marketed under the name Starnine Mail. A future
release will support the Apple PowerPC architecture as well as
Internet integration.

In June of last year, Microsoft said it was stopping future
development of Microsoft Mail Server for AppleTalk networks in
order to focus server development on Microsoft Exchange Server, its
forthcoming electronic-mail (e-mail) server with integrated
groupware. Microsoft said it will provide Exchange client software
for the Apple Macintosh as part of the Exchange product family.

Microsoft's Windows NT Server software supports a range of network
environments, including AppleTalk, allowing users to deploy
Exchange Server in the Macintosh environment. The C2 release has an
estimated selling price of $319 for the workstation and $999 for
the 10-client pack. Both come on CD-ROM.

Starnine said it is developing a version of Starnine Mail,
formerly known as Microsoft Mail for AppleTalk networks, that will
allow the server and the client to run in native mode on the
PowerPC platform and take advantage of the RISC (reduced
instruction set computing)-based platform's performance advantages.
That software is scheduled to ship in about 30 days with an
approximate price of $269. The company said a PowerPC version of
Starnine Mail is scheduled to ship by the first quarter of 1996.

Starnine said that, when it begins shipping the current version of
Microsoft Mail for AppleTalk network servers under the Starnine Mail
name, it will include a 10-user version of Starnine's UUCP gateway,
Mail*Link Remote, for Internet connectivity and interoperability
with other e-mail systems. The client will also include a PowerTalk
gateway for Starnine Mail so end-users can access the server from
either the standalone client or from within PowerTalk.

Starnine said it will announce detailed plans for the future
development of the mail products, including an enhanced version of
the client and integration with its Internet server technology, in
November.

(Jim Mallory/19950922/Press and public contact: Microsoft,
206-882-8080 or 800-426-9400; Starnine, tel [phone],
fax [phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
09/25/95
DOS
Peachtree Complete Accounting Upgrade Ships

(NEWS)(DOS)(DEN)(00006)
Peachtree Complete Accounting Upgrade Ships 09/25/95
NORCROSS, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 25 (NB) -- Peachtree Software
Inc., a subsidiary of Automatic Data Processing Inc.(NYSE: AUD), has
announced version 9 of its Peachtree Complete Accounting software
that is scheduled to ship by the end of September.

Release 9 works with DOS, Windows 3.1, and Windows 95, said the
company. The program includes: General Ledger, Budgeting, Accounts
Payable, Accounts Receivable, Sales Invoicing/Order Entry,
Inventory, Payroll, Purchase Order, Job Cost, Fixed Assets, and
Custom Report Writing.  The user installs only the modules
needed.

The new version allows the user to apply partial open credits to
invoices as well as print comments from invoices on reports. In
the Accounts Payable module you can specify which fields, such as
company name or check number, you want printed on checks and
stubs. AP allows up to eight default General Ledger accounts per
vendor.

The upgrade also allows the user to activate an option to round
prices to the nearest 5 or 9 and specify the number of decimal
points from 0 to 4. You can print a physical inventory and
inventory status reports by location and/or department. Inventory
can now copy from existing assemblies when creating new ones, and
Purchase Order can now include extended descriptions from inventory
records.

In the Payroll module, manual checks are now printed on the check
register and can be listed by either employee ID or check number
order. Payroll now automatically calculates taxes and net pay for
manual checks.

In the Sales Invoicing module, version 9 updates order total
as soon as each new item is entered, and prices can be edited
across a range of repeating documents by either an amount or a
percentage. In Accounts Receivable, prices for auto transactions
can also be updated by a fixed amount or a percentage. Sales
Invoicing also includes the ability to ship all available
quantities ordered automatically without editing the order.

Peachtree Complete Accounting version 9 has a suggested retail price
of $199. Version 9 is also available in a multiuser edition, with
a suggested retail price of $299. For a limited time current
registered users can upgrade to single user version 9 for $149 or
the multiuser edition for $199.

To run Peachtree Complete Accounting version 9, you need a PC
running DOS version 5.0 or later and 640 kilobytes of memory.
Hard drive space requirements vary with the number of accounts and
how many modules you install. The multiuser version is certified
as compatible with Novell, LANtastic, and IBM networks.

The company's World Wide Web home page is at http://www.peach.com .

(Jim Mallory/19950922/Press contact: Kira Perdue, Alexander
Communications for Peachtree, tel [phone]; Public contact:
Peachtree, tel [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
09/25/95
BUSINESS
US Companies Plan Asian Expansion

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00007)
US Companies Plan Asian Expansion 09/25/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 SEP 25 (NB) -- Three American companies have
announced expansion of Asian production facilities. Motorola is
building a factory in China as part of planned major investment there,
and in Singapore, Western Digital and StorMedia will both build new
hard disk drive plants.

The new 320,000 square-meter Chinese factory will be built by
Motorola China Electronics Ltd. which will invest $750 million in a
semi-conductor plant to be built in Tianjin.

Motorola has run a factory in the Tianjin Economic Development Area
since 1992. The new facility will produce chips which will be used in
several of Motorola's products, including automation systems,
communications, and personal computers.

The investment is part of a total $1.2 billion which Motorola says it
has earmarked for Chinese investment between now and the end of the
century. The American company holds more than 50% of the domestic
Chinese mobile telephone market.

In Singapore, two US hard disk manufacturers announced late last week
that they would be giving a boost to the country's already strong hard
drive industry.

StorMedia, which already operates a plant in Singapore, will open a
new plant in Loyang estimated by local sources to be costing around
$40 million. The company's current factory in Tuas cost a similar
amount to set up.

StorMedia's main clients include Seagate, Quantum, Western Digital, and
Maxtor, and unconfirmed reports suggest Seagate has committed to buy
the entire output of the new plant which will be increasing production
all the time by adding a new production line every three months.

A similar amount is being spent by Western Digital which will
supplement its current factory in Chai Chee with a new one at the
Jurong Industrial Estate employing an additional 500 people.

The Chai Chee plant was responsible for turning out 80% of the
company's total output last year, around 8.6 million drives. Compared
to Singapore's total drive output last year of 29 million units,
around 40% of the world total, Western Digital accounts for 30% of
all manufacturing.

The new factory will turn out 100,000 units a month taking the firm's
total Singapore output to almost 10 million hard drives a year.

Hoya of Japan, StorMedia, Conner Peripherals, and Seagate, have all
announced plans this year to build production capacity in Singapore.
IBM recently opened its first plant in the country at Kaki Bukit, set
up at a cost of US$100 million.

(Martyn Williams/19950925)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/25/95
BROADCAST
Trimble Wins Japanese Anti-Earthquake Network Order

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(TYO)(00008)
Trimble Wins Japanese Anti-Earthquake Network Order 09/25/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 SEP 25 (NB) -- Trimble has been awarded a
multi-million dollar contract by Japan's Geographical Survey Institute
(GSI) to expand a nationwide earth monitoring network that is being
used to aid in the prediction of earthquakes.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95092508.PCX
Click here for photo

The enlarged network will be made up of 600 global positioning system
(GPS) receivers across the country that continually receive signals
from US military satellites to calculate their exact position. Any
movement in the earth's crust, such as those during an earthquake,
will be recorded by the units and sent back to scientists at the
Institute.

The GSI hopes that by matching land movements with earthquake data,
patterns may emerge that will help lead to an effective earthquake
prediction system that will offer vital advance warning in the country
plagued by the events.

Trimble (NASDAQ:TRMB) received the order from GSI's prime contractor
HZS, the information systems subsidiary of Hitachi Zosen Corporation,
which will act as systems integrator for the GSI.

The small network that exists at present will be enhanced with 400
Trimble 4000SSI receivers, together with workstation-based real-time
kinematic software which downloads and processes data from the remote
stations at the same time it is collected, allowing constant survey
analysis. All of the monitoring points are connected via microwave
radio links which relay information back to the GSI.

GPS systems for civilian use, such as those in the popular car
navigation systems, offer accuracy to around 100 meters, although this
is useless for the GSI system which needs to measure much smaller
movements.

Frank O'Mahony of Trimble explained to Newsbytes that there are ways
around the problem, "The 'raw' signal from GPS satellites has accuracy
degradation of up to around 100 meters, for security reasons (the US
Defense forces get 100% accuracy). However, a technology called
'differential GPS' (DGPS) makes up for that degradation and improves
the accuracy to centimeter level.

"It is widely available and uses signals from known accurate survey
points to correct the GPS signal. There are several commercial
services which provide DGPS signals using FM frequencies, and in the
US, the Coastguard provides it for shipping. Any precision surveying
application, such as the Japan GSI system, uses it," explained
O'Mahoney.

The majority of GSI observations are taking place in the Kanto region,
which includes the capital city Tokyo, and the Tokai region, where
scientists believe a major earthquake will hit in the next five years.

The data is combined with that from sea-level data and analyzed in
real time by computers at the Ministry of Construction which shares
the information with the Meteorological Agency.

In a similar project, Trimble's GPS units are also being used in San
Francisco to track movements of the Golden Gate Bridge before, during
and after future earthquakes. The Bay Area project produced a three-
dimensional map of the Golden Gate Bridge which engineers hope will
enable them to increase the "survivability" of the structure in a
major 1906-level earthquake.

O'Mahoney also noted the company has seen its units used in other
unusual applications such as a talking map developed by Arkenstone
which allows blind people to get around unfamiliar areas, and in the
motion picture "Forrest Gump" where the makers used an atomic clock,
as well as the positioning capabilities of GPS, to get the exact time
and location of the famous opening shot of the feather landing on
Gump's feet.

Full details of the Japan Geographical Survey Institute's project
are available on the organization's World Wide Web page at
http://www.gsi-mc.go.jp/ .

(Martyn Williams/19950925/Press contact : Frank O'Mahoney, Trimble,
408-481-8572, Internet e-mail frank_o'[e-mail]/TRIMBLE950925/
PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/25/95
TELECOM
UK Gets Wired For National Games Net

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00009)
UK Gets Wired For National Games Net 09/25/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 SEP 25 (NB) -- British Telecom (BT) has taken
the wraps off Wireplay, a multimedia online games service that uses
"fiber to the home" networks. According to BT officials, a pilot
version of Wireplay will be offered to a selected number of
subscribers in Colchester and other East Anglian towns which will be
plugged into "narrowcast" fiber to the home systems early next year.

Speaking at the Live 95 entertainment show in London last week, where
the Wireplay system was unveiled, BT officials said that the games
system was several steps ahead of competing systems available in the
global market. In addition, they said, the system is wholly British
developed.

"This will appeal to a far wider number of players. The elderly and
infirm could get a great deal of satisfaction from organizing 'whist'
drives with friends around the country," explained Rupert Gavin, BT's
director of multimedia services.

Gavin told journalists that he expects the Wireplay system will be
offered on an international basis, if the concept takes off. The idea
is that individual countries could install their own Wireplay
computers, which would interact for specialist games such as chess.

BT claims that its grandiose plans for pitching Wireplay into the
international arena are not "pie in the sky." It claims that its US
telecoms partner, MCI Communications, has expressed an interest in the
project.

Although Wireplay requires the home user to have fiber to the home, BT
says some users may elect to install an analog modem to use ordinary
phone lines to access the service, which will be accessible on a special
cheap rate tariff, specific to Wireplay.

The possibility of cheap rate tariffs is an interesting one, Newsbytes
notes. BT is reported to be working on a scheme, for possible
introduction this November, by which a limited set of local numbers
can be selected by the customer, and, in return for an annual fee,
calls to those numbers would be free of charge.

A Wireplay console, which plugs into the home TV, is expected to sell
for about the same as a 16-bit or 32-bit game console in the UK. Games,
meanwhile, will be priced according to their complexity, with rates
starting at a few UKP.

Although the pilot tests of the Wireplay system are expected to be
limited in the early part of next year, BT claims that the service
will be rolled out nationally by the end of 1996, at which stage game
players will be able to interact with other the length and breadth of
the UK.

(Steve Gold/19950925/Press Contact: BT Corporate Communications,
[phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/25/95
BROADCAST
British Broadcasting Watchdog Fines MTV For "Smut"

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(LON)(00010)
British Broadcasting Watchdog Fines MTV For "Smut" 09/25/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 SEP 25 (NB) -- It used to be that MTV in the US
was regarded as somewhat racy in the late 1980s, but now the TV
station seems to have slipped into sensible "broadcast middle age."
Unfortunately, no-one seems to have informed its offspring, MTV
Europe, of this notion, as the company has just been fined UKP60,000
for unacceptable levels of "smut" in its daytime broadcasts.

The surprisingly high fine, imposed by the Independent Television
Commission, a Government-appointed TV watchdog, come after several
warnings were issued to the station, officials said. The Commission
claims that matters came to a head recently when MTV broadcast an
explicit program on safe sex, as well as a commercial that condoned
"destructive behavior," both during daytime hours.

The Commission says that, while such programming is acceptable after
the 9pm watershed, exposing younger viewers to this type of material
is unacceptable.

MTV Europe, which is controlled by Viacom Corporation, has been fined
the UKP60,000 for three separate breaches of the ITC's Programming
and Advertising Codes. The case is the first time that a penalty has
been levied against a satellite TV channel.

Industry watchers note that MTV's decision to encrypt its programming,
and restrict sale of decoder cards to specific European countries may
have had something to do with the ITC's move. Many now view MTV,
because of its English-speaking programming, as specific to the UK,
where its programs are created, even though they are broadcast on the
Astra pan-European satellite TV system.

MTV, meanwhile, has protested against the imposition of the fine,
claiming that its programming is acceptable, and that the program on
safe sex was more educational than entertaining.

Peter Einstein, business director of MTV Networks Europe, said that he
views the fine as using MTV as a scapegoat. "I feel strongly that MTV
Europe is being used as a `sacrificial lamb' by the ITC in its
attempts to strengthen regulation of cable and satellite
broadcasters," he told journalists.

One element of the fine, UKP15,000, was imposed after an episode of
"Safe'n'Sexy," a safe sex program, was broadcast at 9pm one evening.
According to the ITC, the program was "clearly aimed at sexually
active viewers and included sections, notably on sado-masochism and
anal sex, unsuited to young viewers."

Einstein, meanwhile, criticized the ITC for failing to understand the
needs of the modern generation. He said that the program was very
carefully scripted and produced, to provide young adults with
essential information on the risks of AIDS and HIV.

Ironically, the whole affair is bound to attract attention to MTV's
programs from the very audience it is aiming its programs at -- young
adults. Media watchers in the UK press suggest that MTV will easily be
able to recoup the fine from extra ad revenue that the whole affair
has generated.

(Steve Gold/19950925/Press Contact: ITC, [phone]; MTV
Networks Europe, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/25/95
TELECOM
Ericsson & Chinese Partners Team On Telecoms Deals

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00011)
Ericsson & Chinese Partners Team On Telecoms Deals 09/25/95
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1995 SEP 25 (NB) -- Ericsson has announced that
its Hong Kong subsidiary, Ericsson Hong Kong, has teamed up with the
Guangdong Post and Telecommunication Administration (GPTA) and the
Machinery Import and Export Bureau (Machimpex) for the supply of
Telecommunications Energy Systems in the Guangdong Province of the
People's Republic of China.

According to Bengt Callmer, Ericsson Components' director of
communications, the agreement will support the growth of Ericsson
Energy Systems in China, as the company's products are already
established in the market.

"The idea of the partnership is that we will continue to distribute
Ericsson's and its assistants' equipment throughout the Guangdong
Province together with the Guangdong authorities," Callmer explained,
adding that there is a possibility of forming a joint venture between
the two companies, to pitch for new contracts and business in mainland
China.

"They are very interested to have some sort of local adaptation or
assembly. The Guangdong partners are interested to expand their
distribution territory on the mainland of China," he said.

The partnership agreement was signed by representatives of each
interested party at the end of August -- by Madame Yang, president
of Machimpex, and John Gilbertsson, managing director of Ericsson Hong
Kong. The contract was witnessed by: Mr Lu, Vice Governor of Guangdong;
Li Yi Sheng, the director of GPTA; and Dr Bert Jeppsson, president of
Ericsson Components.

(Sylvia Dennis/19950925/Press Contact: Bengt Callmer, director of
communications, Ericsson Components, [phone]; John Gilbertsson,
managing director, Ericsson Hong Kong, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/25/95
GENERAL
Canadian Product Launch Update

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00012)
Canadian Product Launch Update 09/25/95
KINGSTON, ONTARIO, CANADA 1995 SEP 25 (NB) -- This regular feature,
appearing on the first day Newsbytes publishes each week, provides
further details for the Canadian market on announcements by international
companies that Newsbytes has already covered. This week: ClarisImpact
2.0, Compaq's new Presario models, and Hewlett-Packard's LaserJet 5L and
DeskJet 340.

Claris Canada Inc., of Toronto, said it is now shipping ClarisImpact 2.0,
charting and diagramming software for the Apple Macintosh and Microsoft
Windows (Newsbytes, Aug. 14). The suggested retail price for both versions
in Canada is C$199, while upgrades from ClarisImpact 1.0 are C$69 and
competitive upgrades from rival graphics products as well FileMaker Pro
and ClarisWorks are C$99.

Compaq Canada Inc., of Richmond Hill, Ontario, launched its Presario 7100,
Presario 5500, and Presario 9500 series of PCs (Newsbytes, Sept. 15).
Compaq describes all three lines as multimedia PCs. Canadian list prices
range from C$2,499 to C$4,399. The four 7100 models start at C$2,499, the
two 5500 models cost C$3,299 and up, and the lineup of three Presario 9500
models costs from C$3,399, a company spokesman told Newsbytes.

Hewlett-Packard (Canada) Inc., based in Mississauga, Ontario, unveiled a
new personal laser printer, the LaserJet 5L (Newsbytes, Sept. 20). The
600 by 600 dots-per-inch printer has a suggested list price in Canada of
C$855, HP Canada said.

HP Canada also introduced the DeskJet 340, a mobile ink-jet printer
(Newsbytes, Sept. 22). The DeskJet 340 has an infrared link that allows it
to print documents from a computer located not more than three feet away
without the use of a cable, HP said. The Canadian suggested list price
for the DeskJet 340 is C$514.

(Grant Buckler/19950925/Press Contact: Ilyse Smith, Atkins & Ellis
for Claris Canada, 416-368-6880; John Challinor II, Compaq Canada,
416-229-8936; Danny Savard, Hewlett-Packard Canada, 905-206-3144; Public
Contact: Claris Canada, 800-361-6075 or 416-941-9611, fax [phone];
Compaq Canada, 905-707-1715, fax [phone]; Hewlett-Packard
Canada, 800-387-3867)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/25/95
TRENDS
Face-Recognition System Aimed At Security Apps

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TOR)(00013)
Face-Recognition System Aimed At Security Apps 09/25/95
WELLESLEY, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 25 (NB) -- Miros Inc., is
aiming
new software, said to be able to recognize people's faces, at security
applications such as access control and fraud detection. Miros claimed to
have solved a problem that has been holding back face-recognition: the
difficulty of recognizing the same face reliably in spite of different
expressions and minor changes such as haircuts.

Miros' TrueFace 1.3 software can run on an ordinary desktop computer,
according to the company's President Michael Kuperstein. It can compare
the image from a camera attached to the computer to a stored database of
faces at the rate of 200 faces per second, according to the company.

Kuperstein said that while the use of such technology has been held back in
the past by the fact that small changes in a person's face could throw the
system off, TrueFace concentrates on constant features rather than variables
such as the length of hair, expression, or orientation of the face.

He admitted that TrueFace has some limitations in this respect, though.
Dark sunglasses will keep the system from recognizing a face, Kuperstein
said, as will the addition or removal of a heavy, dark beard. Mustaches
and light beards will not throw the system off, however, nor will changes
in hair styles or makeup.

Kuperstein told Newsbytes that controlling access to buildings or rooms is
one likely application for TrueFace. Miro also expects to see its software
used by immigration authorities, law enforcement agencies, and prisons.

TrueFace might also be used to control fraud in government programs by
matching the faces of claimants to a database so as to catch so-called
"double-dippers."

In addition, it might be used to control access to computer networks where
highly sensitive material such as military information is concerned, or to
verify identity in certain types of point-of-sale transactions such as
the sale of prescription drugs, Kuperstein suggested.

(Grant Buckler/19950925/Press Contact: Michael Kuperstein, Miros,
617-235-0330; Public Contact: Gene Burnard, Miros, 508-624-9991)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/25/95
BUSINESS
XcelleNet & Shiva In Remote Computing Alliance

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(MSP)(00014)
XcelleNet & Shiva In Remote Computing Alliance 09/25/95
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 25 (NB) -- Two companies involved
in the remote computing market said they're getting together to
simplify and improve the way remote and mobile computer users gain
access to centralized information. XcelleNet Inc. (NASDAQ:XNET) and
Shiva have inked the new agreement, which will create a "one-button
solution" for remote access.

XcelleNet and Shiva will cooperate on providing products that work
together, so that when users initiate a connection to a Shiva
LanRover on a local area network (LAN), they will seamlessly launch
XcelleNet RemoteWare at the same time. RemoteWare is used to create
application systems that would run applications like field team
transaction sharing, compound database queries, and subscription and
messaging services. LanRover offers high-speed, multiprotocol,
multiplatform access to LAN services so that the user is essentially
a fully-functional node on the network.

The new alliance is in response to calls in the marketplace for
such a combination of software "solutions." In fact, Dan McCall, senior
manager of marketing and alliances for Shiva, told Newsbytes he knows
of several companies already using the two programs in conjunction with
each other.

Together, both programs offer customers with large field organizations
a "one-button solution" for optimized and secure access to connection-
deferred and connection-dependent applications.

"The real key to this announcement and this stage of the relationship
is to put a stake in the ground that says 'these are not competing
technologies, these are complimentary'" McCall said. "So this is not
like saying 'well, they work together.' They work really well
together."

Shiva and XcelleNet will be showing the interoperability of the two
products at this week's Network+Interop show in Atlanta.

In the future, both companies also said they will undertake joint
marketing initiatives, including channel activities, joint account
development, and market education.

(Bob Woods/19950925/Press Contacts: Mindy Aronin, XcelleNet, 770-804-
8100, Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Len Dieterle, Crescent
Communications, 770-698-8650, Internet e-mail [e-mail];
Christine Simeone, Lois, Paul & Partners, 617-860-5681)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/25/95
APPLE
Extensis Announces Graphics Add-Ons

(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00015)
Extensis Announces Graphics Add-Ons 09/25/95
PORTLAND, OREGON, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 25 (NB) -- Extensis Corp. has
announced three new add-on products for Adobe Pagemaker, Adobe
Illustrator, and Macromedia Freehand and Adobe Photoshop.

The Pagemaker add-on is PageTools 2.0, an integrated set of 18
plug-ins for Pagemaker 5.0 and 6.0. Extensis said the upgrade
improves the original ten components as well as adding eight new
ones.

The new tools include a character styles palette, a glossary function
and word counter. Extensis has also added multiple, customizable
toolbars, and enhanced support for the new functions found in
Pagemaker 6.0.

DrawTools is the new add-on for Adobe Illustrator and Macromedia
Freehand. The integrated set of 17 filters includes three modules:
DrawTools Color, to edit color ramps, mix and replace colors, convert
colors to grayscale, randomly replace colors, and create duotones and
multitones; DrawTools Move, to allow the user to "precisely resize and
position objects" between layers; and DrawTools Shape that allows the
user to apply three-dimensional (3-D) effects to objects by projecting
them onto geometric shapes such as spheres, cylinders, cones, water,
waves, and diamonds. There is also a "free projection" feature.

The Photoshop Plug-in is called Intellihance 2.0, a tool that uses
artificial intelligence to automatically adjust image contrast,
brightness, saturation, and sharpness and "despeckle" images all in
one step. Intellihance works with any scanned, stock or Photo CD
image, said Extensis.

The company said Intellihance is compatible with Photoshop 2.5.1 or
later as well as any other application that supports Photoshop
plug-ins including Pagemaker 6.0 and QuarkXPress 3.3.1 with QX-Tools.
X-Tools is an integrated set of Xtensions for QuarkXpress and was
introduced in August of this year.

PageTools 2.0 for the Macintosh will ship on November 20 with
a suggested retail price of $149, or $99.95 if you buy it direct
from Extensis. Users who purchased PageTools 1.0 for Mac -- the
earlier version of the program -- after September 1 will get a free
upgrade to version 2.0. To run PageTools, you need Pagemaker 5.0
or 6.0, and Apple's  System 7.1 or later operating system. Extensis
said a Windows version of PageTools 2.0 is scheduled to ship in
the first quarter of 1996.

DrawTools for Macintosh is scheduled to ship on October 20
with a price tag in retail outlets of $149, or $99.95 when
purchased direct from Extensis. It requires Adobe Illustrator 5.0
or later, or Macromedia Freehand 5.0 or later, and the System 7.1
or later operating system.

Extensis said Intellihance for the Mac is also scheduled to ship
October 20, with the same pricing as the other products. To run
Intellihance you need Adobe Photoshop 2.5.1 or later, Pagemaker
6.0 or later, or QuarkXPress 3.3.1 with QX-Tools or later, and
System 7.1 or later. QX-Tools for the Mac is already available
and has a price tag of $149 in stores and $99.95 from Extensis.
It requires QuarkXpress 3.3.1 or later and System 7.1 or later.

(Jim Mallory/19950925/Press contact: John Chaffee, Extensis,
503-274-2020; Public contact: Extensis, 800-796-9798 to order
in the US, or 31-0-3462-50584 in Europe, fax [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/25/95
NETWORK
IBM & Bay Form Network Partnership

(NEWS)(NETWORK)(TOR)(00016)
IBM & Bay Form Network Partnership 09/25/95
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NORTH CAROLINA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 25 (NB) --
IBM
(NYSE:IBM) and Bay Networks Inc. (NASDAQ:BNET) have announced an agreement
to work together on various aspects of networking. As a first step, IBM is
to resell Bay's Centillion 100 integrated Token Ring, Ethernet, and
asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) switch, and Bay is to resell IBM's 8272
Nways Token Ring workgroup switch.

Besides these and possible future cross-marketing arrangements, the deal
calls for Bay Networks and IBM to work together to promote standards,
and to test their products for interoperability.

While the companies are considering selling more of each other's products
in the future, there are no further plans definite enough to be announced
now, IBM spokeswoman Pamela Atkinson told Newsbytes.

Atkinson also said that, although the alliance with Bay Networks touches
on some of the same product areas as an existing alliance between IBM and
Chipcom Corp., which is in the process of being acquired by 3Com Corp.,
IBM is "definitely" going to continue the alliance with 3Com. IBM will not
pass technology through from 3Com to Bay or vice versa as a result of the
two relationships, she said, adding, "They're really two separate areas."

IBM and Bay Networks will work together to promote Token Ring
switching and Token Ring to ATM migration products, including full-duplex
Token Ring networking and standard interfaces for virtual LANs. The two
firms said they also plan to push the ATM Forum, an industry group, to
back Integrated Private Network-to-Network Interface (I-PNNI) and
Multiprotocol Over ATM (MPOA) standards.

Bay Networks was formed in the fall of 1994 when SynOptics
Communications merged with Wellfleet Communications. The merged firm
now has revenues of more than $1.3 billion per year, officials said.

(Grant Buckler/19950925/Press Contact: Pamela Atkinson, IBM, 919-254-
2121; Drusie Demopoulos, Bay Networks, 415-969-6700 ext 136, Internet
e-mail [e-mail])


(ADVISORY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00017)

NewsPix Images For Newsbytes Publishers 09/25/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A.,1995 SEP 25 (NB) -- These photos
correspond to recent Newsbytes stories. They are online in the
Newsbytes menu on America Online, NiftyServe, and the Newsbytes
private bulletin board system in Minneapolis.

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) files are larger in size,
PICT files are designed as thumbnails for onscreen viewing.
The photos are titled with name/year/month/day.

PICT/thumbnail pictures are black and white (gray scale). File
message will indicate color if the JPEG image is color.

Some of the "for use" images, may be PICT files. To distinguish
these files from the thumbnail preview PICT images, the tag for the
color "for use" image will have PICT, all caps. The thumbnail will
remain noted as "pct."

To become a licensed Newsbytes publisher, call Newsbytes at
612-430-1100 (US) or write to [e-mail] on the
Internet. Licensing applies to any medium.

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

Week of SEPTEMBER 25 - SEPTEMBER 29,1995

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

- NEW THIS WEEK -

AMDAHL950915 - b&w / Amdahl To Acquire Canada's DMR Group: head shot
of Amdahl's president and chief executive officer (CEO), Joseph Zemke.

MS_BOB950919 - color / What Ever Happened To Microsoft Bob?: the
Bob logo, smiley face with glasses.

MS_PROJ950919 - color / Microsoft Project For Windows 95 To Ship Next
Week: shot of package graphics.

GAZETTEER950920 - color / Global Post Code & Demographic Info On The
Web: screenshot of home page.

D3SEA950922 - color / Video Update: photo of Panasonic D3 camcorder
used by Scuba Diver for underwater photography. Actual shot of camera
in action, diver is Capt. Steve Hogan, president of Sea Eagle
Productions, Maui, Hawaai.

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

- PARTIAL LISTING OF PREVIOUS ITEMS -

APTIVA950912 - color / IBM Updates Aptiva PC Line: the PC with
logo onscreen.

GATEHOUSE950913 - color / Tour Bill Gates' Showplace Home Via
The Internet: shot of house under construction.

MEDIAKIDS950908 - color / Apple Japan Holds MediaKids Summer Camp:
screen shot of kids homepage, with lots of kanji.

ENIAC950912 - b&w / ENIAC 50th Anniversary Set For 1996: great
archive photo of the original ENIAC room.

PRESARIO950915 - color / Compaq Intros New Home PCs, Fall Ad Campaign:
the Presario 9500, tower not seen, just keyboard & monitor on tabletop.

CYRIX_M1950906 - color / M1 Fastest Chip For Windows 95, Says Cyrix:
the M1 chip with Cyrix logo on it.

VINEYARDS950906 - color / Virtual Vineyards' CyberCash Credit Card
Security: shot of Peter Granoff and Robert Olson, principal founders
with a table of wine before them.  Photo credit: Anne Hamersky.

TLKALONG950901 - b&w / US West Offers Do-It-Yourself Cell Phone
Activation: cell phone and packaging on a limbo background.

ABCGRAPH950901 - color / Micrografx Graphics Suite For Windows 95:
see NewsPix ABCGRAPH950717.

GROLIERGOLF950906 - color / Grolier's Greg Norman Golf Simulation:
screenshot of golf scenario.

COGNOS950829 - color / Cognos On World Wide Web: site graphics.

INTERART950828 - color / 3-D Real Estate & Hotel Walkabouts On The Web:
the food page with salsa ad, looks good!

NEC950831 - color / NEC Develops "Snake-Like" Robot: shot of the
snake with camera dome at head.

KIDS950829 - color / Novell Intros Perfectworks For Kids: screen shot
of the 'Me by Me' page.

MEDIAMALL950828 - color / Media Mall Offers Online Multimedia Info:
screen graphics/logo.

CASHGRAF950830 - color / CashGraf Gets New Name, Intros 2 Acct Packages:
screen shot of the main menu.

RADSHACK950814 - b&w / Radio Shack Gets New Image: before and after
arrangement of Radio Shack ads.

LTE5000950821 - color / Compaq Intros Modular Notebook PC 08: the
notebook PC in action, associates at work on site using computer.

TOUCH950822 - color / Touch Technology Moves Off The Display Screen:
the Tanisys keyboard on neutral background.

PAGEMAKR950823 - color / Adobe Ships Pagemaker 6.0 For Mac: shot of
the software package.

HARLEM950822 - color / Prodigy Offers Harlem Inner-City Area Online:
welcome & home page.

(Newsbytes/19950925)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/25/95
TRENDS
CSI Study On Internet Security

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00018)
CSI Study On Internet Security 09/25/95
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 25 (NB) -- Computer
Security Institute's (CSI) "1995 Internet Security Survey" describes
the extent and nature of security precautions large firms are taking
with there Internet connections. The report will appear in next
months issue of the Computer Security Alert, but is available now on
request.

Richard Power, analyst for Computer Security Institute, told Newsbytes,
"The survey was based on 320 responses from  information security
professionals in Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and
universities.Sixty-six percent of these enterprises have 1,000 or
more employees, 32% have over $1 billion in annual revenues."

The report concluded that, one out of every five Internet sites within
this study group have suffered a security breach, and that almost 40%
of sites don't have "firewalls" in place. Even with firewalls in place,
30% of breaches occurred after a firewall was installed.

CSI's survey also takes a look at the firewall marketplace and what
products are being used.

"We consider a firewall to be any combination of software and
hardware that is used to prevent unauthorized entry into internal
networks. No firewall product has gained dominance in the
marketplace as of now. In addition to this survey we just published
"CSI Firewall Product Matrix" that appeared in the Spring 1995
Computer Security Journal, which lists most of the available
firewall technologies," said Powers.

Computer Security Institute is located in San Francisco, California,
and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Miller Freeman Publishing. Miller
Freeman publishes over fifty trade magazines including Dr. Dobbs
Journal, Unix Review, and LAN Magazine. Computer Security Institute
publishes a monthly newsletter, a semi-annual Journal, an annual
Buyers Guide, and a online bulletin board.

To obtain an advance copy of "1995 Internet Security Survey,"
call 415-905-2310.

(Richard Bowers/19950922/Press Contact: Patrice Rapalus,
CSI, 415-905-2310)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/25/95
TRENDS
Software Best Seller List Adds Windows 95 Section

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(WAS)(00019)
Software Best Seller List Adds Windows 95 Section 09/25/95
RESTON, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 25 (NB) -- PC Data has added
a new category to its list of software best sellers -- Windows 95.
Also, the Virginia market research firm is seeing sales of
Windows 95 software in its regular categories of software hits.

Not surprisingly, Windows 95 upgrade leads the new Windows 95
list for August. In second place is Microsoft's Plus package,
followed in third by Symantec's Norton Utilities Upgrade.

Windows 95 also led the list of CD-ROM titles for August,
followed by the Microsoft Plus software. Last month's leader
in the volatile CD-ROM category -- Ultimate Doom Thy Flesh --
dropped to 10th place.

Finally, the Windows 95 upgrade, Microsoft Plus, and the Norton
Utilities Upgrade for Windows 95 took the first three places in
the business software (Windows) category, pushing Microhelp's
Uninstaller to fourth place.

In the business software (Macintosh) list, RAM Doubler from
Connectix was in first place, followed by the Aldus PageMaker
upgrade. For business software (DOS/OS/2) Microsoft's DOS 6.2
upgrade continued to hold first place, followed by QEMM for
Quarterdeck, the same lineup as in July.

For personal productivity titles in the DOS and Windows world,
Intuit continued its strong performance, with Quicken in first
place and Quicken Deluxe in second, a repeat performance from
July. Intuit's Quicken Family Lawyer moved up to fourth place
from ninth in July.

For Macintosh personal productivity titles, Nova Development's
3000 Mega Clip Art Pack moved up from third in July to first
place in August, pushing Quicken down to second.

In the PC games category for DOS and Windows, Mechwarrior II
from Activision jumped from fifth place in July to occupy first
in August, followed by Microsoft's Flight Simulator and Myst
from Broderbund. For Macintosh games, Interplay's Dungeon
Master II zoomed from seventh place in July to first in August,
with GT Interactive's Doom II jumping from nowhere on the list
to second, dropping Lucas Arts' Dark Forces from first the third
place.

In the DOS-Windows home education category, Mavis Beacon Teaches
Typing from Mindscape moved up to first from second place in
July, while Davidson's Math Blaster: In Search of Spot moved up
from third to second. Disney's Lion King Storybook dropped to
third from first place in July.

But Lion King continued to hold first place on the Macintosh
home education list, with Buried in Time from Sanctuary Woods in
second and Sim Town from Maxis in third.

(Kennedy Maize/19950925/Press Contact: Nicole Field,
703-435-1025)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/25/95
GOVT
Pittsburgh Supercomputer Center Gets $6Mil Grant

(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00020)
Pittsburgh Supercomputer Center Gets $6Mil Grant 09/25/95
BETHESDA, MARYLAND, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 25 (NB) -- The National
Institutes of Health has awarded the Pittsburgh Supercomputer
Center $6 million over five years for work on applying
supercomputing to molecular biology. The grant also funds
programs at the center for training biomedical researchers.

The biomedical program at the Pittsburgh center began in 1987,
when NIH authorized a three-year, $2.2 million grant, the first
of its kind to couple supercomputers and biomedical research.
In 1990, NIH came up with another $6 million over five years.

The latest grant renews the 1990 award, funding five core
research projects: improved methods for calculating molecular dynamics;
a model of how metal ions bond to proteins; a protein-structure
database; an artificial intelligence method of predicting protein
structure; and better methods for protein and DNA sequence analysis.

One specific project has been the development of a
three-dimensional computational model of blood flow in the
heart, valves and major vessels, work led by Charles Peskin of
New York University.

Pittsburgh biologist John Rosenberg used the supercomputer
facilities to examine interactions between DNA and proteins,
which led to fundamental insights.

In another project, biologist Chien Ho of Carnegie Mellon
University is studying the structure of hemoglobin, aimed at
developing a replacement for donated blood.

The Pittsburgh center, begun in 1986, is a joint project of
Carnegie Mellon and the University of Pittsburgh, along with
Westinghouse Electric Corp., with funds from the National
Science Foundation.

(Kennedy Maize/19950925/Press Contact: Michael Schneider,
412-268-4960)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
09/25/95
TELECOM
New Protocol For Videoconferencing

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(MSP)(00021)
New Protocol For Videoconferencing 09/25/95
LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 25 (NB) -- VideoServer Inc.
(NASDAQ:VSVR) said it is introducing a new non-proprietary
videoconferencing protocol, called "ConferenceTalk." It is also
submitting ConferenceTalk to the International Telecommunications Union
(ITU) and the International Multimedia Teleconferencing Consortium
(IMTC) for possible inclusion into a new standard for videoconferencing
scheduling.

The standard being developed, which is called "T.RES," defines a
generic model for videoconferencing reservation systems which specifies
the interactions between the end user's conferencing terminal,
multipoint control units (MCUs), and reservation servers. The draft
definition of T.RES describes conference scheduling, the administration
of MCU resources, and the control of MCUs so they can create or join
conferences for which they're responsible.

"There probably will be things in T.RES that won't be in ConferenceTalk
and there certainly things in ConferenceTalk that won't be in T.RES,"
Jack O'Neil, VideoServer spokesperson, told Newsbytes. "This is not
a one-to-one mapping."

What ConferenceTalk means to the videoconferencing market is that
VideoServer is going away from using a proprietary interface, O'Neil
said. "This is the first time a vendor of MCU has said its scheduling
interface will be non-proprietary," he said.

Because of this, O'Neil said VideoServer is encouraging third-party
companies to write scheduling applications for the product with the
opening of the ConferenceTalk interface. "This would be good because
third-party companies could safely code to this protocol, knowing that
it's open and it's been submitted for a standard, so the probability of
having to re-do the work is much lower" than a proprietary interface."

Company officials said the new ConferenceTalk protocol is the "first
step toward open access for a worldwide, multi-vendor network for
multimedia conference scheduling. ConferenceTalk defines an open
interface between scheduling systems and conferencing equipment,
making it easier to schedule conferences from the desktop, officials
added.

(Bob Woods/19950925/Press Contacts: Jack O'Neil, VideoServer, 617-863-
2300; Nancy Kashanck, Schwartz Communications, 617-431-0770)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
09/25/95
APPLE
 ****Apple Restarts PowerBook 5300 Shipments

(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00022)
 ****Apple Restarts PowerBook 5300 Shipments 09/25/95
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 25 (NB) -- Almost one week after
Apple Computer (NASDAQ:AAPL) stopped shipments of its first PowerPC-based
notebook, the PowerBook 5300, the company says it is ready to ship new
models with a nickel-metal-hydride battery. Customers can expect to see
a $100 retail price reduction on the entire series.

On September 14, Newsbytes and other media sources reported two
5300 PowerBooks caught on fire because of the overheating problems
with the lithium ion battery used to power the computer. Apple
immediately contacted suppliers and resellers who were involved with
1,000 units which had been shipped and stopped all sales.

In order to reach the 200 people who had purchased a 5300 model, the
company attempted to contact them directly through resellers and also
set-up an 800 number. Apple says it has found virtually every model
shipped.

With the announced retail price reduction, Apple says a gray scale,
entry-level PowerBook 5300 with eight megabytes (MB) of RAM and
500MB of storage will range from $2,099 to $2,199 at the retail level.
On the high-end of the series, the 5300ce with active-matrix color,
32MB of RAM and 1.1 gigabyte (GB) of memory  should sell in from $6,399
to $6,699.

When asked if any customers reported overheating problems with their
5300 PowerBook, Apple spokesperson, Russell Ito, told Newsbytes, "I am
not aware of any reports of any cases outside of the two which occurred
here at Apple." Ito also said Apple knows the circumstances under which
the problem occurred, but not why it took place. He did confirm the vendor
who supplies the lithium battery is still investigating the problem.

Newsbytes also learned Apple has not ruled out implementation of the
lithium ion battery if all safety concerns are resolved and thorough
testing completed. Ito said, "The lithium ion battery is very efficient.
It is lighter, it provides longer battery life, and it charges faster.
We are open to considering the lithium technology if all of the problems
are resolved."

(Patrick McKenna/19950925/Press Contact: Russell Ito, Apple,
408-974-5693/APPLE950925/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/25/95
ONLINE
E-Mail The Pope During His US Visit

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00023)
E-Mail The Pope During His US Visit 09/25/95
JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 25 (NB) -- If you want to
talk to or see Pope John Paul II when he visits the US early next
month, but you can't get tickets, New Jersey Online is offering the
next best thing. On the Internet World Wide Web, you can send
electronic-mail messages to the Pontiff, as well as view a site
dedicated to his visit.

New Jersey Online has set up the "Pope's Virtual Visit" Web site at
http://www.nj.com/popepage . Web users can send e-mail messages to
the Pope in time for his Newark airport arrival October 4. New Jersey
Online officials will deliver the messages to the Pontiff's
representatives before the Pope leaves October 8.

"A lot of younger Catholics access the Internet," Peter Levitan,
president of New Jersey Online, told Newsbytes. "This is an audience
that is not necessarily reached by the traditional media. We think
the Internet provides a unique and interesting vehicle to reach this
audience with information about the Pope." He also said the Internet
allows people to interact with the Pontiff through services like his
company's.

The service will also provide up-to-the-minute coverage of the Pope's
visit to New Jersey, through a "virtual newsroom" that has a staff of
reporters and photographers. Other features of the Web page include:
an audio greeting from the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Newark;
sound clips from the Pope's previous masses; text, maps, and photos
of the Pontiff's itinerary, and "amazing facts about the Pope."

Levitan said the virtual newsroom wasn't going to be launched until
later this year. Instead, it began operating earlier than expected
because of this event, and the possibility of a hurricane hitting
New Jersey earlier this month.

New Jersey Online is a daily service that began with New Jersey Weather
last April. The service is built on what New Jersey Online officials
call a "new publishing model in which breaking news, community
services, and original content" give users a chance to participate in
a local and regional electronic community. Since April, officials
said the site has registered about 9,000 unique accesses daily.

(Bob Woods/19950925/Press Contacts: Beth Harris, Poppe Tyson, 201-539-
0300, Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Peter Levitan, New Jersey
Online, 201-217-2759, Internet e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/25/95
TELECOM
Boscom95 - Rep. Markey Calls For "Networked Schools"

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(BOS)(00024)
Boscom95 - Rep. Markey Calls For "Networked Schools" 09/25/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 25 (NB) -- US. Rep. Edward
M. Markey, ranking Democrat on the US House of Representatives
Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Finance, called for network
connectivity among all schools nationwide by the year 2000, and in
Massachusetts within the current year, in a speech at the Mass.
State House to Mass. Telecommunications Council (MTC) members and
international guests.

California, another high tech hotbed, recently forged a
public-private initiative to link all K-12 schools statewide,
Markey pointed out during his speech, held Friday night as part of
the MTC's Boscom95 conference, and attended by Newsbytes.

The US congressman from Massachusetts challenged citizens of his
home state to seize the gauntlet thrown down by the Golden State,
by beating California in a race to become the first state with
school-to-school connectivity.

Markey also voiced his opposition to restrictions on foreign
investments in US businesses, as well as his strong support for the
Platform for Internet Content Selection (PICS), a new standard for
"individual control" of online content that is being created by the
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and other collaborators.

In addition, Markey, who co-authored the 1994 US Telecommunication
Act, continued to urge rejection of recent amendments in currently
pending legislation that would extend deregulation to all cable TV
providers, would "completely deregulate" the radio industry, and
would allow two or more TV networks or local TV stations to be
owned by the same individuals.

Merely a small percentage of US homes today are using modems,
according to Markey. As a result, the schools must play a major
role in training young people for the highly skilled jobs that will
be created by GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade),
suggested the legislator, noting that he had been one of only "six
congressmen from north of the Mason-Dixon line" who voted to
approve that bill.

Technological progress often faces a "reactionary undercurrent,"
Markey remarked, citing as evidence a newspaper article from the
1920s about public reactions to "talkie movies."

Only about 50 percent of "flappers and their beaus" favored
cinematic sound, according to the author of the article, who was
film critic for the New York Times back in the Roaring Twenties.
The other half felt that the audio interfered with their "whispered
conversations."

Movie-goers of seven decades ago also expressed concern that "the
talkies" would cause some 15,000 piano players nationwide to lose
their jobs.

These days, friction is emerging between "nouveau" users of the Web
and "earlier inhabitants of cyberspace," Markey noted.

The Democract also urged people today not to be content to simply
point with pride to past accomplishments of the computer industry,
characterizing that attitude as "ancestor worship."

"What we should be worshipping is the future," the congressman
asserted. "The geniuses are the 15-year-olds. And their younger
brothers and sisters will be passing them in five years."

By becoming the first state to provide network connectivity to K-
12 schools, Massachusetts would be in a stronger position to keep
attracting and retaining national and international "brainpower,"
Markey continued. At the same time, Massachusetts would serve as a
"model" to the rest of the US, he contended.

But just as young people have the right to computer literacy,
parents should be "empowered" with the ability to "screen out"
pornography and other unwanted input from the Info Superhighway,
according to Markey.

Markey reported that he "applauds AOL (America Online), Microsoft"
and other companies for coming together to form PICS, a recently
announced initiative to develop user-selectable "rating protocols"
for online services built upon filtering technologies.

The congressman added that he has "successfully sponsored" similar
legislation supporting the use of chips in TV set-top boxes to
"block" programming deemed offensive by parents.

Markey also told the Boscom95 audience that the US cannot have "a
limit of 20 or 25 percent on foreign ownership" if the nation
expects to "open up the market on a reciprocal basis." The MTC's
Boscom is a worldwide forum designed to bring together
Massachusetts-based telecommunications companies with international
visitors.

As previously reported in Newsbytes, the Telecommunications Act of
1994 passed the US House by a 423-to-4 vote last year, when Markey
was committee chair, but was killed in the Senate later in the
session. Now that the Republicans have achieved House majority, the
House committee is being chaired by Rep. Jack Fields.

This year, Markey has expressed support for surviving stipulations
of the original bill that would provide a "Privacy Bill of Rights"
and that would link classrooms to the "Info Superhighway," but he
has repeatedly denounced some newly added stipulations.

"In the bill now before Congress, cable companies are deregulated
whether they face competition or not. This is simply inconsistent
with the competitive model followed in the rest of the bill,"
Markey said, during a speech at the MTC Investors Conference in
June, which was also attended by Newsbytes.

"Today, people can only own four radio stations -- 2 FM, 2 AM, in
any given market. Today we only allow a person to own one TV
station in a market. And if you own a TV station, you can't gobble
up the town newspaper or buy its cable system. (But) the bill in
its current form would lift the existing limits on the ownership of
various media properties to allow for a concentration of power that
would make Citizen Kane look like an underachiever," Markey
maintained.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19950924/Reader Contact: Mass. Telecommunications
Council, 617-439-8600; Press Contact: Cheryl DelGreco, Charles
Spofford, or Craig Librett, Miller/Shandwick Technologies for the
MTC, 617-536-0470; Reader and Press Contact: Office of US Rep.
Edward M. Markey, 202-225-2836)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
09/25/95
UNIX
Unix Expo - SunExpress Adds Products And Nations

(NEWS)(UNIX)(BOS)(00025)
Unix Expo - SunExpress Adds Products And Nations 09/25/95
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 25 (NB) -- SunExpress, Sun
Microsystems' Chelmsford, Massachusetts-based international
aftermarketing company, has now added peripheral upgrades to its US
product line-up, and both Canada and Japan to the roster of
countries in its worldwide service territory, said Jenelle Trader,
director of worldwide marketing and business development, during a
meeting with Newsbytes at Unix Expo.

The peripheral upgrades for the US market and the addition of RDI
Powerlite Portable Workstations for the SunExpress European market
were both announced at the trade show in New York City.

Beyond discussing the already added products and service regions,
Trader told Newsbytes that SunExpress now plans to add a seventh
country to its European coverage, and that the aftermarketing arm
is "looking into" Australia and New Zealand, as well.

The new Japanese region, she said, is now being serviced out of a
recently opened office in that country, whereas calls from Canada
are being fielded by English/French Canadian bilingual staffers at
a SunExpress facility in Massachusetts.

Like Sun users in other nations outside the US, users in Canada and
Japan are being provided with localized catalogs listing a "subset"
of products that appear in the US catalog, based on user demand in
the respective countries, she observed.

However, any international user who wants to order a product
available in the US, but not listed in the localized catalog, can
do so through special order, according to the marketing/business
development director.

Users in Japan, where the Western custom of direct mail ordering is
not yet strongly entrenched, have tended to "test the waters" of
SunExpress by ordering small items first, and then following up
with larger orders, Trader told Newsbytes.

In Europe, SunExpress is now serving users in six countries -- the
UK, Holland, Germany, France, Switzerland, and Sweden -- out of a
central facility with multilingual staff, reported the SunExpress
exec. "We'll be adding a seventh country in Europe soon," she
divulged.

SunExpress is also exploring the prospect of adding Australia and
New Zealand, Trader noted. One possibility being weighed is to
expand the SunExpress facility in Japan to serve other countries in
the Asia Pacific, including Australia and Japan.

Through the new addition of peripheral upgrades to US catalog
offerings, users can now purchase CPU (central processor upgrades),
as well as the following peripheral upgrade products: TurboGXplus
and TurboZX frame buffers; Model 102 storage arrays, and upgrades
to new color monitors.

The RPI PowerLite 110 and 85 portable workstations, now being
offered through the European catalogs, offer "all the capabilities
of a desktop workstation," according to Trader. Features include:
processors that operate at 110 megahertz (MHz) or 85 MHz; up to 128
megabytes (MB) of memory; 3.6 gigabytes (GB) of storage; the "same
input/output (I/O) ports as those on a Sun Sparcstation 5;" and
compatibility with Solaris 1.1.3 as well as Solaris 2.4.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19950925/Reader Contact: SunExpress, 508-442-
0003; Press Contact: Patty Long, SunExpress, 508-442-2517; Nancy
Kashanek, Schwartz Communications for SunExpress, 617-431-0770)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/25/95
IBM
Unix Expo - IBM Intros Printing Systems Manager

(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00026)
Unix Expo - IBM Intros Printing Systems Manager 09/25/95
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 25 (NB) -- IBM's new Printing
Systems Manager (PSM) for centralized network control of
multivendor printers is designed to save time and money for
organizations by preventing waste of printing supplies, paper, and
human effort, maintained IBM's Kerry W. Bensman and Keith Duvall,
in a briefing session for Newsbytes at Unix Expo in New York City.

IBM's new, object-oriented system represents the first product to
implement the Palladium print management system that was originally
prototyped in MIT's Project Athena, asserted Bensman, who is
director of Software Solutions for the IBM Printing Systems Company.

The first edition of PSM operates on RISC/6000 under AIX, but the
object-oriented print server can also be networked to multivendor
Unix systems, according to Bensman.

During a demo in the IBM booth, Newsbytes saw how PSM manages
administration and user access to printing resources such as print
queues, schedulers, and multivendor print servers and printers,
including all printers adhering to the PostScript, PCL (Printer
Control Language) and PPDS formats supported by AIX, as well as all
printers supported by PSF (Print Services Facility) for AIX,
an IBM print server.

Bensman told Newsbytes that users can submit print jobs with the
use of AIX, OS/2 and Windows clients, or over a TCP/IP
(Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) gateway.

On AIX-based clients, PSM also provides administrative functions,
sending alerts directly to the AIX workstation to warn the
administrator that the printer is out of paper or needs more toner,
or the queue is backed up, for example.

PSM uses the OSF's (Open Software Foundation's) DCE (Distributed
Computing Environment) to manage multivendor hardware and software
as "a single system," according to the IBM exec. In addition, DCE
security services are employed to control users' level of access to
printing functions.

By eliminating "piles of paper" and wasted consumables from
duplicate printing jobs, as well as countless trips by users to the
printer, PSM can cut printing services in half -- from a current
level of 6 cents per page to 3 cents per page, for instance --
thereby saving an organization $20 million or more each year, said
Duvall, who is senior technology consultant to the IBM Printing
Systems Company, also during the briefing.

PSM, he predicted, will also reduce costs by bringing centralized
IS (information systems) control to multivendor printers, many of
which have been added over the years in ad hoc fashion at the
departmental level.

Duvall told Newsbytes that IBM is releasing PSM now because it is
ready today. The next release of IBM's SystemView, which is slated
for delivery by the end of this year, will add integration with the
new print management systems, the senior consultant revealed.

PSM's printing command language and API (application programming
interface) are defined by the IEEE/POSIX (Institute of Electrical
and Electronics Engineers, Portable Operating System Interface and
System Administration Interface/Printing) draft standard, according
to the two IBM officials.

Other standards supported by PSM include ISO (International
Standards Organization/Document Printing Organization), which
defines attributes and object definitions of distributed print
systems, and X/Open's PSIS (Printing Systems Interoperability
Specification), which provides definitions for application-level
interoperability, as well as for interoperability of the client,
server, and other components of a print system.

Pricing for a PSM for AIX "base package" is $2,495, including a
single-server license and an unlimited number of desktop clients.
A PSM graphical user interface (GUI) for administration on AIX
workstations is separately priced at $4,995.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19950925/Reader Contact: IBM, 914-765-1900; Press
Contacts: Peter Lazaroff, IBM Printing Systems Company, 303-924-
4675; Rachel Postlethwaite, Technology Solutions for IBM,
212-696-2000)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/25/95
ONLINE
 ****Netscape Offers Beta Version Security Fix

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(SFO)(00027)
 ****Netscape Offers Beta Version Security Fix 09/25/95
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 25 (NB) -- Netscape
Communications (NASDAQ:NCSA) says it will offer a beta version security
update to correct a flaw found in its Navigator software. After learning
two University of California at Berkeley students found the flaw and
posted their discovery on the Internet, Netscape quickly announced the
problem to the general public and promised a prompt software correction.

Versions of the fix will be available for Netscape Navigator 1.2 for
Windows, Netscape Navigator 1.1 for Macintosh and Unix, Netscape
Commerce Server 1.1 and Netscape Proxy Server 1.1.

All versions will be posted on Netscape's World Wide Web page
(http://www.netscape.com ) on Wednesday, September 27, and all users
are "encouraged to download the software as soon as possible."

Netscape says the fix also includes updates to other portions of
Netscape's Internet software series. Domain-name limitations in its
international version of Netscape Navigator and potential stack
overflow conditions are addressed with the new software.

Providing more detail about the fix, Netscape says the point of
vulnerability found by the two students was found in the amount of
information used to seed the random number generator employed to
implement security. The update software increases the amount of
information over the previous version and this increased random
information adds a much greater degree of difficulty in identifying
the key used to encrypt a particular Internet session.

This immediate fix is a beta version which Netscape is still testing
with independent security experts.

Jeff Treuhaft, Netscape's security product manager, told Newsbytes,
"We have tested the fix and have complete confidence in it. Before we
make a production version of the update, we want to have it fully tested
by independent experts and anyone on the Internet who wants to test it."

The source code changed to address the security issue is posted on the
Internet for examination by interested parties. Final versions of the
update will be posted when all testing is complete.

Netscape recently announced version 2.0 of Netscape Navigator. The
company planned to post the new version this week, but the time
required to integrate new security changes in the source code means
version 2.0 has been slightly delayed. Netscape says it will now post
a beta version of Navigator 2.0 early next week.

(Patrick McKenna/19950925/Press Contact: Rosanne Siino, Netscape,
415-528-2619)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/25/95
BUSINESS
 ****More On Time Warner-Turner Merger & US West Protest

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00028)
 ****More On Time Warner-Turner Merger & US West Protest 09/25/95
DENVER, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 25 (NB) -- Doug Holmes, the vice
president and chief financial officer of US West Media Group,
called the proposed merger of Time Warner and Turner Broadcasting
System "a conflict of interest and a breach of fiduciary
responsibility" as he provided a glimpse into the complicated
way conglomerate businesses are often structured, but seldom seen
by the general public. Holmes' remarks were made during a
teleconference Friday afternoon.

Holmes said the conflicts of interest are based on the fact that
there are separate legal and economic structures within Time Warner
Inc. He explained that Time Warner Entertainment is a limited
partnership of which US West owns 25 percent. That partnership,
in turn, owns Warner Brothers studios, HBO, Cinemax, and the
associated copyrights and content libraries of those businesses.
It also owns Time Warner Cable.

Time Warner Inc. owns Time Warner Music and  Music Publishing, and
is the entity that would acquire Turner Broadcasting System (TBS)
under the proposed merger. "In the press conference held by Time
Warner Ted Turner commented that in the past they were competitors
and there were many conflicts of interest in the business. That is
exactly our point in filing this litigation," said Holmes.

Holmes said the conflicts exist because of the different economic
and legal structures of Time Warner Inc. and Time Warner
Entertainment (TWE).

As one example of the conflicts and potential problems, Holmes cited
the notion of a film script. Warner Bros Studios, New Line Cinema, or
Castle Rock Films might all compete for the script. But said Holmes,
if Time Warner decided only one of those companies should bid, US
West might miss an opportunity for a 25 percent interest in the
economic gains of that business venture. Holmes said the original US
West $2.5 billion stake in Time Warner is now worth an estimated $3.5
billion to $4 billion. US West had no part in structuring the proposed
TBS-Time Warner deal, he said.

The proposed merger agreement includes a non-compete clause that
specifies the two merging companies won't compete on programming and
cable businesses, and that's the heart of the US West complaint,
said Holmes. He told reporters US West has raised the issue of
conflict of interest ever since it heard about the merger and had
continued to raise them ever since, but to no avail. "We had
numerous discussions with them," said Holmes. He also declined to
comment on a question about US West being interested in being
purchased.

The US West executive said what he called "the misalignment" would
allow Time Warner to "syphon business from Warner Bros Studios and
simply build up New line and Castle Rock and run Warner Bros
Studios into the ground. We would have a huge economic loss as a
result of that."

Asked about the move of HBO to the Time Warner video division
under Ted Turner that's called for in the merger deal, Holmes said
that was another example of the problem. "How can you have Ted
Turner making decisions about HBO and also making decisions about
CNN? Who gives the next great idea for a cable TV station network
and if Ted makes that decision we have a big problem with that,"
said the US West executive.

Holmes repeatedly told reporters conflict of interest was the
problem, but declined to offer a suggestion as to what sort of
agreement would satisfy US West. He also declined to say if there
is a possibility US West would try to put together an investor group
of its own to acquire any portion of Time Warner, and reiterated a
previous US West announcement that the company has no interest in
purchasing the Seagram's block of Time Warner stock.

Holmes said the US West lawsuit is in no way linked to an
anti-trust issue, but that is something officials in the US
Attorney General's office will have to consider. That office, under
the leadership of Assistant Attorney General Anne Bingaman, has
been extremely visible recently in proposed mergers such as the
Microsoft-Intuit deal which was eventually died of old age because
of the barriers raised by the government.

TBS did not return interview requests by Newsbytes by press time.

(Jim Mallory/19950925/Press contact: Lois Leach, US West,
303-793-6355)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/25/95
TRENDS
Iomega's $150 800MB Tape Backup Drive

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(DEN)(00029)
Iomega's $150 800MB Tape Backup Drive 09/25/95
ROY, UTAH, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 25 (NB) -- Iomega Corp. (NASDAQ: IOMG)
has announced an external tape backup drive that can store up to 800
megabytes (MB) of data and has an estimated street price of under
$150. That price makes it affordable for just about any PC user to
backup their data, an important task that often gets overlooked by
home and business computer owners alike.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95092529.PCX
Click here for photo

Iomega said the Ditto Easy 800, with internal and external versions
set for shipment in early October, lets users save the contents of
their hard drive in a single step by clicking on the appropriate
icon. You don't have to pick the directories, subdirectories or
files you want to backup, since the Ditto Easy 800's software backs
up the entire hard drive.

Iomega spokesperson Cory Maloy told Newsbytes once the user launches
the first backup, preferably as soon as the Ditto Easy tape drive is
installed, the software "remembers" to backup your hard drive every
eight hours, without any user intervention and does it in the
background so you can continue to use the PC. For more sophisticated
users data can be backed up selectively, said Maloy.

The external version of the Ditto Easy 800 will plug into your
printer port, and the printer then plugs into the Easy 800's
connector in piggyback fashion. You can position the external backup
drive vertically or horizontal on your desktop.

Iomega said Ditto Easy 800 supports the popular QIC tape formats
including Travan, QIC-WIDE, and standard QIC cartridges. The backup
software is compatible with Windows 95 as well as earlier versions
of Windows, and with OS/2, DOS, and Novell, and LANtastic operating
environments.

Iomega also offers some accessories for the Ditto product line,
including: Ditto Dash, an accelerator card the company said cuts
backup time in half; the Ditto carrying case for external Ditto
drives; and Ditto tape cartridges.

The company said it will offer the one-step backup software to
users of current Ditto models for $29.95. Maloy told Newsbytes a
full 800MB backup will take about 45 minutes. Maloy said the
Ditto Easy drive has been completely redesigned and now weighs
less than one pound. It measures about one-inch high, seven-
inches long, and just over five-inches wide.

The Ditto line of backup drives were first shown to the public at
the 1995 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where the company
introduced 250MB and 750MB QIC models. Ditto systems use direct
drive technology rather than belt drives.

(Jim Mallory/19950925/Press contact: Cory Maloy, Iomega,
801-778-3712; Public contact: Iomega, 800-697-8833 or
801-778-1000/DITOEASY950925/PHOTO)


(SUMMARY)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00030)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 09/25/95
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 25 (NB) -- These are capsules
of all today's news stories:

========================================================================

------------| N E W S B Y T E S    D A I L Y   S U M M A R Y |----------

------------|           Monday, September 25, 1995           |----------

========================================================================

(c) Newsbytes News Network (Tm)             Editor in Chief: Wendy Woods

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

Newsbytes News Network is a computer and telecom industry news wire and
digitized picture service. Our news stream includes more than 30 daily
first-hand reported US and international news stories about computing
and telecommunications. For more information, please e-mail to
'[e-mail]'

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

CATEGORY  HEADLINES (*** indicates today's top stories)          STORY #

========================================================================

APPLE     Extensis Announces Graphics Add-Ons........................ 15

APPLE       ****Apple Restarts PowerBook 5300 Shipments............... 22

BROADCAST Trimble Wins Japanese Anti-Earthquake Network Order........ 08

BROADCAST British Broadcasting Watchdog Fines MTV For "Smut.......... 10

BUSINESS  US Companies Plan Asian Expansion.......................... 07

BUSINESS  XcelleNet & Shiva In Remote Computing Alliance............. 14

BUSINESS    ****More On Time Warner-Turner Merger & US West Protest... 28

DOS       Peachtree Complete Accounting Upgrade Ships................ 06

GENERAL   Japan Newsbriefs........................................... 03

GENERAL   Canadian Product Launch Update............................. 12

GENERAL   NewsPix Images For Newsbytes Publishers.................... 17

GOVT      Pittsburgh Supercomputer Center Gets $6Mil Grant........... 20

IBM       Unix Expo - IBM Intros Printing Systems Manager............ 26

NETWORK   UK - Fibernet Offers High-Speed Nationwide Network......... 02

NETWORK     ****Microsoft Ships C2 Security Release Of Windows NT..... 05

NETWORK   IBM & Bay Form Network Partnership......................... 16

ONLINE    E-Mail The Pope During His US Visit........................ 23

ONLINE      ****Netscape Offers Beta Version Security Fix............. 27

TELECOM   Sweden's Ericsson Prepares For Geneva Telecom.............. 01

TELECOM   Octel's Inter-System Voice-Mail Switching.................. 04

TELECOM   UK Gets Wired For National Games Net....................... 09

TELECOM   Ericsson & Chinese Partners Team On Telecoms Deals......... 11

TELECOM   New Protocol For Videoconferencing......................... 21

TELECOM   Boscom95 - Rep. Markey Calls For "Networked Schools........ 24

TRENDS    Face-Recognition System Aimed At Security Apps............. 13

TRENDS    CSI Study On Internet Security............................. 18

TRENDS    Software Best Seller List Adds Windows 95 Section.......... 19

TRENDS    Iomega's $150 800MB Tape Backup Drive...................... 29

UNIX      Unix Expo - SunExpress Adds Products And Nations........... 25

========================================================================

These are the headlines and first paragraphs of each story, in order:

1 -> Sweden's Ericsson Prepares For Geneva Telecom -- As the dust
settles on Networld+Interop, which took place in Paris, France recently,
the European information technology (IT) industry is gearing itself up
for the next major event

2 -> UK - Fibernet Offers High-Speed Nationwide Network -- Fibernet, a
data networking specialist company, has announced the creation of TANet
(Total Area Network), which it claims is the UK's first nationwide
high-speed comms service that provides switched data links at speeds of
up to 622 megabits-per-second (Mbps).

3 -> Japan Newsbriefs -- In this roundup of news from Japan: Matsushita
unveils new PHS handset, NEC predicts greater overseas sales, IBM Japan
announces world's smallest color notebook, NTT to refund for
overcharging, Singapore firm gets satellite license, Fujitsu unveils
karaoke CD-ROM disks.

4 -> Octel's Inter-System Voice-Mail Switching -- Octel Communications
(NASDAQ; OCTL) has announced Octelink, which it claims is the industry's
first "messaging post office" that can handle voice-mail messages to and
from any voice-mail system, regardless of protocol, system size, or
geographic location.

5 ->   ****Microsoft Ships C2 Security Release Of Windows NT -- Microsoft
Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) has announced availability of a C2-level security
release for Windows NT Workstation and Windows NT Server version 3.5,
and his signed an agreement with Starnine Technologies Inc. for that
company to develop, market, sell and support the Microsoft Mail server
for AppleTalk networks.

6 -> Peachtree Complete Accounting Upgrade Ships -- Peachtree Software
Inc., a subsidiary of Automatic Data Processing Inc.(NYSE: AUD), has
announced version 9 of its Peachtree Complete Accounting software that
is scheduled to ship by the end of September.

7 -> US Companies Plan Asian Expansion -- Three American companies have
announced expansion of Asian production facilities. Motorola is building
a factory in China as part of planned major investment there, and in
Singapore, Western Digital and StorMedia will both build new hard disk
drive plants.

8 -> Trimble Wins Japanese Anti-Earthquake Network Order -- Trimble has
been awarded a multi-million dollar contract by Japan's Geographical
Survey Institute (GSI) to expand a nationwide earth monitoring network
that is being used to aid in the prediction of earthquakes.

9 -> UK Gets Wired For National Games Net -- British Telecom (BT) has
taken the wraps off Wireplay, a multimedia online games service that
uses "fiber to the home" networks. According to BT officials, a pilot
version of Wireplay will be offered to a selected number of subscribers
in Colchester and other East Anglian towns which will be plugged into
"narrowcast" fiber to the home systems early next year.

10 -> British Broadcasting Watchdog Fines MTV For "Smut -- It used to be
that MTV in the US was regarded as somewhat racy in the late 1980s, but
now the TV station seems to have slipped into sensible "broadcast middle
age." Unfortunately, no-one seems to have informed its offspring, MTV
Europe, of this notion, as the company has just been fined UKP60,000 for
unacceptable levels of "smut" in its daytime broadcasts.

11 -> Ericsson & Chinese Partners Team On Telecoms Deals -- Ericsson has
announced that its Hong Kong subsidiary, Ericsson Hong Kong, has teamed
up with the Guangdong Post and Telecommunication Administration (GPTA)
and the Machinery Import and Export Bureau (Machimpex) for the supply of
Telecommunications Energy Systems in the Guangdong Province of the
People's Republic of China.

12 -> Canadian Product Launch Update -- This regular feature, appearing
on the first day Newsbytes publishes each week, provides further details
for the Canadian market on announcements by international companies that
Newsbytes has already covered. This week: ClarisImpact 2.0, Compaq's new
Presario models, and Hewlett-Packard's LaserJet 5L and DeskJet 340.

13 -> Face-Recognition System Aimed At Security Apps -- Miros Inc., is
aiming new software, said to be able to recognize people's faces, at
security applications such as access control and fraud detection. Miros
claimed to have solved a problem that has been holding back
face-recognition: the difficulty of recognizing the same face reliably
in spite of different expressions and minor changes such as haircuts.

14 -> XcelleNet & Shiva In Remote Computing Alliance -- Two companies
involved in the remote computing market said they're getting together to
simplify and improve the way remote and mobile computer users gain
access to centralized information. XcelleNet Inc. (NASDAQ:XNET) and
Shiva have inked the new agreement, which will create a "one-button
solution" for remote access.

15 -> Extensis Announces Graphics Add-Ons -- Extensis Corp. has
announced three new add-on products for Adobe Pagemaker, Adobe
Illustrator, and Macromedia Freehand and Adobe Photoshop.

16 -> IBM & Bay Form Network Partnership --IBM (NYSE:IBM) and Bay
Networks Inc. (NASDAQ:BNET) have announced an agreement to work together
on various aspects of networking. As a first step, IBM is to resell
Bay's Centillion 100 integrated Token Ring, Ethernet, and asynchronous
transfer mode (ATM) switch, and Bay is to resell IBM's 8272 Nways Token
Ring workgroup switch.

17 -> NewsPix Images For Newsbytes Publishers -- These photos correspond
to recent Newsbytes stories. They are online in the Newsbytes menu on
America Online, NiftyServe, and the Newsbytes private bulletin board
system in Minneapolis.

18 -> CSI Study On Internet Security -- Computer Security Institute's
(CSI) "1995 Internet Security Survey" describes the extent and nature of
security precautions large firms are taking with there Internet
connections. The report will appear in next months issue of the Computer
Security Alert, but is available now on request.

19 -> Software Best Seller List Adds Windows 95 Section -- PC Data has
added a new category to its list of software best sellers

20 -> Pittsburgh Supercomputer Center Gets $6Mil Grant -- The National
Institutes of Health has awarded the Pittsburgh Supercomputer Center $6
million over five years for work on applying supercomputing to molecular
biology. The grant also funds programs at the center for training
biomedical researchers.

21 -> New Protocol For Videoconferencing -- VideoServer Inc.
(NASDAQ:VSVR) said it is introducing a new non-proprietary
videoconferencing protocol, called "ConferenceTalk." It is also
submitting ConferenceTalk to the International Telecommunications Union
(ITU) and the International Multimedia Teleconferencing Consortium
(IMTC) for possible inclusion into a new standard for videoconferencing
scheduling.

22 ->   ****Apple Restarts PowerBook 5300 Shipments -- Almost one week
after Apple Computer (NASDAQ:AAPL) stopped shipments of its first
PowerPC-based notebook, the PowerBook 5300, the company says it is ready
to ship new models with a nickel-metal-hydride battery. Customers can
expect to see a $100 retail price reduction on the entire series.

23 -> E-Mail The Pope During His US Visit -- If you want to talk to or
see Pope John Paul II when he visits the US early next month, but you
can't get tickets, New Jersey Online is offering the next best thing. On
the Internet World Wide Web, you can send electronic-mail messages to
the Pontiff, as well as view a site dedicated to his visit.

24 -> Boscom95 - Rep. Markey Calls For "Networked Schools -- US. Rep.
Edward M. Markey, ranking Democrat on the US House of Representatives
Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Finance, called for network
connectivity among all schools nationwide by the year 2000, and in
Massachusetts within the current year, in a speech at the Mass. State
House to Mass. Telecommunications Council (MTC) members and
international guests.

25 -> Unix Expo - SunExpress Adds Products And Nations -- SunExpress,
Sun Microsystems' Chelmsford, Massachusetts-based international
aftermarketing company, has now added peripheral upgrades to its US
product line-up, and both Canada and Japan to the roster of countries in
its worldwide service territory, said Jenelle Trader, director of
worldwide marketing and business development, during a meeting with
Newsbytes at Unix Expo.

26 -> Unix Expo - IBM Intros Printing Systems Manager -- IBM's new
Printing Systems Manager (PSM) for centralized network control of
multivendor printers is designed to save time and money for
organizations by preventing waste of printing supplies, paper, and human
effort, maintained IBM's Kerry W. Bensman and Keith Duvall, in a
briefing session for Newsbytes at Unix Expo in New York City.

27 ->   ****Netscape Offers Beta Version Security Fix -- Netscape
Communications (NASDAQ:NCSA) says it will offer a beta version security
update to correct a flaw found in its Navigator software. After learning
two University of California at Berkeley students found the flaw and
posted their discovery on the Internet, Netscape quickly announced the
problem to the general public and promised a prompt software correction.

28 ->   ****More On Time Warner-Turner Merger & US West Protest -- Doug
Holmes, the vice president and chief financial officer of US West Media
Group, called the proposed merger of Time Warner and Turner Broadcasting
System "a conflict of interest and a breach of fiduciary responsibility"
as he provided a glimpse into the complicated way conglomerate
businesses are often structured, but seldom seen by the general public.
Holmes' remarks were made during a teleconference Friday afternoon.

29 -> Iomega's $150 800MB Tape Backup Drive -- Iomega Corp. (NASDAQ:
IOMG) has announced an external tape backup drive that can store up to
800 megabytes (MB) of data and has an estimated street price of under
$150. That price makes it affordable for just about any PC user to
backup their data, an important task that often gets overlooked by home
and business computer owners alike.

(Ian Stokell/19950925)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD



Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/22/95
TRENDS
 ****Asia Pacific Software Sales Still Strong

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00001)
 ****Asia Pacific Software Sales Still Strong 09/22/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 SEP 22 (NB) -- Software sales in the Asia Pacific
region in the second quarter surpassed the $300 million mark to reach
$325 million, almost double the revenue over the same period last
year, according to the latest quarterly report from the Software
Publishers Association.

In the first quarter of the year total software sales totaled $240
million compared to $325 million in the second quarter which ended
August 31. The period represented a 94% increase over the second
quarter of 1994.  In addition, unit sales increased 175% for the
quarter and 150% for the half.

Across the region strong growth continued in Japan where US companies
sold $216.2 million of applications software, a 121% growth over the
same period last year, but an even more impressive 195% unit growth on
the quarter. Japan is now the largest market for US software, at more
than twice the size of the nearest competitor, Germany.

In format terms, the SPA announced Windows software dominates the
market although Macintosh software is taking an increasing amount of
sales. Across the region, Mac versions of software accounted for 13%
of all sales. In Japan, Macintosh software made up 18% of total sales
compared to 13% a year ago.

New Zealand outperformed Australia in growth terms, registering a 171%
increase to $10 million against a 17% increase in Australian sales at
$44.5 million. Revenues in New Zealand for the first half of 1995 are
more than double those of the same period last year.

Asia's developing markets registered big increases over the same
period a year ago with China leading the pack with a 455% increase on
total second quarter revenues of $1.7 million, the smallest figure of
all the nations surveyed. Across the half, revenues were $2.7 million,
a 322% increase.

India and Pakistan achieved the second greatest revenue increase for
the quarter at 398% with revenues of $1.9 million for the quarter and
$4.8 million for the half, the latter figure representing a 198%
increase over the first half last year.

Other nations registering three digits percentage increases for the
quarter included Thailand, Japan, and Taiwan. For the half, Thailand,
Singapore, India, Pakistan, and China all counted among nations with
a percentage revenue increase above 100%.

The combined Australia & New Zealand second quarter revenues were
$55.6 million, an increase of 30%. First half revenues climbed 17% to
reach $91.4 million.

In Hong Kong revenues continued a steady rise, up 44% to $7.9 million
in the second quarter and up 31% to $14.1 million in the first half of
the year. Revenues in Korea were up 65% to $9.1 million in the second
quarter and up 60% to $17.0 million in the half.

Malaysia managed a 48% jump to $3.2 million total revenues in the
quarter, $5.4 million in the half, a rise of 45%. Neighboring
Singapore registered higher quarter growth of 85% to $8.9 million
and first half revenues of $21.0 million, a 129% jump.

An increase in quarter revenues in Taiwan of 112% to $14.5 million was
accompanied by a 95% rise on the half to $22.2 million. Thailand
recorded treble digit jumps in both measured periods, up 354% to $3.1
million in the quarter and up 341 % to $5.2 million in the half.

All other Asian countries, accounted for revenues to US software
makers of $2.2 million, an increase of 304% in the quarter, while the
half total jumped 353% to $3.9 million.

Combined, the entire Asia Pacific region recorded a 94% jump in second
quarter revenues to $325.0 million, on the half revenues increases 65%
to 564.7 million.

Commenting on the strong growth, particularly in Asia's developing
markets, Ken Wasch, president of the Software Publishers Association
said, "The emerging markets in the Asia/Pacific exemplify the
potential growth for US software publishers, while we must continue to
press efforts to eliminate the software piracy plaguing this region,
that software sales in countries such as Taiwan have doubled from this
time last year indicates progress in reaching these crucial markets."

The quarterly report measures revenues in each Asia Pacific country
and is compiled by Arthur Andersen Accounting to whom the SPA
International Data Program's 27 member software companies submit sales
data. Member companies include Borland, Claris, Lotus, Microsoft,
Software Publishing, and Symantec.

(Martyn Williams/19950922/Press contact: Sally Lawrence, Software
Publishers Association, 202-452-1600 ext 320, Internet e-mail
[e-mail] ; Reader contact: Software Publishers Association,
World Wide Web http://www.spa.org/ )




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/22/95
GENERAL
Japan Newsbriefs

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00002)
Japan Newsbriefs 09/22/95
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 SEP 22 (NB) -- In this roundup of news from Japan :
Pump priming sets aside money for telecoms, HP enters Japan notebook
market, Secom to begin Internet service, Casio establishes Philippines
pager company, New on the Japanese Internet, New televisions
announced, Kyoto cable to expand.

Pump Priming Sets Aside Money For Telecoms

A government "pump priming" package unveiled Wednesday aimed at kick-
starting the stagnating Japanese economy includes 400 billion yen
($4.06 billion) for scientific research, as well as the development of
information and telecommunications technology. The Ministry of Posts
and Telecommunications has not revealed how its part of the 14.22
trillion yen ($144 billion) economic package will be spent though.

HP Enters Japan Notebook Market

Taking its first step into the Japanese notebook computer market,
Hewlett Packard has announced it will begin selling three models of
its OmniBook range in Japan. The company, which will launch the
systems on 1 October, hopes it will sell 30,000 in the first year at
prices from 295,000 yen ($2994).

Secom To Begin Internet Service

Secom, a leading security service company, has set up a subsidiary to
offer Internet connections to businesses. Before the end of the year
it will have offices in Sapporo, Nagoya, and Omiya, Saitama Prefecture
with more to opened next year. Through a leased line connection
service, the company hopes to generate annual sales of over 2 billion
yen in three years. Secom is one of around 30 companies that owns
Tokyo Internet, which is also expanding its service into Japan's
smaller cities, and has interests in cable television networks.

Casio Establishes Philippines Pager Company

Tokyo's Casio Computer is to begin selling pagers in the Philippines.
The sales will begin next January and be manufactured and sold by
Casio Philippines Corp., a new wholly owned subsidiary set up for the
project. The company is projecting sales of 600,000 pages worth three
billion yen ($30 million) in fiscal year 1996. Within two years, the
company hopes to be selling 1.8 million pagers, worth 9.1 billion yen
($92 million), a year to the 70 million people of the country.

New On The Japanese Internet

Fujitsu has released a search engine for the Japanese portion of the
World Wide Web that will access around 300 servers to search for user-
defined key words. The service is offered free of charge and will
include foreign servers in the future, the company said.
World Wide Web: http://infonavi.infoweb.or.jp/

The Japan Motor Industrial Federation has placed complete details of
the Tokyo Motor Show onto the Internet. The site offers details of
exhibitors and products on show plus full details about getting to the
exhibition which will be held in October. The service is available in
English and Japanese.
World Wide Web: http://teleparc.infoweb.or.jp/tms/

New Televisions Announced

NEC has said it will begin selling new energy saving televisions from
October 1. The new models feature the ability to automatically
switch into wide screen mode when EDTV2 signals are being received
resulting in a 10% energy saving according to the company. The
widescreen televisions will be available in 24-inch, 20-inch, and 16-
inch models at prices of 100,000 yen ($1,015), 75,000 yen ($761), and
55,000 yen ($558), respectively. Also this week, Hitachi said it will
begin selling a 39-inch widescreen television that includes a new type
of cathode ray tube that reduces the depth of the set to just 39.5
centimeters (cm). The set is also compatible with NHK's MUSE system
Hi-Vision high definition television broadcasts. The company will make
1,000 sets a month and sell them for 800,000 yen ($8,121). At the same
time it will also begin sales of a 520,000 yen ($5,279) "Nextage" model
that boasts the ability to display up to nine channel windows on the
screen at any one time.

Kyoto Cable To Expand

The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications has given the green light
to further expansion of the cable television network in Kyoto.
Virtually all the wards of the city will soon be offered service by
Kyoto Cable Communications which already covers the Ukyo ward. The new
network, targeted to begin operation next April, will mean the company
passes 450,000 homes making it one of Japan's biggest networks.

(Martyn Williams/19950922)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/22/95
UNIX
Unix Expo - 1995 Fall Hot Iron Award Winners

(NEWS)(UNIX)(BOS)(00003)
Unix Expo - 1995 Fall Hot Iron Award Winners 09/22/95
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 22 (NB) -- In a press
conference at Unix Expo, AIM Technology named the following vendors
as winners of the 1995 Fall Hot Iron Awards: Digital Equipment
Corp., Olivetti, Silicon Graphics, Compaq, Fujitsu, and Chen
Systems.

AIM benchmark-tests and evaluates systems in eight different
categories for price-performance, as well as for load-mix, said Jim
Geers, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of AIM, during
an interview with Newsbytes at the event.

The Hot Iron Awards, now in their third incarnation, recognize
performance leaders in three selected categories, he added.

Products honored at the Unix Expo '95 awards competition included
workstations, file servers, and "multi-user shared systems." AIM
launched the Hot Iron Awards at Unix Expo '94, and held its second
contest at Uniforum, Newsbytes was told.

Among the winners of this fall's awards, RISC (reduced instruction
set computing) processors continued to dominate in price/performance
among workstations, although Intel processors took the lead for
price/performance in other product categories, according to Geers.
Novell's UnixWare 2 was given special mention for being installed on
nine of the Intel-based winning machine.

In addition, this was the first time that multiple-CPU (central
processing unit) machines outnumbered single-processor computers
among the award winners.

In each of six performance categories, AIM chose winners in two or
three different price brackets. For "Best Throughput Performer"
among multiuser shared systems, this year's Hot Iron winners were
the Olivetti SNX 400/4 RS Systema (less than $50,000); the Compaq
ProLiant 4500 5/133 ($50,000 to $149,000); and the Digital
AlphaServer 8400 5/133 (over $149,000).

For "Best Price/Performance Throughput" among multiuser shared
systems, the winners were: the Digital Prioris XL Server 5100DP
(less than $50,000); Fujitsu ICS superserver J554i, ICL ($50,000 to
$149,000); and Chen Systems CS1000 Model 10 (over $149,000).

In the workstation arena, the two machines that got the nod for
"Best Performer" were both from Digital: the DEC 3000 Model 600
(under $25,000), and Digital AlphaStation 600 5/300 (over $25,000).

The two workstations that took the honors for "Best
Price/Performance" were both from Silicon Graphics: the Silicon
Grphics Indy R4600PC 133 MHz (under $25,000); and Indigo2 R4400 200
MHz (over $25,000).

Among file servers, victorious systems for "best Throughput
Performer" included the Digital Prioris HX 5100MP/2 (under
$50,000); the Compaq ProLiant 4500 5/133 8-disk ($50,000 to
$149,000); and Compaq ProLiant 4500 5/133 36-disk (over $150,000).

File servers recognized by AIM for "Best Price/Performance
Throughput" were the Digital Prioris LX 590 (under $50,000); Compaq
ProLiant 4500 5/133 8-disk ($50,000 to $149,000); and Compaq
ProLiant 4500 36-disk (over $150,000).

(Jacqueline Emigh/19950921/Reader Contact: AIM Technology,
408-748-0161; Press Contact: Tammy Bauer, AIM, 708-516-9013)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/22/95
PC
Creative Labs Europe Intros 3-D PC Game Card

(NEWS)(PC)(LON)(00004)
Creative Labs Europe Intros 3-D PC Game Card 09/22/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995 SEP 22 (NB) -- Creative Labs has announced, what
it claims is, the industry's first three-dimensional (3-D) game card for
use with home PCs. According to officials with the multimedia company,
the 3-D Blaster is high performance add-in board that brings all of the
advantages of sophisticated arcade games to the home PC user.

"By bringing workstation-level graphics performance to the home PC, we
are enabling consumers to get all the excitement and realism of the
latest high-end 3-D arcade games from their current generation home PC.
We are setting a new standard for PC gaming on home computers,"
claimed Sim Wong Hoo, Creative Technology's chairman.

According to Creative Labs, the 3-D Blaster is being aimed at 80486-
based home PC users, which the company claims means a potential market
of 20 million worldwide.

Plans call for the 3-D Blaster card to be the first of a family of
games cards for PCs, and the company hopes to see other firms adopting
the system as a de facto standard. Creative Labs claims that the 3-D
Blaster has attracted attention and support from several companies in
the advanced audio industry and many software vendors plus computer
game developers such as Interplay, EA/Bullfrog, Microsoft, Mindscape,
Looking Glass, and others.

The company claims that the good level of support for the 3-D Blaster
system confirms the strong belief in the industry that the
availability of advanced 3-D graphics accelerator cards will soon bring
more 3D titles to the market.

Creative also claims it has been working closely with Microsoft on
interfacing the games card technology to Windows 95. According to Brad
Silverberg, senior vice president of Microsoft's Personal Systems
Division in the US, the 3-D Blaster takes computing gaming to new
levels.

"The 3D Blaster is optimized for the Windows 95 DirectDraw, Reality
Lab and Direct3D API's (application programming interfaces) and
provides us with the first opportunity to demonstrate the true
two-dimensional (2-D) and 3-D gaming capabilities inherent in
Windows 95," he explained.

Initially, the 3-D Blaster games card will be sold in a bundle with
a suite of 3-D software, taking advantage of 3-D Blaster such as
EA/Bullfrog's Magic Carpet Plus, Mindscape's Cybersled and Azreal's
Tear, Papyrus' NASCAR, PF Magic's Ballz Out! And Looking Glass
Technologies' Fight Unlimited. Pricing will be announced closer to
shipment date, which will be towards the end of this year.

(Sylvia Dennis/19950921/Press & Reader Contact: Creative Labs,
[phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/22/95
TRENDS
HP's Wireless Portable Printer

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00005)
HP's Wireless Portable Printer 09/22/95
BRACKNELL, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 SEP 22 (NB) -- Hewlett-Packard
(HP) has taken the wraps off its first notebook printer that supports
the IRDA (Infra Red Data Association) infra red wireless connection
technology. The DeskJet 340 is a UKP234 mobile printer that can be
driven by an IRDA-compatible PC, typically a notebook, at up to
three-feet distance.

According to HP's UK operation, the printer is being launched this
week on a worldwide basis, with US pricing expected to come under the
$400 mark.

IRDA is an association of more than 90 companies, including HP,
Microsoft and IBM, who finalized a standard in 1994 by which different
kinds of computer devices could communicate via infrared links. HP,
Newsbytes notes, introduced its first infrared capable laser printer,
the LaserJet 5 series, earlier this year.

Announcing the release of the new printer, Richard Hanscott, HP's
Personal Printer Marketing Manager, said that, as the wireless office
comes of age, "point-and-click home and office technology will be as
common as TV remote controls."

"For mobile workers who value a compact printer with desktop
performance, we have added another dimension of freedom and
versatility in mobile printing," he said.

HP cites figures released recently by Dataquest, which it claims show
that sales of infrared devices are expected to grow to $36 million
annually by 1997. Sales were one million in 1993. HP itself estimates
that the mobile printer market will have grown 43 percent between 1995
and 1996, and that notebook PC sales will continue to grow at a
double-digit rate until 1998. In addition, HP predicts that notebook
PC shipments will account for 25 percent of all PC shipments by the
time 1998 comes around.

The DeskJet 340 mobile printer, which replaces the older DeskJet 320
unit, also features a lightweight, portable sheet feeder. The 30-page
sheet feeder weighs less than one pound. In use, the printer handles
letter, legal, and A4-size cut sheet paper, transparencies, film, and
labels. An optional desktop cut-sheet feeder, which holds up to 60
sheets of paper, is available for UKP63.

The printer can work at resolutions of up to 600 by 300 dots-per-inch
(dpi) and includes HP's Resolution Enhancement technology for sharp
print edging. In standard mode, the printer can work at three pages-per-
minute (ppm) in monochrome and 4ppm with the optional color printing
kit.

(Steve Gold/19950921/Press Contact: Ralph Tuckwell, PA Consulting
Group, [phone]; Reader Contact: Hewlett-Packard, +44-1344-
369222)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/22/95
NETWORK
Europe - Proteon's Globetrotter Internet Products

(NEWS)(NETWORK)(LON)(00006)
Europe - Proteon's Globetrotter Internet Products 09/22/95
NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND, 1995 SEP 22 (NB) -- Proteon has unveiled the
Globetrotter range of Internet and InterOffice Access devices.
According to Bill Mew, a spokesman for the company, the networking
products represent a new area for Proteon, since they allow LAN (local
area network) interconnects with the Internet and other network
services.

Mew told Newsbytes that, to date, Proteon has concentrated on the
bridges and router markets, carving out a niche for itself on the
price-competitive front. The aim of the Globetrotter range is to
create a similar price competitive name for the company, with
pricing on an Ethernet unit costing UKP530.

Formal launch of the Globetrotter range is expected in early October,
when the products will be launched in the US as well. Shipment, Mew
told Newsbytes, is expected later this year.

The Globetrotter series kicks off with the Model 60, a UKP530 unit
which has Internet access through a single LAN attached device. The
Model 62, meanwhile, sells for UKP665 and supports IP (Internet
Protocol), IPX (Internet Packet Exchange) plus AppleTalk routing, as
well as bridging between remote offices.

Proteon claims that the Globetrotter range are the most compact and
fully functional routers of their type in the world, and offer the
industry's least expensive solution for internetworking.

The idea behind the development of the Globetrotter range is that
connectivity is made a lot easier from the user's perspective. The
company claims that installing a Globetrotter LAN connection system
takes around five minutes, and allows any network-attached PC or
workstation with IP (Internet Protocol) client software to send and
receive electronic-mail, download files using FTP (File Transfer
Protocol) and also access the World Wide Web.

In addition to basic IP routing, the Globetrotter series are billed as
handling other protocols, including IPX, AppleTalk and bridging
functions. The aim is to cut the cost of internetworking right down to
the lowest level, allowing networking across the Internet as an option
for LAN users wanting interconnection.

As supplied, the Globetrotter systems come with connections for one
Ethernet LAN and one wide area network (WAN). The initial offering
from Proteon supports one synchronous WAN link with speeds up to
T1/E1. Plans call for asynchronous and ISDN (integrated services
digital network) connectivity to be supported in a second wave of
products scheduled for release in early 1995.

(Steve Gold/19950921/Press Contact: Bill Mew, Firefly Communications,
[phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Reader Contact:
Proteon, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/22/95
TELECOM
Italy's Omnitel To Begin GSM Net Tests Next Month

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00007)
Italy's Omnitel To Begin GSM Net Tests Next Month 09/22/95
MILAN, ITALY, 1995 SEP 22 (NB) -- Omnitel has announced that its
planned GSM (global system for mobile communication) digital cellular
net will start test operations within the next few weeks, prior to a
formal launch in December of this year.

According to Francesco Caio, Omnitel's managing director, when the
network begins operation before Christmas, subscribers will find that
around 40 percent of Italy's population areas will be covered by the
network. Roaming with foreign networks should also start within the
same time frame, as roaming agreements with several other national GSM
networks across Europe are now in place.

Interestingly, Omnitel appears to be copying the stand of Cellnet and
Vodafone's GSM nets in the UK, which do not allow roaming to each
other's network. According to Caio, Omnitel subscribers will not be
able to roam between their own network and that of Telecom Italia's
system, and vice versa.

This lack of roaming is something that Omnitel is working on, Ciao
added, claiming that the Italian Ministry of Posts and
Telecommunications is looking into the problem of lack of roaming
between technically compatible networks.

Caio told journalists that, because of this lack of roaming, Omnitel
is pouring large amounts of resources into expanding its network. The
company claims to have already spent 550 billion lire on its network,
and will invest a further 300 billion on expansion within the next six
months.

(Steve Gold/19950921/Press Contact: Omnitel, [phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/22/95
ONLINE
America Online Offers "Online Photo Service"

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(MSP)(00008)
America Online Offers "Online Photo Service" 09/22/95
VIENNA, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 22 (NB) -- America Online Inc.
(NASDAQ:AMER) is introducing an "electronic photo service"
that lets its members share pictures with anyone having a computer
and access to electronic-mail or the Internet's World Wide Web.

The new service, called PicturePlace, lets members see their prints
via AOL and distribute them to others 24 hours after the service
physically receives the prints, slides, or negatives. This method is
more cost-effective than having the service send back the digitized
pictures on disk via the mails, officials said.

"Communications online have become much more graphical," Judy Tashbook,
AOL spokesperson, told Newsbytes. "When you go into an online service
or the Web, you see pictures everywhere. But the average consumer
doesn't have a way to participate in that," until now, she said.

Normal photos cost only 99 cents to digitize, with no minimum,
officials said. Images can then be either downloaded or stored at
the PicturePlace site on AOL. If downloaded, the images can be
stored in either the ".gif" or ".jpg" formats. All charges will be
billed to a credit card of the customer's choice.

Other features of the area include a "PictureAlbum," which allows users
to store unlimited numbers of pictures without using the hard drive
space on their own computers. Storing 100 photos for up to one year
costs $24.95. A "PictureCircles" program lets members share photos
with friends, family, business associates, or the world. Available
for $9.95 per year, members can define unlimited numbers of online
users giving them access to the same photos and interactively work with
their pictures to create a variety of picture-based products, said the
company. Those products include graphics for word processing programs,
content for Web pages, and printed or online greeting cards.

Besides e-mail, AOL members can put the pictures into their own
Web pages on the service, Tashbook said.

The PicturePlace area on AOL can be reached by typing the Keyword
"PicturePlace" (without quotes).

PicturePlace is a partner of AOL's Greenhouse program, a business
unit of AOL that gives support to "infopreneurs" in creating
content exclusively for the online medium.

(Bob Woods/19950921/Press Contact: Judy Tashbook, America Online,
703-918-1452. Public Contact: America Online, 800-827-6364,
PicturePlace area, Keyword: PicturePlace)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/22/95
TRENDS
 ****Video Rental Group Supports Digital Video

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00009)
 ****Video Rental Group Supports Digital Video 09/22/95
CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 22 (NB) -- The Video Software Dealers
Association (VSDA) has expressed its support for the accord reached
between the providers of two competing digital video disk (DVD)
formats. VSDA is a non-profit trade association for the $20 billion
home video industry.

VSDA had taken a position favoring a single DVD format and avoiding
a conflict similar to the VHS-Betamax battle of the early 1980's. The
association called for an agreement that would result in a single
format as an essential requirement to the introduction of DVD in the
market place.

Jeffrey Eves, president of VSDA, told Newsbytes, "This important
development will bring home video entertainment into the digital
decade. However, the video-cassette will be around for some time since
VCRs are in more than 80% of all homes -- over a half-billion units."

"VSDA maintains its historic position that the DVD must be available
for rental as well as sell-through," Eves added, "and studio executives
have assured VSDA they will support the rental marketplace. Video
retailers have built the current VCR-based home video market into a
$20 billion industry through the rental of movies on video tape. The
rental market is the key to the successful implementation of this new
technology.  Of course, this also implies that the new DVD product be
designed and marketed with the special requirements of the rental
environment in mind."

Availability of DVD for rental has come into question by the United
States Department of Commerce "white paper" on international copyright
issues. The United States has long held that video cassette rentals
were subject to the so-called "first sale doctrine." This doctrine
establishes the consumer's right to rent videocassettes once it becomes
available for sale.

In Europe, the producer of a movie has the right to restrict the buyer
of a videocassette from renting it. The Department of Commerce has
been toying with the idea of creating a "European rule" for digital
reproductions in the United States.

In a letter to the Department of Commerce, Eves wrote, "We see no
rational distinction between rental of digital products for home
entertainment and educational purposes and the rental of analog
products. The United States has led the world in promoting home
entertainment by way of videocassette rental and sale. It should
not be swayed by efforts to retreat in whole or in part."

(Richard Bowers/19950900/Press Contact:  Cynthia Citron,
VSDA, 818-385-1500)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/22/95
IBM
IBM Europe Intros OS/2 Warp Entertainment Toolkit

(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00010)
IBM Europe Intros OS/2 Warp Entertainment Toolkit 09/22/95
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1995, SEP 22 (NB) -- IBM has announced the OS/2 Warp
Entertainment Toolkit. According to Big Blue, the package is designed
to assist PC entertainment software creators for OS/2.

IBM officials claim that the Toolkit improves software capabilities as
far as sound, visual, and player interaction areas are concerned. As
with most SDK (software development kits), the Toolkit is not sold as
a standalone item, but is sold on a developer's subscription basis.

According to Val Russell, a spokeswoman for IBM, the package builds on
the existing resources in "The Developer Connection for OS/2" (DevCon)
by including several new IBM technologies. Tools, software technology
and information are distributed to the 17,000 of DevCon members every
quarter on the CD-ROM disc to bring them up-to-date new technological
achievements in the OS/2 area.

Membership of IBM's DevCon group costs UKP131 a year. Subscribers
receive an initial CD-ROM with the toolkit and associated software
when they join, and various utilities, updates, technology, and
information news is sent to them on CD-ROM on a quarterly basis.

Commenting on the availability of this new toolkit for OS/2 software
developers, Lee Reiswig, general manager of IBM's Personal Software
Products division, said that the kit "empathically supports our
continued dedication to the home and desktop market."

"This will allow developers to capitalize on the multimedia features
OS/2 offers and will build on our broad range of PC entertainment for
home use," he explained.

The OS/2 Warp Video side of the toolkit provides advanced support
inclusive of a full screen for PC entertainment programs, and features
Direct Interface Video extensions (DIVE), Direct Access to Video
Buffer, and 32-bit virtual I/O (input/output) support. Another
element of the toolkit is OS/2 Warp 3-D, which helps with modeling and
rendering of three-dimensional graphics, with the use of enhanced DIVE
interface for maximum visual efficiency.

The OS/2 Warp Audio element of the toolkit assists anyone working on a
software direct audio interface and gives a high-speed audio
alternative for those applications where expensive, complex methods of
synchronizing sound with visual effects can not be considered.

According to IBM, the trend of bringing to the market new solution's
support for OS/2 Warp is growing in the industry. Big Blue claims that
almost 60 software developers have presented their plans related to
development of more than 100 native OS/2 Warp applications for the
Intel and PowerPC platforms.

IBM also claims that, during the year to date, more than 2.7 million
copies of OS/2 were sold as the market for these products grows.

(Sylvia Dennis/19950921/Press Contact; Val Russell, IBM,
[phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/22/95
ONLINE
Quarterdeck Teams With Demon For UK Internet Services

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(LON)(00011)
Quarterdeck Teams With Demon For UK Internet Services 09/22/95
COLCHESTER, ESSEX, ENGLAND, 1995 SEP 22 (NB) -- Quarterdeck's UK
division has teamed up with Demon Internet Services (DIS) to offer,
what it claims, is one of the most "aggressively priced" Internet
access packages and services available in the market.

In return for UKP49.95, users get a copy of Quarterdeck's
InternetSuite of Internet software, which includes the company's
Mosaic Browser package, plus free sign-up and a month's free access
to the Demon Internet service.

For experienced Internet users, Quarterdeck is also offering a copy of
its Mosaic Web Browser software for UKP19.95, which also includes the
free sign-up/month Demon service package.

Steve Kennedy, business development manager with Demon, said, "The
Internet is growing rapidly, and this will strengthen our position to
gain market share as the leading Internet access provider in the UK."

At Quarterdeck, meanwhile, Gordon Bastiens, the company's chief
executive officer (CEO), said that the Demon deal will allow the company
to forge ahead in its plan to become a major player in the European
Internet market. "The UK market is strategically very important to us,
and in cooperation with Demon Internet, we will be able to develop a
leading market position," he said.

As previously reported by Newsbytes, Quarterdeck Mosaic is designed
for new as well as experienced Internet users and, in addition to
assisting users in exploring and obtaining information from the World
Wide Web, allows the user to filter the information found and
organize it into customized folders with a simple drag-and-drop
interface. The package also includes a directory of pre-installed Web
addresses organized by topic.

The Quarterdeck InternetSuite, meanwhile, includes the English version
of Quarterdeck Mosaic, as well as applications that simplify set-up
and use of dial-up Internet connections. The package includes
Quarterdeck Mosaic, Quarterdeck Message Center QTERM (Telnet), QFTP
(File Transfer Protocol), and Quarterdeck Location Manager. The suite
also includes integrated Windows SLIP/PPP support for easy dial-up
connections to the Internet.

Further details of the software, together with details of the Demon
bundling arrangement, can be found on Quarterdeck's Web pages, which
are at http://www.qdeck.com .

(Steve Gold/19950919/Press Contact: Nick Spencer UK, tel [phone],
fax [phone], Internet e-mail [e-mail];
In the US: Linda White, Brodeur & Partners 408-562-6108, Internet
e-mail [e-mail]; Reader Contact: Quarterdeck UK, +44-1245-
496699, Internet e-mail [e-mail]; Demon Internet,
[phone])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/22/95
ONLINE
Delrina's Skapinker Outlines Internet Opportunities

(NEWS)(ONLINE)(TOR)(00012)
Delrina's Skapinker Outlines Internet Opportunities 09/22/95
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 SEP 22 (NB) -- Where's the money in the
Internet business? Possibly in providing access to the Internet and
software to use with it, and possibly in advertising-supported
information services.

However, it is probably not in information services that rely on
subscription revenue, according to Mark Skapinker, president of
software vendor Delrina Corp.

Speaking to an overflow audience at E-Mail World, Web World, and
Internet Expo, a combined show and conference at the Metropolitan
Toronto Convention Centre this week, Skapinker outlined six potential
business models for making a buck out of the Internet. His list included:
the subscription model, the shopping mall model, the software sales model,
the advertising model, the computer services model, and the travel agent
model.

Skapinker said the subscription model, in which information providers get
their revenue directly from network users, historically has not been very
profitable and "the era of end-user subscriptions for content is ending."
He said the advertising model, in which revenue comes from advertising to
support the provision of content that in turn attracts people to the site
so that they read the advertising, is more promising. The major issue with
this model, he added, is how to charge for the advertising. It is possible
to charge by the number of "hits," meaning the number of times someone
connects with the page containing the ad. However, this can be misleading
because some people only come to a page on the way to another one and do
not really look at it closely.

Selling goods directly is another way businesses might make money on the
"net." This is Skapinker's shopping mall model, and he pointed out that
the $51 million print catalog business is a natural for conversion to the
Internet. Skapinker cited a World Wide Web site at http://www.onsale.com
as an example of what can be done in this area.

The travel agent model refers to making money not by selling goods or by
carrying advertising for them, but by facilitating transactions. Just as a
travel-agent earns commissions by connecting travelers with transportation
providers, this type of Internet business would make its money by linking
up net users with people who could provide the goods and services they
wanted.

The remaining two models rely on helping people use the Internet. One is
the computer services model, in which businesses can make money by creating
Web pages, providing servers, consulting, and the like. The other is the
business Skapinker's own company is in -- providing software to help people
use the Internet.

One interesting area of Internet activity today, Skapinker said, is audio.
The Internet lacks the bandwidth to handle video effectively at the moment,
but it can transmit real-time audio. Skapinker said a service called
Realaudio makes it possible to receive what amounts to a real-time radio
broadcast over the Internet -- except that unlike radio, Realaudio lets the
listener select and skip around within the content. For instance, with a
radio newscast you have no alternative to listening to the first story in
its entirety before getting to the second. With Realaudio, as with a
newspaper, if you lose interest part way through the first item you can
skip ahead to the second.

One of Skapinker's statistics suggested that the current fascination with
the Internet could be blown out of proportion, though. There are currently
about 40 million Internet users, he said -- but 80 percent of them are
limited to electronic-mail.

(Grant Buckler/19950922)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/22/95
TELECOM
MobileWare Software Launched In Canada

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00013)
MobileWare Software Launched In Canada 09/22/95
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1995 SEP 22 (NB) -- MobileWare, software for
remote office communications from MobileWare Corp. in Dallas, has come to
Canada thanks to a deal between MobileWare and Bell Mobility, the wireless
communications unit of regional telephone carrier Bell Canada.

Bell Mobility, which serves central Canada, will offer the MobileWare
software. The software lets people on the road or at home receive
electronic-mail and fax messages from their offices via wired or wireless
links to their portable computers.

The software can connect to various mail packages over cellular or regular
phone lines, wide area networks, or local area networks, company officials
said. It runs on a Microsoft Windows NT server, said Peggy Burt,
vice-president of marketing at MobileWare. However, the software can also
be used with a Novell Inc. NetWare network by setting up the MobileWare
server on a Windows NT system (which may be running either the server or
the client version of NT) attached to the NetWare network, Burt told
Newsbytes.

MobileWare supports cellular digital packet data (CDPD) transmission, but
can also work with standard switched cellular, which is more widely
available, Burt noted. It does not currently work with the Ardis network,
which uses radio frequencies to transmit data, but Burt said this
capability could be added quite easily if the demand arises.

A mobile user can write e-mail messages on his or her portable computer
at will. When the computer is connected to the MobileWare server, the
software will upload the outgoing messages to the server, which will
pass them on to the mail system. At the same time, it will download any
messages for that user that the server has received since the last
connection.

(Grant Buckler/19950922/Press Contact: Angela Hislop, Bell Mobility,
416-213-3308; Public Contact: Bell Mobility, 800-599-4698, Internet
e-mail [e-mail])




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/22/95
NETWORK
Intel & Lotus Intro Real Notes, IBM Adds Support

(NEWS)(NETWORK)(SFO)(00014)
Intel & Lotus Intro Real Notes, IBM Adds Support 09/22/95
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 22 (NB) -- Lotus Development
(NASDAQ:LOTS) and Intel have jointly announced a new version of Lotus Notes,
called RealTime Notes, based on Intel's ProShare conferencing technology.
In addition, IBM unveiled significant new support of the Intel conferencing
tool.

RealTime Notes is immediately available and the boxed edition is based
on Intel's Premier version of ProShare. Premier is a point-to-point (two-
person) version of ProShare which allows a whiteboard for real-time
sharing of data and applications. RealTime Notes may be used to
connect two people across a local area network or a wide area network
and allow them to work simultaneously on the same files.

Features of the new Notes product include application and file sharing,
a conferencing-enabled address book, a conference journal, special
icons, and conferencing developers tools.

Additionally, RealTime Notes users who have Intel's video version of
ProShare are able to integrate videoconferencing into a RealTime
Notes session. For RealTime Notes users who do not have the
videoconferencing tool, Intel is offering a special upgrade.

RealTime Notes is being shipped with all new Lotus Notes 3.x clients
for Windows through December 95. There is no additional cost for
RealTime Notes. Intel says its Premier version of ProShare being used
with RealTime is a $299 value which is included in RealTime Notes.

From a teleconference, Newsbytes learned the RealTime
announcement is the result of an Intel/Lotus announcement made last
year. In that announcement, both companies said they would team to
investigate customers needs and produce products as a result of such
an investigation.

Patrick Gelsinger, vice president and general manager of Intel's Personal
Conferencing Division, said, "Together, we have the answer customers want.
By coming together, Intel and Lotus are offering a combined product which
expands the benefits of each separate product and more specifically fits
customers needs."

Answering a question about the slow adoption of ProShare technology,
Gelsinger said, "Getting ProShare into popular use has been tougher
than we expected, but now we are seeing steady growth. I think the
price points have been an issue, but they are coming down. With this
announcement and the value of the product, we think more people will
become exposed to ProShare technology. Now every Notes users is a
potential ProShare user."

Providing extra strength to Intel's campaign to increase the popularity
and use of ProShare, is IBM. Also participating in the teleconference,
IBM announced support for the ProShare conferencing technology. Big
Blue says it will offer ProShare on its OS/2 operating system for
customers who want conferencing in their Windows environment. OS/2
already has its own proprietary conferencing product, Person-to-Person,
built into OS/2.

In further support, IBM says selected models of its newly announced
Aptiva line will have ProShare conferencing preloaded. IBM will
market ProShare with its mobile and commercial desktop computers.

(Patrick McKenna/19950922/Press Contact: Jon Jackson, Intel,
503-264-9463)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/22/95
TELECOM
Wireless PCS Trial Completed In Montreal

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00015)
Wireless PCS Trial Completed In Montreal 09/22/95
MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA, 1995 SEP 22 (NB) -- LanSer Personal
Communications, one of the companies that has applied for a license to
offer personal communications services (PCS) in Canada, recently completed
a trial of wireless time division multiple access (TDMA) technology in
Montreal.

The 16-day test involved faculty and students at the Ecole Polytechnique de
Montreal. Patrick Fernet, vice-president of engineering and chief technical
officer at LanSer, told Newsbytes he was "very happy about the results."
Equipment from several different manufacturers worked well together, Fernet
said, and a student assigned to try to break the security of the system
was not able to do so.

Fernet said 10 equipment manufacturers were involved in the trial, with
seven students and six faculty members testing the system. Besides privacy,
the trial was meant to test the safety, environmental, educational, and
health-care implications of the PCS equipment, LanSer said.

Fernet said the trial was a useful learning process for LanSer, which
"solved a lot of problems during the trial."

LanSer, which is partly owned by AT&T Wireless of Seattle and partly
owned by Helix (Quebec) Inc., filed an application Sept. 15 for a nationwide
30 megahertz (MHz) license to offer broadband PCS services. The federal
government is currently considering applications and will be issuing several
licenses for PCS operations. LanSer plans to link its PCS services in Canada
to those of AT&T in the United States.

While it waits for the government's decision, LanSer plans to move ahead
with another trial, probably starting next month. There are "a few things
we'd like to try and demonstrate," Fernet said. "We're certainly not sitting
idle."

(Grant Buckler/19950922/Press Contact: Mike Abramsky, LanSer
Personal Communications, 416-495-0010; Patrick Fernet, LanSer Personal
Communications, 514-485-7104)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
09/22/95
BUSINESS
 ****Netscape Acquires Collabra Software

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00016)
 ****Netscape Acquires Collabra Software 09/22/95
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 22 (NB) --  Netscape
Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: NSCP) has announced the signing
of a definitive agreement to acquire Collabra Software Inc. an
independent developer of collaborative, computing software. The
acquisition is aimed at extending Netscape into the collaboration and
messaging market.

Netscape will purchase 100 percent of Collabra, a privately held
company, for 1.85 million shares of Netscape stock. At current market
values this would place the transaction over $100 million.

Rosanne Siino, a spokesperson for Netscape, told Newsbytes, "This is
our first acquisition since we went public. One of the reasons we went
public was to create a trading currency for acquisitions that fit and
can grow our company. This acquisition is a natural fit, and although
we are not planning to announce any other soon, we will be looking
for acquisitions that have the same appeal as Collabra."

"By combining Collabra's products and technologies with our own, we
broaden our ability to offer customers strong, integrated solutions
for easily communicating and collaborating within and beyond the
enterprise using open standards," said Jim Barksdale, president of
Netscape. "We also gain the benefit of Collabra's tremendous team of
people, who bring world-class expertise in providing messaging and
collaborative technologies."

"With the overwhelming majority of our enterprise customers wanting
to integrate their internal messaging systems with the Internet, we
are extremely excited to join Netscape," said Eric Hahn, president of
Collabra. "Working with Netscape's outstanding team will enable us
to deliver our market-leading collaboration technology on the
platform our customers are requesting."

Collabra Software was founded in 1993 by Hahn, a former manager of
Lotus' Mail Division, to develop messaging-based collaborative
computing products. Collabra currently employs 47 people, including
more than 20 engineers. Collabra is a privately held company, and
neither it nor Netscape would release Collabra's financials.

Collabra's flagship product, Collabra Share, first shipped in
July, 1994, and is a group conferencing and information sharing
application. Collabra Share provides electronic discussion forums
where people can distribute and discuss information. Collabra Share
is currently available on Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Mail, Novell
Groupwise, Banyan BeyondMail, and Lotus cc:Mail.

"Our customers on enterprise networks have asked us for
collaboration and messaging tools to enable people in their
organizations to work together more effectively," said Marc
Andreessen, vice president of technology for Netscape. "Our research
showed Collabra's technology to be best-of-class for providing open
systems, collaborative computing solutions. By integrating Collabra's
technology tightly into the Netscape open systems platform, we can
provide our customers with the first comprehensive collaboration and
communications  platform spanning the enterprise and the Internet."

Netscape announced that it will incorporate Collabra's collaboration
and messaging capabilities into future versions of Netscape Navigator
and Netscape server products. Netscape will continue to market, and
support Collabra Share 2.0. By 1996, Netscape will release upgrades
to Netscape Navigator and Netscape servers which will begin to
integrate Collabra Share.

(Richard Bowers/19950922/Press Contact:  Rosanne Siino, Netscape,
415-528-2619)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
09/22/95
BROADCAST
VCON Intros Desktop Videoconferencing For LANs

(NEWS)(BROADCAST)(DEN)(00017)
VCON Intros Desktop Videoconferencing For LANs 09/22/95
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 22 (NB) -- VCON Inc. has introduced
its Armada Escort system, a product that provides video and
audioconferencing capabilities between users whether they are on
the same local area network (LAN) or in different parts of the
world.

#IMAGE 1 20 TWPCX \images\95092217.PCX
Click here for photo

The H.320-compliant PC-based Armada system includes a PCI
(Peripheral Component Interconnect)-based hardware codec
(coder-decoder) board, a camera, audio handset and user software
with documentation. VCON said the suggested retail price of $1,495
is about half the cost of competing products.

Features of the Armada system include dual video windows
capability, an available  bandwidth of 384 kilobits-per-second
(Kbps), and a choice of audio options that includes a hands-free mode
which utilizes the speakers attached to the user's PC. The system
uses hardware-based video compression.

Armada also offers file transfer at 40Kbps, electronic
whiteboarding, and an some advanced features under the name
MeetingPoint which lets conferees share applications on a PC
in real-time. It also includes video mail, which sends a recorded
message with  video of the person sending the message, and a remote
printing capability that lets either conferee print on the other
party's printer.

VCON also offers a $1,995 software developer's kit for developers
and system integrators who want to create their own
videoconferencing applications or port existing applications to work
with the Armada Escort system. Mike Clifford, VCON vice president
of sales and marketing, told Newsbytes the SDK includes open
source code, tech support, and free software upgrades for one year.

The company recently announced the Armada Cruiser system which has
been retitled Armada Cruiser 50, a $1,395 desktop videoconferencing
product for use over ISDN (integrated services digital network) Basic
Rate Interface (BRI) lines that also comes with the MeetingPoint
package.

Armada is intended for implementation over ATM (asynchronous transfer
mode) and ISO-Ethernet networks, but VCON said a software upgrade will
be provided in the first quarter of 1996 for operating over existing
Ethernet LANs. The company demonstrated a live videoconferencing link
through an ISO-Ethernet hub at the recent Networks Expo trade show.

VCON will introduce Armada Cruiser 100, a product similar to
Cruiser 50, but with improved video quality, said Clifford. It will
have a suggested retail price of $1,595. The Armada Escort and the
Cruiser 50 and Cruiser 100 are all scheduled to ship in early
November.

(Jim Mallory/19950922/Press contact: Alan Weinkrantz, Alan
Weinkrantz and Company for VCON, 210-820-3070; Public contact:
VCON, tel [phone] or fax [phone]/VCON950922/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
09/22/95
GENERAL
The Jewish World On CD-ROM

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00018)
The Jewish World On CD-ROM 09/22/95
SHAKER HEIGHTS, OHIO, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 22 (NB) -- A new CD-ROM-based
magazine may promote Jewish culture, but a spokesperson for the company
told Newsbytes it's more important to recognize that technology is
beginning to impact specific cultural groups.

JEMM Productions, an Israel-based publisher with US offices in
Shaker Heights, Ohio, has released CD-JEMM, a CD-ROM magazine the
company said harnesses the latest technology to the "service of
Jewish family education and entertainment, offering culture,
heritage and fun."

The initial issue of the magazine, which is updated four times a
year, was shipped recently in time for the Jewish New Year next
week. Jews around the world will celebrate the holiday Monday,
September 25, 1995. Selections in the inaugural edition include a
story of how the author's father and uncle survived Buchenwald and
made their way to Palestine. The article includes audio testimony,
video interviews and clips from US Army films of the liberation of
the infamous prison camp.

There's also a story titled the Golan Dilemma that addresses the
question of Israel returning the historical Golan Heights to
Syria.

On the lighter side are: "From Schmattes To Riches: American Jews in
the Fashion Trade," complete with glamour photos; and a story about
the history and use of the ritual ram horns, called shofars,
complete with sample recordings. The shofar is blown in the
synagogue during Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Rosh Hashanah
begins the Ten Days of Penitence, which end with Yom Kippur, the Day
of Atonement.

Teenage Jews have their own section in CD-JEMM. Included is a story
on Jewish jazzman Brian Gelfand and a segment on TV that includes
short videos with Jewish jazz and a parody TV show called "Jewpardy."

JEMM Productions said each issue will include 20 to 30 stories,
separate sections for teens and pre-teens, advertising from
Israeli-based and Jewish-oriented firms offering travel, jewelry,
software and food, and will have special offers and on-screen
versions of television commercials.

The publishers of the CD-ROM said future issues will include URLs
(Uniform Resource Locators, the online Internet World Wide Web
addresses) within articles so users who are also Internet
subscribers with Web browsers can call up on-line background
material or shop online.

An annual subscription to CD-JEMM costs $99.95, but if you
subscribe before the end of the year you can take advantage of an
introductory offer of $69.95. The single-issue retail price will
be $29.95. CD-JEMM will run on either an Apple Macintosh or
Windows PC equipped with a CD-ROM and a sound card. A 2X or faster
CD-ROM drive is recommended as well as a 256-color video display.

JEMM Productions said it will also publish on CD-ROM "The
Multimedia Holocaust Museum on CD-ROM. The company said the
product does not rely on the familiar newsreel clips so often
seen. The price of that product, when it ships, will be about $65.

(Jim Mallory/19950922/Press contact:Alan Weinkrantz, Alan
Weinkrantz and Associates for JEMM Productions, 210-820-3070;
Public contact: JEMM Productions, tel [phone] for
information or 800-871-0694 to subscribe/CD_JEMM950922/PHOTO)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/22/95
GOVT
Bell Atlantic Gives Library Of Congress $1.5 Million

(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00019)
Bell Atlantic Gives Library Of Congress $1.5 Million 09/22/95
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 SEP 22 (NB) -- Bell Atlantic
today gave the Library of Congress $1.5 million, kicking off a
program to digitize priceless books, documents, records, videos,
and photographs, and make them available on the Internet.

At the same time, the regional Bell operating company is giving
four schools in its service territory grants to enable them to
set up ISDN (integrated services digital network) service for
rapid Internet access.

"Nothing is more important in the construction of the
information highway than ensuring that the benefits of education
are available to all," said Raymond Smith, Bell Atlantic
chairman and chief executive officer. "We're working to provide
accessibility to technology across all social strata."

Bell Atlantic calls its program "Project CANDLE," for "creating
a national digital library for everyone."

"Project CANDLE will help begin to illuminate the pathway of
knowledge for everyone, everywhere," said Smith.

Smith has been working with the Library of Congress since 1990,
when he played an important role in the early digitization of
some of the library's contents through the "American Memory"
project. Smith is a member of the library's board of directors.

Documents ranging from the Declaration of Independence to
Lincoln's Gettysburg Address to Walt Whitman's notebooks are
available on the library's World Wide Web site at
http://www.loc.gov .

The first schools in the pilot project are: Keene Elementary in
Washington, DC; St. Patrick's  Elementary in Jersey City,
NJ; Woodbridge Junior High School in Bridgeville, Del., and
John Handley High School in Winchester, Va.

"The treasures these students will see through Project CANDLE
represent only the beginning," said Smith at a news conference
at the library. "As we build our interactive networks through
our region, people who use their PCs to gather text today
someday will use their screens to meet with fellow students on
joint projects and download crystal clear images that rival the
real thing right here at the library."

(Kennedy Maize/19950922/Press Contacts: Shannon Fioravanti, Bell
Atlantic, 703-974-5455; Guy Lamolinara, Library of Congress,
202-707-9217)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
09/22/95
TRENDS
Latin America Software Sales Up

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(WAS)(00020)
Latin America Software Sales Up 09/22/95
WASHINGTON DC, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 22 (NB) -- Software sales are up
solidly in Latin America, according to the Software Publishers Association.
SPA said second quarter Latin American sales at $40.8 million were up
21 percent over last year.

Brazil's sales of $16.9 million were up 91 percent over the second
quarter of 1994.

For the first half of the year, Latin American sales of US
software totaled $89 million, a 49 percent jump. In Brazil,
first half sales hit $35.4 million, up 168 percent over the
first half of 1994.

In Latin America, Windows is boss, with 92 percent of the
market, about the same as in the US. Total Mac application
sales declined 37 percent from the second quarter of last year,
with revenue totaling just over half a million dollars.

"Clearly, the positive increases for the majority of the Latin
American software market indicate that this region is rapidly
becoming a major growth area for US software publishers, says
Ken Wasch, president of SPA. "The continual surge of the
Brazilian market in particular gives every indication that the
US should consider it among the top countries for potential
sales."

The dark spot in the region was Mexico, where sales of $6.1
million for the quarter represent a decline of 43 percent over
the 1994 quarter. SPA says that is the result of decreasing
value of the Mexican peso.

SPA's figures represent total revenues of 40 primarily US-based
software firms that submit confidential data to the accounting
firm of Arthur Andersen. Among the participants are Borland,
Claris, Lotus, Microsoft, Software Publishing, Symantec, and
Novell's WordPerfect division.

(Kennedy Maize/19950922/Press Contact: Sally Lawrence,
202-452-1600, ext. 320)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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#CARD
09/22/95
UNIX
Unix Expo - SunSoft Intros WabiServer

(NEWS)(UNIX)(BOS)(00021)
Unix Expo - SunSoft Intros WabiServer 09/22/95
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 22 (NB) -- WabiServer, a newly
unveiled server-based implementation of SunSoft's Wabi, will allow
users of low-end Sparc systems and X terminals not supported by
Wabi till now to start running Windows applications as "full
clients," maintained SunSoft's Tracey Wyatt and Matt Koehler, in a
briefing session for Newsbytes at Unix Expo.

Users of higher-end workstations will also benefit from WabiServer,
since the server-based implementation of SunSoft's Windows
emulation software frees up memory and hard disk space at the
desktop, predicted Wyatt, who is product manager for Wabi.

WabiServer, a product slated to ship in November, supports up to 16
simultaneous users per CPU (central processing unit), according to
the two SunSoft execs, who spoke with Newsbytes in the Sun
Microsystems suite at the Unix extravaganza in New York City.

WabiServer also brings systems administration tools that reduce the
amount of time needed for installing Windows applications, and that
provide the ability to either enable or prevent floppy drive access
at the desktop, noted Koehler, who is engineering manager for
SunSoft's Desktop Integration Group.

Installing Microsoft Office, for example, on individual
workstations with the use of floppy disks is a process that can
easily consume more than two hours per user, he illustrated, during
a demo of WabiServer for Newsbytes.

Wyatt told Newsbytes that WabiServer operates on Sparc Solaris,
Sparcstation 20, PowerPC Solaris, and Solaris x86 and Pentium
servers. At the low end, clients can include X terminals, "any X
server," and Sparcstation 1, 2, and Classic models.

The Wabi product manager also pointed out that SunSoft's
server-based Windows emulation software eliminates the need for "a
PC beside every workstation." According to estimates by the Gartner
Group, WabiServer will permit organizations to save up to $8,000
per PC annually, when hardware, software, and support costs are all
taken into account, she elaborated.

WabiServer is also more "cost-effective" than competing products
like WinDD from Tektronix or Hewlett-Packard's Windows Application
Server, Wyatt contended. WinDD is priced at $352 per for the
minimum software-only configuration, and Windows Application Server
at $267 per user, in contrast to only $100 per user for WabiServer,
Newsbytes was told.

In addition, unlike WinDD, WabiServer provides "floatable/scaleable
windows," and permits users to cut-and-paste between Unix and
Windows applications, Koehler reported.

Future directions for WabiServer include load balancing at the
server level, improved integration with SunSoft's Solstice and
SolarNet, and the addition of software metering, according to the
two officials.

The execs also pointed out that, beyond Wabi and WabiServer,
SunSoft produces related products that include SunPC/SoftWindows,
for access to Windows and DOS applications for Solaris/Sparc;
Merge, for access to Windows and DOS applications on Solaris x86;
and MAE (Macintosh Application Environment), for access to Mac
applications on Solaris/Sparc.

In other major announcements at the show in New York City, SunSoft
rolled out a set of development tools for Java. Also for
application developers, Gupta and SunSoft introduced SQLWindows, a
Windows/Solaris cross-platform development environment.

The MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price) for SunSoft's new
WabiServer is $1,000 per server, and $1,000 per client ten-pack.
The product will be sold through Sun resellers, as well as through
SunExpress.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19950922/Reader Contact: 1-800-SUNSOFT; Press
Contacts: Cindy Johnson, SunSoft, 508-442-0546; Pamela Hamilton or
Alison Buckholtz, Collaborative Communications, Inc. for SunSoft,
617-621-1595)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
#ENDCARD


#CARD
09/22/95
UNIX
Unix Expo - Nutcracker Gets Update, Intro To Japan

(NEWS)(UNIX)(BOS)(00022)
Unix Expo - Nutcracker Gets Update, Intro To Japan 09/22/95
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 22 (NB) -- Nutcracker is
designed to let developers work with Unix APIs (application
programming interfaces) while porting applications to Windows NT
and Windows 95, DataFocus officials said, in a meeting with
Newsbytes at Unix Expo, where DataFocus announced Nutcracker 1.5,
plus the introduction of the product to Japan.

Windows NT is "coming on strong" against Unix, acknowledged Pat
Bosanko, company president and chief operating officer (COO). But,
he asserted, by allowing Unix developers to build crossplatform
Win32/Unix applications with the use of familiar Unix APIs
(application programming interfaces), Nutcracker is actually
helping to "preserve the Unix infrastructure."

Also during the interview in New York City, DataFocus Chairman and
CEO (Chief Executive Officer) Pat Higbie pointed out that the
resulting 32-bit Win32 applications can be converted between
Windows NT and the new Windows 95 environment with only "a few
architectural changes."

DataFocus first introduced Nutcracker last year, Bosanko told
Newsbytes. The product today has more than 250 customers, including
AT&T GIS, Compuserve, Digital Equipment Corp., EDS, Fujitsu,
Honeywell, IBM, Informix, Mentor Graphics, Salomon Brothers, Sony,
and the US Department of Defense, according to the two execs.

The new Nutcracker 1.5, which is slated for release in October,
reduces porting time and cost by about 75 percent, Bosanko
estimated.

Also in the Nutcracker update, DataFocus will use Wintif technology
from SCO (Santa Cruz Operation), through an "exclusive license in
the NT market." As a result, developers will be able to write
applications to Motif APIs without rewriting Motif code, the
company president reported.

Nutcracker 1.5 will also add an optional "local X server," Bosanko
noted. By enabling X client applications to run on the same machine
as an X display server, the new option will lower the price of X
server applications, he maintained. Most customers run ported X
applications directly on the workstation, according to the
DataFocus chief.

Higbie told Newsbytes that DataFocus will bring Nutcracker to Japan
through a newly inked deal with the Japanese giant Mitsui & Company
Ltd.

"We're very excited about this agreement. Matsui has strong
relationships with a number of companies that are now potential
candidates for Win32," the CEO remarked.

Nutcracker consists of three main components: the Nutcracker
Software Development Kit, for porting server and character-mode
Unix applications; the Nutcracker S/Software Development Kit, for
porting X/Motif-based applications; and the Nutcracker X Server,
for running X Windows applications. The Nutcracker X Server
includes the new local X server.

Nutcracker's technology is grounded in Win32 DLLs (dynamic link
libraries) that compile Unix code into native Win32 applications,
Newsbytes was told. Nutcracker is able to port applications from
any flavor of Unix written in C, C++ or Fortran.

Nutcracker also allows direct access to and utilization of all
Win32 APIs, including OLE (object-linking-and-embedding) 2.0, MAPI
(Microsoft Application Programming Interface), ODBC (Open Database
Connectivity), and DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange). The product
supports Visual C++, Visual Basic, and other programming tools for
the Microsoft environment, according to the DataFocus officials.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19950922/Reader Contact: DataFocus Inc., 703-631-
6770; Press Contacts: Wendy Mades, DataFocus, 703-818-1398; Jill
Pembroke, Pembroke Resources for DataFocus, 503-873-2404)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/22/95
UNIX
Unix Expo - IBM Plans First PCI-Based Server

(NEWS)(UNIX)(BOS)(00023)
Unix Expo - IBM Plans First PCI-Based Server 09/22/95
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 22 (NB) -- An RS/6000 604
PowerPC-based server with PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect)
and ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) buses, demonstrated at
Unix Expo in prototype form, will ultimately become IBM's first
PCI-based server, revealed IBM's Thomas G. Arthur and Joseph J.
Czajkowski, during a strategy briefing for Newsbytes at the trade
show in New York City.

Up to now, IBM has used PCI only in low-end workstations, as
opposed to high-end Microchannel-based systems, said Czajkowski,
who is program manager for IBM's RS/6000 workstations. But over
time, PCI will be "migrated upward," he maintained.

IBM actually migrates new technologies both up and down its
hardware line, pointed out Arthur, who is brand manager for
RS/6000.

The OpenGL graphics that have begun appearing in IBM's high-end
systems in recent months will later show up in lower-end servers
and workstations, according to the brand manager.

In a word, IBM's hardware is characterized by "scalability," Arthur
told Newsbytes. The product family ranges all the way from ThinkPad
notebooks to SP2 parallel servers, AS/400 midrange systems, and
mainframes.

There is some overlap in performance between IBM's top-end RS/6000
servers and the company's AS/400 midrange systems, Arthur
acknowledged. But RS/6000 and AS/400 appeal to different sets of
users, he added. The AS/400, he maintained, is designed for
organizations that prefer "turnkey systems."

Across all levels of IBM hardware, the predominant trend is
"faster, faster, and faster," advised Arthur, who has been employed
in various hardware divisions of IBM ever since the early 1980s.

IBM is constantly at work on finetuning system performance, whether
the improvements mean "a new controller, enhancements to
middleware, or better graphics," agreed Czajkowski, also a
long-time IBM veteran.

IBM's latest top-of-the-line RS/6000 systems offer faster 3-D
(three-dimensional) graphics performance than competing products
from Hewlett-Packard, Sun, and Silicon Graphics (SGI), Arthur
asserted.

The 3-D graphics are targeted at commercial applications, as well
as at the scientific/technical market, he observed. Over the years,
engineering workstations have expanded way beyond their original
applications in CAD (computer-aided design) wireframe modeling, to
the point where they are now used for "highly realistic" product
and architectural 3-D walkthroughs, according to the IBM exec.

The walkthroughs are based on precise computations, and permit
viewing from virtually any perspective. As a result, the
computerized mock-ups can do a better job of pinpointing potential
trouble spots than actual physical architectural models or product
prototypes, he contended.

IBM's systems also provide similar potential for 3-D animation as
SGI workstations, which are currently the mainstay of the
professional animation market, he added.

Over time, these animation capabilities will trickle down toward
the lower end, for more generic 3-D "entertainment" applications,
predicted the IBM brand manager.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19950922/Reader Contact: IBM, 914-765-1900; Press
Contact: Marlena Villafane, Pam Preston, or Rob Cronin, Technology
Solutions for IBM, 212-696-2000)




Copyright 1995 Newsbytes News Network
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09/22/95
PC
Fujitsu Intros 10 PC Cards For US Market

(NEWS)(PC)(BOS)(00024)
Fujitsu Intros 10 PC Cards For US Market 09/22/95
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1995 SEP 22 (NB) -- Fujitsu's newly
unveiled line of ten PC Cards for the US market provides a wider
range of functionality than any competitor's products, Fujitsu
officials contended, during a briefing for press and analysts
attended by Newsbytes in Boston.

Some PC Card vendors, such as Megahertz and US Robotics, specialize
in modem cards, while other competitors, such as Xircom and 3Com,
are strong in the networking market, said John Ervin, Fujitsu's
director of PC products.

But, he added, Fujitsu's new line covers all three "functionality
areas" of portable computing: communications, multimedia, and
networking.

Fujitsu first announced its intentions to offer PC Cards for the US
market on July 31, noted Bradford C. Pierce, VP of Fujitsu's
Communications Products Group.

Fujitsu has long been active in the PC Card market in Japan,
although technical specifications such as drivers and bios are
different in that country, Ervin pointed out.

Fujitsu's new Type II cards for the US market are designed to
comply with the latest edition of the PC Card specification, as
well as to provide backward compatibility with earlier card slots,
he asserted.

All ten of the new cards use the same installation routine,
according to the Fujitsu execs. There is "no need to reboot Windows
when changing from one card to another." The products also feature
an idle/standby/power-saving mode for low battery consumption.

Fujitsu's new communications cards include 14.4 and 28.8 megabit-
per-second (Mbps) fax/modem cards; a new serial adapter offering;
and an ISDN (integrated systems digital network) card.

In the multimedia arena, Fujitsu is offering a stereo sound card,
plus SCSI (small computer systems interface) 600 and SCSI 1200
ada