AUSTRALIAN COMPUTER CONTRACTORS LINK UP IN AUSTRALIA
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 JUL 19 (NB) -- A number of Information
Technology (IT) groups in the Asia-Pacific region are co-operating
to provide a forum for computer contractors to advertise their
skills. The Employment Network, the Computer Contractors Association
and IBM Asia Pacific Developers Assistance Program have teamed up to
create the Employment Network's Database.

Michael Verschgoor, the Employment Network's managing director, said
that the growing move towards outsourcing of computer services meant
that the service had been specially tailored to meet the growing
needs of both contractors and organizations requiring their
services.

"Until now the only avenues for contractors to advertise their
skills an services has been through the traditional `bush-telegraph'
referrals, professional networking and through contracting
agencies," he said.

Verschgoor added that a large number of independent contractors
waste much of their time finding suitable engagements, and new
contractors have trouble getting started.

"On the other hand, the employers know what they want but not where
to find it. That makes it difficult for them to plan major project.
If they advertise then someone has to wade through the applicants
for suitable people. Even then there is no guarantee they'll fit
into the organization," he said.

The IBM Australian Programming Center was one of the first users of
the new database. Manager Brian Assaee said: "We specified our
requirement for a particular set of development skills to the
Employment Network -- it only took a few minutes. Within two hours
we had the details of the four contractors most suited to our needs
from a shortlist of 27 people with the requisite skills."

Data stored on the system includes areas of specialization,
qualifications, skills, accreditations, experience and workstyle. It
also shows the availability schedule, whether the person prefers to
work individually or in groups, and the organization culture they
prefer or work best in. The system costs AUS$30 a year for the
contractor to be registered. A search costs $200 and $400 is levied
for each person recruited as a result of a search.

(Paul Zucker and John Guthrie/19930719/Contact: The Employment
Network on phone +61-2-262 5244 or fax +61-2-262 5357)


COMDEX/CANADA: CANADIAN VERSION OF BUSINESS CONTROLLER DEBUTS
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUL 19 (NB) -- MicroBiz of Spring
Valley, New York, has launched The Canadian Business Controller. The
package, which was launched during the Comdex/Canada show last week,
is a version of the company's point-of-sale (POS) PC software, with
several enhancements that the company claims makes it suitable for
use by Canadian businesses.

The company's existing software already supported Canada's two
levels of retail sales tax, the provincial sales taxes and the
federal Goods and Services Tax (GST), according to Robin Carley, a
spokesman for Microbiz.

Carley claims that, with this new version, the company has replaced
the fields for US zip codes with fields that accommodate Canada's
six-character postal codes, has replaced the state indicators with a
province indicator with appropriate choices, and has built in a
currency conversion capability.

The software is available in several versions, including the general
retail-and-wholesale version plus specially tailored versions for
auto dealers, video shops, liquor stores, and hair and nail salons.

The package is aimed primarily at small businesses with one to nine
employees, Carley said, though it can handle operations of as many
as about 80 people.

In use, the software creates invoices and receipts, tracks
inventory, and maintains a customer history. According to the
vendor, it will work on any personal computer with a hard disk drive
and the DOS operating system.

The Canadian Business Controller is now shipping, with a suggested
retail price of C$1,149.

(Grant Buckler/19930719/Press Contact: Robin Carley, MicroBiz,
914-425-9500, fax 914-425-4598; Public Contact: MicroBiz,
800-637-8268)


PANASONIC NOTEBOOK UPGRADED TO 486 CPU; DUAL BATTERIES
SECAUCUS, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 19 (NB) -- Panasonic has
announced a lightweight, low-voltage notebook PC with double the
claimed battery life of its predecessor, along with a faster
processor and a larger hard disk drive.

Panasonic's CF-1000A notebook features a new detachable floppy disk
drive that can be easily replaced by an extra nickel metal hydride
(NiMH) battery. The new notebook is based on a 486SLC processor from
Cyrix, rather than the 386SXLV processor from AMD used in the CR-
1000.

The unit also comes with a choice of an 80 MB or 170 hard disk
drive, in contrast to the 60 MB hard disk drive of the earlier
version. In another enhancement, the hard drive is now pre-installed
with SuperStor Disk compression utility software.

According to Yasu Enokido, sales planning manager with the company,
each NiMH battery offers a three-hour battery life, meaning that the
CF-1000A can be run on batteries for a total of six hours without
recharging.

Like the CF-1000, the CF-1000A uses VLSI Technology's VL82C315A
Scamp II Low-Power System Controller and Cirrus Logic's CL-GD6412
LCD VGA Controller.

According to Enokido, the system controller supports 3.3V, 5.0V, or
mixed-mode operation without external level shifters. The VGA
controller is billed as the first device of its kind to allow major
interface operation at either 3.3V or 5.0V.

Also like the earlier PC, the CF-1000A weighs in at five pounds.
The shell is made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic, a newly
developed material designed to be tough as well as lightweight.

The CF-1000A comes standard with 4 megabytes (MB) of RAM, expandable
to 12 MB. The notebook also provides a 640-by-480 VGA display, an
84-key keyboard with 101-key AT keyboard emulation, a PCMCIA Type II
slot, and a serial port, parallel port and mouse port.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930719/Reader contact: Panasonic, tel 800-742-
8086; Press contacts: Ron Tomczyk, Panasonic, tel 201-348-7183;
Adam Sohmer, Creamer Dickson Basford for Panasonic, tel 212-887-
8031)


DATASONICS' MUSIC MASTER NOW IN STANDARD & PRO VERSIONS
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 JUL 19 (NB) -- Datasonics' Music Master
software for IBM compatible PCs is now available in a professional
version as well as the standard version for the amateur and
education user. According to the company, it offers sequencing and
notation functions in one package.

The standard package comes with a Midi Master 11 interface card with
one Midi input and one Midi output port. The professional version
has a Midi Master 42S card with four Midi output ports (giving up to
64 separate Midi channels), two Midi input ports, SMPTE/EBU timecode
in and out ports (for synchronization with tape and other devices)
and Metronome out signal. An on-board processor controls all timing
functions during sequencing to minimize Midi data delays.

Suggested retail price in Australia is AUS$545 for both versions of
software and AUS$250 and AUS$595 respectively for the hardware
components. (AUS$3 is approximately equal to US$2).

Music Master is only a new product but, according to the developers
it has already been considerably improved following feedback from
early users. The latest version, 1.3, includes new manuscript
editing and Midi output control. Music Master can automatically
produce chord charts, analyzing note data and producing appropriate
chords, with full jazz inflections where necessary.

(Paul Zucker/19930719/Contact: Datasonics on phone +61-47-59 1244 or
fax +61-47-59 2778)


CHECKING VIA TELEVISION FOR COUCH POTATOES
RESTON, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 16 (NB) -- A software company and
an interactive television provider have teamed up to provide home
financial services that will let you perform routine financial
transactions while sitting in front of your television set. EON, the
Reston, Virginia-based company that used to be known as TV
Answer, says it has signed a non-exclusive agreement with Intuit to
provide personal finance products and services for the EON platform.

Intuit is the Menlo Park, California-based company that publishes
personal finance software Quicken. Intuit says more than five
million copies of Quicken have been sold since it was launched a few
years ago.

Both companies say they will develop products and services that
will allow users to use their television sets to perform financial
tasks such as organizing personal finances, reconciling and updating
accounts, checking outstanding transactions, and reviewing the
financial performance of selected accounts in the first phase of a
multi-tiered program in which EON's system may be adapted to other
Intuit products. Intuit says it may also incorporate EON into its
marketing and service programs to offer consumers related supplies
and services.

EON's Sally Olmsted told Newsbytes that the EON device resembles a
VCR machine, and receives signals via radio waves as well as
including the necessary computer functions. The user will utilize a
handheld device that includes a roller ball and a "clicker" similar
to a mouse button to make selections via "point-and-shoot." Olmsted
said that the EON unit will be priced at just under $500. The Intuit
service has not been priced yet, she told Newsbytes.

Olmsted added that the user interface screens will be familiar to
existing Intuit users. "We're trying to keep it as similar as
possible. That's in the works right now," she said.

Both companies note that the service will be available once the
Federal Communications Commission determines which companies will
get the right to install the necessary antennas. She compared the
system to the cellular phone service antenna licensing process.

The agency is expected to start issuing licenses for interactive
video and data services this summer. The licensing process for the
technology is already underway for the New York, Los Angeles,
Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, San Francisco, Washington, Dallas and
Houston markets.

EON is an interactive television service that turns the user's
television set into a two-way communication tool. In addition
performing financial tasks, users will also be able to play along
with television sports and quiz shows, respond to news and
interactive advertising, and participate in distance learning.

Users will also be able to order prepared foods for home delivery,
organize your TV programming for easy access, and buy products from
interactive on-line catalogs.

(Jim Mallory/19930719/Press contact: Sallie Olmsted, EON 703-715-
8856; Intuit, Tom Blaisdell, 415-329-3569)


 ****IBM SALES FORCE SHUFFLE COMING, REPORT SAYS
ARMONK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 19 (NB) -- IBM will reorganize
its United States sales force in early August, according to a report
in the US trade weekly PC Week.

The shuffle, which PC Week said would be the most visible change in
the company since Louis Gerstner became chairman and chief executive
early this year, would fit Gerstner's view of IBM as a customer-
focused provider of total solutions. However, the newspaper said,
the idea actually came from various IBM field sites, which were
already testing it when he took over the helm from John Akers in
April.

PC Week quoted John Thompson, general manager of IBM's midwestern
marketing and services area in Chicago and a pioneer of the new
sales structure, as saying he is "not waiting for a grand plan"
from Gerstner. "I have a set of (financial) targets... and I'm
working like heck to try to achieve those targets."

The report also said that Gerstner will make no major changes in
IBM's nine product units for the next 12 to 18 months, and is
slowing Akers' strategy of giving IBM's business units more
independence. And he is emphasizing research and development and
plans to replace two to three members of IBM's board of directors
with people who have more high-tech experience.

An IBM spokeswoman declined to comment on the details of report,
saying only that "our focus on industry specialization has been
evolving for some time."

IBM, which lost $4.965 billion in 1992, had announced plans to
cut another 25,000 employees from its payroll this year, and
recent reports indicate the number taking advantage of incentives
to leave the company may be double that.

(Grant Buckler/19930719)


COLORADO JUMBO TAPE BACKUP SOFTWRE FOR WINDOWS DEBUTS
LOVELAND, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 19 (NB) -- For those who
are running Colorado Memory Systems' Jumbo Tape Backup Systems
under Microsoft Windows, Colorado Memory Systems has announced
its Windows version of the Colorado Backup tape backup software.

The Windows version offers the ability to run in the background,
drag and drop to begin a backup, graphical displays in the form of
gauges to measure the progress of a backup, as well as other new
features.

Colorado Memory Systems says it is selling Jumbo 120 and 250 tape
backup drives at the rate of two million a year. The drives are
popular because of their low cost, under $200, yet offer most users
all the backup capacity they need at 120 megabytes (MB) or 250 MB.
Many companies, such as AST, are offering the Colorado Tape Backup
Systems pre-installed in new computers sold in consumer retail
outlets.

While the drives come with software, that software has been DOS only,
and older versions of the software wouldn't run under Windows at
all. While other utility programs, such as the latest version of the
Norton Utilities for Windows, will talk to the Colorado Tape Backup
drive, this is the first time the company itself has announced its
own Windows software.

The software offers the ability to automate routine backups, even
allowing users to schedule regular times to backup. Since the
backups can be performed as a background operation in Windows, users
may schedule backups for almost any time.

Compression is still offered, so users can get the most data on to
their tapes. A new "Move" feature allows users to drag and drop
infrequently used files onto the tape to save hard disk space.

Formatting of tapes, which can take one half hour to two hours,
depending on the tape and the speed of the floppy disk controller,
can also be performed in the background. In addition, the software
is designed to automatically format an un-formatted tape if a backup
operation is selected and an unformatted tape is inserted. However,
Colorado also offers preformatted tapes for sale to users who do not
wish to hassle with tape formatting.

The software runs on an IBM or compatible PC with an 80386 or higher
microprocessor, a Colorado Jumbo tape backup, Microsoft Windows 3.0
or higher in enhanced mode, DOS 3.1 or higher, 1.5 megabytes (MB) or
free memory with 4 MB or more of total system memory, 2 MB of hard
disk space, and an extended graphics array (EGA) display or better.
The package comes on 3.5 inch format, but a 5.25 inch disk is
available free via exchange.

Registered Colorado Jumbo Tape Backup users can purchase the Windows
Tape Backup software for $39 from Colorado Memory Systems directly.
The company is also holding a contest with scratch-off game coupons
in every Colorado Tape Backup Software for Windows product. Grand
prize is a 1993 Ford Explorer, first prize is one of three Colorado
vacations for two, second prize is one of ten Trek 930 Mountain
Bikes, and third prize is an "Explore Colorado" sport jacket.

No purchase is necessary, however, and interested parties may
request a game ticket from the company by mailing a self-address
stamped envelope and a single hand-written request to "Explore
Colorado...", Colorado Memory Systems, 800 South Taft Ave.,
Loveland, Colorado, 80537.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930719/Press Contact: Art Stapp, Hi Tech for
Colorado Memory Systems, tel 303-694-6411, fax 303-741-3217;
Public Contact, Colorado Memory Systems, 800-451-4524)


NTT DATA IN TALKS WITH IBM
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 21 (NB) -- NTT Data Communication, a
subsidiary of Japan's major telecom firm NTT, has started talks
with IBM concerning a possible business agreement.

While neither firm has commented about the talks, it is
expected that the potential agreement concerns the sales of
telecommunication-oriented computer systems.

According to the Nikkan Kogyo newspaper, NTT Data Communication
is seeking to link with IBM. It is reported that NTT Data wants to
sell IBM's computers, telecom-related devices, and software as
part of its integrated system.

This is good news for IBM, as it will open paths into
Japan's banks and government on-line systems. NTT is a strong
player in those markets. So far, NTT has linked with a number of
major Japanese computer firms such as NEC, Fujitsu, and Hitachi.

The firm has integrated the hardware and software of these firms
into its systems. Currently, NTT Data has been selling its general
purpose computer, called the DIPS, which was jointly developed
by these Japanese firms.

A business tie up with IBM would benefit NTT Data, and allow it
access to such IBM technologies as operating systems, database
structure methods, and parallel processors. NTT Data is reportedly
planning to sell integrated systems to overseas markets jointly
with IBM.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930721/Press Contact: NTT Data
Communications, +81-3-3509-4647)


IBM'S CD SHOWCASE IS NEW ANGLE ON DISTRIBUTION
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 21 (NB) -- IBM has
announced plans to put multiple software packages on CD-ROMs
so that customers can try before they buy, and then purchase
packages instantly by making a phone call.

IBM said CD Showcase, developed by its IBM Software Manufacturing
Co., will let computer users test, purchase, and install software
without leaving their personal computers.

A single disk may contain as many as 100 different programs.
Customers will obtain a disk from a reseller, which may give it
away free. They will be able to test the packages a disk contains
and, if they want to purchase, dial a toll-free number to obtain
a code that unlocks the desired software package. Documentation
for the software will also be stored on the CD-ROM.

Company spokeswoman Molly Morgan said software vendors will
have a choice about what they put on the disk. Some may choose to
provide just a canned demo, others may offer a limited working
version of their software - one that can do everything but print, or
everything but save files, for example.

According to IBM, software resellers will be able to offer more
software without increasing their overhead. Software publishers,
meanwhile, will get new marketing opportunities and reduced
production costs.

IBM said several resellers, including ComputerLand, The Future
Now, Government Technology Services, Inc., and Software
Spectrum, have already agreed to participate. Resellers will be
able to set up their own order numbers for software on the
disks, Morgan said, and will receive the same markups as if they
sold the software by more conventional means. For smaller
resellers or those that choose not to run their own order-taking
operations, she added, IBM will be able to provide that service.

Participating software publishers include Borland, Delrina,
KnowledgeWare, Lotus Development, Visual Software, and IBM.
Discussions are also being held with WordPerfect and Microsoft,
IBM said.

A typical CD Showcase disk would list multiple software titles,
each with product information, a short demo, and installable
code. The user could look at the information and demo without
restriction, but the full package would be protected by security.

CD Showcase will offer two security options to control access and
usage, IBM said. With IBM's Secure Distribution Control System,
user access to the software is controlled by encrypting, so that
it is unreadable until decrypted with an electronic key. A second
protection option, the iFOR license management system from
Gradient Technologies Inc., of Marlboro, Massachusetts, modifies
executable code so it is unusable until unlocked with a license
key. This scheme, supported by the Open Software Foundation
(OSF), provides license compliance for stand-alone or local area
network (LAN) users, IBM said.

IBM said the first CD Showcase editions will be available in the
fall.

(Grant Buckler/19930721/Press Contact: Barbara Cerf, IBM,
914-642-4664; Paul McKeon or Ruth Doering, Crescent
Communications for IBM, 404-698-8650)


IBM TECHNOLOGY OFFERS PCMCIA PRODUCTS TO OEMS
SOMERS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 21 (NB) -- IBM Technology
Products, a unit that until last year only made goods for IBM's
own use, has become very visible lately. The operation has
launched a handful of wireless adapters and facsimile and data
modems, some using the Personal Computer Memory Card
Interface Association (PCMCIA) standard.

The products will be sold only to other computer makers, known
as original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), for use in their
products. IBM Technology Products does not plan to sell them
directly to end users, company spokesman Jim Smith said.

Last October IBM Technology Products said it would begin
selling to outside customers. Earlier in July it announced a
microcontroller for disk drives and other board-level applications.
Smith said there may be other announcements in the near future.

IBM launched three infrared wireless adapters, which transfer
data at one megabit per second (Mbps) and are meant for use in
wholly wireless local area networks (LANs) or to add wireless
links to existing wired LANs.

One of the adapters fits a PCMCIA slot, one fits IBM's Micro
Channel (MCA) slots, and the third is compatible with the
Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) or AT bus.

All three use Photonics Corp.'s infrared transceiver and are
compatible with Photonics' Collaborate wireless LAN.

The adapters' connection is non-line-of-sight, which means the
transceivers do not have to be aimed at each other or at a
predetermined spot, IBM said. No prewired access point or other
fixed transceivers are required. According to the vendor, the
adapters work in rooms as large as 30 by 30 feet.

Unit prices for the cards are $549 for the PCMCIA adapter and
$499 for the MCA and ISA adapters. Volume prices are available.
IBM Technology Products plans to begin shipping the PCMCIA
adapter in August and the MCA and ISA adapters in September.

IBM Technology Products also unveiled two PCMCIA-based fax/modem
cards. The 14.4/14.4 Data/Fax modem and the 2.4/9.6 Data/Fax
modem are Type II PCMCIA cards that support the AT modem command
set and Group 3, Class 1 and 2 commands used by fax and data
applications software, IBM said. The cards come with Trio
Information Systems Inc.'s DataCom and DataFax software.

The 2.4/9.6 Data/Fax modem has a unit price of $299 and will be
available in August. The 14.4/14.4 Data/Fax modem, with a unit
price of $499, is due to be available in September. Volume
prices are available.

All of the new products are still awaiting approval by the United
States' Federal Communications Commission (FCC), but Smith said
IBM is confident of receiving approval in time to meet its stated
delivery dates.

(Grant Buckler/19930721/Press Contact: Jim Smith, IBM
Technology Products, 914-766-4066)


MICROSOFT SHIPS VISUAL C++ PRE-RELEASE
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 21 (NB) -- Microsoft
is shipping a pre-release of its Visual C++ development system for
Windows and Windows NT 32-bit Edition.

The company said more than 70,000 registered users of the Win32
Software Development Kit (SDK) will receive a free CD-ROM
containing the new 32-bit development system, which includes the
Microsoft Foundation Class version 2.0,  this is the first Windows
NT-hosted and integrated 32-bit development environment for
professional C and C++ developers.

The pre-release version updates the command line compiler and tools
shipped with the Win32 pre-release SDK. Having the pre-release
version of Visual C++ 32-bit Edition will allow developers to start
developing 32-bit applications that take advantage of the recently
announced Windows NT operating system using Win32 as well as for
Windows 3.1 using the Win32s application programming interface
(API).

Shipping a pre-release version of Visual C++ 32-bit provides
immediate support for 32-bit development for windows NT with a
suite of graphical development tools, according to Microsoft's
Roger Heinen, senior VP of database and development tools.

The final version of Visual C++ 32-bit Edition is scheduled to ship
within 90 days after Windows NT ships, and will have all the
software and documentation on a CD-ROM disk. That saves Microsoft
the cost of printing - and developers the need to store - more than
8,000 pages of documentation.

The pre-release includes AppWizard, a tool that lets developers
create a skeleton application that can use the building blocks stored
in the Microsoft Foundation Class Library  version 2.0. The building
blocks are segments of reusable C++ code for Windows-based
applications. Another tool, ClassWizard, allows developers to connect
user-interface elements with application code. Visual Workbench is
an integrated editor, debugger, browser, and profiler that can
automatically create and maintain project make files, and allows the
user to customize the build options.

Microsoft says Visual C++ was written from the ground up as a
32-bit application to take advantage of operating system features
such as multithreading.

(Jim Mallory/19930721/Press contact: Catherine Miller, Microsoft
Corporation, 206-882-8080; Reader contact: Microsoft Corporation,
206-882-8080, 800-426-9400)


CE SOFTWARE SHIPS POWER PAK FOR WINDOWS
WEST DES MOINES, IOWA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 21 (NB) -- CE Software
Holdings Inc., has announced that it is shipping CE Power Pak, a
collection of the company's productivity tools for use with
Microsoft Windows.

Included in Power Pak are: Disktop for Windows, a file and document
management program; CalendarMaker for Windows, a calendar
publishing application; and the newly released version of ProKey for
Windows, a scripting and macro tool for Windows 3.1 and Windows
applications. For Windows users who also use DOS-based
applications, a copy of ProKey for DOS is also included.

DiskTop for Windows gives users the ability to move, copy, delete,
rename, and sort files. The DT Launch feature allows users to launch
applications and documents from a menu. CalendarMaker for Windows
lets the user create presentation-quality calendars to keep track of
business and personal appointments. The program incorporates the
use of imported pictures, cons and text.

Using ProKey for Windows or DOS allows users to automate
repetitive  tasks by storing frequently used series of keystrokes
in a macro, then play the keystroke string back at will. The use
selects the key combination the macro is assigned to.

CE Software spokesperson Sue Nail told Newsbytes that the CE
offices, located in West Des Moines, Iowa, were dry, but the
company's warehouse, located at a different site, was invaded by
the flood, and  officials haven't been able to assess the amount of
damage there yet. Nail said the flooding problems will not delay
shipment of CE Power Pak, which is immediately available.

CE Power Pak has a suggested retail price of $129, a little less
than half the price of its included programs if purchased
separately. CE Software will sell the three programs individually,
with Disktop for Windows selling for $59. Either version of ProKey
is prices at $79, and CalendarMaker for Windows sells for $49.

(Jim Mallory/19930721/Press contact: Sue Nail, CE Software
Holdings, 515-221-1801; Reader contact: CE Software,
515-221-1801)