This month's GrapeVine was acquired from segments of information and articles published in selected computer and electronics industry trade publications in addition to several online sources. The information contained within is comprised mostly of factual information, editorial comments, and a few rumors from the electronics industry in general. Each month, we will try to focus on items of interest related to the computer/electronics industries as they become news- worthy, and hopefully, the GrapeVine will be both informative and entertaining to our readers. ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Topic 01. If In Doubt Give U.S. Robotics A Shout Topic 02. FREE PC's Considered By NC Vendors Topic 03. Microsoft Publicizes Its Visual Basic Strategy Topic 04. Customers Protest Netscape's Bundling Ploy Topic 05. Intel Buys Into Chips & Technologies Inc. Topic 06. 3-D Toys For The Big Boys Topic 07. HotOffice Lets You Borrow The Internet Topic 08. LS-120 (a: Drive) Comes Of Age Topic 09. More Speed And Power From The Apple Mach 5 Topic 10. National Semi & Cyrix Enter $550 Million Merger Topic 11. Motorola & SGS Thomson Hit On Smart Card Deal Topic 12. PC Camera Design Guide Set By Intel Topic 13. Electronics Industry Was Prepared For UPS Strike Topic 14. Lower-Cost Alpha Chip Is Faster Topic 15. HP Signs On First Taiwanese PC Makers Topic 16. Sun Prepared To Challenge WINTEL Establishment Topic 17. Color Printer/Scanner In A Small Package Topic 18. Intel And Friends Push For MDI Pact Topic 19. Be Inc. Offers O/S For Intel Systems Topic 20. Windows 98 Will Release In Multiple Versions Topic 21. A Federal Law That Levels The Playing Field Topic 22. Are Webcasters Pumping Out Too Much Info? Topic 23. ERoom Provides New Ways To Share Info Topic 24. Intel And Microsoft Logos Will Demand New Specs Topic 25. One Less Human In The Network Topic 26. Intel 740 Chip Aimed At Graphics Market Topic 27. Intel Deal Upsets S3 Executives Topic 28. Unrest Also Reported In The DVD World Topic 29. You Can Pay Your Internet Bills In Yen Topic 30. AirSurfer Wireless LAN Has Lower Price Topic 31. Intel Releases 3-D Chipset For Pentium II Topic 32. No Clear Winner In 56-K Modem Race Topic 33. Partnership Agreement Between IBM & GE Topic 34. PNY Happy With DIMM Test Results Topic 35. Office 97 Service Pack Released By Microsoft Topic 36. /// THE BOTTOM LINE /// ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
/// If In Doubt Give U.S. Robotics A Shout /// Anyone who is thinking of moving up to the x2 standard 56-Kbit per second modem technology, but might not be sure if your local phone lines will support it, can log onto the U.S. Robotics BBS to get your lines tested for free. I gave it a try on a Saturday, and had to call back several times to get an answer before my time-out setting of 45 seconds on my terminal software disconnected. When I did get through, the test was completed in about one minute. Fortunately, my phone lines tested as "satisfactory," but were noted as noisy. A friend in another city gave me the toll-free number to try after his lines were given a no-go rating. If you set your terminal program for manual dial, just type: 888-877-9248. When you get a prompt for FIRST NAME, enter [LINE]. For your LAST NAME, enter [TEST]. You should ignore the garbage that may appear on the screen, and wait for the correct prompts. That should get your test results and help determine if an investment in an x2-class 56-Kbit/s modem is practical for you.
/// FREE PC's Considered By NC Vendors /// Call it a throw-away PC or whatever, but IBM Corp., Corel Computer Corp., and Sun Microsystems are thinking about a network computer (NC) giveaway scheme to push service, applications, and server sales. It doesn't take a market genius to foresee the trauma this move would cause throughout the low-end desktop PC industry. Some resellers, however, would welcome the chance to devote more attention to the higher-dollar server computers, as noted by one reseller. At present, the Network Station NC from IBM sells for $650 and is offered with an optional leasing plan for about $25 per month through the IBM Credit Corp. as part of its System Care product and service package. IBM's marketing people in general, refer to the "free NC" strategy as ridiculous in light of the amount of revenue generated by Network Station sales. One leading channel executive agreed by stating that reseller margins on NCs are too great to even think about putting the giveaway program on the table. However, other IBM officials, in defense of the idea, equate the NC to the cellular phone business where you can walk into just about any discount electronics store and buy a cellular phone for one penny or get it for free in ex- change for signing a service contract. If IBM marketers can breathe new life into the giveaway concept, they may begin to offer some free NCs with the purchase or lease of its AS/400 and RS/6000 server computers, according to one news source.
/// Microsoft Publicizes Its Visual Basic Strategy /// Microsoft Corp. revealed several segments of its overall strategy last month regarding establishing Visual Basic as a universal environment for Web and corporate enterprise network development. The company said that Visual Basic is an excellent tool to use in the development of Oracle-based databases, even better than Oracle Corp.'s own tools. Microsoft has gone to the extent of asking developers to create a converter to transpose PL/SQL (Oracle's database language) into Visual Basic (VB) Object Linking & Embedding (OLE) objects. Other than targeting Oracle, Microsoft has put together 28 VB products for licencing to developers of applications for many other competitor's software products. Also, officials revealed that VB runtime will be included in the next release of MS Internet Explore 4.0. The company is also promising Windows CE developers a new tool-kit, which may be shipped in October as an add-in product.
/// Customers Protest Netscape's Bundling Ploy /// Netscape Communications Corp. has been getting hit with flak from customers and third-party vendors who intend to pressure the software maker into removing its browser from the Netscape Communicator Internet suite. The company's October 1996 plan to bank on the popularity of its Navigator browser in order to aid the sales of its new Communicator Internet suite, is the focal point of the uprising among Netscape partners, customers, and some company insiders. A technical problem was pointed out to Netscape by one prominent developer when he found that Communicator's features overlap with Lotus Notes, causing some problems on one corporate account. In spite of the general uproar, Netscape says it has no plans to offer another version of Navigator that is detached from Communicator.
/// Intel Buys Into Chips & Technologies Inc. /// With its acquisition of a 50 percent stake in Chips & Tech- nologies, one of the leading graphics chip makers, Intel Corp. became the most dominant force in the mobile graphics chip market. Industry sources estimated that the deal went down for about $400 million, which involves all the outstanding shares of Chips & Technologies. When the sale is finalized later this month or in October, C & T will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Intel Corp. The C&T employees will then become employees of Intel under the agreement.
/// 3-D Toys For The Big Boys /// When computer integrators and resellers have to deliver 3-D solutions for high-end commercial applications such as CAD (computer-aided design) and video animation, they look to graphics vendors like Real 3-D. A division of Lockheed Martin Corp., Real 3-D is about ready to unveil its first board-level high-end graphics product called the "Lighting/110." Specifically designed for Pentium-based systems running Windows NT, the new board offers an extension of its capabilities through direct support of the CrystalEyes 3-D visual headset produced by StereoGraphics Corp. The CrystalEyes unit can be plugged directly into the Lightning /110 board to provide true 3-D visualization. Until till now, the CrystalEyes headset had only been available for Unix system users, but the new product is offered for the Windows NT operating system as well. An Aug. 4 press release indicated a list price of $795 for the CrystalEyes headset, but no reference to price was mentioned for the Lightning/110 3-D board.
/// HotOffice Lets You Borrow The Internet /// HotOffice Technologies Inc. has come up with a service that allows a small business to use the Internet as a substitute for its own corporate network. The brainchild of the Boca Raton-based company saves the end user the expense of installing the cables, hubs, printer servers, and network cards required to run the average office intranet or local area network (LAN), not to mention the time involved in the installation. With HotOffice, any PC with a modem and a Web browser installed can be part of the small business network through a secure network solution. All the normally required business tasks such as electronic forums, E-mail, virtual meetings, document publishing and sharing, and scheduling of employees can be performed through the Java-based application. HotOffice, according to a company spokesman, is easily integrated with Microsoft Office and other modern office suites. The cost of the service will start at $29.99 per month, and will be available this fall.
/// LS-120 (a: Drive) Comes Of Age /// A Campbell, Calif. company, O.R. Technology has been shipping a 3.5" floppy drive that offers a total storage capacity of 120- megabytes using specially formatted disks. As reported in the October 1996 issue of the GrapeVine, the LS-120 is also backward compatible with your old 3.5" floppy disks and will work just fine in that mode. But when you need to do some serious file backups, the 120-Mbyte capacity of the LS-120 goes to work for you with more than 80 times the capacity of a conventional 1.44-Mbyte diskette. Since the Release 2 of Windows 95 OEM (original equipment manufacturer) version from Microsoft has hit the channel with its native support of the "a: Drive," more vendors have seen fit to install the LS-120 in the slot where the old 1.44-Mbyte floppy drive used to go. I have seen these as an OEM item installed in Compaq desktops in discount stores as early as last April.
/// More Speed And Power From The Apple Mach 5 /// Visitors at the MacWorld Expo last month got a glimpse of the new Apple Macintosh Mach 5 high-speed computer. The 604e PowerPC chip has been code named "Mach 5" by Apple, and with clock speeds up to 350-MHz, it lives up to its name. To add to its speed and efficiency, the Mach 5-based PC will also incorporate 1-Mbye of L2 cache memory, which allows the 604e chip and cache to exchange information at extra-high speed. But speed has its price, and that price is a hefty $5,400 for a model 9600 PC running at 350-MHz. A slower 300-MHz version will set you back $4,600.
/// National Semi & Cyrix Enter $550 Million Merger /// On July 28 National Semiconductor Corp. agreed to acquire Cyrix Corp. through a $550 million merger agreement. National is boasting that it will be creating a bold new market for ultra-low-priced personal computers in one stroke of the pen. This rationale is based on the fact that the chip maker has now in its possession, the Cyrix "System-On-A-Chip" (SOC) technology that will allow the creation of a complete PC system on a single chip. The company said that both the average consumer and corporate customer are ready to accept lower-priced (sub-$1,000) computers. National's CEO, Brian Halla noted that the sub-$1,000 PC he is talking about will be equipped to render 3-D graphics and video while running conventional software. The company is confident that it will bring its new joint products to market within one year, as reported by Electronic Buyers' News last month. It was also noted by EBN that production levels of the SOC-based products could reach 700 PCs per year. Cyrix officials and market analysts however, expressed concern over what role IBM Corp. might play now that the acquisition has taken place. IBM could become a pivotal element in the x86 supply chain in the future because it is currently the manufacturing agent for Cyrix. Under its present relationship with Cyrix, IBM keeps almost half of the chips it manufacturers to sell under its own brand name. But the terms of that agreement between the two companies are somewhat vague, said one reporter. It was noted that National's Brian Halla said that his company would maintain an agreement with IBM for nine months. IBM spokesmen were talking about a definite six month agreement, with the possibility of expanding it to another full year.
/// Motorola & SGS Thomson Hit On Smart Card Deal /// The Semiconductor Products Sector (SPS) division of Motorola Inc. and SGS Thomson Microelectronics Inc. have signed an accord charted to encourage "smart card" standardization and stimulate sales of the devices. The products resulting from the partnership will conform to the new ISO/TEC 14443 specification for contactless IC cards. There have been several industry task forces assigned to the develop- ment and implementation of the emerging standard and products to date. Initial products to be launched by both Motorola and SGS-T that conform to the 14443 standard are expected to begin shipping in 1998.
/// PC Camera Design Guide Set By Intel /// The capacity to which digital still-image cameras are to be employed within the PC realm has been given a great amount of thought by Intel Corp. Intel is promoting a set of design guidelines to standardize the use of digital cameras as a PC peripheral through its "Portable PC Camera 98 Design Guideline" initiative. Among the minimum requirements outlined by the project are: * Color capture resolution of 640x480 (min.) * USB (Universal Serial Bus) support * Removable Flash Memory card * Intel MMX (multimedia extensions) compatibility * Electronic flash for indoor operation * Driver support for Microsoft's Still Image platform * Intel/Hewlett-Packard FlashPix image format So far, Intel has rustled up some 25 industrial supporters including Hewlett-Packard, Packard Bell/NEC, Dell Computer, Eastman Kodak, and Polaroid Corp.
/// Electronics Industry Was Prepared For UPS Strike /// The curtailment of deliveries by United Parcel Service as the result of the strike by the Teamsters Union forced many OEMs, distributors, and resellers to look to alternate sources to provide adequate shipping and receiving services last month. But those like Intel Corp., who forecast the strike one month in advance, merely transferred the bulk of their commodities to other carriers. One source reported that Federal Express Corp. ramped up its service to that of a normal Christmas season, where instead of the usual 2.8 million packages per day, the carrier was handling a daily rate of about 4 million ppd. Reporters from the Electronic Buyers' News noted that most of their contacts in the electronics industry said that they saw the strike coming and had a back-up plan already in motion.
/// Lower-Cost Alpha Chip Is Faster /// The semiconductor division of Digital Equipment Corp., Digital Semiconductor, has announced a lower-cost version of its Alpha 21164PC processor chip that will actually run faster than its 533-MHz forerunner. According to company sources, the new Alpha chip will hit clock speeds of 600-MHz and higher and will carry the basic design structure of the 21164PC, but will be formed from a 0.25 micron die as opposed to the larger 0.35 micron size of the older version. No price information of the chip itself was available, but one press release indicated the new processor would be employed in PC systems that are priced in the $2,000 range.
/// HP Signs On First Taiwanese PC Makers /// An EBN news story reported last month that Hewlett-Packard Co. has contracted for the first time, Taiwanese sources to build its desktop computers. OEM deals were arranged with GVC Corp., Asustek Computer Inc., and Mitac International Corp. Of the three, only Mitac will manufacture desktops for the U.S. market, while Asustek and GVC will produce PC motherboards. The U.S. jobs to be lost will be in Huntsvill, Alabama, where SCI Systems Inc. had been assembling desktop computers.
/// Sun Prepared To Challenge WINTEL Establishment /// A Computer Reseller News cover story last month said that Sun Microsystems Inc. is ready to take on the Windows/Intel-based server establishment with the release of its new Enterprise workgroup server computers. Its primary weapon for the assault will be the Sun Enterprise 450, which boasts four 300-MHz Ultra SPARC microprocessors on board. Also referred to as "Tasmo" by Sun, the server is said to match or exceed the performance of its closest rival from Compaq Computer Corp., which is the ProLiant 6000. The price range of the 6000 machines runs from $12,000 to $46,000, and according to the CRN story, Compaq will assemble their new servers with four Pentium Pro CPU chips with the option of running as many as eight processors later next year. In an effort to get a firmer hold on the WINTEL institution, Sun may also make available Unix/Windows NT integration and applications for resellers who want to offer prepackaged soft- ware solutions to their customers.
/// Color Printer/Scanner In A Small Package /// Canon Computer Systems Inc. is building a small portable color printer that can also double as a scanner. The BJC-80 Color Bubble Jet printer will accept letter size, legal size, A4 paper, and envelopes. And as tested by industry analysts, the BJC-80's portability makes it ideal for a variety of applications in the field such as police and insurance investigations where the person on the scene could scan the text of a report and then snap a digital picture, which can be incorporated into the document. Measuring only 2.2" high by 11.8" wide by 6.2" deep, Canon's new mini-printer weighs just 3.1 pounds. But its small physical dimensions and light weight appear not to hamper its per- formance. Two pages per minute output in color at 720 x 360 dots per inch seems most reasonable for a portable printer. An optional $99 scanner cartridge gives the BJC-80 360 dpi, 24-bit color render ing in scanner mode. The list price of the BJC-80 Color Jet is advertised at $299.
/// Intel And Friends Push For MDI Pact /// Last month, Intel Corp. and several digital communications, mobile telephone, and notebook PC manufacturers introduced the Mobile Data Initiative (MDI). The goal of the initiative is to strengthen the bond between resellers and the cellular telephone business, as related by CRN magazine. Mainly an Intel brain child, MDI is supposed to bring together the top executives and engineers of the mobile computer and wireless communications industries in an attempt to promote wireless communications through standard notebook and other mobile PCs. If their efforts are successful, all you will need is a mobile PC, a cellular phone, a PC Card, and a cable to get you linked into the wonderful world of wireless. According to Intel executives, MDI technology will evolve to where only a standard telephone, notebook PC, and a cable are required. The PC will have to have Internet software for the link to a network server, which then provides the power of the Internet for Web site access and E-mail capabilities. All this is supposed to fall into place within the first quarter of 1998, according to the members of the MDI camp.
/// Be Inc. Offers O/S For Intel Systems /// After Apple Computer Inc. thumbed its nose at the Be operating system several months ago, Be Inc. is preparing a version of its unique O/S for Intel-based systems. One day prior to the Macworld Expo, Be Inc. demonstrated its Intel version at the company's developer's conference, which was held in Boston last month. Be Inc. announced that it would release Intel and PowerPC (Mac) versions simultaneously in January. Both versions will provide multitasking capabilities and object oriented development support for value added resellers. The relatively small Menlo Park, Calif. company faces the tremendous task of taking on the Microsoft giant, whose base of Windows customers numbers more than 100 million. But Be Inc. CEO, Jean-Louis Gasse says he expects to at least steal some thunder from Apple. The former Apple executive hinted that his company may follow through with plans to also port the Apple Rhapsody operating system to the Intel architecture.
/// Windows 98 Will Release In Multiple Versions /// Resellers and customers who complained about sweating through multiple versions of Windows 95 will not be happy with the news from Microsoft that Windows 98 will also go to market in various stages. Originally touted as Windows 97, which didn't happen, Microsoft Corp. pushed back the release of the new O/S until 1998. Now it seems that slick Willy Gates still does not have all his Windows ducks in a row, and will offer 98 to the consumer as a piece meal product. If you are a current user of Windows 95, you will be one of the elite who can upgrade to 98. But if you are still plugging away with Windows 3.x, you will have to wait a while before you can make a "seamless" move into the new 32-bit operating system. There is a tricky way you can do it, but it requires the complete re-installation of your old Windows applications. The second release of Windows 98 will not come out until the second half of 1998, but it will contain a set-up engine with tools to migrate 3.x users to the new O/S with a little less inconvenience. One industry source stated that Microsoft will not release two full versions of Windows 98, but instead will burden the users into having to download update packages. The Windows 98 on CD media that may or may not ship by the second quarter will have both 3.x and 95 migration included.
/// A Federal Law That Levels The Playing Field /// CRN magazine last month, told of a little known federal law that may soon level the regulatory playing field for resellers and small businesses who must compete with large corporations. Identified as the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act (SBREFA), the law is supposed to provide small businesses (500 or less employees) a vehicle to voice their opinions for proposed federal regulations. Reimbursement for attorney's fees and other legal costs may be provided the small business when an agency has been found to be in non-compliance with the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980. The 1980 ruling mandates that federal agencies acknowledge and analyze the effects of its regulations on small businesses. As any small business owner can tell you, when an attorney has to be hired to defend you in case of a minor OSHA or similar violation, the expense and diversion from your business activities can destroy the company's productivity. Now SBREFA offers a ray of hope to the small business owners in their dealings with the federal government.
/// Are Webcasters Pumping Out Too Much Info? /// Called by some as Webcasters, cybercasters, or push providers, they are seen by some as just volume information dispensers. But to others, the glut of information received on their desk- tops is a little too much at times. Now Microsoft says it plans to add "push technology" developed by PointCast and BackWeb Technologies to its upcoming version of Internet Explorer 4.0. This little feature can deliver as many as 250 information channels to your PC. In practice, push technology is supposed to be a time-saver, but if the volume of information received is too great, it takes too long to sort through it, thus defeating its purpose. Many users are experiencing an overload where push has been incorporated into their intranet, extranet, and Internet applications at work or at home. Industry analysts are saying that corporate users are looking for more efficient ways to manage this glut of information they receive each day. But as push continues to evolve, the industry is expected to develop more tools to aid users in their efforts to search through, sort, and manage the deluge of information.
/// ERoom Provides New Ways To Share Info /// Instructive Technologies Inc. will soon unveil a new software application called eRoom, which enables users to share inform- ation in a new way. Company president, Jeff Beir said that a team of employees wanting to work together on a PowerPoint presentation, for example, could use the standard Windows drag-and-drop feature to move the icon of the presentation from a local hard drive to a shared on-screen desktop and upload it to a Web server. There it becomes available to all parties of the group, providing they all use the common password. Shared documents and folders can be moved from the local PC to the Web server through the traditional HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol). Members of the work group running Windows 95 or NT can use a standard Internet browser such as Netscape Navigator or Microsoft's Internet Explorer through any Internet provider to enable them to share documents across the globe if desired.
/// Intel And Microsoft Logos Will Demand New Specs /// After June 1998, PC hardware and software bearing either the Intel or Microsoft logos will fall under the PC98 specifications as described in a 22-chapter document. Among the requirements spelled out in the PC98 Design Guide are: * Internal bus speeds from 66-MHz to 100-MHz. * Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) or 64-bit PCI buses. * Bus mastering hard drives on personal computers. * SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) hard drives on workstations. * New system BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) for high capacity requirements. * New components that meet the Device Bay standard. * Smart Card support in office PC systems. * The phase-out of ISA slots on all PC systems. Also listed among the requirements pertaining to Intel-based systems, PC98 demands a CPU chip with 200-MHz minimum clock speed and MMX (Multimedia Extensions) or equivalent technology. Intel and Microsoft are credited with engineering the new PC standards, which address manufacturing and integration require- ments. Both company's have detailed information posted on their Web sites. Equipment manufacturers and resellers are invited to correspond with both organizations to offer their opinions, suggestions, and criticisms.
/// One Less Human In The Network /// Hewlett-Packard Co. announced the debut of its JetSend platform last month, which provides a way for assorted devices to ID and negotiate data types and share the information without the need for resellers or users to translate the information. Scanners, printers, and computers will be the first devices to get the JetSend treatment, but according to an HP spokesman, all device manufacturers are welcome to inquire if interested in embedding the new technology. When peripherals are connected that are equipped with JetSend firmware, the need for individual drivers is eliminated. And according to one HP official, the peripherals will connect, exchange device information, and then exchange the data without human intervention. The first products to employ JetSend technology should appear within the next 12 months, as disclosed by the HP source.
/// Intel 740 Chip Aimed At Graphics Market /// The 740 graphics chip introduced by Intel Corp. is an indicator that the chip giant intends to muscle its way into the main- stream volume graphics market. An EBN article last month related that Intel demonstrated the 740 chip at the SIGGRAPH 97 trade show in Los Angeles. Also identified as the "Auburn" chip, the 740 will perform in similar capacity to the graphics chips being produced by vendors such as S3 Inc., Cirris Logic Inc., and ATI Technologies Inc. As demonstrated, the 740 produced a resolution of 800x600 and 24-Mbytes of textures using Intel's AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) technology. Intel officials stated that the 740 is the first in a planned series of graphics products. Rumors within the industry hint that the company will have produced "sample" runs of the new chip just in time for the Comdex Expo that takes place in Las Vegas this November.
/// Intel Deal Upsets S3 Executives /// There is another rumor within the PC industry that relates S3 Inc.'s displeasure over Intel Corp.'s proposed acquisition of Chips and Technologies Inc. A press release indicated that S3 is planning antitrust action against Intel in the matter because of the possible leverage to be gained by Intel through the graphics expertise developed and produced by Chips & Technologies. Mean while, the ongoing battle between Intel and DEC (Digital Equipment Corp.) continues as Intel filed a counterclaim for 14 alleged patent infringements in answer to DEC's initial suit filed in May relating to 10 alleged patent violations of its technology committed by Intel. [I wonder if this high-tech soap opera will ever become a hit on daytime TV?]
/// Unrest Also Reported In The DVD World /// The DVD (Digital Versatile Disk)world erupted last month when a major breach in standards occurred between the two camps of (Hewlett-Packard, Philips Electronics, and Sony) and (Toshiba and Matsushita). The HP/Philips/Sony team will now develop a separate DVD-RAM standard of their own, which supposedly is better compatible with the emerging product lines of DVD-ROM drives. Other DVD developers and the Toshiba/Matsushita consortium said they will continue with the DVD-RAM standard agreed to last May. Although the group seemed to be going along with the initial platform, a Sony official said they never intended to actually manufacture products based on those specifications. Other than differences in the method of storing data, the two concepts also vary in the capacity stored on the media. Under the Toshiba/Matsushita specifications, the disks would hold up to 2.6-Gigabytes of information on a single side, or 5.2-Gb on double-sided media. The HP/Philips/Sony configuration would store up to 3-Gb on a single side, while it could hold as much as 6-Gb on the double-sided disk. With the two consortiums going their separate ways, equipment makers may be facing the situation of having to manufacture devices geared to both technologies. That would prove to be very expensive!
/// You Can Pay Your Internet Bills In Yen /// A Yen-based payment service will soon be introduced by Cyber- Cash Inc. in Japan. The new service will go through CyberCash K.K. (CCKK) as a joint venture with Softbank Corp. and other Japanese business partners that include banks, credit card, and technology companies. A regional offering of the CCKK service will provide secure Internet payment and online commerce with banks, merchants, and credit card companies and their consumers in Japan.
/// AirSurfer Wireless LAN Has Lower Price /// To make the move to wireless local area networks (LANs) more attractive to business owners, NetWave Technologies Inc. has reduced the price of its AirSurfer PC card to less than $250. Targeted at small businesses and branch offices, NetWave has initiated a program called "Go Wireless Today," which offers new customers a starter kit package deal. For $699, the kit includes both the AirSurfer card and the Access Point bridge that connects wireless peripherals to the wired ones.
/// Intel Releases 3-D Chipset For Pentium II /// At the end of last month, Intel Corp. released its 440LX 3-D graphics chipset that supports the Pentium II processor. Resellers and equipment vendors are counting on the new chipset and recent price cuts on the Pentium II processor to encourage an increase in sales for the newer technology. According to industry analysts, sales up to now have been disappointing, both for them and for Intel. The 440LX will cost about half as much as the $99 440FX chipset it replaces, and will support the Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface and PC97 power management specifications.
/// No Clear Winner In 56-K Modem Race /// In the race between the two competing 56-Kbit/second modem platforms, there appears to be no clear winner at this time. Both sides are claiming advantages for their technology while attempting to disclaim the features boasted by the opposing technology. Backers of the U.S. Robotics x2 standard and those supporting the K56flex architecture developed by Rockwell Semi- conductor each claim they have the lead, but the final say may not be decided by the engineers, but by market trends, said one industry source. Although U.S. Robotics has done a notable job in marketing its x2 standard, the combined team of Rockwell Semiconductor and Lucent Technologies is expected to also exert a heavy impact on the modem market, and may be able to sway a large percentage of modem buyers to purchase their 56-Kbps technology. If the number of chipsets already shipped by manufacturers such as Texas Instruments is any indication, then the x2 camp looks like a shoe in with 13 million of their chipsets going to independent service vendors and end users. But that claim is followed by the Rockwell camp's conjecture that it had shipped 4 million chipsets just since May. One spokesman said that of the 13 million total of x2 chipsets produced by TI, a very high percentage of them were digital signal processors (DSPs) sold as upgrade chips for earlier modems. The "official" standard issue is still expected to be resolved by the end of this year or the beginning of 1998.
/// Partnership Agreement Between IBM & GE // A partnership agreement was completed between IBM Credit Corp. and GE Capital Information Technology Solutions Corp. (ITS) last month, which gives IBM Credit and its financial organizations a "preferred financing provider" status for GE Capital ITS in the U.S. and its 20 other worldwide locations. A trade report mentioned that the IBM PC Co. already has a working relationship with numerous GE Capital customers, and the new alliance will expand IBM's relationship with them. Of those customers, about 50 percent used GE Capital finance services to buy equipment from IBM. A report compiled by the equipment Leasing Association stated that the projected total of leased computer equipment and peripherals was supposed to reach $173.2 billion by the end of this year. That sum amounts to almost 31 percent of the $570.1 billion expected to be spent on computer equipment by U.S. businesses alone.
/// PNY Happy With DIMM Test Results /// A late August CRN report said that PNY Technologies Inc. had successfully completed preliminary testing of its dual in-line memory modules (DIMMs) designed for use with the Intel AN430TX motherboard. The AN430TX provides two 168-pin DIMM slots, and can support up to 256-Mbytes of synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) or 128-Mbytes of EDO (Extended Data Out) memory modules. Intel's specs also call for support of the Pentium MMX-class processors. Systems integrators and end users will not have to sweat jumper settings when installing system memory on the new motherboard because Intel has installed a BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) chip that automatically detects the size, type, and speed of memory installed. In the tests, PNY qualified EDO DIMM sizes ranging from 8-MB to 64-MB. SDRAM performance was tested on products ranging from 16-MB to 128-MB.
/// Office 97 Service Pack Released By Microsoft /// Microsoft Corp. recently made good on its promise to resellers by releasing a "Service Pack" for its Office 97 suite that will address the problem of document incomparability between older versions of Office and Office 97. Primarily, the update will offer a cure for the annoying in- compatibilities between Word 6.0 and Word 97 by adding a binary converter for Word 97 that saves documents in true [.doc] file format. Microsoft officially apologized to users earlier this year for the bugs, and had pledged to provide a tool to ease the overall migration task. As a little bonus to resellers for their trouble, MS added some new features to the service pack such as better Internet E-mail support for the Outlook 97 client snap- shot module in Access and Intel MMX (Multimedia Extensions) support.