Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.tech From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: tech Tue, Jul 21 1992 Date: Tue, 21 Jul 92 06:06:53 EDT Message-ID: 07-21 0000 DECISIONLINE: Technology USA TODAY Update July 21, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network OSPREY AIRCRAFT CRASHES: The prototype of the Osprey aircraft, which can lift off like a helicopter but turns its rotors to fly like a plane, crashed into the Potomac River after a flight from Florida's Eglin Air Force Base. This is the second V-22 crash in 13 months. The first was blamed on human error. Reports say that as many as seven people were killed in the crash. OSPREY RECENTLY RECEIVED SUPPORT: The Osprey aircraft is designed to swiftly carry Marines and equipment in an out of combat zones without the need for landing strips. Monday, a prototype of the plane crashed. The V-22 recently gained Defense Secretary Dick Cheney's reluctant support after four years of strong opposition to a plane Congress wants. Cheney says the Osprey is too expensive. GM UNVEILS CAR RECHARGER: A new charging system for electric cars is as easy to use as a regular gasoline pump and reduces charging time, says the General Motors subsidiary that unveiled it Monday. GM Hughes Electronics' system uses a lightweight, plastic-covered paddle that is inserted into a slot on the car, rather than a heavy plug. The paddle transfers electricity through a magnetic field rather than metal. RECHARGE TAKES LESS THAN HOUR: GM Hughes Electronics' says its new charging system for electric cars will handle a routine daily battery recharge in less than one hour and a complete recharge of a battery in less than three hours. Other systems take as long as 16 hours for a complete recharge. GM has adopted the design for its first electric car, based on the two-seat Impact prototype introduced in January 1990. CANION FORMING NEW COMPANY: Rod Canion, who was ousted last fall as president of Compaq Computer, is expected to announce details Tuesday of a new company he is heading, Reuters says. A spokesman for Canion says the new venture, Insource Management Group, will not be a computer manufacturer such as Compaq. Insource will act like a consultant, giving businesses advice on achieving financial fitness. IBM TO CUT PRICES: IBM will cut prices on its biggest-selling personal computer models Tuesday, Reuters reports. Price cuts up to 30% are expected on existing PCs. IBM, like many of its competitors, is expected to introduce a low-cost line of PCs in September. BEDSIDE COMPUTER ENDORSED: Micro Healthsystems Inc. said Monday it has received an endorsement for its main product, a bedside computer system, from a hospital network. The machine is designed to replace manual charts. It was endorsed by HCA Information Services Inc., a division of Hospital Corp. of America. HCA owns 125 hospitals. ORACLE INTRODUCES NEW LINE: Oracle Corporation introduced Oracle Applications Release 9 Monday. It is the firm's next generation of financial, manufacturing, and human resource applications. The product family includes Oracle Financials, Oracle Manufacturing, Oracle Human Resources and Oracle Government Financials. They cost between $26,000 and $166,000 per module, depending on the number of users. NASA WORKING ON ATLANTIS: NASA is preparing space shuttle Atlantis for a July 31 liftoff. Atlantis' crew members will demonstrate an experimental tethered satellite system and deploy a retrievable pallet of science experiments. NASA is also installing liquid-fueled main engines on Endeavor. The second mission for NASA's newest shuttle will be a week-long space research flight in September. TALKING BUS HITS THE STREETS: Four buses in Salem, Ore., have become the first in the nation to carry the Talking Bus system that was developed by Digital Recorders Inc. of North Carolina. The system announces stops and major intersections in a human voice. The bus driver pushes a button to trigger the announcements. Outside the bus, waiting riders can hear the route number and final destination. MCDONNELL DOUGLAS BEGINS CUTS: McDonnell Douglas Training Systems, a subsidiary of McDonnell Aircraft Co., Monday issued layoff notices to 31 salaried employees as it prepares to reduce its work force by 100. The job cuts result from delays in the award of new Defense Department contracts, the firm says. The subsidiary provides training programs for the F-14 Tomcat fighter and A-6 Intruder bomber programs. ARTISOFT CENTRALIZES IN EUROPE: Artisoft Inc., the U.S. manufacturer of LANtastic Local Area Network, Monday said it has centralized its European operations by moving its European headquarters to The Netherlands. The headquarters will be responsible for sales, marketing, technical support and training with respect to Artisoft products in the European market. Technology Editor: Ed Kelleher. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM