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 Wed, Jul 22 1992 Date: Wed, 22 Jul 92 04:31:58 EDT Message-ID: 07-22 0000 DECISIONLINE: Technology USA TODAY Update July 22, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network V-22 PROGRAM IN JEOPARDY: Defense Secretary Dick Cheney, never a big fan of the hybrid helicopter-airplane V-22, believes Monday's crash of one of the aircraft has put the future of the $30 billion V-22 program in jeopardy. Cheney's view was conveyed by his spokesman, Pete Williams, who said: "The crash raises serious questions about the V-22 program." The cause of the incident is under investigation. SUPERCOLLIDER GETS SUPPORT: A Senate Appropriations panel gave backers of the superconducting supercollider a glimmer of hope Tuesday, agreeing to include $550 million for the project next year. The House has voted to eliminate all federal funding for the $8.25 billion program. The Senate Appropriations Committee is due to take up the matter Wednesday. IBM CUTS PRICES: As expected, IBM joined the personal computer price-cutting war Tuesday, announcing cuts of up to 30% on its Personal System:2 computers. The list price on IBM's best selling PS:2, the 56 SLC-055, is cut to $2,485 from $3,560 but the price to dealers has been discounted to $1,590. After a 15% dealer markup, customers can expect to pay about $1,828 for the PC. IBM'S PLAN IS WORKING: Under CEO John Akers, IBM is making an effort to stay lean and mean. So far in 1992, the plan is working. But there are things IBM cannot do anything about. Growth in the computer industry has slowed. Also, there have been few takeovers. The industry won't consolidate like other businesses; most high-tech mergers are disasters. In addition, price wars are likely to continue. CANION OPENS CONSULTING FIRM: Ex-Compaq Computer President Rod Canion announced Tuesday he has formed a Houston-based consulting firm to help U.S. companies become more financially fit and competitive in world markets. Canion will be chairman of Insource Management Group and Ron Fischer, a former Perot Systems executive, will be president and CEO. SMITH CORONA MOVES TO MEXICO: Smith Corona, maker of word processors, said Tuesday it is moving all U.S. manufacturing to Mexico. The move will mean the loss of 775 permanent jobs and 100 temporary ones at the company's plant in Cortland, N.Y. Smith Corona blamed predatory pricing by foreign competitors and says the move will allow it to cut production costs 80% and save $15 million a year. NASA SIGNS AGREEMENT: NASA and the National Institutes of Health hope to land future breakthroughs under a new joint biomedical agreement signed Tuesday by NASA administrator Daniel Goldin and NIH director Bernadine Healy. Studies will focus on space flight's effects on astronauts and the use of a space shuttle or space station's zero-gravity as a laboratory for studying human biology. CALIF. NAMED REGIONAL CENTER: The U.S. Department of Commerce has selected California as a regional center for its Transfer of Manufacturing Technology program. The award creates the California Manufacturing Technology Center (CMTC). It will promote and conduct technology transfers to small and medium-sized manufacturers. Over the next six years, nearly $13 million in federal funding will come to California. NEXT JOINS GROUP: NeXT Computer Inc. said Tuesday it has joined the Object Management Group. The consortium promotes the cohesive development of object-oriented software technology. Other leading developers who hold membership include Andersen Consulting, APM, Canon, DEC, Group Bull, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Novell, Olivetti, Software AG and SunSoft. OBJECT DESIGN, NEXT MAKE DEAL: Object Design Inc. and NeXT Computer Inc. said Tuesday they have signed an agreement to jointly develop a new object-oriented storage and database technology. Object Design will combine ObjectStore 2.0, the most recent version of its object-oriented database product, with NeXTSTEP Release 3.0. The product will be available by the end of 1992 and will be marketed by Object Design. GROUP TO DESIGN FUSION FACILITY: Representatives of the European Community, Japan, Russia and the USA Tuesday signed an agreement to cooperate in the engineering design of an International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). The group will design a test facility that would, if built, demonstrate the feasibility of fusion energy - the same energy that powers the sun. The six-year program will cost about $1.2 billion. GTE TO CONDUCT DEMONSTRATION: GTE Spacenet will conduct a live demonstration of its Global News Express satellite news-gathering communications service at the International Broadcasting Convention, in Amsterdam, The Netherlands this week. Pan American Satellite and the Netherlands telecommunications ministry will take part in the transmission of compressed video and voice signals between Europe and the USA. 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