Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.tech,americast.usa-today.tech From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: tech Tue, Oct 6 1992 Date: Tue, 6 Oct 92 05:45:32 EDT Message-ID: 10-06 0000 DECISIONLINE: Technology USA TODAY Update Oct. 6, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network INTEL'S P6 DUE OUT IN 18 MONTHS: Intel's newest chip, the P6, will be completed within the next 18 months. The 486DX2 microprocessor, with 1.2 million transistors, is currently Intel's most powerful chip, which is used as the brains of most IBM-compatible personal computers. The P6 will pack 10 million transistors on its chip. ACER LOWERS PRICE: Acer America Corp. Monday announced it has reduced the price of its AcerAnyWare V386SL to $2,199. It offers an Intel 386SL processor, 4MB of memory (expandable to 12MB), 120MB hard disk storage, a 10-inch high resolution LCD display and power management capabilities. An optional docking station for desktop use, which includes a 101-key keyboard, is priced at $699. ACER UPGRADES HIGH-END LINE: Acer America Corp. Monday introduced a second generation of its high-end AcerPower 486e EISA-based desktop systems. Features include high-level integration, video support for Windows applications and single-chip CPU upgrade options. Prices start at $1,249. The line consists of 11 systems aimed at supporting the needs of small businesses, corporate customers and home office buyers, Acer says. NOVELL SECURITY IS CRACKED: Novell Inc. said Monday a Dutch research group at Leiden University discovered a method of breaking NetWare's security system, Bloomberg Business News reports. In response, Novell plans to offer users enhancements for free to prevent further security breaches. Novell plans to test the enhancements for several weeks before making it available. GENERAL DYNAMICS SELLS DIVISION: The Carlyle Group, a Washington-based private investment firm, said it will purchase General Dynamics' Electronics Division for an undisclosed sum. General Dynamics' Electronics Division, based in San Diego, employs 2,300. The division, with expected revenues of $300 million this year, designs and manufactures defense electronics equipment. TI TO CLOSE PLANT: Texas Instruments Inc. said Monday it will close its Abilene, Texas, defense plant by March, 1993, laying off about 300 workers. The Abilene operations will be consolidated with TI's other defense plants in North Texas. About 50 of the 350 workers in Abilene will be moved to other TI facilities, the firm said. The layoffs will begin in January and should be completed in about three months. MARTIN MARIETTA GETS DEAL: Martin Marietta Corp. said Monday it has received a $44.4 million contract from General Electric to continue work as the dual manufacturing source of advanced electronic diagnostic equipment for the U.S. Navy. The Consolidated Automated Support System is a self-contained diagnostic unit designed to test a wide variety of existing and future electronic systems used by the Navy. SDI WILL LOSE FUNDS: President Bush is expected to sign a $274.5 billion defense authorization bill within the next few days that makes big changes to the Strategic Defense Initiative, but leaves most other major weapons systems intact. Spending for the SDI program will drop from $5.4 billion in 1992 to $4 billion in 1993. That's about $1.4 billion less than Bush requested. MANY PROGRAMS ARE SAVED: Congress mandated major changes in the Strategic Defense Initiative. The program will now focus largely on ground-based defenses against limited ballistic missile attacks. Congress has approved a total of $2.8 billion for the Air Force F-22 fighter, Navy AX attack plane and Army Commanche attack helicopter - highly sophisticated aircraft that are still on the drawing boards. BALTIMORE DATA NETWORK PLANNED: Westinghouse Electronic Systems and Bell Atlantic Mobile Systems Inc. say they plan to build the nation's largest commercial cellular packet data network in the Baltimore area. They plan to use technology developed by Cellular Data Inc. The network, scheduled to go into service early next year, would provide two-way wireless data transmission throughout the Baltimore area. TERABEAM USED IN AUSTRALIA: Laser Communications Inc., a unit of Safeguard Scientifics Inc., said Monday it has installed its system to expand local area networks in two Australian governmental agencies. The company's TeraBeam E:10 laser unit simultaneously can send and receive computer data over laser light at distances of up to one kilometer (0.6 mile). DBA GAINS CONTRACT: DBA Systems Inc. said Monday it has won a contract valued at $742,000 for production of six automatic video trackers from Kollmorgen Corp. DBA said the contract includes "long lead" funding for the production of 16 more trackers and will eventually be worth $1.26 million when complete. The video trackers are to be installed on Navy destroyer guided missile-frigates. 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