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 Mon, Oct 19 1992 Date: Mon, 19 Oct 92 04:38:13 EDT Message-ID: 10-19 0000 DECISIONLINE: Technology USA TODAY Update Oct. 19, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network HYUNDAI BACK IN U.S. PC MARKET: South Korea's Hyundai Information Systems has re-entered the U.S. personal computer market. It introduced more than 40 personal computers targeted to consumers and businesses Friday. The new Hyundai PC products range from the $1,299 laptop to the $3,995 Tower that runs Intel's fastest 80386 microprocessor. READING EDGE TO BE UNVEILED: Xerox unveils the Reading Edge Monday, a machine that can read books and other text to the blind using a synthesized voice. The Reading Edge, priced at $5,495, is about half the cost of other Xerox reading machines. It is also smaller and lighter, weighing just 20 pounds, and is about the size of a briefcase. UNITED TECHNOLOGIES PLANS CUTS: United Technologies said Friday its Pratt & Whitney unit will lay off 7,500 workers by the middle of next year, 4,800 more layoffs at the jet engine maker than previously announced. The firm, which announced a major restructuring program in January, says weakness in the airline industry is forcing carriers to delay orders for commercial jets and engines. IBM SUES OVER COUNTERFEITS: IBM Friday sued seven competitors and five individuals in federal district court in Charlotte, N.C. Bloomberg Business News reported that IBM PC alleged the competitors distributed counterfeit products and bootlegged components that use IBM microcodes. The company sought an injunction and unspecified monetary damages. No trial date was set. CHARLOTTE COMPANY IN LAWSUITS: The competitors that IBM sued Friday for counterfeiting include a Charlotte, N.C., company, American Data Co. The suit was filed in Charlotte. Others: Brookwood Computer Industries Inc., Alpharetta, Ga.; Classicblue Computer Services of Randolph, N.J.; Com-Gear Unlimited Inc. of Canton, Ga.; Five Star Computer Services Inc. of Carrollton, Texas; and Savon Systems Inc. of East Setauket, N.Y. ELECTRIC CARS READY IN 1994: Detroit automobile manufacturers will unveil in December 1994 new production electric cars, according to a recent report in Automotive News. The unveiling comes three years before California air pollution regulations require carmakers to sell them. The first production electric car could come as early as December 1993. GM and Ford have a $1,000 bet that GM will have an electric car then. PEROT WINS STRAW POLL: Ross Perot won Corporate Computing magazine's presidential straw poll of computer professionals who attended the NetWorld trade show at the Dallas Convention Center last week. Perot received 37% of the votes cast, President Bush 33%, Bill Clinton 25% and 5% were undecided. A total of 823 votes were cast. ADOBE SOFTWARE DUE IN 1993: Adobe Systems Inc. plans to ship the first products based on its Carousel document-communications software in the first half of 1993, company spokeswoman Linda Prosser told Bloomberg Business News. Initial Carousel products will enable users to produce documents on a Windows or Apple Macintosh application. SONY TO UNVEIL NEW TV: Sony is introducing what it calls its most advanced TVs - both in design and technology - on Oct. 29. The Trinitron XBR2 TV couples the Super Trinitron picture tube with Sony's Digital Signal Processing Axis Sound System. It features on-screen commands for access to all of the television's features, which include ways to enhance the sound and block programs unsuitable for children. GROUP 1 COMPLETES PURCHASE: Group 1 Software said Friday it has completed the purchase of certain assets of Arc Tangent Inc., of Santa Barbara, Calif. Among the assets purchased by Group 1 are all of the mail management software, the distributor agreements and the end user lists of Arc Tangent. Group 1 has retained several key technical employees previously with Arc Tangent. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed. SONY GAINS DIRECTV CONTRACT: Hughes Communications Inc. said Friday it has awarded Sony Corp. of America a contract to design and install the direct broadcast satellite plant for its network, DirecTv. The value of the contract exceeds $50 million. Set to launch in early 1994, DirecTv will offer pay-per-view movies, live events and entertainment programming to subscribers throughout the USA. ASSOCIATION SEEKS PROPOSALS: The Electronic Industries Association has requested technology proposals for technical high-definition television closed-captioning. The Decoders Act of 1990 requires closed-captioning to be built into all TV sets 13 inches and larger by July 1993. The association will hold a closed-captioning seminar via satellite on Oct. 15. For information, call 202-457-4975. 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