Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.tech From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: tech Thu, Apr 9 1992 Date: Thu, 9 Apr 92 05:44:24 EDT Message-ID: 04-09 0000 DECISIONLINE: Technology USA TODAY Update April 9, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network IBM TO MAKE PEN COMPUTER: IBM will announce next week it is entering the portable pen-based computer market, Reuters says. The IBM model will be aimed at mobile workers, such as insurance claims adjusters and utility meter readers, to replace clipboards and paper forms used today. The computers use a special pen that writes on its screen instead of a keyboard to control the computer's functions. ENDEAVOUR'S ENGINES DAMAGED: NASA said Wednesday that Endeavour's three main engines were damaged during a test-firing Monday at Cape Canaveral and will have to be replaced. The procedure, however, will only take a day to do, so the first launch of Endeavour still is expected May 5. Officials also said none of the problems would have endangered the crew if it had been a real launch. SPACE STATION STAYS ALIVE: A House panel Wednesday defeated a last-minute bid by a freshman congressman aimed at killing the funding for the multibillion-dollar space station Freedom. "This particular space station is unnecessary to our nation's space program and is in fact hurting our space program," said Rep. Tim Roemer, R-Ind., in introducing his amendment. The measure was defeated 17-8. FUNDS WOULD HAVE BEEN SPLIT: Rep. Tim Roemer, R-Ind. said his amendment that would have cut funding for the space stations freedom was not an anti-NASA move. His legislation, which was voted down, called for space station funds to be split - part going to other NASA projects and part going to reduce the federal deficit. "Space Station Freedom is bleeding other, important NASA programs dry," Roemer said. SAVINGS SHOULD GO FOR JOBS: At least 25% of post-Cold War U.S. defense savings should be used to put skilled defense employees to work on environmental cleanup and high-technology civilian programs, a House subcommittee recommended Wednesday. Where possible, it said, the workers should get jobs preserving their skills so they could quickly return to weapons production if a major war threat returns. ELECTRONIC SALES UP: U.S. factory sales of electronic equipment, components and related products totaled $67.1 billion for the first quarter of 1992, a 5.6% increase over last year's first quarter sales of $63.5 billion, according to preliminary data released Thursday by the Electronic Industries Association. Computers and peripherals hit $13.2 billion for the first quarter, a 9% growth over last year. SOFTWARE FIRM MOVES INTO FRANCE: American Software Wednesday announced the formation of a French subsidiary, AMLOG, S.A. The company is headquartered in Paris. It will sell market and support the firm's software for French-speaking companies throughout Europe. Headquartered in Atlanta, develops application software for a wide variety of industries. MEMORY CHIPS BEING SHIPPED: Texas Instruments-Acer Incorporated, the semiconductor joint venture between Texas Instruments and Acer Incorporated has begun shipping advanced memory chips and expects to reach volume production in late 1992. It currently is shipping 4-megabit dynamic random access memory (DRAM) semiconductors. They are used in a variety of equipment, including computers and fax machines. BRUCE TO SUPPLY SYSTEM: Bruce Technologies International said Wednesday it has signed a $4.7 million contract with International Rectifier of El Segundo, Calif., to supply that company with multiple wafer processing systems used in semiconductor fabrication. Bruce is a joint venture between Kokusai Electric and BTU International. DEFENSE FIRMS UP OFFER: A large French military contractor and two U.S. defense firms upped their offers for LTV Corp.'s missile and aircraft businesses Wednesday during a bankruptcy court auction. Lockheed Corp. of Calabasas, Calif., and Martin Marietta Corp. of Bethesda, Md., raised their offer for the LTV Defense and Aerospace group by $20 million to $375 million. TTC TO DEMONSTRATE HDTV: Television Technology Corp. has teamed up with General Instrument's VideoCipher Division to demonstrate its digital high-definition television transmission during the National Association of Broadcasters' convention in Las Vegas next week. TTC's transmitter will broadcast an HDTV signal over the air on channel 15. TTC makes television and FM radio transmission equipment. CANADA WIRE TO BE ON DOW JONES: The full text of all news releases transmitted by Canada NewsWire is now available on Dow Jones News:Retrieval and DowVision, Gordon S. Eastwood, president and CEO of Canada NewsWire, announced Wednesday. CNW transmits news for a wide range of corporations, federal and provincial government institutions, trade associations and public and investor relations agencies. 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