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, Jun 9 1992 Date: Tue, 9 Jun 92 05:19:54 EDT Message-ID: 06-09 0000 DECISIONLINE: Technology USA TODAY Update June 9, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network ZENITH PLANS NEW PC LINE: Zenith plans to sell 40 new personal computers models and will begin phasing out nearly all of its current models. A new Z-sport notebook series will sell for $2,200 to $3,300, while 19 high-performance desktops will cost $1,800 to $4,000. Most of the new products will be available in four to six weeks. FORBES MAG HAS DISK INSIDE: A 5 1:4-inch computer disk is included in this month's edition of Forbes. It contains interactive ad messages from 10 advertisers. Forbes says 80% of its subscribers have access to computers and 80% of those are IBM compatible, a necessity to use the disk. Advertisers include American Express, Jaguar, the Chicago Board of Trade, Borland and Chevrolet. SMALLER DISK DRIVE DEVELOPED: Hewlett-Packard has created a matchbox-sized computer disk drive. The 1.3-inch disk drive is the world's smallest and can hold 21.4 megabytes - the equivalent of 14,389 typed pages. Mobile computers, cellular telephones and portable medical equipment are expected to benefit from the technology. The devices will be available in the fall and cost $450. CITIZEN WILL ASSEMBLE MODULES: Hewlett-Packard Co.'s Kittyhawk Personal Storage Module computer disk drive was developed in collaboration with AT&T and Citizen Watch Co. of Japan. Citizen will assemble the modules for Hewlett-Packard in Japan. Read-Rite Corp. is supplying the film heads. The heads store data at a maximum density of 180 million bits of information on each square inch of disk surface. SCHOOL PROGRAM SEEKS TAX BREAK: Computerworld publisher Gary Beach Monday called on Congress to pass legislation that would encourage U.S. corporations to donate computers to American schools. Beach said that for its Computers in the Classroom program, Computerworld is seeking backing for federal legislation that would give corporations a tax credit in return for donations of fully depreciated computing equipment. PYCON MOTHERBOARD AVAILABLE: The first ever Intel 80486 motherboard based on the Microsoft-endorsed Chips and Technologies Windows Accelerator chip is now available from Pycon Inc. of Santa Clara, Calif. The Pycon WindJet486 motherboard, with its on-board high-performance color graphics, runs Windows applications up to 200% faster than any solution on the market today, Pycon says. GENERAL DYNAMICS TO BUY STOCK: General Dynamics said Monday that it will buy back up to $975 million in stock, marking the company's latest move to adjust to shrinking U.S. defense spending. The nation's No. 2 defense contractor, behind McDonnell Douglas, said it will buy back 13 million shares - about 30% of its outstanding stock - for $65 3:8 to $75 each. GENERAL DYNAMICS GETTING LEAN: General Dynamics now is in jet fighters, tanks, submarines and aerospace businesses. The firm's efforts to become leaner have won approval on Wall Street. Yet many analysts say that only the aerospace business has a solid outlook. Says Peter Aseritis at First Boston. "Who the hell wants to buy tanks or fighters in peace time?" SHUTTLE CREW TO STUDY GRAVITY: Space shuttle Columbia's seven-member crew is at Kennedy Space Center preparing for a record-breaking 13-day spaceflight dedicated to microgravity research. The flight, scheduled for late June, features the U. S. Microgravity Laboratory-1. Astronauts will grow crystals, test the behavior of fluids in orbit and study the effects of weightlessness on the body. INTEGRAL SELLING NEW DISK DRIVE: Integral Peripherals Inc. has announced that it is shipping a 60MB 1.8 inch disk drive. The Maverick 1862 is a dual platter 1.8 inch drive with an on-board controller and an IDE interface. Designed primarily for notebook, subnotebook and pen-based computers, it is priced at $375. AIRFONE TO OFFER INFORMATION: Beginning July 1, GTE Airfone will offer updates on world and national news, sports, stocks and weather. GTE Airfones are on 1,700 planes. Each call - from two to three minutes - is $3. Calls are charged to credit cards or calling cards. The announcement from GTE comes just two weeks after In-Flight Phon began testing a telephone and computer-video system on USAir. SOFTWARE AG TO WORK ON MACS: Software AG of North America says it will release software by the end of the year that will link its database and application development technologies with Apple's Macintosh. Software AG also says it is working on a number of Macintosh products. 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