The Buffalo Grove, Illinois-based Zenith Data Systems Inc unit of Compagnie des Machines Bull SA has a multi-year alliance with PictureTel Corp under which a co-branded version of the PictureTel Live PCS 50 desktop videoconferencing system for Windows personal computers will be integrated into Zenith’s new Z-Station GT 575 VC, and is claiming that it is the first time a major US personal computer manufacturer has bundled videoconferencing technology into a personal computer.
PaineWebber Inc analyst Stephen Smith has raised his rating on Data General Corp even though his fiscal 1995 loss estimate widened to $1.00 a share from 85 cents: his projection for fiscal 1996 losses has narrowed to 10 cents a share from 25 cents because while its positive developments are unlikely to have a meaningful contribution for some time, Data General is surprisingly far along with a plan to move its server business rapidly over to Intel Corp’s architecture.
IBM Corp has turned to Andrea Electronics Corp, location unknown, for Anti-Noise Active Noise Cancellation products, and gets exclusive worldwide rights to market, distribute and support Andrea Anti-Noise kit in the personal computer market: the pact contains a non-obligatory procurement schedule for about $14m of Andrea Anti-Noise headsets over the next two years, and an initial purchase order under the pact has already been handed to Andrea.
Kansas City, Missouri-based Sprint Corp reckons that with its deployment of Synchronous Optical Network rings across the country, it has the first US coast-to-coast telecommunications route that ensures speech, data, image and video service can be provided without interruption, even if there is a cable cut or electronic failure: the Sonet system of multiple interconnected rings of fibre optic cable safeguard communications by automatically rerouting service around disruptions in about 60mS; its Sonet network is already carrying traffic in many parts of the country and with interconnection by July of rings between New York and Los Angeles, the network will be deployed in one-third of Sprint’s route-miles of its all-digital fibre optic network, the firm said.
Miami Shores, Florida-based Call Now Inc is to acquire Cable-Sat Compression Inc in exchange for Call Now shares representing 25% of the enlarged equity: Cable-Sat Compression, based in San Jose, develops digital compression products for personal computers, broadcast television, cable television, satellite communications and so forth.
Tahoe is the name Hewlett-Packard Co has given to the integrated Precision Architecture-P7 microprocessor architecture it is working on with Intel Corp: the two say that getting the chip family to the point where it is capable of being fabricated will cost $2,000m-plus.
Compagnie des Machines Bull SA says it will continue to invest in hardware and software research and development to support the long-term viability of its GCOS mainframe systems, but the French company also has plans to offer a mainframe-class Unix machines in 1997.
Announcements like this one crimp the market for Tadpole Technology Plc ‘s P1000 notebook: Toshiba Corp’s Toshiba America Information Systems Inc introduced the Satellite Pro 400 Series notebook, a Pentium-based machine with Lithium-ion battery and wireless communications support, at $4,900 for the Pro 400CDT, $4,200 for the 400CS.
Portland, Oregon-based semiconductor fabrication support products manufacturer Electro-Scientific Industries Inc has definitive agreement to acquire XRL Inc, Canton, Massachusetts company with substantial expertise in the use of lasers to improve the yield of semiconductor memory devices, and has expertise in other technologies related to laser products; it does $6m a year and Electro is planning to pay $8m, most of it to be in shares.
Compaq Computer Corp is offering cash rebates to consumers that buy some models of its all-in-one Presario 500 series of multimedia personal computers between June 16 and September 4: i
t will offer a cash rebate of $150 on its Presario CDTV 520 and CDTV 528 television-capable models, and a rebate of $100 on the CDS 520, CDS 524 and CDS 526 ones.
Compagnie des Machines Bull SA’s Bull UK Ltd, has a contract worth ú2m over three years to supply Merseyside Police with an accounts, sickness, housing allowance and leave management package to replace the force’s existing system by April 1996: Bull will supply Escala and DPX-20 servers, network hardware and project management; CACI International Inc, Arlington, Virgina will be supplying the software.
Electronic Data Systems Corp is entering the Israeli market via a joint venture with local company Kardan Technologies Ltd, creating EDS Israel, which will offer systems development, integration, management and consulting services.
ECI Telecom Ltd’s Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based Telematics International Inc has opened an office in Singapore to support its growing AsiaPacific business: the company will initially employ a mere six local pre-sales and support staff.
The so-called Choice Chip intended to enable parental guidance to be exercised over what their children watch on television sounds about as overblown as Newt Gingrich’s call for a laptop in every pot – computers and access to the Internet can’t do an awful lot for the vast army of illiterates in the US population: the idea is that broadcasters will be required to send a signal ahead of any doubtful material and if parents have pressed the kill button, the screen will go blank on that channel for the duration of the programme, but the trouble with such technology is the video recorder programming gap and the finest minds in all America will be called upon to come up with an operational method that will make it easy for parents to scramble the programme and impossible for their kids to unscramble it.
