Apple claims 1,500 software developers coding like mad; only 20 have popped

There are supposedly 1,500 software developers expressing interest in Newton. So far, 20 have come up with plans. Apple itself has started a publishing division within its Personal Interactive Electronics group, called Starcore. This has already teamed up with the likes of Time Warner Inc, R R Donnelley & Sons Co and Advance Publications Inc’s Random House to put travel guides, games and reference books on PCMCIA cards and diskettes. Titles include Fodors ’94 Travel Manager: Top US Cities; Fortune 500 Guide to American Business; and Colombo’s Mystery Capers. Two of the Starcore portfolio available in autumn are Money Magazine Business Forms and Money Magazine Financial Assistant, developed by PenMagic Software Inc and under licence to Apple. Intuit Inc is also working on finance programs, and says its own market research has shown high demand among both current Quicken (by Intuit) and non-Quicken users for ways to facilitate the tracking of personal financial information when a customer is away from the home or office. Macintosh electronic mail supplier CE Software Holdings Inc has a prototype of QuickAccess, which enables Newton users to send and receive mail from a mailbox on a number of local network-based mail system transports, including CE’s own QuickMail (which has 1m users worldwide), Novell Inc’s NetWare MHS and Apple’s AOCE. Fingertip Technologies Inc, Newport Beach, California developer of software for individuals and team sports, has a set of mobile applications for the sporty, including Fingertip for Golf, for Personal Training, and for Sports Analysis.

golfer to monitor

The golf version enables the golfer to monitor his game, scores, courses and thus learn about strengths and weaknesses so as to improve it, or at least know where he’s going wrong. Dendrite International Inc, Warren, New Jersey supplier of sales force automation technology and services for the pharmaceutical industry, said its new family of Principia software and support products, available via plug-in PCMCIA card, is specifically designed for Newton. The range lifts Dendrite’s offering from entry-level systems, to catch the tide of business from the shake-up of the US health service and the start of such services in Eastern Europe and the Third World. Oracle Corp has a version of its Glue, which will link the Oracle7 co-operative server database and Oracle Office messaging systems to the Newton MessagePad. It’s an Application Programming Interface capable of connecting databases, mail systems, and file systems across virtually all systems, and its market is off-site workers. Oracle is committed to further integration between its family of products and the Newton MessagePad as a mobile window into Oracle data. Farallon Computing Inc has also got in on the act, offering Newton-compatible communications equipment. Newton’s high-speed serial port can support LocalTalk network data rates, and by fixing a Farallon PhoneNET Connector or a miniature PhoneNET StarConnector to the port, users get straight into LocalTalk. Certain Farallon products, like PowerPath software, also link Newton to Ethernet and Token-ring networks. Farallon is offering a free PhoneNET StarConnector (worth $18) to US users who buy Newton this August. But users may not rush to use Apple’s on-line services: the company is currently charging $12 an hour for the privilege.

communications: newton user, one day all this will be yours

Communication is the area where Newton falls down, since it launches with limited capabilities. But the real stuff should be on board at least within the next year. Apple has signed with BellSouth Corp’s mobile systems group to offer wireless communications based on Newton. There are also deals with Sprint Corp as primary contractor, and British Telecommunications Plc’s BT North America Inc to provide network carrier service in North America for Apple’s future on-line information services. Apple said BellSouth will provide wireless messaging through its pagi

ng network for Newton-based products. Also, BellSouth said it intends to work with Apple to investigate market opportunities for a series of wireless communications products and services based on Newton. Under the Sprint-British Telecom deal, the companies will provide, in the US and Canada, a key component of the new services being being developed by Apple Online Services. Network carriers for the Pacific Rim countries and Europe will be announced later. Siemens AG’s Rolm Co is also putting Newton technology in its forthcoming NotePhone. Motorola Inc is in cahoots with Apple for several wireless initiatives. At Cebit in March, Motorola signed a licensing agreement to manufacture and market a handheld device featuring integrated wireless communications capabilities based on Newton technologies. It has already unveiled the first of its NewsCard Advanced Information Receivers which aim to pick up wireless messages, data and news services virtually wherever the user is. The Newton Messaging Card is a credit card-sized receiver, manufactured under an Original Equipment Manufacturer agreement for Newton. It will pick up and save messages even when it’s not inside Newton. When a message is received, the user gets a beep or flashing light, and puts the card into Newton’s PCMCIA slot to download the message.

Motorola’s Newsstream

The card has 128Kb memory for incoming messages, battery life of about 21 days, and up to 512 addresses for receipt of multiple information services, personal messages, electronic mail and voice mail updates and alerts. Motorola’s NewsStream Advanced Information Receiver does a similar task, connecting via a cable or cradle to the RS-232 port of MS-DOS, HP100LX and Mac personal and mobile computers. With the combination of the MobileComm paging network and the Newton MessageCard, users will be able to receive postcard length messages and notification. This service is one of the first in a new series to be marketed by Apple’s Personal Interactive Electronics group, and launch date is set for this autumn. At that time, Newton users will be able to choose from nationwide, regional or local coverage. Wireless services such as ProLink, BellSouth Cellular Corp’s recently announced one number service, will be able to join the picture by linking Newtons through one phone number with a customer’s home, office and cellular phones, fax machine and pager. And any Newton device with cellular capabilities will have access to value-added services available to all cellular phone customers. Cellular custom calling features such as call waiting and call forwarding, plus free 911 calls and market and carrier specific services such as ProLink will be available to Newton customers that have activated cellular service. – Kate Potter