659 lines
32 KiB
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659 lines
32 KiB
Plaintext
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ZMAGAZINE WEEKLY ONLINE MAGAZINE Issue #181
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November 19, 1989 | Volume 4 Number 44
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----------------- ||| --------------------
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Publisher/Editor: ||||| Copyright (c)1989
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Ron Kovacs ||||||| Rovac Industries,Inc
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----------------- ||||| --------------------
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The ZNet BBS ||| CompuServe:71777,2140
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(201) 968-8148 | GEnie: ZMAGAZINE
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----------------------------------------------
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EXCLUSIVE COMDEX COVERAGE INCLUDED
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----------------------------------------------
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= 1989 by Rovac Industries, Inc.
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Xx EDITORS DESK
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by Ron Kovacs
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We are releasing a special issue this week dedicated to Comdex news
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coverage. You might have read coverage already, but what we have
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published this week is the MOST comprehensive available. Next week in
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our regular weekly issue, John Nagy will have a complete overview of
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the entire show.
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The ZMag/Znet BBS is now operating at 300/1200 at (201) 968-8148.
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Please give us a call!
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Included this week are a few of Atari Computer's press releases from
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the Comdex show along with a ZNet Newswire with updated Atari news.
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Thanks for reading!
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Xx ATARI TAKES COMDEX - ZMAG SPECIAL REPORT
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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by John Nagy
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-A Computer for Everyone.- This is the motto of Atari Computer at the
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Fall '89 COMDEX, underway through November 17 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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They don't just mean that their computer is for everyone, they mean that
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Atari has a full line of computers that will compliment the needs and
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uses that any user will have. And from the miniature Portfolio (which I
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am using to write this even now) through the ST's to the new TT, ABC
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(PC compatibles), and on up to the ATW (not shown at Comdex), it looks
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like Atari is more poised for success than ever before.
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COMDEX is where the manufacturers strut their wares for dealers and
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distributors to pick and choose their product lines. Here is where the
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newest technology is offered into the channels that carry the products
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to you and I in the coming year. And here, in exciting Las Vegas where
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gambling is a way of life, Atari is looking like a sure bet.
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It's Thursday night as I begin this article, and I have spent all day at
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the Atari Computer booth. As we previewed last week, the booth is very
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large and finally has the look of a major player in a serious business.
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The sprawling display Atari area features light colors and openness, the
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exact reverse of the effect at the April COMDEX in Chicago. Dozens of
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mini-booths are each dedicated to individual third party developers,
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some of which also had full-fledged booths elsewhere in the 9-building
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trade show. (The show is really too big to see in a week, with nearly
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2000 exhibitors and a crowd that actually fills every hotel and motel
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for miles around, and in Vegas, that's saying something!) Nearest the
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rear of the booth, Atari displayed their own newest hardware in front of
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a smoked glass enclosed meeting room and second-floor conference area.
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This time, there were LOTS of conferences going on. That means DEALS
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with dealers and distributors. Word was that over 100 requests for new
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dealerships were entered by Wednesday - halfway through the show.
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The mood here is optimistic for the first time in quite some time. The
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new products look REALLY GOOD. The star is the Portfolio, of which
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there are probably a hundred on display... which is a few hundred less
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than there are people to wooo over them.
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On to bigger things. The STE is here... in a very standard 1040ST case.
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Running is a game that makes very good use of the digital stereo sound
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and somewhat less dramatic showing of the enhanced color palette. An XE
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Game System Light Gun (the only vestige of anything even vaguely 8-bit
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at the Atari booth) is attached via one of the two new controller ports.
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Can there be anyone who thinks that this is not Atari's -Amiga
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response-? It looks to me to be clear that the 1040-style machine is
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now considered the game-end of the ST line... although officials tempt
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the imagination by mentions that -more new machines at both ends of the
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lineup are yet to be announced.- But not now, not here.
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And the TT! Yes, there are at least five on display, running, and
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apparently several more for backup of versatility in setting up the
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displays. Looking a bit pale in almost-white, the TT 68030 machines
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literally roar through ST software (see the speed ratings, courtesy of
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Darek Mihocka's QUICK INDEX, following this article).
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Several demos were whipped up for the TT's introduction here, and the
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colors and speed are outstanding. One features what could be a spectrum
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picture, but even more photographic than any I have seen...even on an
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Amiga. Floating around in -front- of the picture is a magnifying glass
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that realistically enlarges the area beneath it...revealing even better
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detail. The new monitors feature extra resolutions - even monochrome in
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your choice of colors! ST programs run fine for the most part, but some
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dialogs are so fast that you can hardly see them! It appears that
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compatibility is there, but more ways of -de-tuning- the speed will be
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needed for some software. Most programs really shine in the high speed.
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REZRENDER literally does in seconds on the TT what the ST takes HOURS to
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compute! And PageStream gives a new meaning to PAGESCREAM when flying
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low on the TT. Developers were invited to try their wares on the demo
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machines, and grins were the order of the day. Remember, this is the
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machine that critics are saying is -too slow- by comparison to other
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68030 machines. Nevertheless, it is rumored that a 24 mHz or faster TT
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may later be available to replace or supplement the 16 mHz ones on
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display now.
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Although not ready for distribution, the TT is expected commercially
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before March, 1990. Expect it to effectively replace the marketplace
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held by the MEGA computers now, for the 2-meg TT with internal hard
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drive and special monochrome monitor will be only about $2,000.00. Many
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Mega machines were in use at the booth, and the Mega's figure
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prominently in the Atari sales literature, but not much is being said
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about them. Time marches on... maybe the prices will drop on the MEGAs?
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ABC Computers grace several boothettes. These are mostly 286 AT-clones,
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that offer a very nice mix of features and affordability...if you are
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into clones. One was running Microsoft EXCEL, and for a moment I
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thought that it was port to the ST line... wrong. Just showing speed
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and graphics on the popular MS-DOS platform.
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Yes, several Megafiles (removable media hard drives). No, no CD-ROMs,
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although they figure prominently in announced dealer/developer support
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plans (that's another story...). Nope, no LYNX portable game machine
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(but after all, this is a COMPUTE show, not an entertainment electronics
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show). And yes, the STACY laptop ST is here... in force!
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Stacy's display is one of cleanest and most stable I have seen on
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backlit LCD screens to date. I could easily work at it all day. Many
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of the display units are Stacy 4's, with 4 meg RAM and 40 meg internal
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hard drive. At the front left corner of the Atari booth is Dave Small
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and his Spectre GCR...the OTHER star of the Atari area. The anti-
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emulation stance of corporate Atari seems to have softened dramatically
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since Dave's better-cleaner-faster-and-mucho-cheaper-instant-laptop-
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Macintosh-clone is the talk of Mac users and dealers throughout the
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show. Dave is much in demand, and has interviews lined up for major
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stories in most MAC magazines. I witnessed the admiration and name
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recognition that the Atari public has for Dave firsthand when I traded
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badges with him. My press credentials allows me to use a video camera
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at the show... Dave's exhibitor one doesn't, so we swapped for about an
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hour to enable Dave to get some videotape of the show. EVERYBODY wanted
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to talk to me, seeing Dave's name. Yike. I was nice to me again!
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Yes, for the cost of the -real- Mac Laptop unit, you can have THREE
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Stacy's, each paired with a GCR emulator... and each Stacy will out-
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perform the -real- one. And yes, dealers and distributors took careful
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notes.
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Also featured up front was Michtron's PC SPEED, the IBM emulator that
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beat Avant-Garde to the US market. It was impressively compatible and
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four times faster than an IBM XT.
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Other booths with the Atari area:
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# John Russel Interprizes had several GENLOCK displays going.
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# IBP of Germany showed their rack mounted -190ST, which reduces the
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entire Mega into a hard-drive size module. They are specially
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designed for industrial applications.
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# ISD showed DYNACADD running on a ABC PC, driving a huge roller
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plotter. Another booth showed their CALAMUS.
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# Electronic Arts offered a selection of games.
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# First Byte had educational software running on another ABC, next to
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the Microsoft EXCEL I mentioned earlier.
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# Viewtouch had the point-of-sale touch-screen system, now offering
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development tools for custom setups.
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# Seymor-Radix ran their DVT video tape backup unit, complete with a TV
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to show what raw data looks like.
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# Abacus had BeckerCad running into another big plotter, plus offered
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the first Portfolio guidebook. It's bigger than the computer!
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# Antic Software demoed GFA products as well as Cyber series graphics
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titles.
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# Migraph offerred the Touch-up and hand scanner duo.
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# Fast Technology showed Turbo-16, a truely effective accelerator board.
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# Atari had the -final- version of Deskset II, their entry in DTP.
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# WordFlair from Blue Chip is also ready for sale, and looked better
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than ever. It is more than a word processor, but less imposing than a
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desktop publishing.
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# Michtron had FleetStreet 3.0 for all to see, and it is clearly head-
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and-sholders above the previous versions.
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# Imagen showed Ultrascript, the Postscript emulation.
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# Softlogik had PageStream 1.8 running in full color! They indicate a
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renewed interest in the ST market.
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# LDW Power, a 1-2-3 spreadsheet clone, was being demoed by the
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inimitable Bob Brodie, although Bob was often asked to do his Sig
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Hartmann imitation. We were not treated to a reprise of -Dueling
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Sigs- since the real Sig is busy at his new position as Executive Vice
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President of TeleVideo Systems, a San Jose terminal manufacturer.
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# SOFTAWARE presented the remarkable semi-relational database called
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INFORMER II. It features some very interesting graphic manupulations
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as well.
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# And WORD PERFECT continues to show 4.1 for the ST.
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MIDI programs and hardware played fabulous music all day. Dr. T's,
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C-Lab, and Thinkware all had dramatic presentations... enough to draw
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Micheal Jackson himself to the COMDEX MIDI booths to look it all over.
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Micheal's picture adorns the Thursday COMDEX NEWS daily, and he is shown
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looking at an Atari! Frank Foster of Atari says Jackson will be using
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Atari equipment from now on. (Who's BAD?)
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Oh, BAD were NAVARRONE, who failed to show up to use their space and
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show their flatbed scanner, as well as PRECISION SOFTWARE who similarly
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snubbed their reserved space for SuperBase Professional.
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Side notes:
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Talked about but not shown is a new true multitasking system for the ST
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and TT! It works under the new TOS, apparently as an AUTO program, and
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allows several simultaneously running GEM windows, even for major
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applications. No memory partitioning is said to be needed. The system
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was to be demoed at the Wednesdy evening developer gathering, but never
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got shown. This development may break through the final -advantage-
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barrier that the Amiga claims over the Atari line!
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The Commodore Amiga booth was about 1/4 the size of Atari's... and was
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positively BORING. The Amiga 3000 was postponed until next year, and
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the 2500 was being pushed in a new 68030 flavor for a mere $4000 plus.
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Critics of the -NO UPGRADE PATH- from the ST to TT should observe the
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upgrade offered by Amiga... you can buy the 68030 card alone and upgrade
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your 2500 for a mere $2,100. That's the approximate cost for the entire
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base TT with hard drive and a monitor. And with the TT -upgrade-, you
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get to keep your old ST too!
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The air of impending resurgence of Atari was not lost on the other major
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manufacturers. A rep from Star-Micronics asked me who to talk to about
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the possibility of them doing custom printer hardware, laser support,
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etc. That would Not have happened last year at this time!!
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Leonard Tramiel has spent a great deal of time in the Atari booth,
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talking to everyone. He has quite effectively dispelled the image that
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some have tried to paint of him as nothing more than a cold and
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disagreeable autocrat.
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In all, Atari has shown enough of a new face here at COMDEX to give real
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reason to believe that they really could pull it off and become a
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respected and successful domestic computer company... next year.
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For those who immediately say, -Yah, I heard THAT before-, indeed you
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have. But Atari has been there, year after year. Tenacity itself says
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something... and marginal companies don't launch this many exciting new
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products! Most of all, the new people in Atari have more know-how,
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ambition, and particularly a more open and supportive outlook than ever
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before... but that's another story.
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(Hey, a 13K story, typed mostly in a single session on this tiny
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keyboard! I wonder if this is the first major article done on one?
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Yep, the Portfolio is going to be just fine for me. The thing that
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slows me down the most is having to show it to everyone when I use it in
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public. The bartender here at Las Vegas's ALADDIN called it right:
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-It's a laptop without the lap!-)
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QUICK INDEX ON THE TT
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I ran the QUICK INDEX program (by Darek Mihocka and Ignac Kolenko) on a
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sample Atari TT 68030 computer at COMDEX this week, and wanted to share
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the results. Please remember that the numbers only record the
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performance of the TT computer running the QUICK INDEX program. While
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this program provides interesting speed information, it cannot be
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assured that the very standards used by the program to measure with are
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in fact valid on the TT computer. Although unlikely, the possibility
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that the -ruler isn't a foot long- must be considered when viewing these
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results. The modes tested were, for this reason, only the LOW
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RESOLUTION and HIGH RESOLUTION ST modes and NOT in the three new
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resolutions offered by the TT (which cannot be measured properly
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without anything to compare them to... although the new TT modes
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appear to be faster).
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Figures shown are each a percentage of -Normal ST- operation for that
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function. 200% would be double speed. See the QuickIndex program and
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documentation for more information on the tests. The CACHE referred to
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in the tests are the TT's internal caches within the operating system
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and CPU (which can be turned off via an entry in the OPTIONS menu item
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on the desktop for adjusting compatibility with programs that cannot
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cope with the caching).
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QuickIndex identified the TT as having -TOS Version 3.0-.
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QuickIndex TT In (ST) Low Rez TT In (ST) High Rez
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TEST CACHE / NO CACHE CACHE / NO CACHE
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Processor Tests:
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CPU Memory 360% 146% 361% 165%
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CPU register 409% 197% 410% 204%
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CPU divide 509% 450% 510% 451%
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CPU shift 1734% 1574% 1737% 1577%
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Disk Access Tests:
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DMA Read (Disk) 181% 181% 181% 181%
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Gem (Create File) 100% 100% 100% 100%
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Screen Speed Tests:
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Text write 190% 143% 193% 147%
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string display 185% 148% 187% 150%
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scroll 290% 208% 295% 206%
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Gemdraw (boxes) 225% 173% 225% 171%
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In general, ST programs will run on the TT without alteration, and
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perform at speeds greatly exceeding the -old- ST machine speed.
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DEVELOPERS UPDATE
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At the show Atari announced it's new Developers Assistance Program and
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premiered their Atari Development Partner Newsletter. Charles Cherry
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the new -Tos Pusher- will have some involement in the newsletter which
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is supposed to be a regular feature of the DAP. Atari is taking the
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position to support their developers through this program.
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Developers will be offered Atari products at fifty percent off retail
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price in an effort to get software available by the time products are on
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the shelves. Atari is asking all dealers/developers to re-register and
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sign a new non-disclosure agreement.
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In an effort to get new owners to register with Atari, four Atari
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related publications will offer free three month subscriptions. These
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publications include, ST-World, ST-Informer, STart, and Atari Explorer.
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For the present owners who have not registered there is hope of
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something, although we are not sure what Atari has planned at this time.
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Xx ZNET -COMDEX- NEWSWIRE
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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Compiled by Z*Staff
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CMS ENHANCEMENTS
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CMS Enhancements Inc. introduced a 40-Mbyte, floppy tape subsystem for
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laptop computers. Designed for ease-of-use, the LiteTape includes easy
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-to-use menu driven software, which automates and speeds up the backup
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procedure, and a convenient ''totable'' case. The LiteTape will be
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available on December 15 and is compatible with laptop computers such as
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Zenith SuperSoft, Tandy 1400 LT, Toshiba 1200 and Sharp 4501. Suggested
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retail price of the LiteTape is $649.
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HITACHI
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Hitachi Group's, a supplier of monitors for the CAD/CAE market,
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introduced its model CM2186AF, a 21-inch color monitor supporting
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resolution of 1280 x 1024 and a dot pitch of 0.28 mm. Its $3,795 list
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prices puts it at the top of the price/performance scale. It features a
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flat screen, an anti-reflective panel and dynamic beam focus for sharper
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clearer display. Shipments will begin in January 1990.
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PRINCETON GRAPHIC
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Princeton Graphic Systems introduced the Ultra II, a 14 inch high-res
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1024 by 768 color monitor featuring innovative screen capabilities and
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exceptional performance for graphics applications such as AutoCAD and
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CAD/CAE/CASE applications, as well as window-based applications, and
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desktop publishing environments. The Ultra II is compatible with IBM
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PC, XT, AT and PS/2 Systems, as well as the Apple Macintosh II and
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compatibles.
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PROCOM TECHNOLOGY
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Procom Technology announced a new floppy controller for XT- and AT-type
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computers that allows OEMs and systems integrators to upgrade current
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floppy storage capacities to 2.88 Mbytes. The floppy controller is
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priced at $99. The 2.88 floppy drive is expected to become the new
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industry standard in much the same way the 1.44 Mbyte, 3.5 inch disks
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replaced the 5.25 inch, 1.2 Mbyte floppies years ago.
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SEAGATE
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Seagate announced the industry's fastest 760 megabyte, 5.25-inch disc
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drive the WRENRUNNER-2. Designed for PC customers looking to increase
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system performance by reducing time to data, the WRENRUNNER-2 offers an
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11.9 millisecond average access time, 2.5 millisecond track-to-track, an
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average latency of 6.25 milliseconds and a maximum data transfer rate of
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3 megabytes per second.
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NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR
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National Semiconductor announced that Canon's new four page-per-minute
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laser beam printer utilizes National's 32CG16 as its main processor.
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The LBP-4 joins Canon's LBP-8 Mark III Series as Canon's second family
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of printers based on National's 32CG16. The new LBP-4 measures 13.8 x
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15.9 inches and weighs approximately 23 pounds. It features scalable
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fonts and font special effects, built-in video, parallel and serial
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interfaces, extensive software support, and 512KB built in memory, which
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can be increased to 2.5MB with an optional RAM expansion board. The
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LBP-4 utilizes Canon's printing system language called CaPSL and is the
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same command set available with the company's advanced LBP-8 Mark III
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series printers.
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DATA GENERAL
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Data General introduced a five-pound, battery-powered portable terminal
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that allows users to exchange information with home or office computers
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from any location. The compact (12-w x 10.6-d x 1.9-h) WALKABOUT
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terminal, fits into a briefcase and features a tiltable, 25-line liquid
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crystal display (LCD) screen and full-sized keyboard. Volume shipments
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will begin in the first calendar quarter of 1990.
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VERBATIM
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Verbatim introduced a 5 1/4-inch erasable optical disk. The TMO 5 1/4-
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inch erasable optical disk is available in two versions: the Model 505,
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which contains 512 bytes per sector, and the Model 510, which contains
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1024 bytes per sector. Both versions are double-sided, with a user
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capacity of 600 megabytes and 650 megabytes, respectively.
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COMMODORE
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Commodore announced the Amiga 2500/30 personal computer, the development
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of several new A2000 Series peripherals, and the appointment of a former
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Disney producer to head a new multimedia marketing group. The new Amiga
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2500/30 comes standard with a Motorola 68030 co-processor card running
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at 25 Mhz with 2MB of 32-bit RAM, (expandable to 4MB of 32-bit RAM). It
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features a 25MB 68882 math co-processor, a 68851 memory management unit,
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1MB of 16-bit -chip- RAM; a built-in 3.5-inch floppy disk drive; a pre-
|
|
configured 40MB hard disk drive and autobooting SCSI hard disk
|
|
controller. The suggested retail price is $4,699. Owners of an A2000
|
|
series Amiga can upgrade existing machines by purchasing a 2630 card
|
|
from an authorized dealer for $2,195 (suggested retail price).
|
|
|
|
OKIDATA
|
|
|
|
Okidata announced a new low-profile laser printer. Compactly packaged
|
|
and under 6 inches high, the specially designed OKILASER 400 is a light-
|
|
weight personal laser printer that fits as comfortably on any office
|
|
desk as it does on a home-office work table. The OKILASER 400 is
|
|
compatible with a wide array of popular word processing and graphics
|
|
software to create and crisply print dynamic reports, correspondence,
|
|
memos, graphs, spreadsheets and a wide variety of illustrative
|
|
materials.
|
|
|
|
|
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|
Xx ZNET NEWSWIRE
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
|
|
NINTENDO WINS
|
|
|
|
The Soviet video game Tetris belongs to Nintendo for all home video
|
|
systems, a federal judge ruled in San Francisco last Monday, November
|
|
13. The U.S. District Court in San Francisco, Judge Fern M. Smith, had
|
|
earlier awarded Nintendo a preliminary injunction against Atari/Tengen
|
|
sales of its version of Tetris for home video game systems. A trial on
|
|
the question of a permanent injunction and damages was meant to
|
|
commence. The judge cancelled the trial announcing that she intended to
|
|
award summary judgments to Nintendo because there were no material
|
|
factual matters which Atari/Tengen could prove.
|
|
|
|
ATARI GAMES RESPONDS
|
|
|
|
The following is a statement by Dennis Wood, senior vice president,
|
|
Atari Games Corp.
|
|
|
|
''Today's court decision by Judge Fern Smith of the U.S. District Court
|
|
in San Francisco granting Nintendo's motion for a summary judgement
|
|
regarding the rights to 'Tetris' is a disappointment to Tengen. The
|
|
court's finding is based simply on a contract issue that has no bearing
|
|
on the larger anti-trust and patent disputes between the parties related
|
|
to 'Tetris.' The judge's ruling is confined to 'Tetris' and in no way
|
|
affects Tengen's ability to market any of its 14 independently
|
|
manufactured Nintendo-compatible video games. We are confident that we
|
|
will prevail on our anti-trust and patent infringement allegations
|
|
against Nintendo when the issues come to trial. An appeal of today's
|
|
decision is being prepared.''
|
|
|
|
ATARI POSTS LOSS
|
|
|
|
Atari reported the results of operations for the third quarter ended
|
|
Sept. 30, 1989. Net sales for the quarter were $81.4 million compared
|
|
to $98.8 million for the like quarter last year. The net loss was $5.4
|
|
million compared to net income of $.9 million. Net sales for the nine
|
|
months were $253 million compared to $300 million for the like period
|
|
last year. There was a net loss of $1.8 million compared to a net
|
|
income of $12.1 million for the like nine months last year. Sam
|
|
Tramiel, said -This has been an encouraging yet difficult quarter for
|
|
Atari. Towards the end of the quarter we began shipping many new
|
|
products which represent our future. For example, we started shipping
|
|
Portfolio, our new hand held MS DOS command compatible computer, and the
|
|
Megafile 44, our new removable media hard disk drive. Also, during the
|
|
quarter, we began shipping the STE computer, an improved version of our
|
|
core ST product. Additionally, during the fourth quarter, we expect to
|
|
start shipping Lynx, the new hand held color LCD video game system.
|
|
However, to reflect the dramatic drop in component prices, especially
|
|
semiconductors and disk drives, the company has taken a special charge
|
|
during the quarter of approximately $10 million in respect of such
|
|
inventory. With the shipment of new products and less volatile DRAM
|
|
costs in the fourth quarter, we anticipate normalization of margins as
|
|
and when the inventories of older products are sold. Portfolio
|
|
production is ramping up now as planned. Initial sales appear
|
|
consistent with our expectations.- Greg Pratt of Atari Corp.,
|
|
408-745-2349
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Xx 1040STE PRESS RELEASE
|
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
Atari Computer Introduces the 1040STE
|
|
|
|
LAS VEGAS, NV (November 13, 1989)--In response to user demands for
|
|
increased graphics and sound capabilities, Atari Computer has
|
|
introduced the 1040STE, an enhanced configuration of the company's
|
|
popular 1040ST computer.
|
|
|
|
In making the announcement, Sam Tramiel, Atari Corporation president
|
|
said that the new system, which is compatible with thousands of
|
|
existing ST software packages, was developed with the requirements of
|
|
both home users and MIDI musicians in mind.
|
|
|
|
The system maximizes the speed of the 68000 microprocessor operating at
|
|
8Mhz and includes one megabyte of on board RAM (expandable to 4 MB with
|
|
SIMM modules). Users may opt to display up to 16 colors from an
|
|
extended palette of 4,096 colors with color monitor resolutions of 320
|
|
x 200, 640 x 200 or 640 x 400 monochrome resolution.
|
|
|
|
The 1040STE also provides 256K ROM and extended TOS capabilities,
|
|
including faster hard disk support, improved memory management and
|
|
automatic booting of GEM applications.
|
|
|
|
This powerful system is ideal for the person who works out of his or
|
|
her home by day, but is an aspiring musician or avid game player by
|
|
night.
|
|
|
|
-The 1040STE includes 8-bit digital stereo sound, as well as light gun,
|
|
paddle and enhanced joystick ports,- said Tramiel. -With features
|
|
ranging from hi-fidelity digitized sound to the ability to support up
|
|
to six game players, the 1040STE is a dream come true for the home
|
|
enthusiast looking for both processing power and some dynamite home
|
|
entertainment'- he added.
|
|
|
|
People who are avid game and realtime simulator players will appreciate
|
|
the 1040STE's ability to quickly scroll horizontally and vertically, as
|
|
well as the system's ability to support a range of 12-inch color and
|
|
monochrome monitors. For video overlay or desktop applications, the
|
|
1040STE offers external GENLOCK support.
|
|
|
|
A 3.5-inch 720K floppy is standard on the 1040STE. Users have the
|
|
option of adding a second floppy or a hard drive.
|
|
|
|
The 1040STE offers all of the standard ST ports, including parallel,
|
|
RS232 serial, hard disk, mouse and MIDI ports. In addition, standard
|
|
stereo output jacks and enhanced game controller ports are provided.
|
|
A 94-key keyboard with 10 programmable function keys is also standard.
|
|
|
|
-When Atari Computer introduced the 1040ST, BYTE MAGAZINE called it one
|
|
of the great milestones in personal computing,- Tramiel noted. -Just
|
|
wait until they get a hold of this ENHANCED system,- he added.
|
|
|
|
The 1040STE will be available first quarter, 1990. For more
|
|
information on the 1040STE or any other Atari Computer system, contact
|
|
Mike Morand, president, Atari Computer, 1196 Borregas Avenue,
|
|
Sunnyvale, California 94088; (408) 745-2000, FAX: (408) 745-2088.
|
|
|
|
Atari is a registered trademark; 1040STE, and 1040ST are trademarks of
|
|
Atari Corporation.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Xx DESKSET II PRESS RELEASE
|
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
Atari Computer Shipping DeskSet II
|
|
|
|
LAS VEGAS, NV (November 13, 1989) -- Atari Computer is now shipping
|
|
DeskSet II, a high-end, low-cost laser typesetting software package
|
|
that offers an array of features previously available only to users of
|
|
expensive photo typesetting systems.
|
|
|
|
In making the announcement, Sam Tramiel, president of Atari Corporation,
|
|
said that DeskSet II contains all of the text editing, graphics, and
|
|
page layout capabilities that are required in a professional publishing
|
|
system.
|
|
|
|
-DeskSet II is designed for sophisticated, small business and home
|
|
office users who, in order to stay competitive, must produce high-
|
|
quality printed materials and graphics,- Tramiel said. -When used with
|
|
one of Atari's more powerful computer systems such as the MEGA 4 or the
|
|
TT and a laser printer, DeskSet II provides users with a complete DTP
|
|
solution,- he noted.
|
|
|
|
The program operates under the GEM interface and offers a combination
|
|
of mouse-driven, pull-down menus; icon-based commands and hot-key
|
|
sequences to help users perform functions easily. DeskSet II uses
|
|
genuine CompuGraphic intellifonts, (scalable outline fonts) which can
|
|
be set in half-point increments is sizes from 5 to 144 points. An
|
|
interface card that enables users to output files on a CompuGraphic
|
|
8400 Imagesetter at 2,540 dpi resolution is also available.
|
|
|
|
DeskSet II provides true WYSIWYG; the same font data used to display
|
|
characters onscreen is also used to print. Font data includes
|
|
automatic kerning information and allows for user definedable kerning
|
|
pairs. Reverse type and the ability to condense and expand type are
|
|
available. Users can also adjust character compensation, letter
|
|
spacing, and word space bands.
|
|
|
|
-Atari Computer has ensured that DeskSet II provides users with a full
|
|
range of text and graphics manipulation capabilities,- explained
|
|
Tramiel.
|
|
|
|
Pages are easily formatted and uniform page layouts can be created by
|
|
using the master -base pages- and the clipboard functions. Text may be
|
|
distributed automtically throughout the document; inside or around
|
|
irregularly shaped regions or graphics; or flowed into graphic
|
|
configurations formed by ellipses, polygons and other geometric shapes.
|
|
|
|
The software's translation utilities will allow import of text files
|
|
from the leading word processing programs. DeskSet II also hyphenates
|
|
in eleven languages according to linguistic-based rules. Hyphenation
|
|
parameters can be set by the user and a modifiable hyphenation
|
|
exception dictionary is included.
|
|
|
|
In addition, the system automatically numbers pages and allows the user
|
|
to tag text with specific font size and style information, both
|
|
globally and locally. Users can also import graphics in standard GEM
|
|
or IMG formats, as well as from common ST paint programs.
|
|
|
|
-DeskSet II is a prime example of Atari Computer's dedication to
|
|
providing complete solutions to home office, small business and
|
|
departmental users Atari offers hardware and software combinations that
|
|
provide the capabilities that users require at the price/performance
|
|
ratio they expect,- said Tramiel.
|
|
|
|
DeskSet II is now available for immediate delivery and has a suggested
|
|
retail price of $499.95.
|
|
|
|
For more information, contact Atari Computer, 1196 Borregas Avenue,
|
|
Sunnyvale, CA 94088; (408) 745-2000.
|
|
|
|
|
|
======================================================================
|
|
ZMagazine Issue #181 November 19, 1989
|
|
Special Comdex Issue Fall '89
|
|
======================================================================
|
|
|