NewtNews-133-11Mar97

====================



by Steve Holden <newtnews@pobox.com>.  This is a weekly freeware

newsletter that focuses on the Apple Newton and related technologies.

NewtNews Copyright 1994-97 Steve Holden.  All rights reserved.  See the

Administrivia at end for details and FAQ info.



This issue of NewtNews is sponsored in part by:





 + PDA & HANDHELD DIRECT - Putting Technology in the Palm of Your Hand!

   800-279-4PDA 219-882-5228 [F]:219-845-0578 <http://www.pdadirect.com>



 + TeleType GPS and moving map for the Newton - Never get lost again -

   <http://www.teletype.com/gps/> - <TeleTypeGPS@teletype.com>



 + INFORMED FILLER FOR NEWTON - Custom Electronic Forms Integrated With

   Your Desktop - Shana Corp - <info@shana.com> - <http://www.shana.com>



 + PowerMedia presents 'Arcade Game Pack' - Birds With Lances, Rocks

   In Space, Frogs vs. Cars - US$29.95 - <http://www.powermedia.com/~pmi>



 + VITAMIN A MENU EDITOR - Stand Alone has released it's custom and caret

   menu editor and creator! - Demo at: <http://www.standalone.com/newton>



 + X-Port, KwikMenu, NewtPaint, Quicknames Pro, proCALC Ex - Newton 2.0

   solutions - <sales@landware.com> - <http://www.landware.com>



 + WinSlurp from Rare White Tiger Creations - Available via WWW at:

   <http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/heringermr/winslurp.htm>.



 + RidgeNet - ARA, SLIP, PPP access to the Internet from Ridgecrest, CA.

   <http://owens.ridgecrest.ca.us/RidgeNET/RidgeNETWelcome.html>





Table of Contents

-----------------



 1. Top News

 2. Information from Email

 3. Information from the Internet

 4. Review of Top Weekly Magazine Headlines

 5. Top Weekly Magazine Stories Of Interest

 6. NewtNews Tips and Tricks You Can Use On Your Newton

 7. Other PDA News

 8. Edupage, 24Feb97 thru 02Mar97

 9. INNOVATION, 24FEB97

10. Dear Newton Developer

11. Other Sources of Information

12. News Agent Summary

13. Advertising Notes

14. Product and Service Information

15. Guest Opinion

16. Comments from the Editor

17. Administrivia





Top News

--------



** SHIPPING STATUS OF THE MP2K **



Word on the street is that Apple is shipping the MessagePad 2000 to their

distribution channels.  Depending on who is who, and who knows what, you

could see Newtons out on the streets by 14Mar97.



There does seem to be some confusion on what will be shipping immediately

and what isn't.  Some folks report resellers saying that only the

'unbundled' MP2K will ship in Mar97 with the 'bundled' MP2K not shipping

until Apr97.  Others say that both units will be shipping.



** YUCKY NEWTON MENTIONS **



Business Week has an article called "APPLE: WHAT IS STEVE JOBS UP TO?"

available at: <http://www.businessweek.com/1997/11/b3518120.htm>. The

article makes it seem like Steve Jobs will be the one responsible for

the 'elimination' of the Newton/MessagePad from Apple.



InfoWorld has an article entitled "Apple to lay off 5,000 in major

restructuring" that has a Newton mention that makes it sound like Apple

plans to discontinue the MessagePad product line, along with the

Macintosh Performa family of products.  You can get the article via:

<http://www.infoworld.com/cgi-bin/displayStory.pl?97038.eapple.htm>.



** MP130 & EMATE 300 USED IN MAYAQUEST **



Alex Hamdy <hamdy@newton.apple.com> reports that Apple is sponsoring

remote-learning for K-12 students exploring the history of Mayan

civilization.  The MP130 and eMate 300, plus other equipment are used.

Check out the following web site on 03Mar-11Apr97 for more details:

<http://www.mecc.com/mayaquest.html>.



** NEWTON SOFTWARE CODE FORSALE **



Allan Marcus <allan@pobox.com> posted the following to USENET newsgroup

comp.sys.newton.programmer:



    I seem to be moving away from the Newton and I

    have a couple of commercial Newton program that I

    am interested in selling.  If you are interested

    in purchasing the rights to NotePak Pro or

    AlarmPak, please contact me at: <allan@pobox.com>.



** NEW NEWTON DESKTOP STAND **



MAR Software, the developer of Bills To Pay Pro, will soon be offering a

very nice modern looking Newton stand called "The Executive."  To check

out pictures use: <http://www.marsoftware.com/TheExecutive.html>. The

stand will retail for US$39.95, and you should be able to get more

information by send an email to: <info@marsoftware.com>.





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  The New WriteRight Screen Enhancements protect your screen from

  scratches, reduce glare and improve your handwriting recognition by

  simulating the feel of writing on paper. WriteRights are available for

  all Newtons in packs of: 4-for $11.95, 8-for $18.95, and 12-for $24.95.

  Mention NewtNews and receive 10% off our 12-pack. For more info:

  415-929-1002 <Info@ConceptKitchen.com> <http://www.ConceptKitchen.com>

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  QuickFigure Pro 3.1 - Spreadsheet for Newton 2.0 or better operating

  systems. Supports 255 x9999 cell worksheets, landscape mode, direct

  cell entry, worksheet linking, delayed recalc, and over 70 functions.

  Includes QF Exchange for Import/Export with Excel from Mac or Windows.

  From PelicanWare at $59.95+S&H (Upgrades $25+S&H). For more info:

  <info@pelicanware.com>. To order 800.655.6398 or visit resellers.

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Information from Email

----------------------



** SPECIAL NEWTON DEALS **



ClubPDA's <http://www.clubpda.com> Email Specials for 03-08Mar97

included: Apple Newton MessagePad 120; Apple Newton MessagePad 130;

Ascribe NewtTools; KingMax 20MB Linear Flash Card; and NEC Mobile Pro 200

(Windows CE).  For more info: <cpdasales@clubpda.com>.



** GERMAN NEWTON INFO **



Thorsten Gadmann <thorsten.gadmann@tu-clausthal.de> forwarded to NewtNews

the following links for German Newton information collected by the

Technical University of Clausthal located in Lower Saxony, Germany:



    - <http://www.tu-clausthal.de/student/newton/>

    - <http://www.tu-clausthal.de/student/newton/userlist/newtonuser.html>

    - <ftp://ftp.tu-clausthal.de/pub/newton/>



** CATALOGING NEWTON SOLUTIONS **



Richelle Noroyan <noroyan@newton.apple.com>, the Marketing Project

Coordinator for Developer Relations in the Newton System Group, reports

that she has teamed up with Laurent Ruben, also in the Newton System

Group, to build a database of Newton related software and hardware

products.  To get in to this database send an email message with details

about your product to: <tapped.in@newton.apple.com>.



** WORRIED ABOUT USING ELECTRONIC HARDWARE ON PLANES?!? **



Andrew Plumb <Tekmage@io.com> reports that those interested in a highly

detailed article about 'Airplane EMI' should check out an article that

was run in the Sep96 edition of IEEE Spectrum, Vol. 33, No. 9.  If you

join IEEE you can read the article online, or you should be able to read

the article at any university library.  There is also a reference to this

article on the Aviation Safety Reporting System Home Page with a few

tidbits at: <http://www-afo.arc.nasa.gov/ASRS/ASRS.html>.



** NEWTON USED IN TESTING SOLUTION **



Thomas Diessel <diessel@bms.de> reports that there is a Danish Newton

project that enables a Newton to control/test over 500 digital audio

receivers (specifically built by Bang & Olufson) for those in the Digital

Audio Broadcast business.  You should be able to get a Danish/English

press release about this project via the following World Wide Web page:

<http://www.apple.dk/om_apple/presse/prlib/10_96/211096_1.html>.



** GOOD NEW NEWTONS SOFTWARE POINTER **



Dimitri Pateras <dimitri.pateras@span.ch> would like to remind NewtNews

readers to check out the Newton Software Digest page on the WWW on a

regular basis.  This excellent review of what is the latest and greatest

Newton stuff posted on the Net is a great resource.  For more information

check out: <http://www.compulink.co.uk/~stormont/newton/weekly.htm>.



Newton Software Digest posted on 06Mar97 included pointers to the

following new titles: Animal Sounds; BuiltInSounds; Champions1.0; Chat

Sounds; Chem Write Format 0.95; Crazy Dice 1.2; Dallas Dining; Easy

Connect 2.0; Email Services 1.2; Exchange 1.1; Eworld Sounds; Jive 0.9;

Mac Sounds; Moreinfo 4.03 Demo; Namigator 3.0; Newton Connection

Utilities 1.0 Beta 5; Ozma Of Oz; Palmedic 1.1; Phone Services 1.2; Pt100

0.95; Quickpress Kit 1.2; Quotemaker Pro 1.0; Sidereal 1.0; Styles+ 1.2;

Wizard Of Oz; and Writehere 2.0b6.



** PC MAGAZINE MP2K MENTION **



Paul Hood <PFHood@aol.com> reports that PC Magazine (25Mar97) has a

MessagePad 2000 mention on page 213 with pictures of the MP2K on page 164

and 213.  The article does compliment the Newton for its handwriting

recognition.



** GSM CARD WORKS AND IS SHIPPING **



Jan Fuellemann <jf@novamedia.de> reports that their GSM PC Card works

over GSM and standard phone lines.  It is HAYES 28.8 savvy, and does

offer some faster setting options for those with 'cleaner than normal'

connections.  The Card also works in MP130s and with the MP2K doing

wireless NIE connections.  For more information about ordering and

pricing send Jan email.  You can also check out their WWW pages at:

<http://www.novamedia.de>.



** HELP CATAMOUNT PICK A NAME  **



Hardy Macia <hardy@catamount.com> continues to make updates to his "yet

to be release" media tracking utility for Newton tentatively called

'Mediabox.' The real shipping version will have a name chosen by 'voting'

via the following URL: <http://www.catamount.com/MediaBuff.html>.



** NEWTON.INFO REOPENS DOORS AT NEW ADDRESS! **



Michael Neely <webmaster@newtoninfo.com> reports the reopening of the

Newton.Info Web site via: <http://www.newtoninfo.com>.  This site will

focus and provide resources related to Apple Computer's Newton handheld

computer.



** STATUS OF PEN COMPUTING **



Gavin Maxwell <gkm@magna.com.au> reports that he has been having a lot

of troubles getting Pen Computing magazine delivered to him, even

after they have charged his Credit Card.  Here is the information that

NewtNews was able to get from Pen Computing:



    Steve,



    I can't tell you all how much the notes of people not

    getting their subscriptions fulfilled frustrates me. At the

    Pen Computing editorial office in Rancho Cordova, CA, we

    work very hard to get out an informative, timely, and

    interesting magazine every two months. We work 16 hour days

    and through the weekends. Yet, we keep hearing about

    subscriptions not being fulfilled reliably. I've had

    numerous discussions about this with our

    marketing/subscription office in Plainview, NY, yet the

    problem continues to persist. I am as frustrated as you are

    (or more, because it's my job!).



    I want to assure you that Pen Computing is very much here to

    stay. Our print run in up to 80,000 per issue, and I can

    count on an excellent, dedicated staff in the editorial

    department. Our upcoming (16th) issue is at the printer

    right now.



    Here are my suggestions: Anyone who has a subscription

    problem should first try calling or faxing the NY office of

    Pen Computing Magazine. Phone is 516-349-9333, fax is

    516-349-9334. Ask to speak to Lisa Krebs, Howard Borgen. If

    they're unavailable, ask for Terry or Chris Sanford. Explain

    your problem.  If that doesn't work, email me at:

    <chb@pencomputing.com> and I will personally try to put some

    heat on the matter.



    Apologies, and thank you very much to those who have been

    reading our magazine for the past three years!



    Conrad H. Blickenstorfer

    Editor-in-Chief

    Pen Computing Magazine



** TRUE NORTH CONTINUES TO INNOVATE **



JB Parrett <jbp@northisup.com> reports that True North has been busy

working on several new Newton solutions:



    - A new simulation and training application for

      the U.S. Navy's Tomahawk schools that uses world

      vector mapping.

    - True North is also working on several new eMate

      based solutions tailored for the education market.

    - They are also now shipping version 1.5 of Out of

      Pocket that includes grayscale support and

      keyboard navigation.



For more information checkout: <http://www.northisup.com>.



** STEVE CAPPS INTERVIEW ONLINE **



You can check out a Q&A article with Steve Capps (the 'father' of the

Newton who is now at Microsoft) published in a past issue of Wired via:

<http://www.wired.com:80/wired/5.02/features/ffcapps.html>.  The article

is written by Rogier van Bakel.



** WHAT IS TOM CLANCY UP TO?!? **



Long time NewtNews reader and supporter Frank Boosman at Red Storm

Entertainment, the company created with the help of Tom Clancy to build

new interactive and CDROM based games, reports you can find out more

information about what is going on at Red Storm via their Web site at:

<http://www.redstorm.com>.  You can also get more info about their new

mailinglist via: <http://www.redstorm.com/mailinglist.html>.



** NEW BARRIER ANNOUNCED FOR MP2K **



RoadRunner Tracks <http://www.losalamos.com/roadrunner> has announced

that The Barrier 2000, -- a screen protector -- will be available next

week for all MessagePad 2000 enthusiasts.  It installs in 45 seconds

"without dust attracting adhesives to protect your investment."  You can

order The Barrier 2000 via PDA Direct and Newton Central.  For more

information send email to: <roadrunner@losalamos.com>.





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        GET AMIGO NOW! Did you know you can order AMIGO the premier

        8000+ word English/Spanish Dictionary Reference Tool and

        Translation program for the Newton over the World Wide Web

        at: <http://www.1stopsoft.com>?  AMIGO is available for

        US$24.95 and it comes with a full year of upgrades. For more

        information contact ACCSYS by email at: <rkaplan@well.com>

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  TeleType GPS is software for the Newton which displays your location

  while driving or flying. The software includes a moving map which shows

  you where you are in relation to cities and towns. It is controlled by

  the Garmin 30 TracPack, a powerful yet small Global Positioning System

  (GPS) antenna.  Never get lost again. Email: <TeleTypeGPS@teletype.com>

  or WWW to: <http://www.teletype.com/gps/> for more information.

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Information from the Internet

-----------------------------



** VOTING FOR COMP.SYS.NEWTON.MARKETPLACE **



Jani Patokallio reports via comp.sys.newton.announce that the last

possible day to vote on the creation of "comp.sys.newton.marketplace"

that will be focused on "Newton-specific forsale, wanted & jobs" is

23:59:59 UTC, 17Mar97. For more information on participating in this

process, please check out a comp.sys.newton.announce archive at a site

like HotBot <http://www.hotbot.com> for the original post.



** SELLING NEWTON STUFF **



Stephen Hildreth <hildret@vm.sc.edu> reports the creation of another site

where you can list your Newton stuff forsale -- the  PowerBook Classified

Advertising site at: <http://members.aol.com/Hildrethjr/powerbook.html>.



** BEST NEW MP2K CASE?!? **



Eric Davis <eld@pagan.net> reports great interest to a post he made last

week to comp.sys.newton.misc in regards to a potentially good MP2K case

-- the Eagle Creek model B4610K.  This case should be able to hold the

MP2K and the keyboard, and comes in six colors: Red, Evergreen, Blue,

Purple, Tan, Black.  Eric has posted a picture taken with a QuickTake 150

via: <http://wwww.dimensional.com/~eld>.  You can contact Eagle Creek by

phone at: 800.874.9925 or 619.471.7600.



** NEWTON MENTION IN BYTE **



Eric Davis <eld@pagan.net> also points out that the latest Byte magazine

has a "very good" MessagePad 2000 review with an "awesome" picture.  You

can check out the Table of Contents of Vol. 22, No. 3 (March 1997) via

the following URL: <http://www.byte.com/art/toc/037toc.htm>.



** NETHOPPER 3.0 API POSTED **



The folks at AllPen Software have put the finishing touches on a

NetHopper 3.0 API <nethopper-api@allpen.com> that developers can use to

interface with NetHopper and to build plug-ins.  To check out the API

point your favorite browser at: <http://www.allpen.com/nethopper-api/>.



** NEWTON GALLERY OPEN! **



Dr. Douglas Luckie <luckie@pilot.msu.edu> reports that the Michigan State

Newton Users Group (MSNUG) has created a new Newton specific "family tree

(of sorts)" that outlines using photos and fact sheets all the Newton

devices ever released.  To check it out point your favorite browser to:

<http://pilot.msu.edu/~luckie/msnug.htm>.  To learn more about MSNUG you

can check out: <http://pilot.msu.edu/~luckie/msnug.htm>.



** HOTLINE NEWTON SERVER?!? **



Raven Zachary <raven@rinzai.com> posted a query to the USENET newsgroup

comp.sys.newton.misc looking for an interested party to allow for the

hosting of a Macintosh running a Hotline Server so that Newton users can

easily transfer Newton software around and host chat sessions.  For more

info about Hotline Servers or Clients check out the following site:

<http://netspace.net.au/~hinks/>.



[EDITOR: If you have a Mac the Hotline Client is very cool.  There is a

Windows version being developed, but no release date has been announced.]



** COMPARING THE CURRENT CROP OF HANDHELDS **



Jeff Wright <jeffw@fw3.com> at NewtWorld <http://www.fw3.com/newtworld>

reports the posting of a new editorial with comparisons of the MP2K, NEC

Windows CE, Zaurus, and Psion.



** SANJAY'S STUFF MOVED TO SCRAWL SITE **



Sanjay Vakil <sanj@athena.mit.edu> reports that most of his software that

you use to be able to find at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

(MIT) (where he has been going to school) has been moved to the following

site: <http://www.scrawlsoft.com>.  At this new site you'll find a bunch

of new YAZI text-based adventures, and pointers to Scrawl Software's

other Newton titles.



** MORE BATTERY INFO **



Smittie <smittie@enfour.com> recently cleared up sone confusion on the

USENET newsgroup comp.sys.newton.misc about the battery situation with

the MP2K.  Apparently the new MP2K battery pack will do a fast charge to a

'full' state in about an hour, but only if you use the new power adapter.

You can use the old power adapter with the MP2K, but it will not

recharge the batteries.



** SOME ARE NOT WAITING FOR UK MP2K RELEASE **



Simon 'Gadget Man' Coulthurst <gman@globalnet.co.uk> reports that instead

of waiting for the UK release of the MessagePad 2000 he went ahead and

ordered the 'MP2K + Keyboard + Case + Software + Cables' from Cyberian

Outpost for US$1122.78 (includes shipping).  You can place an order for

the MP2K via: <http://www.cybout.com/>.



** MORE AIRPLANE NEWS **



Clay Irving <clay@panix.com> reports that he has created a reference Web

page of public "airline policies" that can be access via the following

URL: <http://www.panix.com/~clay/scanning/rules/airlines.html>.



** YOU CAN PICKUP CLUBPDA MERCHANDISE **



Chris Parker <chrisp2@clubpda.com> reports that you can order stuff from

ClubPDA (i.e. you're on a business trip that includes a stop in Southern

California) and you can pick up stuff from their warehouse will call.

The warehouse is 60 miles south of Los Angeles, and you can get more

information by sending Chris email.



** NEWTON WEB RING GROWS **



Anthony Matthews <bnet@pobox.com> reports that the Apple Newton Web Ring

now has over twenty interesting sites and is growing daily.  To get more

information about this very worthwhile project by check out the following

page: <http://pobox.com/~bnet/newton/webring.htm>.



** RAM MOBILE CONFERENCE **



Thomas D'Alleva <tdalleva@worldnet.att.net> would like to let NewtNews

readers know that the 1997 RAM Mobile Data International Developer

Conference is going to be held 08-09Apr97 in San Francisco, California.

The conference costs US$299 to attend, and there will be several

workshops that you can also register for.  Those interested in attending

should call: 800.763.1110 for more information.



** OTHER SITES WORTHY OF A BROWSE **



    - Total Impack [Mac Processor Cards]: <http://www.totalimpack.com>

    - Mortice Kern System (MKS) [HTML Doc Management]:

      <http://www.mks.com>

    - LookupUSA [Info Source]: <http://www.lookupusa.com>

    - ipublish [Web publishing]: <http://www.design-intelligence.com>

    - Dutch Hacker Conference: <http://www.hacktic.nl>

    - CDMA Development Group [Wireless]: <http://www.cdg.org>

    - PureSpeech [NT/UNIX Speech Recognition]: <http://www.speech.com>





$-----------$------------$------------$------------$-----------$-----------$

$ NS BASIC  $ The latest implementation of this cool programming tool has an

$   3.6     $ easy to use graphic screen layout function, plus indexed file

$   with    $ communications, graphics and more!  Program directly on Newton

$  Visual   $ or with a PC or Mac.  Create packages in the Extras drawer and

$ Designer! $ much more. 260 pg handbook. Cost is $99+5 S&H for all Newtons.

$           $ <info@nsbasic.com>,  <http://www.nsbasic.com>,  416.264.5999

$-----------$------------$------------$------------$-----------$-----------$



$-----------$------------$------------$------------$-----------$-----------$

  PDA and Handheld Direct - MP2000 Coming March 21st

   - Apple MessagePad 2000 Standard Model only $949.00 Product (#22005)

   - Apple MessagePad 2000 Business Bundle only $1099.00 Product #22008

   - Apple Message Pad 130 w/ Newton 2.0 OS $655.00

   - Type II PCMCIA Flash Memory for all Apple MPs - Mfg Lifetime Guarantee

     4MB $128 (41070) 8MB $224 (41073) 10MB $274 (41074) 16MB $424 (41077)

   - Revelar Connection Utilities for Win $49.95 #10070 Mac $49.95 #10071

   - Newton Keyboard only $69.00

  To receive special pricing please mention source code #158

  To order call 800-279-4732 or 219-882-5228 or fax 219-845-0578

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Review of Top Weekly Magazine Headlines

---------------------------------------



** JUST NEWS **



    - Analysts still trying to figure out the 3Com and U.S

      Robotics merger

    - Epson's new Stylus Color 800 gets good reviews



** MAJOR TRENDS **



    - Rumors continue to haunt Apple: layoffs, cancelled

      products, and future direction

    - Netscape plans Constellation release, Microsoft preps

      new version of Internet Explorer



** MINOR TRENDS **



    - Novell has new LAN to Internet services and technology

    - Informix's new DataBlades Universal Server catches many

      analysts by surprise



** NOISE **



    - Intel's new chip announcements -- they say you can expect

      new chips in Q2'97, Q3'97, and Q1'98



** WEB POINTERS **



    - Web Week: <http://www.webweek.com>

    - MacWeek: <http://www.macweek.com>

    - InfoWorld: <http://www.infoworld.com>

    - Computer Reseller News: <http://www.crn.com>

    - PC Week: <http://www.pcweek.com>





Top Weekly Magazine Stories Of Interest

---------------------------------------



** MAC THE KNIFE NEWTON MENTION **



The 03Mar97 edition of MacWeek has a 'Newton rumor' mention in the Mac

The Knife column on page 70:



    "And while Apple would apparently like nothing

     better than to divest itself of its MessagePad

     line, prospective buyers have reportedly balked at

     the company's asking price, and insistence of

     continued 'sine qua nons' in Newton OS development."



** JAVA PHONE **



Jessica Davis has a front page story called "Java phones home: Java

Telephony API (JTAPI) standard starts at the Los Angeles' Computer

Telephony (CT) Expo" in the 03Mar97 edition of InfoWorld.  The JTAPI

specification is supported by Sun's JavaTel, but it will face competition

from Lucent Technologies which will announce at CT their own SDK for

doing Java in 'phone devices'.



Stephanie Lapolla at PC Week also has a front page article about CT Expo

called "Telephony Beachhead: New products at CT Expo this week lay

groundwork for PC integration." [03Mar97]



** NEW STRONGARM SUPPORTS PCI **



Digital <http://www.dec.com> has a new 'chip set' called the 21285 that

supports a PCI bus on 'boards' using a StrongARM 110 processor.  The

21285 sits between the memory interface and core CPU.  The 21285 should

make it easier to incorporate StrongARM processors into future: embedded

devices, portable devices, and Internet appliances. In related news, ARM

recently announced that their ARM7500 processors built by Digital will

run Java OS on them. [Lisa Dicarlo, PC Week, 03Mar97, page 47]



** OTHER ARTICLES OF INTEREST **



    - "AT&T uses radio for wireless local loop access"

       by Matthew Woollacott, InfoWorld, 03Mar97, page 19

    - "The Web Hotlist: Richochet

       <http://www.ricochet.net>" by James Battery,

       InfoWorld, 03Mar97, page 43

    - "Wireless in Stat of Flux: PCS net hit

       voice-only services; IBM closes wireless division"

       by Mark Moore, PC Week, 03Mar97, page 8

    - "Panasonic Notebooks Feature Rugged Look: CF-25

       MK II multimedia family has alloy frame, offers

       256KB of Level 2 cache, 150-MHz Pentium" by Mark

       Moore, PC Week, 03Mar97, page 47





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   WinSlurp! - Rare White Tiger Creations provides Newton Book publishing

   services and is NOW offering WinSlurp. A windows front-end to Slurpee

   which supports transferring notes back and forth between the Newton

   notepad and the PC desktop.  Available for downloading from this URL:

   <http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/heringermr/winslurp.htm>.

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   PowerMedia is your source for all the latest cutting edge Newton apps:

     + Super NotePad: Quick access arrows, encryption, tags, filters, etc.

     + DateMan 3.0: Complete agenda and contact management.

     + Stationary Construction Kit: Build your very own custom stationary.

   Commercially available at your favorite Newton retailer.  Or check out

   online demos via the following site: <http://www.powermedia.com/~pmi>.

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NewtNews Tips and Tricks You Can Use On Your Newton

---------------------------------------------------



** INTRODUCTION **



By Roger Coleman <Roger_Coleman@compuserve.com>



"The instant guide to becoming a Newt Guru"



This is a new column for NewtNews. I am going to search for new and

interesting tips and tricks to help NewtNews readers out.  If you have a

tip for this column, email it to me <Roger_Coleman@compuserve.com> with

"NewtNews-Tip" in the subject field. I am sure to run out of tips before

long, so please pass on those nuggets of knowledge to keep this column

going!  Thanks!



** NEWT-TIP #2: EXPANDING TO EMOTICONS **



This is a quick (and free) way to get instant  access to emoticons - add

"eeh", "ees" and "eew"  to your word list (for Happy, Sad and Wink) and

have them expand to :-) , :-( and ;-) respectively!



You can make things expand up to a limit of thirty letters or numbers,

including spaces, so there is quite a lot of scope for alternative uses

of this feature!



** SOME COMMENTS **



Here are some comments about last weeks NEWT-TIP #1:



    Steven Weyhrich <sweyhrich@earthlink.net> and Mark

    McKinnon <markmck@netspace.net.au> both report

    that you can use 'expansion' even without

    non-cursive (i.e. printing) input.



    Jonathan Sanderson <jonathan@quern.demon.co.uk>

    reports you can also use tip to do hard to

    recognize characters like tab, return, and

    punctuation.





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Other PDA News

--------------



[EDITOR: News collected via snail mail, major publications, USENET

newsgroups, email, and the WWW.]



** PSION **



Steve Simpson <steve@alba.co.uk> reports that his company Alba Computing

Ltd. has recently begun to stock the Apple Mac OS Psion Serial Link

cables for the Psion 3c and Siena models.  The price is UK$77 + S&H.



C. E. Steuart Dewar <cesd@gorilla-haven.org> reports that Pimlico

Software the developers of MonthVu, QuickNote, XpensEZ and Timer for the

Psion 3a/3c/Siena have moved their WWW site from CompuServe to:

<http://www.gorilla-haven.org/pimlico>.



Simon Pooley <spooley@ropewalk.compulink.co.uk> has released version 1.05

of his Agenda Dump Psion S3a utility that will output a text database of

agenda data so you can import the info to a desktop application.  For

more info: <http://www.cix.co.uk/~ropewalk/psion/>.



David Moore <dmoore3733@aol.com> has posted his shareware Psion savvy

Slide Presentation software and Windchill calculation utility to:

<http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/dmcs/homepage.htm>



Bill Ray <bill1@io.com> listed the following 'ten good reasons' to

not go with a Windows CE device, but to instead purchase a Psion:

     1. Psion is a more stable platform, and the EPOC

        is a proven operating system.

     2. Psion computers are smaller than Windows CE,

        and lighter.

     3. There is more software available for Psion

     4. WinCE computers still require you to

        import/export to Word, making them no better than

        PsiWin

     5. No spell checking in Micro-Word.

     6. Psion computer hardware is more robust

     7. Psion are cheaper

     8  There is an extensive (and technical) network

        of users who will freely offer advice and help.

     9. You should never buy version 1.0 of anything

        (especially from Microsoft).

    10. Psions eat less batteries, making them cheaper

        in the long run.



** PILOT **



Clinton Logan <clint@landware.com> reports the version 1.1 release of

their Financial Consultant for Pilot.  This 'calculator' lets Pilot users

make "fundamental financial decisions quickly and accurately" like:

amortization; effective and nominal interest rate conversions; Canadian

mortgages; data calculations; and advanced functions.  Registered users

of version 1.0 will get a 1.1 upgrade for free via email.  For more

information check out: <http:// www.landware.com>.



Jeff Jetton <jetton@mindspring.com> has announced that you can now

register his shareware Pilot applications like: Biorhythms, Blackout, and

Gem Hunt via First Virtual.  To get more information about the above

products check out: <http://www.mindspring.com/~jetton/pilot/> or can

register for any of these products via the following URL:

<http://www.mindspring.com/~jetton/register/>.



Daevid Vincent <dae51d@TheMatrix.com> reports that 'boot Magazine' has

published a U.S. Robotics Palm Pilot review via the following URL:

<http://www.bootnet.com/reviews/palmpilot.html>.  Chris Dawson

<pentekk1@worldnet.att.net> take on the new Pilots after reading this

review according to a post to comp.sys.newton.misc is that the 2nd

generation Pilot devices offer: "backlighting, double installed memory,

cool modem option; [but] identical look as previous models."



Looking for more information about a cellular/landline modem that will

work with the U.S. Robotics' Pilot?  Then check out the following 14.4

savvy modem from Motorola that is reportedly been posted via:

<http://ww.mot.com/MIMS/ISG/Products/cellect144/features.html>.  This

setup does require a 'custom' cable from the Pilot to the modem which

could then be connected to a Motorola Microtac cellular phone. [Info

from: <hudakc@afcpo.wpafb.af.mil> from a post to comp.sys.pen.]



Ron Nicholson <rhn@sgi.com> reports that the NY Times recently ran an

article that "highlighted technological seepage into popular culture."

One of the mentions was the Graffiti handwriting style being used in

meetings at IBM on their whiteboards.  For more information check out:

<http://www.nytimes.com/library/cyber/techcol/030397techcol.html>.

Graffiti is the HWR used on the PalmPilot.



Looking for more U.S. Robotics' PalmPilot information?  Then check out

the following site: <http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lakes/7516/>

created by Michael Heinz <MichaelHeinz@worldnet.att.net>.



The following company -- Stinger -- is reporting to have the new

"Palmpilot Professional Edition for Mac" in stock and selling for

US$398.99.  For more info: <http://pilot.cc-inc.com/stinger/buy.cfm>.



Andrew <andrewl@innovativelasers.com> reports that the latest Egghead

mailer that he got has a picture of one of the new Pilots on page 13

using the Indiglo feature.



Michael Butler <butler@comp-lib.org> reports that the URL for his

SuperPad for the PalmPilot with support for encrypted notes has been

changed to the following: <ftp://ftp.isi.ee.ethz.ch/pub/simpl>.



[EDITOR: Does anyone know what the 'best' way to refer to the new Pilot

devices is -- U.S. Robotics Pilot, PalmPilot, USR Pilot, etc.?]



** WINDOWS CE **



John Schettino <js12@gte.com> recently answered a question posted by Dan

Plaskon <icare@hotmail.com> that asked if it was possible to see the

amount of free space available on a Flash PC Card on a Windows CE device.

John said that this feature does not seem to be supported in Windows CE.

[comp.sys.palmtop]



Chris De Herrera <pdcchrisd@aol.com>, at Pen Based Computing, has

reported posted an indepth comparison of Windows CE HPCs on the

following site: <http://members.aol.com/pdcchrisd/>.



Philips has begun showing a Windows CE savvy Velo-1 TV commercial on a

host of programs.  NewtNews saw several on NBC -- onced during Thursday

night's 'Must See TV' and then again during the Tonight Show.



** MAGIC CAP **



Bruce Tong <zztong@MAIL.EV.NET> reports that he has posted his shareware

application called Private Eye that helps a 'real' PI run a case.  For

more info: <http://www.eurekanet.com/~zztong>.



You can now reportedly send an email to PageNet alpha pagers by using the

following format: (local access or 800 no).pagerid@pagenet.net. [Info

from Magic Cap listserver].  The Web pages at: <http://www.pagenet.net>

also have a 'Web form' that enables paging to PageNet alpha pagers.



** OTHER **



If you are a Lexicomp user, then Matt DiPiero <mad@gol.com> would like

you to check out the following WWW site to get plugged into the latest

and greatest Lexicomp info: <http://www2.gol.com/users/mad/Homepage.htm>.



Jason Ehrlich <jehrlich@yuma.Princeton.EDU> reportedly found a 'virtual

cache' of EO 440s (AT&T PenPoint computers).  He is trying to sell them

for US$140 (includes shipping in the USA).  If you are interested send

him email. [EDITOR: Personally I think Jason should try and sell them

through Jerry Kaplan's Onsale: <http://www.onsale.com>. ;-) ]



Michael Posner <cwld@ix.netcom.com> would like all the Libretto fans out

there to check out: <http://members.aol.com/maspub/libretto>.



Nigel Ballard <pelham123@pobox.com>, at The Paperless Office Consultancy,

reports that he has recently updated 'WORD UP' -- a site dedicated to

providing information about the mobile computing industry.  Use this URL

to access the info: <http://www.pobox.com/~pelham123>.



Tom Gibson <gibson@lisco.com> reports that those folks interested in HP

Solvers should check out the Solver Databases that can be found via:

<http://www.iinet.net.au/~muzza/hp_db.html>.





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Edupage, 24Feb97 thru 02Mar97

-----------------------------



** NEVADA MAY BAN JUNK E-MAIL **



The Nevada state Senate has introduced a bill that would make sending

unsolicited ads directly to e-mail accounts a misdemeanor.  "Most e-mail

users pay for their service, so unsolicited e-mail is like receiving

direct mail with postage due," says the Senate's majority leader, who

notes the bill is modeled on a previous measure that bans unsolicited

advertising over fax machines.  California, Virginia and Connecticut are

considering similar measures, but the Nevada legislature is widely viewed

as closest to passing the ban.  (St. Petersburg Times 3 Mar 97)



** BE A PROPELLER-HEAD **



Jean-Louis Gassee, the founder and CEO of Be, Inc., the company Apple was

considering acquiring for its operating system before it decided instead

to purchase Next, says that Be is targeting the emerging digital-media

applications on the creation side, as opposed to the playback side.  "We

believe the playback devices are going to be driven by the pressures of

consumer technology.  And we may or may not be able to offer the best way

to do playback.  That might come in the future, but certainly not as an

entry strategy in the marketplace...  We should make it clear that we are

still a not-for-everyone OS.  We are not mainstream;  we are

propeller-head OS." (Upside Mar 97)



** COMPUTER SECURITY IS "NOT PROTECTION, IT'S DELAY" **



Conducting a security audit of 15,000 Pentagon systems in which

vulnerabilities had previously been pointed out to systems managers for

correction, the Information Warfare Division of the Defense Information

Agency found that it was able to gain access to almost nine out 10 of the

systems simply by using publicly available techniques.  A top agency

administrator says that security managers need to focus less on

preventing outside penetration and more on detecting intrusions and

reacting with immediate shutdowns.  "You have to view security as buying

you time.  It's not protection.  It's delay."  (Computerworld 3 Mar 97)



** MAC CLONES SELLING WELL **



The Computer Intelligence market research firm says that overall sales of

Macintosh-platform computers are growing, and that computers from Apple

and Macintosh clone makers made up 11.2% of sales in computer-only retail

stores, up from 9.5% in December and 7.8% in November.  Because of the

growing demand for clones, Apple is said to be considering an increase in

its licensing fees.  (Los Angeles Times 6 Mar 97)



** VIRTUAL CHICKEN SEEKS CARING PARENT **



The demand in Japan for Bandai's virtual chicken toy (tamagotchi or "cute

little egg") is so strong that the toy can trade on the black market

there for up to 25 times its suggested retail price of about $16.  The

plastic egg has a small liquid crystal display on which a chick

"hatches."  The owner or "parent" can press buttons to feed, clean and

play with the chick -- which if bored, underfed or over-fed, will emit a

piercing noise, change into an old man and die.  However, if properly

cared for, the chick ruffles its feathers, hops about, and lives happily

for about a week and a half.  Bandai is increasing production of the toy

by a factor of five, and is planning to introduce it soon into the

European and American markets.  (Financial Times 6 Mar 97)



** TVs AND PCs WILL DUKE IT OUT FOR DOMINANCE **



A recent report from In-Sat predicts that, rather than merging peacefully

into one big happy family-room appliance, television sets and personal

computers will continue to compete for dominance:  "This emerging battle

is poised to fracture the Internet along a consumer and corporate fault

line." In-Sat sees a future where the Internet is split into two parts --

the "computer-centric" side and the "TV-centric" side.  (Investor's

Business Daily 6 Mar 97)



** STUDY WARNS SHORTAGE OF TECH-SAVVY WORKERS LOOMS **



A report by the Information Technology Association of America warns that

one out of every 10 jobs requiring information technology skills is going

unfilled due to a shortage of qualified workers.  The association

surveyed 2,000 large and mid-sized companies and found at least 190,000

unfilled information technology jobs.  The report cited a decline in

college graduates with degrees in mathematics or computer science.  "It's

like running out of iron ore in the middle of the Industrial Revolution,"

says the association's president.  A VP for Cap-Gemini America, a U.S.

consulting company, predicts that if the trend continues, U.S. companies

will opt to send more of their work overseas where they can find eligible

job candidates.  For a copy of "Help Wanted:  The IT Workforce Gap,"

check out <http://www.itaa.org>.  (Chronicle of Higher Education 7 Mar

97)



** COMPUTER CRIMES PERVASIVE **



About three out of four of 563 U.S. corporate, government, financial and

academic organizations survey by the San Francisco-based Computer

Security Institute reported financial losses from computer crimes within

the past year. (USA Today 7 Mar 97)





$-----------$------------$------------$------------$-----------$-----------$

   This space for rent.  For more info: <newtnews@pobox.com>.  Thanks.

$-----------$------------$------------$------------$-----------$-----------$





INNOVATION, 24FEB97

-------------------



** TRENDS: TECHNOGRAPHICS DEFINES THE MARKET SEGMENT **



Forrester Research's Josh Bernoff says consumer technology vendors too

often resort to the "spaghetti marketing" approach -- throwing a bunch of

new products against the wall to see what sticks.  In response, Bernoff

has developed "technographics" -- a way to define consumer market

segments based on four factors that motivate buying:  family, career,

entertainment and status.  "The two largest are what we call sidelined

citizens, with 70.7 million adults, and neo-hearthminders, with 27.4

million adults.  Sidelined citizens are the low-income technology

pessimists... a very tough market to crack.  About 95% of the products

targeted at this market will never succeed...  If you can crack this

market, like the Sony Walkman did in the '80s, you could end up with

billions of dollars in business, though...



Fast forwards are career-oriented technology believers.  They're

time-strapped and driven.  They like to adopt business technologies and

productivity software.  Then there are the techno-strivers.  They believe

in up-and-coming technology.  This segment is made up of students and

young professionals who want to become fast forwards.  Cyber-snobs are

status-oriented, high-income technology lovers.  They're the Wired

magazine readers who love big-ticket tech toys.  They're close to

X-techs, who also are tech-loving, status-conscious individuals.  But

X-techs have limited means.  X-techs are typically the cyber-cafe

denizens...  These groups get a lot of press, but they're typically dead

ends for marketing."  Bernoff's predictions of products that will make

it, based on well-defined markets?  Digital satellite systems and online

grocery shopping.  And the market-challenged?  Network computers.

(Investor's Business Daily 25 Feb 97)



** STRATEGIES: WATER-COOLER KNOWLEDGE **



Western companies weary of reengineering, downsizing and delayering

should take another look at their Japanese counterparts, who encourage

the entire workforce to help in reaching cost-reduction targets and who

refuse to consider middle management to be expendable.  Instead, middle

managers are seen as possessing a valuable perspective on a company's

business.  "In particular, the middle managers tie together two visions

-- the strategic view of senior managers and the detailed operational

view of front-line workers."  Although U.S. companies are far more

advanced than the Japanese in managing formal, explicit knowledge that

can be codified in memoranda or other documents, "the Japanese are better

at managing tacit knowledge -- the informal occupational lore, which is

generated by workers grappling with everyday problems and passed on in

cafeterias and at water coolers." How can an organization make productive

use of this water-cooler phenomenon? Encourage workers to spend as much

time as possible together informally, and consider having new employees

work closely with "mentors" -- from whom they will learn much more than

they will ever learn from formal training courses. "The point about tacit

knowledge is that it is always there:  a company doesn't not have to

create it, but rather remove the barriers that surround it." (John

Micklethwait & Adrian Wooldridge, "The Art & Practice Of Japanese

Management,"  Strategy & Business 1Q97 n.6)



** INNOVATIONS: ROBO-GOFER **



Robotic legend Joseph Engelberger, who developed the first robotic arms

used in automobile factories and revolutionized the industry, is

marketing nimble little robots that can make a nurse's life a lot easier.

 The HelpMate robots rent for about $4 to $6 an hour, and can deliver

medications, meals, X-rays and patients' records.  Each robot has an

electronic memory containing a floor map of the hospital, and when

summoned by radio or pointed to a location on a built-in video screen, it

calculates the quickest way to get there.  The machine uses infrared and

ultraviolet beams to avoid bumping into objects or people, and summons

elevators using radio signals. Future plans will include robots with arms

that can make beds, help patients out of bathtubs, and relieve nurses of

other menial tasks, and Engelberger hopes to apply the same technology to

elder-care, creating robots that can handle some repetitive household

jobs, such as loading the dishwasher or microwave oven, or preparing

meals using special-purpose attachments such as a bar-code reader to

select the right packaged foods.  (Business Week 3 Mar 97)



** MORE INFO ON INNOVATION **



Innovation is published weekly, with individual subscriptions available

at $15 a year. Topics are organized under the following headers:

TRENDS, STRATEGIES, and INNOVATIONS.  For a six-week free trial

subscription to Innovation, please send an email message to

<innovation-trial@newsscan.com> and in the subject line type the word:

'subscribe'.  You can also use the trial registration form on their Web

site at: <http://www.newsscan.com>.  For more info, send email to:

<gehl@newsscan.com> or <douglas@newsscan.com>





$-----------$------------$------------$------------$-----------$-----------$

  NEED A NEWTON PROGRAMMER? NewtNews has a list of over 40 Internet based

  Newton programmers who are interested in working on vertical or

  horizontal market solutions.  Please send email to: <newtnews@pobox.com>

  if you would like the list or would like to be added to the list.

$-----------$------------$------------$------------$-----------$-----------$





Dear Newton Developer

---------------------



** PSION TO NEWTON BEAMING?!? **



Steve Anderson <anotherw@ozemail.com.au> writes:



    Having just moved to the UK from Australia, I

    constantly find myself in need of beaming

    information between my Newton & other people's

    Psion organizers as they seem to be the dominant

    'PDA' here.  I know quite a few people who would

    be very interested in a patch that would allow

    even a text based transfer of notes (though a

    dates/names transfer would also be FANTASTIC!)





Other Sources of Information

----------------------------



** SPRINT NEWS **



Mark Moore reported in an article that covered the recently held Wireless

1997 conference that Sprint PCS doesn't plan on deploying widespread

digital data services until late in 1997 or early 1998.  [PC Week,

03Mar97, page 8]



Sprint is reportedly now offering in the state of Florida voice-activated

services called "TOTAL VOICE."  The system lets a customer set up a

personalized directory of up to 25 items (specifically phone numbers)

that can 'voice activated'. [Farcast]



Phillip Garrison has been named Sprint PCS vice president and general

manager of Subscriber Equipment.  Garrison had worked previously at: AT&T

Wireless Services, Highland Superstores, Montgomery Wards, Dixon Group,

and R.M. Macy. [Farcast]



Sprint has plans to offer pay phone service in 862 of the Movie Gallery

stores located across 22 U.S. states. [Farcast]



** WIN AN EMATE **



The latest edition of MacAddict <http://www.macaddict.com> to hit the

streets (Apr97) has a banner on the cover reading "Win an eMate 300 from

Apple!'  Details on the contest are on page 29.  Basically you have to

write a 100 words or less 'essay' (pictures optional) on why you 'love

the Mac' and send it by checking out the above URL or by snail mailing it

to: Way-Cool eMate, c/o MacAddict, 150 North Hill Dr, Suite 40, Bisbane,

CA 94005 by 15Apr97.



** CHEAPER BOOKS **



AP Professional <http://www.apnet.com/approfessional> is have a 20% off

sale on select books at participating computer book retailers from

01-31Mar97.  NewtNews readers might be interesting in books entitled:

Agents at Large (0-12-738765-X); CodeWarrior Software Development Using

PowerPlant (0-12-326422-7); Foundations of Intelligent Knowledge-Based

Systems (0-12-696060-7); Programming for the Newton Using Macintosh

(0-12-484832-X); Programming for the Newton Using Windows

(0-12-484830-3); Wireless for the Newton (0-12-484801-X); and Wireless

LANs (0-12-744015-1).



** PICTURE OF NEW PAGER **



The latest issue of Information Week published on 03Mar97 has an ad from

NEC with a picture of their new "Beacon DataPager" on page 79.  The unit

will communicate with Windows 95 desktop systems using IR links, has

138-KB of storage, and can display 8 lines x 16 characters (128 chars)

at one time.



** DETAILED WIRELESS INFO **



Ad Kamerman a member of the technical staff at Lucent Technologies has a

detailed article in the "Integrating For the LAN" section of Computer

Technology Review published on Feb97.  The article is entitled "Wireless

LAN Applications And Spread Spectrum Schemes: RF-based WLAN products fall

into either DSSS (Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum) or FHSS (Frequency

Hopping Spread Specturm) categories."



** MORE WIRELESS NEWS **



The April 1997 edition of The Red Herring <http://www.herring.com> has

their monthly industry briefing focused on 'Wireless Communications.'

Other interesting tidbits include:



    - Interview with Verity's CEO Philippe Courtot with

      a focus on 'push technology'.

    - XtraSoft's <http://www.xtrasoft.com> XtraSuite 1.0.

    - GPS article on pages 78 - 80.

    - One pager by Andrew Madden on PCS services on page 90.



** BREAKDOWN OF WIRELESS SERVICES DEPLOYED **



Dataquest recently began to circulate an "estimated % of wireless data

service users in 1997:  28.6% Narrowband PCS; 28.6% CDPD; 22.9% Circuit

Switched Cellular data; 11.4% RAM Mobile; 5.7% ARIDS, and 2.8% Broadband

PCS.



** RECOMMENDER SYSTEMS **



The Mar97 edition of Communications of the ACM has some interesting

pointers and detail articles that examine the state of 'recommender

systems' starting on page 56.  You can get some information about them

off the Web by checking out:



    - PHOAKS: <http://www.phoaks.com/phoaks>

    - Fab: <http://fab.stanford.edu>

    - SiteSeer: <http://www.imana.com>

    - GroupLENS: <http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens>



You should be able to find copies of this magazine at any university

library or at a technical book store.



** LOOKING FOR THE RIGHT COMMUNICATOR **



Marshal Rosenthal has two articles of interest on page 46 in the "TECH

TOOLS" column of the Mar97 edition of Advertising Age's Business

Marketing magazine.  The first is an article that outlines what you should

look for in a communicator: advanced messaging units, portable digital

assistants, or a cellular hybrid.  Then you should 'access your needs'

using: "size vs. technology"; "ease of use vs. features"; "Will it work

wherever you go?"; and "Nothing beats a real keyboard."



The second article points out the 'newest portable options': Motorola's

Tango, Sharp's Zaurus 5800FX, U.S. Robotics' Pilot, Apple's MessagePad

2000 (NEWTON), Compaq's PC Companion (WINDOWS CE), and Nokia's 9000

Communicator (GEOS).





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News Agent Summary

------------------



For more information about Farcast check out: <http://www.farcast.com>

and for more information about iNews use: <http://www.individual.com>.



** HANDHELD **



Nikkei English News is reporting that Mitsubishi Electric has teamed with

a software company called Access to build an Internet savvy

microcontroller that has built-in DRAM. [iNews]



AMD and Microsoft have announced that AMD has completed porting Windows

CE to their ElanSC400 microcontroller. [iNews]



Sierra Wireless <http://www.sierrawireless.com> is now offering cellular

data communications solutions for Windows CE handhelds. [iNews & Farcast]



Powertel's GSM-based digital cellular service will soon team up with

Psion to deliver wireless savvy palmtop computer solutions. [iNews]



PenRight! Corporation has announced that the following mobile computer

manufacturers are deploying solutions using PenRight's pen-base OS:

Fujitsu-ICL, IBM, Itronix, Ricoh, and Texas Microsystems. [iNews]



Sony has a new alphanumeric pager called the MP-7000 that includes a new

'Jog Dial' that replaces the 'standard' five buttons found on previous

Sony pagers with a simple rotating knob.  The unit also has: four line

display, 40 message memory, 200 memo message storage slots, 12 alert

sounds, silent vibrate, customizable "Do Not Disturb" mode, and 520

personal information notebook storage slots.  The weight of the unit is

2.4 oz. and it will retail for under US$200. [Farcast]



** MOBILE **



Toshiba's new 'smart communicator' Genio PCV100 that will be targeted

towards Japans' "exploding" PHS digital-cellular market uses Geoworks'

GEOS. [iNews]



Motorola has introduced into the Sao Paulo, Brazil landscape a new

two-way and voice paging network.  In related news, Motorola has

announced that their Inflexion paging protocol has now reach commercial

shipping status and can be commercially deployed. [iNews]



Motorola has a new CDMA 800-MHz savvy MicroTac called the SC-725 cellular

phone. [iNews]



Sun is now shipping version 1.0 of their JavaOS to licensees.  Sun says

that this JavaOS is the quickest and fastest way to run Java on any

microprocessor. [iNews]



Teklogix has won another major wireless data communications systems

award.  This one will ultimately link 41 Magneti Marelli production

facilities in nine countries.  The first wave is to connect facilities in

France to facilities in Italy for Canadian $3.5 million. [Farcast]



Frost & Sullivan have a new US$3950. report that examines in detail the

GPS marketplace.  The study found GPS related sales in North America to

be in the US$366.2 million range in 1996, and expect sales in 2003 to be

over US$3.5 billion. [Farcast]



** WIRELESS **



Reliance Telecom has teamed with NYNEX and Motorola to build a GSM

network in India. [iNews]



Cnet <http://www.cnetinc.com> has a new product suite called OPTIONS that

integrates a host of new wireless solutions like: network management, RF

planning, and performance monitoring. [Farcast]



Qualcomm <http://www.qualcomm.com> recently announced a host of new and

updated products aimed at making their CDMA PCS technology easier to

deploy: Cell Site Modem (CSM), Mobile Station Modem, CDMA on a Chip,

QCP-2700 dual-band phone, Frame Interface and Router Module (FIRM), and a

5 oz. "Q" phone. [Farcast]



Motorola and Qualcomm have entered into legal wrangling over 'patent

infringemnets' related to the recent introduction of Qualcomm's new "Q"

CDMA phone. [iNews]



Totally Wireless <http://www.totallywireless.com> has announced plans to

begin to branch out of their solely owned retail chain into a franchising

operation.  Totally Wireless offers a wide array of mobile and wireless

devices and services. [Farcast]



Tandem <http://www.tandem.com> has announced plans to port Unwired

Planet's UP.Link software <http://www.uplanet.com> to a host of Tandem

hardware and operating system platforms. [Farcast]



Ex Machina has announced that they have plans to change their company

name to AirMedia, Inc. to greater influence their commitment to their

AirMedia Live Internet Broadcast Network.  For more information:

<http://www.airmedia.com>. [Farcast]



ICO Global Communications has plans to spend US$1 billion to expand their

ground network and the majority of the work will be completed by a team

of contractors including: Ericsson, Hughes Network Systems, and NEC.

[Farcast]



** APPLE **



Apple Australia has announced that the Springfield State Elementary

School in Queensland, will join the Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow

International program -- one of the world's leading research programs

that studies what happens when teachers and students are given routine

access to technology.  For more infomrmation about this project:

<http://www.research.apple.com/go/acot>.



Apple is sponsoring a Bring Learning Home Alliance called "Family

Computing Workshops" with help from the National Geographic Society, the

Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), Scholastic, and the Computer Learning

Foundation.  For more information call: 800.365.7080 ext. 100 or check

out the following Web page: <http://www.computerlearning.org>.



Apple will have several booths (#2034,#408A, #404A, #22) at Internet

World. For more information check out: <http://www.apple.com/source/>.



Apple's senior vice president of Apple Americas Robin Abrams has

reportedly resigned from the Apple. [iNews]



China's Hua Dong Electronic Technology Service Corp, a subsidiary of East

China Computer Co Ltd has signed a distribution agreement with Apple

Computer International. [iNews]



Apple has settled U.S. Government charge of misrepresenting the 'upgrade

value' in some entry-level Performa systems.  The settlement enables

purchasers of such systems to get rebates if they already purchased the

upgrade, and lower prices on such upgrades for those who haven't yet

considered upgrading. [iNews]



Apple plans to announce details of their restructuring and the number of

layoffs on 14Mar97.  The rumor is reported nearly 5,000 jobs could be

axed, Apple could try to 'cash in' on the popularity of Mac OS clones by

charging clone manufactures a higher fee, and that a host of projects

will be killed. [iNews]



Apple's former financial officer, Josephe Graziano, reports that he saw

the current Apple crisis looming in 1995. [iNews]



** MACINTOSH **



Roaster Technologies <http://www.roaster.com/> has announced a licensing

agreement with OpenLink Software <http://www.openlinksw.com/> to

integrate their Type 3 JDBC driver in Roaster Technologies' Java software

development environment called Roaster.



Apple has announced plans to standardize their current Mac OS dual

printing architectures by in future standardizing on their current

Printing Manager drivers instead of QuickDraw GX.  Look for more

information via: <http://devworld.apple.com/dev/technotes.shtml>.



Luminous <http://www.luminous.com> has a new Mac OS version of their

automated publishing software called OPEN 1.1 available. [Farcast]



Macromedia <http://www.macromedia.com> has posted a new beta SDK (Mac and

Windows) that should make easier for Web developers to incorporate

Shockwave and Progressive Networks' RealMedia. [Farcast]



Mac OS hardware clone manufacturer UMAX has plans to show off their

Windows based PC at Cebit 1997. [Farcast]



Insignia Solutions <http://www.insignia.com> has a new version of

SoftWindows 95 v4.0 for Power Macintosh that offers much improved

performance, and in some instances will perform better that hardware

based add-on cards. [Farcast]



** OTHER **



Cigna Corp and Healthsource have reportedly signed definitive agreement

that allows Cigna to acquire Healthsource for US$1.7 billion in cash.

[iNews]



Oracle is now shipping an Oracle 8 beta across 7 platforms to 170+ beta

organizations for worldwide testing.  Oracle 8 supports OLTP, Data

Warehousing, and Network Computers. [iNews]



ParcPlace-Digitalk is now shipping a new distributed computing framework

that should make development easier and faster, especially when

developing "mission-critical, enterprise wide distributed applications."

[iNews]



International Data Corporation (IDA) has announced that FileMaker Pro 3.0

for Windows is the #2 standalone desktop database used in the PC market.

[iNews]



Cisco has teamed with Intel to demonstrate H.323 Internet phone calls

through Cisco PIX Firewalls without breaching security. [iNews]



Epson <http://www.epson.com> has two new very cost effective color

printers empowered with the Micro Piezo printing technology: EPSON Stylus

Color 600, and EPSON Stylus Color 800 (US$449). [Farcast]



United Airlines has reportedly recently purchased over 2,500 Sony Video

Walkman systems that will be deployed to select premium class

international flight passengers. [Farcast]



Dell <http://www.dell.com> recently reported bringing in over US$1

million in computer hardware sales via the Web storefront. [Farcast]



Jupiter Communications is predicting that WebTV like devices (i.e.

Internet savvy non-PCs) will be 'deployed' in 15.3 million households by

the year 2002. [Farcast]





Advertising Notes

-----------------



If you are interested in advertising in NewtNews please send email to:

<newtnews@pobox.com>.  NewtNews is freeware because of the advertisers

that support this effort, and we appreciate their support.



When you purchase products from NewtNews vendors please mention that you

heard about their product in NewtNews.





Product and Service Information

-------------------------------



* BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY PACKAGES FROM PELICANWARE

   All packages for Newton 2.0 OS - Upgrades also available.

 - QUICKFIGURE PRO 3.0: Spreadsheet application  $59.95

 - NEWTCASE 3.0: The Ultimate Utility Suite  $49.95

 - NOTION 1.5: High Performance List Manager  $59.95

 - AVAILWORKS 2.0: Text, spreadsheets, drawing, and graphing $79.95.

All from PELICANWARE.  For more details email: <info@pelicanware.com>,

vox: 503-221-1148, fax: 503-221-8709, or <http://www.pelicanware.com>.



* CATAMOUNT SOFTWARE offers the following:

   - POCKETMONEY assists you in balancing your checking, savings,

       credit card and loan accounts. Export and import transactions

       to Quicken, MYM and other desktop based program.

   - NAMIGATOR gives rapid access to Names. I know, I have over 3000.

   - MPG helps you keep your vehicle records in order. Track fuel

       economy, record mileage for tax purposes, schedule repeating

       vehicle maintenance items for multiple vehicles.

   - SILK makes your MP130 GLOW. Floating silk screen palette so

       the built-in buttons can be seen in the dark.

For more information call 802-863-5256, email <info@catamount.com>, or

visit our web site <http://www.catamount.com>.



* NEW BILLS TO PAY PRO 3.5.5 Rated 5 out of 5 by Gecko Magazine! Now

available in German! For NOS 2.0. Includes support for stationery,

enhanced overview, and new printing options! Easily track bills and

expenses; create budget projections; and set alarms to remind you of

bills. Send bill info to Pocket Quicken or Pocket Money. $39.95+S&H MAR

Software at: <info@marsoftware.com> or <http://www.marsoftware.com>.



* Newt Development Environment: develop object-oriented applications in

NewtonScript on the Newton (shareware: $49.50; tools, examples, support).

* Newt's Cape: create Newton books with text, graphics, tables, links,

and forms from HTML (via web browsing or Notepad) (shareware: $38.50;

tools, examples, support). For details, software, and registration info:

<http://www.netaxs.com/~weyer/newton/releases.html> or <weyer@netaxs.com>



* PDA Panache is your single source for stylus solutions. Our stylus

upgrades for your MessagePad are the ultimate in writing comfort and

control. Screen-safe writing tip guaranteed for life.

 - Telescoping styli for all Newtons in Black-Chrome, Gold & Sterling.

 - The "Duo" multi-function stylus/ball pen or pencil combo. With

   "EasyView" orange tip.

 - The "Beacon" LED lighted-tip stylus. Functional, slim and  elegant.

 - Low-cost Stick Styli. Custom Stylus Solutions for VARs/OEMs.

More info or Visa/MasterCard orders at: 800.270.7196, FAX: 516.467.6329,

Int'l: 516.467.4042, or visit our Web site: <http://www.pdapanache.com>



* INFORMED FILLER FOR NEWTON is your mobile data collection solution for

Inspection forms, Health Care forms ... in fact, for any forms you use!

Design custom forms on your Macintosh with Informed Designer (included).

Then, fill out your forms on the Newton quickly and accurately using

automatic defaults, choice lists, calculations and signatures.  Finally,

send completed forms directly to Informed Manager on your desktop for

further processing.  For a limited time when you mention this ad, you'll

receive both Informed Filler for Newton AND Informed Manager (for

desktop integration) for $99US (SRP $390US).  Contact Shana Corp. at:

800.386.7244, email: <info@shana.com> or WWW: <http://www.shana.com>



* MoreInfo 4.0 - This new version adds even more useful features to this

already essential product.  Version 4.0 now allows you to link together

any number of names, meetings, events, to dos, notes or calls all

through a single screen.  A powerful new "At a Glance" screen makes

managing your schedule effortless.  From SilverWARE at $69.95+S&H.  For

more info: <info@silverware.com> <http://www.silverware.com> 508.521.5262



* SOLUTIONS FROM LANDWARE. All work in the Newton 2.0 OS.

  - PROCALC EX: Programmable calc. w/ SAN & RPN, includes: proCALC 12c.

  - QUICKNAMES PRO: Rapid access to names and much more.

  - X-PORT: The 2.0 connection utility. Send/receive notes, contacts...

  - KWIKMENU: the Newton dashboard, includes GestureLaunch Lite.

  - NEWTPAINT: "MacPaint" on your Newton, w/zoom-in and screen shot.

  - SYNC+: Dates to Schedule+ 1.0 or 7.0

LandWare, 201-347-0031, <sales@landware.com>, <http://www.landware.com>



* Frustrated by the amount of time required to input long notes?  Looking

for a faster method?  GESTURE MOSAIC is a hybrid keyboard/recognition

system which enables the rapid (30-40+wpm) pen-based entry of text.  Now

updated for OS2.0, you can use it to quickly input text anywhere in your

Newton. FREEWARE versions are available at: <http://www.amtelcom.com/Mosaic>

For more information contact: <amtelmit@aol.com> or call: 800-696-6724.



* ChessPad 2.0 turns the Newton into a digital chess book and a portable

chess set. It contains 28 fully-annotated games played by the greatest

players of all time, 100 brilliant winning combinations by Morphy, Tal,

Fischer, and Kasparov, and 100 chess problems.  ChessPad can also import

games in Portable Game Notation format. Only $39.95. Clear Lake Research

713.663.7513 <DavidL62@aol.com> <http://members.aol.com/clrsch/chesspad.html>



* STAND ALONE offers a variety of Newton applications for Newton 2.0:

   - PACKAGE POPUP: instant access to all your packages, launch

      with a tap, automatically thaw and re-freeze. $15.

   - SECURE-A-NEWT: Password protect folders in your NotePad, Names,

      and Extras Drawer. Protect your info from prying eyes. $20.

   - KEYMAN: Adds function keys, a multi-function calculator, and a

      new keyboard designed for one-fingered typing. $20.

   - NOTEMAN: Instant access to the NotePad from any package. $10.

   - BACKGAMMON: The classic board game, brought to Newton. $20.

   - SUPER SORTER: Fast, Usable list management, featuring fully

      expandable and customizable list creation and editing. $20

For information about any of these or other Stand Alone products,

contact us at: <info@standalone.com>, or (312) 262-5150. Also check

out our Web site at: <http://www.standalone.com/newton>.



* Tim Constantine has several cutting edge Newton solutions: Flash - A

Speed Reading Tutor; CrazyDice - Multi-player Strategy Game, and Clean

Notes - Stationary w/o Lines.  For more info: <timconstan@kagi.com> or

<http://www.kagi.com/timconstan>.  Tim is also available for custom

Newton application development.  Send Tim email if you have a question

about custom application development or about his cutting edge solutions.



* NEW! 8th Volume of the Totally Incomplete PDA CD-ROM for Newton! This

CD-ROM from AMUG CD, Inc. contains over 1400 packages, and 600+ megs in

Mac and PC format. 2.x & 1.x Packages can be downloaded directly from the

CD to your MessagePad. Maximize your Newton experience! $29 + S/H. Call

AMUG 602.497-2244, or email <sales@amug.org> to order! See our Newton CD

web page at <http://cdrom.amug.org/>.



Guest Opinion

-------------



** A REAL NEWTON KILLER **



Chris Swenson <swenson@cadence.com> writes:



    I saw an article in the March 4th edition (pg. C1)

    of the San Francisco Chronicle which detailed

    Noika's new "smart phone", the 9000 Communicator.

    Slated to ship this summer, it's a regular-sized

    cellular phone that opens up into a PDA with a

    keyboard.  According to the article, the 9000

    Communicator combines "e-mail, fax, and internet

    capabilities with a scheduler, calculator, notepad

    and world clock."  It's a brilliant idea.  Although

    the 9000 Communicator's screen is much smaller

    than a Newton's (forget about handwriting

    recognition), because of its functionality and

    versatility, I'm sure it will be a huge hit with

    mobile professionals.



    In your newsletter, you might want to urge Apple

    to forge an alliance with a company like Motorola

    to develop a Newton OS smart phone.  Although I

    don't think General Magic or Windows CE poses much

    of a threat to the Newton, I think the smart phone

    does.





Comments from the Editor

------------------------



** BAD WEEK FOR A SUPPLEMENT **



Next week should be pretty interesting with Apple officially laying out

what is going to be happening to their company in the near term on

Friday, 14Mar97.  Next week is a NewtNews-Supplement week though, so I'll

have a complete run down of everything that happened in the next 'real'

issue of NewtNews on 25Mar97.  If anything really major happens I'll post

some pointers at the top of the Supplement.  I'll also make some changes

to the: <http://www.ridgecrest.ca.us/NewtNews/NN_new.html> pages if the

information warrants immediate news.





Administrivia

-------------



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This edition of NewtNews was written with the help of: quick 'left-over'

dinner with Sally and Dick; "The Empire Strikes Back"; and hanging out

with Christy who just got back from taking her students to 6th Grade Camp

last week.



Disclaimer:  I am doing this on my own time, and on my own hardware

***********  and software not the government's or my employer's.