Intel to Acquire iCat
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***W-CDMA Trial in U.K.
(December 22)
Wireless Today
reports that L.M. Ericsson AB has announced plans to set up a
wideband CDMA (W-CDMA) network in the United Kingdom. W-CDMA
is one of the leading candidates to serve as the basis for a
third-generation (3G) wireless technology standard. Ericsson's
W-CDMA deployment in the United Kingdom is being undertaken with
the intent of linking with the U.K. government's plans to auction
off spectrum for 3G broadband services scheduled for summer 1999.
Ericsson has indicated
it wants to give provide 3G licensees the ability to test out
W-CDMA's capabilities prior to the auction. The system will be
used for further technical and application trials later on, the
company said.
The U.K. project
will start in January and carry through the end of 1999. The
network, encompassing several base stations, will demonstrate
various high-bandwidth multimedia applications, Ericsson said.
Ericsson has previously
announced its participation in W-CDMA technology trials in Germany,
Italy and Japan.
Ericsson has also
indicated that Powertel will be the first GSM-1900 operator in
the United States to conduct trials of "GSM on the Net,"
Ericsson's business communication services product incorporating
GSM and Internet protocol (IP) technologies. Unveiled in June,
the system uses small base stations to add localized wireless
coverage to an office's local area network. GSM handsets, personal
computer phones, multimedia terminals and fixed IP phones all
came make use of the system, with the company incurring little
or no call charges for internal calling.
***IBM
To Transfer DRAM Design Business to Taiwan
(December 23)
Newsbytes reports
that IBM is planning to transfer the base of its DRAM (dynamic
random access memory) design business from the United States
to Taiwan. The company has announced that they will be designing
DRAM for Taiwan Semiconductor Co. (TSC). This move is expected
to create more competition among Taiwan's DRAM manufacturers,
including Taiwan Semiconductor Co., Ltd. (TSC), Taiwan Semiconductor
Manufacturing Corp. (TSMC) and United Microelectronics Corp (UMC).
IBM expects to
be successful in Taiwan as the company has superior Intellectual
Property (IP) and is targeting high-level IC production. The
company is also providing Taiwan manufacturers with ASICs (application
specific integrated circuits) and circuits systems and signal
processing services.
***UK
Seeks Interoperable Digital Radio/TV Standards (December 23)
ITC (Independent
Television Commission) issued a statement on its policy for interoperability
and open access for digital television. The statement sets out
a set of technical specifications across all digital platforms
and notes that a mechanism is in place for developing these further.
It reports that manufacturers' plans for the launch of integrated
digital TV sets (idTVs) are already well developed and these
include proposals for open-standard sets.
The key issues
brought out include:
The ITC believes that viewers must be able to purchase digital
receivers, particularly integrated digital TV sets, with confidence
that the equipment will provide them with the services they wish
to view, whichever delivery system is chosen, with minimum cost
and inconvenience. Thus the policy is to support common and open
standards for the digital TV technology which must be available
for licensing on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms.
Where proprietary elements are incorporated, these must not create
unnecessary Gateways through which all operators have to pass
in order to provide services to the TV set, thereby potentially
prejudicing fair and effective competition.
Transmission standards
for digital TV services, known as 'Community digital standards',
which the ITC has the power to mandate in accordance with section
142 of the Broadcasting Act 1996, have been published. They are
in most respects the same as those issued in draft form in May
covering terrestrial, satellite, cable and microwave transmission.
The text is available on the ITC web site at
http://www.itc.org.uk.
The standards
will promote interoperability between the different delivery
systems and provide confidence to industry that all digital services
broadcast by ITC licensees will meet these minimum technical
specifications. The ITC acknowledges that further development
is necessary. The section on event information will, for the
time being, be left incomplete.
A number of comments
were received about the practicability of implementing the draft
standards in this area. The ITC recognises the validity of some
of these comments but considers that the objective of including
in the Community digital standards requirements for event information
that will enable receivers to implement a simple but effective
non-proprietary programme navigation system remains important
in facilitating an interoperable solution in the longer term.
The ITC will work
with respondents to seek to identify a more practicable and better
defined set of requirements which will be added to the standards
as soon as possible.
The ITC also accepts
that the DVB subtitling standard is not yet at a mature enough
stage of development to include as part of the Community digital
standards. The situation will be reviewed when the standards
are next updated with a view to including this standard at that
stage if appropriate. This is the case also with standards for
audio description and for deaf signing. The consultation document
invited comment as to whether or not the use of one particular
data broadcast option (known as DSM-CC Object Carousels) was
the most appropriate way of promoting interoperability of Data
Broadcast Services.
The ITC now considers
that any requirement to use particular options for data broadcast
standards would more appropriately be considered as an integral
part of the work in the DVB Project on the Multimedia Home Platform
(MHP), and should be taken forward in that context Open Access.
The ITC and OFTEL
are working closely together to ensure that open access to integrated
digital TV sets (idTVs) is available whether or not such idTVs
contain embedded proprietary technology. This means that all
idTVs which have embedded Conditional Access (CA) must allow
for competitor's systems to be plugged in via a common interface,
even though it does not necessarily imply that all cable and
satellite operators will have to support detachable Conditional
Access (CA) modules for their own systems.
OFTEL has launched
an investigation, in partnership with the ITC, into the conditional
access proposals of digital pay-TV operators as they relate to
idTVs. The ITC and OFTEL will issue jointly any detailed instructions
to ensure implementation.
In the light of
the many comments received on multimedia standards, the ITC has
strengthened its view that the framework for interoperability
and open access in the future should not be constrained to apply
only to 'simple' television services and not to enhanced services
incorporating interactivity and multimedia elements. The current
DVB MHP (Multimedia Home Platform) work is very significant to
the future development of multimedia and interactive services
on an interoperable basis. The ITC considers that it is vital
that standards for these services are developed and then encompassed
by the relevant European Directive covering digital transmission
standards. However, many responses argued against making MHEG-5
the standard for all transmission media in this context and the
ITC confirms that this is not its present intention.
A number of Cable
Modem and Cable Set-Top Box manufacturers are to develop products
based on Broadcom's J-112 Compliant Silicon Platform. The European
Cable Modem Coalition, a group of leading manufacturers, will
offer European consumers and cable operators production-ready,
interoperable cable modems and interactive cable-TV set-top boxes
from multiple sources. The Coalition, which consists of Broadcom,
Cisco Systems, Dassault IT, Deltakabel, Elsa, FUBA-General Instrument
(GI), Motorola, Pace, Samsung, Teldat, Tonna, and 3Com, has agreed
to develop and support interoperable cable modem products based
on ITU-T Recommendation J.112 - Transmission systems for interactive
cable television services (Data-over-cable system interface specification
(DOCSIS)). See TSAR Vol. 3 Number 7, May 1998. Cable products
based on the ITU-compliant cable modem standard will enable European
consumers to receive data, digital video, telephony and Internet
access at speeds up to 56 Megabits-per-second (Mbit/s) downstream
and 20 Mbit/s upstream over existing cable networks.
***Xing Technology's MP3
Software Encoding Engine Claims Highest Quality (December 23)
Xing Technology
announced the release of its MP3 encoding engine, which is present
in AudioCatalyst 1.5. Xing claims this is the most advanced MP3
codec available. Using Variable Bit Rate (VBR) encoding AudioCatalyst
ensures high-quality audio within a MP3 file by making bit-allocation
decisions during the encoding process. When AudioCatalyst 1.5
with VBR encoding encounters complex sections in the audio source
(a relatively wide stereo separation), it allocates additional
bits to that section ensuring high quality MP3s. For less complicated
sections (silence or a relatively narrow stereo separation),
the encoder allocates fewer bits reducing file size while retaining
quality. As a result, encoded MP3 audio streams consist of variable
bit rates throughout the duration of the file. This enables AudioCatalyst
1.5 to concentrate the bits where they are most needed, providing
a crisper and fuller MP3 experience.
AudioCatalyst
is a digital audio software application that greatly simplifies
the process of converting compact disc audio (CDA) into MPEG-1
or MPEG-2 Layer 3 audio (MP3) files. Created in association with
AudioGrabber AudioCatalyst combines two digital audio software
applications.
AudioGrabber ripping
technology digitally extracts music from a CD making a "perfect"
copy. The file is then converted and compressed into the MP3
format using the XingMP3 encoding engine. Songs can be easily
stored on a hard drive for playback on a personal computer, with
virtually no loss in audio quality. MP3 technology allows users
to maintain and organize their music collection on their PC,
and the small size of MP3 files makes it possible for hours of
music to be stored on a single hard drive. MP3 files can be arranged
into flexible playlists, streamed for live Web broadcasts, transferred
to portable music players, or purchased and downloaded for a
small fee.
Many MP3 players
may inaccurately report the duration of VBR-encoded files. (If
the MP3 player cannot accurately determine the time, seeking
in the file may also be unpredictable.) However, Nullsoft has
specifically developed its Winamp MP3 Player to support VBR.
Started by a grassroots
Internet following, MP3 now has millions of users. MP3 is the
second most searched-for term on the Internet, and the MP3.com
web site has consistently been listed in the top ten music sites
on the web.
http://www.musicmatch.com/
http://www.nullsoft.com/
http://www.xingtech.com/
http://www.web21.com
***Xybernaut Announced
Availability of MA IV Wearable PC (December
16)
Xybernaut has
announced the availability of the Mobile Assistant (MA IV), it's
voice-activated wearable PC that allows the user to move hands-free.
It consists of a belt-worn computer, a color VGA head-mounted
display or flat panel VGA color digitizing display, a 1 lb. long-lasting,
hot swappable battery pack, and integrated voice-recognition
software.
The MA IV wearable
PC will be available for the first time through the end-user
channel in December 1998 for prices starting at $4,995. The MA
IV includes up to a 233 MHz Intel Pentium MMX processor, up to
128 MB of RAM, up to a 4.3 GB hard drive, a hot-swappable battery,
integrated speech recognition software, two PCMCIA Cardbus card
slots, a full set of standard ports through its Xyberport, and
a built-in mouse.
The body-worn
computer measures 7.5" x 4.6" x 2.5" and weighs
just under 2 lbs. The light-weight (15 ounces) head-mounted display
is suspended in front of either eye, allowing users to see both
the computer image and outside world simultaneously, either by
glancing up or down at the screen, as adjusted by the user. It
features a 640x480 color VGA monitor with an integrated noise-canceling
microphone and earphone. The alternate 6.1" flat panel VGA
color digitizing display is tucked into the belt and pulls out
when needed for note-taking, or can be worn on the forearm, leaving
the hands free for work.
The MA IV can
be work on either the left or right side of the user's body and
is ruggedized for industrial and most outdoor weather environments.
http://www.xybernaut.com
***SEEQ Announced Fast
Ethernet Controller for Embedded Applications (December 15)
SEEQ Technology
announced the release of a Fast Ethernet Media Access Controller
for price-sensitive embedded applications. The QQ80C200 Fast
Ethernet 10/100 Mbps Data Link Controller IC is the latest addition
to the company's Hurricane family of Fast Ethernet IC products.
With medium volume prices starting below $10, the QQ80C200 is
targeted at cost-sensitive, non-PCI-based embedded Ethernet data
port controller applications, including print servers, multiport
bridges/routers, uplinks, network PCs, cable modems, and test
and measurement systems.
The product includes
a number of features, such as 22 management counters offering
complete error, packet and event related coverage, user programmable
Inter-Packet Gap to accommodate special system speed requirements,
and selectable Little Endian/Big Endian Tx Byte Ordering, which
allows full compatibility to either Motorola or Intel CPU-based
systems.
The IC also includes
a MI Management Interface and a MI interface which are fully
compatible to industry standard 10/100Mbs physical layer transceivers,
such as the SEEQ NQ80220, LQ80221, TQ80223 family of single port
devices. The data bus can be configured for 16 or 32-bit-wide
data paths, and the register bus will accommodate either 8 or
16-bit-wide operation.
The QQ80C200 fully
meets or exceeds all the requirements of the latest IEEE 802.3,
10 Base-T, and 100 Base-T specifications, offers half and full
duplex, and full-auto negotiation operation, as well as a number
of other features.
The QQ80C200 also
offers system designers additional features such as automatic
CRC Generation and Checking, automatic Collision Sense retransmit,
Loopback capability for diagnostics, 64-bit mulitcast filter,
appending value of FCS on a packet by packet basis, and pin controllable
per port receive packet abort.
The SEEQ QQ80C200
10/100 Mbps single channel embedded controller is available in
an industry standard 128 pin PQFP package, with pricing at $9.95
in 10KU OEM quantities. Samples and production quantities are
available now.
http://www.seeq.com
-
942.5
Information Appliances
***CCC and ViA Introduce
Wearable Computer to Claims Industry
(December 15)
CCC Information
Services announced that it has partnered with ViA, Inc. to deliver
wearable computers designed specifically for claims field inspectors
and collision repairers. Designed in response to market requests
for a portable PC product that was usable both indoors and in
direct sunlight, the technology allows collision estimates to
be developed as the estimator walks around the damaged vehicle.
Under a special
agreement with ViA, CCC will sell the ViA II PC wearable computer
exclusively to insurance and collision repair companies. When
introduced, the ViA II PC will have a custom made sunlight-viewable,
pen-enabled, touch-screen with a large display screen. It will
be easy to operate, lightweight, portable, and equipped with
wireless communication capability.
CCC previewed
a prototype of the ViA II PC at the company's Claims Conference
this fall.
ViA, Inc. headquartered
in Northfield, Minn. Manufactures a flexible, wearable personal
computer, which provides hands-free mobile computing and communications.
ViA has targeted applications in numerous vertical markets including
insurance, food service, industry, retail, medical and manufacturing.
The company is privately held.
http://www.flexipc.com/
***ICE Ships ICEblast stand-alone
Effects Editing Application (December
16)
ICE announced
that it has shipped its ICEblast stand-alone effects editing
system. ICEblast provides a way to apply one or more effects
to a clip for use in Avid Media Composer and Avid Xpress, Media
100, and Adobe After Effects applications.
Featuring real-time
playback engine developed by Puffin Designs. ICEblast speeds
the process of applying effects while providing interactivity.
ICEblast is priced
at $5,995, including ICE's BlueICE hardware card, ICEfx for After
Effects software, ICEblast software and an ICE'd Boris AE license.
Upgrades for owners of BlueICE hardware and ICEfx for Avid or
After Effects software are available.
Avid Financial
Services assistance is available to purchasers of Avid systems
who want to buy ICEblast and other ICE products for use in their
Avid systems. To qualify, the ICE configuration must be part
of an Avid editing solution and not make up more than 35% of
the total equipment cost. No special forms are required and a
credit decision is provided in 24-hours or less.
http://www.iced.com
***Dassault Systemes and
IBM Sign Agreement with RENAULT (December
16)
Dassault Systemes
and IBM have announced an agreement with RENAULT, that makes
the Dassault Systemes CATIA Solutions the French car manufacturer's
main strategic system for CAD/CAM/CAE.
Pursuant to this
agreement, CATIA will be deployed on more than 1,200 seats and
will be used on all RENAULT's car programs in conjunction with
Euclid Styler and Euclid Machinist.
Dassault Systemes
S.A. is a software developer for the CAD/CAM/CAE/PDM II market
- providing users with solutions for their product development
needs. CATIA-CADAM Solutions and Deneb Solutions enable total
simulation of the creation of a product.
SolidWorks, a
wholly-owned subsidiary, offers design-oriented, software solutions
based on Windows. With Java-based CATweb e-business tools, everyone
can exploit engineering data over the Web. ENOVIA PDM II Solutions
deliver a multi-CAD collaborative and innovative environment
for the virtual product and process modeling and management across
the extended enterprise. The customer base comprises over 12,000
CATIA-CADAM and 8,500 SolidWorks cusomters.
http://www.ibm.com
http://www.catia.ibm.com
***Baystate
Technologies Ships CADKEY 98
(December 15)
Baystate Technologies
announced that it is shipping CADKEY 98 for Windows 95/98/NT
4.x. CADKEY 98's integration of FastSOLID and ACIS 4.2 advanced
solid modeling technology introduces 3D design capabilities for
mechanical applications, along with improved functionality and
improvements in speed and modeling stamina.
The product features
enhancements including multiple document interface (MDI), a Smart
Cursor feature, and a CADKEY 3D Viewer. Photorealistic Rendering
used to create quality images of 3D models created in CADKEY
is also included.
Users can visualize
and virtually prototype in a variety of colors, materials, and
textures. By implementing the solid modeling advances of FastSOLID
and ACIS 4.2 technology into CADKEY 98, user's can also modify
solids without constraints using local operators.
Highlights include
dynamic primitive creation, lofted solids and variable radius
blending. Advanced spline, plane, vector and point creation features
also enhance CADKEY 98's 3D modeling capabilities. Solids editing
functionality introduces entity to entity trimming with curves,
surfaces, and other solids.
Complex surface
blending in CADKEY 98 is supported by ACIS end-capping algorithm
used to extend surfaces in complex modeling situations. The addition
of rolling ball surface functionality takes advantage of math
algorithms to increase performance and robustness of blending
when addressing spline faces and other difficult blend situations.
Surface elevators can increase modeling speed from two to ten
times depending on the operation. The most improvement in performance
comes in the blending of spline geometry.
Photorealistic
rendering capabilities are included in CADKEY as well. Users
apply ray tracing to produce high quality, realistic images.
Images can be exported via the TIF file format.
CADKEY 98 introduces a 2D/3D Smart Cursor enabling users to automatically
snap to points - end, center, midpoint, quadrants, and 2D and
3D intersections - during model creation. The product's Multiple
Document Interface (MDI) allows users to load multiple part files
and easily cut-copy-paste between CADKEY part files to easily
reuse existing solid, surface, or wireframe data from other models.
CADKEY 98 incorporates
a STEP Translator to import and export CAD data using STEP AP203
standards. AutoCAD R14 file format support based on the OpenDWG
Alliance Toolkit rounds out CADKEY 98's spectrum of data translators
includes IGES, DXF, STL, CADL, VRML, and the SAT file format
for importing/exporting 2D/3D data to other ACIS-enabled CAD/CAM/CAE
applications.
CADKEY 98 is sold
for $1,995 through Authorized Baystate/CADKEY Dealers.
http://www.cadkey.com
***Seattle Firm has Total
Web Music Site
(December 15)
Reuters reports
that while the battle over music playback formats rages, the
music industry and online distributors find yet another reason
for discord.
Seattle-based
Sunhawk Corp. has released the latest version of its Solero digital
sheet-music viewer. The Solero 4.0 allows PC users to preview,
download, and purchase sheet music directly from the Internet.
Through distribution agreements with Warner Chappell and EMI
Christian Music, Sunhawk offers several thousand titles ranging
from Louis Armstrong to Green Day. The sheet music comes with
a built-in MIDI file of the song, piano animation, and liner
notes.
Sunhawk has just
added more than 5,400 titles to its library and has production
facilities in the Philippines and Russia. Amateur composers can
trade Solero-formatted sheet music among themselves using Sunhawk's
Solero editor.
Music publishers
have responded to online distribution much the way the recording
industry has responded to MP3. Rather than embrace the format,
publishers are devising their own distribution means. In June,
OLGA, the On-line Guitar Archive shut down when The Harry Fox
Agency threatened legal action. The OLGA archive contains tens
of thousands of illicit music notations (known as tablatures
or tabs) of popular songs. But OLGA rogue sites abound, as do
fan sites and newsgroups offering countless numbers of illicit
tabs.
While you cannot
copyright a title of chord pattern (the chord pattern to "Louie,
Louie," for example, shows up in many other songs) you can
copyright the lyrics and the melody.
Hal Leonard, Inc., another major sheet-music distributor, allows
people to preview and buy sheet music online with its proprietary
MusicPage viewer. The company's diverse library of artists includes
The Beatles, Lawrence Welk, and Puff Daddy.
Former lyricist
for the Grateful Dead and co-founder of the Electronic Frontier
Foundation John Perry Barlow says he's opposed to almost all
forms of copyright in cyberspace. "There is a simple and
important thing to keep in mind: creators and publishers have
very different strategies now...This issue is about publishers
trying to preserve themselves into an era where they are no longer
needed or desirable, either to the audience or the creator."
Neighborhood music
stores will likely be the biggest casualties of online distribution.
Yet, Warner and Hal Leonard mentioned plans to offer computer
terminals in stores, and both made it clear that they want to
protect local retailers.
It will be nearly
impossible for the publishing companies and music stores to stop
the fan sites and newsgroups from proliferating. "The publishing
business needs to get online and offer consumers convenient,
secure purchasing at fair prcies," says Dave Olson at Warner
Bros., adding that it's the only way to compete and win out.
***Miles
Sound System 5.0 Supports Creative's Environmental Audio (December 16)
Creative Labs
has announced that the Miles Sound System 5.0 from RAD Game Tools
now includes Creative's Environmental Audio Extensions (EAX.)
application user interface (API). The Miles Sound System (MSS)
is a developer library that handles all aspects of sound.
With supports
for Creative's EAX, the Miles Sound System 5.0 is now able to
provide developers with the tools they need to add interactive
audio environments to games.
The Miles Sound
System has been used in over 1,000 games since its introduction
in 1991. It includes support for Microsoft's DirectSound 3D and
other industry APIs.
Creative's audio
standard, Environmental Audio, takes a systems approach to delivering
the audio experience - from the processor and Environmental Modeling
algorithms, to the speakers systems and the API for gaming software.
Environmental Audio delivers a way to experience games, music,
and entertainment on the desktop.
http://www.soundblaster.com
***Zoran SoftDVD Enables
Micro Desktop PCs to Play Movies and DVD Games (December 16)
Zoran has announced
that SoftDVD is shipping with Micron Electronics family of Millennia
desktop PCs. SoftDVD is standard on the Millennia Max. It is
also available as an upgrade on the Millennia 350 and 450 desktop
PCs.
http://www.zoran.com
***Telecommunications Carrier
Group Forms
(December 15)
A coalition of
telecommunications carriers has announced the formation of the
Packet Multimedia Carrier Coalition dedicated to the establishment
of protocols designed to bridge between current circuit-based
public switched telephone networks (PSTN) and emerging Internet
Protocol (IP) technology based networks.
Coalition members,
including Frontier Communications, GTE, ICG Telecom Group, Illuminet,
IXC Communications, Level 3 Communications, NEXTLINK Communications,
NTT America, SBC Technology Resources, Sprint, TESS, LLC, Time
Warner Telecom, and Williams are seeking to provide customers
with the best of both the traditional PSTN and the newer IP technology
networks.
To do this, new
protocols are needed that will allow the integration of these
two types of networks. Such integration will enable customers
to benefit from the lower cost of IP network services, including
voice and fax, without modifying existing telephones and fax
equipment or dialing access codes.
The goals of the
Coalition include development of a number of protocol sets that
address issues related to the bridging of the PSTN with IP technology
networks. For example, one protocol set would outline requirements
for traffic exchange between the PSTN and IP networks in such
areas as interoperability, reliability, and performance. Once
developed, the protocols would be submitted to both the Internet
Engineering Task Force (IETF) and the International Telecommunications
Union (ITU) standards bodies.
In the area of
external control of media gateways, the Coalition announced its
intention to support the IETF media gateway control standard
when finalized.
MGCP represents
a combination of the Internet Protocol Device Control (IPDC)
specification developed by a consortium made up of leading communications
hardware and software companies and the Simple Gateway Control
Protocol (SGCP). MGCP enables external control and management
of data communications equipment operating at the edge of emerging
multi-service packet networks - known as "media gateways"
- by software programs know as "call agents" or "media
gateway controllers." Examples of media gateway devices
include voice over IP gateways, voice over ATM gateways, modem
banks, cable modems and set-top boxes, soft PBXs, and circuit
cross connects.
A draft of the
MGCP specification was recently submitted to the IETF as well
as the European Telecommunications Standards Institute Telecommunications
& Internet Protocol Harmonization
Over Networks (ETSI TIPHON) working group for review and modification.
The draft can be found at: http://www.Level3.com/company/nov1698.html.
The Packet Multimedia
Carrier Coalition is an open body and welcomes participation
by communications service providers. There are no fees associated
with Coalition membership. For more information on the Coalition,
contact Level 3 Communications via email at Carrier.Coalition@Level3.com.
***IBM Internet Connection
Services to integrate with Encanto Web Server Products (December 15)
Encanto Network
and IBM have announced an agreement to provide integrated Internet
access services for users of Encanto's e.go and e.go Commerce
Web servers. The integration of IBM Internet Connection Services,
provided by IBM Global Services, with Encanto's e.go Web servers
provide small businesses with solutions for Website hosting,
Internet access, e-mail, and e-commerce.
Encanto's products
are all-in-one Internet appliances that offer Web server functionality,
secure firewall, and easy-to-use software tools for Website creation
and maintenance. The products offer unlimited e-mail accounts
and Encanto's InstantConnect service, which provides both Internet
access and Website connection services.
InstantConnect
Services in the United States will utilize IBM Internet Connection
Services to provide more than 500 local dial-in numbers for e.go
users. Encanto customers can also use IBM's Internet access points
for remote access to their e.go Web server for reading e-mail
and updating their Websites.
http://www.encanto.com
http://www.ibm.com/services
***UWI.Com Integrates Java
Into XML Software Line (December
15)
UWI.Com has announced
that organizations can now use XML and Java together to create
intelligent, secure, and legally-binding XML forms. This facility
is currently being incorporated into the 4.1 release of the company's
InternetForms Viewer.
The InternetForms
Function Call Interface (FCI) Java Edition allows seamless integration
of Java with InternetForms written in Extensible Forms Description
Language (XFDL), an open protocol for legally-binding XML documents.
Java programs can now be embedded into the forms to extend the
programmatic functions native to XFDL. Java can also be used
for back-end data integration, batch processing, and dynamic
generation of highly-customized transaction documents "on-the-fly."
The InternetForms FCI Java Edition functions within the virtual
machines is provided by both Sun Microsystems and Microsoft.
The InternetForms
System includes:
*InternetForms Viewer - client-side software for viewing/interacting
with InternetForms *InternetForms Designer - intuitive drag-and-drop
interface for creating XML InternetForms *InternetForms Link
- software for back-end integration with ODBC databases and other
components that provide integration with legacy databases, Palm
PCs, and workflow systems.
http://www.uwi.com
***Quickturn Awarded U.S.
Patent for SimServer Technology Used in Mercury Design Verification
System (December
1)
Quickturn Design
Systems announced the award of U.S. Patent 5,841,967, entitled
"Method and Apparatus for Design Verification Using Emulation
and Simulation," for the innovative technology used in the
Mercury Design Verification System option, called SimServer.
SimServer accelerates
event-driven simulation algorithms 100 to 10,000 times faster
by employing reconfigurable computing techniques. The dual-engine
Mercury Design Verification System was introduced at the 1998
Design Automation Conference on June 15, 1998.
SimServer provides
a high speed Verilog 1364-compliant simulator that runs at typical
speeds of 10 - 50 KHz. RTL components are implemented in FPGAs
and are closely coupled to behavioral components found in an
array of processors. Time-critical portions of the simulation
algorithm have been synthesized into hardware and implemented
in FPGAs along with the RTL gates. This innovative architecture
provides broad language coverage with speeds 100 to 10,000 times
faster than software simulators.
***INTELECT ASW Reports
Windows CE Devices Gaining Handheld Computer Market (December 15)
INTELECT ASW reports
that Windows CE devices accounted for 25% of handheld computer
retail sales during Q3 1998. This is a 7-point gain over Q1 figures
and a 10-point gain over the Q2 1998.
Although 3Com
PalmPilot remains the market leader with a 75% control of retail
sales, consumers now have more choices than ever. The handheld
computer category experienced a surge in model offerings during
1998 with an increase from 44 models in January to 62 devices
sold at retail by September. Of those models available, 50% were
Windows CE devices.
Besides competing
against PalmPilot for the consumer dollar, Windows CE models
are also challenging each other. Windows CE device sales are
always led by the companies that introduce the most advanced
and innovative product, says John Genovesi, Vice President of
peripherals for INTELECT. Such changes in brand ranking within
the Windows CE category through Q3 1998 are:
Brand ranking:
Q1: Hewlett Packard, Sharp, Casio, and then Philips
Q2: Casio, Hewlett Packard, Philips, then Sharp
Q3: Philips, Casio, Hewlett Packard, and Sharp
Price remains
an advantage for PalmPilot. The device sold for an average $200
less than Windows CE models during Q3 1998. However, price convergence
is expected to continue between PalmPilot and Windows CE, with
future gains likely for Windows CE models.
Retail price comparisons
between the two are:
Q1: Win CE - $685 and PalmPilot $287
Q2: Win CE - $600 and PalmPilot $337
Q3: Win CE - $550 and PalmPilot $360
Top 5 Windows
CE Handheld Computers
The top 5 market leaders for Windows CE handheld models as reported
by INTELECT and based on retail sales units for Q3 1998 are:
Casio E10
Philips NIN0312
Hewlett Packard 660LX
Philips NIN0301
Philips VELO 500
INTELECT Marketing
Services L.L.C is a provider of sales tracking services for manufacturers
and retailers of consumer electronics, home appliances, information
technology, and imaging products.
INTELECT is a
joint venture of 3 marketing information providers:
The NPD Group, Inc., Gfk AG, and Audits and Surveys Worldwide
Inc.
***Intel to Acquire iCat
(November 30)
Intel announced
that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the
assets of iCat Corporation. The transaction will be made through
a subsidiary of Intel and is expected to be completed before
the end of 1998.
Privately held
iCat is a provider of e-commerce software and services. The software
aids in the creation of Web-based storefronts that include secure
transaction processing capabilities.
iCat Corporation,
founded in 1993 and based in Seattle, provides corporations and
merchants worldwide with the information, software, and services
they need to be successful in e-commerce. iCat's award-winning,
entry-level e-commerce solutions are used by thousands of small
and mid-size businesses.
http://www.icat.com
---------------------------------------------------
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