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June, 1998 ArchiveTuesday, June 30thNetscape Next To Sign With Media Company?5:30PM Netscape is in talks with a number of media companies and will sign one them as a major content partner for its Netcenter site within the next 90 days, Mike Homer, executive vice president and general manager of Netscape's Web site division, tells TechWeb. Of the companies talking to Netscape, at least one of them is a member of the so-called 'big five' - a group of media conglomerates which includes the owners of the four top television networks and Time-Warner. Netscape presently has a partnership with Excite to provide content to its recently revised Netcenter site, but Homer said the Excite deal is non-exclusive.-MetaCreations Warns Of Second Quarter Loss4:00PM MetaCreations warned yesterday that revenues for its second quarter will be significantly lower than current analyst expectations. The graphics software maker, blaming the anticipated results on weak revenues in its domestic retail channel, sluggish demand in Japan, and increased reserves for returns to reduce distributor inventory levels, said total revenues for the period ended June 30 will be in the range of $8 million to $9 million.

As a result, MetaCreations expects losses to run between $10 million and $11 million. Voicing his disappointment with the results, company president and chief executive Gary Lauer said he is 'carefully reviewing all activities across the company and will be taking appropriate actions.' Meanwhile, MetaCreations also said it will be on the search for a new marketing and sales chief. Fred Brown, the company's senior vice president of sales and marketing, resigned yesterday, the latest in a number of executives stirs at the company.Fraud Allegations Made By Apple11:15AM Apple has filed a suit in the U.S. District Court of San Jose, Calif., alleging that four former service providers - IRASYS, IRA Systems, Integrated Concepts Solutions, and PC Systems Design - combined to defraud the company by billing for service and repair work that was never performed.

The suit, filed last Thursday, seeks $600,000 in cash and parts, as well as an injunction against further fraud by any of the defendants. 'Apple Service Providers who defraud Apple not only hurt Apple, but put our customers at risk of not getting the service and support they deserve,' said Mitch Mandich, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Sales, in a statement. 'We intend to aggressively protect the rights of our customers to high quality, reliable service for their Apple products.' Monday, June 29thMore Delays In Store For Windows NT 5.0?1:25PM According to reports, Microsoft has decided to ship a previously unplanned beta release of Windows NT 5.0 to developers, a move which could spell further delays for the operating system upgrade.

PC Week Online says a third round of beta testing will likely push the product's commercial release beyond its current early 1999 target, and into the second half of next year. The second beta of NT 5.0 hasn't even reached developers hands yet, and Microsoft will only hand out a pre-beta 2 version at a three-day deployment conference this week.-Iomega Settles Suit, Buys Stake In Nomai10:40AM Iomega today settled its ongoing intellectual property lawsuit with Nomai by purchasing a majority stake in the France-based disk manufacturer. In reaching a close in the litigation, which originally began in March 1997, Nomai agreed that it had reproduced certain Iomega protected software in its XHD and DUO cartridges through reverse engineering. The company also conceded that, due to 'substantial evidence,' a court may have ruled against it. Under the deal, Iomega will pay $21 million for its interest, as well as another $3 million for the technology used in manufacturing XHD and DUO cartridges, which Nomai has agreed to stop producing and selling.-Friday, June 26thAdobe Ahead Of Estimates With Q2 Results1:25PM Adobe Systems yesterday reported better-than-expected results for its second quarter of 1998. The company said it earned 41 cents per share for the three-month period ended May 29; the First Call consensus estimate had predicated a 39 cents per share profit.

John Warnock, Adobe's chairman and chief executive, noted continued weakness in Asia, which led to a slight drop in sales for the quarter. Revenues totaled $227.3 million, compared to $228.3 million in the year-ago period.In addition to its quarterly results, Adobe also announced yesterday the appointment of a new director. Carol Mills, a 17-year veteran of Hewlett-Packard, will fill a recently created eight seat on the company's board. Warnock said key factors in Mills' selection included her experience in building enterprise solutions, developing new markets, and driving growth.Sorenson, TeleMak Ink Distribution Deal11:30AM Sorenson Vision yesterday signed a distribution pact with TeleMak, who will begin selling the Sorenson Video Codec Developer Edition in Belgium and Luxembourg. 'With this agreement, Sorenson takes additional steps to strengthen our presence and customer service in international markets,' said Ray Brooksby, VP of sales and marketing for Sorenson. 'We chose TeleMak because of their experience and presence in the Belgium digital video market and Macintosh developer community.'

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-Thursday, June 25thIntel Acknowledges Bug In Xeon Processor7:25PM Intel today said a bug in its Pentium II Xeon will delay the release of servers based on the high-powered chip, confirming circulated reports earlier in the week. The flaw apparently presents itself when used in conjunction with the upcoming 450NX chip set that allows up to four-way configurations. Despite its findings, Intel will still proceed with the product's scheduled launch on Monday, though systems using the chip will suffer several week delays because of the errata.

The delay of the Xeon comes just one month after Intel said it would postpone production of its next-generation Merced by at least six months.CNET: Studio Display Dominates Competition5:50PM In giving the Apple Studio Display top honors in its round-up of liquid crystal displays (LCDs), CNET's Computers.com said the stylish 15-inch display stands out 'like a peacock in a flock of pigeons' and 'dominates the competition.' CNET added that the recently launched display 'showed off remarkable text sharpness down to 6-point fonts in its optimal 1,024-by-768-pixel resolution.' -Lakewood Unveils New Image Editor/Browser3:35PM Lakewood Software, makers of webAlias, today introduced a new QuickTime 3.0-savvy image browser and graphic design tool. QT Gallery 1.0, priced at $29.95 for a limited time, integrates full support for QuickTime 3.0's image import options, editing filters, and transition effects, and can be used as a slide show presentation tool, image viewer, or image editor.

Lakewood said the product includes about a dozen transitions and filter operations. A demo version of QT Gallery can be downloaded from Lakewood's Web site.CompUSA Expanding Presence Florida, Maryland12:20PM CompUSA's eventful week, in which it announced plans to acquire Tandy's Computer City, will conclude tomorrow morning with the grand opening of two news stores in Florida and Maryland.

The Florida shop, a 28,000 square-foot facility, will be located in Plantation, while a 26,000 square-foot site in Columbia will be the home of the new Maryland store. Both locations will be CompUSA's latest store prototype, which adds CompKids and Software Sampler areas to the standard Software, Computers, the Apple 'store within a store,' Printers and Supplies, Compact Technology, Accessories, and Internet departments.DVD-RAM Drive From La Cie Due Next Week11:15AM La Cie will hit the market next week with its first DVD-RAM drive, MacWeek reports. The $799 DVD-RAM d2, first seen at last week's PC Expo in New York, features a data transfer rate of 10MB per second, a sustained throughput of 1.3MB per second, an average seek time of 120 milliseconds. La Cie will position the rewriteable drive at professional graphics and prepress markets, and MacWeek says the company has plans to market a special 'blue' version of the drive to small-businesses and home users this fall. The introduction of a DVD-RAM drive is the latest effort in La Cie's ongoing move from CD-ROM to DVD.

MacWeek says the transition will wrap up this December.-Apple Awards Over $1 Mln. In Education Grants9:45AM Thanks to Apple, ten K-12/high education institution teams can now realize their vision for a technology-saturated classroom. Through its Apple Education Grants program, which is now in its twentieth year, the company yesterday awarded a group of U.S. Educators with over $1 million in grants, as recognition of excellence for their technology project plans. According to Apple, this year's grants required collaboration between K-12 schools and higher education institutions that deliver ongoing teacher professional development.

(A full list of grant recipients is available below.)-Continued Losses Trigger Restructuring At Corel9:05AM Corel Corp. Yesterday reported its six straight quarter of red ink, triggering a major restructuring effort that will reduce the company's work force by about 20 percent. The plan, which Corel said will result in annual savings of $33 million, calls for the company to shut down its engineering center in Orem, Utah, home to its Word Perfect line of office software, and transfer a portion of jobs to its headquarters in Ottawa. The majority of the 530 positions being phased out will come as a result of the Utah closing, Corel said, while quickly pointing out that it will create 150 new jobs in Ottawa, and 40 in New Hampshire and Dublin.Losses for the second quarter came in at $8.3 million, or 14 cents per share, better than most analysts predicted, Corel said.

Revenues, however, continued to dwindle, falling to $63 million from $87.4 million in the year-ago period, in part to the company's losing battle with Microsoft in the office software market.Wednesday, June 24thHappy Endings: It's The Bandwidth, Stupid!PERSPECTIVE Sure, the iMac is easy on the eyes, will include a cool software bundle and features the first play at USB, making this the easiest computer in the world for a newbie to upgrade. Within a few years, everybody will be wondering what the fuss was all about, with just a few wizened old geeks (both SCSI gurus and PC wonks) hanging out on the porch swing swapping old tales of the cabling. Kids will roll their eyes. But right now we've got controversy brewing, even if we lay our wonder about the Case of the Missing Floppy to the side for a moment.

What's on everybody's tongue seems to be the modem, and how it's not the right speed. PointCast Closing Door On Asian Service6:20PM As a result of economic troubles in Asia, and subsequent failures to sign a deal with its Chinese content partner, PointCast today said it would close down the Asian Edition of its personalized desktop news service, effective July 1.

Viewers of the U.S. Edition of the network will not be affected by the change, and PointCast said it intends to continue to expand its service in other countries and geographic regions. In addition to its U.S. Edition, PointCast also currently produces a localized version of its service for the Japanese market.Macworld Expo To Have Consumer Appeal3:55PM Apple's re-entrance into the consumer marketplace appears to be having an effect on IDG Expo Management, who promised that next month's Macworld Expo will have a definite consumer feel to it. IDG today said consumers will be the target of a number of new additions at the show, including a new pavilion and game tournament. 'Content @ Home,' the new area, will feature titles, services, and products from gaming developers, major entertainment companies, broadcasters, personal finance and productivity application developers, and hardware manufacturers. Also planned is the first-ever National Macintosh Gaming Championship, which is meant to highlight the latest Mac games, while also pitting attendees up against one another.The new strategy from Apple however isn't the only reason behind the charged focus on consumers.

IDG said that more than a third of all pre-registered attendees have identified themselves as consumers looking for the latest hardware, software, and Internet-based applications. IDG said a survey of pre-registrants revealed that many regularly use their computers to play games, create Web sites or presentations, manipulate digital photos and music, or get news, sports or weather information, prompting it to offer the new additions.Officially Licensed Apple Watches For Sale2:50PM Apple fans can now 'Think Different' about time. Entertainment Earth, a company which sells collectible memorabilia and merchandise, is now selling two lines of officially licensed Apple wristwatches. The AppleWatch line, available with either a black or white dial, features the six-color Apple logo and the prevalent 'Think Different' slogan, while the Apple KidsWatch series comes in a variety of colors each displaying an icon related to the Mac. All watches are available immediately and cost $39.99 each.Jobs' Macworld Absence Explained?1:35PM An answer to the questions why Apple's Steve Jobs will be participating in next month's Macworld Expo keynote address via satellite, instead of in person, might have been found. According to a June 12 article in the Arizona Central, Jobs' wife is expecting the couple's fourth child in July.Kodak's USB Digital Cameras Now Shipping1:15PM The first digital cameras to feature a USB interface are almost here.

Eastman Kodak said today its Digital Science DC220 and DC260 are now shipping in volume to authorized retailers across the country. Announced last month, both the DC220 and DC260 provide million-plus pixel image capabilities (1.0 million and 1.6 million pixels respectively), and use USB to speed image transfer by up to ten times that of traditional serial interface downloads.

'The Kodak DC220 and DC260 cameras offer a unique customer value proposition: high speed, plug-and-play picture download from the camera to a USB equipped personal computer, without moving flash cards or floppy disks, or waiting for slow serial connections,' said Willy Shih, president, Digital & Applied Imaging, and VP of Kodak. The DC220 and DC260 will be available at a suggested list price of $799 and $999 respectively.- -IDC: Netscape Still In The Lead12:30PM Despite gains made by Microsoft in all user segments of the U.S. Browser market in 1997, Netscape remains the market leader, a new report by International Data Corporation (IDC) said. The study showed that although Netscape only gained ground in the small business segment, the company held onto its number one position for the year. 'However,' explains Joan-Carol Brigham, a research manager in IDC's Internet continuous information research service, 'Microsoft was able to achieve a high rate of new user adoptions and upgrades.

This was accomplished by landmark efforts to market version 4.0 of Internet Explorer, which kept recognition high throughout 1997, and by shipping the product toward the end of the year.' In the small business market - the segment which showed most growth in 1997 - Microsoft gained 8.2 percent, to reach 26.7 percent of the U.S. Netscape accrued only 2.3 percent in the same area, but still holds a 46.7 percent share, according to the study.

IDC forecasts shipments of Web browsers within the U.S. Will grow from 10.1 million units in 1997 to 124.3 million units in 2002, a compound annual growth rate of 52 percent.- -Cypress Fattens Line Of USB Microcontrollers11:40AM Cypress Semiconductor yesterday extended its Universal Serial Bus (USB) microcontroller line with the announcement of three new product families intended for use in standalone USB hub applications, hubs integrated into keyboards and monitors, and individual peripherals such as modems. Cypress, the leader in the marketplace for USB controllers, said it has already shipped 'well over a million' USB devices to vendors, including Microsoft, who will use Cypress-branded hardware in its upcoming USB mouse and keyboard offerings.CalComp Signs Bundle Deal With MetaCreations9:45AM CalComp Technology has licensed MetaCreations' Kai's Photo SOAP SE and ART Dabbler, and will include the consumer-level products with its recently announced Creation Station, a new peripheral duo designed to enhance home and school creativity projects. Priced at $129 and expected to ship in late-July, the Creation Station packs together a mini-digital tablet with pressure-sensitive pen and a cordless mouse. 'MetaCreations' unique graphic user interface may attract consumers who are looking for something different.

These products are the best match for CalComp's Creation Station,' said Ed Hopkins, VP of sales and marketing at the CalComp Input Technologies Division.-PowerLogix Discounting PowerBoost Cards9:10AM Austin, Texas-based upgrade vendor PowerLogix is blowing out prices on its remaining inventory of PowerBoost 604e cards. Prices range from as low as $119 for the PowerBoost 604e/166 to $199 for the PowerBoost Pro 225, which features PowerLogix' variable bus speed option. The cards all carry a three-year factory warranty. Meanwhile, PowerLogix also lowered the price of its RapidCache 1MB module down to $119.BBEdit Update Enhances FTP Capabilities8:15AM Bare Bones Software has posted the latest revision to its award-winning text and HTML editor. Version 4.5.3 of BBEdit, free to all registered users of 4.5, enhances the program's built-in FTP capabilities, and makes improvements to the 'Find Differences' functionality. In addition, Bare Bones said the update fixes 'some problems reported from the field.'

-AT&T; And TCI To Merge In Blockbuster Deal7:45AM AT&T;, fresh of its failed takeover attempt of America Online, announced today it will buy cable television giant TCI (Tele-Communications, Inc.) in a stock swap worth as much as $48 billion. Under the deal, which pairs two of the nation's largest telecom and cable companies, AT&T; will combine its current consumer long distance wireless, and Internet services units with TCI's cable, telecommunications, and high-speed Internet businesses to create a new subsidiary - AT&T; Consumer Services. The unit, which is planned to have a significant public ownership, will have control of AT&T;'s existing WorldNet Internet service as well as TCI's @Home Network - the high-speed cable Internet service many vision becoming the next AOL.The companies project that the combined consumer company could have 1999 revenue of $33 billion and pre-tax earnings of $7 billion to $7.5 billion. Neither anticipate any significant downsizing to result from the merger, which will face stiff regulatory approvals, and isn't expected to be completed until the first half of 1999.-Tuesday, June 23rdApple Plans Broadcast Of Macworld Keynote6:40PM Apple said today it will broadcast the opening keynote speech at next month's Macworld Expo to its Market Centers throughout the U.S. Described by Steve Jobs as a 'milestone event,' this year's annual summer gathering will offer a number of twists compared to recent shows, the most obvious being the fact that the event has moved from its traditional Boston locale to New York. But also, the dates have been pushed ahead one month. While positioning the show as a followup to the July 4th holiday might not have been the smartest thing to do, the change does mean that the east and west coast versions of the show will now take place exactly six months after one another.There's one other twist, however, and that comes in the form of Apple's head honcho.

Not since the regime of Michael Spindler has an Apple CEO not given the keynote at a Macworld Expo. But saying Steve Jobs won't be participating in the address isn't entirely true. It's just that Apple's iCEO will not be riding in any NY taxis the week of July 6 - he'll be joining Phil Schiller, Apple's vice president of worldwide product marketing, on stage at Macworld via satellite, raising the inevitable question: what situation or engagement would take priority over a live appearance at Macworld?Microsoft Fills Executive Vacancies3:15PM Microsoft today filled two vacancies on its executive staff, promoting Jean-Francois Heitz to treasurer and Scott Boggs to corporate controller. Both will continue to report to chief financial offer Greg Maffei, the company said. Heitz began work at Microsoft in 1989 as a general manager in the company's France division, before eventually moving to the Redmond headquarters in 1994 as assistant treasurer. Boggs, meanwhile, joined Microsoft in 1993 and most recently served as assistant corporate controller.11:25AM Following CompUSA's announcement yesterday that it will acquire the Computer City chain from Tandy, Moody's Investors Service affirmed the retail giant's senior and subordinated debt rating.

The New York-based financial service said it expects that CompUSA will recognize operational and marketplace benefits from the acquisition in the first year, and that the unprofitable Computer City chain will operate profitably by the second year. In addition, Moody's said it does not believe that the $275 million acquisition price, which will financed in part through a $150 million 10-year amortizing subordinated note, will materially affect CompUSA's financial condition.However, that is with the assumption that the acquired locations can achieve productivity near that of CompUSA's existing stores within two years, Moody's said, noting that integration could pose some challenges, since the average size of the acquired stores is about 20 percent smaller than the average size of CompUSA's existing stores. Nonetheless, Moody's said it believes that CompUSA's current infrastructure will be able to absorb the increase in the store base.-Microsoft Wins Appeal, Court Lifts Injunction10:50AM The U.S. Court of Appeals this morning ruled in favor of Microsoft, overturning a 1997 preliminary injunction that prevented the company from forcing PC makers to include its Internet Explorer browser with Windows 95. The appeals voted 2 to 1 that a lower court made both procedural and substantive errors in imposing the injunction. 'We find that the District Court erred procedurally in entering a preliminary injunction without notice to Microsoft and substantively in its implicit construction of the consent decree on which the preliminary injunction rested,' the court said in its ruling.Media 100 Bundling Commotion With Systems10:05AM From now through September 23, Media 100 will be bundling Puffin Designs' Commotion 1.5 with its MEDIA 100 xs and xr systems at no additional cost, the companies said today.

Commotion is a popular video editing application that allows users to create high-quality visual effects. 'This relationship reinforces Media 100's commitment to the Macintosh platform and to providing its customers with the most sophisticated high-end special effects in the industry for video and film production,' said John Molinari, president of chief executive of Media 100. 'Like MEDIA 100, Commotion was created for professionals to produce broadcast quality video affordably on the desktop. Now with this partnership, our two companies are providing the industry with unmatched flexibility and creativity for visual effects composition.' -Rollout of Xeon Servers Stalled By Bug9:30AM Intel, never a stranger to delays, is being forced to push back the release of its new 450NX chip set by six to eight weeks, PC Week Online reports. The company had been planning to roll out the new chip set alongside its new line of Pentium II Xeon processors next week, but a bug was apparently discovered sometime last week. The 450NX, targeted at high-end servers, will support multiprocessing with four or more processors, but due to the glitch, vendors will be limited to dual-processor Xeon machines until late this summer, the report said.-New Technology Marries DVD With The Web9:05AM HyperLOCK Technologies today introduced a new technology it bills as the world's first fully-encrypted multimedia gateway technology linking pre-recorded DVD video and audio with real-time information on the Internet.

Designed to meet the needs of content providers in search of fast, secure, and innovative ways to use the Web as a distribution port, the company said 'HyperDVD' will open the door for Web programming, enhanced video advertising, QVC-like electronic commerce, and comprehensive distance learning programs on the Web. HyperDVD is designed to run on any Windows 95 or Macintosh machine equipped with a DVD drive and Internet connection.ADS Supporting Macs With USB Products8:35AM Macintosh users, already assured of a USB (Universal Serial Bus) upgrade path from Keyspan, can count on having another way of bringing the next-generation bus technology to their existing machines.

ADS Technologies said today it is working on new USB products, including an add-in USB Port that allows users to upgrade to the burgeoning standard by adding two USB ports. Based on the OPTi FireLink USB controller, the USB Port comes in desktop and notebook versions, and will fully support Mac OS 8.5, ADS said. In addition, the company will also be selling a USB Hub that attaches to an existing USB port and adds four additional connectors. Each of the products will be carried in more than 1,200 retail stores nationwide, including CompUSA, Circuit City, Electronics Boutique, Fry's Electronics, and Micro Center. Prices and releases plans were not available.Update: According to ADS' Thaddeus Swanek, all USB products in the company's line are currently available, with the exception of the USB Port notebook card which should arrive by the end of the month. As far as prices are considered, Swanek said the USB Port for desktops and the CardBus card for the PowerBook G3 series will retail for $49 and $89 respectively, while the USB hub will be priced at $89. (Earlier, we incorrectly stated that the Hub does not conform to the Open Host Controller Interface.

It does, and is thus fully compatible with the Macintosh.)New Conference Explores Content Market7:50AM A new conference that explores how digital technologies have revolutionized the creation of content and how content providers can take advantage of digital media's unique capabilities will debut next month. Scheduled to take place on Saturday, July 25 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Rohnert Park, ContentWorld will cover all phases of the digital media enterprise, from production to consumption, and is aimed at those involved in creating, managing, or marketing content. The full-day conference will include sessions featuring innovators of electronic media and key players in the digital content market.

Speakers will include Tim Cobb, president of research firm Relevant Knowledge, and Bruce Lyon, a winner of an Academy Award for technical achievement.-Monday, June 22ndIntuit Completes $400 Million Lacerte Purchase5:40PM Intuit said today it has completed its acquisition of Lacerte Software, a Dallas-based developer of tax preparation software. The $400 million cash deal, announced on May 18, gives Intuit substantially all of the assets and certain liabilities of privately held Lacerte and a related services company. Intuit said it will operate Lacerte as a wholly owned subsidiary, which will be managed by Lacerte president Randy Zeller, and will continue to offer Lacerte's product line in addition to its own ProSeries software for professional tax preparers.-Textbook Publishers, Web Sites Back Creator5:15PM As a show of support for its authoring tool, Stagecast Software said two leading textbook publishers have entered partnerships to develop Creator-based projects. Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley will create interactive science projects for K-12 students, while Modern Curriculum intends to develop activities that will help kindergartners through fifth graders with a wide variety of learning skills.

In addition, Stagecast said it is partnering with popular Web sites that provide wholesome activities for children. The company said Creator will be used online at Curiocity's Freezone in conjunction with their promotion for Dreamworks' 'Small Soldiers,' and Circle 1 Network.Stagecast Previews Education Platform4:40PM Stagecast Software, the company co-founded by long-time Apple executive Larry Tesler, is in the news today with a new education product grown out of Apple's Cocoa technology. Palo Alto, Calif.-based Stagecast said it is working on a new platform for education designed to bring textbook topics to life through interactive worlds - creations that include interactive simulations, stories, lessons, and games. All the worlds are built using the company's authoring tool, Stagecast Creator, due this fall and priced 'attractively.'

Born out of Apple's Cocoa technology, Stagecast said Creator has been transformed from a Mac-only product into a 100% Java tool. The company said Creator will bring educators, publishers, and students a common Internet-compatible platform that is both consistent, interchangeable, and also extensible.Tesler explains: 'There's lots of great education software out there but teachers don't have time to learn it. Word processors, databases and Web browsers see a lot of use because the one-time investment in learning a productivity tool is repaid many times over. Stagecast Creator is that same kind of product. It's easy to learn, and once you've learned it, you can use it every day, in endless ways.' FAXstf Gets Make Over, AppleScript Support1:50PM STF Technologies said today it will ship FAXstf Pro 5.0, its next-generation faxing system, on July 1.

The updated version builds upon the FAXstf 5.0 product that is now bundled with modem-equipped PowerBook and Power Macintosh G3s, and sports a redesigned FaxBrowser that simplifies fax management. With the new interface, users can manage faxing from one window with full drag-and-drop support. FAXstf Pro 5.0 will also include AppleScript support for fax processing, fax markup and editing, custom cover page editor, custom page headers, and Caller ID support, the company said.-Kocher Elected Chairman, CEO At Micron1:15PM Joel Kocher, the former Power Computing president who resurfaced in January as president and chief operating officer of Micron Electronics, will now play the role of top dog at the resurgent PC maker. The company today announced it has elected Kocher, whose noted for his unconventional motivational practices, as the successor to chairman and chief executive officer Joseph Daltuso, who will provide consulting services to the company for an indefinite period of time to ensure a smooth transition.

Kocher, 42, will continue to hold the president title in addition to his new positions, the company said.Interplay Greeted With Modest Welcome12:25PM On Friday, shares of game developer Interplay Entertainment went public, receiving a modest welcome from the street. The parent company of MacPlay offered 5 million shares of stock at $5.50 per share. In its first trading day, the stock peaked at 6 3/4 before settling down to 6, where it currently stands. Piper Jaffray Inc., Bear, Stearns & Co., and UBS Securities were the managing underwriters for the offering, and were each granted the option to purchase an additional 750,000 shares.-MetaCreations Begins Shipping Poser 312:05PM Poser 3, the third major revision of MetaCreations' 3D figure posing and animation tool, is now shipping. Priced at $299, the new version incorporates new high-resolution human and animal models, a new user interface, poseable hand models, and at long last, facial posing and animation capabilities, as well as a walk animator. In addition, Poser 3D can import BVH motion capture files to instantly and easily add animation to figures.3Dfx Expands Into Mainstream Market11:35AM 3Dfx Interactive, makers of the high-performance Voodoo 3D chipset, will attempt to break into the mainstream computer market with a new chip integrating both 2D and 3D capabilities.

Set to be announced today, 'Voodoo Banshee' will be compatible with all existing games developed for the 3Dfx' proprietary Glide API (Application Programming Interface), and will run about 15 percent to 17 percent faster than the current crop of combination chips, 3Dfx said. While the company has been a true force in the high-end of the market, it will face stiff competition from the likes of ATI and STB who are each fixtures in the OEM business. But with strong performance, a brand name recognized by the entire gaming community, and the backing of hundreds of developers, 3Dfx' Banshee is poised to give the established leaders a run for their money.-ProVUE Planning Panorama Conference11:15AM ProVUE Development said last week it will hold a two day conference later this year for users of its Panorama software package. Dubbed ProVUE '98, the conference will be held at the Embassy Suites South in Los Angeles on August 31-September 1, and is aimed at all levels Panorama users, from beginners to developers. Stafa band mp3 download. Over 25 hours of in-depth training sessions, broken down into five tracks (Cross Platform, Panorama Skills, Programming, Advanced, and Internet) will be included in the conference. A vendor fair for third party trainers, consultants, and add-on products will be a part of the conference as well.-Broderbund Goes To TLC For $420 Million10:40AM Broderbund's hiring of an investment banking firm earlier this month has lead to exactly what many analysts had forecasted - a sale of the company.

Ending speculation over who the suitor would be, The Learning Company (TLC) this morning announced it will acquire the struggling software publisher in a stock deal valued at approximately $420 million. The board of directors at Broderbund and TLC have each approved the transaction and will recommend that stockholders authorize the purchase as well. The companies said they expect to close the sale before the end of September 1998.The move is the latest by TLC to expand its traditionally education-oriented software lineup to include games. The company acquired a number of noted properties with its purchase of Mindscape earlier this year, and now with Broderbund affiliate Red Orb Entertainment under its wing, TLC will be home to two of the industry's more recognized brands - Myst and Prince of Persia.-Digimarc Awarded Three New Patents10:05AM Digimarc, a leader in digital watermarking applications, has been awarded three new patents, including rights to a video watermarking copy protection solution that could potentially reduce the threat of copying DVD movies. The key advances covered by the patents include: concentrating watermark signal strength in image areas where it is best concealed from human vision; selectively disabling of the recording capability of a DVD player; and making digital watermarks more robust so they can withstand various forms of corruption.CompUSA Gobbles Tandy's Computer City Unit9:10AM The nation's largest chain of computer retail stores will be getting a bit bigger. CompUSA today announced it will acquire Computer City, a Tandy unit, in a cash and stock deal worth $275 million. The deal is expected to be finalized in 90 days, and will give CompUSA 100 new stores.

Exact details of the sale such as store closings, layoffs, etc. Will not be finalized until the transaction is complete, CompUSA said. 'We are extremely excited about this acquisition as we believe it will further enhance CompUSA's ability to be a 'total solutions provider' for our retail, corporate, government, education, mail order, technical services, training, and build-to-order customers,' said James Halpin, president and chief executive officer, in a statement. 'We believe this will allow us to provide our customers with additional products, superior service and added convenience.' -Once Again, Gates Tops Forbes' Richest List8:30AM For the fourth year in a row, Microsoft's Bill Gates once again stands atop the world's wealthiest as the richest man in the world. Forbes magazine, in their annual ranking of the world's billionaires, said Gates' fortune rose $15 billion in the last 12 months to reach $51 million, enough to out pace the Walton family on the list. The family, heirs of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, is worth $48 billion, according to Forbes.