Ibm Floods Market With New Pc Range

The Age

Monday June 6, 1994

IBM Australia went berserk last week, releasing more than 40 new PCs in its server, ValuePoint, ThinkPad and PS/1 product lines. The company's national sales manager, Mark Phibbs, said It aimed to be number one in dollar terms in the Australian market by the end of the year, displacing Apple from the lead.

The new ValuePoint releases are dubbed the Performance Series and range from the entry-level 6472-C2B with a 486SX 33MHz processor, 4MB RAM and a 170MB hard drive priced at $2774, through to the high-end 6482-XPF. This costs $6596 and is powered by a 100MHz 486DX4 processor and comes with 8MB RAM and a 360MB hard drive.

The ThinkPad 360 series is aimed at the entry-level market while the new premium ThinkPad 755 line replaces the 750 line. Pricing starts from $4199 for a monochrome 2620 OZD model with a 33MHz 486SX processor and 170MB hard drive. At the top end is the $13,090 ThinkPad 9545 LZG which boasts an active matrix color screen, Intel DX2 75/25MHz processor, 4MB RAM and a 540MB hard drive.

The new PS/1 models range in price from $2499 to $3999 and come with HelpWare, IBM's 24-hour, seven-day-a-week, toll-free support hotline, as well as on-site service for one year.

Four new PC servers were also released, with a choice between Intel's 486DX2-66 and Pentium 60 processors. For information telephone IBM on 132426.

Multi-use modems.

A NEW Voidax model III modem from Interlink Electronics combines voice, data and fax functions in a single box. An autoswitching facility answers incoming calls, determines the type of call and responds appropriately, even when the computer is switched off. The Voidax offers data transfer speeds of up to 14,400 bits per second (bps). The price of a 1MB version which can store up to six minutes of voice mail or up to 12 pages of text is $799 and the 4MB version retails for $1188.

Mike Boorne Electronics has just released a new 19,200 bps internal data, fax and voice modem for $399. The Spirit integrates V.32terbo, V.32bis and V.42bis as well as MNP 5 data compression to effectively enable data throughput of up to 76,800 bps, according to the company.

For fax operation, the Spirit uses the V.17 Group 3 fax standard for 14,400 bps transmission speed. For an extra $100 the modem can be upgraded to function as an unattended answering machine. Telephone Interlink Electronics on (02) 362 4344 or MBE on (02) 416 3014 for information.

New nine-pin.

TAKING the retro fad to the extreme, Epson has released a new nine-pin dot-matrix printer. The LX-300 has been dubbed by Epson's marketing services manager, Henryck Kraszewski, as ``the VW Beetle of the printer world - ubiquitous, economical, solid, reliable and dependable".

Epson also released the Stylus, a $1382 color inkjet printer capable of 720 dots per inch output on special paper. The company claims it has the lowest running costs of any personal color inkjet at less than five cents per page. Finally, Epson released the EPL-5600, a true 600dpi, six-page-per-minute personal laser. It is powered by a SparcLite RISC processor and carries a price tag of $1959. For information telephone Epson on (02) 415 9000.

VR landscaping.

FANCY a trip around the world, or maybe even to another planet? You can take either, virtually, with the Macintosh version of the virtual reality landscape generating program, Vistapro. Using real-world data from the United States Geological Survey and NASA spacecraft, or computer-generated data, you can fly around the globe, visit other planets or go to a non-existent world.

Vistapro for the Macintosh has all the features of its PC-based cousin, including options to add lakes, rivers, oceans, clouds, haze, snow, waterfalls, trees, shrubs, buildings and roads. Among the landscapes included are Yosemite National Park, Mount St Helens and Mount Fuji. In addition, the Macintosh version boasts a Surface Map Editor which allows more precise placement of these objects. The product comes on CD-ROM and is priced at $189. Telephone Communication Strategies on (07) 841 1055 for information.

Scanner/faxer/copier.

CREATIVE Pacific, best known as the Australian SoundBlaster distributor, has released a new $1199 product that combines scanning, faxing and copying capabilities. The ScanPlus consists of a 10-sheet feed scanner with fax and copy buttons that work with a user's existing fax-modem and PC printer.

As a scanner, it offers 24-bit, 1200 dots-per-inch resolution in color or gray scale. It is compatible with many fax modems, including US Robotics, Intel and Zyxl, and with printers from companies such as HP, Canon and QMS. Copy speed is four pages per minute in monochrome mode with an HP LaserJet. Telephone Creative Pacific on (02) 906 8887.

Try-then-buy software.

COMPUTER Associates is using the Uniloc software-locking technology to distribute its Simply Money personal accounting package on a try- before-you-buy basis. The program is attached to the cover of `PC User' magazine's June issue. Readers can try out the program with the Save function disabled, then if they like it, telephone Uniloc and pay $40 for an access code which unlocks the program. The installation disk remains locked and can legally be distributed to friends and associates to try and buy. Within four days of putting the product on the news-stands, the company notched up a one per cent buy rate.

Telephone Computer Associates on (02)9232066 or Uniloc on (02)9756822 for information.

Cyberartists.

A NEW video documentary on technology and art has one artist taking cyber pictures of his internal organs as a means of artistic expression. The artist, Stelarc, is one of 19 interviewed in `Artists in Cyberculture', a recording of the Third International Symposium on Electronic Art held in Sydney in 1992.

Besides the interviews, the program contains examples of the artists' own brands of electronic theatre. Among those interviewed is Myron Kreuger, who is said to have coined the term ``artificial reality" in 1973. It also examines issues such as gender, the body, the homogenisation of culture and the social and environmental implications of these new technologies. The documentary is distributed by Ronin Films on (02) 361 4255.

Corporate laser.

SHARP is aiming for the corporate, government, small office and home office sectors with its new JX-9400 and JX-9460 laser printers. The six-page-per-minute (ppm) JX-9460 is capable of printing at up to 600 dots per inch (dpi) through Sharp's High Resolution technology. To reduce power consumption and noise, the polygon mirror and cooling fan stop working when it is not in use. It comes with 1MB memory and is priced at $1595.

The JX-9400 can print at up to 300 dpi at six ppm. It features 512KB of memory and is priced at $1195. Both models have a footprint of 330 by 365 millimeters, putting them among the smallest laser printers available in Australia, according to the company. Telephone Sharp on (02) 831 9111 for information.

Disk inflater.

SOFTWARE Suppliers has released Infinite Disk 2.1, a new product that frees up hard disk space by automatically archiving little-used files.

Rarely used files are either compressed or moved to an off-line storage device, though all files still appear to be on your hard disk.

When files are needed again, Infinite Disk automatically decompresses or retrieves them. Infinite Disk is available now for DOS and Windows and is priced at $199. For information telephone Software Suppliers on (02) 888 1955.

Power security.

TRIO Technology has released UltraShield, a new security package for Power Macintosh that doesn't have wings. UltraShield allows you to determine who has access to files, folders, System Folder, Drives, Apple Menu, Control Panels and even the Desktop. A log facility allows you to monitor all activity on your Power Macintosh, including application usage and attempted log-ons. The package is available now for $239. For educational and multi-pack pricing telephone Trio Technology on (075)774411.

Cheaper charts.

FROM 1 July, Micrografx's ABC FlowCharter will have a new recommended retail price of $495, reduced from $695. ABC FlowCharter is a tool for creating structured graphics diagrams such as flowcharts, network diagrams, dataflow diagrams and organisation charts. Telephone Micrografx Australia on (02) 415 2642 for further details.