Individual Buys ClariNet

Electronic publisher Individual Inc. has announced agreement to acquire ClariNet Communications for about 1.5 million Individual shares, or $7.7 million. Individual said ClariNet, a privately held Internet news company, has annual revenue of about $3.9 million and has shown a positive cash flow in each of the last five years.The transaction is expected to be effective within the next week.

Good Global Growth: AOL

Just a year and a half after launching its first international service outside the United States, America Online says it has surpassed the 750,000 member mark outside of the U.S. The company said AOL Europe, a joint venture between America Online and Bertelsmann AG, has just passed 600,000 members. AOL Canada has grown to more than 100,000 members since it started in January 1996. There were no figures for AOL Japan, which began service in April.

IBM's Seascape Introduced

IBM today unveiled its new network storage product. "Seascape" helps companies deploy new or improved applications quickly, using an industry standard server. This will allow different types of computers to access data from a single source. IBM said in a statement it plans to introduce another Seascape solution for open systems environments in the near future.

2000's Silver Lining

The so-called millenium bug, which will render old computers and software useless at the turn of the century, means huge headaches for business. Except for the technology business. Industry experts now say the 2000 bug will boost demand for computers over the next two years. On the downside, some software companies may not be able to find all the programmers they need to keep up with demand for new products. Worldwide, its estimated the cost of fixing the problem could be $300 billion.

Netscape Confirms Bug

Netscape has confirmed that a bug exists in its Internet browsers and says it hopes to have the problem fixed within days. According to company executives, the bug allows unwanted access to users' personal computers. A Danish engineer first found the problem but demanded money - over and above Netscape's normal bug reporting fee - in exchange for details. Company spokeswoman Jennifer O'Mahony said Netscape has created a fix and is currently testing it extensively.

NetPC Rolled Out

Some are calling it a new era in computing. Many of the world's major personal computer makers joined Intel and Microsoft today as they unveiled new machines called NetPCs. These new machines are designed to lower the cost of corporate computer networks. The introduction came as the PC Expo computer industry trade show got underway in New York. The NetPC evolved after Microsoft and Intel saw that industry officials were intrigued by Oracle Corp. Chairman Larry Ellison's plans for a network computer, a stripped-down PC designed to access corporate networks and the Internet

Excite Improves WebCrawler

Excite is out with an updated version of WebCrawler, the Internet search site. The new version, called WebCrawler 3.0, was developed to further simplify the process of finding information on the World Wide Web for consumers who have been its primary focus since WebCrawler's inception. With a new look, the search engine is designed to provide uncluttered links to relevant Web sites, and the shortcut feature provides opportunities for advertisers to promote their services beyond traditional banner ads.

Digital Faces Glum Shareholders

The upcoming meeting of Digital Equipment's institutional shareholders could be a bit uncomfortable for all concerned. Despite management shake-ups, restructuring and massive layoffs, the nation's fourth-largest computer company has lost billions of dollars over the past few years and results don't look promising for this year, according to industry analysts. Since Robert Palmer was named chief executive in October 1992, Digital's shares have fallen 15 percent to around $36 a share while the Standard & Poor's index of 500 stocks has nearly doubled in value.

Turner Follows HBO Lead

HBO won't be the only cable network switching to digital transmissions when the new format takes effect. Ted Turner, vice-chairman of Time Warner, says the Turner Networks will also offer high-definition TV. Turner says the Turner cable channels will make the change "as quickly as we can." His pledge came a day after Congress backed off on its deadline for all broadcasters to convert from analog to digital by the year 2006.

Tiny New Camera From Toshiba

Digital cameras keep getting smaller. Toshiba today rolled out its newest offering, a digital camera the size of a business card. The Allegretto, which it says is the world's smallest and lightest digital camera, joins a line-up of tiny Toshiba devices ranging from the Genio communicator to the Libretto notebook computer. Toshiba has launched a number of high-technology gadgets since the beginning of the year, driven by technology advances and business people's demands for faster and more mobile communications.

< Back > < Contents >  < Home >