Faster Web Surfing

There's a reason they call the Internet an information superhighway: once you're online, you want to go fast. Nowhere is this more apparent than on the Web, where downloading pages of graphics and other memory-hogging material can take less than a minute -- but feel like forever. Enter two small software companies, Datalytics of Dayton, Ohio and Peak Technologies of Bellingham, Wash. Each is hawking relatively low-cost programs they claim dramatically reduce the time it takes to download pages by making better use of existing dial-up modems and Web image caching, or storage, among other things.

Wise Holiday Software Buys

Here are some suggestions for CD-ROMs that won't wear out their welcome by the time you're ready to take down the ornaments. Among the recommendations by columnist Gene Emery are "Freddie Fish 2: The Case of the Haunted Schoolhouse" for children, "The Dig" and "Star Trek: Klingon" for teens and older, and "You Don't Know Jack" and "Ripper" for adults.

Traditional Phone Firms To Facedown Pretenders

Established telephone companies are preparing to fend off a tough challenge from upstart competitors in the next decade. Mobile phones, new multimedia markets across the Internet, and the lack of telephones in developing countries will provide a lucrative business. Huge new markets for data racing across the Internet, coupled with new markets in countries which have few telephones, will revitalize telecommunications markets in the next century.

NeoStar Retail Sale Approved

NeoStar Retail Group, the parent of Babbage's and Software Etc, says Software Acquisition has received U.S. Bankruptcy Court approval to buy all of the company's assets for $58.5 million. NeoStar says the price is for 447 of NeoStar's software stores and all of its inventory. NeoStar says approximately 200 NeoStar stores will be closed as a result of the sale.

PrimeCo Offers PC To Phone Text Messages

Wireless company PrimeCo is launching a messaging service that allows users with a Microsoft Windows-based personal computer (PC) with a modem to send short messages to PrimeCo users' mobile phones. When a message is received, the handset will beep. It can store the messages and will do so automatically if the phone is turned off or out of the calling area.

New Siemens Software Helps Automation Sales

German industrial giant Siemens AG says it expects a newly developed software system to spur dramatic growth in sales to customers looking to streamline their production processes. Manfred von Raven, general manager of Siemens automation technology unit, says the system should lift sales of manufacturing and process automation systems by 60 percent over the next five years.

Japan Agencies To Launch Net Venture

Japanese advertising agency Hakuhodo says that it and five other firms will launch a joint venture for advertising on the Internet. A Hakuhodo spokesman says the joint venture, Digital Advertising Consortium, will be set up on Dec. 2 with capitalization of 120 million yen and will aim to exchange contracts with 30-50 companies to run their advertisements on the Internet.

Singapore Aiming To Be 'Most Computerized' Nation

The National Computer Board (NCB) says Singapore plans to become the world's most computerized nation by 2000. NCB chairman Lim Swee Say says he hopes the swift introduction of new technology will make Singapore the "mega IT (information technology) hub" of expertise and innovation in the region.

CN Technology CFO To Resign

Computer Network Technology says that John Brintnall, vice president of finance, chief financial officer and treasurer, will leave the company in mid-December to become chief financial officer at Integ. Computer Technology develops high-performance networking products.

Halifax says it has concluded the asset purchase of the ongoing

computer integration business of Consolidated Computer Investors. The operations will merge into and operate as a division of the company's wholly owned subsidiary CMS Automation.

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