European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 28, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse Tuesday december 28, 1993 computers the stars and stripes Page 9 Rock Star and promoter. Peter Gabriel has designed a program for personal computers that allows people to explore sources of his work re mix his music and even play exotic instruments such As the Kalimba. The $50 compact disc based program matted Plora 1, will go on Sale this week in software and music stores throughout the United states the first version is for Apple t macintosh computers. One for ism compatible pcs will be produced by next summer. Gabriel teamed with Steve Nelson founder of Brilliant Media a san Francisco software firm to create the disc. Quot we All had a Chance to expand our role As experience designers which is in a sense what an artist always has been a Gabriel said at news conference to introduce the product. A now we have a very different set of the program features four videos from Gabriel s latest album a tour of his Wiltshire England recording studio and behind the scenes videos of concerts and awards shows. In addition it has recordings and some videos of 49 other artists from african villagers to scandinavians nomadic Sami who have recorded on Gabriel a real world Label. Programs on compact discs known As cd rooms have become More popular because they can hold much More data than floppy disks affording High Quality video graphics and sound. Such programs Are the fastest growing Niche in software but designers have chiefly created educational or reference programs such As encyclopedias. A the record Industry has really ignored it to Date a said Brian Frost president Oflyn Tarplay a los Angeles based software company that is distributing Gabriel s disc. A i think this product is the first serious attempt to utilize this new Adun amp Bradstreet corp. Will offer marketing information intended for Small business use Over the Prodigy services co. On line network the companies announced. The new product Damp a solutions Wilt offer direct marketing sales prospecting Market analysis and Job searching services beginning Early next year. New York based Damp a said the services should help entrepreneurs and Small businesses particularly those with offices in the Home Access a wide variety of current financial information and customize it for their particular needs. Earlier this month White Plains Prodigy announced a similar Alliance with Rynex corp. To bring the yellow pages business listings on line. A a Texas instruments said its scientists have designed a High powered quantum effects computer Chip capable of operating at room temperature. Such chips which could significantly increase the number of functions a single device can perform previously have been Only a curiosity since they were Only Able to operate under extremely cold temperatures of minus 320 degrees fahrenheit. The Dallas based semiconductor company said the new quantum effect Chip is projected to operate More than three times faster and hold three times More functions than conventional chips. From wire reports getting into the gamete alternatives to playing around on pc or Mac units by Joe Fasbinder United press International if you re used to playing games on your pc or Mac playing one on a dedicated game computer can be a real Eye opener. A lot of kids have already discovered this a take a took around yourself next time you re in a video store that also rents games for Nintendo and Sega genesis Type machines. Games on a game computer generally run faster than they do on a regular computer. That a because White your pc is designed to do a lot of things in linear order a game machine performs just two Basic functions a sending output to the screen and taking input from a Joystick or other device. The result is Consumers spending a lot of Money on a sonic the that the character Sega created to Star in adventures like a sonic pinball a and that a the character kids look for when buying an action game. In these incredibly fast paced games sonic braves glittering caverns oozing toxic pools and boiling lava trying to get through the Vigo fortress of or. Robotnik which is protected by the pinball defense system. Does no to thrill you Well consider this the two big words in computer games this year Are a mortal that a the game California attorney general Daniel e. Lungrin cited when he went Public with a plea for a rating system on video games a mortal bomb at lets kids remember what its like to be a kid turn themselves into sub Zero or Raydon or other there for the Nintendo system like alien is. Predator or act vision s Dion cat and Mech Warrior. Juji Metal features what los Angeles based act vision describes As a six fear some Tomato logical and plasma blasting weapons including the biologically engineered gel analogue mutant shield with combat Warrior san a grueling test of endurance. But that a not what had Lungren a Dander up a the game s violence did. At the end of a mortal bomb at a if you win a you can pull the head and spine out of some other hapless animated character. Not that a mortal bomb at is any More violent than a whole slew of games out awesome offensive defensive but what it boils Down to is this a lots of action lots of hand Eye coordination and lots of things your television game like this will Cost you about $60. It could be a Little less in some places but you can figure that this is what a video game for a Sega or Nintendo system will Cost however if you re going to buy something like this for a gift make sure you have the game system right As a Sega cd wont play in a game boy. Still if the recipient of your game does no to like what you bought All is not lost. A Jot of video stores that sell and rent video games arc also buying used games a kill a few outer space aliens and you can get new aliens to kill. And if you done to like killing bad Guys or monsters you can always get a Tom amp this game from i tech expressions in new York is a lot More like inc newer Tom amp Jerry cartoons than the old ones where anvils would hit characters on the head and tails got plugged into electrical outlets. The game features wild wind up toys animated film projectors and of course Tom trying to keep Jerry from making it from downtown to Home. There san element of violence Here but no severed Heads. And if you get tired of cute cats and mice you can always Trade it in for a copy of Quot mortal computer world at turning Point As technology overwhelms Public by Evan Ramstad the associated press new York after a 15-year sprint to Success for personal computer manufacturers some executives Are wondering has the Industry hit the Wall even though they re now Selling in record numbers the relentless push for increased computing Power and other embellishments makes pcs bought today immediately obsolete. Moreover most businesses and about half the Consumers who Are buying pcs already own at least one meaning growth is slowing tremendously. Even the most successful computer seller to Consumers Apple computer inc., is starting to create information and entertainment products that work through computers recognizing that profits in the Long run May come front what the machines do rather than the machines themselves. The difficulty could Worsen in the future when telephones stereos and televisions Are equipped with their own decision making and storage capabilities possibly making pcs superfluous. Dell computer corp. Chairman Michael Dell in a speech at an Industry conference earlier this month delivered the sharpest warning to Date. A for the entire Industry Market expansion could be unlimited a Dell said. For the entire Industry Market expansion could be unlimited. But we re not doing the right things to get there. A Michaal doll Dell computer corp. Chairman a but we re not doing the right things to get there and we won t get there unless we change our approach to bringing technology to Market. A he said the Industry has sacrificed innovation acceptance and profits by relying heavily on jargon and fast development cycles that make new products seem More important than they really Are. A we need to Stop pursuing technology for its own Sake or for the Sake of competitive not customer advantage Quot Dell said. A if we take to heart that customer needs Arentt changing As quickly As technology then the result will be relevant technology Quot he said. That a especially True for Consumers but Dell said the Industry moves too fast for most business customers too. Dell stopped Short of promising his company the no. 5 pc maker would quit introducing new products every few months. Dell computer posted its first quarterly loss Ever this year when it fell behind in the design of notebook computer nonetheless Dell articulated a sentiment that is reflected in recent marketing and product moves by several rivals. For the past six months the ism pc co., the unit of. Ism that Sells personal computers has touted Quot natural computing and simplified the use of its machines aimed at Consumers. The company has also Learned it faces an Uphill climb in the consumer Market. A poll it commissioned from the Roper organization found 74 percent of people who Don t own pcs think there s no reason to keep one at Home Compaq computer corp took a big stride toward Consumers with its Frisario 425, an All in one unit introduced in August that resembles the popular Apple macintosh. While heavily criticized by reviewers for being too slow the machine pulled together the right amount of computing and communications functions to become the company a fastest seller Ever. Quot it does no to mean you done to get leading Edge innovation in consumer products Quot said Bob Stearns vice president of corporate development at Compaq. A it Means it has to be innovation that is relevant for what people Are
