kimes@cbnewsc.att.com (Kit Kimes) (11/15/90)
From article <sent.Wed.Nov.14.09:52:39.GMT.1990.via.CS.TARDIS>, by dh@tardis.cs.ed.ac.uk: > > This is not so...the Atari Panther is a cut down games console based on the > ST...basically a ST without a keyboard or disc drive. Apparently it > will be launched at Comdex this week. Has anyone on the net been to ComDex this week? Exactly what has Atari announced? Supposedly, the Atari Advantage package was to be announced. Was it? What does it include? Kit Kimes AT&T Bell Labs Naperville, IL ...!att!iwtsa!kimes
jhenders@jonh.wimsey.bc.ca (John Henders) (11/15/90)
In <1990Nov15.063350.29502@cbnewsc.att.com>, Kit Kimes writes: > >Has anyone on the net been to ComDex this week? Exactly what has >Atari announced? Supposedly, the Atari Advantage package was to >be announced. Was it? What does it include? > >Kit Kimes >AT&T Bell Labs >Naperville, IL >...!att!iwtsa!kimes I wasn't there, but here's a second report from Comdex. courtesy of Znet. This is a Z*NET SPECIAL SHOW REPORT: COMDEX FALL 1990 #2 ============================================================= ====== ))))))))))======== )))== ))= )))))))= ))))))))======== ============= ))=== ))=== ))))= ))= ))========= ))=========== ========== ))==== ))))))= )) )) ))= )))))====== ))=========== ======= ))========= ))=== ))= ))))= ))========= ))=========== ====== ))))))))))======== ))== )))= )))))))==== ))=========== ============================================================= ZCOMDEX2.TXT Day One, Report Two: Monday, November 12, 1990 By John Nagy for Z*NET, LIVE AT COMDEX, Not just Message Reprints. The first day of Comdex is over, and I now sit wearily in the plush Caesar's Palace, ruminating over the day's events. It has been pretty good for Atari. This Fall Comdex spans 2.2 MILLION square feet, and perhaps even MORE than 2.2 million SORE feet. The crowds are at least as large as ever, although there was much more traffic in the "established" convention halls than there was in the Sands Exposition and Convention Center (SECC), the brand new facility that helps make this Comdex 20% larger than any ever before. Unfortunetly, Atari Corp is in the new SECC, and enjoyed less than throngs of people today. The traffic grew throughout the day, however, and most of us expect that the newness of the facility (this is the FIRST show of any kind in it, they just opened days ago) will wear off and that Comdex "regulars" will visit the hall later in the week. The Atari exhibit looked even better today, with the last of the boxes and plastic carpet protectors put away, revealing further division between the "Home Computing" and "Business" areas of the booth. The Home area is about 20% of the booth, separated by a wide isle of burgundy carpet that exactly matches the regular isles. The visual impact is that Atari has two adjacent booths. As mentioned in the last report, I am told that at CES, the same concept will be used, with the proportions reversed. Third party developers are again the focus of much of the booth. It was worthwhile coming to this COMDEX if only to see BOTH Dave Small AND Charles F. Johnson in sport coats and ties... that aren't just painted on t-shirts! They were showing the Mac emulator SPECTRE GCR (with version 3.0 software) and the Codehead products, respectively. And you should see SPECTRE flying on the TT030! Dave estimates that it runs about four times the speed of the GCR on a ST, clocking in right at about MAC II performance. Simultaneous demos on a TT and a Mega (old version) made me think a 4 factor is too low... it was FAST. I have been asked for QUICKINDEX numbers for the new TT and 16 Mhz MEGA/STE, and I will comply in my next report. So far, the numbers look a bit odd to my eye, and I want to verify the levelness of the playfield. Also present: Gribnif with NEODESK 3, also showing a new CLI (still beta testing) that will run ANY .TOS program IN A GEM WINDOW, even LHARC! Goldleaf was showing the beta version of WordFlair 2 that will ship at the end of the year. It DOES include an integrated spell checker. TALON is showing their IBM emulators... yes, emulatorS. Earl Miller says he now is the exclusive US distributor of PC-SPEED (now at only $199!!) and AT-SPEED, and is co-distributor of both ATonce and Supercharger. Talk about cornering a good market! Nathan Potechin has several workstations going showing Calamus and Dynacadd (in color!) on TT030 units. The new Phillips-built 19" monitor really looks good, and the Atari SLM605 laser printer produced some of the most flawless, fastest first copies I have seen. Forget about the 605 being 6 instead of 8 copies a minute (as the old SLM804 was rated). The first copy is FASTER... dunno why, but I don't care either. Just gimme one. I'll have more on the attending vendors in the next report. Atari showed their new FSM GDOS, to be released this winter, perhaps as a freeware update to the world! This outline font technology updates the old and limited GDOS system to provide completely scalable and rotatable GDOS fonts. The outlines will be standard Ultrascript outlines, although from the IBM family of fonts rather than the Atari ST Ultrascript family. The added interchangability is probably worth the inconvenience to existing ST Ultrascript users. WordFlair really looked GOOD and FAST with the new GDOS. On hand were Jack Tramiel, Sam Tramiel, Garry Tramiel, new General Manager Greg Pratt, and the Atari regulars including Bob Brodie, Art Morgan, Mel Stevens, Dan MacNamee, J.Patton, Don Thomas, Ceazar Dennis, Diana Goralcyzk (I KNOW I blew that spelling... sorry Diana!), and the new guy, Bill Rhebock. Greg Pratt is younger than I expected, and is very approachable. His enthusiasm for Atari shows in every word... and Greg is no newcomer to Atari, having been head of the Financial division for some years. It looks like he must have reason for optimism. I remain ready to believe. I expect to talk to him at greater length tommorrow. Yes, Atari looks GOOD at this COMDEX, and has more square footage in the largest hall of the convention than any vendor except JVC. While one developer observed that they wished some of the COMDEX show dollars were going to support the developer and dealer network, in a very real way, they ARE. Here at COMDEX, in the largest computer resellers convention in the world, ATARI is making sure that NO ONE thinks that ATARI is a second class manufacturer. THAT MATTERS, friends. Across the board. Next report: Fourth Quarter BUNDLES to be announced... !!! Don't miss the first four sets of VIDI-ST pictures from COMDEX, available online now... from Z*NET, VISIBLY BETTER NEWS COVERAGE! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Z*NET Atari Online Magazine is a weekly publication covering the Atari and related computer community. Material contained in this edition may be reprinted without permission. Z*Net, Z*Net Atari Online and Z*Net News Service are copyright (c) 1990, by Rovac Industries Incorporated, Post Office Box 59, Middlesex, New Jersey 08846-0059. Voice (908) 968-2024, BBS (908) 968-8148 at 1200/2400 Baud 24 hours a day. Compuserve at PPN 71777,2140 ... GEnie at address: Z-Net. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Z*NET Atari Online Magazine FIRST WITH THE REAL NEWS... BUT YOU KNEW THAT! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -- John Henders jhenders@jonh.wimsey.bc.ca Vancouver,B.C. or jhenders@wimsey.bc.ca or ubc.cs!van-bc!jonh!jhenders