Japanese calligraphy with a mouses
Enzan-Hoshigumi brings the feel of traditional Japan to the computer with Mac Shodo Pro, Japanese calligraphy software. Input is by mouse or pressure-sensitive pen and tablet. The user selects the shape and size of the "brush," and can finely control the stroke speed and "pressure" (along with blurring, smudging, and transparency). Favorite "strokes" can be registered for future use. An underlay function lets the user work from a rough draft. Mac Shodo Pro, which comes on CD-ROM for the Mac IICi and higher, running KanjiTalk 7.1 and higher, is a PowerMac native application. The retail price is JPY 14,800.

Enzan-Hoshigumi: 03-3479-8270

Run X applications from MS-Windows
Version 7.0 of XVision Eclipse software for Windows clients and Unix servers, from SCO, creates the necessary environment for Windows PCs to use X applications. Functions of XVision Eclipse 7.0, which is totally Japanese compatible, include an X session supervision and management system, simultaneous launching of multiple X servers, and launching of X applications from Web browsers. XVision Eclipse enables X application icons to be placed on the Windows desktop or in the Start menu, and kanji can be input into an X application using Window's Japanese FEP. A one-user base pack is JPY 78,000.

SCO: 03-5462-9678

A laptop ISDN terminal adapter
Aiwa has introduced a PC Card terminal adapter (TA) for laptop-to-ISDN connection. The TM-J1280M supports connection speeds of 128K-bps. An LED display on the connector shows the status of the connection. The retail price (Windows 95 or Mac version, with Internet Explorer) is JPY 37,800.

Aiwa: 03-3371-7981

Sony sells multimedia PCs
After an eight-year absence, Sony has reentered the consumer/home PC market with a full-multimedia featured PC series, the VAIO (Video Audio Integrated Operation). The mini-tower VAIO PCV-T700MR features a 266-MHz Pentium II, 32MB of RAM, 4.3GB hard disk, 8X CD-ROM and 2X CD-R drives, 17-inch monitor, and 33.6K-bps modem. It includes ATI's Rage II 3D graphics accelerator, an MPEG-1 real-time encoder board, and multimedia software.
The two notebooks in the series are the VAIO PCG-707 (166-MHz MMX Pentium, 32MB of RAM) and VAIO PCG-705 (150-MHz MMX Pentium, 16MB of RAM). Both come with a 2.1GB hard disk, 12.1-inch TFT LCD screen, 12X removable CD-ROM drive, and image-processing software. All the models are "open priced."

Sony Corporation: 03-5448-3311

Japanese version of CyberStudio HTML editor
GoLive's CyberStudio is a full-featured HTML editor and site manager for the Mac. It features a grid onto which the user can precisely "drag & drop" text, images, forms, and multimedia elements (such as QuickTime movies and Shockwave or Java applets). Frames can be created by clicking and resizing with the mouse, and tables are made by dragging an icon to the grid and then dropping in the table elements.
For easy website management, CyberStudio provides a graphical view of the site structure and allows the user to adjust the site's hierarchy, add/delete pages, and verify/change/update links and anchors. CyberStudio, which supports multiple language character sets, requires a PowerMac and System 7.5 or later. The retail price is JPY 64,800. (Upgrades from the English version are free.)

Software Too: 03-5676-2177

Spring cleaning your Mac
From Aladdin Systems (maker of Stuffit) comes the Japanese version of Spring Cleaning. Spring Cleaning's utilities for safely deleting extraneous files to free up hard disk space include MacUninstaller (uninstalls old applications and their related files); Application Slimmer (trims fat binary applications); Font Remover (deletes duplicate and unused fonts); Alias Resolver (finds invalid file aliases); Orphan Adopter (assigns orphans to new applications); Prefs Cleaner (cleans out the Preferences folders); Folder Remover (clears empty folders); and Help Remover (deletes or removes help files per user preference). Spring Cleaning requires a Macintosh/PowerMac with System 7.1 or higher. The retail price is JPY 14,800.

act2: 03-3378-1134Japanese calligraphy with a mouse

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