-=========================================================================- _ __ _ <>_ __ _ || /\\ |\ /|| || / ` /\\ || Amiga Update -News and Rumors /__\\ | \ / || || || ___ /__\\ ||(A Very Ocassional Newsletter) / \\_ | \/ ||_ _||_ \__// / \\_ || BACK FOR THE FUTURE || -=========================================================================- AMIGA and the Amiga logo are trademarks of Amiga Technolgies, GmbH --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 960401 M O R E O N T H E W A L K E R - E V E N A P I C T U R E ( S O R T O F ) N E W E S C O M C E O A M I G A C O N V E N T I O N ' 9 6 We keep trying to bring you up to date information on the newest Amiga, currently called "Project Walker" until an official designation is chosen. Maybe they'll improve on the Walker name by using something with much more pizzaz, like, oh - A1300. We hope not! Anyway, additional information keeps coming out, so we keep talking about it. It seems Escom continues to respond to the computer industry crunch in Europe. The new head of Escom comes ultimately from European Commodore, (with a detour to IBM) which was a successful venture - not at all like the US headquarters operation. Finally, if you can get to Canada later this year, you can have the fun that can only be found at an Amiga computer show. We wish we could make it (maybe next year). Brad ------------------------------------------------------------------------- The following is the new official Project Walker page taken from the Amiga Technologies WWW site. This is the definitive word on the new computer at least for now. Brad New AMIGA Prototype: Project 'Walker' Why 'Walker'? Hm. Tough one. Elder brother to the 'Surfer'? Small step for AMIGA, large step for AMIGAkind? The name is not fixed yet, we plan to do a competition to name the machine together with leading AMIGA magazines. Why such a design for the 'Walker'? Its a "like-it-or-not"-design which hopefully many people will proudly put on top of their desktops instead of hiding it away, for the strong dislikers the motherboard may be sold separately. Anyway, the design is not boring ! What does the 'Walker' sport internally ? CPU MC68(EC?)030, clocked at 40 Megahertz in asynchronous design FPU socket realtime clock onboard 2 SIMM sockets for RAM expansion upto 96 MB 1 (or maybe 2) MB Chip RAM and 4 MB Fast RAM planned for shipping new powerful expansion slot allowing CPU / Zorro / PCI / Video slots flexibility and modularity as major design goals standard "LPX" PC board size and drillings external keyboard, jacks for this and for mouse/joystick at the front SuperIO chip included featuring (in addition to the old interfaces): enhanced parallel port (EPP), bidirectional, 24-bit support for printer.device possible due to speedier operation faster serial port with FIFO buffer MIDI (not specified yet for Out, In or Through) EIDE interface for hard- and CD-ROM-drives floppy interface for PC HD floppies What is the trick with the 'Walker' case? In the base version, it consists of a bottom and a top part. The bottom part takes the mainboard and diverse connectors. The top part contains the drives, mainly the CD-ROM. In between, you can put a middle part. A daughterboard plugs into the expansion connector of the mainboard and carries standard CPU and/or Zorro and/or Video and/or PCI slots or whatever else will be created. Many different types of daughterboards can be envisioned, for example only with PCI slots or with one CPU slot and two combined Zorro/Video slots. Depending on the daughterboard, the middle part can be of varying heights, all the way up to a full tower. When is the 'Walker' scheduled to arrive on the market? We're planning to ship at the end of summer, hopefully around or shortly after the 'CeBIT Home' trade fair. What will the 'Walker' cost? Due to the somewhat 'speculative' ;-) PC market for components, the price of the 'Walker' cannot be fixed yet, because it largely depends on PC mass market components like CD-ROMs, floppy drives, SIMMs etc., whose prices are subject to change due to tidal, financial, social, rural or whatsoever events. ####################################@@@@@@0000008888OOOOOOOooooooo-----+oo8 #####@OO#########################@OOOOOOOooooOOo----++O+=:. : .: :o8 #O :====- -==: .o8 #+ :o8 #O :o8 #O :o8 #O :o8 #O :o8 #O :O8 #O :O0 #O -O0 #O -O0 @O : . -O0 @O +-.::::: -O0 #O :+-:-======:: -O0 @O :-:-++O8+========+: -80 @O --+o++++=-==-+O8880O========---. -80 @O :O88Oo++++oO80008088@+==------:::-: -80 @O O000000000000000000008:::.........:-. O@ @O : -800000000000000000000@- :- .8@ @O o000000000000@@@@@@@@00O -: :0@ @8 .0@@@@@@@@@0088OOOoooO880: :. 8@ @@ +@@@88Oo++++++++++ooOO000o ...-: o@ @@ 0@@8o+++++o+ooooooooOO000@-::....::::::----=- 0@ @@ +@@@8o++oooooOOOOOOOOoO000@O++===========+++++= :0@ @@ 8@@@0OooOoOOooooooooooO00000ooooooooo++++oooooo= -0@ @0 -@@@@0oOoOoo+++o+ooo88oO0000@OOOoooOooooooooOOOOO- -@@ @@ +@@@@0o8oOoOOO88OOOoo++o0000@oOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO- :@@ @0 O@@@@@Oo+==-:....:--=+o800000oOOOOOOOOOOOOOO888888O. @@ @0 @@@@0--=++oOO8000000000000000OoOOOOOOOOOOOO88888000o @@ 00 -@@@@@@@00000000000000000000008ooOOOOOOOOO8O888000000- .@@ 00 +@@@@@@@@@@@@@@000@@@@000000000ooOOOOOOOO88888800000@8 -@@ @0 O@@@@@@@@@@@@00000088000000000@oOOOOOOOOO88888080000@@= -@@ @0 0@@@@@@@#8OOOOOOO8000000000000@oOOOOOOOOO88880000000@@0 -@@ @0 @@@@@@@@#800888808888000000000@OOOOOOOOO88888000000@@@@- -@@ @0 @@@@@@@@#088O0888O88800000000008OOOOOO888888000000@@@@@o -@@ @0 #@@@@@@@#@0OOooooOOOO00000000000OOOOO88888000000@@@@@@#@ -@@ @0 ##@@@@@@8OO880000000000000000000OOO88880000000@@@@@@@###+ -@@ 00 #@0@@@@@@@@@@000000000000000##008888800000000@@@@@@@####8 -@# @0 ##@#@@@@@@@@@@@000000000000@#00008880000000@@@@@@@@#####@ -@# 00 ####@@@@@@@@@@@0000000000000080008800000@@@@@@@@######### =@# 00 ####@@@@@@@@@@@00000000000000008@@@@@@@@@@@@@@###########- =@# 00 ##@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@0@00#@@@@@@@@@@#############o =@# 00: @#####@@@@@@@@@000000000000000008####@0@#################O -@# 00- @#####@@@@@@@@@000000000000000008#####@0###########@@####O .@# 00- 8#####@@@@@@@@@@0000@@@0@@@00#008######O@##########@0####o O# 00- O######@@@@@@@@0000@##@0###@@#000######O@###########@@### O# 00- +###@##@#@@@@@@00000@@000@000@000######O0############8### O# 00- =###0#@@#@@@@@@000000000000000000######80############8### 0# 00- -###0#@@#@@@@@000000000000000000@######0@############0### =@# 00: .###0#@@#@@@@@@00000000000000000@######@#############@##0 =@# 00. @##@#@@#@@@@@@@0000000000000000########################+ =@# 00- O##@#@0#@@@@@@00000000008000008########################: =@# 00- .@####= o####@==-+-=---. .0@@###. :==O####+ =@# 00- 8###O :####- O@##@ 0###= =@# 00- O### ###+ O8O- :: =8o =## 00- . .. =@# 00- =## 00o =@# 00o "Project Walker" from AmigaUpdate =@# 00o =## 00- : =@# 00O+-------o+++o+++oooo---=oooooooooooooOoOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO### 08888888888888888888888888888800000000000@@@@@@@@@@@####################### ########################################################################### ASCII representation of the Walker. The case is charcoal grey, with a modern sculptured look and four little legs near the corners - hence the "Walker" name we guess. In the top bay in front is the quad speed CD drive, and just below that, the floppy drive. To the right on the lower edge as you look at the computer are the mouse and keyboard ports. There are some cooling slots on the lower left front. The image should be roughly square. Your font may stretch it top to bottom. Well, this will never win a photo contest but it's the best we can do in an ASCII publication. We thought we'd run it for those who haven't seen any photos of the new machine. Best viewed from a distance. Brad (C) AmigaUpdate 1996 - mention us if you reproduce this image? - thanks! -------------------------------------------------------------------------- E S C O M H A S N E W C H I E F E X E C U T I V E O F F I C E R Helmut Jost new CEO of ESCOM AG, Manfred Schmitt to quit Board Bochum/Heppenheim, 27 March 1996. The Supervisory Board of ESCOM AG has appointed Helmut Jost (43) as Member of the Board of ESCOM AG with effect from 1 April, 1996. He will replace Manfred Schmitt as the company's CEO. Mr. Schmitt's desire to leave the Board of ESCOM AG has been accepted by the Supervisory Board. He is to quit his post on 31 March, 1996. Mr. Schmitt will continue to serve the company as a consultant. Helmut Jost has been in the European PC business for many years. After moving up the ranks at Commodore (where he was ultimately the Managing Director of Commodore GmbH and Vice President International), Helmut Jost accepted a post on the board of ESCOM AG in 1993, where he was responsible for the Sales and Marketing functions and for the management of subsidiaries. Since November 1995, he has been head of IBM's German PC business. In Helmut Jost, ESCOM has succeeded in winning back a man with an outstanding knowledge of the company and its markets. Info: Dr. Bernd Wirsing / Public Relations ESCOM AG - Tiergartenstr. 9 - D-64646 Heppenheim - Germany Tel +49 6252 709 193 - Fax +49 6252 709 417 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- A M I G A C O N V E N T I O N ' 9 6 The Official Info Pack on the Amiga Convention '96 In August, in Montreal, the fourth annual Amiga Convention will take place! This convention will gather the Amiga community together from all across the world to show its support for the Amiga! We hope to make this show an event in the long fight to make the Amiga a well known computer in North America again. WHY: We are putting on the Amiga Convention '96 (AC 96) to support our favorite computer, the Amiga! We feel that for too long, the Amiga has been ignored, and now that the Amiga is owned by people who actually will support it well, we want to help them out in any way we can. We also want to get a lot of people together to have a really cool time! WHERE: The Howard Johnson Hotel in Montreal, large enough to hold over 1,000 people, not including the surrounding rooms. ADDRESS: Howard Johnson (514)-842-3961 475 Sherbrooke West Street Montreal (Quebec) Canada H3A 2L9 WHEN : 3 & 4 of August 1996 TIME : 10:00 - 20:00 (8:00 PM) Saturday 9:00 - 18:00 (6:00 PM) Sunday ENTRANCE COST: 7 Canadian dollars COMPETITIONS: Gfx (3d) -------- 1st place : $300 2nd place : $200 3rd place : $100 Music (mod 4 chan.) ----------------- 1st place : $300 2nd place : $200 3rd place : $100 Demo (2 megs max.) ------------- 1st place : $500 2nd place : $300 3rd place : $100 COST FOR RENTING TABLES : $150 - 1 day, $250 - 2 days, for one table of 6' by 3' and chairs. These tables are aimed towards dealers and developers. FREE TABLES: We will also have free tables at AC'96, for anyone who wishes to BRING THEIR AMIGA, whether to show off something cool, or just to help someone else who might need one at the time. However, at the free tables you get less space than the pay tables, it is first-come first- serve, and you cannot sell products at the tables! That is strictly for the rented tables. ACCESABILITY: The show is easily accesable by bus and subway, as well as having lots of parking space in the vicinity for cars. WHY DEALERS SHOULD COME: At AC'96, we offer tables at an incredibly rate, a price which includes electrical outlets and electricity. You also get the chance to show and sell your wares to a crowd of Amiga owners, all of whom have money to spend and are influenced by how big a prescence you have at the show. WHY PEOPLE SHOULD COME: AC'96 will have stands from many major dealers and developers. It will also have a lot of friendly Amiga owners there, plus a booming sound system and TV setup that will show crazy demos and products. It will be a wild good time for all! BRING YOUR AMIGA AND HAVE A BALL * Just 5 minutess walking distance from the Metro Station McGill. * We will have Audio/visual equipment setup for presentations of demos, programs, hardware, new products, etc. * The Howard Johnson has a Restaurant, a Bar, and more. * For special room rates please contact us or the hotel. CONTACT: If you want to buy a table, get more information on the show, or just talk to the organizers, e-mail either or , or call (514)-649-9756 (in Canada) and ask for Frederic or (514)-933-8095 (in Canada) and ask for Jeremie. regarding the Amiga Convention '96. You can also mail the organizers at: Frederic Tessier 922 Deschamps Sainte-Julie (Quebec) J3E 1N9 Canada -=========================================================================- _ __ _ <>_ __ _ || Brad Webb - available at: /\\ |\ /|| || / ` /\\ || webb@malamute.med.ge.com /__\\ | \ / || || || ___ /__\\ || bandr@globaldialog.com / \\_ | \/ ||_ _||_ \__// / \\_ || Portal -- XJumpdisk -=========================================================================-