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Amiga Update (1996-08-29)
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/\\ |\ /|| || / ` /\\ || Amiga Update -News and Rumors
/__\\ | \ / || || || ___ /__\\ || (An Occasional Newsletter)
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AMIGA and the Amiga logo are trademarks of Amiga Technolgies, GmbH
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960829
V I S C O R P W A N T S A M I G A T Y P E L O G O
R E P O R T O N V I S C O R P S T A T U S
- A N D A N A M I G A L U G G A B L E ?
S I L E N T P A W P O R T A B L E K I T I N T R O D U C E D
The Editor's thoughts:
LOGO:
The good folks at VIScorp are in search of a new logo and are having a
contest to design one. We find the premise behind this contest very
reassuring. If you're a graphic artist - and we know some of our readers
are very good graphic artists - give this some thought.
VIScorp STATUS AND PORTABLES:
We've also included a posting made by VIScorp's Jason Compton to the
Usenet in which he discusses the current state of VIScorp - and mentions
some interesting items about a new Amiga "luggable" computer..
The post from Jason Compton refers to QuikPak, the North American
distributor of Amiga. Despite their inability to spell as demonstrated by
their name, QuikPak seems to be a first rate organization. We've mentioned
them in the past but not had much information about them. We decided to
include a note from their CEO to redress that lack.
Speaking of portable Amigas, we've been hearing from the Silent Paw
people for a long time about their kits which allow you to make an Amiga
portable from an existing mother board. We've not seen much to indicate
they're actually available, though. If you've been waiting as we have, see
the last item in this issue.
EET:
If you get the chance, take a look at the August 19 issue of "Electronic
Engineering Times". EET is a venerable and much respected publication in
the Electronics industry. It has a long and mostly very good front page
article on the current Amiga situation titled "Hola, Amiga: Rebirth of a
Platform". The only negative spotted was a statement that Escom beat out
Atari (!?!) in the bidding for the Amiga after Commodore declared
bankruptcy. Author Craig Matsumoto seems to be having flashbacks to the
contest between Commodore and Atari in 1985 when the original Amiga company
was up for sale. Unless there were other things happening in 1994 that we
all missed, that is. Despite this one faux pas, the article is excellent
and something no Amigan should miss.
RUMOR!!
It's been a while since we've had any fun rumors to pass along but we
picked up one recently. Supposedly, Microsoft is working on a version of
the Microsoft Explorer Web browser for the Amiga! Given that Amigans as a
group are mighty active on the Web and Microsoft seems bound and determined
to dominate all segments of the Web, it's almost believable. One thing to
keep in mind is what the only other major Microsoft effort for the Amiga -
Amiga Basic - was like. Fundamental programming flaws kept it from working
on anything but 68000 based Amigas and even then it was slow. (We will
admit it did have nice features. Not too valuable if it won't run on your
Amiga, though.)
As it always seems to be for Amigans, these are strange times indeed.
Brad
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V I S C O R P L O G O C O N T E S T
Design the New VIScorp Logo!
VIScorp wants to show the world that it is more than just a set-top
technology company with three capital letters in its name. We want to tell
everyone that we own the Amiga, in everything we do.
What better way than to incorporate Amiga trademark images in the VIScorp
logo? We'd like this to be a community project.
The specifications of the new logo are as follows.
* The Logo MUST be provided in a form that will show up in NTSC and PAL
broadcast video. (avoid white backgrounds, etc.) We recommend, but do not
insist upon, a battleship-grey background at 10% screen.
* The Logo MUST be provided in a form that will be color-separatable and
printable.
* The Logo MUST incorporate the Amiga double-checkmark in the "V" of
VIScorp.
* The Logo SHOULD incorporate the Amiga rainbow color stripes (as found on
Amiga OS manuals, etc.) in the "o" of VIScorp. If you wish, you may ALSO
submit a design with the Amiga boing ball as the o, but the rainbow "o"
should take precedence.
* The Logo MUST be designed on an Amiga.
So, whether your bag is DPaint, Brilliance, AdPro, ImageFX, or Lightwave,
we want to see your vision for the future of VIScorp and the Amiga. This
will be appearing on all corporate information packages, memos,
correspondance, etc.
The entries should be submitted to VIScorp. Disks can be provided in any
format.
VIScorp
111 N. Canal St.
Suite 933
Chicago, IL 60606
USA
The winner will receive our undying gratitude and recognition on the inside
flap of our official corporate information packet.
All entries will become the property of VIScorp.--
Jason Compton
Communications Manager, VIScorp
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A V I S C O R P P R O G R E S S R E P O R T
- A N D A N E W A M I G A ?
Where Things Stand 8/20
comp.sys.amiga.misc
From: jcompton@flood.xnet.com (Jason Compton)
Subject: Where Things Stand 8/20
Date: 20 Aug 1996 15:33:41 GMT
Hi, guys and gals.
As you've all no doubt noticed, August 19th has been and gone and there was
no fireworks display. Later today there will be an official notification
of a 30-day extension granted by the Escom trustee to VIScorp for the Amiga
acquisition. [Press release carried in the previous issue of "Amiga
Update" - 960821. Brad]
What else is news? Well, many of you have heard by now of the Amiga
luggable I was showing in Atlanta and later in the Chicago suburbs. Here's
a mini-FAQ.
No, it is NOT the Silent Paw A4000 portable design.
It WILL BE a new motherboard design done by QuikPak. The capabilities of
the machine will be A4000-ish, with either an 040 or 060, up to 128 megs of
RAM on the motherboard, with Zorro slots and a video slot or two. I don't
have the specs on what I/O it will have internally or externally yet.
What I showed was an OEM case built by Prism, which is what QuikPak has
selected as the case and LCD for the machine. It's smoke-black, so it
won't match the Amiga beige equipment on your desk now. :)
It does NOT take batteries, it is AC powered only by a standard PC power
supply.
QuikPak is imagining that the machine will be popular as a Toaster/Flyer
portable editing station.
I am currently working on ways to make A1200s and A4000Ts more attractive
for sale in the interim. I don't know what the engineering realities of a
new stopgap machine will be, but in the meantime I am trying to put
together a good deal for everyone.
Graphic artists, please read my next post. [That's the contest item which
we ran above. Editor's privilege to re-arrange items. Brad] VIScorp needs
your help to herald in the Amiga's arrival at the company.
Guys, I know it's tough. But we ARE trying and we ARE working as fast as
possible to get things up and running. Visible evidence is scant, I know.
"Faith" is a tough word to invoke when it comes to the Amiga, so I'll just
ask you to persevere. We are, all of us, part of something unique.
Something that the rest of the computing world has forsaken. We are a true
Community, and I capitalize it on purpose.
Each of us contributes something to the whole, whether it's the tangibility
of a new Aminet release or the intangibility of simply grimacing at a
flashing guru.
Don't let them win. You know what we're up against, and it's more than
just the legacy of Commodore's mistakes and Escom's inaction. We are
trying to do our part, to keep everyone together. Please, persevere. I'm
not here pissing away money just to ruin your day. I'm trying to ensure
that the Amiga's place in the present and future is secure.
--
Jason Compton jcompton@xnet.com
Communications Manager, VIScorp
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A N I N T R O D U C T I O N T O Q U I C K P A K
Quikpak Quality, Quickly.
David A. Ziembicki
CEO-QuikPak Corporation
I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to QuikPak
Corporation. QuikPak is currently providing distribution services and
support for all Amiga Technologies products in North America. Back in June
1995, QuikPak received the contract from Amiga Technologies to manufacture
the A 4000 T computer in North America. In late October, we completed the
first production of the A4000 T and these units were introduced at several
trade shows around the world. Worldwide acceptance of the A4000 T has been
good although we have been told that availability in North America has been
a problem. We at Quikpak were surprised by this. We have shipped
thousands of board sets to Amiga in Germany for European sales and we have
finished computers in stock here in the U.S. since December, waiting for
end users like you.
Most of you probably have not heard of QuikPak. We are a relatively
young company but our background and experience with the Amiga dates back
to the first Al 000's produced in the mid 1980s. Many of our management
and workforce came from GVP and prior to that, some worked for Commodore in
engineering, manufacturing, or service. Our ability to manufacture and
support both the A4000 Tower as well as any other Amiga products released
in North America is unsurpassed. Our goals are quite simple.
1. The end user is our top priority. We will provide high quality
products, backed by the best factory technical support and service.
2. Our distributors and dealers are our partners. We will establish a
strong distribution and dealer base, and then directly support our products
at our factory, quickly and professionally.
3. Third party developers will make the new Amiga a success. We will
encourage and support the efforts of all third party hardware and software
developers as well as user groups in their efforts to support and promote
the Amiga.
The efforts of engineers, user groups, and third party developers, are
what originally made the Amiga market a success. To this end, QuikPak is
currently supporting the A4000 T and is now announcing repair services for
all GVP products. We are encouraging all third party hardware and software
developers to contact us so we can coordinate our tech support programs
with theirs to be sure we best serve the A4000 T user community. All of us
at QuikPak are dedicated to the continued rebuilding of the Amiga computer
as an alternative to the "compatibles" in the applications where the Amiga
is superior. This market launched several successful peripheral companies
in the past, and because the Amiga remains a technologically competitive
computer today, we expect to see that history can repeat itself.
Our thanks to all of you-past, current, and future Amiga owners-for your
support.
Quikpak: Phone 610-666-8080 FAX 610-666-8086
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S I L E N T P A W I N T R O S A L E
Silent Paw Productions, Inc. is having initial release sale
on the PAWS 1200. If you are student, a member of the military,
police, fire or represent an educational institution please see
below. All prices are US Dollars.
PAWS 1200 - $2,195.00
This price is good on all orders up to Sept 20. Please note
that with all special orders proof of status is required. Most
things will be accepted from Xeroxs of student IDs to check
stubs.
Here is a list of our other products :
Gecko - Allows any Amiga to use standard VGA displays in NTSC,
PAL, DBL, and Productivity Modes. Video Toaster Upgrade coming
soon. External Unit uses no Amiga slots. Comes with unit,
power supply and cable. - $375.00
PAWSTRAC MicroTrackball - Small microtrackball for the Amiga.
- $35.00
Cub - External LCD Panel for the Amiga. Can be sold with or
with case to support interactive Kiosks. Cub supports NTSC,
PAL, DBL, and Productivity Modes $1,459.95 (with case)
$1,359.95 (without case)
Please visit our Web Page at :
http://www.netcom.com/~slntpaw
We accept on line orders for our products and accept VISA/MC.
Thanks for your attention.
Regards
Shawn P.B. Randolph
President
Silent Paw Productions, Inc.
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Amiga Update on the net: recent issues available in html format at:
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Copyright 1996 by Brad Webb. Freely distributable, if not modified.
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