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By Beverly Rosenbaum |
At the IBM Technical Interchange '96, Lotus Development Corp. announced that Word Pro 96 Edition for OS/2 Warp had entered customer beta testing and will be generally available in the United States this summer. Lotus Word Pro, Lotus' full-featured word processor, is the first application to deliver Team Computing features to OS/2 Warp users.
The Team Computing and Internet capabilities of Word Pro 96 help teams of individuals work together more effectively by automating the collaborative process of creating, reviewing and editing shared documents. Lotus also outlined technology strategy and delivery plans for its next generation SmartSuite applications for OS/2 Warp. SmartSuite 96 for OS/2 Warp applications, including Word Pro, Freelance Graphics, 1-2-3, Approach and Organizer, are based on common 32-bit code bases, allowing Lotus to more quickly deliver cross-platform advances in both personal and team productivity on OS/2 and Windows. In addition to features such as TeamReview and TeamConsolidate, the new applications will include extensive Internet access and publishing functionality, as well as a new level of programmability with LotusScript.
With its Team Computing features, Lotus Word Pro automates the process of editing and reviewing documents. TeamReview in Word Pro enables the user to quickly and easily distribute a document for review via floppy disk, e-mail, network, Internet/Intranet, or Lotus Notes. The document's author can easily assign access and editing rights for each individual reviewer, thereby maximizing control over the editing process. Once multiple edits are made to a document by the reviewers specified in TeamReview, Word Pro's TeamConsolidate feature automates the process of seamlessly accepting, rejecting and consolidating these edits into one final draft. Word Pro also provides built-in, direct Internet and World Wide Web support, allowing users to access, share and publish information via the Internet from within their familiar desktop environment. Direct Internet access means that a Word Pro document can be opened from an FTP or Web server without having to first save it locally with a browser. Word Pro also provides the tools needed to create and edit HTML files, including HTML 3.0, and save them directly to the Internet without having to type formatting tags and codes.
Other enhancements include Lotus InfoBox, a tool for changing the attributes of a selected item to streamlining everyday tasks; SmartMasters, professionally designed templates that let users create a wide range of documents from memos and letters to complex business documents; SmartControls, which enable users to easily organize and navigate a document with tools such as Divider Tabs, Page Gauge and Page Sorter; SmartSense technology, which provides tools including SmartCorrect, SmartEditing and Format Check to increase individual productivity; and Ask the Expert, a personalized way to get help in Word Pro using natural-language queries. Additionally, Word Pro's new LotusScript programming language includes support for REXX, to enable more powerful application development on the OS/2 platform.
Lotus Word Pro 96 Edition for OS/2 Warp entered beta in March, and is expected to be available in the United States this summer for an estimated retail price of $105 (on CD-ROM only), with a $20 in-box rebate coupon offered for all current Lotus product users. As a limited time introductory offer, current users of Describe and WordPerfect for OS/2 will also be eligible for the $20 rebate.
Lotus Freelance Graphics 96 Edition for OS/2 Warp entered beta in May, followed by beta testing of the new releases of 1-2-3, Approach and Organizer for OS/2 Warp. Lotus SmartSuite 96 for OS/2 Warp is expected to ship in Q3 1996 and will include the new releases of Word Pro and Freelance Graphics, and for registered users, automatic shipment of the new versions of 1-2-3, Approach and Organizer as they become available. The estimated retail price for SmartSuite 96 for OS/2 Warp will be $399 (CD-ROM only). Users of any Lotus or competitive suite, word processor, spreadsheet, database or presentation graphics application can upgrade to SmartSuite 96 for OS/2 Warp for an ERP of $149.
OS/2 customers who purchase SmartSuite for OS/2 or SmartSuite for Windows 3.1 applications between April 23, 1996, and shipment of SmartSuite 96 for OS/2 Warp, can upgrade to respective Lotus' new OS/2 releases for a shipping and handling charge of $10 for standalone and $15 for suite purchases by calling Lotus Customer Service at 1-800-343-5414. French, Italian, German, Spanish and International English versions of SmartSuite 96 for OS/2 Warp will ship simultaneously with the US English version, and information on those additional language versions will be made available closer to shipment.
For a limited time, a CD-ROM containing the Norton Utilities 8.0 is packaged free inside Maxtor's 2.0 GB Enhanced IDE drive retail upgrade kit. The CD-ROM has a retail value of $120 and contains complete versions for both Windows 3.1 and Windows 95. The Norton Utilities version 8.0 features new Windows configuration utilities and background Windows Speed Disk and Disk Doctor. For additional information, call 1-800-2-MAXTOR (1-800-262-9867).
According to the results of a Dataquest survey, half of the households that do not already own personal computers have no desire to change that status. The results of the survey show that vendors aiming at the home PC market will have a tougher job because more than 51 percent of those households without PCs said they had no need for a PC. The survey of 10,000 households conducted between June 22 and August 10, 1995 also revealed that 87 percent of all households with PCs said they use their machines for word processing, followed by 64 percent of those that said they run spreadsheets and 57 percent use software for personal finances and taxes. The only other type of application being used in more than half the households with PCs is entertainment and games, according to surveyors.
Analysts at Dataquest also reported that the US home PC market has been growing at a rate much faster than the PC industry as a whole in the past three years. They believe this rapid growth has created an atmosphere of intense competition leading to practically nonexistent profit margins, leaving developers and marketers clamoring for good data regarding computer use in the home. The home sector is not as well defined as the professional sector and is much tougher to characterize in generalizations with confidence. Industry officials fear that the home market may be reaching saturation before many might have expected.
Beverly Rosenbaum is a HAL-PC member and can be reached via e-mail through the User Journalsection of HALNet.
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