VIDEO DIGITIZER

Antic saw the Print-Technik Video Digizer PRO at Atari Corp. in October, 1986. We don't have PRO yet, but we eagerly await it. Resolution is 512 pixels horizontally, while vertical resolution depends on the source of the video signal. Once the picture is in memory, you can store it on disk and modify it with NEOchrome, DEGAS or Doodle. The object is digitized in black-and-white, but with a color monitor you can do almost anything to the picture, and you can print it in any size on a dot-matrix printer.

Among the other products announced by Print Technik are the Meteostat Weather Satellite Receiving Station which can read in 800 x 800 pixel weather satellite pictures in 16 gray levels and store them on disk. You can define an excerpt or print the picture in any size. The Data Switch Box can be used to connect a printer to the centronics port at the same time as the digitizer and the Meteostat receiver.

Print-Technik Munich, 8000 Munich 40, Nikolaistrasse 2, West Germany. 089/368197.

Haba Systems Ltd., Pier Road, North Feltham Trading Estate, Feltham Middlesex, TW14 OTT, England. DEMO.

GENERAL LEDGER

Written in C, Synsoft's General Ledger Program features automatic double-entry accounting, automatic check writing and up to 500 active checking accounts. It works on color or monochrome monitors and on hard disk or floppies. Ledgers are automatically posted using data entered from the keyboard, and continuous error-checking insures database integrity.

$69.95. Synsoft, P.O. Box 541, Allen, TX 75002. (214) 727-2466. FINAL.

STAR FLEET 1

Star Fleet 1: The War Begins is available for the ST as well as Atari 8-bit computers. As an Alliance member, you're called upon to protect the outer regions against the Krellan and Zaldron empires and command a cruiser equipped with sophisticated weaponry.

$55. Electronic Arts, 1820 Gateway Drive, San Mateo, CA 94404, (415) 571-71 PRESS.

LABELMASTER, FAST, EASYDRAW

The GEM-based LabelMaster ($39.95) lets you combine bit-mapped graphics with a sophisticated mailing list manager to produce labels with flashy graphics. Features include more than 100 on-disk designs, a graphics editor to create your own designs and print multi-color images.

FAST ($49.95) contains several useful programs in one desktop accessory, operating in any resolution. FAST inclues ST-DOS, which lets you perform common DOS commands without returning to the desktop; ST Editor, with search-and-replace and block editing; Card File, an electronic address book; and a calculator, calendar, ASCII table and clock.

Updated EasyDraw Version 2.0 ($179.95) helps you create graphics, business charts, flow diagrams and technical illustrations. EasyDraw gives you a single GEM file format, metric and inch measurements, Change Arc and Arrange commands and automatic copy of objects between windows.

Migraph, 720 South 333rd Street, Suite 201, Federal Way, WA 98003. (206) 838-4477. PRESS.

ABACUS SOFTWARE AND BOOKS

PowerPlan ST ($79.95) is a 65,535 x 65,535-cell spreadsheet with a built-in calculator, a notepad and business graphics. Data can be summarized in pie charts, bar and line graphs and displayed simultaneously. The GEM-based program can use as many as seven windows and works on either a monochrome or color monitor.

AssemPro ($59.95),a machine language development package, features complete GEM-based interface, an integral editor with GEM and instruction mode reference online and inter-active debugging and monitor.

The newest addition to Abacus' ST reference library, ST Peeks & Pokes ($16.95), has dozens of quick programming tips.

Abacus Sotware, P.O. Box 7219, Grand Rapids, MI 49510. (616) 241-5510, PRESS.

34.4-MEG HARD DISK

Berkeley Microsystems' 34.4 megabyte BMS 3500 Hard Disk ($1,950) is as much as 16 times faster than floppy drives and 25% faster than the Atari hard disk, with a 30 millisecond average seek time. A separate interface ($135) has a real-time clock/calendar with battery backup.

Berkeley Microsystems, 1107 El Centro Avenue, Oakland, CA 94602. (415) 530-3436, PRESS.

MIDI SOFTWARE 4

Metatrak, a 32-track software recording studio, connects any MIDI instruments with an ST. Metatrack offers fast real-time record, playback, overdub, rewind and fast-forward; 32 polyphonic independently-controlled tracks; and full track editing enabling you to combine, move, copy and erase any combination of the 32 tracks.

$99. MIDIsoft Corp., P.O. Box 1000, Bellevue, WA 98009. (206) 827-0750, PRESS.

An extensive MIDI music library is available from Micro-W Distributing for the ST containing recordings by Gershwin, Joplin and others. Each six-song disk costs $19.95.

Micro-W Distributing Inc., 1342B Route 23, Butler, NJ 07405. (201) 838-9027. FINAL.

ZOOMRACKS UPGRADE

Quickview Systems has updated Zoomracks, a database system based on a metaphor of timecard racks, allowing merging of two or more racks and "zooming in" on particular racks. Zoomracks II has a four-function calculator, mail-merge and report formatting. Data can be imported and exported from other software, including DEGAS. Zoomracks I and II both get improvements in: menu, online help commands, disk backup, rack loading and screen display. Current Zoomracks users can upgrade to II for $73.95.

$149.95. Quickview Systems, 146 Main Street, Suite 404, Los Altos, CA 94022. (415) 949-3000. FINAL.

PLAN AHEAD

With Plan Ahead, you'll do exactly that. The first of the three modules in this software package creates a Total Retirement Plan completely accounting for each individual's particular circumstances. Life Insurance Planning helps determine how much life insurance you'll need to provide for the family if you're unable to. And College Funding determines the savings needed for your children to have adequate funds for their chosen schools. The package costs $59.95, but each module is $29.95 and any two modules cost $49.95.

Advanced Financial Planning, 20922 Paseo Olma, El Toro, CA 92630. (714) 855-1578.

FIRST BYTE TALK

The first products in First Byte's Notebook Series have been released. Speller Bee improves children's spelling skills, providing practice routines, challenging games and simulated tests. After Speller Bee says each word, the child is asked to type it. Pre-schoolers will improve word-recognition skills, and older children can enter their own lists from school.

KidTalk , a talking word processor with exciting graphics, guides children in communicating ideas more effectively. Unlimited text-to-speech capabilities enable children to hear text spoken letter by letter, word by word or by sentence as they type. Children can write stories, proofread written materials and learn word processing skills. KidTalk includes both male and female voices and the ability to control speech variables including volume, pitch, tone and speech.

MathTalk lets children enter their own math problems and receive individualized graphic and spoken help specific to each problem from Professor Matt A. Matics--a "private tutor" who can help overcome difficulties with each problem entered.

First Shapes introduces Ted E. Bear, who teaches children about shapes and relative size. In the Toy Factory section of First Shapes, each child can use geometric shapes to build toys onscreen, from dolls to space ships.

$49.95 each. First Byte, 2845 Temple Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90806. (213) 595-7004. FINAL.

QUIKCARDS FOR FLASH

This second release of Quikcards quick-reference cards supports the FLASH communications program from The Catalog. The cards slip between the function keys and the computer case.

$7.99. Hired Hand Graphics, 1010 N.E. Dewey Dr., Grant's Pass, OR 97526. (503) 476-6931, PRESS.

INAGEM AGENDA+

This electronic GEM desktop organizer keeps multiple records of your past, present or future events with a calendar, phonebook, diary and special reminder alarm. Memos can be printed by the week, month or year, and entries can be deleted at any time. Inagem Agenda+ features full GEM user interface, high-speed search and retrieval of memos by labels, overlapping windows to maximize onscreen information, 3200 characters per day and traveling format memo and phonebook printouts.

$49.95. Inagem Technologies Inc., 6117 Gerard Morisset Avenue, Montreal, Quebec H1M 3J8. Canada. (514) 256-9942. PRESS.

ACTIVISION GAMES

Zone out in the wacky world of Tass Times In Tonetown ($49.95), where being Tass is all that matters--just like being hip in the '60s. This insane adventure game looks at things (and says things) in a new way. You'll meet strange creatures and stranger people. And you'll probably be the strangest of all when you're done.

Shanghai ($44.95), a strategy game using the 144 tiles from Mah Jongg, challenges you to remove matching tiles from a pyramid viewed from the top. Once picked, new tiles are displayed. It sounds elementary, but it's fiendishly addictive. Solitaire, tournament and timed options are available.

With Gamestar Championship Baseball($44.95), you're the manager, batter, pitcher and fielders. An innovative split-screen approach gives you both a total field view and a ground-level batter's perspective.

GBA ChampIonshlp Basketball: Two-on-Two ($44.95) lets you pass, shoot, dribble or slam dunk the ball. You can go to the playoffs.

Activision Inc., P.O. Box 7826, Mountain View, CA 94039. (415) 960-0410. PRESS.

TRANSFORM

This advanced modular music system provides all the features used in today's music production, giving you polyphonic high-resolution notes. TRANSfORM ($99.95) modules use full GEM implementation, and all modules have instant access to other TRANSfORM modules.

Xtrack ($149.95), an easy-to-use sequencer and recorder for real-time and step input, has unlimited tracks to record on, name and edit. Features include a MIDI event editor and full MIDI implementation.

Compose and arrange music with Xnotes ($199.95), a composer/score publisher with high-resolution printouts of your musical scores and page preview for sheet-music layout (including text).

Xsyn ($99.95) features the Sound Editor, which uses click or slide hardware faders and an editor panel simulated by professional graphics on one page, clearly displayed. A Sound Manager controls as many synthesizers as are installed in the GEM desktop. The Real-Time Recorder operates every MIDI keyboard and records and stores 50,000 polyphonic notes. The built-in RAMdisk loses no data after a system reset.

Beam Team, 6100 Adeline Street, Oakland, 94608. (415) 658-3208. PRESS.

Shelbourne Software Systems' ST-Pool ($34.95) lets you select nine different types of racks--even create one and add it to the list. The game also includes three optional random balls and nine different table colors.

Shelbourne Sofiwore Systems Inc., 7221 Rising Sun Avenue, Suite #19, Philadelphia, PA 19111. (215) 725-5644. FINAL.

MEMORY EXPANSION

The ThoughtSpace TS-1A ($150) gives you a full megabyte of memory on a 520ST, enabling it to run at its best more often--it won't be starved for workspace by large documents and applications. You now can use more desk accessories simultaneously, set up large RAM disks and run 1040ST software. For 1040ST owners ThoughtSpace has a two-megabyte memory expansion (about $450) that uses inexpensive 256K RAM chips instead of 1Mb chips, plus "secret extras."

ThoughtSpace Development, 2450 Waring Street, No. 21, Berkeley, CA 94704. (415) 845-1415. FINAL. PRESS.

PUBLISHING PARTNER

With this comprehensive page layout program, you can see text, rules (lines) and columns in their actual sizes and positions on the screen as you type and edit the page. Design, compose and paste up publishing items ranging from newsletters, forms, tables, ads, charts and more. What you see is what you get.

$149.95. Softlogic Corp., 4129 Old Boamgartner, St. Louis, MO 63129. (314) 894-8608 (Marketed by Shanner International.) BETA.

TRIMBASE

This easy-to-use, GEM-based, full relational database system can be used without programming and allows for a file to be larger than the capacity of RAM. Among its features are online help, macros, data type-checking, handling of unknown or "special" values and a report generator.

Approximately $134 in Scottish pounds. Talent Computer Systems, Curran Building, 101 St. James Road, Glosgow G4 0NS, Scotland. 041-552 2128. FINAL.

Haba MailRoom ($74.85), a mailing list manager with search and display capabilities, will merge addresses directly with the HabaWriter word processor to create professional form letters. The mouse-controlled HabaMerge ($39.95) mail merge utility prints personalized form letters with documents created by HabaWriter, or combines them with Habadex Phone Book files. The HabaView database ($74.95) uses GEM. HabaCheck ($74.95) lets you arrange your checkbook four ways.

Haba/Arrays, 6711 Valjean Ave, Van Nuys, CA 91406. (800) 468-4222. PRESS.

FOUR FROM TOMMY

From TommySofrware in West Germay, LisPas II ST (about $580 in Deutsch-marks) allows easy entrance to artificial intelligence -- enter commands and LisPas II responds immediately. LisPas II helps solve the problems of the "LISP jungle" and prvides an easy, learnable user interface featuring all GEM capabilities. The program lets you program your own windows, menus, etc.

Copy-protect your applications via linkable module and master program with Lock_It, (about $490) a fully GEM-based copy protection utility which uses a different protection scheme for each program. Crypt_It(about $190) allows 10 different levels of encoding or decoding by using individual passwords.

Musix 32 (about $175), a full-featured professional music construction set, lets you write your own music as a standalone or as background sound for your own programs. Cut, Copy, Paste, Merge and printer output are provided.

TommySoftware, Mainzer Landstrasse 147, D-6000 Frankfurt/M.1, West Germany. 069/736917. PRESS.

PAYDAY

The first of a series of accounting programs, PayDay can handle an annual payroll of $21 million and 255 employees. It's completely menu-driven, and context-sensitive help is available via the [HELP] key. Runs on any 520ST or 1040ST with at least one drive, and a hard disk is supported.

$69.95. Crystal Software, P.O. Box 803, Merlin, OR 97532. (503) 479-9516. PRESS.

The Data Dumpster ST ($89.95) is a general purpose MIDI system-exclusive data storage program. Store patches, sequences, drum patterns, waveforms, samples and other MIDI information to disk quickly and easily. The Dumpster accepts MIDI dumps from more than 30 different instruments and keyboards, and features a 310K data storage buffer on the 520ST, or 835K on the 1040ST. Twenty data files can be in memory at the same time, and the GEM is supported. Now you can stop saving drum data from Roland TR707/727 on slow, unreliable cassettes. Use the TR707 Dumpster ST ($64.95) instead, and hold 20 dumps at once.

THREE FROM STONE AGE

UltraCalc ($24.95), a 40-function scientific calculator, runs as a standalone application or can be installed as a desk accessory. Available with either standard algebraic or Reverse Polish Notation interface, UltraCalc features a 32-bit integer mode and supports color and monocrome systems.

Lewis 123 ($29.95) is a chemistry spreadsheet for anyone needing to sketch covalent bonds. It allows 400 individual elements onscreen at once and uses standard DEGAS printer drivers. Monochrome only.

Encode sensitive data, picture or program files with Encrypt($19.95). Choose from over 2 billion alphanumeric passwords. Encrypt works at 1K per second on floppy drives and even faster on hard disks and RAMdisks.

Stone Age Software Inc., P.O. Box 1216, Amherst, NH 03031. (603) 673-8734. PRESS.

New ST product notices are compiled from information provided by the products' manufacturers. Antic assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of these notices or the perfomance of the product. Each mention is followed by a code word indicating that, at press time, Antic had seen a FINAL marketable version, near-final BETA, earlier ALPHA, incomplete DEMO, or PRESS release.