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                                                        The Florida SunFlash

               SMCC Offers Complete Audio Solution

SunFLASH Vol 40 #15					          April 1992 
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      Adds Microphone to List of Multimedia-Ready Features

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. --April 7, 1992-- Demonstrating its commitment to
offer multimedia capabilities as standard workstation features, Sun
Microsystems Computer Corporation (SMCC) today announced that it is
shipping a microphone with every SPARCstation(TM) desktop workstation.
As a result, this popular computer delivers a complete audio solution
at no extra cost, including the microphone, built-in speaker, and
bundled software for easily playing, recording and receiving audio, as
well as sending it anywhere on the network.

"We call our approach collaborative multimedia, since it utilizes the
various media, such as audio, video, graphics and text, to enhance
communication and productivity, not just for individuals but for all
users on the network in the entire company," said Bob Pearson, director
of interactive media marketing at SMCC.

The first SPARCstation, introduced in 1989, was equipped with a
speaker.  Last September, Multimedia Mail and Audio Tool were
introduced as part of the Solaris(R) distributed computing environment,
adding even more audio capabilities to the SPARCstation system.
Multimedia Mail is an electronic mail tool with audio capabilities.
Like Multimedia Mail, Audio Tool appears as a window on the screen,
including functions like rewind, play and record.

The most recent example of audio capabilities on Sun is the inclusion
of a custom-designed, diamond-shaped, miniaturized microphone. In
addition, there are more than 30 third-party software applications
available for the SPARCstation that utilize audio.

Multimedia Mail and Audio Tool Are User Friendly

Ease of use was a major requirement for these tools, which need just
the click of a button with the mouse to perform most functions. Both
tools are tightly integrated via ToolTalk(TM), object-based technology
for transparent inter-application communication. Audio Tool is invoked
auto- matically by ToolTalk from Multimedia Mail. The user can easily
record and play back a message before sending it on to others as an
electronic mail attachment. In addition, third-party developers can use
Audio Tool and ToolTalk, saving the time it takes to incorporate audio
within their applications.

Audio Applications Enhance Group Productivity

As the industry's leading vendor of client-server systems, SMCC focuses
on providing multimedia capabilities that will enhance productivity
throughout the workgroup and organization, both in business and
technical environments. Sun SPARCstation users can add or listen to
voice annotations within electronic mail or documents. For example, an
important area is concurrent engineering, in which voice-annotated
drawings or designs can be sent across the network for review by
others. This audio application demonstrates the increasing integration
of telephone functions within computers and also shows how
collaborative multimedia will be applied in the workplace.

With a SPARCstation system and available software, users can perform a
wide range of sophisticated tasks, such as teleconferencing,
text-to-speech conversion, shared whiteboards, computer-based training,
and creating voice-annotated compound documents including spreadsheets,
database information, graphics, video and other media.

Experts in the multimedia field believe that making audio a standard
part of a computer -- a practice that is not common among workstation
vendors -- is an important step in bringing multimedia to the masses.
"Every computer should come with speakers and a microphone," said Chris
Schmandt, director of the Speech Research Group at the MIT Media Lab.
"And within five years, every computer will."

Desktop Multimedia Capabilities

The SPARCstation platform has many standard features that are necessary
for high-quality multimedia in a networked environment. These include
high-resolution graphics (8-bit color), built-in networking (Ethernet)
and large screen displays. These systems have a built-in CD-ROM
interface, an important inclusion, since multimedia applications will
increasingly be contained on this high-density medium. Available as an
add-on is VideoPix(TM), a low-cost still frame video capture board and
software that allow users to capture and share video images across the
network.  In addition, there are more than 100 third-party multimedia
applications available for the Sun platform.

Pricing and Availability

The new microphone is available now for all new Sun SPARCstation
customers, included at no cost with each workstation. For existing
customers, the microphone may be purchased for $29 (U.S. list) from
SunExpress at (1-800-USA4SUN). Multimedia Mail and Audio Tool are part
of OpenWindows` Version 3, now being shipped with every new Sun
system.


PR contact:

Sun Microsystems Computer Corp.  Leiann Lee (415) 336-0597

Product Marketing contact:

Sun Microsystems Computer Corp.  Paul Singh (415) 336-2072
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