Acorn News - Future Technology at Acorn World (PR??/??.10.94)

Discover the future of technology in the home, classroom and print shop at Acorn World

Acorn Computers Ltd, the world's first supplier of 32-bit RISC personal computers, is previewing the future of truly innovative desktop, home and school systems at the Acorn World '94 show, running from October 28th to 30th at Wembley Exhibition Hall 2. 'A World of Opportunities' is the theme of Acorn World '94 and the show, which has attracted support from many leading companies, is set to be the largest ever showcase for Acorn products and services worldwide.

Acorn World includes a series of themed feature areas, providing a glimpse of technological innovation in the interactive media, publishing, education and home sectors. These areas will demonstrate the truly integrated solution Acorn can provide between the home, the classroom and the office.

Mike O'Riordan, Sales and Marketing Director of Acorn Computers says:.

"Its a show that is fun, educational, and entertaining. We'll be showing the best in technology for the home, the school and the publishing sector. We are also demonstrating a working system in the gallery combining surround sound, video on demand, video CD, interactive video, home shopping, point to point video links, distance learning, integrated security and PhotoCD. Its a show for everyone parents, children's, educationalists, computer enthusiasts and professional users."

A show for children

An exciting 'games arcade' will show off the latest in computer game technology, confirming Acorn's traditional strength in the home user market. Children in groups of eight will also be able to venture into the Laser Labyrinth, a laser 'shooting gallery' where they will have their pulses monitored by Acorn equipment in a massive health experiment. Treasure Hunts, laser light shows, face painters and jugglers are only some of the other activities available for children visiting during the half-term period.

The Audio Visual Gallery

In this year's Gallery, Acorn will demonstrate many of the applications, which with the growth of the information superhighway, may be finding their way into the home before the end of the century. The majority of the equipment in the Gallery is currently available, including the set top box from Online Media, a newly formed division of Acorn Computers, which is already being used in homes in Cambridge.

Leading Edge Technology

Working examples of future capabilities of the Risc PC will be demonstrated at the show. A range of developments will be previewed, giving show attendees an indication of the potential for Acorn computers in the future. The following operating system developments will be on show: Unix native on Risc PC, Windows 95 native on a PC processor podule and TAOS on ARM processors.

Two Microsoft Servers running NT Server V3.5 will be connected to ten Risc OS client machines and a similar client/server demonstration will show Risc OS machines linked to a UNIX server. Acorn Universal Client will allow all three operating systems to read the same data simultaneously.

Clan Acorn '94

Acorn fans will also have the opportunity to join Clan Acorn '94, a club designed to bring the people who use Acorn Computers together with those designing and making them. Competitions for Clan members include prizes of ARM 700 and 486 processor cards for the Risc PC and a multi-processor adapter board to enable the Risc PC to carry several ARM processors. The first member offer will be the chance to take out an Acorn VISA credit card, believed to be unique in the computer industry

Special Show Offers

Acorn World attendees will have the chance to claim £50 cash back off every A3010 Action pack purchased at the show. To benefit from the special promotion, A3010 systems must be purchased from an Authorised Acorn Dealer. The offer includes free 3 year on site support and a pack of TDK disks.

IBM Partnership

Acorn will announce a partnership agreement with Blue Micro, the exclusive manufacturer's representatives for IBM Microelectronics in the UK at the show. As part of this relationship, IBM will manufacture the new 486 PC card for the Acorn Risc PC range at its plant in Vimercate, near Milan, Italy. The new card allows users to access shrink wrapped PC software, alongside software designed for the RISC processor.

Christmas Card Competition Winner

The winner of Acorn's Christmas Card competition will be announced at the show and the winning and runners up's designs on display. The winning design was submitted by Shirli Hill a designer based in South Africa. Her prize a Risc PC system, will be presented by Wayne Postma, General Manager of Acorn's South African distributor Oak Tree Technologies.

Bargain Basement

The show will feature a _Bargain Basement_ area containing many items of particular interest to the technically minded. This are will be relevant for all those people still using early generations of Acorn computers.

School/Home link

Acorn computer_s value as a state of the art school/home link will be demonstrated in the education sector of the show. The mock-up will include a home study area and a child_s bedroom showing the entertainment value of the Acorn Action Pack. The demonstration is designed to show the value of completing school work at home on the same computer as that used in the classroom. The new Early Years package, especially developed to give children a head start with learning and technology, will be on show.

Education products

On the education product stand, Acorn will be showing the wide and innovative variety of off the shelf education solutions. Students will also be on the stand demonstrating everyday applications of the systems.

Founded in 1978, with 1993 revenues of £54.3m, Acorn Computers is the premier supplier of IT solutions to UK education and has been the leading provider of 32-bit RISC based personal computers since 1987. Acorn works closely with a strong community of industry partners, users and software developers to provide innovative technology solutions for the education, consumer, publishing and international markets.

The Acorn Computer Group is a holding company for Acorn Computers Limited, Acorn Australia, Acorn New Zealand, Acorn GmbH and Online Media. Acorn Computer Group owns 43% of ARM Ltd. Online Media, a division of the Acorn Computer Group, was launched in 1994 with the mission to design world class, interactive multimedia products.