AT&T promises easier access to the Net 18 June
AT&T (NYSE:T) said it has expanded its program to offer business- and consumeroriented software that offer "seamless and even focused access" to the Internet, via "tight integration" with its WorldNet Internet access service. The company also announced a program that will help software developers integrate their products with WorldNet.

With the "tight integration" between the particular piece of software and WorldNet, the two can interoperate and move a user from within the software directly to the Internet -- or even to a specific site on the World Wide Web, officials said.

AT&T has lined up with companies like Grolier, Mindscape, IMSI, Houghton Mifflin Interactive, and Starfish, along with previously announced firms, to achieve this tight integration. "Through relationships with innovative software companies, we're giving our customers a means of harnessing the power of the Internet for everyday use," said Tom Evslin, vice president of the AT&T WorldNet Service.

For example, people who buy Grolier's Multimedia Encyclopedia will have instant access to Web sites via WorldNet. A student who needs additional information on dinosaurs can click on a hotlink that will take him or her directly to Web sites with more information on the predators that ruled the Earth.

Some of the previously announced companies and products include Corel's WordPerfect line, Broderbund's consumer software line for home productivity and infotainment, and Expert's consumer for the home and small office.

AT&T has also established a "developers alliance" program that offers software developers a "supportive environment" in which to build Internet-enabled applications, officials said. Details about the alliance can be obtained via -- no surprise here -- the Web at http://www.worldnetall.com/ .

The announcement was made during the PC Expo show at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

(Bob Woods/19960618/Press Contacts: Michael Miller, 908-658-2815, or Patricia Alle, 908-658-6676, both of AT&T)


From the NEWSBYTES news service, 18 June