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• Due to various commitments, time contraints and situations occuring that are beyond my control I will be unable to update AmigaNews Central for approximately one week. There may also be a delay in updating the various mirrors. I apologise for any inconvienence.
• I will be attending the Australian Amiga Gathering 1997 probably as the ICOA representative. What does this mean to you?, well when I return there will be a comprehensive show report with (hopefully) photos. There will also be a slight adjustment to AmigaNews Central and a few other sections on AmigaCental will either be updated or discarded.
• See you all in a week!.

• WorkbenchNG the long awaited feature packed Workbench enhancer still has yet to appear but an FAQ has been posted about the upcoming program dispelling many myths and explaining the delay in delivery. The FAQ can be found Here.
• The always present Squid has once again posted another article this time examing Java and it's impact on the future of computing, especially the Amiga. Squids Page.
• As the Australian Amiga Gathering approaches news releases are appearing almost daily. Reported in local magazine Australian Amiga Gazette is more details about the show, besides the already mentioned WildBench competition there will also an Amiga quiz competition called Sale Of The Century after the popular television.

• A representative of Amiga International will be on hand at the Australian Amiga Gathering to be held at the Sydney Showground on June 25 and 26. A speech will be made by the representative at 3.00pm on the 25th (Saturday) on behalf of Petro Tyschtschenko who regrets he cannot make it. The full press release can be found Here.
• Readers may recall the magazine Scientific Amigan dedicated to the technical and scientific aspects of the Amiga. RB Productions of Gilbert, Arizona have acquired the rights to both republish articles and redistribute past coverdisks. Each back issue of Scientific Amigan and their coverdisks are available for download from the RB Productions website.

• The organisers of the Australian Amiga Gathering have sent out a final request for any shareware authors out there looking to have their products registered at the show on their behalf. Already numerous programmers have replied and as such programs of the calibre of Shapeshifter, STFax and Wildfire can be registered. The full press release can be found Here.
• Amiga veteran Harv Laser has once again expanded The AmigaZone an Amiga Internet/BBS type club. New offerings including a fidonet feed and even more Amiga specific mailing lists on topics as diverse as desktop video to communications. Amigans are encouraged to support this long serving venture, a free 2 week trial account is available as well as a special Internet Access/AmigaZone membership deal with CalWeb for US residents. The full press release can be found at the Amiga Web Directory.
• Gateway 2000 is beginning to show real support for the Amiga. Users can now choose "Amiga" in the mailing list selection form on their web page. While this is only a small addition it is quite apparent Gateway are preparing the Amiga to be once again a competitive force in the computer market.

• The upcoming Australian Amiga Gathering already appearing to be THE Amiga event of the year for Australian's and especially Sydneysiders is set to have a WB Screen competition called the "WildBench Competition". Users bring in their WB screenshots on a DD disk and bring it to the show. The competition will be divided into 3 categories depending upon the type of Amiga (OCS, AGA, GFX card). The full press release can be found Here.
• Intrinsic Computer Systems, quickly becoming the leaders in Amia peripherals have announced various new products including a low cost AGA scan doubler, infra red controlled video editing system, tower system for the A1200 and of most significance the Scorpio SuperCharger. You may recall earlier reports on Amiga Central of a mystery low cost accelerator set to break the sound barrier speed wise on Amiga, well this is it. Expected to be priced between 130UKP and 150UKP the accelerator is not a processor upgrade but instead uses an as yet unknown technique to seriously overclock 68k processors to speeds above 100mhz. Whether this is safe or not is anyones guess ;/.
• NovaDesign have announced the release of Aladdin4D 5.0. On the scrap heap after being dumped by it's previous developers Aladdin was purchased by Nova Design last year. All facets of the program have been significantly upgraded. It is expected to ship in July though if you pre order you can get it for $US99.95. The full press release can be found at the Amiga Web Directory.
• In an interview with PC magazine Boot, Gateway 2000 have spoken highly of the Amiga saying it has "fantasric technology" and "extremely efficient". Of most interest is Gateway's reply to the question of patents in which Gateway reveal initially the Amiga patents were of "primary importance" but they now realise "there is a lot more there than a set of patents". They also hinted at future development stating they are most interested in an "Open Amiga". The full article can be found at the Amiga Web Directory.

• IBrowse the Amiga's premier WWW browser has been updated, version 1.12 is now available. The update which primarily fixes a few well known bugs is available from http://www.hisoft.co.uk/ibrowse.
• US based print magazine Amiga Informer has announced it's 8th issue which will be released on the 18th of this month. In the upcoming issues will be an in depth analysis on the Gateway buyout of AT, exclusive photos and a report on the World Of Amiga held in London and a review of AirMail 4.2 to name but a few. All US readers are encouraged to subscribe to this high quality publication. The full press release can be found at the Amiga Web Directory.
• MasterISO version 1.28 has been released by Asimware. This CD-R package now contains support for the Mitsumi CR-2201 and Yamaha CDR-400 drives. The full press release can be found at the Amiga Web Directory.
• The always great "Squid" has updated his homepage. In this months report we see an investigation into the future of the Amiga and the role of organisations such as the ICOA in moulding the future. Squid's page can be found Here

• Motherboard Computers have announced that various shareware programs will be able to be instantly registered at the Shareware Booth at the Australian Amiga Gathering 1997. Programs include Shapeshifter, ProgED, STFax, SuperView, ATAPI and many more. The full press release can be found Here.
• An excellent new WWW site has been created covering the Phase5 PowerUP PPC processor boards fot the Amiga computers. It includes news, available software, available hardware plus many more. It can be found at PowerUP Homepage.
• The long awaited New York NewsReader by Finale Development has been publically released. Using the ClassACT GUI system (also by Finale) it heralds a new age in Amiga news readers. It is available in both registered (for those with a serial number) and demo versions from Finale Development.
• Amiga Users are invited to join GamaSoft and Michigan Computer User's Group for a demonstration of new internet software by Finale Development. On show will be a beta of Finale Web Cruiser (Java ready), New York and Voodoo. All attendees recieve a free demo copy of New York on disk. The full press release can be found at the Amiga Web Directory.

• The promised interview with GeoSync Media is now online. It can be found in the new Features section.
• Stay tuned for more innovations and exciting interviews, theres plenty on the way.

• A version of MAME (Multi Arcade Machine Emulator) is now available for the Amiga. The Amiga version is still in it's infancy and as such hasn't been optimised or "Amiga-ised" totally yet. Reports indicate that at least an 040 is required for the current version to be playable. PC/Mac/Unix/Amiga binaries and numerous ROM's can be found at the MAME Homepage.
• A small but interesting view of the Amiga's future is now available Here. Definetly worth a read.

• Rumours abound that Direct Software who are planning on releasing a "PowerAmiga" have some killer titles planned including a game coming on 7 CD ROM's!. Of note is also the rumour that both DOOM 2 and Dark Forces will be released for the machine.
• Stay tuned to AmigaCentral, a lot of new features are planned including an interview with Geosync Media.

• SASG the premier Amiga shareware company that produces MUI, MagicWB, DFA and many more is celebrating it's 3rd anniversary this month. To celebrate all products registered before the 13th of this month will incur a 20% discount. The full press release can be found at the Amiga Web Directory.
• Another A500 emulator for the PC has been released titled Fellow. The scant information available reveals it is definetly the little brother feature wise to UAE and relies on the usage of many UAE tools to make it functional. For more information or to download the emulator please visit the Fellow homepage.

• At the recently held Amiga Atlanta meeting Petro T. of newly formed Amiga International made an appearance. Of most interest to netters is the speech he made, while not confirming much he reiterated Gateway's excellent financial position and the need for everybody within the Amiga market to rally together. On the ICOA mailing list it was described as a "politicians speech", that is making a lot of promises but not detailing any in particular. It appears that we will be waiting a while before anything spectacular is announced. The full transcript can be found at the Amiga Web Directory

• Amiga International has posted further updates to AmigaOS 3.x. The update includes a new version of FastfileSystem, SCSI device and an updated SetPatch. The updates are available from ftp.amiga.de.
• ProDAD have announced a pre release version of their upcoming pOS will be available on CD-ROM for 68k Amiga's. The version which is near complete will also include many native pOS applications and demo's. The CD-ROM will be available from Schatztruhe for DM49. The press release can be found at Schatztruhe, the official English pOS information page can be found at ProDAD.
• Applications for the AAA Awards are due in one month. The AAA Awards was established are for developers who have produced very high quality software, the awards are divided into two groups, international and national. The national awards are only open to Swedish residents. The full press release can be found at the Amiga Web Directory.

• A press release has been issued by the organisers of the Australian Amiga Gathering '97 announcing further details regarding the upcoming show. It appears that the previous lack of overseas support has been rectified with the likes of DKB, Digita, Phase5 and ProDAD amongst others being represented. There will also be a large contingent of local dealers present as well as a "Shareware Booth" where shareware programs can be instantly registered. The full press release can be found Here.
• Another non profit organisation has been established to help shape and mould a hopefully successful future for the Amiga, titled the Jay Miner Society named after one of the original Amiga designers who was the driving force behind the Amiga philosophy. The organisation is still largely in the establishment phase but tentative details can be had at the Jay Miner Society WWW Page. The full press release can be found at the Amiga Web Directory.
• Sadeness Software has entered the games publishingmarket by announcing the signing of their first developer, Paul Burkey. The first release will be titled Foundation and is due around September/October off this year. Screenshots and a demo can be found at the Sadeness Software homepage.

• Peter Fregon of Quasar Distribution has stated in a mail on the PureAmiga mailing list that there is every chance there will be a PPC version of PC-Task. He did state though it very much depends on the sales of PowerUP cards.
• Amiga Flame recently spoke to President of newly formed Amiga International about the Amiga's future. While nothing ground breaking is revealed it is becoming increasingly apparent Gateway have big plans for the Amiga. The full interview can be found at AmigaFlame.
• You have probably read the message above about ongoing ISP problems. Lately it has affected Amiga Central a lot making me put back many plans I have for the site. Once again I implore you to please stick with us and things will improve.

• ZenMetal Software has just announced yet another update to the Amiga's premier BBS package, CNET. Included in the new version is a total redesign of the interface and the inclusion of many native internet applications including telnet. The full press release can be found at the Amiga Wed Directory.
• The UK based Amiga magazine, Amiga Review has just announced it's fourth issue and plans are afoot for further expansion. Issue 4 includes many exclusives and reviews including an interview with Larry Hickmott of LH Publishing.. Of most interest to readers outside the UK is plans by the publishers MediaSoft to expand distribution into Europe, the US and Australia. The full press release can be found at the Amiga Web Directory.
• Native PPC plugins for SuperView are now available. The PPC native plugins are said to "profit a lot from the presence of an installed PowerUP system". The full press release can be found at Amiga Online.
• NationalAmiga has announced an "Open Day" for Amiga users to be held on Saturday June 21. There will be a range of machines on display include the VideoToaster by Newtek and Aurora Works will also be on hand displaying their upcoming Amiga games. Also of interest is various seminars on Lightwave and the Internet. More info can be found at National Amiga.
• Amiga Flame reports that Charm Design are set to release a Command and Conquer clone for the Amiga titled Forgotten Forever. The game will include stunningly realistic graphics with sampled speech throughout. There will also be a null modem networking option available. More info including screenshots can be found at Amiga Flame.

• Amazing Computing has launced it's web presence and announced a video recording of the London Press Conference in which Gateway 2000 announced their plans for the Amiga's future. Also included on the video is an exclusive feature on PIOS and their future PPC machines. The press release can be found at the Amiga Web Directory.
• Amiga Legacy the new quarterly video magazine headed by Jason Compton has just announced that selected 1997 issues will contain footage of the Deathbed Vigil video including as yet unseen footage. The full press release is available Here.

• Motherboard Computers has posted a list,of those supporting the upcoming A ustralian Amiga Gathering. The list while full of supporters is quite scarce of those appearing at the show and overseas support is almost non existent. In further bad news Megatron, the Australian distributor of Amiga products has stated they will not be sppearing at the show saying, "we do not think we can add value to what we see as a usergroup meeting/show". Nevertheless the supporters page can be found Here.
• Amiga User International has closed it's doors for good. Each staff member was given an Amiga and the rest of the equitment was sold off. All subscribers will be reimbursed fully. The full article can be found at Amiga User International.
• Due to the success of US based Amiga magazine Amiga Informer, it's publisher has announced a change in distribution. Less complimentary copies will be available from dealers and further improvements to the magazine will be made. The full press release can be found at the Amiga Web Directory.

• Gateway 2000 has announced that it's shares have just began trading on the New York Stock Exchange. This is a definite sign of strength from the parent company of Amiga International. The full press release can be found at Amiga Web Directory.
• An NES emulator has been announced for the Amiga. Titled A/NES it will require an OCS Amiga with 1mb free RAM and a 68020 processor. The emulator is currently in internal development and testing, a public release is expected soon. For more information visit the A/NES HomePage. In other emulator news another web page has been created dedicated to Amiga emulators, run by friend and fellow Aussie Rodney Norton it has a comprehensive listing of available emulators and news. Please visit Emulators Annonymous.
• Petro T. will make his first public appearance since announcing Gateway had been successful in their bid for Amiga Technologies at the Amiga Atlanta, Inc meeting on Saturday May 31. The press release states "this is a rare oppertunity to get an insight into the Amiga's future". All Amigans living in the Atlanta area should make the effort to get there, admission is free. The full press release can be found at the Amiga Web Directory.
• The Industrial Council for an Open Amiga now has a homepage. Webmastered by Colin Thompson of Amiga Alley fame it includes details of various initiatives along with membership info including a current member list. More details can be found at the ICOA page.
• VillageTronic developers of the Picasso range of graphics cards and distributors of various Amiga products now has a web presence. The page is currently under construction, it can be reached at http://www.villagetronic.com.
• PureAmiga reports that Electronic Arts are rumoured to have at least 12 Amiga ports of their games including Syndicate Wars and Magic Carpet. Apparently there are about 30 master copies of each title sitting in a warehouse. EA refuse to release them due to the percieved financial risk involved. The original artical can be found at PureAmiga.
• Also reported on PureAmiga are the official specs of the Power Amiga from Direct Software. These include a 68060 processor, 22mb RAM, 1GB hard drive, 5 Zorro slots, 3D chipset and a 16 speed CD ROM all for 1500UKP!!!!. For more information visit PureAmiga.

• Impulse have announced Imagine 6 for the Amiga and the CUP (Constant Upgrade Program). Imagine 6 is expected to ship within 12 to 18 months but those who join the CUP will be entitled to at least 4 free updates so as you can use the new features as they are completed. For more information visit Inpulse's Amiga Page.
• Maxon Computer, laregely unknown in the English market but very popular in the German market have stated that at this point in time they will not be supporting the PowerUP program. An inability to source development has been stated as the main reason. For more informat see Amiga Network News.

• The World Of Amiga Show in the UK has just finished and reports are beginning to filter through. The Amiga Web Directory has the most comprehensive list at the moment. Various interesting rumours to come out of the show include TFX appearing on a CU Amiga coverdisk/CD and a strong rumour is circulating that we may see a new release of AmigaOS by Christmas 97. Also mentioned is that Amiga International is yet to decide upon a future processor for the Amiga, although the PPC is expected to be chosen. Direct Software were also on hand and very open about their Power Amiga, unfortunately no hardware was on show but a video detailing the kind of performance expected was. From all reports it was stunning.
• Swedish Amiga users may soon have their own television program. The show which will be available to a potential audience of 1.2 million people (Swedan's total population is 8.8 million) is still in design stage. At the moment the shows producers are appealing for sponsors, more information can be found at http://members.tripod.com/~HighLightdesign/AmigaTV.html.
• Vulcan Software have announced all Burnout expansion files are now available for free download from their website.
• The promised buyout issue of Amiga report has been released. As usual it is full of top quality material and some very interesting questions are posed. Click Here to HTTP download a copy from ftp.wustl.edu.

• The excellent Squid's Amiga Page has a very lengthy but interesting view on the new Amiga International and the computer industry in general. A must read!.
• Amiga Flame reports that the Sierra classic Phantasmorgia will be making it's way to the Amiga courtesy of Direct Software. Initially the game will appear for the "Power Amiga" but versions for lesser Amigas will be released. For more info click Here.
• Once again Amiga Flame reports on the release of a new game titled Star Fighter. It is being developed by GeoSync Media. For more information click Here
• US based Amiga magazine Amiga Informer have dramatically enhanced their web page, it is now fully created on Amigas. Included in the revamped site is a new "Public Service Database" that "allows user-groups, vendors and individuals to join and become included in future Amiga related mailings".
• Remember that accelerator that promised clock speeds up to 200mhz for only 120UKP. Well I've heard rumblings that it will be titled the Impulse Supercharger and be sold by Intrinsic Computer Systems.