Computers

November 28, 2004 Logitech has released an innovative, ultra-thin mouse for notebook computers. Incorporating an expandable chassis, 2.4 GHz wireless technology and a touch-sensitive, solid state scrolling panel in place of the scrolling-wheel, the V5 cordless mouse is designed as a practical, usable tool for the mobile professional and fast-growing notebook market.  Read More

November 24, 2004 Designed to foster commercial innovation in the expanding field of nanotechnology, the International Nanotechnology Business Idea Competition provides a glimpse at the diverse range of applications for science on a nano-scale. Among them - and the eventual winner - the next generation of flat panel displays from QD Vision that will use quantum dot light emitting diodes to produce images on flat panel displays via electroluminescence.  Read More

November 15, 2004 The orbiTouch sliding keyboard from Keybowl uses a pair of ergonomically sculpted domes to "type" characters with the same precision as pressing a key. This keyless typing opens up the world of computing and information access to people with repetitive stress injuries and limited hand use and challenges the dominance of the QWERTY keyboard design, a relic from the typewriter era of over a century ago.  Read More

November 8, 2004 Apple's forthcoming Tiger operating system offers a compelling advantage. The following are Apple's words, but we concur and we think the advent of this system at this point in time is a landmark. Tiger will enable unmitigated access to meta-data for all. This access will enable the development of data-mining tools that will enable the world to mine its digital assets more effectively. If you were waiting for Apple to follow up the iPod, a product that established its presence in the entertainment industry, then this is it. This is devilishly clever! Meta-data is, succinctly stated, data about data. It provides a description about the data contained in a file such as (but not limited to) its height, width, size, creator, copyright holder, title, editor, created date, and last modification date. In practice, there is so much data that can be considered meta-data that these descriptions usually are generalized as a dictionary of descriptive attributes indexed by keys. You can think of it as the "what, when, and who" of a piece of data.  Read More

November 8, 2004 The days of struggling to see small keyboard letters are over thanks to the VisiKey keyboard with it's Enhanced Visibility Lettering System, which offers keynotes 430% larger than that of a standard keyboard. These innovative keyboards, which come in wired and wireless versions, have a simple idea driving them - larger lettering + high contrast = increased visibility and more comfortable use. VisiKeys Enhanced Visibility Keyboard also fill the gap for the estimated 50% of computer users that are not touch typists.  Read More

November 8, 2004 After years of building up one of the most successful internet-based businesses ebay is under attack and under threat. Ebay is becoming a victim of its own success. Despite stringent codes of conduct, a few unscrupulous users are finding ways of bypassing the rules, resulting in the availability of prohibited items and in fraudulent transactions. This is exacerbated when buyers discover that the "secure" payment mechanism is not quite as secure as they thought and ebay appears to dismiss their complaints. It all becomes grist to the media mill. The foundation of the ebay business model - trust - is being eroded and ebay need to react. But why and how?  Read More

November 7, 2004 Oh no, we missed another birthday. This time it was the tenth birthday of the humble banner advert. On October 25, 1994 the first banner advert appeared on HotWired. Interestingly, it did not make news and the whole world missed it, probably because it seems to have been around longer than that. And whereas the fledgling industry of 1994 had trouble explaining what the internet was, the internet will account for 3.5% of global advertising expenditure in 2004. The AT&T advert's slogan was "Have you ever clicked your mouse right HERE?" and the advert was created in the 468 x 60 pixel format because it suited the site's layout.  Read More

October 29, 2004 Chip developer AMD is developing a low-price PC for 'emerging markets' with the aim to connect 50% of the world's population to the internet by 2015. Despite the massive changes rolling out in the digital world, most statistics put the current online population at only 10% of the world population. The Personal Internet Communicator (PIC) will cost approximately US $185 for just the computer, and $249 for both the computer and a 15-inch monitor and is targeted at consumers in developing countries.  Read More

October 23, 2004 Handheld computing benchmarks have nearly doubled with the introduction of the Tungsten T5 from palmOne, which has 256 MB of RAM and acts as a portable flash memory drive that keeps data protected even if it loses its charge. With an estimated retail value of AU $749, the next generation Tungsten T5 offers the ability to carry more data and applications on a handheld than ever before.  Read More