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1st May 2008 After 30 years of writing about computers, computer guru, Fred Langa, is retiring and seeking pastures new. I only hope that the many links to his useful pages on this website don't retire with him.
April 29th The release of Windows XP SP3 to the web has been delayed due to a bug. Microsoft says : "In the last few days, we have uncovered a compatibility issue between Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS) and both Windows XP SP3 and Windows Vista Service Pack 1," says Chris Keroack, release manager of Windows Serviceability, in a statement released on the TechNet forum. In order to make sure customers have the best possible experience, we have decided to delay releasing Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) to the web." The update to the aging operating system was due to be released to the general public via automatic update and download yesterday, but this has now been put on hold.
April 28th O2 and Carphone Warehouse have just knocked £100 off the Apple iPhone (Now a mere £169) and reduced the tarrif. To me that spells either it was too expensive in the first place or they are about to launch something new and they are clearing the shelves.
April 24th Virgin Media must be feeling the heat. They have cancelled their 25p a minute technical help by phone and are offereing £50 off your bill if you find new customers.
Windows Defender update was released last week, but some unfortunate Vista customers have claimed that their USB mice and keyboards among other devices refuse to work after the update is installed on their computers.
Service Pack 3 for XP will be available for download on the 29th April and will be on Automatic Update from Microsoft in June. I recommend that you wait for it unless you are trying to do a fresh install of XP
April 08 Microsoft has submitted an early version of Windows 7 to the US government, sparking speculation that the successor to Vista may arrive sooner rather than later. But Bill Gates has now recanted and says it will be 2010 after all. He must be getting old !
Service Pack 3 for XP is out and is reported to give a 10% increase in speed. One more reason to stick with XP ? XP has been given a slight reprieve and will now stay on the shelves until the middle of 2008, though how long it will be 'supported' after that is anyone's guess. My feeling is that pressure from industry will force them to keep it ticking over for a long time. Service Pack 3 contains all the updates from SP1 onwards, is now available from the Microsoft site - if you have the courage to download it ! It has already been sent out to manufacturers and they are now hoping it is bug free. This will be the final major update for XP; no doubt security updates will continue for a long time yet.
March 08 Vodafone are offering Mobile Broadband up to 7 meg for £15 a month. You need to plug in a USB Modem stick to your laptop or PC. It auto configures itself but Apple folk have to get the drivers
March 08 Microsoft has taken the unusual step of offering free support for installation issues with Vista Service Pack 1, (but only to certain technical users) until March 09. Others will get email support by the end of the day This raises further doubts over the reliability of the patch. Last week PCPro reported how several users had encountered serious problems with SP1, including machines that refused to reboot, botched installations and ongoing driver support issues.
SP1 for Vista is available through its Windows Update site and download centre. The company plans to push it out to PCs through automatic updates sometime in mid-April. Those expecting a raft a new features are liable to be disappointed, with Microsoft essentially bundling together a series of bug fixes and performance tweaks.
March 08 One of the latest threats to computing come from websites which have been tampered with and which, when clicked on download malicious software to your PC. The sites which do this are known to security software companies. Mozilla, have updated their browser, Firefox so it can detect such sites and prevent surfers from being infected. It is therefore preferable to use Firefox, certainly until Internet Explorer 8 arrives. You can download it by clicking the link at the top of my Photography page
Internet Explorer V 8 is now being offered to a few developers in Beta. And there was a public showing on the 6th March 08. More news soon.
The Blu-Ray Format of next generation of DVD's has won the battle and the HD DVD group headed by Toshiba formally gave up the struggle on the 17th February.
I am told that XP will disappear from the shelves this summer. If you have Vista PC but wish you had XP too, you can make you Vista machine dual boot. You must have an unregistered XP disk (and quite a lot of computer savvy) See http://windowssecrets.com/2008/02/14 But I also hear that a clash between the two operating systems means that Vista Restore points are overwritten by the XP ones.
A recent Vista update (KB937287) has caused problems on a few machines. Microsoft will send out a replacement a.s.a.p. It is not known whether this will delay SP1, which is scheduled for March
Google is sounding VERY sensitive about Microsoft's proposed takeover of
Yahoo as is seen in this article :
Feb 3, 2008 Yahoo! and the future of the Internet
from Official Google Blog by Karen, Posted by David Drummond, Senior Vice
President, Corporate Development and Chief Legal Officer "The openness of
the Internet is what made Google -- and Yahoo! -- possible. A good idea that
users find useful spreads quickly. Businesses can be created around the idea.
Users benefit from constant innovation. It's what makes the Internet such
an exciting place.So Microsoft's hostile bid for Yahoo! raises troubling
questions. This is about more than simply a financial transaction, one company
taking over another. It's about preserving the underlying principles of the
Internet: openness and innovation. Could Microsoft now attempt to exert the
same sort of inappropriate and illegal influence over the Internet that it
did with the PC? While the Internet rewards competitive innovation, Microsoft
has frequently sought to establish proprietary monopolies -- and then leverage
its dominance into new, adjacent markets. Could the acquisition of Yahoo!
allow Microsoft -- despite its legacy of serious legal and regulatory offenses
-- to extend unfair practices from browsers and operating systems to the
Internet? In addition, Microsoft plus Yahoo! equals an overwhelming share
of instant messaging and web email accounts. And between them, the two companies
operate the two most heavily trafficked portals on the Internet. Could a
combination of the two take advantage of a PC software monopoly to unfairly
limit the ability of consumers to freely access competitors' email, IM, and
web-based services? Policymakers around the world need to ask these questions
-- and consumers deserve satisfying answers. This hostile bid was announced
on Friday, so there is plenty of time for these questions to be thoroughly
addressed. We take Internet openness, choice and innovation seriously. They
are the core of our culture. We believe that the interests of Internet users
come first -- and should come first -- as the merits of this proposed acquisition
are examined and alternatives explored." But are the Yahoo folk refusing
the offer because it doesn't fit with their 'Corporate Culture' ? Not
a bit of it. They just want more billions thrown into the pot !
Everyone has their price they say. Even Yahoo.
Will they ever learn.? Last year Microsoft has lost its appeal against a record 497m euro (£343m; $690m) fine imposed by the European Commission in a long-running competition dispute. The European Court of First Instance upheld the ruling that Microsoft had abused its dominant market position. A probe concluded in 2004 that Microsoft was guilty of freezing out rivals in server software and products such as media players. Microsoft has two months to appeal at the European Court of Justice. "The Court of First Instance essentially upholds the Commission's decision finding that Microsoft abused its dominant position," the court's statement said. Microsoft's top lawyer said it was important now for the company to comply with EU competition law.
That inveterate inventor, Trevor Baylis, who thought up the wind up radio, has now brought out the Eco Media Player. Not only will it play hours of music for a few turns of the handle it will recharge your phone, play video clips and photos on its small screen. Trevor is now working on a mobile phone that works on the same principle.
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 includes quality improvements that help enhance reliability, security and performance. It will be issued to the public in March 08
Electronic Arts (EA), the games software company, is to launch a game which will not be charged but will depend upon advertising revenue. Already a football game based on this concept is bringing in $1million a month in South Korea. Looks like the beginnings of a new business model for the games industry. The first 'Play 4 free' game " Battlefield Heroes" will be free to download in the UK shortly. www.ea.com
Knol is the latest idea from Google. Like Wikipedia, it will rely upon information updated by on line contributors. It will cover all subjects, from inventions, health to DIY. The authors of each entry will be publicised. As with Wikipedia the information cannot be guaranteed to be accurate.
www.solwise.co uk is offering a 'Simpleconnect' plug that goes into your domestic power socket and enables you to network to a computer in another room at speeds even faster than the normal ethernet method. Instat.com reckons this method will be a winner in the race for home networking systems. Wireless can be a bit of a pain.
Broadband anywhere is nearer reality with Vodaphone offering a service for £25 a month, anywhere you can get a mobile signal
Firefox 3, due out soon, has numerous improvements on the current version. Apart from the innovations it is said to be a much faster loading browser.
Copying music from a CD to a home computer could be made legal under new proposals from the UK government. Millions of people already "rip" discs to their computers and move the files to MP3 players, although the process is technically against copyright law. Intellectual property minister Lord Triesman said the law should be changed so it "keeps up with the times". Music industry bodies gave a cautious welcome to the proposals, which are up for public consultation until 8 April.
The new Blu-Ray drives are appearing - around £170, with 35Gb write-once disks costing around £8 each. Most of Hollywood's studios (20th Century Fox, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Sony, Walt Disney, and Warner Bros) are opting to produce their films on Sony's Blu-Ray and Paramount looks likely to join them. Even without Paramount, Blu-ray now has 70% of Hollywood's next generation. So, it looks like the Blu-Ray v HD DVD war is all but over and it would be unwise to opt or the latter if you're in the market for a next generation DVD player.
Lightscribe make an internal DVD drive which will etch colours, patterns and text onto special disks using its laser. No more sticky labels. £20 from Novatech.
Videos on Apple products :http://www.apple.com/macbookair/#ad http://www.apple.com/iphone/gettingstarted/guidedtourupdate2/small.html
Google is processing 20 petabytes of information a day. A petabyte is 20,000 terabytes. So, I reckon that makes it 400,000,000,000,000 bytes. A byte is a unit such as a letter or number. But a byte is made up of 8 bits so that is..... oh! work it out amongst yourselves !
Windows XP Service Pack 3 will soon be available for download. It is a roll up of all the previous updates. See details HERE It is 327K, which is not too bad at all
The Assus Minibook from Research Machines is £169 or £199. It runs the Linux operating system (free) and has Open Office (free), webcam, microphone, speech recognition, wireless, 3 USB sockets and an SD card slot so the solid hard disk can be increased from 2 Gb to 10gb minimum. See the very complimentary comments from teachers at http://www.rm.com/primary/products/product.asp?cref=PD1030046
January 2008 Vodaphone is increasing its download rate for mobile video to 7.2Mb/s
The Gear4BluFM device (www.gear4.com) plugs into your cigar lighter socket and will transmit iPod music via your car stereo. It will also enable you to make or receive mobile calls hands free providing your mobile phone is Blutooth enabled. It is £50.
Regardless of what your spam says, small can be beautiful: The new Packard Bell Easynote XS is a fully capable notebook with a 7" screen and is only £349. XP and a long battery life, too. It uses a 32Gb solid state drive... the shape of things to come.
USB Microscope. 200x and you can see the individual hairs on your arm or the separate ink dots on a piece of paper. Plus you can record what you see as either a picture or a video and save it. 50 quid from Novotech
Evesham Micros went into administration in August. The company which bought the name and goodwill seems to be honouring the warranty regarding repairs - though there is no legal obligation.
IBM has joined Open Office.org to give credibilty to Microsoft's expensive Office program. Open Office is free to download and also appears on many cover disks (see Help17.htm)
iPhone is now being sold from Apple and O2 Stores. It is capable of telephoning and searching the net. It is £269, can only be used on the O2 network (unless is is 'hacked') and is said to be a little slow to download things. The attached camera is a fairly low definition one. With a contract it could cost you £900. No wonder sales in the UK have not reach Apple's expectations.
BT is offering an email anywhere phone. See www.bt.com/officeanywhere/ the HTC S620 phone is like a Blackberry with full keyboard and is free with a contract. Find wifi hotspots in the UK at http://btopenzone.hotspot-directory.com/
The latest mobile phone from mobile operator 3
(www.three.co.uk) is capable of make
free calls via SKYPE. An analyst from Ovum says... "This could be an
own goal for mobile operators who depend up call income".
The OLPC scheme is pressing ahead. OLPC stands for One
Laptop Per Child. See HERE.
The XO laptop is small and tough (and green as a tree frog!) It will
run on a free operating system (Linux) and will have a solid hard disk. It
is wireless enabled and can be powered from almost any source, including
mechanically generated electricity. One scheme suggests that you buy two
of these (costing around £100 each) with one going to a poor country.
The first official order for the so-called "$100 laptop" has been placed
by the government of Uruguay. The South American country has bought 100,000
of the machines for schoolchildren aged six to 12. Italian (ex) Prime Minister
Romano Prodi confirmed his commitment of 50,000 laptops for Ethiopia. What
WOULD Mussolini have thought of that ? Better than mustard gas (his infamous
1936 campaign)
By September 07 the population of the world was estimated at 6.5 billion. Of those 1.24 billion (19%) used the Internet ! Which is surprising if you eliminate young children, old people, the illiterate and those beyond the reach of electricity. 41% of Europeans and 70% of North Americans are connected. One must conclude that this is more important than the invention of printing and must contribute billions to each country's economy.
USB3 will be able to support transfer speeds ten times faster than USB2, which it may eventually replace. . We are talking about 5 gigabits per second. Or, to put it another way..... fast. And Intel's 2008 'Larabeee' chip, fitted in a graphics card is set to deliver one trillion floating point operations per second. Now let us see. Meg is a million, Gig, is a thousand Million, a Trillion, according to Wikipedia, is either 1,000,000,000,000 or with another six noughts added on. But who is counting ?
Just bought a 42 inch LCD TV ? They could become obsolete when replaced by field-emission displays using light emitting carbon nano tubes. The human animal really is the most amazing hairless ape, especially in the last 50 years!
Becker has brought out a new Sat-Nav device which will allow you to view a video. " Well, officer, I had one eye on the road, another on my mirror and another on the rugby game !" It will also work out a detour if it becomes aware of a traffic jam. And I thought he was just a tennis player.
CMCIA has developed the ExpressCard™ standard. ExpressCard technology (www.expresscard.org) is the latest high-performance, hardware expansion standard for notebook and desktop computers. It replaces the current PC Card™ Standard. ExpressCard and PC Card technologies are found in more than 95 percent of all notebook computers. There is a variety of ExpressCard products, including digital TV tuners, mobile docks, hot pluggable adapters for data transfer (IEEE 1394 and serial ATA), Ethernet adapter modules as well as standard applications such as CompactFlash adapters, smart card readers and flash memory cards.
Wireless USB using UWB (Ultra Wideband Technology) has now been approved by OFCOM. UWB is theoretically capable of transferring 2Gb of data per second over 30 metres. It will enable people to connect all kinds of peripherals, media Players, set top boxes, printers, Digital TVs without cabling. I can imagine a wireless keyboard and mouse connecting to the upstairs PC, displaying the results on a widescreen TV in the living room.
Online Storage is not exactly new but growing in importance . There was a time when I would have shuddered at the thought of being tied to a mainframe computer. But these days, with access being so rapid, it is now possible to think of a local computer with very limited storage with the majority of your work being on some distant PC (it matters not where). See a list of such facilities and an explanation at http://www.extremetech.com/ One such provider Mediamax will allow you to upload up to 25 Gb of files free of charge ! If you want even more you can get 100 gb of secure space for $4.95 (around £2.50) a month. There may be limitations on how much use you can make of this space each month. The free one is limited to 1 Gb, which would not be a lot if you were storing videos on there. But think of the advantages. Apart from the fact that you can look at it from any computer which has access to the net, it may very well be safer there than on your hard disk. Many services offer automatic backup of files or folders that you have chosen. So, why do they do it ? The chances are that most will be supported by advertising. But also, they may hope that you opt for more storage and a monthly or annual fee. ALL of the sites I looked at had a green Mcafee Site Adviser label as being OK.
You have never seen a video like this! Click HERE. Now that is what I call High Tech !
Most recently manufactured cars have a standard socket which would enable you to connect a laptop (using equipment and software from around £100). This enables you to check on many of the electronically controlled features of the vehicle. See www.troublecodes.net, www.enginecheck.co.uk, www.ukobd.co.uk, www.scantool.net , www.peacockandpurvey.co.uk and www.elmelectronics.com/obdindex.html. se article on this subject in Computer Active No. 250
2008 Volvo are introducing a device which will immobilise your car if your breath contains more than a certain amount of alcohol. It works wirelessly with the engine and is based on a fuel cell which reacts to the ethanol you breathe into it. Idea ? Maybe some people could recharge their laptop by breathing on it ?
Google Maps have now introduced street level views of some major US cities. And their latest Google Earth program will let you take a tour of the universe !
The quad-core AMD Opteron chip, better known by its "Barcelona" code name has been announced on Sept. 10. AMD has bet a sizable portion of its business on the technology on the "native architecture" of its x86 quad-core processor as they go head-to-head with Intel in the high-end, multiprocessor server market. The quad-core Opteron will debut with a maximum clock speed of 2.0GHz, although at least one model scheduled for release in the fourth quarter will offer a speed of 2.3GHz. There are also plans for a 2.5GHz model
But can it make me a cup of tea ? You may well ask. The latest Sony Playstation will (next year) become personal video recorders and in the case of the portable PSP will be able to be used as a Sat/Nav device while you are walking about. The PSP will also be able to receive video on demand from Sky and be a wireless Internet 'phone. Calls between PSPs will be free. Sorry, no tea making facility, yet.
A new device has been developed by MIT using a small camera and a PDA to detect whether the person you are talking to is bored ! It vibrates when this is detected. I will wear mine round my neck to give me a regular massage !
After a trial in Scotland, the facility to make an appointment with the doctor via digital TV is being introduced countrywide. Eventually it should also be possible to order repeat prescriptions in this way. People who have cable, Freeview or Sky TV will be able to access this service via the 'Looking Local' portal
The combustible Sony battery problem cost the company a quarter of its profits. Toshiba Teca AT, Satellite A100 and ProA100 models are the latest to be recalled. If you have one, contact Toshiba
Slingbox : This is a device that enables you to watch you home TV on a laptop or PDA ANYWHERE in the world ! The Slingbox device plugs into your television source (cable, satellite, set-top box or DVR). The network connector on the Slingbox then connects to your Internet router with a standard ethernet cable, or wirelessly with a special bridge adapter. An infrared cable from the Slingbox, pointed at your TV or DVR gives you the ability to remotely control them from your computer. http://uk.slingmedia.com/page/slingbox.html
Japan, Sweden, Korea and Finland offer 100Mbps broadband connections, as all four countries have switched to fibre optic networks.
Useful site http://www.windowswatch.co.uk/
Apple have developed a cool looking Browser (instead of Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera etc) for Windows users called Safari.
The fingerprint scanner installed on some Dell laptops can now launch various programs !
The RIM Blackberry, the mobile phone you can use at the top of Mount Everest (and pick up your emails while you are there) is about to seal a deal in China, which already has millions of mobile phone users. Profits are up from $126 million to $232 million in the quarter. Shares have almost doubled since January 07
Wont buy on the net? The UK Internet market is now worth £21.4 billion and 20 million people are said to have bought something that way.
Since July 1st the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive has come into force. Distributors are now be responsible for the pick up and disposable of such equipment (even electronic toys) UNLESS they pay a one off charge of between £6,500 and £9,000 in respect of each Council tip in their area. We wait (with bated breath) to see how (if) that will work. The playing field has changed since this was thought up and much of this stuff is now bought remotely. So what do I do with the washing machine when it is past its sell by date ? I got it on the net. And I know the supplier of my VCR/DVD has gone to the wall.
BBC, ITV and Channel 4 are collaborating on the development of a joint website to enable us to view and download programs from the previous week - free
The UK has banned the video game Manhunt 2 because of its violence.
Do you wonder what your TQ is ? That is your Technology Quotient. Take the test at www.whatisyourtq.com. (UK) The Supermarket game is fun, too
You can browse the net from your mobile phone... if you can afford to ! Rates vary but can be as high as £7.50 per megabyte (Vodaphone pay as you go) So what can you get for megabyte ? Well that is about ten web pages, so check the small print for those charges.
Mobile phones used to be as big as a brick and were used for telephoning. These days the spec is more likely to be like the Samsung U600 which features Quad Band (worldwide), Weight: 81 grams, 3.2 Megapixel Camera, MP3 Player, microSD Card Slot (memory) , Document viewer (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, PDF), GPRS (satellite), FM Radio, and only 103.5 x 49.3 x 10.9 mm . In old money that means, er... small !
The next incarnation of the iPod has arrived in the Europe. This is the iPhone, which can have up to 8gb of RAM and works mainly by its colour touch screen. As well as phoning it will browse the web, send and receive e-mail and display maps and, no doubt, much besides. A snip at £250 - £350. Looks like this :
Prices of PCs with Vista Home Basic and Premium are still coming down. Dell Dimension C521 Desktop with 17" screen (AMD chip) £319 delivered. And another model the E520 (with Core Duo chip and a 20" monitor and Vista Premium is £469. Click Here (these are time limited offers and keep changing week by week- so you need to watch the Mail on Sunday pages). When you consider that the retail price of Vista Premium at Pcworld is £210.99.....But if you want to stick with XP, Woolworths are doing a nice Medion desktop for £399 and throwing in a printer. Ebuyer offer an HP laptop with XP (Quick find code 123093); Acer/AMD Desktop with Vista (QF 123118) Both under £300.
Something is afoot in the world of the Internet. It is like a new democracy with 'Power to the People'. Instead of being dictated to by the likes of Microsoft or some parliamentary group, people are sending up their photos, videos, and stories for the world to see. Unfortunately, some of the videos appear to be copyright material and Google, who bought out Youtube recently is being sued for one billion $$$. For an explanation of this phenomena take a look at what Bob Rankin says .....
http://askbobrankin.com/what_is_youtube.html http://askbobrankin.com/social_bookmarking.html http://askbobrankin.com/beyond_myspace.html
And there is that site at http://www.petitiononline.com/, where you can start a petition on almost anything from saving whales to Harlow Square and football transfers you don't agree with. Not to be outdone the Prime Minister has now got his own at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/
Then there is strange world where people take on another existence http://askbobrankin.com/what_is_second_life.html
Nanoscience subsidiary, Toumaz, has produced a 'digital sticking plaster' which will transmit vital information about a patient's condition to a hospital computer.
The government has set up a useful Search and Email site at www.myguide.net. It is extremely simple to use and you can obtain an e-mail address if you register. It would be useful for people who just wish to sign on at a library. The email facility allows you to be notified when e-mail arrives by a message to your mobile phone. I wonder how it will avoid spam.
One step forward, three steps back. See this grotesque video of a poor guy trying to do programming using Vista's new Speech Recognition engine : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyLqUf4cdwc&eurl=
The beat goes on! No sooner have we got used to the idea that processing can go even faster (and with more things being done at the same time) with Dual Core processors - two computer chips working together - than Intel bring out Quad Core. At £521 just for the processor it isn't cheap but they all come down, don't they ? I will replace my computer with another Medion, shortly. It has an Intel Dual core chip, which retails at £198 (Novatech) and Vista Premium retails at £219 (Pcworld) and I get the whole machine for £399, less than those two items. And Ebuyer is offering a dual core AND PC from Acer, with Vista, for £349 and free delivery. But most retailers are now offering PC's with XP as an alternative choice.
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These 'Video Shades' , £150 from www.firebox.com enable you to watch videos from your iPod or other portable device. It is advisable not to drive at the same time ! My interest stems from the possibility that it is step nearer my 'hearing glasses' invention. See Help28
Cool ? You want cool? The new iPod phone is positively
freezing !
http://www.apple.com/iphone/internet/
Takes a while to show, but wow!
Another cool gadget capable of a great deal is the T-Mobile MDA Compact III.
Portable Satellite nav., Radio, MP3 player, emails, surf the net, take pictures
and - almost forgot - you can use this telephone as a telephone. All for
£160 or less with a contract. See also
www.nokia.co.uk
Zune ? What on earth is a Zune ? It is Microsoft's answer to the iPod. It has a similar spec and price to an 'ordinary' iPod. So it will play music (WMA, MP3), video (WMV) and display pictures (JPG). It also is wireless, so can connect to PCs and other Zunes
The Samsung Q1 is a UMPC with 32Gb solid state hard disk. Told you this would happen ! One drawback... £1400.
A TV plus Broadband war has broken out between BSkyB, BTVision and NTL. The latter, having joined with Telewest and now Virgin Mobile, will be called Virgin Media. BSkyB and NTL are buying up ITV shares like there is no tomorrow. BSkyB has bought Easynet as its Broadband offering. All will be offering 'bundles' with combinations of mobile or landline telephone, TV and broadband. Other 'bundling' deals include Tiscali, TalkTalk, Virgin.net and Orange. Some offer cheap or free broadband with mobile telephone contracts. BT will combine it with Freeview via a set top box with additional charges for extra programs. Eventually it is expected that Broadband speeds will increase substantially, allowing rapid download of TV. NTL (now called Virgin Media), using fibreoptic cable, is even talking about 50Mb (currently copper wired telephone lines have difficulty delivering 8Mb). It is all up for grabs as they say.
A talking pill box! MedivoxRx ® has produced disposable talking bottle that provides audible label information and thus makes information about their medications more accessible to people who are elderly, visually and cognitively impaired, illiterate, or speak a different language. See http://www.rxtalks.com/
Amazing USB gadgets these days. Is there anything USB cannot do ? Here is a Freeview adapter from http://www.techfocus.co.uk/index.php. Just plug it in to your laptop or PC - as long as you can get Freeview in your area. TV on the move.
Manchester could become the biggest free wireless internet hotspot in Europe under plans unveiled by the city council.
Haptics is a new technology that will enable you to 'feel' a product you want to buy on line. Never mind the quality feel the width !
vSkype (Video Skype) is an add-on to Skype that lets you see people on a Skype call. How is vSkype Beta different from other Skype video plug-ins? It provides fast real-time video between you and all of your Skype contacts - up to 2.3 fps for anyone using a standard 56K modem, and up to 24 fps for anyone using Broadband. vSkype Beta also allows you to share display any open application, or even the entire desktop. You can add other callers during a call. With vSkype Beta it is possible for up to 200 people to participate in a single call or meeting without degrading overall performance ! All those people can broadcast video at the same time, if they choose, and each participant can view any 8 people at a given time.
Talk Talk has now taken over AOL in the UK. No changes will be made to AOL accounts
Internet Explorer 7 ( IE7) is now being offered as part of a Microsoft update, although you are allowed to choose whether or not you want it. You can see more about it (and possible problems) at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/support/default.mspx#ie7Support. Although it has numerous improvements on the vulnerable Version 6 - for instance it will give warnings about 'dodgy' sites and 'phishing' - it does seem to be causing some problems. It tries to force the MSN home page on you. To change this click under the 'Home' button and make sure you home page is www.silverhairs.co.uk ! (what else ?). If you want to get back to V 6 there is a note on my page 12 about the official way to get rid of 7 via Add/Remove programs. So you need to be aware that if you get problems how to revert. Another way to uninstall this as well as other programs is to use the brilliant program Ccleaner. It is free but I sent them some cash. It is so good. www.ccleaner.com/download/. Click the Tools icon
One of the problems mention on the above site is inability to access some sites. It says "If you encounter a site which does not recognize Internet Explorer 7, a new tool known as the User Agent String Utility has been created to help you work around the problem. The utility comes in the form of a small program that enables Internet Explorer 7 to emulate version 6. It also provides a mechanism for you to report problem web sites to Microsoft so that we can follow up with the affected site owners". Download the tool from a link on the Microsoft site (above). The workaround program is called UASUtility-V2-x86.msi
If you really get fed up with Internet Explorer try the Firefox Browser. See Help9. It is free and very well thought of. You don't have to dispense with IE. In fact, you shouldn't try.
Windows Live Messenger is the latest version : See http://imagine-msn.com/messenger/launch80/?locale=en-gb it includes video, telephoning, file sharing etc.
Infima is patenting a new method of compressing files (Music, video, Mp3s etc) which they claim will reduce them by up to 80% without loss of quality. You can get a free Beta copy (12Mb) from (www.myinfima.com)
19" LCD monitors are now more reasonable at £132.00 (Ebuyer) I got this Videoseven model from Ebuyer. Good apart from the tiny speakers. I kept my original ones.
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If you would like to access your PC from anywhere take a look at
www.gotomypc.com. Free 30 day
trial. Mind you you would have to leave the thing ON
I have never been much of an Apple fan. Always been keen to stick with the mainstream, on cost grounds mainly (and software availability) but TWO people have recently remarked on what a super machine is the Macbook Pro.
Of course, Apple have always been ahead when it comes to style and the Macbook is no exception. It is just a slim screen, keyboard and mouse (no ugly box) and everything is (of course) wireless. Nice big hard disk, superior graphics and you can forget the tangle of wires that accompanies the average PC. The DVDs slip into the side of the screen and other connections are by USB2 and firewire ports on the other side. Watch and record TV on it, listen to your CDs and watch DVDs. But we are back to the old price comparison with this little wonder costing nearly £2000. But, if you had a modern minimalist flat (and pots of money) which would you buy ?
The latest version of Microsoft Works (8.5) is less than £8 from Amazon. The problem with some Works versions has been its incompatibility with Word and Excel and I have had to suggest 'workarounds' to enable people to read or transfer their word processing and spreadsheets. Now, at least, 8.5 is said to enable you to 'Share and Edit files with Word and Excel'. Considering that it is a full suite with Drawing facility, database, address book, dictionary, thesaurus and lots more it really is being given away. If you have an older version watch out for security updates HERE
Microsoft releases new software patches on the second Tuesday of every month. If you have Windows XP or 2000, you can download security updates by going Start, Help and choosing Windows Update or Microsoft Update. In Internet Explorer, go to Tools > Windows Update and then click the "Express" button. If you have an older version of Windows, I have some bad news: there are no patches available for your operating system. From July 2006, Microsoft stopped supporting Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, and Windows ME. No more security updates, no more technical support, nothing. I do have a consolation prize for you, though. Check out this article on how to protect your 'legacy Windows operating system' from future attacks. http://www.netsquirrel.com/articles/securing_win9x.html Also, Guru Patrick Crispen recommends that, if you continue to use Win 98 you should be sure to have good security protection such as anti virus and firewall. He also adds that, in his view Internet Explorer will continue to be a vulnerable Browser and recommends that you change to Mozilla Firefox.
AOL are now offering up to 1Mb broadband for £14.99. And a free wireless router (BT line).
Google are introducing a number of tools, alongside their ubiquitous search engine. Personally I use it as my home page. They are also adding Google Trends (a search through past queries), Google Gadgets (additional info such as news on your Google page), Google Desktop, Google Coop and Google Notebook (save text and pictures), which used to be called Writely.
Dual and Quad Core processors.
You may have noticed that there has been a hiatus concerning the increasing speed of computer processors over the last year ot two. But this has not stopped, with the two main companies attempting to continue the progress of what used to be called "Moore's Law". Guru, Gordon Moore suggested in 1976 that computer processors would double in power every two years for a considerable time, mainly due to the increasing number of transistors that manufacturers managed to cram onto a piece of silicon. ( The first Pentium 4 chip had about 42 million) Although he changed his mind now and then, from one year to two year intervals, the prophesy was largely correct. Now, it seems, the developments are more likely to be in other directions. It is already possible to buy a Dual Core PC for under £500. Quad core machines are a little more expensive. What is more, the processors are able to tackle several things at the same time due also to the fact that they run on a 64bit rather than 32 bit basis. I will not attempt to describe the difference here (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/64bit). Just accept that a 64bit dual core processor will be able to tackle much more than one job at a time. Currently, if you attempt to look up something on the Internet whilst you are creating that novel with a word processor you may find a distinct slowing down in both processes and you may get to see quite a lot of 'hourglasses'. The nice thing about the AMD dual core processor is that it will fit in the normal socket, with only a change in the computers BIOS needed. You can therefore expect that, within a year, most computers will be sold with this option, which bodes well for the 'all singing' computer that is expected to receive TV, record DVDs and play music to you whilst picking up your emails. Are you ready ?
It is now possible to purchase USB Infrared gadgets to connect equipment but only within a short distance (just like a video remote)
NTL has taken over Telewest, the other large cable company providing telephone, broadband and Cable TV. It has created a £6.5 billion American owned company with £5.7 billion debts. The resultant company will now proceed to be subject to the usual staff cuts by the American hatchet man brought in because he is good at that sort of thing. As many as 6000 staff of the joint companies' 18,000 staff in the UK will lose their jobs. And the new company has now combined with Virgin Mobile and been renamed Virgin Media
I have found a remarkable 'movement' going on around us, using the Internet
and e-mail to offer unused items free to people in their area. It is
called Freecycle and is happening all over the world. To find the Freecycle
group in your area just click on
http://www.freecycle.org/display.php?region=United%20Kingdom
and look for your town or district. Or, if you have friends abroad
you can direct them to the International link on this page. One contact
I suggested it to instantly off-loaded and old Win 95 computer that had been
refused by local charities. Another contact in America found 460 members
in her local area. In these days of recycling it is better to give
stuff away than throw it in the bin - and charity shops wont take electrical
stuff. Once on the list you will also see offers from other people. One
word of warning : If you join a large group your Inbox may get pretty
full. But it is easy enough change the setting so you get all offers in one
composite email per week.
Certification Authorities (CAs) have been issuing certificates to Internet
sellers without thoroughly checking the seller. This could mean that
the gold padlock sign seen when you open a webseller's page could be worthless.
Verisign, and other CAs have agreed to tighten up the procedure. Eventually,
your address bar will turn red, yellow or green, indicating the level of
security. A red one shouldn't be touched with a barge pole. Although
other Browsers, such as Firefox, did this quite soon Internet Explorer
will only do this if you use Version 7, now out. Meanwhile I suggest you
get Mcafee's free Site Advisor.
What is an Origami UMPC ? No, it isn't a PC made of bits of folded paper. In response to the Origami Project (www.origamiproject.com) Microsoft has unveiled an Ultra-Mobile Computer (UMPC), which is a little larger than a PDA, uses Intel chips, has up to 60Gb hard disk and runs Windows XP for tablet PCs. This is much more adaptable than the software that other PDAs use. As was suggested by me in 1980 (!) it will have a touch screen keyboard, though a USB one could be added. It is hoped the starting price will be around £286-£344 using the seven-inch screen used in portable DVD players. They will be about an inch thick, and weigh less than 2lbs. The screen resolution starts at 800 x 480, which may be zoomable to 1024 x 600. Memory slots for SDIO, CompactFlash etc provide extra storage and can be used to transfer photos and movies from other devices. Built-in cameras, microphones and stereo speakers make some Origami UMPCs useful for creating podcasts, and for video conferencing. USB and VGA ports mean they can also be used with standard desktop keyboards and screens. The main drawback with early examples looks like being the limited battery life: about two to three hours. Microsoft wants all-day use, but at the moment, the chips and batteries cost too much.
PCworld report that over half of the PCs they are selling have media centre capabilities. This means that they can record TV off air and their Windows version is likely to be the XP Media Centre one (now Vista Home Premium).
Windows Live, the latest idea from Microsoft. See http://ideas.live.com/ Microsoft says :'Your online world gets better when everything works simply and effortlessly together. That's the basic idea behind Windows Live. So the things you care about - your friends, the latest information, your e-mails, powerful search, your PC files, everything – comes together in one place.'
But just in case you thought Microsoft had given up their confusing habit of giving two entirely different things the same name they are Beta Testing a suite of programs called One Care Live, which it will eventually offer on a subscription basis, to protect Windows (XP and Vista) computers See http://beta.windowsonecare.com/ For now, during testing, it is free. It combines a new Firewall, and Antivirus program, Backup and Restore of essential data and programs and a Cleanup facility (temporary files and defrag)
Skype, the free telephone via Internet system, keeps on developing, though some of the facilities are charged. It is now possible to use Skype with a webcam. With SkypeOut you can call ordinary landline phones and with SkypeIn it is possible for people to call your special Skype number from a landline phone. Providing you have a handheld computer with Windows Mobile 5.0 or 2003 for Pocket PC .a 312MHz processor and a high speed wireless Internet connection it will be possible for people to call you (or you call them) anywhere there is a Wi-Fi facility.
Mobile telephones are getting more sophisticated. If you are prepared to sign up on a T-mobile contract you can get a free Motorola A780 phone which uses Linux as an operating system and can (1) synchronise with your PC. (2) Browse Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents (3) Hold and playback MP3 tunes (4) Take photos and videos (5) Accepts stylus input (6) Uses Global positioning for satellite navigation down to street level anywhere in Europe. (7) Will act as a voice recorder (8) Makes you a cup of tea ??.... And, oh yes, you can make phone calls with it, too !
ADSL2 and ADSL2+ are advanced forms of ADSL. With new modems, good quality connections and comparatively short distances from a digital exchange, the speed increases that are possible with Broadband go up from 8 megabits per second up to 12 (ADSL2), then 24 (ADSL2+). This technology is already here. See http://www.internode.on.net/adsl2/graph/
Podcasting : Allowing people to download sounds they can hear on their Ipod or other portable player. Now we have Godcasting : The Rev Ledbetter of Knowsley has 600 people downloading his messages and sermons. He says it is great for young and old alike.
Microsoft is offering some free software that enables you to return a computer to the state it was in before you started experimenting with new software - or before the grandchildren messed it up. They suggest it is used by libraries, schools etc but it also has a use at home. See the article at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sharedaccess/default.mspx
XP Pro has now entered what Microsoft calls the "extended" support phase,
which runs until Dec 31 2011: During that time, Microsoft will continue to
offer security updates for download; and will keep self-help resources available
for free via the Knowledgebase and other Microsoft.Com sites; but tech support
will be available only for a fee. In effect, XP Pro will go into a stable
maintenance period, with little or no new features added. But XP Home support
of this kind is now expected to end in January 2009
Toshiba has developed a new form of Lithium-ion battery that can charge up
to 80 per cent capacity in less than a minute. One cannot underestimate the
importance of this development. The world is waiting for a better battery,
especially for hybrid cars (which charge a battery as they go along then
use the power later, for instance in a town. In addition to the fast charge,
high capacity and small size we need a battery which suffers less from the
'wearing out' we have all experienced on such things.
www.crimestoppers-uk.org/wanted displays list of the most wanted criminals. I would think by now most of them are no longer in the UK, which one might consider a success in itself ! But, if you have made a mint in a heist, you can probably afford the best in cosmetic surgery !
The Financial Times reported that attempts to introduce a biometric passport in Germany have been thwarted by people smiling. Germany started issuing biometric 'ePass' passports but has had to issue guidelines warning that people "must have a neutral facial expression and look straight at the camera". Visible teeth are apparently also a problem. Having just renewed my passport I can say that the same applied here.
BT. is offering a combined mobile phone and webphone system (VOIP). When you are near your PC the phone calls will go via the web. When you are away from it they will switch to the normal mobile phone system.
Make money just looking at Spam ? Well, they ought to pay you. www.pureprofile.co.uk will pay you £1 for every advert you look at. The adverts will be directed towards your 'profile' of interests. Don't believe it ? Abbey, Alliance & Leicester and Churchill Insurance have already signed up to join the scheme. Hey ! Just looked at your advert a hundred times, where is my cheque ?
Big brother gets a little closer. The Dept.for Work and Pensions (DWP) have, at last, bought a computer that works and they will be able to check on who is on Income Support, Unemployment, Invalidity, Sickness and Housing Benefits, Jobseekers allowance and who is buying Rolex and Prada whilst claiming to be in poverty. Over one quarter (£146 billion) of the government budget goes on what is termed 'Social Protection'. That is over £2,600 for every living person in the UK. Are you getting your share ? And, did you know that you can now renew your road tax license on line? No need to show your insurance. They already KNOW whether you have the car insured. (or not)
SkyDSL is promising broadband downloads (via satellite) anywhere in Europe from £4.57 a month and can provide up to 16 megabits per second for £33. However, you require a dish and a dialup connection to your own ISP, too. See: www.teles-skydsl.co.uk
The cost of plasma TV screens is falling (from thousands to hundreds) and many have a DV input, which means PC's (or cameras) with a DVI output can use them. See www.dabs.com/uk
New gadgets :
32 gigabyte in your pocket ! Is there no limit to the miniaturisation of
memory ? You can now buy a USB 'stick' (or SD card) that will contain
that. (see www.pretec.com). So what is the future of these hard disks that
whirr away, break down and use lots of space and power ? I hear that the
Apple iPod (MP3 Player) uses a traditional hard disk format and is sensitive
to rough treatment. One can only wonder why they are not using solid
state memory. But see above for Samsung's hybrid.
These new Portable Media Centre (PMC) devices can play video, photographs, music and TV (WMV, MPEG2, JPG,WMA, MP3 ). There is a cable to attach to your TV if you wish to see them on a bigger screen. To connect it to your PC for downloads you need USB2 on an XP machine running the latest Windows Media Player (10) or Vista. They will hold a minimum of 20Gb. Expect to pay nearly £400 for early models. The whole of the layout and software is controlled by Microsoft - who else ?
In 1981 (before PC hard disks were invented) I wrote in a magazine ""How would it be possible to make a truly portable computer ? Imagine a screen similar to the top of an overhead projector but half an inch deep. Displayed on the screen will be questions in the form of 'Menus'. A touch of the appropriate line with a pointer or finger will display the information you require or another menu................" The latest ideas for laptops will incorporate my inventions but will also include such things as Fuel Cells, which will provide electricity from a gas capsule, and energy efficient OLED screens and solid hard disks.
The RNIB has software that they can install on mobile phones to tell blind people about text messages, battery level etc. They charge £150 to install it. (Another scandalous rip off for the disabled). Or, ' in certain situations' they can supply a phone free, or you can install the software from a PC. How can anyone charge a blind person £150 just to install some software! When, one day, software is available to enable me to see what people are saying on my phone I imagine the RNID will charge deaf people the same, or even more, as the software is more complex.
DVD : the next generation of DVD players There is an ongoing battle between Sony's Blu-Ray and Toshiba's HD-DVD. They both use blue lasers instead of the current red lasers to produce a better quality picture and higher capacity. Sony will also use the technology in the next generation of Playstations. Looks like being another Betamax v.VHS battle. These DVD disks will be able to stuff 27Gb on one side (compared with the current 4.7Gb)
MSN have developed a search engine like Google which they say will have even more facilities (eventually)
Sharp has developed a method by which an LCD monitor (for TV, PC or mobile phone) will be able to display 3D images (without the use of glasses)
Microsoft have increased on-line storage for people with Hotmail from 2Mb to 250Mb. And, if you pay around £11 per annum, you can have 2Gb of on line storage. Enough to backup all the documents and pictures on your computer. Google, not to be outsmarted, has developed a similar e-mail system (Googlemail) and offers 2.7 Gb. To pay for this they intend to automatically scan the content of e-mails that are passing through and then charge advertisers who will be allowed to send popup adverts to you. I use Gmail and have not found the advertising off putting. Yahoo Mail now has limitless email storage.
NFC (Near Frequency Communications) is being incorporated into mobile phones in Japan and Hong Kong. The phones can be primed with cash. To pay for something you will merely wave the phone at the till. Fraud is avoided because it only works within a few centimetres and only to the extent of the cash you have put in.
E-bay, the on line auction site, is popular, with 21 million items on sale worldwide, with 175 million searches a day. 150,000 Americans are estimated to have given up their jobs to buy and sell on the site. At last the US is doing some recycling . But they seem not to have discovered the 'Boot Sale' !
GPS. Global Positioning from Satellites. From next year the U.S. is insisting that mobile phones will be traceable if you phone an emergency number. Or even if you don't? "He's behind you ! Oh! Yes he is !"
OLEDs, TOLEDs and FOLEDs. The latest Light Emitting Diodes to be used in screens are ORGANIC (like everything else these days). However, they are not grown in fields spread with real sewage but are super efficient (meaning low power use). TOLEDs are semi transparent. FOLEDs are flexible. Watch this page for future developments.
Technology keeps a-moving at its relentless pace. Last year it seemed everything was going flat : monitors, TV's etc. This is the year of the wireless. So, we have a wireless mouse and keyboard. a wireless network and internet connections, print to a printer without it being connected, email from your laptop in the garden (or up a mountain).
Connecting to the net using "Hotspots": A number of airports and even the Kings Cross to Edinburgh train have Hotspots, enabling people with laptops fitted with Wi-Fi (and most are) to connect to the net. But you will probably have to book some time with them to enable this to happen. Starbucks cafes have hotspots but charge £5.50 for a one hour ticket. It is now possible to connect from your laptop on some aircraft (without causing it to land in a panic) Want to know where the Hotspots are ? Click on www.zdnet.co.uk/specials/wifimap
The UK Highways Authority is trialling a Broadband network link built into traffic signs and street lights, so you will be able to access the net from your car....whilst driving at 70?
The RIM Blackberry smartphone intercepts your emails and downloads them over GPRS via satellite wherever you are in the world.
Hard disk TV recorders (PVR's - personal video recorders) are with us for around £100 up. Said to be higher quality and more flexible than VCR's They can be set with an EPG (Electronic Program Guide). You get around 20 hours of TV on the smallest (40Gb) PVR
Laptop prices have fallen rapidly and can cost as little as last year's desktop PC's e.g £300. But, at under £300, some 'desktops' now cost half what they did two years ago.
The Dept. of Trade and Industry is to implement European law regarding Cookies (those little text files that web sites leave on your computer to help them track down your use of their sites). In future it will be necessary for UK firms to alert you as to what they are doing. But many still don't.
Digital this, digital that. It seems the whole world's media can be converted to zeros and ones. And that is the way things are going. Expect to see the PC as the centre of linked systems which will download, save and play TV, Hi-fi music, videos, CD's, DVD's, movies, messaging, phone calls. And the whole thing can be done without wires ! Now where did I put that controller ? And which button...... ? Perhaps they can invent a device which helps you find the controller with a video as to how to use it.
The fastest single chip PCs run at 3.6Ghz. That is 3.6 thousand million instructions per second. It's no wonder they get hot! The original IBM PC ran at a very respectable 4.7 Mhz (4.7 Million processes a second)
CD/DVD writers - See separate page for a
full description of CD writers.
Printers - See separate page for information
on Printers.
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