Wristwatches
embedded with Microsoft's smart technology may appear in retail
stores next month. Microsoft's Smart Personal Objects Technology
(SPOT) and its subscription-based MSN Direct service will power
the wristwatches, along with other devices to be released in
the future. A delay in the release means that the company and
its retailers have missed the lucrative holiday shopping season.
Watchmakers Fossil and Suunto will be among the first to offer
the devices, which will allow users to check stock quotes, sports
scores, movie listings and other information. The nationwide
release will target the 100 largest metropolitan markets with
the Fossil watches retailing for approximately $180 to $200.
VeriSign has
reported that it has signed an agreement to acquire Guardent,
a privately held provider of managed security services, for $140
million in stock and cash. The four-year old Guardent specializes
in helping large companies manage their security needs and adds
expertise in some areas where VeriSign was not as strong, such
as vulnerability management.
Microsoft recently
announced an updated test version of one of its main management
software products. The company said Beta 2 of Microsoft Operations
Manager 2004 will help system administrators more easily track
and resolve problems, as well as provide an improved user interface
for the software's main console. The software is part of Microsoft's
broader program to make Windows networks more manageable. Microsoft
said the test version is available to all of the company's customers,
whether or not they use a current version of Operations Manager.
More than 170
countries approved a call to extend the Internet and the benefits
of information technology to the poorest corners of the world.
However, they deferred any decision on whether to set up a special
fund to finance the necessary infrastructure, for which African
countries had lobbied hard. The first World
Summit on the Information Society wound up three days of
meetings by endorsing a declaration of principles and 29-point
action plan, which committed them to using telecommunications
technologies to boost economic growth and meet United Nations
development targets for eradicating extreme hunger and poverty
by 2015. Around 90 % of the world population is not connected
to the Internet.
Laptops are
no longer the slow-but-necessary alternative for mobile professionals.
Today's notebooks offer powerful processors, dazzlingly large
LCD screens, improved upgradability and features as potent as
those you'd find on many desktops -- all at attractive prices.
Couple that with wireless connectivity, and more buyers are seriously
considering a notebook for their next business or home PC. According
to NPD Group, retailers have for the first time been making more
money selling laptops than desktops. Based on unit sales, desktops
remain the retail king, accounting for about 60 % of those sales;
however, laptops are gaining ground: In 2000, 1 in 10 home computer
buys worldwide was a laptop; these days, it's 1 in 5. Plunging
prices are a lure since a notebook historically has cost half
again as much as a similarly equipped desktop. But this year,
for the first time, you can buy a capable laptop for less than
$1,000. So a lower cost coupled with faster speeds and better
reliability means laptops have been steadily replacing desktops
for everyday use.
Portability
and price have combined to push the personal computer market
and IDC forecasts "record levels" for 2003 and 2004
PC shipments. For 2004, IDC said shipment growth should climb
11%.
THIS
WILL BE THE LAST NEWSLETTER OF 2003
MAY
YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON.
SEE
YOU IN JANUARY!
