On The Net - Computing News

with Chris Goh

Computer models are becoming more like cars. Everyone has their favourite - based on the look of the spoiler (or keyboard), how fast it accelerates (is it a dual processor) or the engine torque (or RAM). And instead of Ford and Holden buffs, it's AMD and Intel.

PCs used to have names inspired by their processor speed, like 486 DX33 (the 33 told you how many million instructions the CPU could do).

Last week Intel announced it would follow AMD and drop the speed reference (so no more Pentium IV 3.2GHz). When AMD first dropped the speed from the model name, I thought they'd gone crazy. I remember having a go at their marketing department. But PCs are so fast now that most people (except their kids) won't ever use the performance available. It's like buying a V8 and never using it to tow something.

Most electrical devices now contain a processor, so it's old news and the question people want answered now is what can it do?

One of the reasons laptops have become such a success is because their power and capacity now rivals desktop versions. Granted, they might be a little slower, but there's not much they can't do (in fact, the Academy Awards opening ceremony, featuring Billy Crystal in assorted movies, was made on an Apple laptop).

The processing war is largely dominated by AMD, Intel and IBM, and most techies are able to figure out which is the fastest computer, but it's become less relevant. The days when a buyer asked for the best computer and you gave them the fastest one are fading. PCs are becoming the centre of a home entertainment as well as providing appliance interconnections for home and office. Consumers now what to figure out how well they can integrate the computer into their life rather than how fast it goes.

Apple has known this for some time and thrives on its differentiated product, creating a band of often patriotic consumers. I'm just not sure whether the those people drive Holdens or Fords.

HotNews

Last year I mentioned a teenager called Mike Rowe who registered a domain called www.mikeroweforums.com. He was threatened with legal action by Microsoft, but the case was settled when friend Microsoft bought him off with an Xbox console and the costs of registering another domain. I bet MS wishes all its court cases were so cheap.

The San Francisco Robo-Olympics have ended and the tired mechanical athletes have earned some recharge time.The games included firefighting, where robots had to be pre-programmed to run around a maze and put out candles, and gladiator-like battles where mechanical arms were sawn off or flipped off their feet. It was great to see competitors from littlelies to seniors get into the spirit.

iPod fans waiting for the latest release will be left twiddling their thumbs for a while longer because US demand since its release is so high they don't even have enough to meet it. We'll just have to wait our turn.

Tasmania is proposing amendments to its existing criminal code to make it illegal to stalk someone online. It will be interesting to see you can take out a restraining order against a cyber stalker.

Google has decided to take on Microsoft by competing with its Hotmail service by introducing Google's own free email service with larger storage quotas. Microsoft has countered by suggesting that its next operating system will have a built-in search engine, but Google has scoffed at Microsoft's claim.

The American FDA has approved the trial of a computer chip implant in five paralysed people. It will give them the ability to control a computer through thought alone. The BrainGate chip will be implanted in the brain but the downside is that the participants have a permanent hole in their scalp where the wires protrude.