Sebastian Rupley

A Watchful Assistant Raises Privacy Concerns

It is always on, passively listening. The Personal Awareness Assistant prototype from consulting firm Accenture has a speech recognition engine, two small microphones, a small camera and a scrolling audio buffer. But its more than a recording system. For example, if a user meets someone new and says “its nice to meet you,” the Assistant […]

Coming Soon to Centrino Notebooks—Linux

Lindows.com has announced a new version of its Linux operating system with support for portable computers based on the Intel Centrino platform. Although few observers see an immediate threat to Microsofts operating system franchise, according to Lindows.com officials, making Linux available on cost-effective notebooks has been a big request from PC manufacturers. The first Centrino […]

Top 10 Viruses of 2001

Computer Associates has released its list of the top 10 viruses for 2001. The list appears at the end of each calendar year, and three of the top four viruses on the list for 2001 — as measured by frequency of system infection — were variations of the Badtrans and Sircam worms. Computer Associates annual […]

Demo Hosts New Product Legion

A select group of digerati arrived in Huntington Beach, Calif. this week for the DEMO fall conference, which focuses on many brand new technologies and has served as the launch pad for many successful products and services. Here are some of the highlights: Startup company Phantom Technologies is demonstrating its patented audio processing technology called […]

D.I.Y. Linux

If you are a tech tinkerer at heart, have some free time on your hands, and embrace the sweat and tears that accompany a challenging project, perhaps youve contemplated setting up a Linux system at home. Youre not alone. Countless PC Magazine readers have told us theyre curious about the Windows-free, open-source way of computing. […]

MSN Rolls Out Virtual Earth Mapping Service

Microsoft has its eyes in the sky. At Mondays “D” conference in Carlsbad, Calif., Microsoft founder Bill Gates introduced MSN Virtual Earth, a new component of the companys rapidly expanding collection of search technologies. The new service emphasizes aerial photography in conjunction with overlays of businesses and other kinds of locations for what is being […]

DEMO 2005: A Sneak Peek

A select group of attendees has descended on Scottsdale, Arizona this week for the annual DEMO conference, which almost always features splashy new product introductions. PC Magazine got an advance peek at a number of the products and services. Heres a selection. Teleo, a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service provider based in San Francisco, […]

Wikis at Work

Sometimes a corporate database is just two-fisted overkill, with too many ties that bind. Databases, with their fields and their schemas, are often overly structured for the kinds of on-the-fly data-collection tasks many businesses encounter. Whats an alternative? Application wikis, hosted on the Web by a Silicon Valley startup called JotSpot. Some 100 information technology […]

Intels WiMAX Agenda

Intel is beating the wireless broadband drum. At Septembers Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, president and COO Paul Otellini delivered a bright technology forecast, underscoring the impact of upcoming WiMAX technology. Earlier this year, Intel launched the WiMAX initiative, which is positioned as a wireless competitor to cable and DSL. WiMAX is governed by […]

Apples New iPod Plays Photos

At an invitation-only, packed event in San Jose Tuesday morning, Apple Computers Steve Jobs confirmed widespread rumors of a photo-ready, color, 60 GB version of the iPod music player. There are some unexpected twists to how Apple has implemented the new player, a second new iPod, and the event featured a crowd-pleasing appearance from Bono […]