Lock-ins that aren't any fun Did you pay too little for your mobile phone? Why are games consoles sold at a loss? And isn't it strange that cheap printers don't cost much more than their ink cartridges? These are all examples of price manipulation that rely on at least some vertical integration and some degree of lock-in. Of course, the companies that provide "good deals" on the initial purchase have to make their money back, and more, on running costs -- mobile phone charges, printer cartridges, games or whatever.
Schofield on Saturday
Guardian Unlimited

Thursday, March 27, 2003

Adam Osborne, who has died aged 64, launched the first successful portable computer, the Osborne 1, though actually it was a mains-powered luggable machine. He also created Osborne Publishing (which continues as part of McGraw-Hill) and launched Paperback Software.
Obituary: Adam Osborne
The Guardian

A look at the Dell Axim X5, Hewlett-Packard iPaq H1910, and Palm-based Sony Clié NZ-90, which includes a 2-megapixel (1600 x 1200 resolution) camera.
Guardian Online: What's new: PDAs

Dealing with Lop, NewDotNet and other PC parasites. Ports on the internet. Removing the games from recent versions of Windows. Backchat: we're still seeking a replacement for MyBBC.
Ask Jack

The search for standards In the computer industry, everybody believes in standards -- especially if they own one. Users depend on them. But where do they come from? Obviously there isn't a single answer....
Schofield on Saturday
Guardian Unlimited

Thursday, March 20, 2003

The Oscars, and places to vote for the nominees you want to win. The tale of the Raging Cow: the blogging world is being used to promote sugared, flavoured milk drinks. Tara Calishain's Google Hacks book is out now. Wanted: nominations for the UK's Silver Surfer of the Year. Nick Crowe's Axis of Evil ring tones. ZeFrank plays with names (and anything else you type in).
Guardian Online: Web watch

Getting rid of those unwanted porn pictures -- and removing other personal information if you plan to sell an old PC. Converting Web pages into plain text. Looking for a UK-oriented personalised news service. An unofficial site where you can find out which services you can stop in Windows NT and XP. Regret upgrading a program? There's an Oldversion.com Web site where you can sometimes get that old version back. Backchat: making MP3s. Ping with Mac OS 9.
Ask Jack

Battle of the browsers When the computer industry was vertically integrated, it exploited "lock in", which discouraged users from defecting to alternative systems. Today's interdependent suppliers are more likely to talk about "buy in" as a way of sustaining thier platforms. In the browser wars, Microsoft used "buy in" to support Internet Explorer and defeat Netscape Navigator.
Schofield on Saturday
Guardian Unlimited

Intel launches Centrino -- a new Mobile Pentium chip set that includes Wi-Fi (802.11b) wireless capabilities and delivers much better battery life.
Guardian Online

Which format for music to go, MP3 or WMA? Installing Wi-Fi -- it may be too soon to go for the faster 802.11g version. Is your mail being sent? BCC: copies to yourself and you can check. When the net slows or stops, use ping and trace route to find the hold-up. Backchat -- readers recommend software photo albums that preserve and use EXIF data.
Ask Jack

Portable PCs based on Intel's Centrino chip set should have a much greater appeal in the business market because time is money and purchases should be able to demonstrate a clear return on investment. Whether it is worth making the much bigger step to Centrino-based Tablet PCs is another matter, though Intel and Microsoft will be glad to trouser your money if you do.
Computer Weekly

Monday, March 10, 2003

Obituary: Roger Needham, former head of Cambridge University's Computer Lab, and founder of Microsoft Research in Cambridge.
The Guardian

Boxed in (Web exclusive)
People often confuse computing and consumer electronics, though they are very different industries and work on different principles. But personal computers are becoming more like consumer electronics devices, and in the future, that could change....
Schofield on Saturday
Guardian Unlimited

Thursday, March 6, 2003

Duct tape, and duck tape, and things you can do with it. Two sites to support the Department of Health's mental health anti-stigma campaign. Lavasoft has launched a new version of Ad-aware. Primal Art -- the exhibition of the forthcoming Sony PlayStation game. Virtual U: an educational simulation game that lets you run an American university. Images from New York collections. Six of the best: F1.
Guardian Online: Web watch

EXIF -- reading and saving the picture data from your digital camera. Potect your privacy on the Web, and visit a site that will audit your PC. Stopping those pop-up ads that arrive via the Windows Messenger service. Symbols for male and female. How to get a window back on screen when you can't grab it with the mouse.
Ask Jack

When innovation is a bad idea (Web exclusive)
Almost everyone pays lip service to the idea that innovation is good, but very often it isn't -- it can be more trouble than it's worth. Sometimes it's actually a "negative benefit", when it involves a variation from market standards, as it did with IBM's launch of the PS/2 range of personal computers in the 1980s.
Schofield on Saturday
Guardian Unlimited

Thursday, February 27, 2003

A spammer in the works -- and how you can greatly reduce the amount of spam that reaches your mailbox.
Guardian Online

Sending large files via a mobile phone is probably not a good idea, but you can compress them first, and split them into parts. The page to visit if your browser has been hi-jacked in favour of Searchex.com. Floppy disks still have their uses. Backchat on Windows NT (2000/XP) software compatibility, premium rate phone numbers, and Pretty Good Privacy (PGP).
Ask Jack