By Krista on May 31, 2006 in Computers, Trends | 0 Comments
Tech companies are scrambling to come up with PCs that are affordable to the world’s poorest. In a saturated market where those that can afford PCs already have ones - and companies like Intel boast 60% profit margins - the race is on to reach those in China, India, Latin America, and Russia.
The stats show a huge market. More than two thirds of the world’s population doesn’t own a computer. Only 15% of the world’s population now has internet access. And technology prices have dropped significantly. “Forty-one years ago, a transistor cost $5 to manufacture,” [ntel CEO Paul Otellini] said. “Today, that cost is one-millionth of $1. It’s now cheaper to produce a transistor than to grow a single grain of rice.” Read the rest
By Krista on Apr 25, 2006 in BioTech | 0 Comments
TechConfidential has a great article on emerging technologies that focus on BANG - bits, atoms, neurons and genes.
One of the most interesting of these is BrainGate by Cyberkinetics. According to their website, BrainGate provides “a means for people with severe motor impairment a new method to communicate with a computer directly with their thoughts.” Read the rest
By Krista on Apr 19, 2006 in Legal, Trends | 0 Comments
It probably surprises no one that since online commerce has increased significantly over the last few years, the government now wants it’s share. Recently, there have been a couple of great articles over at CNET News.com on what’s going on with the latest tax laws. Read the rest
By Krista on Apr 1, 2006 in AI | 1 Comment
Computers are wonderful for logical computations but when it comes to acting human, they’ve got a long way to go. Sure, there are all kinds of interactive games and chat features on the internet. Burger King launched their Subservient Chicken where you can type in commands and watch a human dressed as a chicken perform various tasks. If you’ve ever wanted to ask God a question, you can head over to iGod and chat away. Read the rest
By Krista on Mar 21, 2006 in Design | 0 Comments
Are technology products too difficult to learn or do people just not take the time to figure them out? A recent study claims
Half of all malfunctioning products returned to stores by consumers are in full working order, but customers can’t figure out how to operate the devices, a scientist said on Monday.
Product complaints and returns are often caused by poor design, but companies frequently dismiss them as “nuisance calls,” Elke den Ouden found in her thesis at the Technical University of Eindhoven in the south of the Netherlands.
According to the short article, the average American consumer will give it 20 minutes before giving up.
