Digital Gadgets

San Francisco - Apple founder and CEO Steve Jobs on Tuesday unveiled his company’s first computers to run on Intel chips.

Jobs announced the new iMac desktop priced at 1,300 dollars, which runs on a new Intel Core Duo processor and clocks in two to three times faster than the old iMac powered by IBM Power PC chips.

Jobs also showed off the new Macbook Pro which also uses the Intel dual processor chip and runs some five times faster than its predecessor. The laptop includes a built-in camera for video conferencing.

Both models feature a software application called Rosetta that allows all programmes designed for Windows-based personal computers to run on the new Apples - a move that could help attract many more customers to the company’s products.

More: tech.monstersandcritics.com

People in a large section of east Shreveport were without cellular and land-line phone service today after a computer malfunction at one of Bell South’s stations.

Phone company crews this afternoon were working to restore service to an estimated 25,000 lines.

Most of those affected are in the areas with the prefixes “86-” and “219.”

Bell South said the problem is due to a major computer malfunction at its Line Avenue switching station. Spokesman Kevin McCotter said they won’t know exactly how it happened until they’ve powered everything down piece by piece. To isolate the problem, crews will have to turn off various pieces of equipment then bring them back up.

More: ktbs.com

After last week’s Consumer Electronics Show, it’s apparent to me that Gary Shapiro, the head of the CES, needs to spin off the computer gear and do a show called CES Computers, or some other such thing. This would separate the typical CES home entertainment equipment and weird gizmos from the SATA hard drives, microprocessor manufacturers, wireless gear, and case-mod offerings.

Last year I found CES to be so hectic and over-covered that I didn’t make any attempt to go this year. Instead, I coded a CES metapage [www.dvorak.org/CES] for my blog that highlighted the best coverage by others. With around 2,500 exhibitors, there were an estimated 6,500 analysts and media members attending the event. This is nearly three people per booth. That made my attendance beyond redundant.

With around 900 computer and technology-related trade shows (of all sizes) per annum, you’d think the proprietors would spread things out a little bit. Many smaller shows will have, say, 100 exhibitors but zero media coverage. If the ratio was the same as for CES there’d be hundreds of media people.

More: abcnews.go.com

After cyber hugs… its time now for computer chip implants that promise to prevent people from forgetting computer passwords, et al.

Amal Graafstra, a 29-year-old Vancouver-based entrepreneur has apparently shown the way… With a wave of his hand, the man opens his front door; with another wave, he logs onto his computer. Tiny radio frequency identification (RFID) computer chips implanted under the skin of Graafstra’s left hand, make this feat possible…

So what is RFID? RFID computer chips reportedly cost around $2, and are capable of interacting with a device installed in computers, dubbed “reader”. The chips get activated when they come within 3 inches of the “reader,” which scans the data on them. The “reader” device is available for about $50.

More: techtree.com