A look at what's new in the personal computer world
By Zatni Arbi
JAKARTA (JP): It's been a while since we had a roundup of new and interesting software and hardware. Life moves very fast in the computer industry and a lot has happened in just a short period of time.
Microsoft, for instance, has already opened an office in Jakarta. The name of the company is PT Microsoft Indonesia. We certainly welcome them heartily, with the hope that we will be able to get better prices, guaranteed availability, and -- most important of all -- better technical support for their already excellent products.
Much earlier than Microsoft, Intel, the biggest central processing unit maker for the PC environment, also set up an office here. Thus, today, we have two of the most influential giants in the PC industry represented locally. That's something we can be proud of, isn't it? We know they wouldn't be here unless they see our market as having huge potential -- not only because of the size, but more importantly because of the increasing demand for their products. At any rate, with these two giants closer to us, we can hope for more lively PC industry for Indonesia in the future.
In the meantime, here are some of the just released products and new technologies that you might find useful or, at least, interesting.
New from NEC
Has NEC been the true leader in computer display technology all this time? Not exactly. Recently, there were a number of other makers who produced monitors with display quality exceeding that of the MultiSyncs. Some of the new big names in monitor making recently are ADI, Hitachi and even Samsung. And unlike NEC, rival Nanao has stayed on the cutting edge with its incremental advancements in monitor technology.
But NEC is striking back. It has come up with a new carrier route (CRT) technology called CromaClear. Built into the new M series of monitors, CromaClear promises enhanced focus, greater color saturation, better contrast and increased depth and dimension. All these are achieved by using vertical bundles with three elliptical spots in the CRT. It's a combination of Trinitron technology with conventional technology, and the result is a combination between the best of each worlds.
The M series, which replaces the FGs, are also targeted at those who would combine work and entertainment in one package. All the monitors come with a Video Boost feature that automatically sets the monitor screen to the optimal contrast and brightness level for viewing TV and video images. It also has built-in speakers and microphone, making it ready for video conferencing. Whew!
Unfortunately, compared to Sony and other monitor makers, NEC does not have a strong presence in Indonesia yet, so it may be some time before we can enjoy all these nice new features.
Yet if you think that CRT monitors will always dominate your desktops, think again. LCD panels have continued to grow in size and dwindle in price. Again, this time NEC leads the way towards more affordable flat-panel monitors with its MultiSync LCD200. Capable of displaying images at 1024 by 768 resolution, the active matrix panel has a diagonal dimension of 12 inches and can display up to 16.7 million colors.
With a list price of US$3,999 for MultiSync LCD200, it's hard to accept that NEC is doing something to make flat panel monitors more affordable. However, like most other technologies, it's a chicken and egg situation. As demands grow, economies of scale in production will be obtained and prices will drop. And the advantages of LCD panels over CRTs, such as the absence of flickers and potential harmful emissions as well as the smaller space they require, will definitely push demand up. Therefore, in the year 2000, you may be replacing your CRT with one of these flat panel monitors.
Compaq's All-in-one
The concept of a PC that has everything has come a long way. We have, for instance, MY-G-NiE from IPC that has a built-in TV and comes with a remote control. Well, I really like this idea, as it would help me beat the perseverance of the door-to-door TV- tax collector. In a more work-related tone, however, the new optional feature of Presario 9240 is still another thing that triggers the all-too-often-asked question of "Why didn't they think of this earlier?"
I've mentioned PagePort from Visioneer Communications a couple of times already. The great minimalist grayscale scanner was even licensed by Hewlett-Packard, and sold by the leader of scanner makers as HP ScanJet 4s. But Compaq has gone one step further in creativity. It has built the scanner into the keyboard, thereby saving even more desk space and minimizing cable clutter.
As we expect, the scanner has all the necessary features. It comes with PagePort scanning software and the Xerox TextBridge OCR program. With this scanner-on-your-keyboard feature, you'll have no problem keeping track of all those automatic teller machine slips you get each time you draw cash from those wealthy machines.
Great idea, Compaq. Now, here's asking: When are you going to show us your ergonomic keyboard that comes complete with built-in scanner, speakers, microphones and telephone handset?
That Citizen makes printers is known to us already. What is news is that the company has entered the color inkjet arena, which is already dominated by Canon, Epson and Hewlett-Packard.
Citizen's debut in the color inkjet market is the Printiva 600C. It incorporates a unique type of ink that the company calls Micro Dry. Instead of using liquid ink or toner supplies, the printer uses ink powder that is heated and applied to the printing paper.
Reportedly the quality of the printout is not going to stop your heartbeat, and the printing speed is worse than most of us can tolerate. However, that another printer maker has decided to add to our selection of already high-quality and reasonably priced printers is welcomed. Nothing else would please end users more than better quality and lower prices, right?
The market for digital cameras has really taken off. Some time ago, I reviewed Logitech FotoMan Pixtura in this column, and since then a number of new products has appeared. Kodak itself has released DC 50, the successor to its DC 40, and Ricoh has joined Casio in making a digital camera with a viewer. Ricoh's new digital camera, RDC-1 is not only capable of taking snapshots; it's capable of recording up to 5 seconds of 30 frame- per-second motion video complete with sound. However, its steep price, $1,699, may deter thoughts of buying it.
And now Epson has joined the digital camera bandwagon with its PhotoPC color digital camera. The company is not a newcomer in the scanner industry, and therefore its participation in the digital camera market is unsurprising.
Unlike most other cameras, Epson's PhotoPC looks more like your regular pocket camera. It captures 24-bit color images with the resolution of 640 by 480 and stores 32 images of standard configuration. Add more memory, and you can take and store as many as 160 digital pictures. You can also add special lenses or filters for close-ups, wide-angle or special effect shots. The best news of all is perhaps the price: $499. That's not too bad for a digital camera.