On tiny keyboard and computer telephony server
By Zatni Arbi
JAKARTA (JP): Here's a tiny little keyboard that I saw at Changi Airport about one month ago, while I was waiting for a flight back to Jakarta. The price was S$59.00.
When I first saw it, I took a good look at it. I did not see the plug adapter, so I thought it was for a standard 5-pin keyboard port. When I was there again two weeks later, I realized that the keyboard actually came with a PS/2 plug and an adaptor. Not knowing when I might be coming to Singapore again, I bought it.
The Chamoxa keyboard is the size of a notebook keyboard. The layout resembles that of my Toshiba Satellite 100CS notebook, but with additional Windows 95 keys. There are even two of the same keys for the Windows 95's Start menu -- one on the left and the other on the right of the spacebar. It's not really a plus, though, because with a total of 14 keys crammed together, the bottom row is really crowded.
The keyboard, which is made by Solidtek of China, is truly lightweight. The quality of the touch is surprisingly good, not much different from the keyboard found on Toshiba notebooks. It has the Fn key, too, allowing us to use U, I, O, and P as 4, 5, 6 and -. Press Ctrl and Fn and 7, it will be the same as pressing the Home key. At the top of the keyboard there is also a row of LEDs for Num lock, Caps lock and Scroll lock.
Why have I repeatedly referred to my Toshiba Satellite 100CS? Simple. The notebook's keyboard died a couple of months ago when its leaking battery damaged the ribbon cable permanently. I was told that an original Toshiba keyboard would cost me US$150.
Definitely, this external keyboard, which will not add too much to the weight of the notebook, can be a handy replacement. So, if your notebook has a bad keyboard, you don't really have to buy the overpriced original one. Just ask a friend who travels to Singapore to buy one for you -- if Challenger still carries the keyboards, of course.
The keyboard will also make a good replacement if you have very little space on your desk. As you can see it in the picture, it is almost half the size of the classic IBM keyboard. The straight and tubular cable is eight foot long, enough to pull the keyboard away from the monitor and sit back comfortably.
The only problem is that you really need to get accustomed to the very narrow keycaps. My wife, Hanny, used the keyboard for a while but soon said that she preferred the full-sized IBM keyboard. But, as a replacement for your original notebook keyboard, it is a great choice.
Intel into Internet
As you already known by now, another of Intel Indonesia's executives has been promoted. This time, it is our friend Werner Sutanto himself, who was country manager since Intel started its direct presence in Indonesia a couple of years ago. He now heads the Singapore regional headquarters of Dialogic, a company that was acquired by Intel last July.
Dialogic has been one of the pioneers in computer telephony (CT) applications. CT will be another tech word that you'll probably be hearing more and more. As Intel was aggressively expanding itself into the networking world, it saw CT as one of the building blocks -- using their own term -- to Internet-based telecom services. At our farewell lunch, Pak Werner shared with two journalists and myself what lies ahead in the integration between the computer and telephony.
One of the technologies that Dialogic has been working on is the so-called CT server. This server, which undoubtedly will use Intel processors, will work with digital PABXs and will eventually replace them.
The strengths of the server approach lies in its openness as opposed to the proprietary design of most current PABXs. It is based on established standards such as Microsoft Telephony Application Programming Interface, the Enterprise Computer Telephony Forum S.100, and the ECMA Computer Supported Telephony Application.
Dialogic provides the hardware as well as the application software to Original Equipment Manufacturers, which may build their own solutions using its products.
The CT server, which handles telephony applications in the same way a database server handles databases, will enable companies to tailor their telephony applications to their needs. Potential computer telephony and telecommunications applications include voice mail, auto attendant, switching, call routing, call control, fax store-and-forward, fax-on-demand, conferencing, call center, messaging, interactive voice response, IP telephony and many others.
Just last week, Dialogic also announced its Speech Server initiative, which would make it easier for developers to build speech recognition applications. With the new features, we will be able to speak our commands over the telephone lines and the server will respond using a voice synthesizer.
Possible applications include voice-based contact managers, personal assistants, self-service customer transactions and unified messaging. Unified messaging services, for example, will pool all our e-mail messages, voice-mail messages, faxes and paging messages in one location. This will make it possible for us, for example, to have the applications residing on the server read the incoming e-mail messages to us through the phone.
As Intel Country Manager for Indonesia, Pak Werner was very successful in getting local computer enthusiasts up to date with his company's technologies.
Now, when asked what his next target will be, he explained, "Today, most of the customization is done by companies in the region, such as Singapore and Australia. I want to see the growth of local companies that offer these customization services for computer telephony applications."
In the long run, he wants to see that more and more companies enter the design and production area of new technologies as well, as that's where the bulk of the cash is.