By Compiled from Times wires
Published May 19, 2003
A service launched last week by Verizon Communications Inc. that gives its Internet customers free wireless access in New York could accelerate the industry's plans for the burgeoning technology.
Verizon executives said the telecom giant will equip 1,000 Manhattan pay phones this year with transmitters that radiate Internet connectivity for 300 feet.
Customers who subscribe to Verizon's dialup or fast digital subscriber line Internet service can use the Wi-Fi - wireless fidelity - access for free, giving them the power to get online from laptops and handheld computers while they roam midtown Manhattan, Wall Street and other busy parts of the borough.
The service requires a password for entry, and users can have only one Wi-Fi connection going at a time to discourage people from giving out their password to several friends.
Verizon executives said they would see how well the New York effort goes before offering the service in other cities.
Wi-Fi lets a broadband Internet connection be shared by several computers, generally in a short range. Thousands of Wi-Fi "hot spots" have sprung up in cafes, bookstores, airports and hotels.
Taking control with the iPronto
In the iPronto TSi6400, a slender, book-size device that resembles a Tablet PC, Philips Electronics has crossed the remote control with the Internet. The iPronto gives you control over almost any device in your home that has a remote control of its own, including the television, VCR, DVD player, stereo and indoor lighting - essentially anything that can be turned on and off or up and down with infrared or radio signals.
Less than an inch thick, the iPronto has a 6.4-inch screen that can be used with a stylus. It can run sequences of commands at the touch of a button (turning off the music playing on the stereo and dimming the lights, for example, before starting a movie on the DVD player).
It can connect to the Internet through a wireless 802.11b, or Wi-Fi, home network using a builtin Web browser and an on-screen keyboard. That means you can send e-mail and check sports scores (or turn up the air conditioning) while walking around the house.
The iPronto uses its Internet connection to download television listings periodically and create an interactive guide that lets you click to your show of choice.
More information on the remote, which has a suggested price of $1,699, is available at www.consumer.philips.com As more and more appliances and entertainment devices are equipped with easy-to-misplace remote controls, Philips is aiming to position the iPronto as the one tool you won't want to lose.
Adobe's latest trick: Acrobat 6.0
Because of its ability to translate a document's original fonts, colors and images into a file that can be opened and read on most computer systems, the Portable Document Format, created by Adobe Systems, has become a staple of modern business. This month Adobe will release new versions of its Adobe Acrobat program that can create PDF files out of just about anything. Adobe Acrobat 6.0 will come in three versions, each designed for users with specific needs and ways of using files.
Acrobat Professional 6.0 ($449 new; $149 to upgrade) is intended for users in engineering, architecture, publishing and other computer-intensive fields. It can interact seamlessly with specialized programs like AutoCAD and Microsoft Visio to create PDF files. Acrobat Standard 6.0 ($299 new, $99 to upgrade) is designed for business and professional users.
Both versions can convert Microsoft Office documents to PDF files with the click of a mouse button, and both enable users to insert editorial comments into a document and to save Web sites as PDF files from the Windows version of Internet Explorer.
Adobe has become widely known for its Acrobat Reader, free software that can be used to open PDF files. The company has not forgotten about those who want to look but not touch: Adobe Reader 6.0, which can be used to view and print PDF files, will be available to download free at Adobe's Web site.
IMfree frees parents' PCs from kids' instant messaging
A new wireless gadget from Motorola Inc. aims to get smiley faces from kids who are hooked on instant messaging but have to share a computer with boring grown-ups.
The IMfree is about the size of a CD case and has an LCD screen and a standard QWERTY keyboard. It connects wirelessly to a computer, allowing the use of AOL Instant Messenger even if someone else is on the PC.
The rechargeable handset will sell for $99 together with a base station that connects with a USB cable to a Windows computer. The base station can be used by up to seven handsets.
The system uses the 900-megahertz band used by many cordless phones, and has a range of up to 150 feet, Motorola says.
IMfree went on sale recently at the Web sites of some large retailers. Motorola plans a wider launch later this year.
And if the boring grown-ups think the messaging is getting out of hand, they can use the computer to set limits, such as disabling the device before homework is finished or after bedtime.
Intuit backtracks on antipiracy move
Intuit Inc. will dump an unpopular antipiracy feature from its top-selling TurboTax software, reversing course on a measure that turned out to be more trouble than it was worth.
The company disclosed its change of heart Wednesday with the release of its earnings for the three months ended April 30, Intuit's busiest quarter of the year.
Although the company's sales and earnings for the period surged from last year, the improvement wasn't as dramatic as Intuit promised investors three months ago. Part of the blame was placed on the frosty response to TurboTax's new antipiracy feature, called "product activation."
The feature depended upon an activation code that essentially tied the software to a single computer to prevent buyers from passing around TurboTax to people who hadn't paid to use it.
The code allowed customers to use TurboTax on other computers, but all printing and electronic filing of tax returns had to be done from the computer where the software was first launched.
Intuit thought the feature would be a sales catalyst by forcing consumers who had illegally used TurboTax in the past to buy copies this year.
The feature instead triggered a customer backlash.
FTC shuts down do-not-call scams
The scams never stop online - they just find new opportunities. The Federal Trade Commission said recently that it sued to stop two Web sites from falsely promising to preregister people for the FTC's do-not-call list. One of the two had been charging a fee for the registration. Both sites - Free-Do-Not-Call-List.org and National-Do-Not-Call-List.us - were offline by the end of the week.
The real nationwide do-not-call list (www.ftc.gov/donotcall) will go online in July, the FTC says, and will let people register for free (the same service will also be offered by phone). Starting in September, telemarketers will have to check this database every 12 weeks to find out who they shouldn't call, with each unwanted call bringing a fine of up to $11,000.
HowStuffWorks moves from Web to TV
HowStuffWorks, the Web site that started out as a hobby, likely will debut on television this year, another step toward making the brand into a multimedia franchise.
Two episodes of a TV program, called HowStuffWorks & A Movie, have been taped showing Marshall Brain, founder of HowStuffWorks, and a female host explaining how various things in the selected movie work. The shows will air on a Turner Broadcasting System channel.
Joe Kissack, chief executive for the privately held company in Atlanta, said HowStuffWorks & A Movie will be a financial lift for the company, which counts on Web site ad revenue, book sales and the syndication of a newspaper feature for its income. But just as important is the exposure for the HowStuffWorks brand.
"It could reach between 8-million and 10-million people per month, depending on how often it is aired," Kissack said. "There's nothing bad that comes from that."
