HP says bye to vapid designs

Zatni Arbi , Contributor , Jakarta | Mon, 11/03/2008 10:29 AM | Sci-Tech

If all the restaurants in a food court make excellent fish soup, how can one restaurant differentiate its soup from the crowd? Can they win the competition by lowering their price?

In most cases, it is not feasible, as restaurants have to earn some profit. They have to pay their chefs, their cooks, their waiters and waitresses. They also have to pay the rent.

So, if everybody has access to the best ingredients, the freshest fish on the market and more or less the same recipe, what can be done to make one soup stand out? Well, it can be the way the soup is served. It can be the bowl that is used by the restaurant, the additional aroma of lemon leaves, etc.

Similarly, with every computer maker churning out notebooks with state-of-the-art technology nowadays, how can one vendor differentiate its products from the rest?

One way is to apply delightful design touches to the otherwise boring notebooks. That is exactly what HP has done to the latest generation of their notebooks, and it seems that they have done a great job.

The new HP notebooks were first launched at HP's Connecting Your World event in Berlin last June. Last week, HP introduced some of them to the press in Jakarta: HP Compaq Presario CQ20, CQ40 and CQ45, HP Pavilion dv4 and dv7 and the brand new line of HP HDX Premium Series 16 inch and 18.4 inch.

Frankly, in the recent past I had not found the designs of HP notebooks terribly appealing. Most were in black with some decoration here and there.

Of course, the more expensive ones had something admirable in terms of design, but they were targeted more to users with deep pockets. The new HP generation is different: Subtle design enhancements can be found across the entire range of new notebooks.

The Compaq Presario line is HP's offering for those who want affordability and good value. The Pavilion series, which range in price from US$1,000 to $2,000, have more entertainment features and have more overall capability.

The new HP HDXes, priced at $2,000 and up, are the premium notebooks that incorporate technologies we would expect from a top-class notebook.

Missing from the product launch were two premium lines, the brand new EliteBooks and the highly personalizable Voodoo lines. HP claims that the workstation-class EliteBook can achieve a full 24 hours' working time on its battery, and it demonstrates how the company is once again very serious in its R&D activities.

Also missing was the announcement of HP's fresh-from-the-oven notebook products, the HP Mini 1000 series. HP Indonesia promises the new notebooks will be brought into the country in the near future.

What is so special about HP's new generation of notebooks that has made them a pleasure to look at and use? First, there is the flushed Infinity Glass that covers the screen. HP uses a piece of glass to cover the entire TFT screen and its frame from edge to edge, making it appear as though the screen has no frame at all.

Next is the liquid metal sensation that all the keys in the keyboard have. I tried out the keyboards on the prototypes -- they only had mostly prototypes on display during the launch -- and found the keyboard was quite good for touch-typing.

Mesh imprints are also used to enhance the look of the notebooks. This results in a glossy surface that lasts quite a long time.

Actually, HP did in the past apply artistic touches to its products, but their re-emphasis on artistry pinnacled last year with a competition that it ran together with MTV. In the contest, young designers were invited to produce art for the skin of a limited edition 14-inch notebook.

Clearly, with the new focus on design, HP notebooks are no longer boring and gaudy. Even the Mini 1000 has a Vivienne Tam Edition with an art skin in bold red colors.

But this computer maker is not skimping on advanced features. For example, the Pavilions have HP ProtectSmart to protect the hard disk in case of a fall. They also have the latest Intel Centrino 2, large hard disks, lots of memory and a TV tuner.

The mid and high-end notebooks also feature discreet graphics from NVidia. If you prefer AMD ATI, the company will customize one for you. The HDX has additional features such as HP Triple Bass Subwoofer, a ScrollSmart remote control, a Blu-Ray drive -- the list can go on and on.

I am looking forward to the chance to review a demo unit soon so I can provide you with more details.

Earlier this year, FastCompany, one of my favorite tech and innovation magazines, put HP in its list of the world's 50 most innovative companies.

The freshness of the notebook designs provides good evidence of this. It is a much-needed accomplishment, as the company -- which ranks second after Acer in Indonesia -- has to face growing competition from other vendors such as Dell and Lenovo, who are also coming up with great notebooks with looks that please the eye.

Just be ready to be enthralled by them during the IndoComtech 2008 computer exhibition in JCC, Jakarta, from Nov. 12 to 16.

Google mulls pre-installing Chrome browser on computers

From Times Online

November 20, 2008

The search giant looks at pre-installing Chrome on personal computers in a bid to break dominance of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer

Murad Ahmed, Technology Reporter

Google is considering pre-installing its Chrome browser on personal computers in the search giant’s latest challenge to the dominance of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer.

The move would significantly ramp up the browser war that Google launched against Microsoft when it launched Chrome in September, in the battle to dominate how users access and interact with the web.

Latest industry figures show that Internet Explorer currently enjoys a 71.3 per cent market share worldwide, with Mozilla Firefox at nearly 20 per cent. Chrome is used by less than 1 per cent of all web users, but is still under public testing before a final version is ready to launch.

Speaking to The Times, Sundar Pichai, Google Vice President, Product Management, revealed that Chrome will be ready to come out of “beta” testing by January, and that the search giant was looking at ways to make Chrome the browser of choice for the everyday user.

“We will probably do distribution deals,” he said, adding, “we could work with an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) and have them ship computers with Chrome pre-installed.”

He added that versions of Chrome should also be available of computers using Macintosh or Linux software in the first half of next year, allowing the browser to be used on almost 99 per cent of computers worldwide.

Analysts said that Microsoft eventually defeated Netscape Navigator in the first browser wars during the late 1990s primarily because Internet Explorer came installed on computers that operated the Windows operating system, and as a result became the default choice for most web users.

Richard Holway, Chairman of Tech Market View, the industry analysts, said that due to strict anti-trust rulings since, it would be hard to block Google doing deals with computer makers to install Chrome on their PCs.

He said: “If any manufacturer wished to install Chrome, that should now be possible.”

Microsoft said it would not comment on its current commercial or distribution deals with hardware manufacturers. John Curran, UK head of Windows, said he believed Microsoft can withstand the threat posed by Google’s Chrome.

“The browser space is competitive and people end up choosing what’s best for them,” he said. “For the overall majority of UK users, that’s Internet Explorer.”

The latest version of Microsoft’s browser, Internet Explorer 8, was launched in August. It will come as standard with all PCs using the latest version of its operating system, Windows 7, which should be ready be used on most computers by January 2010.

Mr Pichai said that once a glitch-free version of Chrome browser is launched early next year, Google will make a determined push to advertise its browser to the wider public.

Mr Pichai said: “We will throw our weight behind it. We’ve been conservative because its still in beta, but once we get it out of beta we will work hard at getting the word out, promoting to users, and marketing will be a part of that.”

Internet security is up to us

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Mon, 05/31/2004 8:57 AM | Life

Vishnu K. Mahmud, vmahmud@yahoo.com

There have been an alarming number of Internet security concerns over the past few months. Annoying spam, virus attacks, Internet worms and virtual identity theft is becoming more common as the world embraces technology.

IT has become not only the buzzword in corporate circles but also a means for cutting costs while expanding services.

As such, it is becoming more common for people to use ATMs, Internet banking and e-mail in their day-to-day lives. Unfortunately, as the technology progresses, so do the problems.

Unlike other industries, computer companies (both hardware and software) can disclaim any responsibility for their products' operations by users, as shown in the extremely lengthy end-user licensing agreements.

In essence, faulty coding that leads to security holes or file corruption is usually the risk of individual users. In contrast, defects in a automobiles that result in casualties could lead to serious consequences for the manufacturer.

Thus, neophyte computer users must defend themselves against the increasingly serious problems the virtual economy is facing. Despite various articles written about security, very few people are taking it seriously.

One should be reminded that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link; no matter how expensive and sophisticated your equipment, not having a password to secure computer access may open doors to loss or stolen data. What is most important is that users must be aware of the dangers and be prepared.

Phishing is the latest scam to hit the Internet. Users get an e-mail supposedly from their bank to confirm the details of their account, requesting clarification of their name, address, password and others.

Even though the message looks legitimate and is pointed back to the bank's official website, it is simply a ruse by criminals to obtain information from users to drain their accounts dry.

Another scam is mirroring, where an unauthorized person creates a website that looked precisely like an official one, usually a financial institution, hoping to trick users into entering their user names and passwords.

A major Indonesian bank was the victim of mirroring a few years back when a local hacker wanted to demonstrate how easy it would be to collect user data. This occurred when the hacker obtained a Web address that was similar to the bank's, justly slightly misspelled.

Amazingly, he managed to harvest a good number of user account numbers and passwords.

Internet worms are also becoming more dangerous. No longer do you have to double click anything, as a worm (like a virus) can simply enter your computer and send copies of itself to others for whatever evil purpose.

This is usually possible due to flaws in the operating system or a particular computer program. Data can be erased, or worse, private information gathered for future use.

Here are some tips to ensure that your computer is ready to face the rocky waves of the Web. 1. Install and continually update an antivirus program:

It's not free but it is a worthwhile investment. You can easily get the McAfee Anti-Virus (www.mcafee.com) or Norton Anti-Virus (www.norton.com) and their data files off the Net. Keep these programs running! 2. Update your computer system:

If you are using Windows, Microsoft (www.microsoft.com) will issue security patches to plug any security holes. Mac and Linux users should also keep up with the latest news on impending patches by keeping an eye out for software updates. 3. Install a personal firewall:

This program will ensure that you and only you have complete control of your computer and allows traffic in and out according to specifications that you alone set. Black Ice (www.networkice.com) is one of many popular desktop firewall solutions that can log any attempt of access your computer from an outside source and help trace its origins. 4. Never open e-mail attachments from strangers or even friends:

Would you suck on a lollipop given to you by a stranger in Times Square? Too many people eagerly open a binary file in the hopes of seeing a little something funny or naughty. Scan them first with an antivirus program and double check with the sender to make sure. 5. Be careful when downloading and installing software:

Always be wary of installing software from dubious sites (especially from sites that insist you install their program in order to view their library of ""special"" images). These programs may be viruses or spyware that can steal or erase private data, or worse, offer a backdoor for hackers to exploit. 6. Keep your passwords secure and long:

The longer the password the more unlikely it is for a hacker to crack your e-mail, files or Internet accounts. Never use a birth date or any other number/name that can be easily associated to you. 7. Trust no one:

No matter who e-mails you to request information, never trust e-mail. It is not safe to transmit sensitive data (unless you use encryption). Businesses and financial institutions will NEVER ask for information over the Internet. Always use trusted and traditional methods to convey important data (such as a publicly listed call center phone number).

To get an idea on how secure your computer really is, check out SHIELDS UP! at www.grc.com. This site will safely scan a computer and inform users what information their computer is giving away.

It will then provide suggestions on what to do about their security vulnerabilities. The service is free and is an excellent starting point of getting the latest news about security threats on the Internet.