New Smart Phones--Not Smart Enough
Plus: Legalized hacking, Apple enticements, Palladium, and 64-bit CPUs.1. So-Called Smart Phones
The Buzz: You've probably heard the news: Sprint and other companies finally have some wicked-fast wireless voice and data services to hawk. Unfortunately, you'll need more than that lowly old cell phone of yours if you intend to surf the Web, send e-mail, or maybe even trade photos wirelessly. So get ready for an explosion of phone-based convergence devices. Choices include Handspring's color-screen Treo 300, Kyocera's stylish flip phone, and T-Mobile's Pocket PC/phone hybrid. Even stranger are the Frankensteinian devices from Nokia and Sony Ericsson that graft a camera onto a cell phone. Simply point, shoot, and push buttons to send a picture to a friend. The practical applications--including the frightful photo spam we're sure to start receiving--boggle the mind.
Bottom line: Ever surfed the Web on your phone? Press 1# ** # MENU 36# SND # LOCK Mem 421* if the answer is yes.
2. Vigilante Computing
The Buzz: Think of it as government-sanctioned hacking. Representative Howard L. Berman (D-California) is pitching a bill that would allow the recording industry to hack into peer-to-peer networks that traffic in copyrighted material, even if said retaliation damages the networks. The bill--a long shot to make it through Congress--has been sparking lively debate, including talk about the potential legality of hackers attacking servers that inadvertently spread viruses.
Bottom line: I thought two wrongs didn't make a right. Next: a bill that lets citizens loot the mansions of CEOs who've stolen their retirement savings.
3. Mac Envy
The Buzz: You've seen the advertisements, maybe even checked out the Web site filled with tales of formerly harried ex-Windows users who've gone all Mac-happy.
Bottom line: Wintel needn't worry just yet, given that a surprising number of the "switchers" seem to be beleaguered tech journalists. By the way, Mr. Jobs, the best time to reach me is late in the afternoon.
4. Microsoft's Mysterious Palladium
The Buzz: Microsoft's latest initiative is something called Palladium, a murky mishmash of hardware and software designed to secure your data. It's hard to tell exactly what it is, but we do know that Palladium will require a new chip in your system (both Intel and AMD are reportedly on board for the project) and will employ public-key encryption.
Bottom line: Can Microsoft pull off something this complex, much less explain it? Raise your hand if you understand.Net.
5. 64 Bits on the Desktop
The Buzz: With this winter's debut of Clawhammer, AMD should be the first to market with a 64-bit desktop chip. Not to be outdone, IBM is touting a 64-bit PowerPC microprocessor, presumably for Mac desktops. Then there's Intel's Itanium 2--currently a workstation/server play, but who knows what the future holds.
Bottom line: For now, this is strictly about bragging rights, not performance. Unless you're running Linux, your 64-bit system won't have a complementary 64-bit operating system until 2004 or so.
Contributing Editor Steve Fox delivers the lowdown on ideas and products generating buzz in the tech world. You can contact him at steve_fox@pcworld.com.
Nagging Question: Does Spam Pay Off?
As much as we hate the stuff, junk e-mail seems to be effective. Louisiana spam sultan Ronnie Scelson offers the following example: He sends 80 million e-mail messages twice a month on behalf of a client who sells insurance. At least 700 people respond (Scelson gets $12 a pop), and his client converts 400 of those into paying customers. As Sara Radicati of the Palo Alto, California-based market research firm the Radicati Group notes, "Spam is unbelievably inexpensive." Of course, she adds, spammers who mistarget their audience "create a backlash against their product and brand name." Apparently, though, many businesses are willing to take that risk.