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Microsoft got there first
When in early 2006, Microsoft unveiled some of the new features to come in Windows Vista, some Apple followers were quick to point out the similarities between the Windows Sidebar and the Dashboard introduced in Mac OS X 10.4. Both of these features host small applets, snippets of code that provide at-a-glance access to information such as weather updates.
However, during a recent clear-out at IT Week's offices, I discovered some faded old presentation slides from a Microsoft reviewer's workshop for Windows XP and Office XP. There, in a presentation given by Rick Rashid of Microsoft's research division, is a screenshot showing an early version of the Windows Sidebar.
Back then, the technology was called Sideshow and was being used internally by some Microsoft workers, and I now recall that Rashid gave a brief demonstration, showing how it displayed the status of his instant messaging buddy list and how many unread emails were sitting in his inbox.
This is not quite the same as the Sidebar and Gadgets that ship as standard with Vista, but still recognisably the same concept. My notes accompanying the slides are dated 6th April 2001, which pre-dates the launch of OS X 10.4 by four years.
Rashid also talked about other projects that Microsoft was working on, including something called TerraServer, which from the old slides looks remarkably similar to Google Earth. As part of a user interface talk, he also demonstrated a Pocket PC handheld that had been fitted with motion sensors so that the display scrolled up or down or panned left or right, depending on how it was tilted. Sound familiar?
Perhaps Microsoft is in danger of following the example of Xerox's former Palo Alto Research Center (Parc), which is known for inventing useful things such as the graphical user interface, but failing to capitalise on them?
New printer technology to displace inkjets?
Ricoh's new GelSprinter range makes use of a gel-based print technology, designed to offer the benefits of colour printing but at a speed and cost closer to a traditional office laser printer.
In early tests with a GelSprinter, the technology seems to live up to the claims. I found that the GelSprinter Aficio GX3000 (Ricoh's entry-level model with a USB interface for direct connection to a Windows PC) can spit out a paper version of PDF document containing a mixture of text and graphics within a second or two of the 'OK' button being clicked in the application print dialog.
The quality of the prints is more than acceptable for everyday business documents such as brochures, PowerPoint slide handouts and even putting colour letterheads onto business correspondence. It can also print automatically onto both sides of the paper, just by ticking a box in the print driver settings – something that is impractical with an inkjet.
While the GelSprinter can be connected to a network, it is not a direct competitor to a departmental laser because it can only hold up to 250 sheets of paper as standard (up to 850 on the Aficio GX5050N). This means it is best suited as a shared resource for a workgroup, perhaps as a secondary printer used when colour output is needed.
This is the niche currently occupied by inkjet printers, but the GelSprinter seems able to fulfil the same requirements, but is faster and supports duplex printing as outlined above.
A full review of the GelSprinter Aficio GX3000 will appear in a future issue of IT Week, and on the IT Week web site.
ZX Spectrum : It was 25 years ago last month .....
It was 25 years ago last month that Clive Sinclair's home computer, the Spectrum was launched in the UK. Did I really pay £175 for a 48K Sinclair Spectrum all those years ago? I did indeed, and that system still works to this day, although the cassette recorders needed to load those classic (?) games, may have long since gone.
Sinclair's legacy is probably apparent in some of things it 'encouraged' programmers to do – for 'encouraged' read 'forced'. The games were an object lesson in how to compress data, and use the most efficient algorithms. Most of the better games usually consisted of little more than a massive amount of graphics data, pushed around your TV screen with control routines. You'll be glad to know (or maybe not)that some of these games can still be downloaded and played on your PC now, although they’re a far cry from, well - 'Far Cry'.
Having just 48Kb to write a game which would hold people's attention, brought out the best in those games programmers. Many of them would have a book of Z80 assembly language instructions and maybe even a copy of the Spectrum ROM disassembly. I did, and sometimes little good did it do me. Crashes when writing in assembler can be slightly different to those occurring with higher level languages like Pascal, which have run-time 'safety nets'. Add to this the debugging and hardware execution options available today and it could be said that programmers today are slightly cosseted. However, given the expectations users have of today’s applications, maybe programmers need all the help they can get. A quote from programming expert Scott Meyers from his books on producing more effective C++ code, sums it up neatly, “… too many programs can blame their sorry pace and bloated footprint on nothing more than bad design and slipshod programming.”
Photo: RIM's new BlackBerry Curve
RIM is keeping up a brisk pace of handset releases, following its launch of the BlackBerry 8800 earlier this year. The new model is the BlackBerry Curve, alternatively known as the BlackBerry 8300, and I was able to get my hands on it briefly during a demonstration by RIM.
As you can see from the photo, the new model fits neatly between the 8800 and the BlackBerry Pearl in size (the Curve is in the middle), and this also gives you a clue where RIM is positioning it – as a device to appeal to both business users and consumers.
Firstly, the device feels very light – so much so that I had to check whether the battery was fitted. Actually, at 111g it is heavier than many standard phones, but it is noticeably lighter than most smartphones that also have a qwerty keyboard.
Because this is the smallest BlackBerry with a qwerty keyboard (at 107 x 60 x 15.5mm), the keys are also smaller than earlier models, especially those of the popular 7200 series. However, I found it no more difficult to key in text than on other qwerty BlackBerry devices.
Equally importantly, the screen is bright and easy to read, which means this device can just as easily serve as a corporate email device as one of the larger models. The Curve also features the pearl trackball, introduced on the BlackBerry of the same name.
The Curve also features a 2 megapixel camera and has an enhanced media player that handles common music and video formats. While some companies may be wary of having these features in a business handset, RIM said that it enables workers to carry just a single device with them instead of cramming both a Blackberry and an iPod into their pocket. These features can also be disabled by policy settings through a company's Blackberry Enterprise Server, if necessary.
RIM's media player is backed by a new application – Desktop Multimedia Suite – that enables users to manage their music and video files on a Windows PC and convert them into a format that works on the BlackBerry, RIM said.
The BlackBerry Curve comes with an updated version of RIM's BlackBerry Maps application, but the device doesn't have built-in GPS capability (as the BlackBerry 8800 does). If users require a precise fix on their location, they will have to purchase a separate Bluetooth GPS device.
Overall, my early impression of the Curve is that it will appeal to current BlackBerry users, because it offers all the BlackBerry features you would expect in a smaller and easier to carry format.
It's a shame that RIM hasn't seen fit to include 3G network support or Wi-Fi yet, but I suspect many BlackBerry users will cheerfully forego these so long as they can have a smaller, lighter version of the device now weighing down their pocket.
