Proscenia Newsletter

The following software overviews are from The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2004.) This publication is distributed on line and is a free subscription service.

PhotoPeer 1.0. Summer 2004 has come and gone, and now the colors of fall are upon us. As the sights of fall may serve as photographic inspiration, those with digital cameras may be yearning to share their images with others via the Internet. One such way to do this is to use PhotoPeer, an application which helps users share their digital photographs. Visitors will need to start by selecting which photos they want to share via iPhoto or from any folder, then they can begin to invite their friends and family to view the photos. The site also includes a helpful FAQ section and various supporting documents. PhotoPeer 1.0 is compatible with all systems running Windows XP or 2000 and Mac OS 10.3. [KMG]

Handy Password 1.2.0. With all of the online activity most people are engaged in these days, it may be difficult to keep track of all the different passwords that they use to access various secure sites. This edition of Handy Password should be quite helpful, as the program allows for the storage of encrypted passwords locally on the users' home computer. The program is built into Internet Explorer as a toolbar, and is relatively easy to install. Handy Password 1.2 is compatible with all systems running Windows 98 and above. [KMG]

Smart Popup Blocker 1.20. As pop-up ads and their ilk become more sophisticated it is always worth taking a look at new applications designed to prevent them from ruining a perfectly good web-browsing experience. Smart Popup Blocker effectively blocks most pop-up ads and messenger pop-up spam, and also cleans cookies and guards the default Internet Explorer home page. The application resides in the system tray, and is compatible with all systems running Windows 98 and above. [KMG]

Yappa-ng 2.3.0. While the phrase "Yappa-ng" may conjure up images of a far-off island in French Polynesia (or perhaps a new verb), it is actually a new online PHP photo gallery that is compatible with all operating systems. With this application, visitors can view pictures in many different sizes, create password-protected albums, create hit counters for albums and images, and use a "Top 10 images" ranking system for each photo album. One other nice feature is that no database is required, and that different users have created galleries with up to 37,000 images with the program thus far. [KMG]

IN THE NEWS:

The following news items are selected from NewsScan Daily an online publication distributed Monday through Friday. Readers are encouraged to subscribe to this free news summary.To subscribe or unsubscribe to the TEXT version of NewsScan Daily, send an e-mail message to NewsScan@NewsScan.com with 'subscribe' or 'unsubscribe' in the subject line. To subscribe to the HTML version of NewsScan Daily, send mail to NewsScan-html@NewsScan.com, with the word 'subscribe' as the subject.

SIGN OF THE TIMES: GOLD MP3s. In a nod to the digital age, the Recording Industry Association of America has issued its first gold, platinum and multiplatinum certifications for digital downloads. RIAA chief executive Mitch Bainwol calls the awards "a reflection of both the commitment of the entire music community to consumer-friendly legitimate digital services and fan appetite for high-quality music." The RIAA based its certifications on sales from legitimate digital download services, including Apple iTunes, Musicmatch, Napster and RealNetworks. And the winner is: Outkast's "Hey Ya!" with more than 400,000 downloads (earning it the only multiplatinum designation). In addition, six songs qualified for platinum (200,000 downloads) and 45 for gold (100,000 downloads). (CNet News.com 27 Oct 2004) Read Full Story.

VIDEO GAMES FOR THE VERY YOUNG. Video game makers are turning their attention to the younger crowd -- in this case, children as young as 2 or 3 -- in an effort to meet demand and groom a new generation of players. A report issued last year by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation indicated that half of all 4- to 6-year-olds had played video games -- on handheld devices, computers or game consoles -- and a quarter reported playing several times a week. Of children 3 or younger, 14% had played video games. "Companies have found that there's an untapped market with the really young kid," says Kaiser VP Vicky Rideout. To meet this demand, Atari is marketing a line of PC games for children aged 3 to 6 that come in see-through boxes and include a small toy, like a doll or action figure. The new market comes as a boon for the multibillion-dollar video game industry as it looks to expand beyond its core constituency -- males aged 14 to 34. And by starting the kids early, it "helps to feed in new gamers all the time," says an executive at one video game company. Meanwhile, an analyst with research firm NPD Group says that partly as a result of this shift, conventional toy sales are flat. "If parents are spending $200, $400 and more on these things, they take away from other things kids can have. But kids seem very happy and content with a computer and a couple of games." (New York Times 28 Oct 2004) Read Full Story.

GOOGLE'S PC SEARCH TOOL MIGHT PROVE THE 'PERFECT SPY'. Google Desktop Search, released last Thursday in a "beta" test phase, may prove a boon to disorganized PC users who need assistance in finding data on their computers, but it also has a downside for those who use public or workplace computers. Its indexing function may compromise the privacy of users who share computers for such tasks as processing e-mail, online shopping, medical research, banking or any activity that requires a password. "It's clearly a very powerful tool for locating information on the computer," says one privacy consultant. "On the flip side of things, it's a perfect spy program." The program, which is currently available only for Windows PCs, automatically records any e-mail read through Outlook, Outlook Express or the Internet Explorer browser, and also saves pages viewed through IE and conversations conducted via AOL Instant Messenger. In addition, it finds Word, Excel and PowerPoint files stored on the computer.
And unlike the built-in cache of recent Web sites visited that's included in most browser histories, Google's index is permanent, although individuals can delete items individually. Acknowledging potential privacy concerns, a Google executive says managers of shared computers should think twice about installing the tool before advanced features like password protection and multi-user support are available. (AP/Washington Post 19 Oct 2004) Read Full Story.

SENDING E-MAIL VIA MINDPOWER. Cyberkinetics, based in Massachusetts, has developed a device called BrainGate that in tests has enabled a quadriplegic patient to control a computer or television using his mind, even while doing other things, like talking, at the same time. A number of research efforts have sought to tap into the brainpower of paralyzed people, but the BrainGate device is judged to be the most sophisticated effort thus far. The device contains 100 electrodes that are implanted into the motor cortex, enabling it to "theoretically tap into 100 neurons," says an investigator on the research team. However, Oxford University engineer Stephen Roberts says it's too soon yet to declare victory: "We have to make something that works robustly and without a lot of patient training. Most of these devices work well on a small subset of patients, but there's a long way to go before getting them to work for the general population." (Nature 13 Oct 2004) Read Full Story.

WHAT WOMEN WANT (IN GAME DESIGN). Videogaming has long been a bastion of young male techies, but a handful of women game designers is hoping that will soon change. The problem, they say, is that interest in game design as a career path usually starts with a keen interest in playing games -- and girls just don't play videogames as much as boys do. "It's not so much that women look at the industry and discard the idea," says Sheri Graner Ray, a senior game designer at Sony. "It's that the game industry just never even comes up on their radar." According to NPD Group, only about 19% of videogame players are female. The key to boosting that number, says Nicky Robinson, director of technology at LimeLife, is to make the games more appealing by making the user interfaces more intuitive. "I personally loathe interfaces that are cluttered. I've heard this as a common complaint from women: " In addition, some women say they'd like to see less graphic violence and more characters they can relate to, as well as "instant immersion" in a game's story line. "I know I'm opening a can of worms, but I'd like to see more romance," says an attendee at last month's Women's Game Conference. (New York Times 14 Oct 2004) Read Full Story.

RADIO WHEN AND HOW YOU WANT IT. A company called Griffin Technology has introduced radioShark, a device that does for radio what TiVo does for television: allowing a user to pause, rewind or fast-forward live programming, and of course store it as well. Technology analyst Walter Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal writes: "Overall, we found the radioShark to be a good idea, but it lacks some of TiVo's smart features. Because it doesn't have program schedules like TiVo does, you can't look through a list of upcoming radio shows to learn what will be on when, what specific song will be played, or which talk-radio topic will be discussed. By contrast, TiVo's schedule grid makes it a cinch to plan your recordings ahead of time... If radioShark were smarter, it could be a sensation. For now, though, it's more of a curiosity, or a tool for radio enthusiasts with a good sense of station schedules and time to invest." (Wall Street Journal 6 Oct 2004) Read Full Story.

WEB-BASED RADIO SERVICE FROM MICROSOFT. Microsoft is testing a Web-based radio service that allows users to hear commercial-free versions of their favorite local radio music programs. The service will cost subscribers $30 a year. Microsoft builds its versions of the local stations by licensing playlists from the various local radio stations through Nielsen Broadcast Data System, an independent group. Analyst Phil Leigh of Inside Digital Media warns the radio industry that it's getting a wake-up call: "Radio stations are seriously challenged with tech obsolescence." (AP/San Jose Mercury News 21 Sep 2004) Read Full Story.

CELLPHONE ADD-ONS OVER THE TOP. Wireless carriers are getting carried away with loading up their cellphones with new features -- from instant messaging to music players -- and some consumers are crying "enough already!" A recent survey by Forrester Research indicates that only 8% of respondents ranked video and camera features as "important" when choosing their handset model, but cameras are now built-in on more than 80% of Motorola's new handsets. "There is a big gap between what operators think adds value and what customers really value," says a Capgemini analyst. A six-month study conducted by Capgemini and INSEAD, a French business school, revealed the disconnect: 77% of respondents from 27 European wireless carriers believed that advanced data services were a "key factor" in remaining competitive, but 73% of cellphone users felt just the opposite, labeling them "unimportant." Instead, users singled out price, network coverage, simplicity of offers and ease of paying as the critical factors in choosing a wireless service. (Wall Street Journal 29 Sep 2004) Read Full Story. (sub req'd)

FRANCE APPROVES CELL PHONE-JAMMING IN THEATERS. Tired of chatty theater-goers disturbing your entertainment enjoyment? France Industry Minister Patrick Devedijian has approved a decision by the country's Telecommunications Regulation Authority to allow cinemas, concert halls and theaters to install cell phone jammers that would prevent patrons from making or receiving calls during performances. Devedijian stipulated that emergency calls and calls made outside theaters and other performance spaces must not be affected, however. The move comes in response to "a long-standing request" from cinemas, says Jean Labbe, president of the National Federation of French Cinemas, noting that movie theaters had invested heavily to improve comfort and that "the authorization of jammers is the cherry on the cake." (AP 11 Oct 2004) Read Full Story.

FOX SUPPORTING TWO RIVAL NEXT-GENERATION DVD FORMATS. Fox Entertainment has just joined a group of companies promoting the Blu-ray disc, one of two competing formats for next-generation DVDs; however, Fox is also part of a group that is endorsing a rival technology called HD-DVD, backed by Toshiba. Both formats promise increased storage capacity and HDTV-quality movie resolution. Fox technology expert Michael O'Neill says, "We're very excited about exploring both formats at this time. We see them both as very excellent candidates." The list of companies under the umbrella of News Corp's Fox Entertainment Group includes Fox News and Twentieth Century Fox. (AP/San Jose Mercury News 5 Oct 2004) Read Full Story.