Information Technology in Business

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1) INPUT DEVICES:

Decades ago Apple pioneered mass-uptake of the mouse, and now they're out to

break new ground with a new type of input device: The Magic Track pad, announced

this morning.

The sleek little rectangle works just like the track pad on a Mac Book (and is made

from the same opaque glass).

But its way bigger, giving you more room to maneuver your mitt; as you can see in

the photo below.

It’s about the same size front-to-back as Apple's Bluetooth keyboard. And yes, the

surface is both clickable and double-clickable.

The device should appeal strongly to minimalists: There are no wires as it works via

Bluetooth, and the sleek, futuristic form is about as pared down as you can get.

I use Expose a lot, and I find even the tiny act of having to move my hand from the

mouse to my Mac Book’s track pad is enough to break my workflow.

The Magic Track pad will preclude this, as Expose can be invoked directly from the

device.

On top of that, something about touch makes manipulating a mouse across a surface

seem anachronistic, like pushing a Tonka truck around as a child.

Your correspondent, for one, will be ditching his dust-catching mouse pad to dive

into full-time touch fingers-first.

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2) STORAGE DEVICES:

Consumer Electronics Show, Las Vegas, January 5, 2011-SanDisk Corporation

(NASDAQ: SNDK), the global leader in flash memory cards, today announced that its

32 gigabyte (GB)1 and 64GB SanDisk® P4 modular solid state drives (pSSD) were

selected by ASUS as the SSDs of choice for its new Eee Slate EP121 tablet computers

introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show.

The SanDisk P4 SSD fits ASUS' thin design and low power consumption

requirements for its newest tablet.

SSDs use flash memory technology and have no moving parts, offering improved

durability that helps prevent data loss resulting from drive failure.

SSD-equipped devices can run quieter, cooler and come in smaller form factors than

are possible with conventional hard disk drives (HDD).

Running Microsoft Windows 7 home premium edition OS with an Intel® Core™ i5

processor, the tablet is ideal for media creation and consumption for on-the-go

productivity with the power of a laptop and the flexibility of a tablet.

With its 12-inch high-resolution touch screen, wide-view angle, thin size (312 x

207.2 x 16.95mm) and total weight of 1.16Kg, the ASUS Eee Slate EP121 is ideal for

on-the-go business people who need an advanced computing device that can easily

be taken anywhere.

With no moving parts, the SanDisk P4 SSD contributes to the 10-hour battery life of

the tablet, allowing consumers to operate the Eee Slate EP121 for an entire business

day or overseas flight without having to recharge.

Thin, highly mobile designs, strong performance, long battery life and exceptional

durability are key requirements that the SanDisk P4 SSD meets and exceeds.

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3) PROCESSING DEVICES:

Researchers a new type of optical device small enough to fit millions on a computer

chip that could lead to faster, more powerful information processing and

supercomputers.

The "passive optical diode" is made from two tiny silicon rings measuring 10

microns in diameter, or about one-tenth the width of a human hair.

Unlike other optical diodes, it does not require external assistance to transmit

signals and can be readily integrated into computer chips.

The diode is capable of "nonreciprocal transmission," meaning it transmits signals

in only one direction, making it capable of information processing.

Although fiber optic cables are instrumental in transmitting large quantities of data

across oceans and continents, information processing is slowed and the data are

susceptible to cyber attack when optical signals must be translated into electronic

signals for use in computers, and vice versa.

"This translation requires expensive equipment, "What you'd rather be able to do is

plug the fiber directly into computers with no translation needed, and then you get a

lot of bandwidth and security."

Electronic diodes constitute critical junctions in transistors and help enable

integrated circuits to switch on and off and to process information.

4) OUTPUT DEVICES:

Antec sound science rockus 3D 2.1

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Antec has just announced the availability of its sound science rockus 3D 2.1 speaker

system, where it was specially designed to deliver a personal theater experience to

the masses.

How about the power and realism of 3D sound coupled with the clarity and accuracy

of high-fidelity audio?

This would definitely jive with your latest stereoscopic 3D movies as well as games,

since it will stay in step with whatever’s shown on the screen to have your ears

agree.

Boasting sound science’s 3D audio technology known as 3Dsst, this suite of DSP

(digital sound processing) algorithms are more than capable of developing a virtual

surround sound experience from just 2.1 stereo speakers.

Apart from that, the sound science rockus will also come with a dedicated music

mode that has been optimized for organic stereo sound reproduction, letting users

enjoy music with deep, visceral sub-bass, powerful, spacious midst and crisp highs.

Since it is made out of anodized aluminum, that material reduces distortion caused

by enclosure vibration and rattling that plagues old school PC speakers.

Apart from that, its subwoofer will utilize passive radiator technology so that one

will be able to enjoy an expansive range of bass comparable to larger footprint

subwoofers.

Anodized aluminum satellites that reduce vibration and minimize distortion, resulting in clear mid and sparkling high-range sound

Total output of speakers is 150W, with each satellite delivering 25W and the subwoofer producing 100W, comparable to larger footprint subwoofers

3D-tuned drivers to deliver audio optimized for sound science’s 3Dsst technology Dual-mode operation: 3D mode for enveloping games and movies, and music mode

for faithful stereo music playback

Optical input for playback of digital audio from game consoles (Xbox 360, PS3,) and other, similarly equipped devices

Remote control pod for volume adjustment, 3D/music mode selection, muting and digital/analog input selection

Frequency response is 10Hz to 20 kHz Expect the sound science rock us 3D 2.1 speaker system to retail for $249.99.

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5) NETWORKING DEVICES:

UNIVERSAL WIFI RANGE EXTENDER

The Universal Wi-Fi Range Extender meets consumer demand for wireless coverage

in every corner of the house.

This demand is due to the increasing presence of iPads and mobile devices.

The extender can increase the coverage of an existing home network to eliminate

"dead zones" and provides more network bandwidth for entertainment, gaming and

social networking applications.

If there are rooms in the house that have dropped or limited coverage because they

are not within proximity to the router, the Universal Wi-Fi Range Extender boosts

the existing WiFi signal.

The extender is placed between the router and the areas of a home where additional

WiFi access and bandwidth are needed.

The extender plugs directly into an electrical outlet without need for additional

wiring.

Designed for ease-of-setup, consumers can add the extender to their home networks

with the push of a button.

Available March 2011, the Universal Wi-Fi Range Extender will have an MSRP of

$89.99.

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6) PROGRAMMING DEVICES:

Wireless Pacemaker Programming

Device Unveiled at USC Body Computing

Conference

The conceptual device is said to facilitate access to electronic medical records

during pacemaker procedures.

In addition, it enables nurses to operate equipment with real-time remote support

from doctors and technicians.

The device is a result of collaboration between Karten Design and the USC Center for

Body Computing (CBC).

Check out the press release:

Today, health care facilities must store and maintain up to

five distinct programming systems, which are all operated

by off-site manufacturers’ representatives.

Design to define and develop an easily implementable

solution that embraces wireless technology and modern

ceremonies to simplify the process.

The Universal Programmer is designed to replace

manufacturers’ proprietary programmers with a single

interface.

Instead of storing five separate systems, physicians can plug

manufacturers’ wands, which communicate with

programming protocols in each branded pacemaker, into the

Universal Programmer.

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Incorporating familiar ceremonies from consumer

electronics to improve communication between care

providers, the programmer becomes a communication

portal with dual web cameras, microphones and speakers.

Two touch screen panels simplify user interface and guide

users step by step through the process of programming

pacemakers for invasive procedures.

Healthcare professionals can update a patient’s electronic medical record directly

on the device.

Patient information is stored in the cloud; (Center) A nurse can operate the

Universal Programmer with remote support—avoiding the need to have a rep from

the manufacturer come to the site; (Bottom) The device’s interface includes various

failsafe functions to protect the patient.

7) WEBSITES DEVELOPMENT TOOLS:

Web development is a broad term for the work involved in developing a web site for the

Internet (World Wide Web) or an intranet (a private network).

This can include web design, web content development, client liaison, client-side/server-side scripting, web server and network security configuration, and e-commerce

development.

However, among web professionals, "web development" usually refers to the main non-

design aspects of building web sites: writing markup and coding.

Web development can range from developing the simplest static single page of plain text

to the most complex web-based internet applications, electronic businesses, or social network services.

For larger organizations and businesses, web development teams can consist of hundreds

of people (web developers).

Smaller organizations may only require a single permanent or contracting webmaster, or

secondary assignment to related job positions such as a graphic designer and/or information systems technician.

Web development may be a collaborative effort between departments rather than the domain of a designated department.

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8) DATABASE:

The database technology is getting complex by every passing day due to the increasing

requirements of industry. And that is understandable.

Database is the base and backbone of any organization large or small.

A sizable percentage of the software’s available today deal with back end database as

they require some place or repository to store data into.

When it comes to implementing a database technology into some software that is being

developed one is confronted with a very tough choice of whether to buy a very costly

database from a database technology vendor which can cost you a bomb or to go for a

free database technology which is free and open source.

The choice of technology you use for database can affect the whole lifetime and

maintenance of software.

While it may seem that using an open source technology costs less nothing especially if

one in not required paying anything, it may prove to be a bad decision afterwards when

the software vendor refuses to provide any technical support or the support provided is

not up to the mark.

On other side, if you decide to go for proprietary software as your company has got deep

pockets and is ready to spend money required, you may find out that technical support for

that product is excellent but still does not justify the hefty cost that was incurred for

buying latest database technology.

Today more and more developers are switching to the open source and free software

technology whether it is a database or programming language or an integrated

development environment which makes developing software easy and also which makes

it easy to grasp the new technology with in minimum time frame.

Oracle database technology is no doubt a clear leader in the field of storage online or

offline.

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9) INTERNET BROWSER:

A web browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing

information resources on the World Wide Web.

An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) and may be

a web page, image, video, or other piece of content.

Hyperlinks present in resources enable users easily to navigate their browsers to related

resources.

A web browser can also be defined as an application software or program designed to

enable users to access, retrieve and view documents and other resources on the Internet.

Although browsers are primarily intended to access the World Wide Web, they can also be used to access information provided by web servers in private networks or files in file

systems. The major web browsers are Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Opera, and Safari.

The first widely used web browser was NCSA Mosaic.

The Mosaic programming team then created the first commercial web browser called

Netscape Navigator, later renamed Communicator, then renamed back to just Netscape.

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The Netscape browser led in user share until Microsoft Internet Explorer took the lead in

1999 due to its distribution advantage.

A free open source software version of Netscape was then developed called Mozilla, which was the internal name for the old Netscape browser, and released in 2002.

Mozilla has since gained in market share, particularly on non-Windows platforms, largely due to its open source foundation, and in 2004 was released in the quickly popular

Firefox version.

A chronological listing of some of the influential early web browsers that advanced the

state of the art is provided below:

World Wide Web. Tim Berners-Lee wrote the first web browser on a NeXT computer,

called Worldwide Web, finishing the first version on Christmas day, 1990.

He released the program to a number of people at CERN in March, 1991, introducing the

web to the high energy physics community, and beginning its spread.

Lib www. Berners-Lee and a student at CERN named Jean-Francois Groff ported the

Worldwide Web application from the NeXT environment to the more common C language in 1991 and 1992, calling the new browser Libwww.

Groff later started the first web design company, Info Design.

Chalice-mode. Nicola Pillow, a math student interning at CERN, wrote a line-mode web

browser that would work on any device, even a teletype.

In 1991, Nicola and the team ported the browser to a range of computers, from UNIX to Microsoft DOS, so that anyone could access the web, at that point consisting primarily of

the CERN phone book.

Arise. After a visit from Robert Cilia, a group of students at Helsinki University of

Technology joined together to write a web browser as a master's project.

Since the acronym for their department was called "OTH", they called the browser

"arise", as a joke on the word "otherwise".

The final version was released in April, 1992, and included several advanced features, but

wasn't developed further after the students graduated and went on to other jobs.

Viola WWW. Pei Wei, a student at the University of California at Berkeley, released the

second browser for UNIX, called ViolaWWW, in May, 1992.

This browser was built on the powerful interpretive language called Viola that Wei had

developed for UNIX computers.

ViolaWWW had a range of advanced features, including the ability to display graphics

and download applets.

Midas. During the summer of 1992, Tony Johnson at SLAC developed a third browser for UNIX systems, called Midas, to help distribute information to colleagues about his

physics research.

Samba. Robert Cilia started development of the first web browser for the Macintosh,

called Samba.

Development was picked up by Nicola Pillow, and the browser was functional by the end

of 1992.

Mosaic. Marc Andreessen and Eric Binna from the NCSA released the first version of

Mosaic for X-Windows on UNIX computers in February, 1993.

A version for the Macintosh was developed by Aleks Totic and released a few months

later, making Mosaic the first browser with cross-platform support.

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Mosaic introduced support for sound, video clips; forms support, bookmarks, and history

files, and quickly became the most popular non-commercial web browser.

In August, 1994, NCSA assigned commercial rights to Mosaic to Spyglass, Inc., which subsequently licensed the technology to several other companies, including Microsoft for

use in Internet Explorer.

The NCSA stopped developing Mosaic in January 1997.

Arena. In 1993, Dave Daggett at Hewlett-Packard in Bristol, England, developed a browser called Arena, with powerful features for positioning tables and graphics.

Lynx. The University of Kansas had written a hypertext browser independently of the web, called Lynx, used to distribute campus information. A student named Lou Montello

added an Internet interface to the program, and released the web browser Lynx 2.0 in March, 1993.

Lynx quickly became the preferred web browser for character mode terminals without graphics, and remains in use today. Resources include the Browser.org Lynx page, the ISC Lynx page, and the Lynx User Guide.

Cello. Tom Bruce, cofounder of the Legal Information Institute, realized that most lawyers used Microsoft PC's, and so he developed a web browser for that platform called

Cello, finished in the summer of 1993.

Opera. In 1994, the Opera browser was developed by a team of researchers at a

telecommunication company called Teleport in Oslo, Norway. The following year, two members of the team -- Jon Stephenson von Tetchier and Geir Ivarsøy -- left Teleport to

establish Opera Software to develop the browser commercially. Opera 2.1 was first made available on the Internet in the summer of 1996.

Internet in a box. In January, 1994, O'Reilly and Associates announced a product called

Internet in a Box which collected all of the software needed to access the web together, so that you only had to install one application, instead of downloading and installing

several programs. While not a unique browser in its own right, this product was a breakthrough because it distributed other browsers and made the web a lot more accessible to the home user.

Navi press. In February, 1994, Navasota released a browser for the PC and Macintosh called Navi press. This was the first browser since Berners-Lee's Worldwide Web

browser that incorporated an editor, so that you could browse and edit content at the same time. Navi press later became Oppress, and is still available in some download locations

on the Internet but has not been maintained since 1997.

Mozilla. In October, 1994, Netscape released the first beta version of their browser,

Mozilla 0.96b, over the Internet. On December 15, the final version was released, Mozilla 1.0, making it the first commercial web browser. An open source version of the Netscape browser was released in 2002 was also named Mozilla in tribute to this early version, and

then released as the quickly popular Firefox in November, 2004.

Internet Explorer. On August 23rd, 1995, Microsoft released their Windows 95 operating

system, including a Web browser called Internet Explorer. By the fall of 1996, Explorer had a third of market share, and passed Netscape to become the leading web browser in

1999.

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10) WEB SERVER:

Web server can refer to either the hardware (the computer) or the software (the computer

application) that helps to deliver content that can be accessed through the Internet.

The most common use of web servers is to host websites, but there are other uses such as

gaming, data storage or running enterprise applications.

The primary function of a web server is to deliver web pages on the request to clients.

This means delivery of HTML documents and any additional content that may be included by a document, such as images, style sheets and scripts.

A user agent, commonly a web browser or web crawler, initiates communication by

making a request for a specific resource using HTTP and the server responds with the content of that resource or an error message if unable to do so.

The resource is typically a real file on the server's secondary memory, but this is not necessarily the case and depends on how the web server is implemented. While the

primary function is to serve content, a full implementation of HTTP also includes ways of receiving content from clients.

This feature is used for submitting web forms, including uploading of files. Many generic web servers also support server-side scripting using Active Server Pages (ASP), PHP, or other scripting languages.

This means that the behavior of the web server can be scripted in separate files, while the actual server software remains unchanged.

Usually, this function is used to create HTML documents dynamically ("on-the-fly") as opposed to returning static documents.

The former is primarily used for retrieving and/or modifying information from databases.

The latter is typically much faster and more easily cached. Web servers are not always

used for serving the World Wide Web.

They can also be found embedded in devices such as printers, routers, webcams and

serving only a local network.

The web server may then be used as a part of a system for monitoring and/or

administering the device in question.

This usually means that no additional software has to be installed on the client computer;

since only a web browser is required (which now is included with most operating systems).