Product Central
Dispatches from the Reviews Editor's desk
Thursday 29 March 2007, 1:32 PM
The Curse of the AC adapter
We're moving offices over Easter, and after much cajoling from our office manager, I'm finally clearing out ZDNet UK's lab space. It's hell in there, with more entangled power leads, cat 5 cables and other random bits of tech flotsam, not to mention jetsam, than you can shake a stick at. And I've been shaking some sticks I can tell you.
One thing that strikes me (and I'm sure we've mentioned this before) is the particular hell that is the AC adapter. We have loads of the things, and they invariably (a) are separated from the device they once powered and (b) bear no distinguishing mark to identify their host.
Many will therefore be dispatched for recycling, or wherever PSUs go to die. Inevitably, of course, when we arrive in our new lab some vital bit of gear will be found to be missing its AC adapter, causing much gnashing of teeth.
Other occupants of the recycling pile tell an interesting story of tech archaeology: analogue video leads, serial and parallel cables, CRT monitors, PS/2 mice and keyboards...
Thursday 15 March 2007, 5:43 PM
Front-line tech reporting
So, I'm talking to a helpful and informative German gentleman from navigation specialists Telmap about the company's BlackBerry-based solution, and he's giving me the low-down on the technology at the back end that pushes out the maps you need in a clever way. "Ach, I have told you too much: I'm going to have to kill you!".
Well, I'm still here, ready to dodge whatever bullets may fly tomorrow...
Wednesday 14 March 2007, 4:45 PM
CeBIT kicks off in sunshine
Having seen rain, sleet and snow (and sometimes all three at once) in my time at CeBIT, it's a relief to find Hanover bathed in spring sunshine as we ascend to the giddy heights of CNET's HQ perched atop the mighty Hall 1 at the Messegelande.
Hall 1 is notorious for its ability to swallow whole legions of tech hacks, who are apt to become disorientated as they penetrate its central region, where no outer walls, windows or doors are visible — just endless stand upon exhibition stand.
ZDNet, of course, will laugh in the face of such dangers, as we penetrate not only Hall 1, but Halls 2-26 in search of tasty tech. Tomorrow, I'll be mostly hunting down 2nd-generation Ultra Mobile PCs: a year on from their decidedly underwhelming launch, have the manufacturers got it right this time?
Tuesday 6 March 2007, 9:42 AM
CeBIT approaches
It's March, so it must be CeBIT, "the world's largest trade fair showcasing digital IT and telecommunications solutions for home and work environments". Next week, vendors, IT professionals, the public, analysts and the press — a crack squad from ZDNet UK among them — will descend upon Hannover for the annual 26-hall extravaganza that last year accommodated over 6,200 exhibitors and some 430,000 visitors.
Among the themes expected to emerge from this year's show are: virtualisation and IT infrastructure simplification; SOA (Service Oriented Architecture); telematics and navigation, including the latest on the EU's Galileo project; solutions for SMEs; security in all its forms; and a lot of noise from Microsoft and its software partners about Vista.
There will also, of course, be all manner of interesting bits of hardware, strange on-stand promotional antics, keynote addresses and press conferences. We'll do our very best to filter out the music from the cacophony of noise.
