ASIANOW - Asiaweek | Technology | From the Web

home

intelligence

web features

magazine archive

technology

newsmap

customer service

subscribe

TIMEASIA.COM

CNN.COM

east asia

southeast asia

south asia

central asia

australasia

BUSINESS

SPORTS

SHOWBIZ

ASIA WEATHER

ASIA TRAVEL

Web-only Exclusives
November 30, 2000

From Our Correspondent: Hirohito and the War
A conversation with biographer Herbert Bix

From Our Correspondent: A Rough Road Ahead
Bad news for the Philippines - and some others

From Our Correspondent: Making Enemies
Indonesia needs friends. So why is it picking fights?

OCTOBER 22, 1999 VOL. 25 NO. 42

From the Web
Cybershow Goes Slow

also:
Hand-to-Hand Computer Combat

ALSO IN ASIAWEEK

With A Little Help From A Foe
In the Philippines, a controversial plan to meter local calls could speed development of cable Internet access

Annie Lennox wailed, David Bowie rocked, and Puff Daddy rapped amid flames and a gospel choir during the 11-hour, multi-venue NetAid show on October 9. But the newest star on the benefit concert circuit - Internet technology - was out of tune. Organizers had touted the event as a "defining moment on the Internet," in which fans could log on to the NetAid site (www.netaid.org) to watch a live webcast and donate money to fight global poverty. But the average computer user doesn't have the modem muscle to view streamed broadcasts at normal speed. Instead, what most people saw were the eerie, slow-motion pictures that look like they come from a convenience store security camera. The show's more than two million hits also slowed transmission time and made connections difficult in some areas. The webcast, set up by Cisco Systems, was the largest ever. But even the sponsors concede their plans may have been too ambitious for existing home computers. As the ever-earnest performer Bono of the group U2 put it: "All you need is love - and some comprehensive technology."

Hand-to-Hand Computer Combat
Move over Palm organizers. The world's most popular hand-held computers are about to get a run for their money from a sibling of sorts. The Handspring Visor was created by the design team behind 3Com's Palms, who left last year to start their own venture. Their new baby runs on licensed Palm technology, but has a slot for add-on modules that can turn it into an MP3 player, a mobile phone or even a heart monitor. Perhaps the biggest draw though is its price. At $179 the standard Visor costs about $40 less than its Palm counterpart. And it comes in five colors for the truly chic geek.

Technology Home | Asiaweek Home

Quick Scroll: More stories and related stories
ASIAWEEK Newsmap: Get the week's leading news stories, by region, from Newsmap

LATEST HEADLINES:

WASHINGTON
U.S. secretary of state says China should be 'tolerant'

MANILA
Philippine government denies Estrada's claim to presidency

ALLAHABAD
Faith, madness, magic mix at sacred Hindu festival

COLOMBO
Land mine explosion kills 11 Sri Lankan soldiers

TOKYO
Japan claims StarLink found in U.S. corn sample

BANGKOK
Thai party announces first coalition partner

TIME:

COVER: President Joseph Estrada gives in to the chanting crowds on the streets of Manila and agrees to make room for his Vice President

THAILAND: Twin teenage warriors turn themselves in to Bangkok officials

CHINA: Despite official vilification, hip Chinese dig Lamaist culture

PHOTO ESSAY: Estrada Calls Snap Election

WEB-ONLY INTERVIEW: Jimmy Lai on feeling lucky -- and why he's committed to the island state

ASIAWEEK:

COVER: The DoCoMo generation - Japan's leading mobile phone company goes global

Bandwidth Boom: Racing to wire - how underseas cable systems may yet fall short

TAIWAN: Party intrigues add to Chen Shui-bian's woes

JAPAN: Japan's ruling party crushes a rebel � at a cost

SINGAPORE: Singaporeans need to have more babies. But success breeds selfishness

Launch CNN's Desktop Ticker and get the latest news, delivered right on your desktop!

Today on CNN

Back to the top