In weekend events prior to the opening of COMDEX, sponsored by the Association of PC User Groups (www.apcug.org) I presented a seminar on computer security to a standing room only crowd. By popular demand, the presentation was repeated the following day. If any local group would be interested in a shocking, hour-long presentation on basic computer security, and the vulnerabilities of home computers to viruses and hacker attacks, please let me know.

The main events at COMDEX started with a keynote presentation by Microsoft’s founder, Bill Gates. After discussing the “ups and downs” of 2002, Gates explained the advances in “Wi-Fi” wireless technology, improvements in the price and performance of PCs and their peripherals, improvement in LCD displays, the flood of digital cameras and the explosive popularity of digital imaging, and the rapidly declining cost of information storage. On the negative side, the founder of Microsoft lamented the difficulties companies are having which are adversely effecting capital investment, and the slow pace of broadband deployment (high speed internet access). As if following up on last year’s keynote address, which emphasized the tablet PC (a new iteration of the venerable notebook or laptop computer with a writeable touch screen), Gates discussed the new Tablet PC OS (operating system) optimized for the new generation of computers. Not forgetting the vulnerabilities of hardware and software, Gates commented on the security issues pacing computing, and how Microsoft has tabled several projects in order to focus more internal resources on improving the security of Microsoft products.

By more than coincidence, many of the items discussed by Bill Gates were far more prominent at COMDEX than in the past. “Wi-Fi”, or wireless networking, was almost universally available. The widely utilized 802.11b wireless protocol was still the most common, but with integral enhanced security in the new generation of hardware, making it more difficult for hackers to gain access into wireless networks. 802.11b compatible hardware is also being built in to more items, from cell phones, to notebook computers, to Palm and Pocket PCs. Home appliances utilizing 802.11b were also demonstrated, allowing appliances to exchange information with each other for the purposes of saving energy, and allowing kitchen appliances to access the Internet. Demonstrated was hardware and software to program the cooking cycles of microwave ovens for specific recipes, by accessing an online database. The microwave would talk to the refrigerator to get temperatures and calculate defrost and cooking times, and create shopping lists that would then be automatically transmitted to a neighborhood supermarket. Home appliances could also send information to their manufacturers, allowing for the remote automated diagnosis of problems, with adjustments made, or repairs scheduled, often before the homeowner is even aware that there is a problem. Public 802.11b access is also becoming more available, allowing computer users to get broadband Internet access in airports, hotels, restaurants, apartments, offices, and other places. As the price of wireless networking peripherals has declined, and they become smaller and more available, more manufacturers are including wireless access in their products.

Anyone who has recently shopped in the electronics stores has noticed the ready availability of the thin, flat, LCD computer monitors. As is common with hi-tech electronics, the prices have dropped as the quality has improved. LCD panels ranged from small, very sharp and bright hand-held screens of about two inches by four inches with a 240x320 pixel resolution, to the largest production LCD screen, a 40-inch, 1280x768 resolution, $11,000 monster from Samsung. With about 50% more resolution, and better brightness and contrast than similar plasma screens, this new large LCD is intended for boardroom or other high-end commercial use. An even larger 46-inch Samsung LCD panel was demonstrated, but it is not yet on the market. One of the most fascinating LCD monitors that I personally tried was a ViewSonic wireless docking monitor. Currently available in ten and fifteen inch diameters, this item serves both as a standard LCD desktop monitor when inserted into its docking station, or a wireless tablet containing an 802.11b wireless connection. While docked, the battery in the screen is recharged as it is used as a conventional monitor, but removed from the docking station, it becomes a Tablet PC, allowing for the user to move away from his PC, as long as he remains in range. While using the panel as a tablet, the user can view exactly the video output of the PC, hear the audio output, and touch or write directly on the screen, emulating a mouse and a keyboard. I surfed the net from about twenty feet from the PC it was wirelessly connected to; viewed a DVD movie, played on the PC and transmitted to the LCD, and typed a document, all while wirelessly connected to a PC. The only limitation is the range of the 802.11b transmitter, which can be up to a few hundred feet. Imagine sitting on the couch or lying in bed, rather then in a computer chair, surfing the net. While currently too pricey for me at this time, the prices are expected to come down to “popular prices” in the coming year.

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