This gadget preview for 2008 should have debuted before the first month of the year was over, but Mac screwed us over by announcing MacBook Air that week. Typical. Better late than never, Luofei Deng takes a long hard look at the Next Big Things in technology.
Now that we are one month into the new year, you can start to get a sense of where 2008 is headed. Gas prices will probably stay sky high, and the economy is headed for a downturn. That doesn't trouble me too much; there is a enough new technology to look forward to in the coming year.
Most anticipated new software:
Office for Mac 2008
Users of the current version of Office for Mac will appreciate this update since the one they have now was written before Apple started using Intel chips, meaning the programs must be run through translation software behind the scenes. In layman's terms, this results in long wait times for Word, Excel and PowerPoint, momentary blips where the computer seems to freeze up and the random spinning beachball of death when doing intensive tasks like looking at image-heavy slides.
Office 2008 can be run natively on Intel processors; for that reason alone this is worth the price to upgrade. Programs will run smoother and faster, not to mention more stably.
Besides the technical upgrades, the new Office has a revised menu and toolbar system that mimics the Ribbon from Office 2007 on Windows, although implemented in a less imposing way. The mini-Ribbon is actually more useful and intuitive than its Windows cousin.
The new Office for Mac 2008 is available now.
Let's try that again:
Mac OS X Leopard 10.5.2, Windows Vista SP1 and Windows XP SP3
In the next few weeks, Apple and Microsoft will be releasing some long-awaited updates that should fix all sorts of bugs and quirks in their respective operating systems. The hope is that these updates will help deliver on all those promises made when these OS's were first introduced, but without adding any new complications or compatibility issues. The annoyances of Vista and Leopard should become less prevalent. Meanwhile, XP will get a performance boost and some vital security updates.
Dreaded changes:
Dartmouth Secure
Public service announcement time: Kiewit Wireless is going away. By my completely unscientific estimates, I would say roughly one-third of the student body is clueless to this fact, or too lazy to do anything about it. Whether the former or the latter, everyone should migrate to Dartmouth Secure. Don't use Dartmouth Public. The Secure network is more secure (funny how that works out); it encrypts your network traffic so your internet activity is garbled to any snooping NSA officers, RIAA lawyers (although you can still get caught for illegal downloads) or computer science majors you might know.
Techy deeds done dirt cheap:
Asus Eee PC
This is an old idea that is finally coming to fruition. Long ago, companies realized that most people only use their computers to go online, check e-mail, write a Word document or two and play Freecell. About eight years ago, computer makers large and small started selling "internet appliances" that they bundled with dial-up internet service and whose price ranged from very cheap to free. The machines were basically simple Linux boxes dedicated to using AOL or MSN and little else.
Well, those first prototypes failed, but the big idea behind them is back. Only this time, they are actual Linux laptops being sold for cheap. The Asus Eee PC starts at $300, can do 75% of what you do on your computer now and weighs two pounds. It makes a lot of sense as a second or third computer, especially for families, and it's a lot more budget-friendly than the MacBook Air. In the next year, expect more competitors to show up in this new market, and with that, even better offerings.
Writing on the black-silhouetted, neon-colored wall:
Zune beats iPod Classic
Lost in all the excitement over the iPhone, iPod touch and new iPod nano, the original iPod has been neglected, and little has changed in over two years. Has Apple finally hit a creative wall with where they can take the venerable iPod?
The Microsoft Zune, which was the butt of many a geeky tech joke a year ago, is now a serious -- and in many ways superior -- competitor. Too bad iTunes has a stranglehold on digital music sales (for people who don't steal their music) and Apple has the world hypnotized.
The Zune has a larger, brighter screen than the iPod, though it is roughly the same size. The Zune also boasts a user interface that matches the iPod in ease of use, something other MP3 players have struggled to accomplish. The menus are clear and slick, and the Zune Pad works just as well as the click wheel when navigating long playlists.
