How many of the key technologies mention "DVD" or "MPEG"?.............
PC Magazine Honors the Best Technology Innovations
Largest Computer Magazine Presents Awards for Technical Excellence
Special Recognition Given to Steve Jobs and Java Creator, James Gosling
LAS VEGAS, Nov. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- PC Magazine, the world's leading
computer publication, presented its highly selective Awards for Technical
Excellence to 12 products that embody the best technology innovations of this
year.
The magazine also presented two special awards to people who have made
significant contributions to the industry: James Gosling and the development
team that created Java received the Persons of the Year Award, and Steve Jobs
received the Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Awards for Technical Excellence recognize products that embody the
most innovative technologies introduced over the last year. Because the
editors select just twelve technology recipients -- from more than 4,000 new
products and technologies reviewed and tested by the magazine during the year
-- the awards are viewed as the computer industry's most prestigious honor.
"There are thousands of new products released each year," noted Michael J.
Miller, editor-in-chief. "Many of the new products that we see are very good,
but stand only a few evolutionary steps ahead of what we used a year ago.
These award winners go beyond that -- they offer real breakthroughs in the way
we use personal computers," he added.
In addition to technologies, the magazine recognizes individuals who have
made significant contributions to the computer industry. The Persons of the
Year award recognizes the achievements of an individual or group during the
past year. This year's winners are James Gosling and the Java team from Sun
Microsystems. Initially, the team, known as the Green Team, worked to create
a simple way for household appliances to work together.
With the advent of the World Wide Web, the language they created was
recast as a way to write applications that would run on any platform. The
language, now Java, has since been enhanced and improved to make it's
platform-independence a reality. As Miller noted, "Java plays a role in
almost every discussion of where computing is headed."
The magazine also recognizes contributions of an individual throughout his
or her career with the Lifetime Achievement award. This year's winner is
Steve Jobs. The PC Magazine editors singled out Jobs for his contributions as
a guiding force behind many of the most important innovations in personal
computing.
Among them are the Apple II, built in the proverbial garage, and the
Macintosh, which set the direction for computing for a decade. From Apple to
Next to Pixar and back to Apple, Jobs has racked up lots of technological
firsts. "Steve Jobs has packed several careers into the last two decades,"
noted Miller. "It's fitting that this year we take this opportunity to honor
him."
PC Magazine Technical Excellence Award Winners
Communications -- @Home from @Home Network, Redwood City, CA.
@Home is a back-end system for cable modem service providers that provides
users with Internet access 100 times faster than ISDN lines. The service
allows regional cable operators to publish local information, creating local-
market home pages which they can also use to build an advertising revenue
stream. Users receive consistent Internet service with good local content at
fast speeds.
Software -- NaturallySpeaking 1.0 from Dragon Systems Inc., Newton MA
One of the most compelling areas of growth for PCs, voice recognition,
made a significant leap this year with the release of NaturallySpeaking 1.0,
the first general-purpose dictation program that allowed for continuous speech
recognition. The product lets users speak to their PC in a natural manner,
with the program recording words on screen. NaturallySpeaking includes a
vocabulary of 30,000 words and allows users to add new words, either from
stored documents or by saying them.
Displays -- Fujitsu Plasmavision from Fujitsu General America Inc.,
Fairfield, NJ
The Plasmavision represents the first commercially available full-color
plasma panel. At a huge 42-inches, the editors noted that the display is a
herald of things to come for both ultra-large screen computers and hang-on-
the-wall TVs for home.
After Hours -- Force FX Joystick from CH Products, Vista CA
The Force FX Joystick was singled out by the editors for being one of the
first force-feedback devices. The joystick gives users tactile responses to
events occurring onscreen, such as shaking from virtual shots, or vibrating
from a virtual car driving over bumpy roads.
Networking -- Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP Version 3.0)
from the Internet Engineering Task Force, Reston, VA
Today's networks run multiple operating systems and messaging platforms,
each with its own directory of user and resource information. Managing these
directories has become one of administrators? biggest headaches. LDAP helps
solves that problem by creating a standard for common directory access.
PCs -- IBM Thinkpad 770 from IBM PC Corp., Research Triangle Park, NC
The PC Magazine editors dubbed the IBM Thinkpad 770, "the ultimate
notebook available today," because it includes every road warrior's wish list
of features. Notably, the 770 includes a 14" display, a 5.1GB hard drive, the
first DVD-ROM drive, and a versatile modular bay that allows users to use all
kinds of extra drives. The 770 also weighs in at just over 8 pounds, despite
the technology it packs.
Applications Development -- Visual Cafe for Java 2.0 from Symantec Corp.,
Cupertino, CA
Visual Cafe for Java 2.0 is a development tool for creating Java
applications. The editors singled out the product because Java beginners and
HTML designers can create data-aware forms with little programming thanks to
Visual Cafe's tools and wizards.
Components -- MMX Technology from Intel Corp., Santa Clara, CA
MMX Technology marked the first major change to Intel's x86 chips in 10
years. Designed to enhance and accelerate multimedia applications, the
technology has breathed new life into the chip and PC markets. The editors
recognized MMX Technology for its advances and its compatibility -- it is able
to run all x86 software.
Internet -- JavaBeans from Sun Microsystems Inc., Palo Alto, CA
JavaBeans allows users to turn a wide range of functions into objects that
can be used over and over again, making Web application programming easier and
less tedious. The editors noted that JavaBeans provides Web site developers
with a serious tool for creating heavy-duty Web applications for multiple
platforms.
Peripherals -- Micro-Piezo Technology from Epson America, Inc.,
Torrance, CA
The Micro-Piezo print technology allows Epson to provide an industry-
leading 1,440 DPI resolution in its Stylus ink jet family of products. In
addition, the Micro-Piezo printheads are designed to lay down smaller,
sharper, rounder dots than those created by thermal printheads. The results
are stunning color output that approaches true photo quality in printers that
cost as little as $269.
Standards -- DVD-ROM from the DVD Forum
The now widely known DVD format is actually a standard that specifies
large-capacity optical disks in four formats. The largest will hold 17GB of
information -- capacity that will enable new types of multimedia-intensive
applications such as education and entertainment to be created. The standard
also calls for drives to work with existing CD-ROM disks, so users will be
able to use the titles they already own.
Digital Cameras/Imaging -- MP-EG1A from Hitachi Home Electronics America
Inc., Norcross, GA
The Hitachi MP-EG1A is the first video camera that captures both still and
video images directly into the MPEG-1 format, which is used universally by
applications. Users can store up to 20 minutes of video on the PC Card hard
disk in a 30-frames-per-second resolution. Shaped like an electric razor, the
video camera is easy to hold and carry.
The winners are posted on PC Magazine's website (www.pcmag.com).
PC Magazine, published by Ziff-Davis Inc., has a circulation rate base of
1.175 million and is both the world's leading computer title and the largest
business magazine in the country. Pioneering the use of comparative, lab-
based product testing, its benchmark editorial has made it the preeminent
source of product information for buyers of PC hardware and software,
networking and Internet products.
To meet its readers need for buying information that is as current as it
is comprehensive, PC Magazine publishes 22 times a year in print, quarterly on
CD, and continuously on the Web (www.pcmag.com). This integrated media system
ensures that buyers get the benchmark editorial they need, when they need it,
in the format of their choice.
Ziff-Davis, a Softbank company, is the world's leading integrated media
company focused on technology. Ziff-Davis media are the trusted source of
content for the largest audience of those who care about computing and the
Internet around the world.
Ziff-Davis delivers six key media platforms for marketers to reach
business technology users and techno-savvy consumers -- print, events,
Internet, education, research and television.
SOURCE Ziff-Davis Inc.
/CONTACT: Brenda Wheeler of Wheeler-Baird Public Relations, 201-762-8683;
or Lynne Hasluck of PC Magazine, 212-503-5159/ |
