Here's some of the interesting new products I saw during the second day of Internet World 99.
Hitachi M2 recorder
This 3 in one Hitachi recorder is capable of recording up to 2 hours of MPEG-1 video (VHS picture quality) or up to 12,000 JPEG still images or up to 16 hours of digital audio by using an optional 1GB PCMCIA hard disk drive. Everything you need in a small package!
Pentax VersaCam Web Camera
There have been many Web cameras. What makes this camera so unique it that it doesn't need a PC to operate and get pictures on the Internet. The Pentax VersaCam will capture a 640x480 still video color image, perform the JPG compression, contact the Internet Service provider, FTP the image to the Web server and hang up - completely unattended. If you don't have a Web site, have the camera email you the picture! Available in November, for an estimated price of $800-$1000.
Rear of Pentax VersaCam
The rear connections of the VersaCam are
PC Card (PCMCIA) interface for a modem card, wireless modem card or a LAN adapterExternal trigger connections (so the camera can be triggered by an external event to send picture to Internet)RCA Video in and out12 Volt DC PS-D connector
All this in a small (3" x 3" x 6") package that weighs under a pound.
Expressroom 6.0 template screen
Worldweb.net's flagship product, Expressroom is a cost effective software package which helps publishers take existing print publications online. It combines the capabilities of both XML and Java into a package that users can paste content into to create web publications. It also allows a designer to create a web publication page without writing any HTML code due to its unique template builder (shown here). This template also keeps content separate from design, so design changes don't affect content at all. Because this package is tailored for publications, other modules included are workflow management, publication control, automated archiving, circulation/subscription control and advertising management. System pricing starts at $25,000 and can be customized.
Actinic Catalog
Catalog 3, from Actinic, is a complete solution for setting up and running a storefront on the Internet. It handles credit card payments (using either online companies or offline with a standard credit card terminal), catalog maintenance, inventory control (10-10,000 items for sale), order processing, invoicing, back orders and reporting. Since it costs only $399 and is easy to install, this package looks like a great way for small and medium business to get an e-commerce site up and running quickly. It can be customized to fit the desired storefront and comes with 5 preconfigured "themes". Actinic offers a reseller program and the product is currently available. The client (shopkeeper) side requires a Windows 95/98/NT system and the Web Server needs to support Perl 5.02 or higher. (FTP access to the CGI-BIN directory is also required.)
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© 1999 Rick Smith All rights reserved.
