Microtek's videoconferencing camera lacks oomph
Desktop videoconferencing cameras are common these days, thanks to falling prices and rising demand. But as with scanners, you sometimes get burned at the low end.
Top-notch accuracy makes OCR software package a must-have
Early optical character recognition software introduced so many errors that it often was easier to retype documents than to scan and correct them.
Plug-in packs high-quality filters to slice, dice images
When I saw that the Kai's Power Tools plug-in package had leapfrogged to Version 5 over a nonexistent Version 4, I wondered why.
Package can't break language barrier
Power Translator Pro does not try to be all things to all people. I've seen translation packages that claim to handle two dozen or more languages, including obscure ones. Most such programs are jacks-of-all-trades and masters of none.
MultiVOIP MVP 200 plugs into networks to deliver reliable, cheap phone service
The Federal Technology Service's FTS 2001 program sells long-distance telephone service for pennies a minute, but what about free service over the Internet?
Voice-over-IP telephony lets employees reach out and touch cohorts without leaving their PCs
For more than 120 years, telephones have been exchanging voice information as modulated electrical signals over point-to-point connections.
Census tries new Web tool to prepare for 2000 count
The Census Bureau is using Web workflow analysis software to streamline setup of the Census 2000 data capture centers.
NTIS drops from participation in disputed site
The National Technical Information Service has removed its logo from the usgovsearch site to end any notions that it is a government Web site.
House: USDA fails to give farmers Net access
House members scolded the Agriculture Department for making excuses and dragging its feet in rolling out an infrastructure to let farmers communicate with USDA via the Internet.
Y2K grades rise, but some systems not ready
The government has received its first above-average grade for fixing date code, but some major-league systems remain unready, according to Rep. Steve Horn's most recent year 2000 report card.
Retired general: I'll muster a DOE IT security team
The Energy Department's new security czar told lawmakers last week that he and chief information officer John Gilligan will move swiftly to tackle the department's computer security problems.
$50 OpenLinux 2.2 puts on a friendly face for its users
No operating system fits every task. That is the main reason why open-source Linux has risen in the past couple of years from obscurity to OS superstardom.
Defense builds smart Pentagon
In the first phase of a massive Pentagon renovation, the Defense Department is installing separate networks for voice, video, and classified and unclassified data.
Tera Rex: How supercomputing is roaring back
During supercomputing's first heyday in the late 1970s, the federal government spent millions on big iron from a stellar array of hardware makers. The giant systems of that era solved huge sets of equations that turned into global weather models, gene maps and nuclear weapon simulations. But gradually the hot-running vector machines grew too big and costly for their niche.
DOD's Money blasts U.S. software industry
The Defense Department's chief information officer this month ripped commercial software companies, calling most of the products DOD is receiving 'absolute crap.'
Tech Refresh
Federal Macintosh enthusiasts can get Apple Computer Inc.'s high-style iMac for $1,138 on the National Institutes of Health Electronic Computer Store II contract held by Government Technology Services Inc. of Chantilly, Va. The iMac runs Mac OS 8.5.1. It has a 333-MHz PowerPC G3 processor, 32M of synchronous dynamic RAM, a 6G IDE hard drive, 24X CD-ROM drive, 56-Kbps modem and two Universal Serial Bus ports. The iMac becomes operational as soon as the buyer plugs
Cyber-Sign does biometric signature verifications write
Given the right equipment, your personal signature can sign you onto a network. Just about every biometric verification device I've tested has an inherent weakness. The flaw usually does not grant access to illegitimate users, but it can and does keep out authorized users. Take voice verification programs, which commonly break down when the user has a cold. Fingerprint readers do better, but a cut or burned finger might keep the user out until
IRS foresees another decade of dependence on tape records
WILLIAMSBURG, Va.—The success of the IRS' modernization project will depend on the replacement of its tape Master File, the agency's chief information officer said last month. "We have modern equipment. We just have antiquated software," CIO Paul J. Cosgrave said. It takes the IRS a week to update the taxpayer Master File because the data is still stored on magnetic tape, he said.
Marines begin NT migration
The 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton, Calif., last year began moving its messaging platform from Banyan Systems Inc. Vines 8.5 and StreetTalk 8.5 to Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0, Exchange 5.5, and Outlook 97 and 98. The change will give users a chance to develop more collaborative applications after they have learned the new software. Also making the change to NT are database and common storage file applications, said Capt. Bob Hendricks, assistant data
GSA expects to leave no Millennia money unspent
Its experience with an existing systems services buy tells the General Services Administration that the government will likely hit the $25 billion ceiling on the new 10-year Millennia information technology services program. GSA's Federal Technology Service awarded 12 contracts last month for Millennia, the follow-on to the Federal Systems Integration and Management Center's 9600 IT services program.
Do Not Sell My Personal Information
When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active
We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.
Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies
Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link
If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.
Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.
If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.
Cookie List
A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:
Strictly Necessary Cookies
We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.
Functional Cookies
We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.
Performance Cookies
We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.
Sale of Personal Data
We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.
Social Media Cookies
We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.
Targeting Cookies
We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.