A miniature computer in the shape of a pen - used to verify electronic signatures - has won the grand prize at a European technology conference this week in Brussels.
The pen, created by LCI Computer Group N.V. of the Netherlands, uses sensors that authenticate people using the biometric characteristics of their signature. Its initial applications will be in Internet-based transactions, bank transfers, and other communications that require secure proof of identity. The price of the pen will range from US$50 to $250, depending on features.
The annual European Information Technology conference is sponsored by the European Commission and the Euro-CASE organization. The LCI pen was awarded 200,000 ecus - US$228,000 - as the grand-prize winner.
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IBM to Launch NC with Java Apps: IBM Corp. will take its first major step in the network-computer market next week by shipping a Java-ready version of the thin-client machines. By early next year, the NCs will include Lotus Development Corp.'s eSuite WorkPlace, one of the first Java-based application suites.
The Java-enabled NC will be equipped with a 200-MHz processor, but lacks hard and floppy drives. Indeed, part of the NC pitch is to have applications distributed and updated at the server level, reducing the overhead on individual machines. The Series 1000 NCs will have a PC-like price tag of US$999.
Lotus' eSuite Java software will include email, calendar and address books, as well as word processing, spreadsheets, project scheduling, and Internet-access applications.
The inclusion of the Lotus suite is significant in that IBM has never bundled an application suite with any of its NC machines, and the integration will give users a PC-like experience in a thinned-down machine. (25.Nov.97)
Reuters contributed to this report.
