|
|
The virtual cocktail party has finally come to the internet. Wednesday the California start-up company There Inc. launched a beta test version of www.there.com, a virtual meeting place four years in development. The debut dovetailed with the recent unveiling of another virtual community, The Sims Online (based on the popular computer game). Both sites aim to put a more human face on internet interaction. Instead of chatting on a boring screen with nothing but text, the There and Sims sites both offer electronic character interaction. There users can tailor their virtual characters, called avatars, to personal preference. Thought bubbles simulate conversations, which can take place at a bar, a campfire or more. Users can play with virtual dogs, go shopping or celebrate Valentine’s Day. Avatars can even yawn and stretch. The site offers virtual “Therebucks,” earned through competitions or via credit card, to buy new clothes or other accessories for fashion-challenged avatars. High-profile investors include the founders of 3Do Co., CNET Networks and Wired magazine.
FTC: E- auction hoaxes are skyrocketing
Online auctions apparently bring out the worst in scammers. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) revealed this week that auction fraud claims have ballooned from 106 in 1997 to 25,000 in 2001. Of course, part of that surge is because of the increased popularity of eBay and the larger reach of auction sites in general during the past few years. But the FTC report confirms that auctions are by far the biggest source of scams on the net. Most occur when auctioneers fail to ship promised items, or attempt to sell items not in their possession. An FTC attorney said that one common approach is downloading a picture of an expensive yet generic item, such as a computer, and advertising an auction with said picture. After the bidder pays, the auctioneer disappears. The FTC nonetheless reassures that the majority of online auctions are legitimate, and eBay insists that just .01 percent of its transactions are fraudulent. But the company also says that users should rely on common sense. For example, the FTC warns against sending auction money to P.O. boxes and suggests using a credit card that offers fraud protection for large purchases.
Online banking surges, especially in Europe
As predicted over and over again for the past year, online banks are doing more business. According to Nielsen//NetRatings data for November 2002, online banks achieved an active reach of more than 30 percent of the internet audience in five major markets. European internet users, especially, showed a large growth pattern. European surfers visiting financial services sites jumped from 15 million in October 2001 to 25 million in October ’02. Nearly 40 percent of European internet users regularly visit such sites. Sweden had the most online banking users in November, with more than 50 percent of its users logging onto bank or credit union sites and spending at least an hour there. Most of the worldwide visitors logged on to sites for brick and mortar banks. The only purely online bank to attract a large following was Europe’s Egg.com, which registered a 20 percent overlap with major competitors. Nielsen analysts say that this means many Europeans may be setting up secondary accounts on Egg.com to complement their brick and mortar ones.
EBay jet-pack sellers demand no-fly promise
For those itching to indulge a “Jetsons”-like fantasy of owning a personal flying machine, one is actually up for sale on eBay. But there’s a catch. The company selling the SoloTrek XFV will release the device only on the condition that the buyer promises not to fly it. Trek Aerospace says its fan-powered, gas-burning machine has not been approved for everyday use. Engineers say that the SoloTrek can move at up to 69 miles per hour for as far as 100 miles. The machine is steered by a standing joystick operator. Bidding will begin at $50,000, and Trek Aerospace expects numbers to eventually reach $1 million. The company has moved beyond the SoloTrek XFV in its efforts to design a personal flying device that it hopes to eventually sell to the military. After unveiling the XFV model in December 2001, Trek Aerospace started testing newer machines with smoother engines and more accurate joystick controllers over the summer. The company expects a museum to ultimately prevail in the bidding.
Flat-panel displays in demand for LCD monitors
Flat-panel displays will become the norm in the next four years as production surges. DisplaySearch, a U.S.-based research firm, says that global production of flat-panel displays will jump by 21 percent as liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors and televisions become mainstream. LCD monitor shipments are projected to grow by 37 percent per year, to more than 110 million by 2006. The company says that consumers will want larger versions of these innovations, pushing flat-panel sales to $62 billion by 2006. Sales hit $28.8 billion in 2002. Taiwan is the world’s largest producer of LCD monitors with about 60 percent of the global market share. Most of the flat-panel boost the next few years will be for laptops, LCD monitors and LCD televisions, representing about 70 percent of the market. PDAs and handsets make up the rest. DisplaySearch predicts that 80 percent of all monitors will be flat panels by 2006, compared to 30 percent now.
London school combats teasing with eye scans
The stigma of qualifying for reduced-price lunches soon will be lifted in at least one high school. A London school will charge for food via retinal scans rather than the traditional paper money or lunch ticket method beginning next fall. Officials at Venerable Bede school say that this will reduce the cafeteria teasing that students from poor families receive for eating free. Since the school is new, its 900 students will not be able to guess who receives aid based on previous years. In fact, the entire school will be a “cashless” facility; library books, too, will be distributed, and fines assessed, on the basis of retinal scans. Although Venerable Bede scoffs at the idea of a James Bond-type environment with gadgets galore, officials have assured parents that the retinal scans are low-intensity and won’t cause any damage to vulnerable young eyes. As for stigmas based on other, more visible high school concerns, such as looks and athletic prowess, students are on their own.
January 10, 2003© 2003 Media Life
Printer-Friendly
Version | Send
to a Friend
Cover Page | Contact
Us