New Technology News in Brief

Replacement Windows

Something many a management services type has had cause to wish existed was an easy way to migrate old Windows files to new Windows software. Those of us who can recall the

Now, although most people would never refer to Windows products as 'legacy', still people in organisations that don't like throwing things away are sometimes finding it hard to access the invaluable data held on their older Windows applications. Some, dare we suggest it, still have even older operating systems like DOS holding files they wish they could get at for more than sentimental reasons.

That is why we were pleased to find software company NDL developing, and now launching, AWI - or Active Windows Integrator.

We know NDL has already received a lot of interest in the new offering and despite extensive research of competitors' products, can find nothing designed to address this problem. The new solution will ensure savings for organisations which have invested both time and money in traditional DOS, Windows and Windows Client Server technology but are now having to look at, for example, ways of e-enabling all their IT systems.

According to NDL product director, Iain Pickering, pictured left with his sales manager Pat Kirby, "Most businesses know how well these old applications work and that they can reliably manage huge amounts of precious information. So replacing them with costly and untested new web-capable versions often seems like too big a leap of faith. On top of that they do not want to have to re-train employees who are comfortable with the older systems."

AWI is a Microsoft server-based engine that communicates with Windows Client applications (and even older DOS ones) and is able to lift information, enter data and update records, quickly, securely and under the full control of a web application. There are no changes to the back-office applications and data integrity is assured. It handles the 32-bit Windows server platforms, Windows NT, 2000 and XP. Even some 16-bit applications can be managed, giving true 'legacy' integration.

A useful side-benefit, of course, is that as well as not having to replace systems now, users get more efficient use of the technology. This system minimises the number of copies required and may even therefore reduce licensing and support costs.

Open the window to AWI at www.ndl.co.uk

Floor-up reporting

Information Builders and Starthis have put the focus on providing real-time plant floor reporting throughout the manufacturing enterprise.

The companies offer an integrated technology-set that collects data directly from the manufacturing floor, distributes the data to existing enterprise resources, and creates reports using the WebFOCUS business intelligence suite. Using this solution, real-time reports can now be generated instantaneously from plant floor data and delivered to the appropriate people throughout the manufacturing enterprise.

Starthis software links directly to Java 2 Enterprise Edition applications with plant floor automation networks. WebFOCUS reads Starthis data tools from iWay Software then creates reports on the data collected directly from plant floor sensors and programmable logic controllers. The resulting solution allows rapid identification and resolution of manufacturing inefficiencies and/or problems.

Starthis builds a bridge between the disparate islands of automation on the plant floor to accommodate the flow of information to and from enterprise information systems. WebFOCUS then turns the collected plant floor data into intelligent information that can be easily understood by anyone in the extended enterprise.

Get in on the ground floor at wivw.starthis.com

Test your voice

A new voice cable tester device aimed at network managers troubleshooting activities as much as at the repair guys is LinkMaster FOR XL from Ideal Industries. This device can map, test and troubleshoot twisted cable and coax runs and has the ability to 'blink' hubs to assure connected configurations on active networks.

Voice testing resources include detection of RJ-11 - one, two or three pair - and the ability to automatically sense and adjust the pairing and pin numbers to the three-pair USOC standard in cable test, length and tone generator modes.

It displays, conveniently, length measurement during initial results. Using the cable capacitance method, UTP, ScTP and coax length can be measured in feet or metres. If a remote is present in the length mode, the ID number will be displayed.

The unit comes with eight twisted-pair remotes with built-in jacks for RJ-45 and RJ-11, allowing the user to quickly identify split pairs, shorts, open circuits, miswires and reversals and to test for shield continuity. The tester will display a wire map for 10base-T and Token Ring with a remote connected. Eight CATV colour coded F terminators are also included to test coax cable.

Get those vocals in order by visiting www.idealindustries.com

Serious printers

For the smaller workgroup, Sharp has introduced copier printer models AR-M236 and M276. They address the need, say Sharp, for advanced digital networked solutions and outstanding print performance managing throughput of both hard copy and electronic documents. They come with a printer board as standard and offer high-speed A3 laser printing with true 1200dpi printing at 23 and 27 pages per minute respectively. They can be upgraded to support full network printing and scanning for many users as and when required.

Using Sharpdesk 3.0, which is bundled into these two models, users can browse, sort and file documents scanned to the desktop as well as re-route items to both pre-set and ad-hoc email addresses and FTP sites. The scanning option also supports Lightweight Directory Access protocol that displays email addresses on the LCD touch screen so users can readily access any email address held in the global network address book.

Sharp's optional carbon print function enables users to create multi-part documents, perhaps reducing the need to buy in printed stationary or using dot matrix printers. It is also possible to incorporate Sharp's PlanetPress electronic form and variable data software. This eliminates the need for pre-printed forms to provide flexible document creation. It also accepts data from a wide array of sources - Windows or Unix print queues, watched folders and email for instance - and distributing it to outputs like other printers, emails, files, PDFs and faxes. Not least among such capability is a confidential print feature that allows users to store print jobs with an assigned PIN code used when collecting work from the machine. Sharp's data security kit can also be deployed on these machines making it almost impossible for unauthorised people to retrieve data stored in memory. Prices reflect the serious nature of these specifications - 4,600 and 5100, both plus VAT.

Serious about printing? Visit www.sharp-uk.co.uk

Things to come

Lattice Semiconductor Corporation has a Field Programmable System-on-a-Chip ready for system providers that efficiently integrates ASIC and FPGA technologies. By combining the two approaches, Lattice has developed a more highly integrated, higher performance, lower cost and lower power solution when compared to a full FPGA implementation. Dubbed the ORSPI4, it contains two SPI4.2 interface blocks, a high-speed Quad Data Rate SRAM memory controller, 4 channels of 600 Mbps to 3.7 Gigabits per second SERDES, 8b/10b encoding/decoding and other supporting logic. Connected to the ASIC block is a high performance FPGA with over 16,000 FPGA logic elements plus embedded block RAM.

Lattice claim this to be the world's most highly-integrated field programmable System-on-a-Chip targeted at line card applications for high-speed communications systems.

SPI4.2 (System-Packet Interface, Level 4, Phase 2) is a recent system-level interface standard that enables the development of flexible, scalable systems for a converged data and telecommunications infrastructure. Published in 2001 by the Optical Internet-working Forum (OIF), the SPI4.2 standard supports the transmission of multiple protocols at variable, high-speed data rates, including: Packet-over-SONET/SDH (POS), OC-192, Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, and 10 Gigabit Fibre-Channel SAN. SPI4.2 eliminates proprietary ASIC-based or specialised network processor interfaces traditionally used to support a broad range of data rates and services.

The benefits are a common standards-based interface facilitating inter-connection between diverse devices from multiple manufacturers.

More for the technically minded on wivw.latticesemi.com

All-in DVD

NEC have recently launched the latest in their DVD-RW range of products - the ND-2500 is an 8-in-1 combo-drive offering 8x write speeds to both -R and +R media. This drive offers users a maximum 12x DVD-ROM read speed combined with a maximum 40x CD-ROM speed with the added bonus of CD-RW speeds of 32x and Ultra-Speed CD-RW discs at 16x. A companion device, the ND-5100 SlimWriter offers 8x DVD read speeds and an impressive 4x +R and +RW.

The ND-2500A has what NEC claims to be the fastest DVD recording currently available in the market, together with fast CD recording and excellent read performance. It also gives the user the ability to select the preferred media without having to decide which DVD format to use with no compromise in performance: A one-hour DVD Video can be recorded in less than 10 minutes.

Both drives take advantage of NEC's high resolution writing strategy and of an improved version of NEC's Active Optimised Power Control. The high resolution writing strategy uses advanced laser modulation to enhance the accuracy of the written data. Active OPC dynamically monitors writing power and reflection of the media in use, calculating the optimum laser power and adjusting it in real-time. In addition to this, NEC has implemented its own buffer under run error prevention technology.

NEC says these drives have the performance required for the next generation of multimedia applications, allowing users to play DVDs to the highest quality and enjoy all the advantages of cinema standard applications. Most important, perhaps, the drive eliminates the risk of confusion between the types of media and the appropriate drive needed to view such data.

Drive along to NEC at www.nec.co.uk

Brightest multimedia projector on the market?

Canon has a new flagship multimedia Projector - the high-end LV-7555. With 4,600 ANSI lumens, it is claimed to be the brightest and most powerful of any portable projector available, making it ideal for use in large venues. Nobody dozes off while this thing's on.

Yet it can also be used in a small office thanks to a range of four interchangeable lenses. Improved circuitry allows connectivity to virtually every multimedia device known to mankind and an optional kit enables network connectivity. New progressive circuitry gives good image quality including superior reproduction of High Definition input (1080i).

To overcome the difficulty of projecting effectively in situations where it may not be possible to switch off the lights, Canon has introduced a Turbo Bright System to take the projector from 4,000 to 4,600 ANSI lumens. This assures image clarity, even in well-lit environments. Image quality is increased further through the partnership of true XGA resolution with 900:1 contrast.

In low light or darkened room conditions, some projectors struggle with projecting areas that should be jet-black. These areas can be tainted with a light grey colouring if the lamp is too bright. The LV-7555's Auto Image Mode automatically compensates for this effect by measuring ambient light and adjusting lamp output accordingly for perfectly balanced brightness, even in constantly changing conditions.

A range of four lenses covers every possible projection situation. Ultra long focus zoom, long focus zoom, wide angle and ultra wide-angle lenses can all be swapped quickly and easily with a simple bayonet mount. Each lens resolves super fine detail for dry, crisp images and brilliant colour accuracy. The zoom allows the projection screen size to be varied.

The projector's improved circuitry reduces flicker and produces cleaner diagonal lines, titles and sub-titles by converting interlace signals into high image quality 'Progressive' signals. Rather than relying on the interlaced scanning process of merging two fields to produce a single frame, the progressive scanning of the LV-7555 draws the entire frame continuously from top to bottom. The LV-7555 correctly projects the detail of High vision signals (1080i) that cannot be handled with projectors using conventional IP conversion. Data, film and video formats including High Definition TV are supported. Data projection can be set to custom, standard or high contrast, for sharper graphs and photographs. Video projection can be set to custom, standard or cinema, for watching movies in darkened rooms. The custom mode for both data and video allows a range of settings, including gamma and brightness, to be manually adjusted to suit a specific environment. 3D Digital Noise Reduction eliminates onscreen scattering by removing excess brightness noise and colour noise found in some picture signals. To prevent clarity reduction that can occur when contour correction is applied indiscriminately, input signal components are individually analysed and processed accordingly with the Intelligent Digital Sharpness function.

The guesswork has been taken out of connections with Multi-scan, a system that automatically selects correct mode for all computer and video signals including kit using SCART connectors.

One can expect the price to be around 5,500 including VAT.

Enjoy the film, on www.canon.co.uk

PSL/EASE Inc announce new partner

Productivity Solutions Limited and EASE Inc have just announced the appointment of Ron Girle as a new Business Partner appointed to promote the EASE Software Product ErgoEASE within the EU.

ErgoEASE is a comprehensive ergonomic software analysis tool for manufacturing designed around the concept that operation times are often critical and that in solving ergonomic issues the effects on time must be taken into account. It has the ability to analyse operator methods to determine ergonomic problems and do 'what ifs' to solve them.

John Wilde and Peter Woodward of PSL had known Ron Girle for a number of years and were aware of his reputation as an Industrial Engineering Consultant with a wide experience of applying Ergonomics. Ron had bench tested the ErgoEASE system and was convinced of the benefits it could bring to the study of workplace layouts and associated issues.

All that remained was to bring all parties together, which was achieved at the European EASE User conference at Staffordshire University (see Newsdesk page 5). Ron said "After looking at the ErgoEASE system in some detail, I was excited by the potential it presented. No more ploughing through reference books to gather the information required, all of the hard work is done for you by the system and the way that the findings are represented is so visual, people have to sit up and take notice."

Trevor McAlester said "Ron is the ideal business partner, enthusiastic and highly professional. We are expecting a high level of interest in ErgoEASE with Ron on our team."

For further info on the ErgoEASE system visit www.easeinc.com or www.psleurope.com