Posts Tagged ‘Computers’

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DENR acquires new computers to boost its field operations

March 16th, 2012
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The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has upgraded its Management Information System (MIS) through the acquisition of 2,802 Desktop Computers, 100 Laptop units, 1,413 printers and 425 scanners which were distributed to the 16 DENR Regional Offices throughout the country.

The project, which began on December 08, 2011, has a total project cost of P126,860,566.75.

In Caraga Region, DENR Regional Executive Director Leonardo R. Sibbaluca said a total of 181 new desktop computers have been delivered to the DENR Regional Office.

“This development is part of the expansion program of the DENR Management Information System to keep pace with the fast-developing information technology in the world,” Sibbaluca said.

“It is the priority program of Secretary Ramon JP Paje to bolster its field operation and provide the delivery of services to the people particularly in far-flung areas at the fastest means,” he added.

The Management Information System (MIS) is a computer-based system that provides the managers with tools for organizing, evaluating and efficiently-running their respective offices or department.

The DENR-MIS is consist of software that help in decision making, data resource such as data bases, the hardware resources of a system, decision-support system, people management and project management and any computerized processes that enable the department to run efficiently.

Sibbaluca said these new computer equipment will provide all information that can be used by various field offices in their day-to-day operation and improved their linkages and communication to the regional and central offices without delay. .

“These new computers can help us in our field operation particularly in the implementation of Executive Order No. 23 which is the ban on cutting of tree in the natural and residual forest and EO 26 or the National Greening Program since it can give us at any time of past, present and prediction information ,” he said.

The objective of this project, according to Dir. Sibbaluca, are (1) to migrate from conventional Analog Telephony to new Cisco Unified Communication IP Telephony Solution and provide the latest IP Telephony Services that will effectively enhanced the communication among the DENR Offices; (2) to install Wireless Access Network to all Regional Office providing anytime/ anywhere network access; and (3) to enhance the existing network infrastructure of DENR Head Office thru additional network ports and main high network availability and resilient Network infrastructure.

The project, which is expected to be completed by June this year, has three phases.

These include the supply and delivery of information technology equipment, installation of Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) infrastructure by Trends and Technologies, Inc., and the installation of DENR- Internet Protocol Virtual Private Network (IPVPN) by the Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT).

The IPVPN-DENR features the following which include WAN Technology of choice, domestic Virtual Private Network solution via internet protocol for multi-site to multi-site connectivity, own private internet which is secured and cost effective and managed system, and a Bandwidth offering of 64Kbps -2Mbps to 1,000 Mbps via Ethernet. It is also equipped with Access Ubiquity which included Host/Hub/DR Connectivity; Remote Site Connectivity and Mobile User Connectivity.

Source:http://www.pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?article=1701331777659

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Meriden families receive computers from nonprofit

March 1st, 2012
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Daniel Fuentes and his family never had a computer in their home, but a new program that benefits residents in the Meriden Family Zone recently changed that, and helped nearly three dozen other households gain access to the benefits that come with having technology at their fingertips.
A computer in the home is commonplace in Connecticut. According to U.S. Census numbers from 2009, 82 percent of individuals in the state have Internet access where they live. The New Haven-based nonprofit group Concepts for Adaptive Learning (CAL) wants to see that number grow and it is working toward that goal by distributing computers donated by Northeast Utilities’ subsidiaries Connecticut Light & Power and Yankee Gas.

Those living in the family zone with children in Meriden public schools who have never had a computer are eligible for the program. Thirty-five families have received desktop PCs in the past six months.
CAL originally obtained 25 Hewlett Packard computers from CL&P last September and recently received another 20, totaling 45 computers for their Technology Cascade & Training program.
The program was launched in 2003 “to increase parent’s involvement in their children’s education and extend learning beyond the classroom,” said Curtis Hill, executive director of the organization.
“We chose to help families in Meriden because of the desire to help raise academic achievement in the city. Thanks to this donation from CL&P and Yankee Gas, we can do this,” Hill said.
CAL provides 10 hours of required computer training for parents who are chosen to receive a new computer. After receiving a reference from Migdalia Alicea of the family zone, CAL chose to donate a computer to the Fuentes family. Daniel Fuentes, 35, and his wife recently completed their training at Roger Sherman School.
“Me and my wife took the lessons together, it was a really good experience and learning tool,” he said. “The computer training was really good for the ones that don’t know anything and the ones that have used a computer before, it’s always a good time to learn new things.”
The training covers information on computer hardware, software, how to use a mouse, word processing, budgeting, email and Internet navigation. Once the training is completed, someone from CAL comes to install a computer in the home in three to five days.
Affording a computer was difficult for the Fuentes family because Daniel was out of work for four years due to disability and just five months ago got a job working behind the counter at Napa Auto Parts in New Haven. Fuentes believes access to a computer in the home can help his three children — ages 5, 10 and 14 — learn.
“Having a computer is something essential in these days because it’s more easy for the homework and a lot of different things like paying the bills and communicating with family and friends,” Fuentes said.
All computers handed out by CAL come with discounted Internet access. The group worked with Cox Cable in Meriden to help provide the families with a plan that costs just $9.95 a month for the next two years.
Every year, CL&P and Yankee Gas donate between 100 and 200 computers to different organizations throughout the state. CL&P has been donating computers for “many, many years,” said spokesman Mitch Gross.
CL&P takes their old, “out of date” computers that might be running a little slow and gives them to different organizations.
When CAL receives computers they are sent to its refurbishing center in Wallingford. The center wipes the computer clean, upgrades its spyware and installs Microsoft Windows 7 or XP.
“Our program is unique because we use technology as a resource to educate teachers, students and parents,” Hill said.
The Technology Cascade and Training program was the first program launched by Concepts.
“We are helping to close the digital divide,” Hill said.

Source:http://www.myrecordjournal.com/meriden/article_757f2c3c-6280-11e1-a56f-0019bb2963f4.html

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Computers do help in the schools

February 22nd, 2012
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Concordia University researchers set out to answer a “big picture” question: Does computer technology have a positive overall effect on learning in the classroom?

“There have been lots of arguments, both pro and con, regarding this issue, (such as) is it worth the investment?” said professor Richard Schmid, chairman of the education department at the Montreal-based Concordia.

Their literature review involved looking at thousands of studies and comparing achievement in classrooms that used computer technology with those that used little or none.

The 40-year retrospective study, published in the Review of Educational Research journal, concluded that classrooms where computer technology was used to support teaching had a “small to moderate positive” effect on learning and attitude.

If an administrator must make a decision “should we invest in this? The answer is yes,” said Schmid, the study’s co-author.

The literature shows that more recent, sophisticated applications of the technology produce greater positive gains than older applications, he said.

The research was expanded from a doctoral thesis by the study’s first author, Rana Tamim, and involved a team from Concordia’s Centre for the Study of Learning and Performance. “There were many studies that said that it actually had a negative impact. But the preponderance of evidence suggests that it has a positive impact,” said Schmid.

In a followup study now under way, Concordia researchers are looking not so much at whether computer technology in the classroom has a positive effect, but under what circumstances positive effects are observed.

If the technology is used solely as a content provider – for example, if iPads are used as alternatives to books – then there won’t be any positive change, he said.

The researchers’ preliminary analyses show that things such as PowerPoint presentations don’t have much effect on student learning or attitude, Schmid said.

“It’s not really much different from a blackboard or an overheard projector or a printed page.

“Where technology does have a positive impact is when it actively engages students, when it’s used as a communication tool, when it’s used for things like simulations or games that enable students to actively manipulate the environment.”

For example, rather than just reading about photosynthesis in a science class, with a com-puter simulation you can change the conditions – increase or decrease the amount of light or water to dynamically examine the phenomenon, Schmid said.

“And that’s where it has really positive impact.”

At United Talmud Torahs/ Herzliah, technology experts research appropriate computer applications and help teachers adapt them to meet the needs of students, said Ellie Grumberg, director of educational services at the Montreal school.

“The kids very often come in with more knowledge of the hardware,” Grumberg said.

The staff’s job is to “stay ahead of them with the software and what’s out there” to continue to stimulate them, she added.

Herzliah has been piloting a digital/human exam reader in Grades 7 and 8, an iPad application that the Jewish day school adapted for its needs. Students who are auditory learners – who do better when things are read to them – can use the iPad to listen to exam questions. The questions are read into the computer tablet by staff members.

Students said the process made them more independent in exam writing, Grumberg said. And by using headphones, they were able to block out external noise, allowing them to focus better on the test.

Grumberg said she can’t see how the school can meet the needs of students if it doesn’t teach them in the way they need to learn – “and the way they learn is through the manipulation of these technologies.”

Source:http://www.canada.com/Computers+help+schools/6183858/story.html

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Gabe Newell of Valve speaks of futuristic Wearable Computers

February 22nd, 2012
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This week at the games portal the world knows best as a comic, Penny Arcade, Valve’s own Gabe Newell spoke on many things in an interview, perhaps most interestingly of all on experiments he’s been doing with wearable computers. It’s not that long ago, he noted, that what was called the “wearable computer” was a growing industry, or at least a possibility for a market sometime in the future. Since those days, whenever those days may have been, law suits were filed for exploding computer body suits, nothing solid ended up really coming together during the popularity wave of the wearable computer, and they all but fizzled out – but they still exist, he insists, and they’re about to be better than they ever were before.

In the interview there was of course lots of chatter on games and the future of the Valve system itself and how it functions, but in a question regarding “inputs or outputs that you’re experimenting with,” Newell bore fruit. The wearable computer solutions Newell speaks of are “look like the old wearable computing solutions, the difference being that they’re way higher resolution, way lighter weight, [and] much better battery life.” Interestingly enough, he notes that biofeedback and biometrics are the main subject of these devices, whatever they may end up being, while virtual reality in the sense that you’re fully immersed visually did not specifically come up.

Perhaps is the fact that we’re outside of the game, no matter how much of it we’re experiencing, that keeps us interested in playing. As Gabe notes, it’s not even a matter of creating something that’s missing in the industry today:

“It’s not a question of whether or not this is going to be useful for customers, whether or not it’s going to be useful for content developers, you know, it’s figuring out the best way we can get these into people’s hands.” – Newell

Will we see glasses comparable to what we’ve seen as recently as CES 2012? Perhaps body suits that bring pressure to the chest, smells to the nose, and Avatar-like abilities to the game? Or maybe gigantic screens is all we’re speaking about instead:

“Well it’s exciting when you, you know, some of the prototypes that I’ve seen are basically the equivalent of a hundred inch display with considerably lower power requirements than a typical smartphone display, so if you just look at it straight up as a presentation technology that’s pretty interesting. It seems like some of the hard engineering problems are getting solved and a hundred inch display is way better than a ten inch display. The other thing that’s interesting is that a lot of these systems tend to allow you to overlap on a per-pixel basis the sort of real world with the virtual world.” – Newell

We’ll stick with Newell over the next few months to see if he’s really on to something here. With Valve doing more business than ever before, we can’t wait to see what turns up in their labs, even if they only play a small part in the manufacturing of hardware.

Source:http://www.slashgear.com/gabe-newell-of-valve-speaks-of-futuristic-wearable-computers-20214413/

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AMD pumps extreme performance into mid-range computers with 1-gigahertz Cape Verde graphics chips

February 16th, 2012
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Advanced Micro Devices is rolling out new graphics chips today that will bring screaming performance to the mid-range of the gamer PC market. The new AMD Radeon HD 7700 series (code-named Cape Verde) has a lot of the same technology as AMD’s code-named Tahiti graphics chip, which debuted in December as the world’s fastest graphics chip. But the 1-gigahertz-capable 7700 chips will be built into graphics add-on cards that cost only $99 to $199.

That means it won’t cost an insane amount of money to buy a gamer PC that can run a lot of the latest computer games. And that will give Sunnyvale, Calif.-based AMD a leg up on graphics chip rival Nvidia for a time.

The new chips will replace the 5770 series chips from last year and will run most games about 20 percent to 30 percent better than the earlier chips. The new chips can also run Battlefield 3, one of the most demanding games available on the PC, almost 30 percent faster than Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 550 Ti graphics chip, said Arturo Wong Chujoy, product marketing manager at AMD in an interview. The HD 5770 series chips were the most successful modern graphics chips (running Microsoft’s DirectX 11 graphics technology) to date, based on hardware surveys conducted by Valve’s Steam service, Wong Chujoy said.

Each of the new 7700 series chips has 1.5 million transistors and is less than half the size of the more powerful Tahiti chips. The 7700 series chips normally run at 75 watts but can power down to less than 3 watts of power consumption when the computer isn’t being used. The chips are built with AMD’s new 28-nanometer manufacturing process. The chip has 640 stream processors that handle graphics tasks, compared to 2,048 stream processors in the AMD Radeon HD 7970 high-end model. But Wong Chujoy said that the new models have a lot of high-end features, such as the Eyefinity 2.0 technology that allows one chip to power six displays.

The 7700 series Gigahertz edition has “reference engine clock” that runs at 1 gigahertz. That means that most of the chip operates at that speed, making the chip the first in the world to run at such a rate, Wong Chujoy said. He also said the chips can be “overclocked,” or run at a higher than recommended speed. An 800-megahertz version can be overclocked to 900 megahertz, and the 1 gigahertz version can be overclocked to 1.25 gigahertz. The 7770 model will sell at $159, and the 7750 will sell for at $109.

The Cape Verde chips will be available today from a wide range of game-focused hardware companies, from MSi to Asus. Starting in March, another set of graphics chips code-named Pitcairn will arrive and replace AMD’s Radeon HD 6800 series of chips in the price points ranging from $199 to $399.

Source:http://venturebeat.com/2012/02/14/amds-1-gigahertz-cape-verde-graphics-chips-will-bring-extreme-performance-to-mid-range-computers/

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New vehicle-mount computers from Intermec

February 10th, 2012
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Mobile technology company Intermec’s vehicle-mount computers, the CV41 and CV61, are designed to integrate with any forklift.

The new offerings represent the first vehicle-mount computers certified to offer the proven productivity, accuracy, safety and reduced training time benefits of Vocollect voice-directed work.

Additionally, both the CV41 and CV61 vehicle-mount computers include a CANBUS interface to support forklift fleet management applications.

“Intermec’s new vehicle-mount computers are built to withstand customers’ most challenging environments – delivering a secure connection to warehouses, retail operations, factories, T&L and other supply chain operations,” says Intermec Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand Tony Repaci.

The CV41 vehicle-mount computer also provides exclusive device health reporting capability.

Dynamic updates allow mobile workers and IT administrators to monitor and prevent issues related to scanning, communications and a wide range of other critical device health functions before they impact operations.

The optional Vocollect Voice capability, complete with client and wireless headset, provides additional productivity, accuracy and training benefits associated with voice-directed work.

In a larger display model, the CV61 is a touch screen vehicle-mount computer and is the successor to the successful CV60.

The 30.7 cm (12.1 in) LED backlit touchscreen display is easy to read in dimly-lit or outdoor environments.

Its IP66 rating ensures dust-tight operation and pressure-wash water sealing, while its user-swappable solid state disk storage preserves data integrity even in harsh, high vibration environments.

Like the CV41, the CV61 features optional Vocollect Voice capability and its associated benefits.

Crown Equipment Director Global Insite Products Jim Gaskell adds when combined with Crown’s InfoLink fleet management solution, the CV41 and CV61 enable a significantly enhanced Windows interface for the operator at a fraction of the hardware implementation cost.

Source:http://www.supplychainreview.com.au/news/articleid/78018.aspx

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Feature in Windows offers a peek at your computer’s power

February 7th, 2012
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If you have ever wondered just how robust your computer is under the hood, Microsoft has a built-in feature in Windows Vista and Windows 7 that measures the hardware’s capability. Called the Windows Experience Index, the tool analyzes several of the computer’s hardware components to generate a “base score.” Microsoft says these base scores can be taken into consideration when buying new programs to run on the machine.

To see how your computer ranks, go to the Start menu to Control Panel. In the Control Panel’s search box, type “performance” and click the resulting Performance and Information Tools link. Microsoft has more detailed information on evaluating base scores and improving the computer’s performance at bit.ly/9eA8K5.

Source:http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_19899935

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