Logitech cameras with digital zoom have gained the ability to track human faces and keep them centered on the screen, a trick usually reserved for much more expensive cameras. - Logitech cameras with digital zoom have gained the ability to track human faces and keep them centered on the screen, a trick usually reserved for much more expensive cameras. The cameras became available last month and cost in the $79 range. Using technology from A4-Vision, Logitechs stationa...

Seeking 'commonality' of spelling. - If anyone wants a candidate for a web service that everyone needs, I propose spell checking. This function demands regular updates, not to mention punctilious debugging. Word 97, for example, still used by many eWeek readers, can be the worst kind of back-seat driver: It interrupts you to give you ...

With the entire pacific Northwest region now facing power problems, long-standing preparedness guidelines for earthquake-prone Southern California are becoming excellent IT advice. - With the entire pacific Northwest region now facing power problems, long-standing preparedness guidelines for earthquake-prone Southern California are becoming excellent IT advice. Standby power supplies, backup offsite systems (we mean way offsite say, in Kansas), and fallback technology (radio a...

When image is everything, a lightweight $150 scanner simply won't suffice. - When image is everything, a lightweight $150 scanner simply wont suffice. Microteks ScanMaker 8700 weighs 25 pounds and costs $1,000, but buyers get what they pay for. I get by with a Canon Canoscan that weighs about 5 pounds and cost me $150 (shipping included), but the ScanMaker 8700 produces a m...