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10 Reasons to Get a Widescreen Monitor

Slowly but surely. Widescreen Monitors are taking over the world. Why are widescreens better than normal screen monitors? Here are 10 Reasons that you should get a Widescreen instead of a 4:3 Screen.

1. Movies

DVDs, HDTV all come in widescreen format now. With a regular monitor, you are just resizing the image and the image appears less large because it can’t fit on your normal size monitor. Widescreen Monitors on the other hand, fill up almost every pixel so you can sit further away and get that cinematic effect.

2. Windows Vista

With Windows Vista, Native widesreen support is included into the OS. XP has support for Widescreen too but it doesn’t take advantage of it a lot. At least the sidebar dock in Vista uses the extra space that comes from a widescreen monitor.

3. Games

Computer games used to come in normal screen format only. Not anymore though. Most games have true widescreen now. This means that the images are not streched or cut off. Instead your viewing area becomes more natural and realistically mirrors that of your eyes.

4. Periperhal vision

Evolution has made us more alert of things are the side or us instead of above and below us. Predators traditionally comes from the sides, not the top of trees. So when you get a widescreen monitor compared to a normal screen monitor, you are actually more alert to the information on the screen.

5. Supports PS3, Xbox360

The new generation of console games are meant to run on a widescreen monitor. It does no justice to use them on a normal screen monitor. If you have a screen for both your computer and console, widescreen is the only way to go.

6. Side by Side Documents

With widescreen monitors, you are skip the alt tabbing when comparing documents. A picture speaks a thousand words. 2 Pictures side by side saves you a thousand Alt Tab

7. Tilt

Some widescreen monitors come with an adjustable stand. You can tilt it 90deg to get a book like effect. This is very useful when reading ebooks or long documents.

8. See it the way it is meant to be seen

A flash says a millon words.

9. Looks Cool

When was the last time you see a normal screen in the sci fi movie??? Widescreen are cool!

10. It’s time

The trend is towards widescreens and the phasing out of normal screens. As media formats move towards widescreen monitors, you may find yourself at a disadvantage if you still have only a normal size screen.

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What is World Economic Forum’s Networked Readiness Index?

Wikipedia’s Definition
“The World Economic Forum’s Networked Readiness Index (NRI) measures the propensity for countries to exploit the opportunities offered by information and communications technology. It is published annually. The NRI seeks to better comprehend the impact of ICT on the competitiveness of nations. The NRI is a composite of three components: the environment for ICT offered by a given country or community, the readiness of the community’s key stakeholders (individuals, businesses, and governments) to use ICT, and finally the usage of ICT amongst these stakeholders.”

NETWORKED READINESS INDEX RANKINGS 2006 (2005)
1: Denmark (3)
2: Sweden (8)
3: Singapore (2)
4: Finland (5)
5: Switzerland (9)
6: Netherlands (12)
7: US (1)
8: Iceland (4)
9: UK (10)
10: Norway (13)

Source: WEF

Let’s break down why I think Singapore is on the list.

Smart Homes have been touted as the Next Big Thing. However they have been around for decades and any futuristic movie is sure to showcase their potential. Currently the uptake of smart homes have been disappointing to say the least. Here we provide you 10 Reasons Why Smart Homes Can’t Get Into Your Home.

1. Complex to setup
Home users are do not want to spend their time choosing and installing smart home modules. Not only do they require extensive renovation and wiring skills that most home users do not have, they also require a familiarity with technology that is uncommon in most home owners. Initial setting up of the system involves creating profiles, users etc that homeowners find the process too long winded. Salesman also find that half an hour or more of the selling phase is spent on getting users to setup their home accounts. By this time, the home owner would have lost all interest.

2. Complex To Use
Home users fear that smart homes will out smart them and have unpredictable actions. The control scheme for smart homes is also complex as it requires extensive learning and setting of controls. There are many modules to keep track off and this adds stress to the user.

3. Need extensive change in home environment
Most homeowners do not renovate their homes frequently thereby eliminating the chance for home control systems to enter their households. We need a smart home that is plug & Paste. If we have a system that is installable just via a wall socket, many more home owners will be receptive to the idea of smart home systems.

4. Multiple Stakeholders
Currently there is no dominant design and company in the smart home market. Users are unsure if the system they choose will still be supported throughout the lifespan of their homes. Given that most home owners do not move for around 9 years once they move in, they want to be sure that their system will be supported for the span of their stay.

5. Not targeted at middle class mass market
The Market is currently targeted at high end homes where users are willing to pay a premium for a smart home system when they renovate their homes. Middle class homes are not being targeted as they are unwilling to pay the price for a smart home system.

6. Too much technology can be a bad thing
In general, opinion was fairly mixed on the issue of whether new technology in the home is a good or bad thing. Generally, it is agreed that the statement ‘I welcome new technology in my home because it saves me time and effort’ resonates with the majority. However, others felt fairly negative about the prospect of more technology in their home and almost two in five agreed with the statement ‘I do not see the need for more technology in my home’.
Many voiced concerns about the prospect of dealing with new technology. Almost half indicated that they were worried about how complicated new technology would be to use and the same proportion agreed that they found it difficult to keep upwith the latest technology for the home.

7. Over Concern regarding system failure
Because the exposure to smart home systems are so low, it is expected that many people are concerned over the failure of these systems. Even seen a person use the computer for the first time? They were so worried that anything wrong they do will send the computer to a graveyard, never to be revived. We just need more exposure to get over this road block.

8. No obvious use
Smart homes may provide so many features that are sure to bring you convenience and enable you to live like a virtual king. But as a package, there is no one clear benefit that is a killer feature. For platform products to succed, there must be a killer feature! The computer in its early days relied to spreadsheets to get into offices. The internet had email. What does a smart home have that everyone will definitely want?

9. The computer is your smart home
Who needs a smart home when we have the PC. Most of us spend a lot more time in front of our computers than anywhere on your home. Everyone is expected to have a computer sooner or later and this will create bubbles of intelligence in your home. Each family member with a computer has already created a smart room. Maybe we just need to incorporate medical/safety sensors into USB form so that they can operate from computers.

10. Beginning of S curve
Smart home market is certainly still at the bottom of an S curve. There are many companies with a great variety of products. The consumers are not very sure of what they really want and the companies are just throwing products out and see what sticks.

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