Monday, November 26, 2001		Latest in IT world

Garment site

Once the quota regime comes to an end and the WTO provisions apply, Indian exporters will have a tough time ahead in view of our improper international marketing and outdated technology. A site, www.garmentjunction.com, hopes to keep the Indian exporter abreast with the times by making comprehensive yet relevant information available. The site not only locates actual buyers but also facilitates raw material sourcing and production activities. It plans to bring all garment related and accessory industries on a single platform. The site has launched a "Gold Membership Scheme" that offers privileged services to meet specific requirements of the Indian garment industry. The portal is a comprehensive B2B portal on the garment industry and has filled a long- standing need for "a single market place to international buyers and Indian suppliers." The site has been promoted by professionals who have been in the garment trade since the past 30 years.

US-based chip major Intel and a Chinese PC maker have decided to jointly launch a kind of laptop totally assembled at customers’ requests in China by the end of the month. Dubbed as ‘do it yourself’ (DIY) computer, this new product allows Chinese consumers to choose their desired accessories and system configuration in light of their own individualised demand, Xinhua news agency reported.As a first step, Intel would cooperate with Hangzhou Huali Company to launch the DIY laptop computers. Currently, the sales volume ratio between DIY computers and ready-made computers, both laptops and desktops, stands around six to four in China. And the ratio is expected to expand with the growth of the DIY computer market. Established last year, Huali Company plans to open 40 computer chain stores in Zhejiang province, east China, next year.

Operations manager Andrew Wee, 28, received a rude shock when he switched on his computer and saw 50 persons replying to e-mail messages he never sent. He told The Straits Times that the messages were mainly on offers of herbal alternatives to Viagra, toilet systems and invitations to pornographic Websites. He was one of the latest victims of cyber-imposters who are using other people’s e-mail addresses to send out commercial or prank mail. The three major Internet service providers (ISPs) in Singapore - SingNet, StarHub Internet and Pacific Internet - confirmed that there has been a sudden rise in the number of such incidents over the past two weeks. SingNet and StarHub Internet said they each had about 100 customers affected while Pacific Internet said ‘many’ of its customers were hit, without giving a number. Since last week, the Singapore Computer Emergency Response Team said it had received five complaints from members of the public. SingNet and Pacific Internet said that they tried to track down the culprit and that the person could be a user of a US-based ISP.

AOL Time Warner Inc., Yahoo Inc. and Cisco Systems Inc. are combining their Internet and technology might to make giving online easier as persons look to donate money and time following the September 11 attacks on the USA, Washington Post reports.The three corporations are the primary financial backers for Network for Good, a Web site that was launched this week to help individuals engage in "one-stop" e-philanthropy and to assist nonprofit groups seeking donations or volunteers online. The effort, which comes just before the holiday season, has been in the works for more than a year and has been launched just as giving is increasing, especially on the Internet.