The much-maligned Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), reeling from criticism that it has botched the rescue and relief mission in the southern states of the USA, is now under fire for the poor compatibility of its website.
Users can register at the site to apply for government help, only they can’t if they are using a Mac, or Linux, or for that matter a Windows PC running anything other than IE6.
When we tried to use the ‘Individual Assistance Center’ using Firefox 1.6 on XP, we got the message, “In order to use this site, you must have JavaScript Enabled and Internet Explorer version 6. Download it from Microsoft or call 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) to register.”
Nice.
Admittedly the problem will be lessened by the fact that those applying with probably not be doing so from work (they have lost their jobs) or home (it’s under several feet of what was formally known as water, but is now been called a noxious primordial slime) but instead will be using internet cafes or public internet access from libraries where IE6 is likely to be prevalent. Even so, there is simply no excuse for a Federal agency to exclude 15% of the population because they prefer a platform or a browser not created by Microsoft.
September 8th, 2005
Sony has announced an mp3 Walkman which it claims is the most stylish and sophisticated digital audio player ever.
It arrives in two sizes: the NW-A3000 holds 20GB and the NW-A1000, 6GB.
Both are made from a futuristic translucent material: the 20GB comes in violet and silver, the 6GB in violet, silver, pink and blue. And, of course, even the headphones are colour coordinated. At first glance it looks, well, ordinary, but then you realise how original the design actually is.
As it comes to life, the luminescent Organic EL display lightens up. The three buttons make operating the player a cinch.
Just like a mobile phone, the display features nine navigational icons on the home menu from which you can manoeuvre up, down, left and right to search, shuffle and access all your favourite tracks.
The Walkman features a revolutionary new ARTIST LINK function. This means that if you’re listening to an artist or track and you press the artist link button the new Walkman will search, find and display similar artists in that genre.
What’s more, you can also choose how to ‘shuffle’. By selecting ‘My Favourite Shuffle’, the device automatically selects the most listened to 100 songs and plays them at random. The ‘Time Machine Shuffle’ function randomly selects a year and plays all of the songs from that particular year that are currently held on the device.
“We are raising the bar with the new Sony Walkman”, said Gregory Kukolj, General Manager at Sony Europe. “This stunning new device will be instantly appealing to both style followers and technology-minded individuals alike. One drawn by the spectacular design and the other by the outstanding ease of use and features that really deliver. The new Sony Walkman is an irresistible proposition for users who want the ultimate digital music player.”
September 8th, 2005