CompuWorld

Design Your Watch "Online"

Looking for the perfect watch? The Internet has a wealth of resources to find just the right accessory for your wrist -- new, gently used, antique, or custom-made.

With the variety and vintages of watches available and the intense interest shown by watch collectors and enthusiasts, finding an ideal timepiece on the Web has never been easier at well-known sites like Amazon.com or eBay.

But smaller watchmakers are tapping into the Web with a novel proposition for buyers: a custom-designed watch, built-to-order and delivered in 10 days.

Operating without retail outlets in a town on the outskirts of the Swiss watch making city of Geneva, 121TIME has built an online store -- www.121time.com -- offering customized and personalized certified Swiss watches.

"We are special," said Daniel Morf, one of 121TIME's co-founders. "Technology now enables the consumer to create his or her own watch."

Building your own products is not new to the Web. Shoe maker Nike Inc. allows buyers to customize and order shoes and apparel through its NIKEiD Web site nikeid.nike.com.

In terms of sales, 121TIME's are minuscule compared to the 13.7 billion Swiss francs ($11.36 billion) worth of watches exported last year by iconic Swiss watchmakers such as Rolex, Patek Philippe, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Panerai, Omega, Vacheron Constantin and Swatch.

Morf and 121TIME co-founder Frederic Polli say they have sold about 10,000 watches since 2001.

With prices in the range of roughly $300 to $1,000, it doesn't translate into much, but the two say their Web platform allows them to expand the business and sell to a global market, avoiding distribution deals that inflate watch prices.

Labels: amazon, reviewed

Book of Tips for Vista Rollouts Ships

A popular resource kit that is released with each new version of the Microsoft Windows operating system is available for Vista. I am wondering why they were so late for the launch.

The official Windows Vista(TM) Resource Kit (Pro - Resource Kit) walks corporate users through the deployment, configuration and management of the operating system. The book dedicates more than 1,500 pages to in-depth technical guidance on automating deployment, implementing security enhancements, and troubleshooting for Vista, which was released to corporate users in November.

Also included are tips for administering group policy, files and folders, and programs; a networking section that covers such topics as configuration of Windows networking, connecting to remote networks and IPv6 deployment; a management section covering disks and storage, and device management; and maintenance tips for health and performance monitoring, assisting remote users, updating and patching, and client protection.

There are sections on Internet Explorer 7, Windows Firewall, and Windows Defender. The book includes more than 150 scripts to help automate administrative tasks and tools; and utilities to help troubleshoot, manage, and configure Vista.

The book is a collaboration among Microsoft's Windows Vista team and authors Mitch Tulloch, Tony Northrup, Jerry Honeycutt.

The retail price of Windows Vista Resource Kit is US$60, but a number of online retailers are selling it for $38.

Labels: amazon, announcements, books, microsoft, vista tips

Amazon Silently Launches Endless.com

Amazon.com has launched their own independent shoe and handbag website, Endless.com. Shoes and handbags will still be available on Amazon. Endless really hides the fact that Amazon owns them — you have to dig into their About Us page, and even then you won’t see Amazon.com’s logo. The few other noticeable Amazon associations are that the product images are hosted at Amazon.com and Endless is powered by Amazon.com, meaning you login with your Amazon account information.

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Labels: amazon, reviewed