Are These High-Tech Gadgets Built For Dummies, Or By Them?

Deciphering owner’s manuals for many high-tech products these days takes an engineering degree. And one publishing company has thrived by turning out hundreds of books ” … For Dummies” on complicated products.

The problem, experts say, is that executives in the technology industry have surrendered control of the design process to engineers and programmers. The upshot is products that many consumers find difficult to use.

“There’s an enormous amount of productivity lost with consumers trying to cope with badly designed technology,” the author of a book on the subject says.

Knight Ridder

V-chip blues: Touted as the answer to parental control of what their kids see on television, the V-chip to date has fallen short of the hype that preceded its introduction.

TVs equipped with the technology to block access to certain shows began arriving in stores in June, but full implementation of the system awaits further action by the broadcasting industry.

For now, many shows are transmitted without V-chip signals. That means they won’t be blocked even if consumers program their TV to exclude them.

It’s uncertain when, or if, the problems will be fixed.

Knight Ridder

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