Dave's Download

First came the password, then the fingerprint, and now the face photo. Toshiba said today it's releasing new laptop PCs that use built-in webcams for security.

Four new Satellite models (starting at $950) come with face-recognition software. Users store a photo and tap the software instead of typing in a password to log in to the computer. And don't worry, American Mustache Institute, Toshiba says the software allows for periodic photo updates to keep up with changing looks, "such as the growing or shaving of a beard or mustache."

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The teeth gnashing is getting louder over Microsoft's plans to quit selling Windows XP at the end of June. Many businesses and consumers are crying foul, saying they want to avoid Windows Vista because of complaints that it is incompatible with too many peripherals or runs too slowly on older PCs.

Dell, for one, has posted plans to continue selling Windows XP on some computers until June 2009, and HP has reportedly said the same thing. The equipment builders say they'll use a loophole that Microsoft offers to business customers to downgrade systems from Vista to XP. Dell and HP would make the switch before the computer ships, letting customers get a computer preloaded with the tried-and-true XP.

The switcheroo would help only customers willing to pay more for Vista's Business or Ultimate editions. That leaves out many PCs at retail, which often come with the Home versions installed.

But retailers might see slivers of light at the end of the tunnel. Microsoft could still change its mind if it heard a loud enough outcry about ending XP. Microsoft already extended XP's life once and could again, CEO Steve Ballmer told a group in Belgium late last week.

"If customer feedback varies, we can always wake up smarter," Ballmer said, according to Reuters. "But right now, we have a plan for end of life for new XP shipments."

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I couldn't be sure what it was about, or who it was aimed at, when I first read Microsoft's official description of Live Mesh. I'm still not sure what it will do, but apparently it's worth watching because it's aimed at us consumers.

Essentially, "mesh" is Microsoft's extending the concept of "cloud," which is storing and sharing everything on distant computers managed by others, including companies like Microsoft. Microsoft is planning to add software, "platforms," and "experiences" to mash together a mesh.

To start, it appears Mesh will sync digital files among devices. But it will also be a "new software-plus-services platform" and offer "unified device management." Not sure what those are, though.

Only by looking at screen shots and videos of execs did it become a little more clear, at least conceptually, that Mesh is aimed initially at consumers. The early examples describe sharing photos among friends and family, and include a "Home Desktop" in the network.

Surely the concept will extend to corporate offices. But information-technology folks at businesses usually want to lock out other devices like "Home Desktop." So this one appears to be for us—maybe?

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We might consider it a noble, collective goal to shut off vampire power, the standby juice that devices suck when we think they're switched off. Nationwide, the phantom load is unnecessarily keeping several power plants busy.

But as individuals, what kind of money do we save if we shut it off? Maybe $50 or $100 a year, experts say, if we could truly kill all our devices when we don't need them.

It's a pain to run around unplugging everything. One answer is getting power strips that are easy to switch off. Another is one of the gadgets that make it even easier to cut standby power. They're among the small moves folks might make to cut their household energy use. I tried a Smart Strip on my TV and DVD players—yes, players, because we have DVD recorder and a now orphaned but still-useful HD DVD player. The strip works as advertised, cutting power to the DVD players when the TV is turned off. I didn't add our TiVo, which I want powered up to record shows.

Then I measured the difference with a Kill-A-Watt EZ, which tracks the power used by devices. I checked how much power the DVD players use when turned off, when left on (oops!), and when left on with a disk playing (double oops!).

Bottom line is that the Smart Strip would most likely save us about $15 a year on our simple setup. The base model costs about $33, so we'd get our money back in a bit more than two years. For as long as the strip lasts after that, we'd bank small but real savings.

The payback would be greater for someone with more devices, say a big sound system, a VCR, and a cable box — especially the cable box, which most people don't think to turn off.

I like the Smart Strip. I don't have to remember to do anything but switch off the TV. Plus, speaking collectively as Earth Day approaches, it seems the right thing to do.

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