
 
 Big Bang! Digital convergence is finally happening -- and that means new opportunities for upstarts and challenges for tech icons
 Convergence: What Does It Mean?
 Convergence Products And People
 Online Extra: Q&A With Intel's Craig Barrett The CEO says digital convergence is pushing the chip giant toward "common platforms" and a model based on "modular building blocks"
 Q&A with Boingo Wireless' Sky Dayton The Wi-Fi-network aggregator's founder sees unlimited potential for the technology -- if it gets much easier to use
 Online Extra: Q&A With MIT's Nicholas Negroponte The cyber-soothsaying author of Being Digital looks at what's next: "Peer-to-peer is key"
 Online Extra: Q&A With Tiger Telematic's Michael Carrender Why switch from a GPS company to handheld gaming company? Says the CEO: "It's clear the growth is going to be astronomical"
 Online Extra: Q&A with Philips' Gottfried Dutiné Why is convergence finally happening? Says the consumer-electronics chief: "Digitalization is the root cause"
 Wireless Finally, serious cell-phone capabilities and services are rolling in. Imagine your next phone as a TV, Radio, and Videocam
 The New Wireless Revolution
 "I'll Pick Up The Check -- With My Cell Phone"
 Online Extra: Wireless Godsends for Businesses American worker bees of all stripes are eagerly latching onto a slew of new applications coming to their cell phones
 Services To stay competitive, companies are finding new ways to automate operations, reuse technology, and streamline processes
 Taking The Sweat Out Of Services
 Online Extra: Q&A With IBM's David McQueeney This Big Blue research exec is now exploring ways to model business practices in software -- and turn that into service products
 Software Nothing's foolproof, but early-warning antivirus systems are getting better jumps on mischief makers
 Viruses Can Run, But They Can't Hide
 Symantec: Leading The Charge Against Hackers
 Online Extra: Q&A with Symantec's John Thompson The computer security giant's CEO talks about the ever-more threatening environment -- and his growth plans
 Online Extra: Q&A with SecurityFocus' Alfred Huger The cybersecurity expert on why its early-warning system is so hot: "People are sick and tired of being hit blind"
 Personal Computers PCs have barely changed styles since their birth. Here's how to revolutionize their look
 Three Cutting-Edge PCs
 Online Extra: Q&A With Microsoft's Tom Phillips The Windows Hardware Experience Group exec talks about the many ways PC design can be improved to make the machines easier to use
 IPOs It's not just Google. Plenty of prospective Internet IPOs are packing profits -- and there's lots more where they came from
 Back In The Black
 Online Extra: Grading The Class Of 2004 Here's a look at the performance and prospects of online outfits that have gone or are getting ready to go public this year
 Where Are They Now? Many of last year's leading lights have gone missing. Blame tougher competition and undeniable strategic missteps
 The Information Technology 100 Scoreboard (.pdf)
|  |


MONTHLY UPDATE
IT 100 August Report Card
Companies in BusinessWeek's index of top tech outfits had little to cheer about as summer wore on
IT 100 SCOREBOARD
The Info Tech 100 BusinessWeek's rankings of world's top 100 IT companies, in .pdf format
| The Biggest |
| Company | Current sales (millions) |
| IBM | $91,316.0 |
| hewlett-packard | 76,828.0 |
| SAMSUNG ELEC. | 54,464.2 |
| NTT DoCoMo | 48,455.2 |
| NEC | 47,099.5 |
| fujitsu | 45,137.1 |
| dell | 43,452.0 |
| microsoft | 35,608.0 |
| telefonica | 35,511.5 |
| intel | 31,481.0 |
| the fastest growing |
| Company | revenue growth |
| lexar media | 161.4% |
| quanta computer | 108.8 |
| sandisk | 107.4 |
| yahoo! | 100.3 |
| utstarcom | 99.9 |
| mobile telesystems | 87.0 |
| china unicom | 78.3 |
| advantest | 78.2 |
| vimpel-communications | 73.8 |
| asustek computer | 71.6 |
| the most profitable |
| Company | return on equity |
| mediatek | 55.2% |
| accenture | 47.2 |
| dell | 45.5 |
| nii holdings | 41.5 |
| yahoo! japan | 41.5 |
| univ. of phoenix online | 40.2 |
| novatek microelec. | 39.1 |
| telefonica moviles | 37.2 |
| oracle | 34.4 |
| sk telecom | 34.4 |
| the Best returns |
| Company | returns* |
| telesystem int. wireless | 264.7% |
| au optronics | 264.6 |
| yahoo! japan | 215.1 |
| chi mei optoelectronics | 215.1 |
| nii holdings | 202.1 |
| softbank | 194.6 |
| autodesk | 141.4 |
| motorola | 135.0 |
| wipro | 130.8 |
| mobile telesystems | 126.8 |
| * Shareholder returns through 5/30/2004 |
|