We are at the crossroads again

HI EVERYONE, we have a bit of news about Bytz for you. This is the last time you will read us as a standalone pullout. From Feb 5 we will be inside Star2, another popular section of your favourite English newspaper.

We will be there every Tuesday, since that’s the day in the week that you our readers have associated with our technology pullout ever since we started as Computers in October 1985. And we like our traditions.

Why did we decide to take this bold step? There are several reasons, actually.

First, home computing isn’t the specialised topic that it once was and computers have become as common as television sets.

Large numbers of people have smartphones and tablets now — and nobody stops and stares anymore when someone whips out a laptop; not the way they did when portables were the size of a small suitcase back in the mid 80s.

So we decided that it would be good to celebrate these developments by moving ourselves to a more mainstream section of the paper. We picked Star2 because it has a huge and varied following, and covers all kinds of topics that range from the environment to fashion to Hollywood to manga to lifestyle.

If anything, gadgets and apps and all the techie things that we love are so connected to lifestyle nowadays. And computers are going green, smartphone covers are fashion statements, and Hollywood is also on the small screen — phones and tablets.

So we will have a new home and the opportunity to reach a wider cross-section of The Star’s readership with our product reviews, features and opinions.

Of all our reasons, however, the most important is that we want to write a new chapter in our two-decade-plus journey. We are pushing further into cyberspace; going first where other sections of the newspaper will follow.

This means taking our TechCentral technology portal to new heights, as part of a major revamp that The Star Online flagship is undergoing.

“Digital first” is the new call and we are answering.

Our task will be to build a mutually-beneficial symbiotic relationship between our printed and binary publications.

We will also be diving deeper into social media as we strive to maintain our connection with you our readers and better understand your interests.

So stick with us, it’s going to be an exciting chapter. As good as, if not better, than the last one.